Round 114

The corridor vibrated with each pulse from beyond the bathroom door—wardstone energy bleeding through the wood like poison into the air they breathed. Halie pressed her palms flat against the barrier, feeling the corruption seep into her skin like molten honey, blistering her flesh where it touched. Every wave made the wood groan louder, buckling inward inch by agonizing inch.

"Jeane!" she shouted over her shoulder, voice cracking with urgency. "Get Hera out of here now! The whole building's about to come down!" In the dark corridor behind them, Hera crouched against the wall, amber eyes wide with terror as she watched the door buckle inward. The sound of water rushing filled the air—broken shower stall flooding into the hallway.

Jeane stepped closer, pressing her palm against the wood—not to brace, but to feel what was happening on the other side. The wardstone pulses weren’t just rhythmic now; they were accelerating like a heartbeat before cardiac arrest. "Hera, move back," she snapped, her voice sharper than intended. "Everyone except Silra, get behind that dresser." The water on the floor was turning the spilled lubricant into a dangerous slick.

"I grab for any leverage on this cursed door before it gives way completely—it's slippery enough as is without water turning everything into an ice rink," Silra growled, her fingers finding no purchase on the smooth wood. The wardstone pulse felt like a drumbeat now, getting faster. "Hera, hold your position. Jeane, get that barricade across the other side of the corridor ASAP. We need to contain this mess before it spreads." She was not letting whatever was in the bathroom suite get out—not if she could help it.

Halie saw what Silra was trying to do here, but she didn't think using herself as an energy conduit was their best option. The wardstone's pulse was getting faster—I can feel it through the floor—and whatever's on the other side of that door isn't just waiting anymore. We need a real solution, not a temporary fix that might get one or more of us corrupted. Jeane, I know you want to act now, but r...

The wood creaked again, louder this time—a long groan that spoke of structural failure imminent. They were running out of time fast.