Round 37 Transcript

The wards' hunger pulses increase, and something ancient shifts weight inside the tower. A low groan echoes through stone, not wind but purpose. The shadow upstairs begins to move—slowly, deliberately. Time just ticked below fifteen minutes.

I nod sharply at Jeane's signal, my heart pounding. No time to waste. I scramble down the crumbling stonework, scanning for footholds. Varrika follows close behind, mace at the ready. "Keep your eyes peeled," I mutter. "Anything moves, we move faster."

At the bottom, I crouch by the heavy wooden door, ear pressed to the weathered wood. No sounds from within. I risk a glance back at Jeane, still frozen on the roof's edge like a mouse under an owl's shadow. My hands shake slightly as I test the lockpicks, working them with practiced precision. The pins click into place one by one. Just a few more... "There's no way to know if we're walking into a trap," Varrika grumbles, shifting her weight from foot to foot. "But if whatever's inside starts feeding off us too..."

"Yeah, I hear you." My voice is steady but my heart races as the final pin slips home. "On three. One... two..."

I brace myself and turn the handle, wincing at the soft click of the latch opening. The door swings inward with a long, low creak. Darkness yawns before us. "Looks like we're about to find out what's making those wards so hungry," I whisper, drawing my mace. "Stay sharp and stay close."

I take a deep breath, step across the threshold into the unknown. The others follow, our breaths echoing in the sudden silence. Time to see if this old tower is ready for some fresh prey.

I descend from the roof slowly, my wings retracting as I touch down on stone. The wards' hunger is unnatural—I've felt this before in places where power feeds on desperation and death. Whatever's chained to that altar isn't some forgotten guardian; it's the anchor keeping this place alive with malice. We don't have time for careful exploration now, not with fifteen minutes left until whatever's stirring upstairs decides we're more than just shadows creeping in from the night. We need to move fast and smart—the opposite of what I usually recommend, but sometimes even a demon knows when to run rather than fight. Halie's right: wards this strong aren't just barriers; they're feeding something old and powerful inside. The question isn't whether we can steal the sword without triggering them—it's whether that thing upstairs will let us leave with it after we've woken it up. Merrin, Varrika, you two go in first to scout the ground floor. Seraphine, keep your fireball ready—I don't care if it draws attention; sometimes a big explosion is better than whatever comes looking for us quietly. I'll stay outside and map these wards properly before I step into them. If something goes wrong in there—if you trigger a trap or if that upstairs thing decides to make its presence known—I want to know the quickest path out, not just how many skeletons are between us and the exit. We're stealing this sword on my terms, not because we stumbled into some ancient monster's dinner bell. Trust me: I've dealt with things like this before. The key isn't always fighting—sometimes it's knowing exactly when to leave and come back better equipped. Fifteen minutes. Let's make them count for something useful instead of just being the time until our welcome wore out completely.

I understand what you're saying, but we can't just leave now. The wards are active predators—they've already sensed us snooping around, and whatever's inside is stirring awake. If we back away undetected now, we lose our chance to retrieve the sword and waste all this preparation. We need to move quickly and efficiently—scout the ground floor for entry points, map the wards' patterns, and prepare our escape routes. Merrin and Varrika can handle the initial sweep; Seraphine has her firepower ready; and I'll focus on maintaining our connection to the divine in case we need immediate healing or protection. Let's not waste this opportunity because of some vague time limit—if we're smart about it, we can complete the quest before whatever's upstairs fully wakes up.