Round 166

The ground shuddered violently beneath them, a warning groan echoing through the chamber as fresh cracks spiderwebbed across the obsidian floor. Jeane stumbled, her wings half-spreading instinctively for balance, the heavy mace clattering from her grip to thud against stone with a dull clang that seemed unnaturally loud in the oppressive silence. The air itself felt wrong—thick and resistant, like trying to breathe through water—and the runes on the walls pulsed faster now, their inner light bleeding into each other until the entire cavern seemed to pulse like a living organ.

Varrika caught herself against the wall, her injured shoulder screaming in protest as she braced against the tremor. The pain was a sharp, biting thing that made her vision blur at the edges, but she gritted her teeth and forced herself upright, refusing to show weakness. This place... something ancient and hungry lived here. She could feel it in her bones—the same way a dwarf felt the mountain's displeasure before a cave-in.

Jeane retrieved her mace with practiced ease despite her obvious tension, her crimson eyes fixed on the shifting symbols. "Strange," she muttered, more to herself than anyone else. "According to our records, Elric should be somewhere in this tower. Or at least there should be some sign of him by now." Her gaze swept over the pulsing glyphs again, as if expecting them to rearrange themselves into a helpful map. "If he's truly not here—and I find that hard to believe given what we've been told—then either our information is...

The ground gave another ominous groan, closer this time, and a fresh cascade of stone dust rained down from the ceiling. Varrika winced, shielding her face with an arm, then glared up at the unstable rock overhead. "Or maybe," she growled, her voice barely above a rumble, "maybe we're asking the wrong questions. Like why this entire cursed place is trying to collapse on our heads." She shifted her weight carefully, testing the floor's stability beneath her boots. "Because I'm starting to think that's the real answer here—we're not supposed to find Elric. We're supposed to die looking."