Round 704 Transcript

Merrin's eyes snap open, her gaze fixed on Varika's grip on the Guardian's sword as they plummet down the narrow shaft. The rope creaks ominously overhead, threatening to snap at any moment under their combined weight. The noxious gas continues to fill their lungs, making it difficult to breathe.

I grip Varikka's arm tightly as we plummet down the narrow shaft, the rope creaking ominously above us. The noxious gas still burns in my lungs, making it hard to breathe, let alone think straight.

But I know we can't give up now. We've come too far, lost too much along the way. Halie, Seraphine, Jeane...we can't let their sacrifices be in vain.

I turn to Varikka, her face set in a determined expression as she clings to the Guardian's sword. "Varikka," I rasp, my voice strained from the exertion of holding on. "We need to find a way to slow our descent. We're going too fast!"

I glance around wildly, trying to spot anything that might help us - a ledge, a protrusion in the wall, anything at all. But the shaft is smooth and unyielding, the shadows of the Guardian's sword dancing across its surface as we fall deeper into the unknown.

Suddenly, I feel a jolt run through the rope above us, followed by a sickening snap. We're falling faster now, the rush of air whipping past my face as we plummet towards the depths below.

"Varikka!" I scream, my fingers clawing at her arm as I try to steady myself.* "The rope...it's breaking!"

And with that, I close my eyes and let the darkness take me, praying that whatever awaits us at the bottom of this shaft will be better than what we've left behind. Because right now, all I can feel is the fear in my heart and the weight of our shared fate pressing down on us from all sides.