Round 331

The water slammed into the chamber like a physical blow, flooding in with terrifying speed. Merrin scrambled backward, her injured ankle screaming as she tried to find purchase on the slick stone floor. Across the room, Varrika was trapped beneath a massive slab of rock, her face contorted with pain as she fought to free herself. "Fuck!" Merrin spat, her eyes darting around frantically for any means of escape. "There's gotta be an up route somewhere!"

And then she saw it - a narrow ledge running along the far wall, just above the rising waterline. It was their only chance. She pointed desperately at the ledge. "There! Move your asses!" The adrenaline surge masked some of the pain for now, but Merrin knew it wouldn't last long. Every second counted - Varikka needed to get clear before that thing reached her, and Merrin wasn't about to let her friend die down here alone.

She started forward, limping heavily but determined. "Stay close!" Merrin called back over the roar of water filling the chamber. "We stick together through this shit!" The cold was already starting to numb...