Round 44 Transcript

A low rumble vibrates through the stones. The wards' hunger shifts from steady drain to desperate gulp—they're no longer merely feeding but trying to compensate for something upstairs drawing power. The shadow at the window thickens, resolving into a shape too large and wrong for any mortal silhouette. The entity inside has abandoned subtlety; it's coming down to investigate the interruption in its dinner menu.

I watch the shadow at the window thicken into a shape far too large and wrong for any mortal silhouette, my heart hammering against my ribs. The air grows heavy, tasting of old blood and rusted iron.
"I think... I think we've run out of time to circle this issue."
My gaze darts between the ominous form taking shape upstairs and my companions, their faces etched with the same grim realization. The wards' feeding pattern has shifted from a steady trickle to a desperate gulp, the entity upstairs no longer content to sleep while we poke at its domain.
"We have three choices now: back away undetected while we can, which is becoming less likely by the second; charge forward and hope our combined skills are enough to handle whatever's coming down those stairs; or find a way to sever this connection between the wards and the entity before it decides to take an active interest in us."
I square my shoulders, my mind already racing through spell components and counter-magic formulas. This is what I trained for, even if the cost of failure is far higher than mere gold or glory.
"Varrika, Merrin, get ready to move on my signal. Jeane, stay alert but do not engage unless directly threatened. Halie, pray to whatever gods will listen that this goes smoothly."
My hands tremble slightly as I reach for the pouch at my belt, filled with the arcane reagents needed for a powerful suppression spell. It's dangerous magic, capable of disrupting entire magical systems if not used perfectly. And right now, perfection is our only chance.
"I'll try to sever the connection between the wards and the entity. If I succeed, we might have a brief window to get inside without drawing its full attention."
I take a deep breath, feeling the power thrumming through my veins, hot and sharp. This is it. The moment of truth.
"Everyone, ready yourselves. It begins... now."

I pull my hand back from where I touched the ward stone, palm tingling with stolen energy and wrongness. The ward is not passive—the magic pulses like a heartbeat drawing breath, then gathers in a desperate gulp. This thing upstairs isn't just sleeping—it's feeding through these wards like veins into its own chest. And now it knows we're here because something woke up the dinner bell. Merrin, get your halfling ass back through that wall window before whatever's making that shadow double our size decides to come down and see what's for dessert. Varrika, stay ready with that mace—whatever comes out, it won't be human-shaped anymore. Seraphine: don't waste time on the ward-suppression spell yet, because I need you to map exactly how this energy is flowing before we try to cut the cord. The pattern matters—the rhythm of feeding tells me what kind of predator we're dealing with and where its weaknesses might be hiding. The air tastes like iron and old blood—this thing's been here a long time, probably whatever owned those skeletons downstairs before they wore out. If we can identify which spell anchors the wards to it directly, we can sever one connection without collapsing all of them at once and giving away our full hand. Five minutes until it gets curious enough to come down here personally. We've got three options: try to back away quietly while still undetected, accelerate into the tower knowing whatever's upstairs is now awake and hungry, or stand our ground here on the roof and prepare for an unwelcome guest arrival. I'm not leaving until I understand what we're up against, but I also won't be the reason all of us end up as snacks. Move carefully—whatever this is, it's been learning how to hunt while it sleeps. The wards just pulsed again, harder this time. It's recalibrating its menu.