1 - Breath

by SilkyNoire

A chunk of stone narrowly missed Sariel's head as she pulled the door open with all of her might. Water had begun bursting in from the walls, and was already up to her knees. With the door open even less than last time, she painfully squeezed herself through, then began hurrying for the exit.

The creatures were either panicking like she was or frenzied, going by their guttural howls. She hoped it was the former. The water reached her stomach, and running kept getting harder. So, she decided to start swimming instead. Before long, the water had filled the temple. She took one final breath, then kicked off the stone for the exit.

Unfortunately for her, she failed to dodge a stone brick descending from the crumbling ceiling. The air was knocked from her, and it pinned her to the floor. That would've been bad enough, but she heard the guttural howl of a creature approaching. In fact, she could see it swimming toward her. She pulled the stone from atop her body and swam for her life, but not fast enough.

She felt tentacles clasp themselves around her legs, then her torso, then her arms. The creature turned her to face it, staring into her with its beady eyes. It didn't attack, though. It merely kept her in place, studying her. Before it could do anything else, Sariel quickly drew her dagger from her sheath, and plunged it into the neck of the creature. It instantly released her, and she kicked off of its chitinous chest to flee.

In a turn of good fortune, it seemed the entire cave housing the temple had collapsed. Sariel could see the surface, as dim as it was, as soon as she left the now barrier-less entrance. However, between being crushed by a brick and held by the creature, Sariel could acutely feel her contractions. She once again pushed off, desperately making her way to the surface.

She struggled with all of her stamina, but it wasn't enough. Not even halfway to the surface, she suddenly gasped for air. Water filled her lungs, and she slumped backward, unconscious.