Round 21

The air seemed to vibrate with tension as the figure raised its hand once more, and the hammering at the doors ceased. Sister Hale took a step forward, her eyes fixed on the figure, while Jeane's fingers continued tracing intricate patterns in the air. The sound of creaking echoed from within the church, growing louder still, and the rumbling beneath the road shifted to distinct movements almost upon position. As the party waited for what was next, Gravedigger Renn burst out of the nearby alleyway, his frantic expression a stark contrast to the eerie calm surrounding them.

Jeane's crimson eyes narrowed with barely contained impatience as she turned her attention toward Renn, her mind racing with the implications of his arrival. She sensed that ancient corruption was operating with deliberate intent, and now Renn brought them more pieces of the puzzle. The figure, meanwhile, remained motionless, its presence drawing air out of space as it calculated something visible in its posture.

Silra crouched low at the edge of the boarded window frame, her teal eyes tracking every subtle shift in the figure's movement through gaps between splintered wood. She was cataloging possibilities, her mind already racing ahead to anticipate the next move in a game that seemed to be unfolding with deliberate precision. The rope coil at her side seemed to absorb her attention, a steady presence as she weighed the risks and opportunities presented by this moment of calculated tension.