Round 838

Merrin gripped the rope with desperate strength, her wiry arms straining against the weight of her friend below. Water lapped at her boots, cold and insistent, already past her ankles and rising fast. Varikka's face appeared in the torchlight, pale and set with pain, her good arm wrapped tightly around the hemp fibers.

"Climb!" Merrin hissed through gritted teeth. "I can't hold us both, you've got to—"

The rope jerked hard, nearly wrenching her shoulders from their sockets. Varikka cried out, a sound of pain and effort, but she was moving, hauling herself up inch by agonizing inch. Merrin's legs trembled with the exertion, feet braced against slick stone as she leaned back, taking more and more of Varikka's weight.

"Elric!" she shouted upward. "Pull her up! Now!"

The water reached her knees, swirling around her thighs with terrifying speed. She could feel the current tugging at her, trying to pull her off balance and down into the depths. Her head still ached dully from the noxious gas, vision occasionally blurring at the edges.

"Come on," she muttered, more to herself than anyone else. "Just hold on."

The rope slackened slightly as Varikka gained purchase above. Merrin risked a glance down into the pit trap, and her stomach dropped. The water was already halfway up the shaft walls, rushing in with terrifying force. They had seconds before the entire space flooded completely.

She looked up again, meeting Elric's worried gaze across the torchlight. "Hurry!" she screamed. "It's rising too fast!"

The rope pulled taut once more as Varikka reached the top, her good arm locked around the edge of the pit trap. Merrin let out a shaky breath, muscles burning with exhaustion and relief. Together they heaved, Elric adding his strength from above, and finally Varikka was clear of the watery death trap.

Merrin scrambled back from the lip of the hole just as a fresh surge of water burst up from below, spraying into the air like a geyser before subsiding into a churning maelstrom. The entire shaft was filled now, a swirling vortex of dark liquid that seemed to pulse with malevolent energy.

She collapsed against the wall, panting heavily, water streaming from her clothes and equipment. Varikka lay nearby, face pale and drawn, her injured ankle already swelling visibly. Elric stood over them both, torch held high, his expression grim.

"We need to move," he said, voice tight with urgency. "That thing is still down there somewhere."

Merrin nodded, forcing herself back to her feet despite the trembling in her legs. The water had stopped rising, but the sound of it rushing through the newly created channels echoed ominously throughout the chamber.

"Help Varikka," she ordered, already scanning their surroundings for an escape route. "We've got to find higher ground before this whole place collapses completely."

She moved with practiced efficiency, checking her remaining gear and inventory despite the lingering ache in her head. The Time-Splitting Sword was still secure at her hip, but her precious mace was gone, lost in the chaos of their escape from the Guardian's lair.

"Stay close," she warned, moving toward what looked like a stable section of wall. "And keep your weight off that ankle. We're not done yet."

The sound of rushing water followed them as they stumbled away from the flooded pit trap, the ancient tunnels groaning and settling around them like a restless beast waking from slumber.