Round 14

Jeane's wings unfurled as she stepped closer to the runes, her face set in concentration. "The magic here is… ancient," she said softly, charcoal scratching across parchment. "It feels like it could consume us all." Merrin circled the archway warily, her halfling eyes tracing every line of the arcane patterns. "This is beyond our usual troubles," she muttered. "We need to find a way past this without setting off whatever's waiting inside."

Seraphine clung to her staff, her knuckles white. "Can't we just… go around?" The magic pulsed again, stronger this time, and a low groan echoed from deeper within the tower. Jeane tensed. "Something's moving," she hissed. "We need to decide—do we try to disable it, or do we fall back and find another way in?"

Merrin bit her lip, torn between curiosity and self-preservation. The runes seemed to shift slightly in the torchlight, their patterns twisting. "If we're going to disable it," she said slowly, "we need to know how each component works first." He glanced at Jeane. "You have any ideas?"

Jeane set down her sketch and approached the archway again, this time focusing on one specific rune cluster. Her wings spread wide as she drew upon her own magic to counter its pull, a visible shimmer of light against darkness. The runes resisted for a moment before fading slightly. "There," she said with satisfaction. "That's the anchor point. If we can disrupt it—"

A heavy thud sounded from within, followed by the scrape of metal on stone. Something large was moving towards them. Seraphine yelped and stumbled back. "We're not disabling anything!" he squeaked. "We're running!"

Merrin hesitated for a split second before nodding sharply. "Agreed. New plan—find another entrance." He turned to sprint away from the tower mouth, gesturing frantically for the others to follow. The magic here was too dangerous to risk further exploration without better preparation.

Jeane grabbed her supplies and followed suit, her wings carrying her swiftly away from the dark opening. "We'll come back," she called over her shoulder, a fierce determination in her eyes despite the retreat. "With more firepower next time."

The three women pounded through the undergrowth, putting distance between themselves and the accursed tower. The magic here was too dangerous to risk further exploration without better preparation. They'd regroup, resupply, and return with a plan that didn't involve such close encounters with ancient evils.