Round 224

The silence stretched thin between them, broken only by the distant drip of unseen water. Merrin's crossbow remained steady, aimed at the Figure across the precarious gap. Every muscle in her compact frame was coiled tight, ready to react to any threat. Varrika shifted her weight slightly, her scarred hands gripping the heavy mace with practiced ease. The walls around them seemed to pulse faintly, the embedded mirror shards casting eerie light that danced across the stone floor. "What now?" Merrin's voice was barely more than a breath of sound over the low rumble from the central pool. The Figure stood motionless, its burning eyes fixed on them both with unnerving intensity. Varrika's expression hardened—"What now indeed." Her voice carried a grim note as she scanned the shifting chamber. "Something about this place feels... wrong." Merrin nodded slowly, her dark eyes taking in every detail of their surroundings—"Agreed. We need to move carefully."