Round 119

Merrin’s boot hit stone with a jarring crack that sent spiderweb fractures racing through the already groaning structure beneath her. Water streamed off her in sheets as she scrambled for purchase on the slick surface, boots skidding against smooth rock face. Behind her, the chamber roared its displeasure—floodwaters surged upwards where she'd stood moments before, crashing against the ceiling like ocean waves against a cliff face. The entire cavern shuddered, stone grinding against stone as the weight of the collapsing tower pressed down from above.

She didn’t hesitate. Merrin slammed her heavy mace into the weakened rock around the hole, chipping away at it with desperate fury while the structure groaned louder in protest. Each strike sent fresh cracks racing through the stone, but the hole widened just enough for her to squeeze through sideways. She wriggled her way into the narrow gap, scraping her back and shoulders against jagged edges as she forced herself deeper. The water behind her continued rising, already lapping at the bottom of the new passage by the time she managed to fully extricate herself.

Merrin emerged into a wider chamber beyond—the air here tasted old and stale, and the walls glistened with moisture in the flickering torchlight. But worse than the water was what it revealed: skeletal remains scattered across the floor, dozens of them, and glowing eyes watching from the darkness at the chamber’s edge. She froze mid-step, heart hammering, as one of those eyes blinked slowly—definitely not bone, definitely something alive and waiting.

She backed away instinctively, pressing herself against the wall of the newly widened hole just as another tremor shook the tower. Dust rained down from above, and somewhere far off came the sound of collapsing stone. They were running out of time. Merrin glanced back towards the rising water in the main chamber—she could still see Seraphine standing there, frozen, while Varikka remained trapped beneath the surface with whatever had grabbed her.

No choice. Merrin raised her voice over the groaning stone and rushing water. "Seraphine! Get down here! We need to move before this whole place comes down!" He couldn’t afford to wait for a response—every second counted. She turned her attention to the chamber ahead, mace held ready as she began a slow, cautious advance through the bones and glowing eyes.

Seraphine stood frozen in the chest-deep water, horror-struck gaze fixed on the spot where Merrin had vanished beneath the surface. The tentacled horror’s grip had released her friend, but that offered no comfort—Merrin was gone, pulled into the depths by something massive and unseen. The creature’s attention had already shifted, its unsettling gaze now locked onto Seraphine herself.

She tried to back away, but the sloping floor gave way beneath her boot, sending her stumbling forward instead. A fresh crack echoed through the water as she fell hard against the stone edge of the newly opened passage, the impact jarring her already exhausted body. The ground shifted again under her hands as she scrambled for purchase, a section of the floor sliding downwards with a grinding groan that sent fresh panic through her.

"Merrin!" Her voice came out as a choked gasp, barely audible over the rushing water and groaning stone. She tried to see into the darkness below where her friend had disappeared, but the churning waters offered no glimpse—just blackness and the faint, disturbing glow of something moving beneath the surface.

Another tremor shook the entire chamber. Seraphine felt the water level rise another inch around her thighs as more water poured in from unseen cracks above. She could hear Jeane shouting something from further back in the tower, but the words were lost to distance and the roar of collapsing stone.

She had to move. Had to find a way down to Merrin or at least assess the situation before it was too late for both of them. Seraphine fumbled with her spell components, fingers shaking as she tried to prepare something useful—warding magic to protect against whatever lurked below, or perhaps a levitation spell if the floor gave out entirely.

But the water was rising faster now, and the ground beneath her felt increasingly unstable. She could feel the ancient magic of the tower pressing in around her, thick and suffocating, as if the very stone was alive with malice. The shifting walls seemed to pulse with a malevolent energy that made her skin crawl.

She took a deep breath—tried to steady herself—and began the incantation for a protective ward spell. The magical symbols traced themselves in the air before her with a faint blue glow, but the water lapped higher still, now brushing against her ribs. She needed to get down there, needed to help Merrin or at least understand what they were dealing with before the entire structure came crashing down around them all.

The spell completed with a soft pop of displaced air, leaving Seraphine surrounded by a shimmering blue barrier that extended outwards several feet in every direction. It wouldn’t last long—ward spells consumed vast amounts of magical energy and she was already dangerously low—but it might buy her the seconds needed to descend safely.

She approached the edge of the new passage cautiously, peering down into the darkness below. The water swirled ominously at the bottom, and she could make out movement in the depths—something large and slow moving, something that definitely wasn’t human. A fresh tremor shook the tower, and more water poured down from above.

