Round 179

The sudden chill of the water hitting her skin brings Seraphine back to full consciousness with a gasp. Her eyes fly open, met by the sight of dark, rushing water all around her. "Merrin!" she chokes out, before the liquid closes over her head once more.

She surfaces again with a desperate struggle, her elegant robes weighing her down like lead. The current is strong, tugging at her limbs, and she can feel the solid stone beneath her feet giving way to deeper water. "...

With a burst of panicked energy, Seraphine manages to grab onto a nearby outcropping of rock, hauling herself up until only her waist remains submerged. She gasps for air, her chest heaving as she looks around at their new predicament.

The chamber they've found themselves in is vast and cavernous, the ceiling lost in shadow far above. The water seems to be fed by several points along the walls—small springs or perhaps artesian wells that are now gushing freely into the space. And it's rising fast.

Seraphine can hear Varikka calling out somewhere nearby, her voice echoing off the stone walls. "Merrin! Can you hear me? Answer if you're okay!"

She tries to shout a response but manages only a weak gurgle. Her teeth are already chattering from the cold, and she knows they need to find higher ground soon—or the rising water will sweep them away.

Her sharp eyes spot a narrow ledge just above the waterline, barely wide enough for both of them but better than their current situation. With a surge of desperate energy, Seraphine hauls herself up onto it, her robes tangling around her limbs as she scrambles for purchase.

Just as she reaches safety, a particularly large piece of falling debris crashes into the water mere feet away, sending a spray of icy droplets over them both. Seraphine gasps, clinging to the rock with white-knuckled intensity.

"We need to find a way out of here!" she manages to shout, her voice barely carrying over the rushing water and groaning stone. "And we have to help Merrin!"

Varikka nods grimly from her position further down the tunnel. "I'll keep calling for her. You focus on finding us a way out before this whole place comes down."

Seraphine knows they're running out of time. The structure above them is groaning ominously, and the water is still rising. They need to act fast—or this collapsing tower will become their tomb.