Round 371

The stone beneath their feet groaned ominously as water roared closer behind them—rushing, hungry, inevitable. Merrin pressed herself against the wall, trying to find purchase on the slick stone as the tunnel floor shifted beneath her feet. The sound of rushing water grew louder by the second.

Varrika looked up from where she crouched near the base of a staircase, her gaze scanning the area for options. She spotted a narrow passage angling upward and pointed it out to Merrin. "There! It might lead to solid ground above this mess." She started climbing, her powerful arms hauling her body upward with practiced ease despite the precarious footing.

Merrin followed, her smaller frame allowing her to navigate the tight spaces between crumbling rocks but her injured ankle making each movement a fresh burst of agony. "Wait!" she called out as Varrika reached a ledge halfway up. The stone there looked even more unstable than the floor below. "It might not hold both of us!"

Varrika froze, her hand reaching out to grip the crumbling edge. "Shit," she muttered, gripping the ledge tightly as the stone beneath her shifted ominously. She was trapped between the rising water and the collapsing ceiling—no easy way out for either of them.

The sound of rushing water filled the air, growing louder by the second. Merrin pressed herself against the wall, trying to find purchase on the slick stone as the tunnel floor shifted beneath her feet. Water roared closer behind them—rushing, hungry, inevitable.