Round 122

Merrin clutched the book tightly to her chest, the ancient leather cover rough against her fingers. The ground beneath her boots rumbled ominously, and dust swirled through the air in choking clouds. She could hear Varrika's voice calling her name across the chamber, but her attention was fixed on the tome in her hands. The pages within glowed with a faint, ethereal light that pulsed in rhythm with the tower's groans of strain. It felt warm against her skin, almost alive, and Merrin found herself unable to let it go despite the obvious danger. She looked up, meeting Varrika's eyes across the room. The dwarf woman was pressed against a far wall, her face etched with fear and desperation. "What do you see?" Merrin called back, her voice barely audible over the cacophony of collapsing stone.

Varrika shook her head frantically, her gaze darting between Merrin and the shifting rubble piled high at the chamber's exit. "Nothing good!" she shouted. Then her eyes widened with alarm as she saw something behind Merrin—something the halfling woman couldn't see from her position. "Merrin, look out!"

Merrin spun around just in time to see a massive section of ceiling beginning to give way directly above where she stood. She barely had time to process the sight before instinct took over. Dropping the book, she threw herself sideways with all her strength—