Round 915

The chamber rumbled again, stone grinding against stone with ominous finality. Merrin felt her stomach drop as another section of wall crumbled away mere feet from where they stood precariously balanced. The half-elf woman beside her cried out as the ground shifted underfoot, her injured ankle buckling. She grabbed for support, hands scrabbling at empty air before latching onto Merrin's shoulder with desperate strength.

"Stay still!" Merrin hissed, her own voice tight with fear as she fought to redistribute Varikka's weight without losing balance herself. The massive Guardian creature loomed closer with each passing second, its burning eyes fixed on them with predatory intent. Another rumble shook the floor, and a chunk of ceiling broke free, tumbling past them into the abyss below.

"Varikka, we can't stay here!" Merrin exclaimed, her gaze darting between the approaching monster and the crumbling walls surrounding them. The half-elf woman's face was pale, sweat beading on her forehead as she gritted her teeth against the pain in her ankle. "I... I can barely move like this," she managed, voice strained. "Unless you know how to fight that thing one-handed?"

Merrin shook her head frantically, already scanning the chamber for any alternative. The walls were unstable, the floor treacherous, and the pit offered no escape. Her eyes landed on a section of collapsed wall further back in the room - recent debris, possibly leading to another passage if they could reach it without falling or being crushed.

"There!" she pointed urgently. "If we can get through that rubble, maybe there's another way out! We just need to move fast before this whole place comes down!"

Varikka nodded grimly, shifting her weight with obvious pain but determination setting her jaw. "Lead the way," she growled, tightening her grip on the crossbow. "And try not to drop me."