Round 25 Transcript

As I sit amidst the rubble, cradling Merrin in my arms, I notice a faint glow emanating from the depths of the pit. It's soft and blue, like the light of a distant star, but it's definitely not natural. "What is that?" I whisper, my voice barely audible over the creaking of the collapsing tower. The light grows brighter, illuminating the dust-covered walls of the chamber, and I see something moving in the darkness below. A dark, amorphous shape, like a living shadow, begins to take form as it rises towards us. Varrika looks up from her injuries, her eyes widening in alarm. "It's not just skeletons," she growls, her hand on the hilt of her mace. "Something's coming up." The shape materializes just beyond the edge of the rubble pile, its presence making the air feel thick and heavy. I can feel the ground trembling beneath our feet, and I know we're running out of time.

I stare at what's left of the chamber—what used to be solid stone is now just a mountain of rubble leading down into darkness, and in the center of it all, Serrine holds Merrin like she's some kind of precious cargo while Varrika looks like she wants to punch something. We're alive. That counts for something. "Everyone breathing?" I ask, already moving toward them because standing still means thinking about how close we just came to dying. Serrine nods, her face pale but determined. "Merrin's stable—just unconscious from the fall. She'll wake up when she wakes up." Varrika is already on her feet despite the cuts and bruises across her arms, looking at what used to be the way out with an expression that says she wants to scream but won't because that would mean admitting defeat. Good. I like that about her. "We're trapped," she states plainly, not like it's news to anyone. I scan the room again—no obvious exits, no secret doors that haven't collapsed yet, and that pit in the center is now just a vertical shaft leading down into who-knows-what. But there might be something useful. "Not necessarily," I say, walking toward what looks like the edge of the collapsed floor. The dust is still thick here, settling slowly to reveal glimpses of... something beneath all this debris. I kneel down and start brushing away the rubble with my hands—it's slow work but necessary if we want to find out exactly where we ended up after falling through that pit. As I clear more space, I notice something strange: there are faint markings on some of these stones, almost like... carvings? "Serrine," I call over my shoulder without looking back, "come take a look at this."

She approaches cautiously, still holding Merrin protectively against her chest. When she sees the carvings, her eyes widen with recognition—she's seen something like them before in old texts about this region's history. Finally. Something useful from all that wizardly reading she does. "What are they?" I ask, already knowing it doesn't matter because whatever they mean probably isn't good news given our current situation. "They're... runic symbols," Serrine replies hesitantly. "Similar to what was used in ancient binding rituals—like the ones they say were performed here when the tower was built." She pauses as if weighing whether or not to continue, then adds quietly, "These kinds of markings are usually associated with... dark magic. The kind that can create permanent seals or hold powerful entities."

I exchange a glance with Varrika—that look says everything we need it to say without words: Great. We're trapped in a dungeon built by evil wizards and filled with dark magic traps.

"Can you read them?" I ask Serrine, already knowing the answer but hoping against hope. She shakes her head. "Not all of it—some symbols are corrupted or missing pieces—but..." She trails off as she leans closer to examine a specific section more carefully. When she speaks again, there's an edge to her voice that wasn't there before: "This part... it talks about a guardian. Something meant to protect the tower's secrets after its fall."

I stand up slowly, my mind racing through possibilities—none of them good. If there's a guardian down there, then whatever we heard moving around in the darkness below us wasn't just our imaginations playing tricks. "Guardian," I repeat, letting the word hang heavy between us. "As in... one guardian? Or multiple guardians?"

Serrine meets my eyes, and I can see the worry written across her face even before she answers: "It doesn't specify numbers. Just... 'the' guardian." She pauses, then adds softly, "But based on context clues throughout these markings, I'd guess more than one."

