Round 103 Transcript

As the structural collapse looms closer, Hera's call for help echoes through the bathroom, her voice laced with desperation. Silra swiftly wedges the mirror into the gap between the door and frame, bracing it against the impending impact. The sound of creaking metal and shattering glass fills the air as the floor beneath them gives way. Water floods in, icy cold and knee-deep, as the shower stall collapses, its pipes snapping like brittle twigs. The wardstone's energy surges, its pulse racing like a wild animal trapped in the stone. Halie's shield arm burns brighter, holy fire crackling around her like a living thing. The mirror, now firmly wedged, begins to wobble, threatening to dislodge. Silra's eyes dart towards Hera, her face set in a determined expression. The question hangs in the air: will they be able to hold the door together, or will the wardstone's energy tear them apart?

The wardstone pulses again—stronger—and the floor tilts under us. I brace harder against the door, pushing back with everything I have while maintaining the barrier spell. It strains my concentration; feels like trying to hold back a tidal wave with my bare hands. "Silra! Get that mirror deeper!" I snap, voice sharp over the groaning building. "Hera, switch with me—you're shaking so hard you'll lose your grip." I glance at Halie's shield arm blazing with holy fire. "And you—yes you, stop glaring at me and actually help instead of critiquing my spellwork. Channel that light into the door frame or something useful."

My demon nature flares hot under the surface—I hate being questioned in front of the others, especially Silra who already suspects too much—and I'm fighting not to show it as I adjust my stance to hide how my breasts are lactating from the exertion and panic. The wardstone's energy tastes like copper on my tongue now—it knows we're here, it wants us. We have maybe a minute before this whole structure comes down.

Halie braces herself harder against the door frame, her shield arm burning with holy fire, adjusting her stance on the slick floor as water from the broken shower stall mixes with spilled lubricant to make everything treacherous. She glares at Jeane across the barrier of wardstone energy that pulses between them with each spell she casts. "This won't hold forever," Halie shouts over the creaking of the collapsing building and the increasing surge of dark power. "Whatever you're doing—it's feeding it." The cleric shifts her weight, trying to find purchase on the floor while keeping pressure against the door. "Tone it down or step back and let me handle this side."

Her eyes flick to Hera for a moment—a protective instinct that makes her chest tighten before she forces herself to focus on the task at hand. The wardstone's energy feels like grinding teeth against her skin, and she knows they're running out of time.

I brace myself against the bathroom door, feeling the weight of the world pressing down on us. The water from the broken shower stall is rising fast, and I can hear the ominous creaking of the building as it strains to hold itself together. "Silra, help me hold this!" I call out, my voice tight with fear. "Abby, is there anything else we can use to brace this door?"

I grab a heavy mirror from the counter and wedge it into the gap between the door and the frame, hoping it will buy us some time. But even as I do it, I know it's not enough. The wardstone energy is pulsing stronger with each passing second, and I can feel its malevolent presence seeping through every crack and crevice. "Halie!" I shout, my eyes darting to the cleric. "What are we going to do? This won't hold forever!"

I brace myself against the door, my muscles screaming in protest as I try to keep it closed against the rising water and the growing pressure from the wardstone. My heart is pounding in my chest, and I can feel the fear rising like bile in my throat. But even in this moment of sheer terror, a small part of me wonders what Halie is thinking. What she's feeling as we teeter on the brink of disaster. I push the thought away, knowing that it doesn't matter now. All that matters is survival.