Round 13

The stormy sky above Gravehill seemed to mirror the turmoil brewing within the ruined city's walls, the ash-choked road outside a testament to the devastation that had ravaged this once-thriving metropolis. In the midst of this desolation, a group of unlikely allies huddled together, their eyes fixed on the boarded-up window of the abandoned church they sought to reclaim. Renn's voice was barely audible over the hammering at the front doors, his words laced with a sense of foreboding.

"If you're thinking of going in through that window, be careful... I don't like this one bit." His gaze flicked to the boarded-up window, where the dark shape inside seemed to be watching them with an unblinking gaze. "Whatever is in there, it's not just some mindless monster. There's something... deliberate about it. Something that wants you to come in."

Silra stepped closer to the gap in boards, her teal eyes scanning every angle with predator's precision. The board arrangement screamed bottleneck - calculated chokepoint placement designed for maximum control over entry sequence. Whoever set this trap wanted them filing through single-file, exposed flank after flank while whatever's inside had perfect defensive position.

Jeane's crimson aura flared as she stepped closer to the window opening, her focus on the power signature inside. "The power signature is unmistakable," she said, her voice steady despite the corruption trying to cling to her skin as she maintained control through arcane discipline. The dark shape in the window frame leaned forward slightly, its glowing eyes fixed on the group with predatory calculation.

Sister Hale's gaze remained fixed on the figure, her eyes unwavering as she considered the wrongness of the ritual torch pattern inside. "I sense an ancient power signature, one that's been deliberately corrupted to feed twisted faith patterns," Jeane said, her voice steady despite the wrongness of ambient energies pressing against her skin like oil slick. The air inside the church seemed to vibrate with anticipation, the hammering at the front doors intensifying as the rumbling from beneath the road shifted to multiple distinct movements converging on their position from behind.