Round 954

Merrin's eyes widened as she witnessed the Guardian lunge towards Varikka, its jaws gaping wide with an appetite for destruction. The sight was terrifying—those teeth were meant to rend flesh, and her friend was all too vulnerable sprawled on the ground like that. Her heart hammered in her chest, adrenaline flooding her system as she instinctively moved forward, ready to throw herself between the monster and her fallen companion.

But then came that voice again, echoing through her mind with unsettling clarity: "You should not have come here." The words sent a shiver down her spine, and for a moment, Merrin hesitated. What in the gods' names was this place? And who—or what—was speaking to her?

The sound of shifting stone snapped her attention back to immediate danger. The tunnel walls were groaning, dust raining down as the ancient structure groaned under its own weight. They needed to move—now—and Varikka couldn't exactly run for it with that ankle.

Merrin scrambled forward, her nimble fingers finding purchase on the rough stone as she made her way towards her friend. "Varikka!" she called out, voice tight with urgency. "Are you okay? We need to get out of here before this whole place comes down around our ears!"

She reached Varikka's side, dropping into a crouch beside her. The sight was grim—the makeshift bandage on her ankle was dark with fresh blood, and her friend's face was pale with pain and exertion. But those eyes, when they met Merrin's, still held that unmistakable spark of determination.

"Can you move?" Merrin asked, already knowing the answer. "We need to get out of this chamber. The walls are about to give way, and I'd rather not be buried alive today."

Varikka gritted her teeth, pushing herself up with her good arm. "Help me up," she growled. "I can move. Just... slowly."