Round 468

The water level was rising fast, already swirling around Varikka's thick thighs in a way that made her groan with frustration rather than fear. She shifted her weight, wincing as pain shot up from her sprained ankle—a sharp reminder of their earlier misadventure.

"Well?" she demanded, voice echoing slightly off the stone walls. "What's down there? Another dead end or something useful for once?"

Merrin squinted into the darkness ahead, trying to make out any details in the gloom. The passage stretched out before them, narrow and low-ceilinged, with ancient runes carved into the walls at regular intervals. She could feel the water level rising slowly but steadily, already halfway up her own calves.

"It's... it's a long corridor," she reported back, her voice tight with anxiety. "Low ceiling, more of those weird symbols on the walls. And the water's getting deeper fast." She turned back to Varikka, seeing the dwarf woman leaning heavily against the wall, face pale with pain and exertion.

"Can you move?" Merrin asked, already knowing the answer. "We need to keep going if we want to stay above water."

Varikka grimaced, shifting her weight gingerly. "My ankle's screaming at me, but I can manage." She pushed herself upright with a grunt of pain. "Lead on, short stuff. Try not to get us both drowned in the process."

Merrin managed a small, nervous laugh despite the situation. She turned back to the corridor ahead, crowbar held ready, and began to wade forward through the rising water. The cold seeped into her bones, but she pushed the discomfort aside. They had to keep moving if they wanted to survive this mess.

The clanking sound grew louder behind them as they moved deeper into the passage. Merrin didn't dare look back—she knew what was following them. The Guardian, relentless and terrifying, its metal body scraping against stone as it pursued.

"Keep your eyes open," she called back over her shoulder to Varikka. "If there's a way out of here, we need to find it fast."