Round 936

The water lapped higher with every groan of the ancient stone around them. Merrin's teeth were chattering from more than just the cold - the noxious gas earlier had left her head spinning, each wave making her dizzy and nauseous. She'd nearly drowned once already in this cursed tower, and now here she was, chest-deep in freezing water with Varikka's full weight pressing down on her shoulders.

"You alright?" Merrin asked, though she knew the answer already. Varrika's face was pale, her breathing ragged. The dwarf blinked sweat out of her eyes and tried to focus on Merrin's face. "Bitch hurt like a motherfucker," she admitted through gritted teeth. "Can't put weight on it." She attempted to demonstrate this fact by trying to shift again, only for another howl of pain to escape her lips as the ankle screamed protest. Her good leg gave out completely and Merrin ended up taking even more of her weight, pinned beneath the dwarf's solid frame.

"Shit," Merrin hissed, muscles straining as she tried to hold them both up without letting Varrika fall onto her injured ankle again. The water was relentless, lapping higher with every groan of the ancient stone around them. She could feel the current tugging at them, trying to pull them apart or sweep them away entirely. It would be so easy for one of them to slip, for their combined weight to shift just enough to send them both tumbling into the depths.

"Varikka," she said, voice tight with effort and concern. "You gotta tell me if it gets worse. I can't hold us both up forever." The dwarf's only response was a low groan, her face contorted in pain. Merrin gritted her teeth, shifting her grip slightly to try and distribute Varikka's weight more evenly across her own body. Every movement sent fresh waves of agony through her exhausted muscles, but she pushed it down. Right now, keeping them both alive was all that mattered.

The water lapped higher again, and Merrin felt a fresh jolt of panic. They were running out of time. If they didn't find a way to get Varikka out of the water soon... well, she didn't even want to think about what would happen then. She looked around desperately, searching for any solution, any escape route that might have magically appeared since the last time she'd checked. But the chamber remained stubbornly unchanged - water rising, stone groaning, and no obvious way out.

"Fuck," she whispered, the word torn from her lips as another wave hit them harder than before. She could feel Varikka's weight shifting dangerously, could hear the dwarf's pained gasp as her ankle screamed protest again. They had to do something. Anything. Before the water swallowed them both whole.

"Varikka," she said again, louder this time. "I need you to try and float. On your back, like I showed you earlier." The dwarf looked at her with pain-glazed eyes, but nodded slowly. Merrin shifted her grip once more, easing Varikka onto her back as gently as possible while still keeping her head above water. The dwarf floated for a moment before the current caught her, spinning her around and sending her careening towards the far wall.

"Varikka!" Merrin cried out, lunging forward to try and catch her before she could smash into the stone. Her fingers closed around Varikka's arm just as the dwarf hit the wall, the impact jarring through both their bodies. But at least now they were both floating, even if it meant being swept along by the current instead of standing in one spot.

Merrin tread water frantically, keeping a tight grip on Varikka's arm as she tried to steer them towards the nearest air pocket. If they could just get their heads above water for a moment... maybe then they could figure out what to do next. The water was relentless, but she refused to give up. Not when Varikka needed her. Not when drowning wasn't an option.

It took what felt like forever, but eventually they made it to the air pocket. Merrin surfaced first, gasping for breath before hauling Varikka up beside her. The dwarf coughed and sputtered, clinging to the edge of the stone shelf with white-knuckled terror. But at least they were both alive. At least they could breathe.

"Thanks," Varikka wheezed after a moment, wiping water from her face. "Thought I was gonna drown for sure." Merrin managed a weak smile, though her heart was still pounding in her chest. "Yeah, well, we're not outta the water yet. Just... taking a breather." She looked around the chamber again, trying to spot any changes or new possibilities. But everything looked just as dire as before - rising water, unstable stone, and no obvious escape route.

"Shit," she muttered under her breath. "What now?"