Balin punched the warped manhole cover away and climbed out of the sewer first.
Ruins, rubble, collapsed buildings. Nothing alive.
After confirming there were no enemies, Renato, who had been guarding their rear, climbed out after him.
Both men were covered in dirt. Balin spat, clearing the sand from his lips.
The collapse of District 1 had dealt a devastating blow to what remained of old Rolling Stone City's geological structure. The sewer system was all but ruined. Following their old route, the two had nearly walked into a dead end on the verge of collapse and been buried alive underground.
But they were both strong, sturdy warriors. Armed with a pickaxe and shovel, Balin cleared the way ahead while Renato shored it up behind him. In the end, they reached the surface of District 2.
The buildings aboveground had shifted badly, just like the sewer network. The once orderly streets were now warped and twisted, their paving stones riddled with cracks wide enough to swallow a leg.
Many landmarks had collapsed completely, leaving nothing but heaps of rubble that offered no points of reference.
If they tried to search the district by following a map as usual, they would probably end up blundering around like headless chickens.
Fortunately, Renato did not need a map to guide him this time. His destination was conspicuous enough.
Deep in the darkness, psionic sparks kept flashing through the air, faintly illuminating the outline of something enormous.
The Mind Flayer Hive loomed beneath a vast hollow in the rock overhead.
It was another sac-shaped structure, but it was a hundred times larger than a psionic node. Several gigantic tentacles extended from the hive, burrowing deep into the rock overhead and the ruins on the ground.
Though their destination was clear, Renato did not pick