Round 103

The bathroom becomes a death trap as water floods in and the wardstone pulses accelerate structural stress. Hera braces herself against the door, feeling the building groan around them like a dying beast. Jeane maintains her barrier spell with visible strain, sweat beading on her pale skin as she fights to contain the corruption seeping through cracks. "Silra! Get that mirror deeper!" she snaps, voice sharp with urgency. "Hera, switch with me—you're shaking so hard you'll lose your grip." Her crimson eyes flick to Halie's burning shield arm. "And you—yes you, stop feeding it!"

Halie grits her teeth against the magical backlash scorching her arm, adjusting her stance on the treacherous slippery floor. Water from the broken shower stall mixes with spilled lubricant, making every movement precarious. She glares at Jeane across the barrier of dark energy. "This won't hold forever," she shouts over the creaking building and surging corruption. "Whatever you're doing—it's just feeding it!" Her shield arm blazes brighter as another wardstone pulse hits like a physical blow.

Hera wedges the heavy mirror into the gap, desperate to reinforce the door before it gives way completely. The water rises knee-deep now, icy cold against her skin. "Abby, is there anything else we can use?" she calls out, voice tight with fear. The building moans around them like a dying animal, each wardstone pulse accelerating the countdown to structural failure. Sixty seconds—maybe less—until everything collapses.