Round 5 Transcript

Jeane studies Gravedigger Renn with cool assessment; his fear is authentic—he thinks we are fools for coming here, that his warning was enough to send us scurrying back to our mundane lives. He does not know what kind of fool I am. "Renn," she says, her voice carrying a practiced velvet tone that could coax secrets from the dead themselves, "you've done well by warning us. But your debt is paid now—stay or go as you wish." She steps past him towards the church entrance, already considering the layout within and how best to secure it for their... activities. The rusted key in her pocket feels heavy with potential; perhaps Gravedigger Renn's fear can be useful after all. She kneels beside the stone cross by the path and traces its weather-worn symbols—not religious, she realizes with a sharp thrill of recognition, but something older. "Interesting," Jeane murmurs to herself, pulling out her unholy symbol to trace parallel lines across its surface in response. The stones shift almost imperceptibly beneath her fingers. The stone cross grinds slightly against the path, settling deeper as if responding to her gesture—a faint sound barely audible over the rain and wind.

I step forward into the rain, my hand closing around the unholy symbol at my neck—its familiar weight is cold comfort against Gravedigger Renn's fear, which clings to him like this ash-choked air clings to everything else. I force myself to meet his eyes; genuine terror has a way of stripping away all pretense. "Renn," I say softly but firmly, "you've done more than enough already by warning us. Your family is safe now because you spoke truth." I gesture towards the crumbling church entrance with my free hand—its stone face seems to glower under the stormy sky. "We go in together. Silra may be bold, and Jeane calculating, but I am here for a reason: protection."

I raise my unholy symbol, letting its dark metal catch what little light remains. "Whatever lies within this ruin that scares you so—we face it as three, with steel and sorcery and faith." My voice doesn't waver despite the cold dread settling into my bones. "Stay close to me. If whatever haunts these halls comes for us, I'll hold it back long enough for Silra to find a way through and Jeane to burn it down."

I take Gravedigger Renn's hand in mine—his skin is clammy with fear—and pull him towards the church entrance. "No more waiting in this rain," I declare, though my heart hammers against my ribs. "Let's go reclaim this place for something better than despair."