The instant white light flashed, Renato instinctively swung the Silent Lady, trying to interrupt the spell the other party was casting.
The black blade cut through the air, but the Negation Runes along its spine remained dormant, showing no sign of lighting up.
The next moment, he was still holding his sword mid-swing, but his surroundings had changed completely.
A spacious private sitting room had replaced the banquet hall. Dark wood paneled all four walls, inlaid with elaborate golden ornaments. Several oil paintings of pastoral landscapes hung among them, their frames studded with tiny gemstones.
An octagonal mahogany table stood in the center, covered with a snow-white lace tablecloth and laden with platters of exquisitely prepared delicacies. Amber syrup coated desserts stacked into towers, while silver goblets held clear, pale-gold wine.
Pine logs burned in the fireplace, flames licking the wood and giving off a faint scent of resin.
Wait, wasn't this the Art Gallery? Had a teleportation spell brought him and Klauthsura somewhere unknown?
The unfamiliar surroundings prompted Renato to raise the Black Sword across his body at once, his wary gaze sweeping through the empty room.
The tall, obese knight was nowhere to be seen. Klauthsura stood half a step behind Renato, her Psionics Shield still active, though she looked wholly unsurprised.
The female Dragonborn seemed to notice his tension. Her familiar psionic voice sounded in Renato's mind, calm and unhurried:
"We're still in the White Tower's Art Gallery. Don't worry, Renato. That wasn't a teleportation spell. The Runestone was probably just a switch controlling a spatial structure. It's like digging a hole beneath someone's feet. Once their support is gone, they naturally fall..."
Renato was just about to breathe a small sigh of relief when an unfamiliar voice suddenly sounded from a corner of the room, shutting