The party had barely left the burning ruins of New Rolling Stone City when they came under attack.
A group of orcs poured out of fissures on either side of the tunnel, roaring as they lunged at the three of them.
They wore spiked metal splint armor and carried battle axes and cleavers. Clearly, they were slaves the Elder Brain had teleported in to besiege the city.
Although the interference arrays had disrupted the psionic teleportation, turning most attempts into suicide, a small number of slaves had been lucky enough to survive. With their mind flayer masters dead, these orcs had regained their freedom.
As for why they had targeted his party, Renato could not understand Orcish, so he had no way of knowing.
Judging by the scraps of meat still clinging to their tusks, he guessed they were not after food. Perhaps they were driven by pure bloodlust, or perhaps their long enslavement had left them hostile toward every living thing.
After all, Renato had once asked Tristana what being under Mind Control had felt like. In the female drow's eyes, Klauthsura had transformed into a handmaiden of Lolth, with white hair, red eyes, and a nine-headed whip, descending from the divine realm to carry out Lolth's will in the mortal world.
The strongest orc charged with a roar, raising its battle axe high.
As usual, Renato swung his sword to strike first.
The blade sliced through the air, heading straight for its throat. The orc reacted quickly, twisting the axe haft to try to catch the sword with the hook at the bottom of the axe head.
It was a standard battle axe technique. Once an opponent's weapon was caught, a greatsword would lose its reach advantage in the close-quarters struggle that followed.
But Renato had seen little