Round 836

The ancient tunnel stretched before them, a choking passage of stone and shadow. Merrin's grip tightened on Varrika's arm as the dwarf woman's ankle gave way with an audible pop, a sound like a twig breaking underfoot but far more concerning. The halfling rogue shifted her stance instinctively, taking the weight, her wiry frame absorbing what it could while trying not to add injury upon injury.

"Easy there," Merrin said, her voice echoing off the damp walls in a way that made both sound too loud and too soft at once. The ground beneath them was slick with water, a thin film of moisture that spoke of recent flooding or perhaps the ever-present threat of groundwater seeping through ancient stonework. Elric's torchlight cast flickering shadows that danced across the carved walls, making it difficult to see more than a few feet ahead.

Varrika gritted her teeth, her scarred face contorting with pain but her eyes remaining hard and focused. "I can make it," she growled, each word punctuated by the effort of trying to stand on a foot that clearly wanted nothing more than to be elevated and pampered. "But we need to hurry." Her gaze flickered towards Elric, who was pointing at something ahead in the darkness.

"There's a light up ahead," the hermit said, his voice barely above a whisper. "It might mean an exit, or..." He left the 'or' hanging, the possibilities too grim to voice fully. The rumbling sound grew louder, a low growl that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at once.

Merrin's eyes narrowed as she assessed Varrika's condition. The dwarf woman was pale beneath her usual weathered complexion, her breathing labored not just from pain but from the exertion of trying to maintain her balance while putting no weight on the injured ankle. Water dripped somewhere nearby, a constant plink-plink that seemed to count down the seconds until something truly bad happened.

"How bad is it?" Merrin asked, her voice low and urgent. "Can you put any weight on it at all? Because if we have to carry you..." She didn't finish the thought. The logistics of hauling a dwarf through unstable tunnels were daunting enough without adding in the complication of pursuit by whatever had caused the earlier collapse.

Varrika met Merrin's gaze, her expression showing both pain and stubborn determination. "I can walk," she said, though her voice lacked conviction. "Just... slowly." She took a tentative step forward, biting back a groan as fresh agony shot up her leg. The ankle was already swelling, visible even in the dim torchlight, the skin stretching taut over the damaged tissue.

Merrin's grip remained firm, her other hand moving to support Varrika's lower back. "Alright," she said, more to herself than to the dwarf woman. "We'll take it slow. One step at a time." She glanced around the tunnel, her rogue's instincts screaming warnings about every shadow and every shifting stone.

The ground beneath them shifted slightly, a subtle tremor that sent a fresh wave of water sloshing across the stones. Elric's torch flickered wildly, threatening to extinguish itself entirely. From somewhere deeper in the darkness behind them came the sound of more rubble falling, followed by something that might have been a voice or might simply have been stone grinding against stone.

"We need to move," Merrin said, her eyes fixed on the distant glow Elric had pointed out. "And we need to find somewhere solid before this whole damn place comes down."