The mine was in disarray. Shattered rocks and gravel were scattered across the ground, with piles of stones here and there forming irregular rocky mounds.
There were more than a dozen mines like this one in the Dwarf Kingdom's Moya Great Mine. It had once been the Dwarf Kingdom's largest mining base, but mining operations had now been suspended. The reason was that this great mine had become the frontline battlefield between the allied forces and the Snakefolk.
Three Dwarves were stumbling as they fled through the mine. Fortunately, their centers of gravity were relatively low, so they were not prone to falling.
Behind them, beyond several rocky mounds, faint shouts could be heard.
"Don't let them get away!"
"Lord Xi'en ordered us to take them alive!"
Hearing the shouts and cries of pursuit, the three Dwarves' short legs moved even faster.
Unfortunately, they still could not outrun their pursuers. They had originally relied on their familiarity with the mine's terrain to keep their enemies at bay, but the Snakefolk had an overwhelming numerical advantage.
Moreover, there was clearly a mental-specialty spellcaster among the Snakefolk. Mental Scan had kept the three Dwarves locked down, making escape impossible.
As the Snakefolk circled around from all directions, the encirclement quickly took shape.
The three Dwarves soon discovered that Snakefolk pursuers had appeared both ahead and behind them. They had nowhere left to run.
"Jili, it seems the Forge God dozed off today," one of the Dwarves said between ragged breaths. "We can't get away. Let's fight these long-tailed monsters right here."
The Dwarf named "Jili" looked relatively young. His beard had only just begun to grow and was much shorter than those of the other two Dwarves. His face had gone a little pale. He gripped his hand axe tightly, muttering as