The dark tunnel spread out into many webbed passages, but thanks to his heightened instincts and dark vision, Nikolai barely slowed. The walls were slick, pulsing with veins of bioluminescent fungus. Shadows twisted around every corner. The stench grew thicker with each step... rotting meat, sour milk and the strange mineral tang of mutant ichor.
Behind him, Leona's voice echoed, clipped and tense.
"Fan out, cover the rear. Watch the ceiling."
The maids moved with brutal discipline, boots crunching over carapace and bone.
Nikolai didn't wait. The pulse in the walls was like a drum in his chest, drawing him deeper. He ducked under a curtain of mucous strands, scraping his jacket against the rock. Something scuttled overhead, legs clicking against stone, but he ignored it.
If it wanted a piece, it could come down and ask.
