"...the eastern seal is failing faster than projected," Rel was saying. "The Queen's swarm has breached the outer chamber. If they reach the convergence point before the ritual completes, everything we have worked for will be lost."
"The Queen will not breach the inner sanctum." Orath's voice, through Rex's mouth. Flat. Confident. "The Conclave Arcanists below have been containing her for three centuries. They will contain her for three more hours. They are close, Commander. The harvest is nearly complete."
"Three centuries." Rel's voice was bitter. "And now, when we are so close, the surface is lost. The demons are pouring out faster than we anticipated. The Conclave's timeline did not account for the... intensity of the eruption."
"The Conclave's timeline accounted for everything except the pyramid's resistance." Orath paused, "But all of this has been accounted for, and we just need to keep the passage open for the Arcanist below to finish their work."
