Round 978

The ancient stone beneath their feet groaned ominously as another tremor shook the tower's foundation. Merrin clung to her crossbow, muscles aching from exhaustion and tension, while Varikka struggled to maintain balance against multiple crumbling pillars. The Guardian filled the doorway with monstrous bulk, its single eye fixed on them with predatory hunger.

"Hold!" Varikka shouted, voice strained as she shifted weight gingerly onto her good leg. "We cannot fight here—this entire chamber will collapse around us!"

Merrin's finger tightened on the crossbow trigger, aiming past Varikka at the creature. "Then where? The floor gives way every few steps, and I'm not swimming again!" Her stomach twisted at the memory of choking water.

Varikka's scarred face set in determined lines despite the pain visible in every movement. "Through the wall opposite—the hidden passage I found earlier. We can lose it in the tunnels."

"But what if—" Merrin began, then cut off as a particularly loud crack split the air somewhere above them. Dust rained down in thick clouds, and several large stones clattered free from the ceiling.

"We go now!" Varikka snarled, already moving toward the far wall with surprising speed despite her injury. "Or we die here together!"

Merrin hesitated only a second more before sprinting after her friend, boots slipping on loose stone and oily patches. The Guardian roared behind them, its massive form already surging forward into the collapsing chamber.