Round 497

Varikka grits her teeth against the agony in her ankle as she shoves through the crumbling opening, her powerful dwarf frame barely fitting. The stone groans around them, water surging up to lap at their boots. "Move!" she snarls, grabbing Merrin's arm and yanking her forward with brute strength. They tumble out onto a narrow ledge above the rising floodwaters, stone dust choking the air behind them as the tunnel collapses completely.

Merrin gasps, clinging to the slick rock face. "Varikka! Your ankle—" She starts, turning back to help her friend.

The dwarf warrior is already moving, crowbar held ready despite her obvious pain. "Still breathing. Now get us off this ledge before we drown or that thing catches up." The scraping sound intensifies behind the blocked passage, metal claws searching for a way through.