Round 99 Transcript

As Merrin inserts the crowbar between the rubble and Halie's muffled cry, a loud creak echoes through the tower's foundation. The ground beneath them shudders, and a chunk of the stone wall crumbles, sending dust and debris swirling towards Jeane's face. She instinctively raises her arm to shield herself, momentarily blinding her with the cloud of dust. When she regains her vision, Halie's muffled voice grows more urgent, but it's clear that the rubble is shifting further, pinning her in place. The air is now thick with the stench of damp earth and decay. As the dust settles, Halie's eyes are visible, frantically pleading with Merrin to move faster. To Merrin's left, Seraphine gasps, her hand grasping at her silver Holy Symbol as she senses a surge of dark energy emanating from the ancient runes on the tower's wall. The malevolent force seems to be growing more powerful, and it's now accompanied by an unseen presence that feels like it's watching their every move.

I see the pulsing of those sigils now, like black veins beneath stone skin. Whatever lies beyond them... I don't think it's meant for us to find. Merrin, stop—every time you shift that rubble, the whole passage groans. We need a moment to assess before we act again. Varrika, your senses are keenest when it comes to hidden paths. Can you feel any other ways up? Any secret staircases or tunnels around this collapse? The energy from that corridor feels wrong—demonic, not just magical. It's trying to pull at me. I need a moment to recover my strength before I can channel much more magic. Seraphine, keep studying those runes if you must, but be ready to move quickly if the structure gives way fully. We don't want to be buried alive while we gawk at ancient carvings. Merrin, your heart's in the right place wanting to free Halie, but we need a clear plan before we risk more cave-ins. She's tough—I know she is—but we can't save her if we're trapped ourselves. Patience now might mean salvation later.

I gingerly test my weight on the crumbling stone steps, wincing as debris shifts beneath my boots. My heart pounds in my ears, almost drowning out the ominous creaking of the tower walls around us. "Alright girl," I call over my shoulder, "we're gonna get you out of there. Just hang on." I slide my crowbar between a gap in the rubble, bracing myself as I wedge it deeper. With a grunt, I start to lever the stones aside, inch by painstaking inch. Sweat trickles down my back as I work, my muscles burning with exertion. I know we're running out of time - the longer Halie is trapped, the more likely those undead horrors will sense our presence and come investigating. But I can't just leave her here to rot. "Halie!" I shout, straining to hear any response from beneath the wreckage. "Can you hear me? We're coming for you!"

I glance back at Jeane and Seraphine, my eyes darting between them. "Anyone got any bright ideas before this whole place comes down on our heads?"

I turn from the ancient runes on the wall, my eyes drawn to the crumbling stonework above Merrin where she works frantically to free Halie
The air grows heavy with dust and a deeper, more malevolent presence. Each shifting block seems to pull at some unseen thread within me, a psychic echo of the tower's decay. I take a steadying breath, my hands clenching into fists at my sides
We cannot afford to wait. This entire structure is unstable, and whatever power holds Halie may be using that weakness against us. My gaze sweeps back to the dark corridor beyond the hidden passage, where the sigils pulse with a sinister light
I step closer to Varrika, my voice low but firm "Can you sense any alternative routes up this tower? We need another way in before we lose our chance entirely."
The question hangs between us, a lifeline thrown into a sea of crumbling stone and ancient magic. I feel the pull of the runes on my skin, an icy caress that promises both knowledge and destruction. But knowledge is what we came for, and knowledge is what will save us. Or damn us all.