Round 182

The wardstone pulsed like a diseased heart—loud, insistent, fucking demanding attention they didn't have to give. Jeane grit her teeth hard enough to crack enamel, pouring more power through the dildo channel while her wings flexed involuntarily behind her. The barrier spell fought against corruption trying to leak through from the other side of that door—wardstone energy wanted out bad, and it was making her demonic nature thrum in response like a predator scenting blood.

"Twenty seconds," she ground out, not really believing it herself. "Fifteen? Silra, stop fucking around back there and find us an exit before this entire corridor turns into a death trap."

Silra had her hands flat against the wall again, fingers splayed wide as she searched for any structural weakness, hidden compartment, goddamn miracle that would get them out of this situation. The wardstone pulse came again—she could feel it vibrating through the plaster and studs beneath her palms like the building itself was alive with corruption.

"This whole section is compromised," she snarled back, frustration making her voice sharp. "I'm not finding hidden doors or secret passages—the construction is just fucking shit from top to bottom." Another wardstone pulse, louder this time, and dust fell from the ceiling above her in a fine shower.

Jeane checked over her shoulder—Halie looked ready to drop from exhaustion, hands burned raw gripping that mirror barricade while Hera trembled beside her like a frightened rabbit. Great. Two more people she needed to keep alive while maintaining this barrier and not losing control of her demonic nature. Easy mode.

"Fine," she barked, turning back to face the door. "If you can't find an exit behind us, then we have to go forward—through the apartment and out the other side before this building collapses completely."

Silra whirled around at that, eyes wide with horror. "Are you insane? Going back toward whatever the fuck is in that shower? The wardstone energy is already—"

"I KNOW," Jeane cut her off mid-rant, voice cracking with barely controlled desperation. "But staying here means certain death when this corridor collapses. At least moving gives us a chance—small as it is—to find another way out."

Halie's head snapped up at that, meeting Jeane's eyes over the barricade. The cleric looked like absolute shit—exhausted, terrified, hands burned raw—but determination was still there in her gaze. "What about Hera?" she asked, voice barely audible over the building's groans. "We can't leave her behind."

Jeane's jaw clenched—of course Halie would make this more complicated. She couldn't just abandon the civilian, no, had to protect her like some kind of martyr even though Hera's panic was feeding the wardstone and making everything worse.

"We take her with us," she said finally, voice flat with barely suppressed annoyance. "But she stays behind you where I can keep an eye on her and make sure her panic doesn't fuck everything up."

Silra opened her mouth to argue—this was a terrible plan, they'd be walking straight into whatever the hell was waiting in that bathroom—but another wardstone pulse vibrated through the corridor, followed by a loud crack from somewhere overhead. A section of ceiling tile fell, hitting the floor with surprising force.

"Fine," Silra hissed, already moving back toward the group. "But if we all die because of this stupid plan, I'm holding you personally responsible."

Jeane didn't bother responding—she was too busy channeling more power into the barrier spell and trying to ignore the way her demonic nature strained against her control with every passing second. This was their only option, even if it meant walking straight into whatever nightmare waited in that apartment.

Halie adjusted her grip on the mirror one last time before nodding to Jeane—she'd keep Hera safe no matter what, even if it killed her. Which, at this rate, seemed increasingly likely anyway.

The wardstone pulsed again—louder now, more insistent—as Jeane began carefully dismantling the barrier spell. They had maybe thirty seconds before the corridor collapsed completely or she lost control of her demonic nature entirely. Time to move.