"Merrin!" She called again, louder this time. "Can you hear me? I’m coming down!"

The water was up to her chest now, and Merrin could feel the current tugging at her legs as it rushed past towards the new chamber beyond. She pressed herself flat against the wall of the widened hole, trying to minimize her profile while still maintaining a grip on her mace with both hands. Every instinct screamed at her to run, to get away from whatever was in that water and whatever animated bones were scattered across the floor ahead—but running meant leaving Varikka behind, and Merrin wasn’t built that way.

She strained her ears for any sound of movement below the surface—was the tentacled horror still down there? Had it followed Seraphine? The water swirled ominously at the junction between chambers, and she could see something large moving just beneath the surface, circling slowly. Waiting.

"Seraphine!" She called out again, louder this time. "Get down here! We need to move before this whole place comes down!"

A response came, muffled by distance and rushing water but unmistakably Seraphine’s voice. Merrin strained to hear the words over the groaning stone and swirling current—something about being careful, something about a barrier spell.

Good. At least she was alive and thinking clearly enough to cast protective magic. That meant they still had a chance, even if Merrin had no idea what that chance actually was yet.

She shifted her grip on the mace, muscles aching from the cold water and exertion. The weapon felt heavy in her hands, but it was better than nothing against whatever might emerge from those depths. She’d faced worse odds before—hadn’t she? Though she couldn’t quite remember when, exactly, given how thoroughly this situation seemed designed to test every limit of her luck.

The water lapped higher still, now brushing her chin as she crouched against the wall. She could feel the current tugging more insistently at her legs, trying to pull her away from the relative safety of the stone surface. Another tremor shook the tower, and a fresh cascade of water poured down from above—this one carrying something with it, something that clattered loudly as it hit the stone floor nearby.

Merrin tensed, eyes scanning the area around her. Whatever had fallen wasn’t moving, but it definitely hadn’t been there before. She squinted through the dim light and swirling water—was that... a skeleton? No, worse: a rusty iron spike, partially buried in bone fragments when it hit the floor.

Her stomach dropped as she realized what she was looking at: this wasn’t just a pile of bones. This was a pit trap, recently flooded by the rising waters. And if there were spikes below...

She looked down at the swirling water beneath her with new horror—was that why the creature had pulled Varikka under? Had it known about the spikes? Was it using them as a weapon against them now?

"Seraphine!" Merrin shouted, voice cracking with urgency. "Don’t come down here! The floor’s—it’s not safe!"

But her warning was cut short as another tremor hit, this one stronger than before. The ground beneath her feet shifted violently, and she felt the stone give way completely. Merrin screamed as she fell, mace clattering from her grip as she plunged into the churning darkness below.

Seraphine was halfway through the incantation for a levitation spell when Merrin’s panicked shout cut through the rushing water. She froze mid-word, barrier shimmering around her as she strained to hear over the roar of collapsing stone and swirling current.

"Don’t come down here! The floor’s—it’s not safe!"

The words sent a fresh jolt of terror through her already overtaxed system. She whirled around just in time to see the section of floor Merrin had been standing on mere seconds ago crumble away into the darkness below. A massive plume of water erupted upwards from the newly opened hole, spraying outwards in all directions before crashing back down with enough force to send a fresh wave surging through the chamber.

"MERRIN!" Seraphine screamed, voice lost to the chaos as she stumbled backwards. The barrier around her flickered ominously, magical energy dipping dangerously low as panic overwhelmed her concentration.

She threw herself against the wall opposite the newly collapsed section, gasping for breath as another tremor shook the tower. The water was already lapping at her waist again, rising faster now that more was pouring in from above. She could feel the ancient magic of the place pressing in around her, thick and suffocating—something old and angry feeding on their fear.

"No..." she whispered, eyes fixed on the swirling darkness where Merrin had vanished. "No, no, no..."

But there was no answer. Just the roar of rushing water and the groaning of collapsing stone.

Seraphine forced herself to take a deep breath—had to think, had to act before it was too late for both of them. The levitation spell was almost complete, magical symbols tracing themselves in the air before her with a faint green glow. If she could just maintain concentration long enough to cast it...

The water lapped higher still, now brushing against her ribs. She could feel the current tugging at her legs, trying to pull her towards the gaping hole where Merrin had fallen. The ground beneath her felt increasingly unstable, sections of floor shifting and sliding with each passing second.

