Round 336

The cold was the worst part. It seeped into Merrin's bones with an insidious chill that had nothing to do with the rising water outside the passage. She pressed her back against the stone wall, trying to conserve what little warmth remained, as she worked her way forward on hands and knees.

Her injured leg screamed protest with every movement, but the alternative was far worse—the churning abyss below, now lapping at their heels with icy fingers. She stared ahead into the darkness, searching for any sign of Varikka or a path upward. The corridor stretched out before her, a narrow throat of stone that offered no comfort and little hope.

Behind her, the water continued its relentless rise, and she could hear it now—an ominous gurgle that seemed to echo the pounding of her own heart. She knew they had mere minutes before the entire passage flooded completely. She needed to move, needed to find Varikka and ensure her escape before that tentacled horror reached them both.

But first, she had to get moving on this twisted ankle. Gritting her teeth against the pain, Merrin began to crawl deeper into the stone corridor, leaving a trail of bloody water droplets behind her.