Round 628

The stone shifted beneath them with a low groan, like some ancient beast settling in its sleep. Varrika felt her stomach drop as the floor moved subtly under their feet, the sudden fear of being trapped somewhere she didn't belong rising up inside her. She tried to speak, to offer some reassurance to Merrin, but all that came out was a choked gurgle. The gas continued to flow, thick and sweet-smelling, filling their lungs with each ragged breath until Varrika felt her limbs growing heavy, her thoughts becoming sluggish and distant. The world around them seemed to blur at the edges of her vision as she fought against the encroching darkness, knowing that surrendering meant certain death. She could feel Merrin's weight pressed against her side, the steady rise and fall of her friend's chest a comforting presence in the growing void. As consciousness began to slip away, Varrika clung desperately to awareness, the feeling of Merrin's hand in hers a familiar anchor in the encroching darkness. The last thing she remembered was the sweet taste of the gas filling her mouth as...