Round 9

Halie's fingers tighten around her mace, the cold metal a stark contrast to the oppressive heat radiating from the ancient seals on the door. She'd seen magic like this before—twisted, hungry, wrong in ways that made her skin crawl. But she hadn't expected to find it here, deep within what was supposed to be an abandoned tower. The air felt thick with power, crackling with barely contained energy that seemed to seep into her bones. "This is bad," she mutters, more to herself than anyone else. "Real bad." Her eyes dart around the chamber, taking in every detail—the flickering torchlight casting eerie shadows, the disturbed ground around the statue's base, the pulsing violet glow of the seals that seemed to beat like a heart. "We need to be careful here," she warns, her voice barely above a whisper. "Whatever made those skeletons outside... it's still in here. And I don't think it's alone."