Round 504

Varrika slid through the gap first, her broad shoulders and injured ankle making every inch a struggle. The stone pressed against her back, "

Merrin followed, her smaller frame allowing easier passage but still requiring careful maneuvering. She emerged on the other side just as Varrika was squeezing free, both women collapsing onto the slick stone floor in a tangle of limbs. The ground beneath them groaned ominously, water rushing past their faces as they lay there gasping for breath.

Varrika pushed herself up, her face contorted with pain. "Move!" she snarled, half-shoving Merrin toward a narrow passage ahead. The opening was barely wide enough for a child, but it was their only hope of escaping the rising floodwaters. Water sprays from cracks in the ceiling, each impact sending fresh agony through Varrika's throbbing joint.

Merrin pressed her face against the stone, peering through. "It goes somewhere!" she called back, voice tight with fear and exertion. "But it's fucking tight." She started to squeeze through, her wiry frame scraping against rock as water continued to rise around them. Varrika followed, her broader shoulders and injured ankle making the passage even more precarious.

Just as she thought she might be stuck, Merrin emerged on the other side, collapsing onto dry stone with a gasp of relief. The ground here was solid, the air clearer of noxious gas. They'd made it through the gap just in time - a moment later and they'd have been trapped beneath the rising waters.

Varrika stumbled out after her, her face pale with pain and exertion. She collapsed against the wall, cradling her ankle. "Fuck," she hissed, tears of pain standing in her eyes. "I think it's sprained."