Round 42

The central rune pulsed again—brighter this time—and Jeane felt it in her teeth. Whatever curse protected this chamber, it wasn't sleeping anymore. The air tasted wrong—like copper and decay—as the stone itself seemed to suffocate them.

"Stop," she commanded sharply, moving between Merrin and the pit edge. "We don't know what testing that rope does here." Halie's holy symbol glowed faintly, casting weak light across the ancient stonework. The runes had responded when they entered—they were active defense or trigger. And now they were brightening.

Merrin squinted through the hazy air at Jeane, her brows furrowed in concern. "Gas is getting thicker," she muttered, reaching for a waterskin. She took a quick swig, hoping to clear her throat of the acrid taste. "Aye, something's stirring down there alright." Her hands twitched, eager to test that rope and find out what lurks in the pit's depths. But Jeane was right—she couldn't rush this. One wrong move could spell disaster for them...

The central rune pulsed again, bathing the chamber in sickly green light. Something ancient and hungry stirred deep within the stone.