Round 22

As 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. She sensed that ancient corruption was operating with deliberate intent, and now Renn brought them more pieces of the puzzle. The figure behind them continued to calculate its next move, its gaze fixed on Sister Hale with unnerving intensity. The rumbling beneath the road grew louder, a low vibration that seemed to be drawing closer.

Jeane's fingers completed their intricate patterns in the air, and she felt the weight of her spell forming before releasing it. The moment it did, the hammering at the doors ceased, and the figure behind them stepped forward, its presence drawing air out of space as it calculated something visible in its posture. Silra crouched low at the edge of the boarded-up window frame, her teal eyes tracking every subtle shift in the figure's calculation.

The rusted key from a dead magistrate hung around Jeane's neck, its significance unclear but promising. She felt a surge of determination to unlock more than just the gate, to uncover the secrets hidden within the church and rebuild it as a beacon of hope. But for now, the party stood frozen, awaiting the figure's next move under the storm-dark sky.