The seal splits wider, violet light ripping across the chamber. Stone dust rains from the ceiling as the floor shudders under Ares' feet.
Thanatos
Ares, now. The tear is unstable.
Thanatos reaches through the rift, translucent fingers straining toward solid ground. Kronos watches from above the breach, still and intent.
Kronos
Drag him free, little war god. See whether you can outpull a god's knot.
Ares
Hold on.
Ares plants his boots, grabs Thanatos' outstretched arm, and hauls with all his strength. The rift bucks, the violet threads snap and howl, and Thanatos lurches toward the chamber floor just as the ceiling gives another ominous groan.
Thanatos
You have to keep pulling. The seal is still trying to close.
✓ Quest Accepted
Pull Thanatos fully free of the collapsing seal
“Heave with all my divine might to drag Thanatos clear of the rift.”
SUCCESS (Superb Strength, rolled -2)
Ares digs in and wrenches hard, shoulders and back surging. Thanatos breaks free of the rift and hits solid stone at Ares's feet, coughing violet sparks from the tear. The seal snaps angry threads across the opening, and a fresh burn bites along Ares's forearm from the backlash.
Thanatos
It is done. Step back from the edge, Ares.
The chamber lurches, but the opening holds. Black tatters whip in the air where Thanatos was trapped a breath ago, and dust streams down in pale curtains.
Kronos
Hm. You tear well when pressed.
Ares
He's free.
Thanatos plants one hand on the floor and pushes himself upright, unsteady but whole. A thin violet glow still pulses under the stone, impatient and alive.
Thanatos
Not safe yet. The knot is failing, and whatever held me is still here.
Above them, Kronos shifts his weight on the shattered ledge, watching the two gods with a colder, sharper attention than before.
Quest Complete
Pull Thanatos fully free of the collapsing seal