Round 23 Transcript

Varrika stumbles forward, her vision blurry from the fall. She's disoriented, but she manages to grab onto Jeane's arm, pulling herself towards the makeshift raft. The two women cling together, their bodies straining against the current. Seraphine looks on, her eyes wide with concern. As Varrika pulls herself closer, a loud rumbling sound fills the cavern, like the earth itself groaning in pain. A massive section of the tunnel wall collapses, sending a shower of rocks and debris cascading down on the area where Varrika was last seen. The passageway behind them is now blocked, making it impossible for Seraphine to signal for the others to follow. The current surges stronger, threatening to pull them apart once more. Jeane's eyes lock onto Seraphine, a look of desperation etched on her face. "We have to move," she says, her voice barely audible over the roar of the river. "The current is going to separate us if we don't get out of here."

Seraphine nods, her gaze fixed on the narrow passageway behind the alcove. "We need to check it out," she calls out, her voice strained. "It might be our only chance."

Jeane grits her teeth against the biting cold of the underground water. The current is tearing at us—I can barely keep hold of Seraphine with my wings pinned back in this space. We need solid ground now. That collapsed tunnel was our best route back upstream or to Merrin, and now it's gone. She scans the cavern wall opposite the blocked passage, her crimson eyes picking out a ledge just above the waterline. There—see that shelf? If I can get up there first and throw down line from my rope, we can secure ourselves against the current. Once anchored, then we consider that creepy side-passage. Jeane releases Seraphine's arm carefully to start her own climb toward the ledge. Stay close—if this current gets any stronger, it'll pull us apart like leaves in a storm. Don't let go of me.

I feel a chill run through me as Jeane releases my arm, her grip firm but brief before she begins to climb. The water feels colder now, the threat of it pulling us under more real than ever. I watch as her wings beat against the surface, propelling her upward towards the ledge.
Her plan is sound—we need solid ground, and that shelf could give us a momentary reprieve from this relentless current. But the thought of being anchored here, with no way to search for Varrika or Merrin, twists my gut with fear. What if they're right around the next bend, needing our help?
As Jeane reaches the top and starts to secure the rope, I test my own grip on the rock formation we’re using as a makeshift raft. It’s slick with moisture, the current tugging at my legs like a thousand tiny hands. I know I can’t hold this position much longer.
"I'm right behind you," I call up to Jeane, my voice strained as I try to push myself upward. The rock is slippery under my fingers, and I have to scrabble for purchase, my robes heavy with water. I feel the first real panic set in as I struggle to find a foothold. This is it—the point of no return where we either get out of this water or get swept away into the unknown depths of these caves.
The sound of the collapsing tunnel still echoes in my ears, a grim reminder of how quickly things can go from bad to catastrophic down here. I think of Varrika and Merrin—where are they now? Are they even still alive? The weight of the unknown presses down on me, threatening to crush what little hope I have left.
With a final burst of strength, I heave myself upward, my fingers finding a crack in the rock that gives me just enough leverage to pull myself onto the ledge beside Jeane. I collapse next to her, gasping for air and shaking with cold and exertion.
"We did it," I pant, my lungs burning from the effort of climbing out of the water. I look at the rope Jeane has secured, then back down into the dark, swirling current below. It seems almost alive now, a malevolent force determined to swallow us whole.
I turn my attention to the narrow passageway Varrika mentioned—the one that could be a trap or a shortcut past this section of the river before it washes us deeper into the cave system. The air is stale and musty, filled with the scent of damp earth and mold. The walls are adorned with twisted, organic-looking formations that seem to writhe in the faint light of the pulsing stone slab.
"My studies were about ancient magic," I say, my voice a strained whisper as I fight to keep my teeth from chattering. "But this... this is something else entirely."
The runes etched into the stone above the passage pulse with an eerie, otherworldly light. They feel alive under my fingertips, sending a jolt of energy through me that makes my skin crawl with both fear and a strange, almost thrilling sensation.
"I think... I think this magic isn't just trapped here," I say, my voice dropping to a near-silent murmur. "I think it's growing."
A shiver runs down my spine as I stare at the entrance. It’s too dark to see what lies beyond, but the organic structures on the wall look disturbingly like the roots of some massive, hidden plant. Or perhaps they are something else entirely—the work of a powerful magic or a terrifying creature dwelling in this underground realm.
The current continues to rage around us, a constant threat, but for now we've found a small pocket of stability. Our bodies pressed together for warmth, we form a makeshift shelter against the rock, using our gear as flotation. It's a desperate measure, but it's all we have right now.
I turn my attention back to the narrow passageway behind the alcove, the one Varrika mentioned could be a trap. The air is stale and musty, filled with the scent of damp earth and mold. The walls are adorned with twisted, organic-looking formations that seem to writhe in the faint light of the pulsing stone slab.
My eyes narrow as I study the entrance. It’s too dark to see what lies beyond, but the organic structures on the wall look disturbingly like the roots of some massive, hidden plant. Or perhaps they are something else entirely—the work of a powerful magic or a terrifying creature dwelling in this underground realm.
I reach out, my fingers trembling slightly as I trace one of the pulsating runes etched into the stone above the passage. A sudden jolt of energy surges through me, not painful, but startlingly intense. The rune flares with a blinding white light before settling back into its normal pulsing rhythm.*
"It's active," I murmur, my voice a strained whisper. "The magic here... it's all around us."