Round 386

Merrin forced herself upright, her ankle screaming in protest. Every movement sent fresh agony through her leg, but the sight of Varikka grappling with that monstrous thing drove her forward. The rising water lapped at her boots now, cold and insistent.

"Varikka!" she shouted, voice raw with fear and urgency. The fighter's mace swung wild, catching the Guardian square in its chest. The creature stumbled back, a crack splitting its armored hide. Dark energy pulsed beneath, visible for a moment before the plates shifted back into place.

Merrin scrambled forward, ignoring the pain in her ankle. She had to reach Varikka, had to make sure she got out of this cursed place alive. The water was up to her shins now, icy cold and fast-moving. She could feel the structure groaning around them, stone grinding against stone.

"Move your ass!" Merrin hissed at the Guardian, drawing her dagger with shaking hands. "Or I'll carve you up like a damn turkey!"

The creature turned towards her, its movements sluggish but deliberate. Too slow, thank the gods. She could work with that. But the water was already past her thighs, pulling insistently at her legs.

"Varikka!" she yelled again, louder this time. "Get out! Now!" The fighter had to hear her. Had to understand they needed to move, fast. Before the whole damn place came down on their heads.