Round 83

The rumble that had been building for moments finally broke free, a grinding groan of stone on stone echoing through the chamber like a death rattle. The floor bucked beneath their feet, and Merrin found herself stumbling backward instinctively, arms windmilling as she fought to keep her balance. Her crossbow came up reflexively, pointed at nothing yet ready for anything.

Across the room, Varrika had fared no better—staggered by the jolt, she'd dropped Serrine in her panic and was now frantically trying to haul the priestess back up while keeping her own feet under her. The dwarf's face was a mask of pure frustration as she wrestled with the unconscious woman's dead weight.

"Serrine!" Varrika snarled, more at herself than the priestess. She finally managed to get Serrine upright and braced against the wall, then whirled to face Merrin. "What in the Nine Hells was that?"

Merrin shook her head, eyes still wide as she scanned the room for any obvious changes. "I don't know," she called back, moving carefully across the now-settled floor towards Varrika and Serrine. "But I think we're about to find out."