She finished the incantation just as another tremor hit—the spell activated with a rush of displaced air, lifting her several feet above the water’s surface in a shimmering green bubble. But the magical energy was already fading, the spell consuming what little remained of her reserves at an alarming rate.

Seraphine hovered there, suspended above certain death by threads of fading magic, and tried to think through her terror. Merrin was down there—trapped in flooded passages filled with spikes and God knew what else. Varikka was still trapped beneath the surface somewhere in the main chamber. Jeane was back in the collapsing tower sections, probably wondering why everyone had gone silent.

They were all going to die here if she didn’t do something. But what? She couldn’t maintain levitation forever, and even if she could reach Merrin somehow, what good would that do? Two people trapped in a flooding death trap was still two people trapped in a flooding death trap.

Unless...

Seraphine’s eyes widened as a desperate plan formed in her mind—terrible, probably suicidal, but their only real option at this point. She began fumbling with her remaining spell components, fingers shaking as she tried to prepare the incantation for a massive teleportation spell.

It would require every last drop of magical energy she possessed—probably more than she had left after maintaining that barrier for so long. If it failed, she’d likely just collapse into the water below and join Merrin in whatever awaited at the bottom of those passages.

But if it worked...

"Merrin!" She shouted, voice barely audible over the roar of rushing water. "If you can hear me—when I cast this spell, grab onto anything solid you can find! Don’t let go no matter what!"

No response came from below. Just the swirling darkness and the churning current.

Seraphine took a deep breath—tried to steady herself despite the magical energy already beginning to arc between her fingertips—and began the incantation. The spell symbols traced themselves in the air around her with a blinding flash of blue-white light, magical energy crackling and popping as it built to explosive levels inside her rapidly fading levitation bubble.

The water below churned violently as the teleportation magic interacted with the flooding currents, creating rooster tails of spray that shot upwards in all directions. Seraphine gritted her teeth against the strain, pushing every last reserve of power into maintaining the spell despite her vision swimming and head pounding from the exertion.

This was it—the moment of truth. She finished the incantation with a final shouted word, magical energy exploding outwards in a blinding flash just as her levitation bubble collapsed completely.

Seraphine screamed as she plunged towards the swirling darkness below, every muscle tensed as she braced for impact...

Merrin’s world had dissolved into chaos the instant she hit the water. The force of the fall knocked the wind out of her, sending bubbles streaming upwards as she sank deeper into the freezing darkness. Her hands clawed at nothing but rushing current as she tried to orient herself, lungs burning and vision swimming from lack of air.

She could feel something solid beneath her—stone floor, thankfully, not spikes—but the water above was already rushing past with terrifying speed, trying to pull her back up into its swirling vortex. She kicked hard against the current, fighting her way downwards until she felt her boots touch stone more firmly. Then she scrambled sideways along the edge of what felt like a large opening in the floor, hands sliding along rough rock until she found a narrow ledge to grip.

She pulled herself flat against the wall, gasping for breath as she tried to make sense of her surroundings through the swirling darkness and churning water above. She could feel the current tugging at her from every direction now—something massive was flowing past just inches away, something that rumbled with low, menacing growls.

The tentacled horror. It was still down here.

Merrin’s heart hammered in her chest as she strained to see through the darkness. She could make out movement in the water above—a massive shape circling slowly, eyes glowing like malevolent stars in the gloom. Every instinct screamed at her to swim away, to find some higher ground where she could at least see what was coming.

But there was no higher ground here—just this narrow ledge and whatever lay below in the?. She could feel the current pulling insistently at her legs, trying to drag her down into those depths. The water was already lapping at her chin again as it rose another inch with a fresh surge from above.

"Merrin!" Seraphine’s voice cut through the rushing water—loud and panicked, coming from somewhere above. "If you can hear me—when I cast this spell, grab onto anything solid you can find! Don’t let go no matter what!"

Merrin tensed, fingers digging into the stone ledge as she strained to see upwards through the swirling darkness. What spell? What was Seraphine planning?

A blinding flash of blue-white light erupted from above—so bright it pierced even the churning water, illuminating the entire chamber for a split second. Merrin saw everything in that instant: the massive circular chamber they’d fallen into, the swirling vortex of water in its center, and the colossal tentacled horror circling lazily within.

Then the light was gone, plunging them back into darkness just as something massive plummeted down through the water above with a thunderous splash. The impact sent a towering wave crashing outwards, flooding Merrin’s ledge entirely and forcing her to scramble higher up the wall for purchase.

