Round 115 Transcript

As Seraphine takes Jeane's hand, the ground beneath her feet gives another ominous groan. Merrin's eyes widen in alarm, and she swiftly moves to support Seraphine from behind. "Hold on!" Merrin shouts, grasping Seraphine's shoulders as the tower shudders violently. The sound of grinding stone intensifies, sending loose rocks tumbling down the passage. A section of the wall behind them suddenly collapses, sending dust and debris cascading toward the trio. The narrow ledge disappears into darkness, and Varrika's cry for help echoes faintly from below.

I grip Seraphine's hand tightly as the tower groans around us—another violent shudder that threatens to send us all tumbling into the abyss below. Merrin's hands are firm on my shoulders, grounding me in a way her words never could right now. We're trapped between collapsing walls and certain death if we linger too long. Varrika... I can still hear her faint cries echoing up from somewhere beneath us. She's alive—has to be. That pixie is far tougher than she looks. But the longer we stand here, clinging to hope like a lifeline in stormy seas, the more likely we are to join her in whatever hell awaited at the bottom of that shaft. Jeane's right: our priority must shift from rescue to survival if we want any chance of saving Varrika at all. The tower won't hold much longer—its groans and creaks speak volumes about the strain it's under. And without solid ground beneath our feet, no amount of magical prowess will keep us safe for long. I can feel Seraphine trembling beside me as I pull her closer with my free hand. Her fear is palpable, but so is that stubborn resolve that drives her to push forward even when all seems lost. That's what got us this far—her unyielding determination in the face of darkness and despair. Merrin's voice cuts through the dust-choked air: "We move now! Single file along that ledge—Jeane first since she can fly if needed, then Seraphine, then me bringing up the rear. Stay close to the wall and watch your footing!"

I nod even though she can't see it in this gloom. The thought of walking out over an abyss with only a narrow shelf of stone between us and oblivion makes my stomach churn—but what choice do we have? Varrika's still down there, counting on us to find a way back for her. As Merrin guides Seraphine toward the ledge, I take one last look at where Varrika disappeared. "We'll come back for you," I whisper, though I'm not sure if anyone hears. "Hold on just a little longer."

Then I spread my wings and step out into darkness, trusting in the ancient stone beneath my feet—and the bond of sisterhood that binds us together even when separated by chasms both literal and metaphorical.

The world seems to be crumbling around us, the very foundations of reality itself giving way to chaos. As Merrin pushes me forward onto the narrow ledge, my heart hammers against my ribs with a frantic rhythm that echoes the groans and cracks of the collapsing tower. The stone beneath my feet feels slick with dampness, treacherous in its instability.
I can feel Jeane’s grip on my hand tighten as she steps out into the darkness ahead of me, her wings spread wide for balance. Her voice is a low murmur, meant only for me: "We'll come back for you," she whispers, though I'm not sure if anyone hears. "Hold on just a little longer."
The words send a shiver down my spine, a strange mix of hope and dread coiling in my stomach. I know we have to leave Varrika behind for now, but the thought of abandoning her feels like a physical pain in my chest. She’s out there somewhere, alone and possibly injured, while we flee into the unknown. Is this truly the only way?
As Merrin’s firm hands guide me onto the ledge, I have to force myself not to look down. The sheer drop to the bottom of the tower is dizzying, a black abyss that seems to beckon me with a silent siren call. I focus instead on Jeane’s silhouette ahead of me, her form a beacon of safety amidst the crumbling chaos.
Merrin gives my shoulder one last squeeze before releasing me and falling in line behind me. Her presence is a solid wall at my back, a reminder that even in this madness, we stand together. Or rather, we cling together to a crumbling edge of stone as our world falls apart piece by piece.
Each step forward is an exercise in terror, the ledge seeming impossibly narrow under my boots. I press myself flat against the cool, rough stone wall of the tower, feeling its solidity against my back. It's all that keeps me from pitching over into the void. The sound of grinding stone follows us, a constant reminder of how fragile our situation is.
Suddenly, Jeane’s voice cuts through the groaning of the tower, sharp and urgent: "Stop! Don't move!" I freeze, every muscle locking up as I feel the ledge beneath me shift. A section of wall behind us collapses with a deafening roar, sending clouds of dust billowing out into the air around us.
I cough, choking on the dry particles that fill my lungs, but I don’t dare release my grip on Jeane's hand or the wall. The sound of Varrika's distant cry has stopped, swallowed by the noise of the collapsing structure. A heavy silence settles after the dust clears, broken only by the occasional settling groan of stone and the frantic beating of my own heart.
We stand there for a moment, three figures silhouetted against the faint light filtering down from somewhere far above, clinging to each other and the crumbling remnants of our reality. The path forward is terrifyingly uncertain, but staying here is no longer an option. Varrika's fate hangs heavy in the air, a question mark we can’t afford to answer right now if we want to survive this nightmare.
I take a deep, shuddering breath and force myself to take another step along the ledge, then another. Each movement feels like a betrayal of my fallen friend, but it's the only way forward. Jeane leads us on, her wings occasionally beating against the air as she balances precariously on the narrow path. Merrin’s presence is a constant, unspoken reminder of the danger behind us.
As we round a corner in the ledge, I catch a glimpse of what lies ahead—a faint, pulsing light deep within the bowels of the tower. It's not much, but it's something, a promise of solid ground and maybe even answers. Jeane sees it too, and her grip on my hand tightens with renewed purpose.
We press on, one slow, agonizing step after another, leaving behind the echoes of Varrika's voice and the rubble of our shattered past. All that remains is this precarious path and the unspoken vow we've all made: to survive, to find a way back, and to never forget what we've lost here.*