Smoke hung thick outside the half-collapsed Deepforge Fortress.
The fresh reek of blood mingled with smoke and dust, like a slaughterhouse that had just finished its work.
Renato passed a corpse. A Duergar slave lay faceup amid the rubble, a crossbow bolt piercing his ring mail, blood spreading around the wound.
But that was not the fatal injury. What had truly taken his life was the deep cut beneath his jaw.
The killer was a seasoned warrior. A blade had sliced cleanly through the artery, and massive blood loss had ended his life within seconds.
Flori's guess had been right. The Mind Flayers had indeed brought slaves as attendants.
Renato did not believe those gaunt aberrations could wield bows, crossbows, or swords. He had once severed a Mind Flayer's tentacle; the soft skin of those octopus-headed creatures was suited to spellcasting, not swinging blades.
But why would the Mind Flayers kill one another? Did they also struggle for power and profit? Yet every text described them as creatures of a hive mind, utterly obedient to the Elder Brain's will...
Just as the three of them were about to approach the fortress's surviving stone gate, something changed.
"Whoosh-whoosh-"
Several whistles cut through the air almost simultaneously. Renato had been ready and immediately raised his Shadow Shield.
But the attack was not aimed at him. Two black crossbow bolts traced cunning arcs straight toward Flori, who stood farther back.
The sharp bolt heads pierced his leather cloak and struck the plate armor beneath with crisp metallic clangs.
Balin roared:
"Ambushers on both sides!"
The old Dwarf raised his Runes Warhammer, electricity bursting across its head. A dazzling Lightning Bolt shot through the air, striking behind a pile of rubble on the left.
Two concealed crossbowmen were hit instantly. One stiffened on the