Round 100 Transcript

As Jeane cautiously proceeds down the stairs, tracing safe paths with a flick of her finger, she notices the hissing sound and noxious cloud near her. The air is thick with the stench of death and corruption. Halie's blessing on the water in her canteen provides some solace, but it does little to dispel the feeling of unease. As Jeane moves forward, her eyes scan the area for any signs of traps or hidden dangers. She notices that the central rune's pulsing grows slightly less intense, but the low rumble echoing through the tower continues to cause the ground to shudder beneath their feet. The ground begins to crack and fissure, and a faint tremor runs through the floor, making it clear that the tower is continuing to destabilize. The air fills with an acrid, burning smell as the noxious cloud near Jeane begins to spread, creeping closer to her. She knows that she must act quickly to find the Time-Splitting Sword before the curse spreads further and the tower collapses around them. Immediate Pressure: Jeane must decide whether to investigate a nearby alcove, which appears to be emitting a faint magical glow, or continue down the stairs, searching for the sword.

I step down carefully onto the first safe rune, wings folding tight against my back as I trace the pattern with my eyes. The magic here is wrong—ancient death curse mixed with something newer, hungrier. The stairs descend into darkness where that central rune pulses like a diseased heart. I can feel it drawing power from below, feeding the poison gas that's already starting to make Varrika sick. We need to move fast, but moving fast means walking on trap edges. I mark the safe path with glowing sigils as we descend, each step careful and measured. The air grows thicker, harder to breathe—death magic clings to everything here like cobwebs in a tomb. My skin crawls with it, feathers aching from the corruption. The stairs end in another chamber, larger than before, dominated by that pulsing rune center. Shadows writhe around its edges, and I swear I see shapes moving just beyond sight. The sword has to be down here somewhere, but finding it means surviving whatever guards this cursed place. I pause at the bottom, wings half-spread for balance as I scan every inch of the room. "Stay close," I murmur to Halie behind me—she's our light, and we need that against whatever lurks in these shadows. "Merrin, don't move until we clear a path."

I take a deep breath, trying to steel myself against the ancient evils lurking in this accursed tower. The air grows thicker with each step, laden with the stench of death and corruption. I grip my mace tighter, the worn wood smooth under my calloused fingers. "Stay sharp," I mutter to the others, my gravel-edged voice barely carrying over the ominous rumbling of the crumbling walls. "This place wants us dead. We can't afford to let our guard down for a moment."

I squint into the gloom, trying to spot any sign of the Time-Splitting Sword or the horrors that likely guard it. The central rune pulses with an eerie light, drawing my eye like a beacon. I shake my head, fighting against the urge to approach it. "No," I growl, "That's just what it wants. We'll find another way."

I feel this place is sick deep inside its stones. Something old and hungry. We can't just wander—every breath here could be the wrong one. I'll pray for guidance again, but we need to act like the tower isn't just... empty space between us and that sword.