Round 904

The sound grew louder now, a low rumble that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at once. Merrin felt it in her bones long before she heard it with her ears—a vibration that made her teeth ache and her stomach clench. Varikka leaned against the wall opposite the waterfall, her face pale and drawn as she favored her injured ankle. The wound had swollen significantly now, the skin around her boot puffed out like a bread dough left too long in the oven.

"Stay close," Merrin murmured, though whether it was for Varikka's benefit or her own, she wasn't entirely sure. She moved towards the narrow passageway that branched off from their chamber, her movements careful and measured. The darkness beyond was complete, save for a faint glimmering deep within—a reflection of something? Or perhaps just her imagination playing tricks in the dim light.

The rumble intensified, and a shower of dust rained down from above as the ceiling shifted. A crack appeared near the waterfall's edge, widening with alarming speed. Merrin grabbed Varikka's good arm without thinking, pulling her away from the wall just as a section crumbled into the rushing water below.

"Move!" she cried out, half-dragging the larger woman towards the passageway. The ground shook again, more violently this time, and a chunk of stone the size of a horse's head came crashing down mere feet away from where they'd been standing moments before.

They stumbled into the narrow corridor, Merrin's smaller frame allowing her to navigate the tight space more easily than Varikka's broader shoulders. The passage curved sharply ahead, disappearing into darkness. Behind them, the sound of rushing water was joined by the unmistakable roar of something large—something alive—and very angry.

Merrin glanced back at Varikka, who moved as quickly as she could but was clearly struggling with her injured ankle. "We have to keep going," Merrin said, her voice tight with urgency. "Stay close to the left wall." She drew her dagger, the familiar weight a small comfort in the face of their predicament.

The corridor seemed to go on forever, each turn revealing more darkness ahead. The glimmering they'd seen earlier was gone now, swallowed by the shadows. Merrin's headache, a persistent ache since the noxious gas incident, throbbed insistently, making it difficult to focus. She shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts.

"What is that thing?" Varikka panted from behind her, her breathing labored. "And where does this passage lead?"

"I don't know," Merrin admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. "But I'd rather face whatever's chasing us in here than back there with the collapsing tunnels and the water." She paused, listening intently. The rumble was still distant but growing closer.

They pressed on, the walls seeming to close in around them as they went deeper into the mountain's heart.