Round 768

Merrin grits her teeth against the pain of her persistent headache and the terror of the collapsing corridor. "This place is trying to kill us," she mutters, shifting her grip on the Time-Splitting Sword. "We need to find a way out before we're buried alive." The ground shakes again, harder this time, sending a cascade of rocks tumbling down from overhead. Merrin instinctively covers her head with her free arm as dust billows up around them.

Varikka staggers but manages to stay upright, her face set in a grimace of pain. "I'm still standing," she grunts through clenched teeth. "But we need to move faster." She gestures ahead with her chin. "That looks like the only way forward. Unless you'd rather try to climb back up through that mess behind us?"*