Round 227

The tunnel air was thick with the smell of stagnant water and something else—something organic and wrong. Merrin's stomach twisted as she heard the sound again: claws scraping stone, too many to be rats. She pressed herself against the wall, iron bar held ready even though it felt pathetically inadequate. The glow ahead pulsed rhythmically, like heartbeats visible through thin skin.

She should have stayed with Seraphine, should have helped search for Varikka instead of fleeing into this new nightmare. But the choice was made now, and dwelling on it wouldn't save anyone. The ground rumbled again, a deep groan that vibrated through her bones. Dust rained from the ceiling in a fine shower, each particle a tiny promise of the collapse to come.

The water was getting deeper, now ankle-deep and rising fast. She could feel the current tugging at her boots, trying to pull her off balance. Every instinct screamed at her to run back the way she came, but that path led only to more rising water and Varikka's body—if the poor girl wasn't already...

No. She wouldn't think like that. Varikka was alive. Had to be alive. And Merrin would find a way to save her, even if it killed her in the process.

The glowing eyes watched her from the darkness ahead, unblinking and somehow knowing. They didn't seem aggressive yet, but that didn't mean they wouldn't be. Creatures that lived in waterlogged tunnels with collapsing ceilings probably weren't friendly by nature.

She needed to move forward, needed to find higher ground or a way out before the entire place came down around her ears. But every step took her deeper into this floating hell, further from Seraphine and whatever magic might have helped, further from...

Merrin took a deep breath, tasted the damp air, felt the cold water soak through her boots. She wasn't going to die in some forgotten tunnel, not like this. Not without at least trying.

"Hello there," she called out, voice cracking only slightly. "I don't mean you any harm. I'm just trying to find my way out of here." The words felt stupid even as they left her mouth, but what else could she say? Please don't eat me?

The creatures didn't move, didn't respond. Just watched with those unnerving eyes as Merrin waded deeper into the darkness, each step carrying her further from safety and closer to whatever waited in the depths of this cursed tower.