The Rockborer mech stood parked in an abandoned quarry on the outskirts of District 2, its engine running at minimum power.
"Listen closely, Softskin." Whitebeard remained curled up inside the cockpit, poking only half his beard-covered face out of the side window. "You must wait until you're about to die, but haven't breathed your last, before calling me! The enchantment only works once. Remember that!"
"Shut up, you old lunatic." Balin fastened a mithral bracelet around his wrist, repeatedly testing the clasp. "If you dare sneak off, you can wait for the devils of the Nine Hells to come claim your soul."
District 2 lay close to the Mind Flayers' lair, and its main roads teemed with aberrations and slave guards.
With the racket the Rockborer made, driving straight in would be tantamount to declaring war. Forget searching for the Artifact-against the endless stream of Mind Flayers teleporting out of the lair, escaping alive would take the Gods' blessing.
To remain undetected, Balin decided to leave Whitebeard and the Rockborer on the outskirts while the rest infiltrated the district on foot.
They also had a contingency plan in case they were discovered. A Sending spell had been permanently enchanted into the mithral bracelet. In an emergency, activating its runes would transmit their location and summon the mech into battle to cover their retreat.
Then there was Big Tooth. No one expected a beast to understand stealth, so it would remain at camp too.
The troll crouched beside a pile of rubble, happily gnawing on an entire length of funguswood, its metal club tossed carelessly on the ground.
Renato reviewed the terrain around District 2 in his mind. In fact, this was already their third day here.
He and Balin had made two full circuits around the district's outskirts, repeatedly checking