Round 114

Seraphine steps carefully across the stone floor, her sharp eyes scanning every detail of the chamber. "The binding circle is intricate—ancient elven workmanship, but corrupted by dark magic." She kneels to examine the runes more closely, her elegant robes whispering against the stone. "These symbols... they're not just holding the spirit. They're feeding on its power." Her gaze flicks up to the writhing form in the circle's center. "Whatever test this thing demands—we can't trust it."

She rises, brushing dust from her knees with practiced grace. "Jeane has a point. The entire tower is collapsing around us. One wrong move and we're all buried beneath rubble." Seraphine's hand moves to the hilt of her mace, fingers curling around the familiar weapon. "But Merrin is down there. We can't leave her." Her voice drops to a near-whisper. "We need to find another way out—one that doesn't involve trusting whatever hellish entity this spirit serves."

She moves to examine the flickering pathway behind them, her keen elven eyes searching for any sign of structural integrity. "The magic holding this passage open is failing. We have minutes at best before it collapses completely." Seraphine's gaze meets Jeane's across the chamber. "If we're going to do something—anything—to help Merrin and Halie, we need to act now."