Round 49

As the scuttling noise ceased, Sister Hale tumbled against a nearby wall, gasping for breath. Gravedigger Renn's eyes went wide with terror as he pointed frantically at the grating in the ground, where fresh ash cascaded out in rhythmic bursts. The air seemed to vibrate with an otherworldly energy, and the cleric's grip on her holy symbol tightened as she shouted over her shoulder, "We need to get inside—now!" Her voice cut through the oppressive silence, but the city guard leader merely growled, his hand tightening on his sword hilt. The massive chitinous limb re-emerged from the darkness, its claws scrabbling against stone mere inches from Jeane's face, sending a shiver down her spine.