Round 343

The water hit them like a physical blow, surging up to their waists in seconds. Merrin screamed as her bad leg gave out completely, sending her stumbling backward into the stone wall behind them with a sickening crack of bone on rock. The impact drove the breath from her lungs, and she scrabbled frantically at the slick surface, finding no handholds—trapped between rising flood and solid wall.

"VARIKKA!" She managed to shout before the water roared in her ears, trying to tear her away from the stone. The dwarf woman moved like lightning, lunging forward with a grunt of effort to grab Merrin's arms before she could be swept away. "Stay with me!" Varikka shouted over the din, hauling Merrin upright and wrapping her own body around the smaller woman in a desperate embrace that left no doubt about her intentions.

Merrin clung to her savior like a limpet, teeth chattering as the icy water lapped at their chests. The deluge was already past mid-thigh, and she knew they had seconds before it reached their heads—seconds before the current ripped them apart or slammed them against the stone floor below. She needed higher ground. Needed heat. Needed a miracle.

"I don't see any crevices or openings in this stonework!" Varikka roared, her muscles straining as she fought to keep them both upright against the current's pull. "The ledge is crumbling away underfoot! Merrin, can you use your rogue skills to search for hidden switches or pressure plates that might open a secret passage?"