Round 92 Transcript

Gravedigger Renn's terrified scream echoes from the tunnel as he falls, his body disappearing into the darkness. The ground shudders violently once more, and ash spills out in rhythmic bursts. Sister Hale's grip on the unholy symbol tightens, her eyes locked on the massive chitinous limb emerging from the darkness. "Gravedigger!" she calls out, but her voice is lost in the stormy atmosphere. The rasping voice whispers again, closer this time: 'Turn back...while you still can.' The ground shudders violently once more, and ash pours down around Sister Hale like a deadly rain. She takes a step forward, her eyes fixed on the creature.

I grab Gravedigger Renn before he can fall into the tunnel, pulling him back with all my strength. You're not getting dragged down there to feed whatever's hunting us! The ground shakes again beneath our feet—violent tremors that feel deliberate now, like something massive shifting below. I have Gravedigger pressed against the alley wall behind me, shielded from the street but trapped between stone and my own body. Listen closely: Whatever this is, it's not just killing us one by one for sport. It's herding survivors toward something worse—some kind of nest or trap deeper in the city. I try to keep my voice steady despite the ash pouring down around us like rain. We've got maybe thirty seconds before those guards come back and this gets even more complicated. I'm not letting you die in some monster's tunnel because you were too scared to run fast enough. The rasping voice echoes again, closer—'Turn back...while you still can.' I ignore it, focusing on Gravedigger. We're getting off this street and into the city proper where we have walls for cover. Then we find Jeane and Silra or at least their bodies so we can give them proper burial. I check my unholy symbol quickly—still intact despite being crushed between buildings earlier. It's not much, but it's all I've got right now. Gravedigger, you said the city guard was looking for us specifically. What changed? Why are they suddenly this interested in a bunch of strangers rebuilding an abandoned church? I look at him hard. Because if there's a connection between them and whatever's hunting us from below, we need to know it before we stumble into the next trap. The ground shudders again, more violently. From the street behind me comes the sound of multiple boot steps approaching—too many to fight and survive. Make this quick: what do you know about the guard captain? What's his name, where does he usually patrol, and why is he coordinating with whoever or whatever is under this city right now? I'm already moving toward the alley mouth, ready to create a distraction if I need to. Answer me truthfully, Gravedigger—because your life and mine might depend on how much you've been holding back.