Round 202

Silra moved toward the main entrance, her eyes scanning the structural damage with practiced precision. The frame groaned under stress, metal plates already straining against the weight above. She pulled out her welder and set up the equipment, the familiar hiss of compressed gas grounding her in the moment.

"Halie's right—we can't let this situation tear us apart," she said over her shoulder, more to herself than anyone else. "We've come too far together to fall prey to these... demands now." The word tasted bitter on her tongue, but she forced herself to focus on the task at hand.

She ignited the welding torch, the intense blue flame cutting through the gloom as she began to reinforce the weakened supports. The heat and light provided a small sense of control amidst the chaos, a reminder that they still had agency here despite everything. As she worked, she could feel the building's presence pulsing around them, its demands growing more insistent by the second.

But Silra pushed them aside, concentrating on the steady rhythm of her breathing and the precision required to save this structure—and hopefully all their lives—with nothing but her skills and equipment. The forty-minute estimate had expired, and the groaning timber told her they had maybe two minutes before total collapse.

She finished reinforcing one section and moved to the next, working with desperate focus even as her mind raced through possibilities. Separating Jeane from the group was crucial—her succubus nature was fighting for dominance, and if it won... well, she didn't want to think about what would happen then. But how to do it without causing more division? How to convince Hera that protecting them all meant getting rid of one person temporarily?

The building creaked again, louder this time, and Silra felt a fresh surge of panic. She welded faster, the flame hissing as she worked against time itself.