Round 15 Transcript

As I catch my breath after completing the levitation spell, I gaze at Merrin being pulled up by the blessed chain. Her face is pale, but she's managing to stay still, her eyes fixed on me with a hint of hope. The second giant skeleton has now fully emerged from the pit, its empty eye sockets fixed menacingly on her. The air is thick with tension as I realize we've triggered something far worse than we anticipated. The ground shakes beneath our feet, and I feel the weight of the tower's ancient magic bearing down on us. "Halie, blast those skeletons now!" I shout, my eyes locked on the approaching undead abominations. To add to our troubles, the sound of scraping metal echoes through the chamber as the hidden mechanism triggered by Merrin's fall is reactivated, slowly closing the pit trap behind her. We have mere seconds to act before it seals off our only escape route.

I drop to my knees beside Merrin the moment she's hauled up by Seraphine's spell. The giant skeletons are already lumbering towards us, their movements unnatural and terrifying. I grab her hand, checking for life signs—she's barely conscious but alive. The ground shakes again as the first skeleton takes a step closer, and I can feel the dark magic radiating off it in waves. "Stay still," I murmur to Merrin, drawing my silver holy symbol from beneath my shirt. The metal feels warm against my skin as I begin to pray for divine protection, but even as I call on my goddess for aid, I know it won't be enough. These creatures are something else entirely—bound by dark magic that pre-dates my faith.

I see the massive skeletons lumbering towards us, their movements jerky and unnatural. The air crackles with an oppressive dark energy that makes my skin crawl. "Halie, keep Merrin stable," I call out, my voice tight with urgency as I begin frantically tracing a series of complex runes in the air with my wand. "Varrika, Jeane—we need to hold them off!"
My spell is a desperate gambit, a hastily constructed ward designed to slow their advance. It won't stop them entirely, but it might buy us the precious seconds we need to escape. As I complete the final rune, a shimmering barrier of blue light springs up between us and the approaching skeletons, causing them to stumble and falter in their steps.
"Now!" I shout, turning to face the slowly closing pit trap. "We have to get out of here before that seals shut!"
I begin weaving another spell, this one a complex teleportation matrix designed to transport us directly to the tower's main entrance. It's risky—teleportation magic is notoriously unpredictable in places tainted by dark sorcery—but our options are running out fast.
The giant skeletons slam against my ward with bone-chilling force, sending cracks spidering across its surface. I can feel my own magical energy draining away with each impact, a cold sweat breaking out on my forehead.
"Halie, Merrin, get ready!" I call over my shoulder, my hands moving in frantic patterns as I try to stabilize the teleportation spell. "It's going to be rough!"