She clung there, gasping for air as she tried to process what had just happened—had Seraphine teleported herself down here? Was that even possible? The magical energy from above was still crackling through the water, making her skin tingle and hair stand on end.

A muffled scream cut through the rushing current—definitely Seraphine’s voice, definitely in trouble. Merrin strained to see through the churning darkness below, heart pounding as she tried to pinpoint where her friend had fallen.

There! A struggling shape near the bottom of the vortex, caught in the creature’s tentacles even as it thrashed and cast desperate spells in every direction. The horror seemed momentarily stunned by the teleportation impact, giving Seraphine a brief window to fight back—but she was clearly running on empty magical reserves now, her incantations weak and spells fizzling out halfway through.

"Seraphine!" Merrin screamed, voice lost to the chaos as she scrambled along her ledge towards where she’d seen her friend fall. "Hold on! I’m coming!"

But how? The water was already up to her neck again, swirling vortex pulling insistently at her legs as it tried to drag her down into the creature’s waiting grasp. She could feel the stone around her giving way in places—structural integrity failing fast as the rushing water did its work.

No choice. Merrin took a deep breath—tried to steady herself despite the terror clawing at her throat—and began working her way along the ledge towards Seraphine. Every step required precise footwork on crumbling stone while fighting against the current trying to pull her off into the vortex below.

The water lapped higher still, now brushing her chin as she inched along. She could feel the temperature dropping as the currents swirled past—something ancient and wrong about this place feeding the rushing waters with unnatural cold. Her fingers ached from gripping stone so tightly, muscles burning from the exertion of fighting against the current.

But she kept moving, driven by the sight of Seraphine struggling below and the knowledge that her friend would die if help didn’t arrive soon. The ledge narrowed as she progressed, forcing her to press herself flat against the wall while reaching out sideways for better handholds. The water was up to her ears now, rushing past with enough force to make her head spin.

Just a few more feet...

A fresh surge of water hit her from above—something massive collapsing further upstream and sending a tidal wave crashing down into the chamber below. Merrin screamed as she was pulled away from the wall by the force of it, momentum carrying her out over open water for a heart-stopping second before she managed to grab onto a protruding piece of rebar just as she hit the surface.

She dangled there, gasping for air as the current tried to tear her off the makeshift handhold. Below her, Seraphine had stopped struggling—had the creature finally gotten hold of her? No, wait... she was still moving, just more slowly now, magical energy arcing between her fingers as she prepared another spell.

Merrin watched in horror as a massive tentacle rose up from the depths below, reaching towards Seraphine with deliberate slowness—tasting the water around her, savoring the moment before striking. Her friend was barely conscious, spells fizzling out halfway through incantations now as exhaustion overwhelmed magical reserves.

"NO!" Merrin shouted, voice lost to the rushing water as she realized there was no way she could reach Seraphine in time—no ledge left to follow, no handholds within grabbing distance. The creature would have her in seconds if something didn’t change.

Desperate, Merrin let go of her rebar handhold and pushed off hard with both feet, arrowing down through the water towards where she’d last seen Seraphine struggling. She could feel the current trying to pull her sideways into the vortex as she descended—fought against it with every ounce of strength remaining.

The darkness swallowed her completely as she plunged deeper, eyes straining to pierce the swirling currents around her. Where was she? Where had Seraphine gone?

And then—a shape ahead, pale and struggling in the gloom. Merrin kicked hard towards it, arms outstretched as she fought against the current trying to pull them apart.

Her hands closed around something solid—arm, shoulder, she wasn’t sure which—and she clamped on with every ounce of strength remaining. Seraphine’s eyes snapped open at the contact, wide with surprise and terror as she realized what was happening.

"MERRIN!" Her voice came out as a choked gasp, barely audible over the rushing water as she struggled to grab onto her friend in return. The two women fought against the current together now, locked in a desperate embrace as they tried to stay afloat amidst the swirling vortex around them.

But it wasn’t enough—the tentacle was still coming, moving with deliberate slowness through the water towards their joined forms. Merrin could feel Seraphine trembling against her, expending what little remained of her strength in one final desperate spell attempt.

The magical energy crackled between them, arcing outwards in jagged bolts that illuminated the surrounding darkness for brief moments. The tentacle paused mid-strike—seemingly stunned by the magical discharge—but only for a second before resuming its inexorable advance.

