Round 113 Transcript

The section of the wall that slid open to reveal a narrow passageway groans and shudders, its edges splintering as it pulls away from the chamber. The air is thick with dust and the smell of damp earth. Merrin steps forward, her eyes fixed on the opening. "Stay sharp," she warns, her voice low and urgent. Jeane moves to follow, her sword at the ready. Varrika brings up the rear, her gaze darting back and forth between the others. As they step through the passageway, the darkness closes in behind them, and the sound of grinding stone grows louder. The air is heavy with the scent of decay and rot. Suddenly, the ground gives way beneath Varrika's feet, and she falls into a hidden pit. Her cry echoes off the walls as she plunges downward, her body disappearing into the darkness.

The sound of Varrika's cry is like a knife twisting in my gut as she plunges into the hidden pit trap. Without thinking, I lunge forward, my hand outstretched, but it's too late. She's gone, swallowed by the darkness. Merrin whirls around, her face a mask of shock and anger, her sword held at the ready. "Damn it!" she snarls, her eyes scanning the broken floor where Varrika disappeared. "Stay back! The whole thing could collapse!"
My heart hammers against my ribs as I try to process what just happened. One moment we were all together, and now... now one of us is lost to us, vanished into the depths of this accursed place without a trace. The weight of failure settles on my shoulders like a physical burden, heavy and suffocating.
I can feel Jeane's presence beside me, solid and unyielding, but even her strength isn't enough to quell the rising panic within me. This is my fault. I should have seen this coming, should have known that whatever magic was at work here wouldn’t be so easily defeated. The Watcher's words echo in my mind once more: "You have chosen to confront me, Seraphine." And now the cost of that choice is becoming painfully clear.
My gaze drops to the sword in Jeane's hand, its light still pulsing weakly. It feels like a mockery now, a false promise of power that couldn't save Varrika. No, I correct myself. That power saved us all from being crushed by the collapsing chamber. But it couldn’t protect one of our own.
"We can't leave her," I say, my voice so low it's almost lost to the air. "We have to find a way down there."
Merrin shakes her head vehemently, her eyes wild with fear and frustration. "Are you insane? This whole place is coming apart at the seams! We need to get out of here, not go digging for our fallen comrade!"
She has a point. The walls around us continue to groan and shift, dust raining down from the ceiling in thick clouds. Every second we stay feels like a risk, a potential death sentence. And yet...
"And what about Varrika?" I demand, my voice rising with a desperate edge. "What if she's still alive? What if she needs our help?"
My mind races, trying to come up with a plan, anything to salvage this disaster. The Watcher said something about the echoes of time itself... could there be some truth to that? Some way for us to trace back through the moment and find Varrika before she fell?
The thought is crazy, dangerous even. But then again, so was coming into this place in the first place. So was thinking we could outsmart whatever ancient power resides here. We're already in hell; what more can we lose?
"I have to try," *I mutter, more to myself than anyone else. "Jeane... Merrin... if you want to go on ahead, I understand. But I can't just leave her."