Round 349

The stone passage yawned ahead in both directions, a dark maw swallowing what little light remained from the crumbling ledge behind them. Merrin's breath steamed in the frigid air as she pressed her back against the wall, her injured ankle screaming with each tiny movement. The sound of rushing water grew louder, a hungry roar echoing through the stone corridor.

Varrika yanked her scarred hand free from the last crumbling edge and stumbled into the passage beside Merrin. Her wrist burned where the rope had chafed raw, but she ignored it. "Move," she snarled, shoving Merrin deeper into the tunnel with surprising strength for such a short woman. "That ledge isn't going to hold much longer."

The dwarf woman's eyes were wild as they darted around the narrow space, searching for any sign of movement in the shadows. The sound of pursuit echoed from behind them—the wet slap of many feet against stone, punctuated by the eerie glow of those same creatures that had pursued them across the tower.

Merrin gasped as she was pushed forward, her injured ankle buckling briefly before she caught herself on the opposite wall. "Where?" she hissed, clutching her mace tighter. The cold seeped into her bones with terrifying speed, and her teeth began to chatter despite her best efforts to control them.

Varrika pointed ahead to the right with a bleeding finger. "Sounded like water flowing that way," she growled. "Less likely to drown if we can find higher ground." She didn't wait for agreement before lurching forward, her own limp barely noticeable beneath sheer determination.

The passage narrowed further as they pressed on, the ceiling lowering until Merrin had to duck her head to avoid scraping it raw. The air grew colder still, carrying with it the distinct scent of decay and something else—something metallic and wrong that made the hair on the back of Merrin's neck stand up.

Behind them, the sound of pursuit grew louder, punctuated now by the ominous rumble of stone collapsing. Merrin risked a glance over her shoulder, her eyes widening as she caught sight of the ledge they'd just escaped crumbling entirely into the abyss below. The creatures that had pursued them were gone, swallowed by the darkness and the rushing water.

"Fuck," Varrika breathed beside her, equally transfixed by the sight of their escape route vanishing forever. "We're really on our own now."

Merrin nodded, a shiver running through her that had nothing to do with the cold. She turned back to face the darkness ahead, her grip tightening on the mace once more. "Then we'd better find somewhere safe," she said, her voice barely carrying over the roar of water echoing through the stone corridor.