In the end, the two never settled their argument over how the Crystal Cavern had formed.
The drow believed these crystals were most likely an abandoned lair belonging to a dragon from the Astral Plane.
The old dwarf insisted that the crystal clusters, arranged like runes, were idle doodles made by a giant's offspring, artistic traces left by some ancient being.
Renato offered no opinion on either of these outlandish theories.
One thing was certain, anyway: this was no naturally formed mineral vein.
As the three emerged from the Crystal Cavern, a psionic echo sounded beside them.
"You did not follow my route."
The tall mind flayer emerged from invisibility, hovering in midair.
"I thought my explanation was sufficient. Are you primitive races truly incapable of analyzing things through reason and logic?"
Klauthsura's voice reverberated, its tone charged with emotion.
"I visited every Psionics Beacon and found no trace of you. Had you moved any faster, you would have run straight into the hunters sent by the Elder Brain! Will you never understand what it means to follow a plan?"
Psionic arcs danced across its tentacles with faint crackling sounds.
The old dwarf tightened his grip on the Runes Warhammer, his body tensing.
Renato reached out to stop Tristana before she could make a cutting remark. He stepped forward and spoke first:
"Klauthsura, the route you gave us was too crude..."
"Crude?" The mind flayer's voice rose. "A psionic map made using projections and rigorous mathematical surveying is dozens of times more accurate than your hand-copied maps!"
"I'm not saying your map was crude, Klauthsura." Renato tried to keep his tone calm and objective. "You left too quickly, and your instructions were too 'crude.' You only gave us a map. We knew nothing about the terrain or the obstacles we