Round 200

The clock face mechanism whirred back to life, its numbers spinning wildly before settling into a new pattern that seemed to click into place in Seraphine's mind like a puzzle piece snapping home. She leaned in closer, her keen elven eyes tracing the glowing symbols with growing excitement despite the chaos around them.

Jeane watched over her shoulder, impressed despite herself by the elf woman's focus in the face of certain death—or worse. You sure about this? she asked, her voice barely audible over the creaking and groaning of the collapsing tower. Because if we're wrong—*

The ceiling crack widened with an ominous snap, dust pouring down in a solid stream that cut off her words.

Seraphine slammed the final dial into place just as the floor beneath them began to shift dramatically. The mechanism whirred to life with renewed energy, the numbers spinning wildly before settling into a new pattern. She stumbled back from it, colliding with Jeane's broader frame as the room began to... change.

No time to second-guess now, she gasped, grabbing Jeane's arm and pulling her toward the center of the binding circle just as the world seemed to unravel around them.*