The tunnel beneath the mountain stretched on like a living labyrinth, its passages splitting again and again into narrow corridors and winding chambers.
Reconnaissance team moved in scattered groups, torches flickering against damp stone walls as they searched for hidden routes. Some called out to one another, their voices swallowed by the twisting paths. Others pressed forward in silence, convinced they were close to uncovering the truth.
More than a few had already lost their sense of direction. Marks carved into the stone to guide their return led only to other identical carvings. Every turn seemed to promise discovery, yet delivered only another fork, another shadowed descent.
They believed the enemy was somewhere deeper within the mountain, hiding beyond one more bend.
They did not know that the true confrontation had already begun.
