Round 130

Merrin broke the surface with a gasp, water streaming from her face and hair. The cave around her was vast, the ceiling high above lost in darkness, and the walls glistened with bioluminescent fungi that cast an eerie greenish glow over everything. At first, all she could see was the surface of the water, rippling with her movements. Then, something moved beneath her—something large—and a jolt of pure adrenaline shot through her system.

She kicked hard, propelling herself away from whatever had stirred the depths, and began to swim towards the nearest shore with desperate strokes. The water resistance felt unnaturally heavy, like swimming through thick syrup rather than liquid, but Merrin pushed on, driven by fear and the knowledge that she needed to get out of this water as quickly as possible.

Her muscles burned, her lungs screamed for air, but she refused to stop until her feet finally found purchase on solid ground. She scrambled up onto the rocky shore, gasping and shivering violently, her teeth chattering almost immediately in the sudden cold. The water was much colder than it had any right to be in an underground lake that should have been fed by geothermal springs.

Merrin looked back at the expanse of water behind her, her dark eyes wide with lingering fear. She could still feel the displacement beneath the surface, something large moving through the depths. What was down there? And more importantly, had it followed her out?

She scanned the shore line, looking for any sign of movement or—please gods—a way back to the others. The cave system was a maze, and she had no idea which direction led back to Varikka and Jeane. She was alone, exhausted, and armed with nothing but her wits and a heavy mace that would be nearly useless in these tight quarters.

The sound of rushing water echoed through the cavern, growing louder by the second. Merrin tensed, her hand instinctively moving to the hilt of her mace. Something was coming, and it was coming fast.