Round 16

The ground shakes as the skeletons advance, their dark energy seeping through Seraphine's ward. Jeane tries to halt Halie’s extraction plan while Varrika covers the perimeter. Merrin lies unconscious near the pit trap mechanism, her pulse weak but steady. The pressure plates begin glowing ominously.

Jeane | Sorcerer "Halie—wait!" My voice cuts through the tension as I stride toward her position. The second skeleton takes another step closer, its empty eye sockets fixed on Merrin. The sound of scraping metal echoes as the pit trap mechanism slowly closes behind us.

Seraphine’s teleportation spell stabilizes, a shimmering blue light enveloping Merrin. But even as relief washes over the group, Seraphine feels a sickening wrongness to her magic—it resists her channeling. The skeletons press harder against the ward.

Halie drops beside Merrin, checking her pulse and finding she's barely conscious but alive. I draw my silver holy symbol, pressing it against Merrin’s forehead in prayer for divine protection. But even as I call on my goddess, I feel the ancient wrongness of this magic—something dark predating the tower itself.

Varrika watches Jeane confront Halie, her grip tightening on the crossbow as she scans the chamber for threats. Her words make sense—they can't abandon Merrin here, but extracting her now is risky too—but she sees the grim resolve settling over Halie's features even before she speaks.

Seraphine | Wizard I watch Halie’s face harden with decision. Leaving Merrin here is unthinkable, but taking her with us... it feels like choosing between hammer and anvil. The skeletons press against my ward, their dark energy seeping through like something alive.