Round 344

The water was relentless, surging upward in a swift torrent that had them both gasping for breath and struggling to maintain their footing. Merrin's injured leg buckled under her weight, sending her stumbling backward against the unforgiving stone wall as the cold flood threatened to sweep her away entirely.

"VARIKKA!" Her scream was barely audible over the roar of rushing water, but it was enough—the dwarf woman moved with lightning speed, lunging forward to grab Merrin's arms before she could be consumed by the rising tide. "Stay with me!" Varikka shouted, her grip iron-tight as she hauled Merrin back toward solid ground even as the flood tried to tear them apart.

They collapsed in a tangle of limbs on the rapidly flooding floor, water already waist-deep and rising fast. Merrin clutched her friend tightly, tears streaming down her face as she fought against the pain in her leg and the terror of being consumed by the flood. "We have to get out of here!" she gasped between ragged breaths. "There has to be a way up!"

Varikka nodded grimly, already scanning their surroundings for any escape route. The water was rising too fast—minutes at most before it reached chest-height and swept them away completely. She gritted her teeth, hauling Merrin upright despite the halfing's injured leg. "Can you walk?" she demanded.

Merrin tried to put weight on her bad leg and hissed in pain, nearly collapsing again. "Not... not well," she admitted through clenched teeth. "But I can move. Just..." She trailed off as another section of ceiling crumbled nearby, sending a shower of stone into the rising water. "We need to find higher ground!"

Varikka nodded sharply, already moving along the edge of the chamber with Merrin in tow. The water was up to their waists now, cold and relentless as it pressed against them from all sides. She could feel the current tugging at her legs, trying to pull them off balance—and worse, she could hear the distant roar of rushing water somewhere ahead.

"We're not going to make it out this way," she said grimly, coming to a stop near what looked like a narrow passage leading upward. The problem was that it also seemed to be collapsing under its own weight, stone crumbling away with disturbing frequency as they watched. "Can you climb?"