Round 354

Merrin hauled Varikka onto the basin’s edge with a grunt of effort, supporting most of the dwarf woman’s weight while trying not to think about how much longer this precarious platform would hold them above the rising floodwaters. But as they caught their breath for what felt like the first time in hours, something moved in the shadows beyond—the unmistakable gleam of eyes watching them from the darkness.

Varikka’s hand went reflexively to her mace, but she knew they were in no position to fight whatever lurked there. The water was already waist-deep on Merrin, and the current was growing stronger by the second. “Merrin!” Varikka shouted over the roar of the flood. “Can you see anything down there?” The halfing strained her eyes through the gloom, trying to make out shapes in the churning water below them. She could feel the cold seeping into her bones already, and the wound on her leg was starting to throb with each pulse of the rushing water.

“I can’t tell,” Merrin called back, her voice barely carrying over the din. “But whatever it is, it’s big.” A sudden movement caught her eye—something dark and massive shifting beneath the surface of the water. The eyes had been joined by what looked like...tentacles? She felt a chill that had nothing to do with the cold water.

“Varikka,” she said, her voice tight with fear, “I think we need to move. Now.”