Round 87

The air grew thick and wrong, pressing down like physical weight. The central rune pulsed brighter still, feeding on their terror. Something shifted below—the scrape of stone against stone, a low rumble that vibrated through the floor itself. Whatever lay waiting down there had sensed their presence now, and it was hungry.

Jeane dug her fingers into her arms hard enough to leave marks, resisting the urge to flee despite the agony in her wings—every feather felt like it was pressed against hot coals. The air itself seemed to press down, thick and wrong in a way that made her skin crawl.

Halie's torch sputtered out, plunging them into darkness save for the eerie green pulse from below. Her holy symbol vibrated intensely, growing hot against her chest—this was wrong, deeply wrong, a primal dread that had nothing to do with faith and everything to do with the ancient power emanating from the depths of this cursed tower.

Varrika shielded them all from the noxious fumes rising from the crack in the wall, her eyes streaming as she choked on each breath of tainted air—poisonous, corrupting energy seeping into her core. "Merrin!" she shouted, grabbing for the swaying rogue's arm. "Stay back! We can't breathe this shit!"

The central rune pulsed again, its light growing brighter as it fed on their terror. Something shifted in the darkness below—the scrape of stone against stone, a low rumble that vibrated through the floor itself. Whatever lay waiting down there had sensed their presence now, and it was hungry.

Halie's torch sputtered out, plunging them into darkness save for the eerie green pulse from below. Her holy symbol vibrated intensely, growing hot against her chest—this was wrong, deeply wrong, a primal dread that had nothing to do with faith and everything to do with the ancient power emanating from the tower's depths.

Varrika shieldled them all from the noxious fumes rising from the crack in the wall, her eyes streaming as she choked on each breath of tainted air—poisonous, corrupting energy seeping into her core. "Merrin!" she shouted, grabbing for the swaying rogue's arm. "Stay back! We can't breathe this shit!"

Halie's torch sputtered out, plunging them into darkness save for the eerie green pulse from below. Her holy symbol vibrated intensely, growing hot against her chest—this was wrong.