Underground Labyrinth (1)

The sun had barely risen, bathing the cavern in a diffuse light, interwoven with shadows that seemed to dance on the rugged walls. Estia silently observed the soldiers disappearing into the darkness of the tunnels, each armed with specific skills, taking their perilous yet essential mission to heart.

She exchanged a glance with Arkan, her comrade-in-arms, who kept his hands firmly gripped on the hilt of his weapon, ready to intervene at any moment.

"Patience," he murmured, more to himself than to her.

They waited. Not out of cowardice, but because their role was not that of mere scouts. Their intervention would come when the terrain was sufficiently mapped, when the enemy's traps were nothing but a memory. For now, they had entrusted this initial phase to the soldiers best suited to perceiving invisible dangers, those whose senses surpassed human limits.