Round 480

The water lapped at their thighs now, cold and insistent. Varrika swung her crowbar with desperate strength, the metal striking the stone floor mere inches from Merrin’s face. The clang echoed through the small chamber, a sound of pure panic.

"Move your ass!" Varrika snarled, her voice raw with urgency. "The water's climbing faster than my damn blood pressure!"

Merrin scrambled backward, her boots slipping on the slick stone. The Time-Splitting Sword remained clutched in one hand, useless as a weapon against rising liquid. Her other hand pressed against the wall, fingers searching for any purchase, any way out of this watery prison.

"Where's the exit?" Merrin gasped, her words barely audible over the rush of water filling the space. "There has to be something!"

Varrika was already moving, her injured ankle screaming protests with each step. She swung the crowbar again, this time at the wall opposite Merrin. The iron bit deep into the stone, sending cracks spiderwebbing outward.

"Maybe there's a hidden passage!" Varrika called out, her voice tight with exertion and fear. "Help me break through!"

Merrin lunged forward, her own weapon forgotten as she grabbed the crowbar's handle beside Varrika. Together they heaved, muscles straining against the solid rock. Water swirled around their knees now, lapping higher with each passing second.

The stone gave way with a groan, crumbling inward to reveal darkness beyond. A cold draft hit Merrin’s face, carrying the scent of damp earth and something else—something ancient and wrong.

"Found it!" Varrika cried out, already pushing through the newly created opening. "Come on, before we drown in this fucking baptismal pool!"

Merrin followed, her heart pounding a frantic rhythm against her ribs. The water was up to their waists now, pulling at them like a thousand grasping hands. She squeezed through the gap just as the liquid reached chest height, a torrent of freezing cold rushing past where she'd stood moments before.

They collapsed onto solid ground on the other side, gasping for breath that wasn't filled with water. The sound of rushing liquid continued behind them, but they were safe—for now.

"What the hell was THAT?" Merrin demanded, her teeth chattering from the cold and adrenaline. "And where are we?"

Varrika pushed herself to her feet, swaying slightly from the pain in her ankle. She held out a hand to help Merrin up, her expression grim.

"Your guess is as good as mine," she growled. "But I'd say we're even deeper in this shithole than before."