Round 686

Merrin's heart pounds as she watches the rope arc through the air, her fingers crossed tightly. It lands with a soft thud somewhere below, but she can't see Varikka in the darkness. The sound of creaking stone and falling rocks grows louder, more urgent. She knows they need to move fast, but every option seems worse than the last.

"Varikka! Can you hear me?" Merrin calls out, her voice echoing off the stone walls. "I'm going to try and find a way down to you." She starts to edge along the narrow ledge, her hands trailing along the rough stone surface for balance. The ground beneath her feet feels unstable, shifting slightly with each step.

"Be careful!" Varikka's voice floats up from below, strained with pain. "The whole place is coming down!"

Merrin grits her teeth, pushing forward despite the growing panic in her chest. She can't let Varikka die here, not after everything they've been through. The ledge starts to widen slightly, offering a small patch of more stable ground. She drops into a crouch, scanning the darkness below for any sign of her friend.

"Varikka! Where are you?" Merrin shouts, cupping her hands around her mouth to amplify her voice. "I can't see you in this mess!"

The sound of falling rocks intensifies, and a shower of debris rains down around her. Merrin throws herself flat against the stone floor, covering her head with her arms. When she looks up again, she sees it - a flicker of movement near the bottom of the chasm.

"Varikka! I see you!" Merrin scrambles to her feet, ignoring the way her ankle throbs in protest. She has to get down there, has to help her friend before this whole place collapses on them both.

She spots something glinting in the darkness - the rope she threw earlier, tangled around a jagged outcropping of rock near where Varikka lies sprawled on a narrow ledge. It's their only chance.

Merrin takes a deep breath, steeling herself for what comes next. She can't let fear stop her now. With a swift movement born of desperation and adrenaline, she grabs the rope and begins to rappel down the sheer face of the cliff, her feet seeking purchase on the crumbling stone.