Losing his sight had not dulled his swordsmanship instincts. The instant darkness fell, Renato swept the Silent Lady sideways, guided by the last glimpse he had caught of his opponent's position.
Warm blood splashed across his face.
The darkness abruptly dissipated. The Drow warrior staggered backward, both hands clamped tightly over his neck.
As the dark elf collapsed, Renato let out a long breath. In that split second, he had made the riskiest choice possible.
Though he did not know what spell his opponent had used to rob him of his sight, Renato had turned it to his advantage, anticipating the path of the incoming attack and launching a horizontal slash.
And his gamble had paid off. With their wielder dead, the twin adamantine blades lost their aim and slid harmlessly across the Mountain's Embrace.
A thunderous blast erupted on the other side. The second Drow warrior's charred corpse arced through the air, nearly crashing into the priestess as she held her Holy Symbol aloft.
"A bunch of useless fools!" The female Drow kicked aside the corpse that had rolled to her feet. "The weak deserve nothing but to become spider feed!"
Both her guards were dead. Yet even alone, she showed no trace of fear, only an ecstasy warped by mind control.
Renato drew a dart from his belt, ready to disrupt the female Drow's spellcasting and give Balin an opening to charge.
At that very instant, a psionic portal unfolded out of thin air.
Psionic arcs crackled as the air warped and shuddered. A tall Mind Flayer stepped slowly through the portal and surveyed the group.
It gently laid a hand on the female Drow's shoulder, stopping the divine spell she was about to cast.
Excitement flooded the priestess's face. She crossed her hands over her chest and