Round 76 Transcript

As Halie approaches Merrin, her silver holy symbol wavers under the intense magical energy emanating from the Time-Splitting Sword's central rune. The air around Merrin shimmers with an otherworldly glow, and the convulsions that had threatened to consume them have slowed to a stop. However, the Curse of the Sword continues to spread its dark influence, causing Merrin's skin to take on a sickly green hue. The air in the new tunnel is heavy with the stench of rotting stone and decay, and the sound of dripping water echoes through the passageway. The walls are adorned with ancient carvings, depicting scenes of great battles and powerful magic. The runes etched into the walls seem to be responding to the central rune's pulsing energy, their sickly green light intensifying as they react to the spreading curse. A faint whisper seems to carry on the wind, a soft voice repeating a single phrase: "The Devourer stirs."

I descend first, wings tucked tight against my back—every feather aches in this magic-poisoned air—but my eyes are on Merrin behind me. The green pulse from below matches the sickly glow spreading across her skin. Her breathing is wrong, too shallow and fast. "Stop," I say to Varrika, who's already moved past me toward the stairs. "Let Halie work with her first—this curse moves faster than we thought." I keep my voice level but every nerve screams at me to leave this cursed place before whatever ancient thing stirs in the depths finishes its meal. The central rune pulses again as I step onto it, and I feel something like teeth scraping against my soul. My skin crawls and I have to resist the urge to vomit—but I don't stop descending because Merrin doesn't have time for us to stand here debating while she turns into whatever horror waits below. I cast a spell with a flick of my wrist, sending a tendril of shadow magic ahead to scout the staircase. It writhes and hisses in the oppressive air before vanishing around the first turn—no immediate threats visible but that means almost nothing here. The darkness itself feels hungry. "We go down," I call back up to Halie. "But carefully. That rune reacts to presence, which probably means traps—or something worse."

I hesitate on the threshold of this new tunnel, mace gripped tightly in my scarred hands. The air is thick with an ancient and malevolent presence, like the stench of rotting magic. I can feel it clawing at the edges of my mind, trying to drag me down into its foul embrace. But I do not let fear stop me. Fear is a tool for the foolish and the weak. I have faced worse than this in my long years as a warrior. The Time-Splitting Sword lies ahead, and we must retrieve it, no matter the cost. I turn to Halie and Jeane, my eyes hard. "Stay sharp," I growl. "Keep your wits about you. We don't know what lies ahead, but I promise you this - I will put myself between any danger and all of you. That is my purpose here."

With a deep breath, I step into the darkness, my boots echoing on the worn stone. The tunnel winds before us, narrow and twisting, leading ever deeper into the heart of this accursed tower. And though every fiber of my being screams at me to turn back, I press on, for what choice do we have? Merrin's fate may depend on our success. And so we march forward, into the unknown, with only our courage and our blades to light our way.