Of course it is. I look back down into that pit—now just a dark hole leading God-knows where—and try to gauge how deep it goes. The darkness swallows any light from our torches after about twenty feet down; beyond that point lies only blackness and the faint sound of... something moving around. We have three options: stay here, go back, or go down. Staying means we're trapped but at least we know what's above ground—nothing. Going back means fighting through whatever collapsed that floor in the first place, which could be anything from more skeletons to those shadow demons the legends mentioned. And going down... well, that means facing whatever guardian is waiting for us. I turn to Varrika and Serrine, meeting their eyes one by one. "We can't stay here forever—the whole thing might collapse completely eventually," I say matter-of-factly. "Going back could be worse than what's below." Unless those demons are just really hungry. "That leaves going down." I gesture toward the pit with my chin. "If there's a guardian, maybe it only guards one way—that is, upward. If we can get past it without triggering anything else, we might find another exit below."

It sounds like wishful thinking even as I say it, but sometimes hope is all you have when facing certain death from above or below. Varrika narrows her eyes at me—she knows what I'm suggesting is dangerous AF, but she also knows we don't really have a choice. "What exactly are you proposing?" she asks, already reaching for her mace despite the cuts on her arms. "I'm proposing we explore our options," I reply evenly. "If there's a way out below, we need to know it exists before we start digging upward through who-knows-how-much rubble." And if there isn't... Well, then at least we'll die knowing.

I look down into the pit again, trying to see past the darkness and the faint blue glow of what Serrine said are ancient runic markings. A guardian, she thinks—something meant to protect this place from intruders after its fall. After its fall. That's the key part. The tower wasn't just abandoned; it was sealed shut by dark magic when the wizards who built it were overthrown or destroyed themselves. And now whatever is down there has been left undisturbed for centuries, maybe even longer.
I shift Merrin's weight in my arms, adjusting her so she's more comfortable. She hasn't stirred since the collapse, but her breathing remains steady and even. That's something at least. Serrine is right—we can't stay here. The whole place feels like it could come down on our heads at any moment. And going back up... well, that just seems like a terrible idea given what we've already faced. "We don't know what we're going to find," I say, my voice so low it's almost lost in the dust-filled air. "But if there's even a chance of another way out..." I trail off, letting the unspoken finish hang there.
Varrika is still staring at the pit, her expression unreadable. She’s the kind of person who likes clear paths and solid ground under her feet. This whole situation must be making her skin crawl. Still, she hasn’t suggested running, which means she knows we’re out of options too. "What about Merrin?" she asks, nodding towards the unconscious cleric in my arms. It's a good question—the last thing we need is to be dragging an injured person through an unknown dungeon full of traps and who-knows-what else.
I look at Serrine again, raising an eyebrow. She's the one with the healing spells. Maybe she has some idea of how to stabilize Merrin without actually waking her. "Can you do anything for her? Keep her stable while we figure this out?" Serrine nods slowly, already rummaging through the pockets of her robes with her free hand. She pulls out a small vial filled with a shimmering silver liquid and uncorks it carefully. "This will help," she says, holding it up for both of us to see. "It's a potion of long rest. It won't wake her, but it will keep her body functions stable until she naturally wakes on her own."
I watch as Serrine carefully tips the contents of the vial into Merrin's mouth, making sure none of it spills or dribbles onto her chin. Merrin swallows reflexively, and I feel a small wave of relief wash over me—one less immediate concern to deal with. Now we just need to figure out how to get ourselves down that pit without falling to our deaths or getting crushed by more collapsing stone. "Okay," I say finally, turning back to Varrika and Serrine. "Here's what we do: I'll go first. If there’s anything waiting for us below, I want to be the one to face it. Serrine, you bring Merrin. Varrika, you watch our backs." It's not a perfect plan, but it's the best one we've got right now.
I take a deep breath and move towards the edge of the pit, peering down into its depths once more. The darkness feels less ominous now that I have a plan in mind, even if it is a dangerous one. It's just like climbing a really tall ladder, I tell myself, trying to ignore the fact that there's no bottom in sight.
I look back at Varrika and Serrine, giving them a small, reassuring smile. "Stay alert," I say, my voice firmer now. "And if anything happens to me... well, then you two get Merrin out of here however you can." It's not much in the way of a goodbye, but it's all I have time for right now. I turn and begin lowering myself over the side of the pit, my hands finding purchase on the rough-hewn stones of its walls. "Let's see what secrets this place is hiding," I mutter to myself as I start my descent into the unknown.*