Round 146

The figure materializes from the crystal haze, her form shifting like the very landscape around them. Varrika's grip tightens on her mace, every instinct screaming warning even as she can't look away. The figure's presence pulses with power, humming through the air in a way that makes Merrin's teeth ache.

"Who... what are you?" Varrika manages, voice barely more than a growl. The figure tilts her head, crystal facets catching the dim light and throwing it back a thousandfold. When she speaks, her voice is like wind chimes singing through a storm.

"I am the guardian of this place," she says, each word a note in an eerie melody. "The keeper of secrets long buried. The... test." Her form flickers, solidifying for a moment into something almost human before dissolving back into crystal and shadow.

Merrin steps closer to Varrika, her dagger drawn but held low. "What kind of test?" she asks, voice tight with suspicion. The figure's laugh is like shattering glass, sharp and painful.

"The kind that proves worthiness," she sings. "Or reveals... unworthiness." Her eyes fix on Merrin then, and the halfling feels something cold settle in her gut. She knows that look—predatory, hungry.

Varrika shifts her stance, muscles coiled for action even as exhaustion weighs heavy on her shoulders. "And what exactly does this test entail?" she demands, voice steady despite the fear coiling in her chest. The figure's smile is wide and sharp.

"Only one way to find out," she purrs, and with a gesture of her hand, the ground beneath their feet begins to... shift.