Round 588

The figure beneath the rubble stirred, its form twisting in ways that defied reason. The ground rumbled ominously as stone shifted under impossible weight. Merrin's grip on Varrika's arm tightened, her dark eyes fixed on the horror unfolding below them.

"Is it...is it dead?" Merrin whispered, her voice barely audible over the groaning of collapsing stone.

Varrika shook her head, jaw set in a grim line despite the agony shooting up her leg from the sprained ankle. "I don't think anything that moves like that can die," she growled back, shifting her weight to her good foot.

The figure's limbs stretched out like dark, twisted roots reaching for them, and both women felt a chill run down their spines as the air grew colder still. The ground beneath them trembled again, more violently this time, and dust billowed up from below in choking clouds that obscured the creature entirely.

"Time to move," Varrika said through gritted teeth, her good hand closing around Merrin's shoulder. "Before we join whatever's down there."