Round 111

Merrin's wiry halfling frame fought against the relentless current as she pushed toward Seraphine clinging to her precarious ledge. The water slammed into her again and again, each wave a physical blow threatening to sweep her off her feet. She'd managed to snag Jeane's fallen torch before it vanished downstream—now it bobbed uselessly in her grip while both hands kept her afloat on the makeshift debris raft. Across the rapidly flooding chamber, Seraphine had somehow scrambled up onto a narrow ledge halfway up the wall, pressed flat against stone like a terrified kitten trying to disappear into plaster and mortar. Her robes clung to every curve, dark hair streaming water down her back, face pale with shock and fear as she screamed something Merrin couldn't hear over the roar of rushing water and groaning stone. The wizardette's terror was palpable even from across the churning pool.

Merrin redoubled her grip on her floating debris, kicking hard to stay afloat despite exhaustion screaming through every muscle. The water was already waist-deep in most places now, swirling with dangerous speed that would make swimming treacherous—more like being caught in a river than mere flooding. More skeletal remains surfaced as the flood rose, bobbing past like grisly buoys each time the current shifted. She spotted a floating torch—Jeane's, by the looks of it—and snagged it before it could be swept away, adding its sputtering flame to her meager arsenal against the encroaching darkness.

"Seraphine!" she yelled again, voice barely carrying over the din. "Grab onto something stable! The water's still rising—don't let it pull you off that ledge!" She knew her words were probably useless; the wizardette was already clinging for dear life and had nowhere else to go. But saying something felt better than doing nothing while watching a friend drown slowly in rising waters.

The real problem wasn't just the flood—it was what might be causing it, or what might be lurking beneath those churning depths. The tower was actively trying to kill them all, and now it had opened up this massive underground lake complete with skeletal remains and glowing eyes watching from the darkness. Whatever had been down here long enough to leave those bones wasn't natural, and Merrin very much doubted it would appreciate new guests arriving via emergency flood.

She needed to find a way through or around this new obstacle while avoiding its unknown inhabitants—and fast, before the entire structure came crashing down around them all. The shrieking from somewhere deeper in the complex meant multiple threats were active and aware of their presence. Proceeding blindly into whatever lay beyond that newly revealed passage would be suicide—especially given Jeane's demonic nature might draw attention from whatever lurked in these walls like moths to flame.

But first things first: they couldn't lose another party member to this damn tower's tricks. Merrin kicked harder, fighting against the current as she assessed every inch of the rapidly flooding chamber for potential escape routes or hidden dangers. The water was already knee-deep and rising fast—if it got much higher, even swimming would become impossible.

"Stay put!" she called back to Seraphine, voice barely carrying over the roar of rushing water. "I'm going to check out that new passage and see what's waiting for us! Keep your head above water no matter what!"

The wizardette nodded frantically in response, clinging tighter to her precarious perch as another wave threatened to wash her off. Merrin felt a pang of guilt leaving her there alone—but someone had to scout ahead, and she was the best equipped for it. Besides, if whatever was pulling Varikka under tried to surface here next...

This is going to be a shit show, she thought grimly as she began navigating through the churning waters toward the newly opened passage. But at least I'll go out fighting instead of drowning like a rat in a flood.