Round 12

Merrin's voice cuts through the oppressive silence. "Halie! Your symbol—it's working! Buy us some time!" The holy light pulses rhythmically, and the tentacles recoil, hissing in unison. Seraphine clutches her spellbook, eyes wide with relief and lingering fear. "Yes! Thank the goddess!" But the air around them remains thick with dark energy, a palpable weight that makes Merrin's skin crawl. She nods sharply at Seraphine's words. "You see it too? This place is alive—feeding on us. We need to move fast." Her gaze shifts to Jeane, who stands apart, her expression unreadable. "Jeane! Any arcane insights? Because right now, that light show is all we've got."

Jeane's crimson eyes gleam in the flickering divine light, her wings twitching with barely contained energy. "The glyphs are alive—pulsing with stolen life force. Each beat drains us further." She steps closer to the barrier, her voice dropping to a near-whisper. "I can feel it trying to corrupt me from the inside out. The exit is there, but the darkness beyond it... it's not empty. Something ancient sleeps below this tower—and it's waking up."

Merrin feels a chill run down her spine at Jeane's words, but she pushes the fear aside. "Great. So we've got angry tentacles, a hungry barrier, and now a potential basement monster." She glances back at Halie, whose symbol still glows steadily. "How long can you hold them off?" Halie grits her teeth, sweat beading on her forehead as she concentrates. "I... I'm not sure. The darkness fights back—it's like trying to hold a tidal wave with my bare hands." Merrin nods grimly. "Understood. Seraphine, can you analyze the barrier? Find a weak point?" The elf woman steps forward, her sharp eyes scanning the runes. "I... I think so. See here—this sequence repeats, but there's a break in the pattern." She traces the air with a finger, following the flow of power. "If we can disrupt this junction..."