Round 858

Merrin lunged forward, her wiry halfling frame tensing as she grabbed for Varikka just as the woman's ankle gave out completely. The fast-moving underground river surged past them both, its current strong and treacherous. "Varikka!" The rogue shouted, her voice barely cutting through the roar of rushing water and the ominous rumble of collapsing stone from deeper within the tunnel system. She managed to snag a handhold on a jagged rock protruding from the riverbank, but the weight of supporting Varikka's larger frame was immediately apparent in her straining muscles. The current tugged insistently at both women, threatening to sweep them away into the dark depths below.

Merrin gritted her teeth against the exhaustion and residual terror from her near-drowning experience just rounds before. Her head still ached dully from the noxious gas exposure, but she forced herself to focus on maintaining her grip. "Don't let go!" she shouted again, her voice tight with effort. The stone door behind them continued to groan and shudder as The Guardian threw itself against the barrier in a desperate attempt to break through. Merrin knew they had mere moments before the creature managed to force its way past or before the entire tunnel system collapsed entirely around them.

Her small hands burned with the strain of holding Varikka's weight, but she refused to let go. The cold water soaked into her leathers, chilling her to the bone as she fought against the current. "We have to get you out of this river!" she gasped, her breathing ragged. "I can't hold on much longer like this!"