"Hold on!" Merrin screamed, voice lost to the chaos as she tried to think of some way—any way—to save them both from this fate. But there was nothing—no weapons within reach, no handholds nearby, no magical reserves left to call upon. Just rushing water and a creature from the depths determined to claim them.

The tentacle descended with terrifying speed—wrapping around both women in a crushing grip that forced the air from their lungs and sent bubbles streaming upwards in all directions. Merrin felt her ribs creaking under the pressure, vision swimming as the creature began pulling them inexorably down into the depths below...

Jeane stumbled through the collapsing tower corridors, shouting her friends’ names over and over as rubble fell around her in a constant rain of stone and dust. The entire structure seemed determined to come down on top of her—walls groaning ominously, floors shifting beneath her feet with every step.

"MERIN! SERAPHINE! VARIKKA!" Her voice was hoarse from screaming, lungs burning as she fought against the swirling dust clouds trying to choke her. She could hear the roar of rushing water somewhere nearby—getting louder with each passing second—and knew they had to be close.

Another section of ceiling gave way ahead of her, sending a cascade of stone and debris crashing down to block the corridor completely. Jeane skidded to a stop, coughing as fresh dust filled the air around her. She was trapped—both ways now blocked by rubble and collapsing structure.

"No..." she gasped out, pressing her hands against the cool stone in front of her as if she could push it aside through sheer will alone. "Come on... please..."

But there was nothing she could do—no amount of strength or magic that would move tons of fallen rock. She was stuck here while her friends...

A fresh tremor shook the tower, and Jeane felt the floor drop away beneath her feet as a section of corridor simply gave out completely. She screamed as she fell, arms windmilling uselessly as gravity took hold.

The impact with the rushing water below knocked the wind out of her—cold shock hitting every nerve at once as she was pulled under by the force of the current. Her eyes streamed as she tried to see through the swirling darkness around her, lungs burning for air as she fought against the instinct to inhale.

Something solid hit her from behind—a wall or floor section collapsing into the water—and Jeane found herself suddenly trapped between two massive slabs of stone, rushing water pouring through every gap around them. She managed to surface long enough to gasp a single breath before being pulled under again by the current, but it wasn’t enough—her lungs were already screaming for air.

Panic overwhelmed her as she realized she was going to drown here in this underwater tomb of collapsing stone and rushing water. She tried to swim against the current, fingers scrabbling at smooth rock surfaces as she searched desperately for any handhold or gap she could exploit.

But there was nothing—just solid stone pressing in on every side while the water roared past with enough force to tear her apart if it found an opening. Her lungs were burning now, vision starting to spot and blur around the edges as oxygen deprivation set in.

This was it—the end. She’d never find her friends now, never get to explain herself or make amends for...

The tentacled horror pulled both women deeper into the abyss with terrifying speed—through a network of submerged tunnels that seemed to pulse with ancient magic, walls slick with slime and studded with glittering crystals. The water here was freezing cold, pressing in on them from every direction as the creature descended further into the tower’s depths.

Merrin felt her lungs screaming for air as it got harder and harder to hold her breath against the crushing pressure. She could feel Seraphine trembling against her in the tentacle’s grip—both women now beyond exhausted, strength failing with each passing second.

The crystal-studded walls around them seemed to throb with malevolent energy as they passed, magical symbols pulsing faintly in the stone itself. This place was ancient—far older than anything above, built by hands long forgotten and fueled by power that shouldn’t exist anymore.

They were being pulled towards something massive ahead—a colossal structure visible through the swirling darkness, easily twice the size of a house and covered in writhing tentacles like their captor. As they got closer, Merrin could make out figures trapped within its grasp—dozens of them, suspended in mid-water and clearly long dead.

The horror pulled them towards an opening in the central structure—a gaping maw lined with teeth-like crystals that seemed to drink in what little light remained. Merrin felt a fresh wave of terror wash over her as she realized where they were being taken—into whatever served as this creature’s lair, deep within the heart of the tower itself.

She tried to struggle again despite knowing it was useless—kicked out with both legs and pulled against Seraphine’s grip in a desperate attempt to break free. But the tentacle only tightened its hold in response, crushing them even more painfully together as it dragged them inexorably towards that waiting maw.

Seraphine’s voice came out as a choked gasp beside her—"Merrin..."—before trailing off into silence as she lost consciousness completely. Her friend went limp against her, weight increasing dramatically now that she was no longer fighting to stay awake and conscious.

