Round 12 Transcript

Halie's fingers make contact with the runes, and a sudden surge of dark energy erupts from the gate, sending her stumbling backward. The air around her begins to distort, as if reality itself is being warped by the ancient magic. Elric's eyes narrow, and he says, "I warned you, the cost of knowledge comes at a steep price."

I watch Halie press her fingers to the gate's runes, holding my breath. The dark energy pulses, and I flinch at its intensity. Foolish girl! What does she think she's doing? My heart pounds as I scan the shadows. Elric's eyes glint like chips of flint in the dimness. He knew more than he let on about these defenses. The price of knowledge, indeed. I mutter a prayer to any gods still listening and tighten my grip on the crowbar. We're committed now. But by the Twelve Hells, if Halie gets herself skewered on some demon's lance because she couldn't keep her hands to herself, I'll string her up myself after we're done here. The runes throb, casting a sickly light over the tumbled stones at our feet. Each beat feels like a hammer blow against my skull. I shake my head, trying to clear the fuzz from my thoughts. Varrika shifts beside me, her hand hovering near the hilt of her greatsword. Good. At least one of us is thinking about what comes next. Jeane's mutterings about magic and runes are starting to get on my nerves, but even a half-mad sorceress might be useful when push comes to shove. I take a deep breath, trying to still the trembling in my hands. It's now or never. Time to see if Elric's map is worth more than the rust on this gate. I step forward, ready to wedge the crowbar into the lock and pray to whatever gods are listening that we don't end up as undead skeletons ourselves before this night is through. But first, I need to check Halie's injuries and make sure she can still fight. If she's too banged up to swing her mace, we're in for a world of trouble once we get that gate open. I touch her arm, my voice low and urgent. "Halie? You alright? Can you still fight, or do I need to carry you out of here?"

I watch Halie stumble back from the gate, her face etched with shock and pain, and my heart sinks. This is exactly what I feared would happen—someone acting without full knowledge of the magical dangers at play here.
The dark energy from those runes is unlike anything I've ever sensed before, a cold malevolence that seems to pulse with a will of its own. It feels ancient, powerful, and utterly indifferent to our presence. My fingers itch with the need to study it further, to unravel its mysteries, but common sense wins out over academic curiosity.
"I told you to be cautious," I say, my voice sharp with concern as I rush over to Halie's side, my healing spell already forming in my mind. "These aren't just old stones. They're imbued with a magic we don't understand."
I kneel beside her, my hands hovering just above the burns on her arms, ready to begin the healing process. The air crackles with residual energy, making the fine hairs on my arms stand on end.
My gaze flickers to Elric, who is watching us with an unreadable expression. He knew this would happen. He warned us. And yet, he didn't volunteer all the details we needed to know. A flicker of anger joins the apprehension coiling in my gut.
"I think it's time we had another conversation with our dear hermit," *I say, my tone low and dangerous. "Before anyone else gets hurt."

Jeane's expression darkens as she notes the hermit watching Halie's reaction with an unsettling intensity. The gate's runes pulse faster now, almost eagerly, and she can feel the magic shifting around them. "Elric," Jeane calls out, her voice carrying a dangerous edge despite its polite tone, "perhaps you'd like to explain what just happened? And more importantly, what else you haven't told us about this cursed gate?"

The dark energy crackles along my fingertips like living wire. I snatch my hand back before the corruption can sink deeper. These aren't just runes—they're hungry. Varrika's right. We shouldn't charge this thing blind. Merrin, stop. Those lockpicks are useless if you get your head split open by whatever animated skeleton lurks behind that door. And yes Elric—I know that map came at a price—but what kind of price? Because this feels like you sold us short. The runes pulse faster now, almost eager. I step between Merrin and the gate. No. We need to understand what we're dealing with before anyone touches those mechanisms again. Seraphine, heal my fingers but stay back—let's not give these wards any more of our essence than they've already taken. Jeane, put your magic away for now. The less energy we feed this thing, the better. I look around at everyone else. We're not helpless, but we need to be smart about this. Someone hand me a tinderbox—let's see if we can figure out what opens this thing the normal way before resorting to force. The air tastes wrong here. Magic so dark it curdles my stomach. But we came for that sword, and by the Goddess, I won't let us fail because of a few treacherous runes and a hermit with secrets.

Varrika eyes Halie's attempt to touch the runes, warns her to be careful, and takes a deep breath to calm down. The air feels heavy with the weight of dark magic, and I can't shake the feeling that we're being watched. "Let's hear what the hermit has to say about those runes," she mutters under her breath, her fingers tightening around the grip of her mace.