Round 341

The water surged around their ankles with terrifying speed, already waist-deep and rising fast. Merrin cried out as her injured leg buckled under her weight, the gash on her calf bleeding steadily into the icy liquid. She tried to back away from the edge but found herself pinned against the wall by the sheer force of the rushing water.

"Varikka!" she shouted, her voice barely audible over the roar of the flood. "I can't...I can't stand!"

But before she could fall, Varikka was there—lurching forward with desperate strength to catch Merrin's arms and haul her upright. The dwarf woman's face was set in grim determination as she held the halfling steady against the current.

"Stay with me, Merrin!" Varikka shouted, her voice barely carrying over the water's fury. "Don't you dare fall now!"

Merrin clung to her savior, teeth chattering violently as the cold seeped into her bones. The water was already up to their waists, and she knew it wouldn't be long before they were completely submerged. She had to find higher ground—had to get them both out of this death trap before it was too late.

But the tunnels branching off from their precarious perch offered no easy escape. And with Varikka's life hanging in the balance, Merrin couldn't bear the thought of abandoning her friend to this watery grave. She had to find a way to save them both—no matter what it took.