Chapter 653 - Bone and Whisper (3)

The pungent staleness of the dungeon air thinned as Mikhailis emerged from the Bone-Rib Spiral, boots scuffing at loose chips of ivory-root that littered the ledge like gravel. Every breath still tasted of rust and fungus, yet it felt almost fresh compared with the stairwell behind them. Yellow-orange fungi clung to the warped walls, their caps bulbous and sticky, shedding beads of warm condensation that rolled down twisted bark before hitting the floor with soft plinks. The warmth coming off those caps fogged the lenses of Mikhailis's spectacles; he wiped them clear with a sleeve already streaked by sap.