Round 907

Merrin pressed herself against the slick stone wall of the narrow passage, her wiry halfling frame barely fitting between the stones as she tried to make herself small. The roar of rushing water filled her ears, drowning out all other sound, and she could feel the vibration of it through the rock, a constant thrumming that set her teeth on edge. Her head still ached from the noxious gas they'd encountered earlier, a persistent throb that made it hard to think clearly.

"Merrin!" Varikka's voice came again, barely audible over the water, and Merrin felt a fresh surge of fear. The dwarf woman was injured—badly—and trapped somewhere in this collapsing hellhole while Merrin herself had been swept away by the sudden flood. She'd managed to claw her way onto a narrow ledge just above the waterline before it had carried her further downstream, but she was soaked through and exhausted, her muscles trembling with fatigue.

She could still feel the ghost of the water's current tugging at her, trying to pull her back into its flow, and the thought of being dragged under again made her stomach churn. She'd nearly drowned once already—she wasn't eager for a repeat performance. The key in her pocket felt heavy and wrong, pulsing with some strange energy she didn't understand but knew was dangerous.

"Varikka!" she called back, her voice hoarse. "I'm here! I'm okay!" But was the dwarf woman really okay? With that ankle injury, she might not be able to move at all, let alone navigate through these treacherous tunnels. The thought sent a fresh jolt of panic through Merrin.

She needed to find Varikka. Needed to help her. But how? The water was too fast and too deep for her to swim against it, and the ledge she was clinging to seemed to be crumbling under her fingers with each passing second. She could feel small pieces of stone breaking away and disappearing into the rushing current below.

Think, Merrin. Think. There has to be a way...

She looked around frantically, her dark eyes scanning the passage for any sign of an exit or a way out. The walls were slick with algae and water, making them nearly impossible to climb, and the ceiling was too high and unstable-looking to even consider trying to reach it. The only option seemed to be moving along the ledge, following the current downstream in hopes of finding Varikka—or at least finding a way back to her.

It was dangerous. Probably stupid. But what choice did she have? She couldn't just sit here and wait for the whole damn tunnel to collapse on top of her.

With a deep breath, Merrin pushed herself away from the wall, her small hands finding purchase in the cracks between stones as she began to inch her way along the ledge. The water churned below her, a constant threat, and she could feel the vibration of it through the rock, a steady pulse that seemed to match the throbbing in her head.

Please let Varikka be okay, she thought as she moved forward, one careful step at a time. Please let me find her before this whole place comes down around our ears.

The stone beneath her hands felt cold and slick with moisture, and she could hear the distant sound of more collapse somewhere ahead—a rumble that seemed to shake the entire tunnel system. She paused for a moment, her heart pounding in her chest, but there was no other choice. She had to keep moving.

Forward, Merrin. Just keep moving forward.

The water roared around her, a constant reminder of the danger lurking just below, and she could feel the weight of the collapsing tunnels pressing down on her from above. But she kept her eyes fixed on the darkness ahead, her small hands tight on the stone as she inched her way deeper into the heart of the tower's decay.

Somewhere ahead, Varikka was waiting. Injured. Trapped. Alone.

And Merrin would find her, no matter what it took. Even if it killed her.

Because that's what you did for your friends. You didn't leave them behind. Not ever.

The key in her pocket seemed to pulse again, a reminder of the dangers they'd already faced and the ones still waiting for them ahead. But Merrin ignored it, focusing instead on the task at hand: moving forward. Finding Varikka. Surviving this damnable place.

One step at a time. That was all she could do. All she needed to do.

For now.