Round 198 Transcript

As we dash towards the far side of the room, Jeane's spell erupts in a blinding flash of light, sending the creature stumbling backward. The clock face behind it shudders, its gears grinding to a halt as the magical energy drains away. The creature quickly recovers, however, and charges towards us with renewed ferocity. The ground beneath our feet gives a deafening creak as another section of the ceiling collapses, sending a wave of dust and debris towards us. We stumble back, coughing and sputtering, just as Jeane's spell takes effect. The creature's eyes flash with anger, but it's momentarily blinded by the magical backlash. The clock face behind the creature begins to glow with an eerie blue light, casting an otherworldly aura over the room. The air seems to distort, as if time itself is warping and bending around us. Suddenly, a voice echoes in our minds, a whispery presence that feels like it's coming from all around us. "You should not have come here," it says. "You will never leave."

I feel the magical backlash of my spell like a physical blow, my vision swimming as I stagger forward. The creature is still blinded, yes—but that won't last long against something with so many eyes. This isn't working! I shout to Seraphine over the groaning of the collapsing tower. We need to get past it somehow—through it or around it before the whole fucking place comes down on our heads!*

I feel the ground heave beneath my feet, sending me stumbling forward into Jeane's back. The creature looms before us, its multiple eyes beginning to recover from the spell's blinding effect. Panic claws at my throat as I look around, seeing no clear path forward. Every direction is blocked by either crumbling masonry or the monstrous arachnid now between us and our only way out.
Jeane's plan was to get past it, but how? The creature fills the entire archway, its bulk easily blocking any escape. I raise my mace, the heavy iron head feeling suddenly pathetically inadequate against this beast. A piece of the ceiling directly above us suddenly gives way with a sickening crack, and a massive stone block comes crashing down, missing me by mere inches. I yelp in surprise, my heart hammering against my ribs.
"The clock face..." I gasp out, my eyes darting back to the now-silent mechanism on the wall behind the creature. "It must be part of the trial! Maybe if we can reactivate it, it'll... I don't know, distract it or something?" The idea is desperate, born more of fear than logic, but right now, desperation is all we have to work with.
I take a step back, my eyes still locked on the creature. Its movements are fluid and terrifyingly fast, each twitch of its limbs sending a fresh wave of dread through me. I can see the individual eyes now, each one glinting with an unnatural intelligence. They seem to bore into my soul, promising nothing but pain and horror. "We have to try something," I mutter, more to myself than to Jeane. My grip on the mace is slick with sweat, my fingers aching from how tightly I'm holding it. "Or we're going to die in this collapsing hellhole without ever finding Merrin."