Round 9 Transcript

The tension in The ash-choked road outside the ruined city of Gravehill tightens for a beat as the interruption refuses to go away. Everyone is forced to stay quiet and choose their next move carefully.

The storm outside howls like a beast denied entry—perfect metaphor for my mood if I cared to indulge in poetry right now, which I don't because the guard is still talking and I need him silenced before his subordinate returns with reinforcements. "Your concern for our welfare is touching," I say, voice dripping sarcasm even as I let my unholy symbol pulse with dark energy that makes the air around us shimmer like heat off a forge. "But we're not leaving until we've explored what's beneath this... fascinating... church." My fingers twitch subtly—just enough for him to see if he's paying attention.

I hear Hale's voice from above—calm but strained—and something else I can't quite place over the sound of my own breathing in this cursed darkness. The rope jerks again, harder this time; whatever I snagged earlier is moving. I pull back slowly, hand over hand, feeling resistance increase as it drags across the floor above.

When I surface, I find Hale and a guard standing too close for comfort—he's armed but not yet hostile, which means we're in that weird limbo where everyone's trying to talk themselves out of violence. The guard's still here? I mutter, keeping my voice low enough that only she can hear. That's either good news or very bad news.