In the shadow of the entrance to the Purple Crystal Dungeon, the air always carried an enduring scent, a mix of damp soil and a faint whiff of decay.
Vera tightened the curved saber at her waist, her gaze sweeping over her two companions. The mage Fei Yin was nervously adjusting the cuffs of her magic robe, while her twin sister, Fei Ling, appeared much calmer.
"Vera," Fei Yin's voice carried a trace of unnoticeable tremor, her gaze fixed on the entrance resembling the throat of a giant beast, "Are we… really going down now? Didn't the expedition team just…"
"Just return in failure?" Vera finished for her, yet her gaze remained unusually calm, "Exactly, but precisely because of that, now is the best time to go down."
