Round 407

The stone passage groaned like a living thing in its death throes, each creak and crack sending shivers down Merrin's spine. She wriggled through the narrow gap with desperate speed, her wiry halfling frame contorting to fit where no human could have managed. Behind her, Varikka followed, her heavier dwarf form forcing through the opening with grunts of exertion that spoke volumes about her pain.

The sound of crumbling stone and falling rubble grew louder, a menacing roar that seemed to vibrate through the very air. Merrin tumbled out into a wider space just as another crash echoed behind them - the main tunnel collapsing completely. She whirled around in time to see the gap she'd just squeezed through vanish beneath a cascade of stone and dust.

"Varikka!" The rogue's voice was sharp with relief when her friend emerged, though the dwarf woman's face was pale and drawn with pain and exertion. "We need to move," Merrin urged, already scanning their new surroundings for any sign of safety or escape. The space they'd found was a precarious ledge overlooking a dark chasm, water rushing far below. A narrow, winding tunnel led deeper into the chamber, partially revealed by the boulder's impact.

But there was no time to explore now. The sound of collapsing stone continued unabated, and Merrin could feel the ground beneath them shaking more violently with each passing second. They had to find another way out - fast.