Round 39

The wards answered with a fresh pulse through the stone, no one could mistake it for safety. The nearest sign of danger was now clear: Skeletons—undead remnants of the tower's original defenders, now animated by dark magic to endlessly guard their ancient home. Someone had to answer that change.

"I don't like this," Halie said, her voice steady despite the apprehension tightening her jaw. "The air tastes wrong—the tower isn't just empty, it's hungry." She adjusted her grip on her heavy mace. "We need to be smart about this. Varrika, keep your crossbow ready and watch Jeane's pit opening closely." Her blue-grey eyes fixed on the darkness below.

Merri...

The scraping sound stopped abruptly at Merrin's call. She held her breath, crossbow aimed at the pit's edge, straining to hear any further movement from Jeane or whatever lurked below. Varrika shifted beside her, the dwarf's grip tightening on her own weapon. "Something's down there alright," she muttered. "And it don't like us much." Merrin nodded grimly. The tower's magic felt alive, hungry, and...

Jeane heard the scraping clearly now—something moving in the dark where she'd fallen through the floor. The wards pulsed again—lazy, hungry. Her wings ached to spread, but in this confined space, magic was a double-edged sword that could collapse what was left of this ceiling or illuminate whatever was making that sound down here. Torch guttering low. Need air. Need out.

The scraping stopped. It had heard her. Great. Now it knew she was conscious and trapped. The wards pulsed again—slower, waiting. This tower wanted something. She needed to move carefully, find an exit before whatever was down here decided she was dinner.

Varrika, Halie called down, voice steady despite the worry tightening her chest. "I can hear something moving down there now, more clearly since Jeane called out. The wards are definitely active—pulsing like a heartbeat—but slower now, waiting. This tower wants something. I don't think it's just an empty shell anymore." She shifted her mace to a better grip. "We need to be smart about this. Varrika, keep your crossbow ready and watch Jeane's pit opening closely."