Round 174

The barrier shattered with a sound like thunder, and the flood hit them both full force—Varikka beside her screaming something lost in the roar of rushing water. Merrin stumbled backward, fighting to keep her feet as the wave crashed against the cavern walls and spread across the floor like liquid shadow. The creatures in the lake pulsed brighter, their bioluminescent patterns washing everything in sickly green light that made the bones on the shore glow like skeletal ghosts.

"Fuck!" Merrin spat, her breath visible in the cold air as she scrambled back. "Seraphine! Varikka! Where are you? Answer me! I need to know if you're still alive or already dragged down into whatever waits below." Her voice echoed off the cavern walls, bouncing back unanswered as panic rose in her throat like bile. She couldn’t see them through the rising water and shadowed tunnels—she didn’t know if they were still alive or already pulled under by the tentacled horror.

The secret passage gaped darkly to her left, a vertical shaft that seemed to descend into deeper darkness below. The water was already lapping at its entrance, threatening to spill inside and flood whatever lay beneath. Merrin’s teeth chattered violently as she hugged herself, her wet clothes clinging to her skin like ice. She needed to move, needed to find higher ground or a heat source before the cold rendered her useless.

"Seraphine!" she called again, her voice cracking with desperation. "If you can hear me, answer! I’m going to try and find a way around this—find somewhere safe we can regroup." Her eyes darted around the cavern, searching for any sign of movement or escape route. The water was already knee-deep and rising fast; she had maybe minutes before it reached her waist.

She could still hear Varikka’s screams echoing in her mind, feel the weight of the other woman’s body against hers as they plunged into the icy depths. She should have stayed—should have tried to pull them both free instead of abandoning Seraphine to save only one. The guilt gnawed at her, sharp and biting, but it didn’t change what had happened. She was alone now, trapped in a flooding cavern with unknown creatures lurking in the depths and no idea where either of her companions had ended up.

Move, she told herself firmly. Find shelter. Find help. That’s all you can do now.