Round 88 Transcript

Merrin's hands brush against ancient runes on the gate, her fingers tracing the intricate patterns with a practiced ease. The ward's magic responds, its power surging through the air like a living thing. The runes writhe and twist, as if hungry for the touch of Merrin's skin. As she withdraws her hand, Varrika readies her mace, her eyes fixed on the runes. Halie extinguishes the torches, plunging the area into darkness, while Seraphine documents the rune pattern on a parchment. The air is heavy with tension, the ward's hunger palpable. Merrin scales the tower's exterior wall, her footsteps echoing through the stillness. She pauses at a window ledge, her eyes scanning the dark interior of the tower. A faint glow emanates from within, casting an eerie light on the crumbling stone. The Time-Splitting Sword lies within reach, its presence drawing Merrin closer.

I grip my mace tighter, the weight of it a comforting anchor against the dark magic pulsing from the runes. Merrin's up there, risking her neck on that crumbling wall. I don't like it. But she's quick and careful. She'll find a way in. Halie's at my side, her holy symbol clutched in her hand. She's afraid, but she's not letting it show. That's Halie for you. Brave to the bone. I need to keep her safe. If anything comes through that gate, I'll be ready. Jeane and Seraphine are focused on those damn runes. They think they can figure them out, find some way to bypass the ward's power. I hope they're right. But magic like this? It's not meant for mortal hands. We should tread carefully here. The footsteps echo again, louder now. Whatever's in there, it's getting closer. We need to move fast, but we can't afford to rush. One wrong step, and we could be lost to the hunger of this place. I look to Merrin, scaling the wall like a spider. She's our best chance at getting in without setting off the traps. But if she falls, if any of us fall... We can't let that happen. Not here, not now. We push on, one step at a time. The tower looms above us, its secrets waiting to be uncovered. But the price of knowledge? It's always too high. And I fear this time, it might be more than we can bear.

Jeane studies the writhing runes, her eyes tracing their ancient patterns as Merrin climbs the wall like a fool. The ward's hunger isn't for flesh—it feeds on essence, magic, power itself. One wrong move and we could be lost to its appetite. Document every line and curve of those runes. Keep that mace ready, Varrika—I don't trust this place an inch. Merrin fancies herself a wall-crawler? Foolish girl. The tower's exterior is riddled with traps and pitfalls, but I've dealt with worse. The Time-Splitting Sword waits within these crumbling walls—the legendary blade that can split time itself. One of us must be the sacrifice, give our essence to the ward so the others may pass. I'll do it myself if necessary. No use in all of us dying here for some foolish sword.