Round 24

As Silra's gloved hand hovered near the rope, she suddenly froze, her teal eyes locked onto the darkness below. The rasping voice echoed through the ruins once more, its tone taking on a manic quality: "Turn back...while you still can..." Jeane stood firm above ground, her crimson gaze darting between Silra and the opening in the tunnel. Ash continued to spill out from the grating, casting an acrid haze over the area.

Silra's grip on the rope tightened as she peered into the darkness, her expression a mixture of tension and focus. "I see what you mean about the structure," she murmured, tracing the stress fractures with one gloved finger. "They're testing this section deliberately, trying to gauge how much force it can take before collapse." The air vibrated with the scuttling noise beneath them, and fresh ash spilled out from the grating.

Jeane's eyes narrowed as she processed Silra's words alongside her own knowledge. Her arcane energy crackled between her palms, momentarily disrupted by the sudden shift in attention. "Yes, whoever designed this trap system has considerable skill and patience," she said, her voice laced with irritation beneath its sly aristocrat tone. "I see you've already assessed the situation tactically—clever girl."