After nearly three days of trekking, the entrance to the Crystal Cavern was finally within sight.
With Renato keeping their pace in check this time, Balin had not pushed them through a forced march as he had before. The three had rested for two nights along the way, ensuring they had plenty of strength left.
Time was short, but none of them wanted exhaustion to cause a mistake at a critical moment.
The second night's rest, however, had been especially trying.
The sounds of monsters had surrounded their camp for a long time, yet remained two hundred feet away. In the darkness, Renato could make out only a few indistinct shadows roaming deep within the tunnels.
Even with his and Tristana's darkvision, they could not identify what those creatures were.
The three had been forced to remain battle-ready for nearly six hours.
Perhaps the light made the monsters uncomfortable, or perhaps the three were too well equipped and in too good a condition.
Whatever the reason, the creatures had ultimately abandoned their attack. After a series of roars that sounded like an exchange, the indistinct shadows slowly retreated, vanishing into the depths of the tunnels.
Now, before them stood a natural cave with no trace of artificial work. Dense clusters of transparent crystals grew around its mouth, casting an eerie blue glow that made the surroundings look like a dream.
There was no natural light source underground, which meant the crystals' glow was not refracted light, but light of their own.
Whenever Renato stared at those seemingly flawless crystals, he felt a faint flutter of unease.
He trusted his instincts. But this was the fastest route to the Mind Flayers' nest, and Balin had passed through twice before. Renato could not ask the party to plot a new route over