Round 342

The water roared like a beast unleashed, surging up their legs to waist-height in terrifying seconds. Merrin cried out as her injured calf gave way, the gash bleeding into the icy flood. She scrabbled at the slick stone wall behind her, finding no purchase—pinned between rising torrent and unyielding rock.

"Varikka!" Her voice vanished in the deluge's fury. The dwarf woman lunged forward, muscles straining, catching Merrin before she could slip beneath the surface. "Stay with me!" Varikka shouted over the roar, hauling Merrin upright despite the current trying to tear them apart.

Merrin clung desperate to her savior, teeth chattering as cold gnawed at her bones. The water was already lapping at their chests, and she knew they had seconds before it consumed them completely. She needed higher ground—needed heat—the rising flood would kill them long before the tentacled horror reached the surface.

Varikka's grip tightened, iron fingers digging into Merrin's arms. "Move! Find something to hold onto!" The dwarf woman bellowed, straining against the current's pull. Merrin nodded frantically, eyes scanning the walls for any handhold—any projection they could use as leverage. The stone was smooth and treacherous, offering no purchase.

A deafening crack split the air above them, and a section of ceiling crumbled away in a shower of stone fragments. Merrin screamed as a large chunk plummeted towards them, and Varikka threw herself forward, shielding the halfling with her body. The impact sent them both sprawling into the rushing water.

Merrin fought her way back to the surface, gasping and coughing as she broke free of the water's grip. Varikka was nearby, also struggling to stay afloat in the churning current. "Varikka!" Merrin shouted, swimming towards her friend with desperate strokes. The dwarf woman's head bobbed above the surface for a moment before disappearing again beneath a wave.

Merrin dived under, her eyes stinging from the icy water as she searched for Varikka in the murky depths. She caught sight of the dwarf woman's armor plates glinting in the dim light and grabbed onto them, hauling Varikka back towards the surface. They both broke free of the water simultaneously, gasping for air.

"Hold on to me!" Merrin shouted, wrapping her arms around Varikka's torso and kicking hard with her good leg to keep them both afloat. The current was too strong—they were being swept away from the relative safety of the wall and towards the center of the rapidly filling chamber.