Round 21

The sound of Halie's footsteps descending into the depths fades, leaving only the groaning of ancient stone and the frantic pulse of the inverse rune under my feet. I beat my wings again, propelling myself higher, toward where Seraphine's voice had last echoed from above. The holding pattern for the rune wavers, and I have to pour even more power into it, feeling my magic reserves plummet with each passing second.

This isn't working. I can feel the corruption seeping through my wards, trying to twist them into something... else. If this thing collapses completely, we'll all be trapped down here forever.

Need to find a way to disable it—or at least stabilize it long enough for us to get out. But how? And where's Halie? She can't have gone far...

Seraphine? Can you see her? Halie! Answer me!