Round 76

The sudden collapse sent a shower of sparks and debris cascading down, coating everything in a thin layer of dust that tasted of age and decay. Serrine’s scream tore through the oppressive silence, sharp and terrified. Merrin lunged forward instinctively, her hand outstretched towards the falling woman.

The floor gave way beneath Serrine with a sickening crack, a section crumbling away to reveal darkness below. “Serrine!” The rogue’s cry echoed off the ancient stone walls, her voice raw with fear and desperation. She could see the terror in Seraphine’s eyes as the woman teetered on the edge of the sudden chasm.

Varrika moved without thought, her dwarf strength surging as she lunged forward and grabbed Serrine by the arm just as the woman began to fall. The rogue’s weight pulled at her shoulder muscles, but Varrika dug her heels in and managed to haul Seraphine back onto solid ground with a grunt of effort.

“What in the name of all that’s stone happened?” Varrika demanded, her voice rough with exertion and barely contained anger as she helped Serrine sit. The healer was pale, her breathing ragged, but at least she wasn’t falling into whatever lay below. “Are you hurt?”

Merrin scrambled forward, her rogue’s instincts screaming at her to assess the situation quickly. The magical energy in the air felt wrong—it pulsed with a malevolent rhythm now, and the runes on the walls seemed to glow brighter in response to their near-disaster.

“Serrine!” Merrin cried out again, dropping beside her friend and ignoring the way her head spun from the sudden movement. “Talk to me! What happened? Are you okay?”

“I... I don’t know,” Serrine gasped, her voice trembling. “The crystal... it was calling to me. I couldn’t resist. I had to touch it.” Her eyes were wide with confusion and fear as she looked at Merrin and Varrika in turn. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to—”

“Later,” Varrika cut her off sharply, her gaze fixed on the newly revealed darkness beyond the crumbled floor section. The magical energy was concentrating there now, swirling in visible currents of raw power that seemed to leech the very light from the air around them. “Something’s coming.”