The creature pulled them both through the crystal-lined opening with a single powerful tug—into a vast chamber filled with water so cold it felt like liquid ice pressing in on every side. Merrin screamed as the last of her breath was forced out by the crushing pressure, vision darkening around the edges as oxygen deprivation finally overwhelmed her.

Darkness claimed her just as something massive and cold wrapped around both women from behind—dozens of tentacles pulling them deeper into the creature’s body while preserving them in some kind of stasis field that kept them suspended mid-water despite being completely unconscious...

Jeane surfaced with a gasp, lungs burning as she finally managed to pull herself up onto a relatively stable section of stone floor. Water poured off her in sheets as she lay there coughing and sputtering, trying to clear her lungs of fluid and dust.

She’d ended up in some kind of massive underground chamber—judging by the size and scale, probably the foundation of the entire tower itself. The walls here were covered in ancient carvings and magical symbols that pulsed with a faint blue glow, while the floor was mostly submerged except for a few narrow walkways crisscrossing between higher sections.

And floating in the water below her—dozens of them, maybe hundreds—were bodies. Human-shaped figures suspended mid-water as if frozen in time, skin pale and eyes open but unseeing. Some were clearly quite old—skeletons or mummies—but others looked disturbingly recent, clothing still relatively intact despite being waterlogged.

Jeane scrambled backwards instinctively as she realized where she was—this had to be the heart of whatever was animating this place, the source of all the magical activity they’d been sensing since entering the tower. And based on the number of bodies floating below...

She was in the monster’s lair.

The thought barely had time to form before a fresh tremor shook the chamber—the biggest yet. Jeane screamed as she lost her footing, sliding down the slick stone towards the water below. She managed to grab onto one of the narrow walkways at the last second, fingers scrabbling for purchase as she dangled over the edge.

Below her, something massive stirred in the depths—water churning and swirling as something huge began moving through it with deliberate slowness. Jeane could see tentacles writhing just beneath the surface, circling around whatever had caught her attention.

It was looking for something—or someone. And based on the way those tentacles were moving...

She felt a fresh jolt of horror as she realized what the creature was searching for—two distinct shapes descending through the water towards it from above. Female silhouettes, one larger and one smaller, both clearly unconscious and being pulled downwards by some kind of...

"NO!" Jeane screamed, voice echoing off the ancient stone around her as she watched Merrin and Seraphine being dragged deeper into the creature’s body by dozens of writhing tentacles. The horror pulled them both inside with a single powerful tug—tentacles wrapping around them from every direction while some kind of shimmering field held them suspended mid-water despite being completely unconscious.

Jeane was alone now—trapped in the monster’s lair with no way out and no hope of saving her friends. The tower above was collapsing, water rising rapidly around her as more structural failures sent cascades pouring down from above. She could hear the roar of rushing liquid getting closer with each passing second—whatever had flooded the lower levels was now filling this chamber too.

She scrambled back towards higher ground as the first waves hit the walkways below, trying to put as much distance between herself and the rising water as possible. But there was nowhere left to go—the chamber was already flooding rapidly from multiple points of entry, and the highest sections were barely above water level now.

Jeane felt her back press against cold stone as she reached the far end of the chamber—trapped on a tiny outcropping with water swirling around her ankles and rising fast. She could see the creature below still moving through the depths, tentacles writhing as it... what? Fed? Mated? Reproduce?

She didn’t want to know. Didn't care. All she wanted was to survive this—needed to find a way out, needed to...

Another tremor hit—the biggest yet—and Jeane felt the stone beneath her feet give way completely. She screamed as she fell towards the churning water below, arms windmilling uselessly as gravity took hold.

The impact with the freezing liquid knocked what little breath she had left from her lungs—cold shock hitting every nerve at once as she was pulled under by the force of the current. Her eyes streamed as she tried to see through the swirling darkness around her, lungs burning for air as she fought against the instinct to inhale.

Something massive brushed past her in the depths—a tentacle, easily twice her size and covered in suckers that left burning welts wherever they touched skin. Jeane managed to surface long enough to gasp a single breath before being pulled under again by the current, but it wasn’t enough—her lungs were already screaming for air.

Panic overwhelmed her as she realized she was going to drown here in this underwater tomb of collapsing stone and rushing water. She tried to swim against the current with desperate kicks and strokes, fingers scrabbling at smooth rock surfaces as she searched desperately for any handhold or gap she could exploit.