Round 83

The gate's surface pulsed with a sickening hunger, its carved mouths gaping wider as if sensing fresh prey. Merrin's fingers twitched toward her picks again despite the lingering burn, but Jeane's sharp voice cut through the air like a blade. "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 very stone around them felt alive now, the tower itself seeming to lean closer like an ancient beast smelling blood.

Merrin shifted uneasily from foot to foot, her eyes darting between the ominous gate and the dark corridor beyond. "Alright, alright," she muttered, sheathing her picks with a grimace. "I've got an idea for Plan B that might just work." She moved along the base of the tower, scanning the walls for any cracks or hidden latches. "Hey Varrika," she called over her shoulder, "how about you keep an eye on those runes while I do a bit of wall-crawling?" The dwarf woman nodded grimly and stepped forward, positioning herself between Halie and the gate with her heavy mace at the ready.

Jeane's eyes narrowed as she watched Merrin work. She knew the halfling's skills were unmatched when it came to finding hidden entrances, but something about this situation felt... wrong. The runes' pulse had intensified since they'd arrived, their hunger palpable in the thick air around them. She turned to Seraphine and Halie, her voice low. "Whatever we do, we need to be careful. This ward isn't just magical—it's alive, and it's starving.".