Round 14

Jeane circled the perimeter of the ominous entrance, her crimson eyes scanning every inch of the pulsating symbols. Something tells me our friendly little hermit wasn't entirely truthful about what we're up against here. The way those... She trailed off as a particularly aggressive pulse from the runes sent a visible ripple through the air.

Halie's expression was one of concern as she watched Merrin approach the gate with the crowbar. She couldn't shake the feeling of wrongness that had settled over her upon touching those runes earlier. The dark energy still felt like a physical presence, lingering on her skin despite Seraphine's healing. "Merrin," she called out, her voice carrying both warning and worry, "perhaps we should pause for a moment to consider our approach." The thought occurred to her: maybe there was more to learn...

Seraphine stood by the ancient gate, its dark runes pulsing with an unsettling rhythm that seemed to echo in her chest. The air here felt thick, heavy with the weight of centuries-old magic. Merrin's reckless plan to force entry with a crowbar turned her stomach, but Halie's suggestion to pause and understand the gate first rang true with her. The hermit's cryptic warning about a "cost of knowledge" now made a chilling sort of sense. This wasn’t just an old door—it was a test. And they'd already begun paying for their curiosity.

The forest around them remained eerily silent, as if holding its breath in anticipation of what was to come next.