Round 56

Halie’s heart raced as she watched Merrin freeze in place, tendrils of darkness coiling around her friend’s limbs. The Liminal Wretch loomed closer, its form shifting and twisting like smoke given shape. Jeane stepped forward boldly, arcane energy crackling between her palms. “We mean no disrespect,” she called out, her voice steady despite the fear that gripped her heart.* “We seek only knowledge.” The creature paused, darkness swirling as it regarded them with glowing points where eyes should have been. Halie clutched her holy symbol tighter, ready to unleash whatever divine power she possessed if this went wrong.

This is bad, Merrin thought frantically. I can’t move. I’m trapped like a statue.*

The tendrils of darkness held her fast, cold and unyielding against her struggles. She strained against them, muscles burning with effort that achieved nothing. Her eyes darted to Jeane—still standing tall, still trying to talk their way out of this situation.

I know you’re scared, Merrin thought silently. But whatever happens next, we face it together.*

The creature took another step forward, its movement fluid despite the grotesque form. The ground trembled slightly beneath their feet. Jeane’s voice rang clear in the oppressive silence. “We come not as profaners,” she called out,* “but as seekers of ancient wisdom.” The darkness rippled in response, coalescing further into something almost humanoid—two glowing points where eyes should have been fixed on them with impossible-to-read intent.

Halie knelt beside Merrin, grip white-knuckled around her holy symbol. The air was so cold she could see her own breath misting before her face—a stark reminder of how thin the line between life and death truly was in this cursed place.

If it comes down to a fight, Halie thought desperately, I’ll use every bit of divine power I have. Even if it’s not enough.*