Round 196 Transcript

As Merrin speaks up, Varrika takes a step back, her hand instinctively reaching for the hilt of her mace. "We can't hole up here," she says firmly, her voice low and urgent. "The passage is collapsing around us, and we need to find a way out before it's too late."

Varrika takes a deep breath, trying to steady herself as the passage trembles around them. Her mind races, weighing their limited options. "Merrin, I hear the fear in your voice," she says quietly, "and I share it. But we can't go back - the way is blocked, and that rockfall may bring the whole tunnel down on us." She pauses, swallowing hard as the weight of the situation presses down on her. "I wish I had better news, but our only hope is to keep moving forward and find a way out before this place collapses entirely."

Varrika's hand tightens on her mace, the rough wood reassuring against her palm. "Stay close behind me, and watch your step. If we can't find anywhere safe to hole up, at least we'll have each other's backs if things turn ugly." She risks a glance over her shoulder, meeting Merrin's wide-eyed gaze. "I know this is terrifying, but we've faced worse together, haven't we? And we survived."

She takes a deep breath, steeling herself as she faces into the darkness ahead. "So let's keep moving, Merrin. We've come this far - we can't turn back now." With that, Varrika steps forward, her mace raised and ready for whatever fresh hell lies ahead...or behind, in this accursed place. The gods may have abandoned them, but she'll be damned if she lets this tomb claim her without a fight. "Stay sharp, Merrin," she mutters under her breath, more to herself than to the rogue. "We're not out of this nightmare yet."

Merrin's heart pounds in her chest as Varrika's words sink in. She knows the fighter is right - going back is suicide, and staying put will only seal their doom. But the thought of pressing deeper into this crumbling hellhole makes her skin crawl. She takes a deep, shuddering breath, trying to calm the nerves jangling under her skin. "Aye, you're right," she says quietly, her voice barely audible over the groans and creaks of straining stone. "No going back now." She shifts her grip on the crossbow, feeling the weight of it in her hands. It's a poor defense against a cave-in, but better than nothing. Merrin glances ahead into the darkness, her eyes straining to pick out any sign of a safe haven. But the passage stretches out before them, an endless tunnel of rubble and shadow. "Keep your eyes peeled for anywhere we can hole up if things get worse," she mutters, more to herself than to Varrika. "And stay sharp - I don't trust this place as far as I can throw it."

She risks another glance back the way they came, wincing as more rocks shift and tumble into the narrow corridor. Her stomach twists into knots at the thought of being trapped under tons of stone and rubble, suffocating in the darkness. "May the gods help us," she breathes, more prayer than curse. "Because I'm starting to think even the gods have abandoned us in this nightmare."

But there's no choice now but to keep moving forward, to put one foot in front of the other and pray they can outrun the collapse...or at least find somewhere to weather it before the whole damn place comes down on their heads. Merrin takes a deep breath, steeling herself as she steps after Varrika into the darkness ahead. "Let's keep moving," she says quietly, her voice barely audible over the groans and creaks of straining stone. "We've come this far - we can't turn back now." And with that, she follows the fighter deeper into the crumbling tunnel, her heart pounding in her ears and her nerves on a knife's edge. Whatever fresh hell lies ahead, they'll face it together...or die trying.