Round 81

The air crackled with hunger as the ancient runes pulsed. The footsteps beyond the gate grew louder—something massive moving through stone corridors that hadn't heard a living footstep in ages. Merrin's fingers twitched toward her picks, but Jeane's voice cut through the tension. "Merrin! Sheathe those picks immediately unless you want to feed yourself to it piece by agonizing piece." Her crimson eyes blazed with warning as she continued, "Varrika's right—this thing wants us alive and suffering for its meals. It tasted your blood the moment you touched those carvings." The runes seemed to hunger at her words, pulsing with renewed energy.

Seraphine took a step back from the gate, her sharp eyes narrowing as she studied the writhing symbols. "Those aren't just symbols," I murmured, my voice a low hum of fear and fascination. I turn to face Jeane, my eyes wide with a mix of dread and excitement. "I think... I think they're mouths. And they haven't swallowed anything in centuries. That's no simple barrier—it's a starving predator waiting for its next meal." The air around them seemed to thicken, the magic growing more insistent.

Merrin met Jeane's gaze, then looked at the gate again. Her fingers twitched toward her picks before she caught herself.