Round 100

The mirrors in the hall of reflections shuddered again, their surfaces rippling like disturbed water as the whispers in the darkness intensified. Merrin’s decaying form leaned forward, her voice whispering a single word: “Fear.” The ground beneath the party shifted, sending a few mirrors crashing to the floor. Seraphine stumbled, her hand grasping for a nearby support as the world around her seemed to tilt. The nightmarish version of Merrin in the mirror beckoned to her, its glowing eyes filled with a promise...

Jeane lowered her crossbow, her crimson eyes scanning the shifting mirrors with cold calculation. Fine—as long as we understand priorities. She gestured sharply at Merrin’s decaying reflection. You have thirty seconds to extract whatever wisdom you think this... thing has before I decide it’s more hindrance than help. And Seraphine—her gaze shifted to her apprentice, suspicion clear in her voice*—keep that power leashed unless you want to summon something even worse than what Halie...

Seraphine took a deep breath, trying to calm the frantic beating of her heart as she watched Merrin’s decaying reflection lean forward, its eyes fixed on hers with an intensity that felt both terrifying and strangely compelling. The whispers in the darkness seemed to grow louder, a constant drone that seemed to be echoing the word “fear” over and over again. Jeane is right—we don’t have time for this kind of introspection. Halie and Varrika are trapped, and every moment we spend here is a momen...

Merrin’s heart raced as she watched her decaying reflection lean closer, the rasping whisper of “fear” echoing in her ears like a dark promise. She could feel the weight of Jeane’s impatience, the tension radiating from Seraphine as she struggled to contain her own growing power. But even with all that, Merrin found herself drawn to the twisted version of herself in the mirror, the creature’s decaying form somehow more real than anything else in this nightmare landscape. She took a step forward, her voice barely above a whisper—*What do you see? What are you trying to show me?

The ground shifted again, more violently this time. A crack appeared in the ceiling high above, and dust began to rain down around them as the very structure of the hall seemed to groan under some ancient strain.