Round 42 Transcript

The tension in The secret chamber deep within the crumbling stone tower tightens for a beat as the interruption refuses to go away. Everyone is forced to stay quiet and choose their next move carefully.

I step closer to Merrin, hand hovering near my mace but not yet gripping it. The gas stings my eyes and burns in my lungs, but I force myself to breathe evenly. "Wait," I say softly but firmly. "We can't rush this." The holy symbol on my necklace feels warm against my skin—hotter than the fire from our torches. "Something's wrong here. The air itself is... alive. Wrong." I look at Jeane, then Varrika. "The curse on that sword isn't just in the blade anymore. It's spreading." My voice drops to a whisper. "I can feel it trying to reach inside me."

I can feel it—this place is saturated with death magic, older and deeper than any necromancy I've encountered before. The central rune pulses again, brighter this time, and my wings prickle uncomfortably as if they want to shed skin they don't have. We're standing at the edge of a pit that likely contains the sword we came for, but also almost certainly houses whatever triggered these gas attacks and structural collapses. The air itself feels... wrong, thick with malevolent intent that tastes like copper and decay on my tongue. Halie's holy symbol is glowing faintly now too—whatever curse is on that sword is spreading beyond its confines. I don't want to be here any longer than necessary. We need to proceed with extreme caution or abort entirely.

The air shimmers with an oily film, and the central rune pulses like a diseased heart. I eye the pit's shadows warily, hand on my crossbow. "Alright, keep those sharp eyes of yours peeled, everyone. Something's stirring down there alright."

I turn to Halie, keeping my voice low but urgent. "Halie, any word from your goddess about that gas? Think we can trust our lungs in there?"

The cleric's brow furrows as she consults her holy symbol. "The air itself is... alive. Wrong," she murmurs. "And the curse on that sword isn't just in the blade anymore. It's spreading."

I swallow hard, my mouth suddenly dry. "Spreadin' how? To us?"

Halie shakes her head slowly. "I don't know yet. But we need to be careful."

Careful. Right. I glance at Varrika, who looks like she's ready to leap into the pit and start swinging her mace. "Varrika," I hiss, "Keep your feet planted for now. We scope it out first, yeah?"

The fighter narrows her eyes but nods curtly. I turn back to the pit, mind racing. The Time-Splitting Sword is down there, I can feel it. But so is something else. Something hungry. And now the damn curse is spreading too? I take a deep breath, trying to steady my nerves. It's just another job. In and out, quick as we can. We've faced worse. Haven't we?