Round 843

The sound of rushing water grew louder with each desperate step forward. Merrin's head throbbed in time with her racing heart, the lingering effects of noxious gas exposure making her vision swim unsteadily at the edges. She clutched Varikka's good arm tightly, half-supporting and half-dragging the dwarf woman through the crumbling corridors.

Varikka's injured ankle left her moving at a painfully slow pace, each step a visible wince of agony. But they had to keep going—the sound of heavy footsteps echoing behind them was growing closer with alarming speed. The Guardian pursued without pause or rest, its unyielding gaze fixed on their retreating forms.

And then the ground beneath them simply... gave way. With a sickening crack of stone and a sudden rush of water, Merrin found herself falling through empty air. She instinctively yanked Varikka with her rather than letting go, and together they plummeted downward into the waiting channel below.

The impact was like being struck by a thousand tiny hammers all at once. Merrin's body screamed in protest as she hit the rushing water, the force of it driving the air from her lungs in a single whoosh. She fought to surface, coughing and sputtering as the current tried to sweep her downstream.

"Varikka!" she managed to choke out between gasps for air. Her friend surfaced nearby, face pale but eyes fierce with determination despite the pain radiating from her ankle. The water was freezing cold and moving far too quickly for them to swim against it—even if Merrin's head hadn't been spinning from the fall.

Above them, looming over the crumbled edge of what had once been solid ground, stood The Guardian. Its massive form blocked out what little light filtered down from above, and its eyes glowed with an eerie intensity even in the dimness. It hadn't fallen with them—hadn't needed to. Instead, it simply stood there, watching their predicament unfold from safety.

Merrin felt a fresh wave of terror wash over her as she realized they were trapped between rising waters and The Guardian's relentless advance. The current was too strong to fight, the walls too slick to climb, and their pursuer showed no sign of giving up.

They were out of options—except for one. Merrin gritted her teeth against the cold and the current, fixing Varikka with a grim look. "We're going to have to swim for it," she said, voice barely audible over the roar of rushing water. "Stay close, and don't let go of me."

Varikka nodded, jaw set in determination despite the pain that contorted her features. "Together," she agreed firmly.

And with that silent pact sealed, the two women began to fight against the current with everything they had—desperate to reach solid ground before The Guardian found a way down into the channel after them.