Round 71

The air hummed with magical energy, thick and oppressive, making it difficult to breathe. The runes on the walls pulsed with a sickly blue glow, casting eerie light across the chamber floor. Varrika’s mace suddenly flared with light, illuminating the pulsing runes and Serrine’s contorted face as she clutched at her head, her eyes rolling back in her skull. “Serrine!” Merrin cried out, taking a step towards her friend before stopping, afraid to move too quickly in this unstable tomb.

The ground beneath Varrika’s feet gave way with a sickening crack. The dwarf warrior tumbled down into the newly opened pit, her curses echoing off the walls as she vanished into the darkness below. The runes pulsed again, their light growing even more intense. A faint whisper seemed to drift through the chamber, carried on the magical energy that filled the air. “You will never leave this place…” It was followed by a low chuckle that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at once.

Merrin’s heart raced as she scanned the chamber for any sign of movement, her crossbow held at the ready. The runes on the walls pulsed with an otherworldly power, their glow intensifying until it was almost too bright to bear. She could hear Varrika’s muffled curses echoing up from the pit below, but there was no way for her to reach her friend from here. Serrine’s convulsions were getting worse, her body shaking violently as she clutched at her head. The air seemed to vibrate with magical energy, making it difficult for Merrin to focus.

Suddenly, a faint whisper echoed through the passageway, "You will never leave this place...". The low chuckle from the shadows grew louder, and the runes pulsed with an otherworldly power....