Round 40 Transcript

At The base of a crumbling stone tower, the shared situation sharpens into an immediate decision point. What is already in motion no longer supports waiting or circling. The next concrete move will determine how this scene changes.

I know what I have to do. This isn't the time for half-measures or divided hearts.

I'm mapping the ward patterns with my fingers on the stone—this isn't passive defense magic. These wards are veins. They're feeding something upstairs, and whatever's chained down there is counting time between pulses. We have maybe eight minutes before it decides we're worth waking up for. Merrin, Varikka—I need you both back out now if you haven't already found the sword. Whatever's upstairs isn't just sleeping—it's savoring our presence like a vintage wine. Seraphine, your firepower is ready? Good. Halie, get everyone prepped to bail through the window if the feeding intensifies. The wards are pulsing stronger now. I can feel it drawing energy from... something alive below us. This isn't a forgotten guardian—this is a prison, and we're standing on its ceiling like idiots while the inmate counts down to our execution time.