Round 121

The water lapped at Merrin’s waist as she waded through the ankle-deep flood of the main chamber. The entire cavern groaned around her, a sound like the earth itself was screaming its last breath. She’d barely managed to drag herself through the crumbling gap before it collapsed entirely behind her, sealing off their escape route back toward Jeane and the staircase. Now she was trapped in this new hell with rising water and no idea where Seraphine had fallen or what had taken Varikka.

The heavy mace felt like dead weight in her hands as she pushed through the current, every movement exhausting. Her injured arm burned with fresh agony but she ignored it—there were far worse pains waiting if she didn’t move fast enough. The water was already up to her chest when she finally reached the new secret passage, a gaping maw in the stone that seemed to lead deeper into the earth.

She paused at the threshold, one hand resting on the rough rock frame. Beyond this point lay darkness and whatever had dragged Seraphine away with barely a splash. But staying here meant certain death as the water rose higher with every passing second. Merrin took a deep breath, her chest heaving with exertion and fear. There was no choice—she had to go forward.

The water churned around her as she stepped into the passage, the current trying to pull her back toward the center of the chamber where something massive had stirred beneath the surface. She could feel it watching her, whatever lived in these depths cataloging her presence with cold, calculating intelligence. But she didn’t have time to worry about that now—not when Varikka needed help and the entire tower was coming down around them.

Merrin disappeared into the darkness of the new tunnel, leaving behind the rising water and the unseen horrors of the underground lake. The sound of her splashing retreat echoed off the stone walls before fading into silence, swallowed by the?.