Tristana gripped her Holy Symbol tightly, murmuring an incantation. Her lips moved rapidly, yet made no sound.
The surrounding air seemed to have been sucked into a vacuum. Even the sound of breathing vanished without a trace.
It was Silence. Without any reminder from Renato, the Priestess had already accounted for the noise their armor might make.
The three moved soundlessly through the mushroom forest. Renato noticed that Tristana possessed exceptionally comprehensive wilderness knowledge.
She continually identified poisonous substances along the way, read animal tracks, judged underground wind currents, and assessed changes in the terrain... Her expertise far surpassed that of Flori, the Dungeon Scout he had once worked with.
Even Balin, who loved making sarcastic remarks, followed silently behind her without comment.
Renato had assumed that Tristana's repeated insistence on "the importance of a Priestess of Lolth" was merely self-promotion because she did not want to be left behind.
Now it seemed the female Drow had been right. Their understanding of the role had simply differed.
In the female-dominated society of the Drow, Priestesses were not merely spellcasters and conduits for divine revelations. They were also wilderness guides and all-purpose decision-makers.
Tristana suddenly raised an arm, signaling them to stop.
With Darkvision and the faint light of luminous moss, Renato made out their distant target.
An animal resembling a bison wandered among the mushrooms. It was much smaller than an ordinary bull, barely larger than a calf, and its dark brown coat almost blended into the shadows.
Once she confirmed that the two behind her had received her signal and were making no more noise, Tristana slowly crouched and dismissed Silence.
It was about a hundred feet away. Renato reached for the dart at his waist, silently gauging the distance. Could he hit the animal squarely in the head