Round 98

The darkness seemed to press in from all sides, a suffocating shroud that threatened to extinguish the last vestiges of light on the ash-choked road. A lone lantern cast flickering shadows on the ground, its fragile flame dancing like a dying breath. In the distance, the ruined city of Gravehill loomed, a monolith to the devastation that had ravaged this once-thriving place.

Jeane's voice cut through the oppressive silence, laced with urgency as she called out to Sister Hale from upstream. "We need to move!" Her words were a lifeline, a reminder that there was still time to escape the bridge before it gave way beneath them. The ground beneath the bridge shuddered again, and the scraping sound of claws on stone grew louder, sending a chill down Sister Hale's spine.

As she peered into the shadows beneath the bridge, her eyes straining to catch any sign of movement, a section of the bridge's railing gave way with a loud creak. Sparks flew as it attempted to re-target Sister Hale, and Jeane's teleportation incantation yanked her out of harm's way. But the bridge was now precariously unstable, its wooden slats groaning in protest as the creature on the bridge stirred, its claws scrabbling against the metal.