The two arrived at the tower of the Iron Price mercenary company.
The half-drow mercenary standing guard outside spotted the conspicuous Serpent-Head Whip at Tristana's waist at once and shouted at the top of her lungs:
"Boss! A noble! A priestess with a whip!"
Tristana's mouth twitched. Through clenched teeth, she forced out:
"What a pack of ill-bred curs. If this were the Nightwind Family, I would rip out her tongue and teach her how to respect a noble..."
Before she finished, the tower's doors suddenly opened from within.
A ringing female voice came from inside, humble yet firm:
"My subordinates are uncouth commoners who know nothing of etiquette. Please forgive them."
Renato looked toward the voice and saw a powerfully built drow warrior stride out.
She wore double-layered scale mail and a mithral helmet adorned with bone ornaments. A Double-Bladed Battle Axe, a rare sight in Samoriel City, hung at her waist. The runes engraved on it were Flame Runes familiar to Renato.
A hide-covered Metal Shield hung on her back, its surface sculpted into a spider resembling a human face.
The warrior lifted her visor of her own accord. Her skin was deep black, her lips somewhat thick, and a scar that tore across her cheek stretched from the corner of her mouth to her ear.
She had the typical appearance of a drow commoner, as Tristana would have described it.
"Raven the Shield-Smasher pays her respects to you, priestess of Lolth."
Her tone was humble, her waist slightly bent, her manners impeccable. Yet her next words precisely identified the young cleric.
"Tristana Nightbrize, Fourth Daughter of the Nightwind Family. What might you require of this filthy, chaotic place?"
The Iron Price mercenary company had no shortage of members. This tower alone had more than a dozen