Round 197

The ground shuddered beneath them like an animal waking from a nightmare. Merrin felt her stomach lurch as the stone floor heaved, sending cracks snapping outwards across the ceiling above their heads in a web of deadly fractures. Dust billowed down around them, thick and choking, smelling of decay and something else—something ancient that made the back of her neck prickle with warning.

Varrika's hand clamped onto Merrin's shoulder like a vise, iron-fingered and steady even as she spat out a stream of curses that would have made a sailor blush. "Move!" The dwarf's voice was sharp enough to cut through the rumbling stone. "Now!"

Merrin didn't need telling twice. She was already pivoting, every instinct screaming at her to run, but there was nowhere to go except forward into the waiting darkness or back into the collapsing rubble behind them. The choice made her feel sick, but Varrika's grip on her shoulder steadied her just enough to force her legs to move.

Together they lunged ahead, stumbling over loose stones and dodging falling debris as the passage tried its damnedest to shake them loose like fleas from a dog. The torchlight flickered wildly, casting monstrous shadows that seemed to writhe and twist along the walls before dissolving back into stone. Merrin's breath came in ragged gasps, her heart hammering so hard she could feel it in her temples as they sprinted deeper into the tomb's embrace.

The passage ahead forked suddenly, both branches disappearing into darkness. Merrin skidded to a halt, her boots slipping on loose gravel as she tried to decide which way to go. Behind them, the rumbling grew louder—a sound like the earth itself was tearing open—and Varrika cursed under her breath. "Pick one!" she snarled, shoving Merrin forward toward the left passage.

Merrin didn't hesitate this time. She launched herself into the darkness, torch held out ahead of her as she sprinted down the narrowing corridor. The walls pressed in closer with each step, and the air grew thick with that same ancient stink of decay and something else—something that made her skin crawl and her stomach churn. But there was no going back now. The rumbling behind them had turned into a roar, and the very ground beneath their feet felt like it was breathing.

And then, as if things couldn't possibly get worse, Merrin saw them: two glowing eyes floating in the darkness ahead, accompanied by the skittering sound of something moving fast across stone. She skidded to a halt, barely managing not to scream as she raised her crossbow and aimed into the shadows.

Varrika slammed into her back a moment later, cursing as she tried to see past Merrin's smaller frame. "What is it?" she demanded, her voice tight with fear but steady nonetheless.

Merrin pointed silently at the glowing eyes, which had now been joined by a second pair floating just above them. The skittering sound was getting louder, and whatever made that noise was definitely moving toward them fast.

Varrika's grip on Merrin's shoulder tightened painfully as she squinted into the darkness. "Fuck," she breathed, her voice barely audible over the pounding of their own hearts. "Whatever those are, they're not natural." She raised her mace, the heavy weapon held ready in both hands. "Stay behind me," she growled, her voice leaving no room for argument.

Merrin nodded, pressing herself against Varrika's back as the fighter advanced slowly into the darkness. The skittering sound grew louder still, and now Merrin could make out multiple sets of glowing eyes floating in the shadows—at least half a dozen pairs, maybe more. She aimed her crossbow at the lead pair, her finger hovering over the trigger as she tried to control her breathing.

The creatures burst into view all at once, and Merrin's stomach dropped. They were like nothing she'd ever seen before—humanoid in shape but with too many limbs, their bodies covered in chitinous armor that caught what little light there was and reflected it back in a sickly green glow. They moved on four legs, scuttling across the stone floor with terrifying speed as they converged on Varrika's position.

Varrika let out a roar and charged forward, her mace swinging in a wide arc that caught the lead creature squarely in its thorax. The thing screeched—a sound like metal scraping against stone—and collapsed in a heap, but there were plenty more where it came from. Two more leapt at Varrika simultaneously, one aiming for her face while the other went for her legs.

Merrin fired her crossbow without thinking, the bolt punching through the creature attacking Varrika's face just as its mandibles snapped shut inches from her eyes. The thing dropped like a stone, but Merrin was already loading another bolt as she saw two more closing in fast.

Varrika brought her mace down on the remaining attacker, crushing it against the stone floor with a sickening crunch of chitin and fluid spraying everywhere. She barely had time to register the kill before three more were on her, climbing over their fallen brethren in a wave of clicking legs and snapping mandibles.

Merrin fired again, taking out one of the creatures clambering up Varrika's leg, but there were too many of them and only one of her. She could hear the fighter grunting with effort as she tried to fend them off, her mace moving in a blur of motion as she struck at anything within reach.

And then, just when it seemed like they were about to be overwhelmed completely, something changed. The creatures' movements became jerky and uncoordinated, their screeching calls turning into a series of clicking sounds that almost seemed... confused?

Varrika took advantage of the sudden shift, bringing her mace down on the nearest creature's head with enough force to cave in its skull. The thing collapsed twitching, and as she pulled back for another swing, she realized all the remaining attackers were backing away slowly, their movements uncertain.

Merrin lowered her crossbow, watching in confusion as the creatures continued to retreat, their glowing eyes dimming slightly as they backed into the shadows from whence they came. The last one disappeared around a corner, leaving an eerie silence behind.

Varrika stood panting, her mace held at the ready for several long moments before she finally lowered it. "What in the name of all that's holy was that?" she growled, wiping sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand.

Merrin moved to stand beside her, scanning the darkness warily. "I have no idea," she admitted, her voice shaking slightly despite her best efforts to control it. "But I think we should get out of here before they decide to come back for seconds."

Varrika nodded grimly, already moving toward the far end of the corridor. "Aye," she said, her voice tight with tension. "And next time, maybe we'll try finding a fight that doesn't involve giant bugs from hell."