The descent had lasted for what felt like days.
Reed's shoulders ached from the constant hunching as the ancient tunnel narrowed once more, forcing his party to crawl through a passage barely wide enough for his transformed goblin frame. Behind him, Grimclaw's labored breathing echoed against the stone walls, accompanied by the rhythmic scraping of Shivblade's daggers as she used them for purchase against the slick surface. The golden glow from their evolved eyes provided the only illumination in the crushing darkness, casting eerie shadows that danced across walls inscribed with symbols no living scholar could translate.
"We should have reached something by now," Grimclaw muttered, his once-primitive voice now articulating complex thoughts with unsettling ease. "The calculations based on the artifact network's resonance patterns indicated a major nexus point within this range."
