Round 59 Transcript

As Jeane stumbles towards the pedestal, her body battered and bruised from the fall into the hidden shaft, she realizes that the central rune has grown brighter, illuminating the dark chamber. The air around her seems to vibrate with malevolent energy, making it harder for her to breathe. She can feel the curse spreading through Merrin's veins, her friend's body starting to twist and contort in unnatural ways. Jeane knows she must act quickly to retrieve the Time-Splitting Sword, but as she reaches out to grasp the hilt, the pedestal shudders violently, sending a wave of dark magic crashing against her. The force of the attack sends Jeane tumbling back into the darkness, her vision blurring from the impact. A faint whisper echoes through the chamber, Merrin's voice barely audible over the din of the curse: "Jeane... no... not now..."

I feel the central rune pulsing under my boots like a diseased heartbeat, each throb sending fresh waves of wrongness crawling across my skin. The air itself is thick with something ancient and hungry—death magic that tastes foul on my tongue. The curse spreading through Merrin's veins burns with an unnatural light now, visible even in the gloom of this cursed chamber. Her body is already twisting in ways nature never intended, and I know without question that whatever lies at the bottom of those stairs will complete her transformation into something monstrous. But we can't retreat—not with the way behind us sealed shut by collapsing stone and magic older than sin itself. Forward or down, there are no other options left to us. And if forward means facing whatever lurks in this tower's depths while Merrin succumbs to corruption beside me... I reach out telekinetically, gripping the Time-Splitting Sword on its pedestal with unseen force as I back away toward the wall. "Everyone freeze where you are," I command, voice colder than the grave itself. "The central rune is a trap—step outside its edges and whatever happens to me happens to all of us."

Merrin takes a shaky step back from the pit's edge, her eyes wide with fear. The curse burning through her veins feels like liquid fire, twisting and contorting her body in unnatural ways. She can feel her form shifting, bones creaking as they reshape themselves into something monstrous. "Jeane, wait!" Merrin cries out, her voice a choked whimper. "The curse... it's spreading. We can't go any further!"

She looks around frantically, searching for a way out, but the tower walls are solid stone and the air itself seems to vibrate with malevolent energy. The central rune pulses brighter with each passing second, its sickly green light casting eerie shadows across the chamber. Merrin's hands twitch at her sides, fingers elongating into sharp claws as the transformation continues. She grits her teeth, fighting against the change with every ounce of her willpower. "We need to get out of here," she gasps, "before it's too late."

I step back from the edge of the central rune, clutching my holy symbol tightly. "This magic feels wrong—it's not meant for mortal hands." I look at Jeane and Merrin in turn. "Listen. Whatever happens next, we cannot touch that sword directly. The curse is spreading already—look at Merrin." I move to stand between the central rune and the rest of the chamber. "Let me cast Protection Against Evil on each of us before we do anything else. We need a barrier against this corruption."