Round 743

The ground lurched again, the entire structure groaning like a dying beast. Merrin lost her footing, stumbling backward against the wall hard enough to knock the wind out of herself. Stone fragments rained down around them both, bouncing off armor and clattering onto the stone floor in a cacophony of sharp impacts.

"FUCK!" Varrika snarled through clenched teeth as a particularly large piece bounced off her shoulder plate. The dust was so thick it tasted like chalk, coating everything in a fine layer of grey grit that made visibility miserable. "We need to get out of here before this whole place comes down!"

Merrin nodded frantically, already moving forward again despite the shifting ground underfoot. "The way ahead looks even worse," she called back over her shoulder, voice tight with barely controlled panic. "But it's our only option!"