Round 25

Seraphine’s sharp eyes strain against the darkness, searching the roiling waters below. The elf woman leans further out, her elegant robes clinging to her frame with every movement. “Still nothing!” she calls back to Jeane, her voice tight with concern and barely-contained panic. The powerful underground current has already carried Merrin and Halie downstream at terrifying speed—how long before it’s too late? Seraphine's gaze darts between the swirling abyss and the rumbling walls surrounding them. This whole cavern system feels like it could come down around our ears at any moment. We need to find the others and get out of here before we’re buried alive—or worse.

She turns her attention back to the water, determined not to give up hope despite every instinct screaming at her to flee this cursed place. The cold stone beneath her fingers offers little comfort as she clings to the ledge, muscles burning with exertion. Come on, come on... Her breath comes in short gasps, each inhalation a struggle against the lingering terror of near-drowning and the crushing weight of their situation.

Suddenly, movement catches her eye—a dark shape breaking the surface of the water further downstream. Seraphine’s heart leaps with a mixture of relief and renewed fear. “There! Something’s surfaced!” She points frantically, her voice barely audible over the roar of the current. “Downstream—about thirty feet!”