"At first, they encountered a few small groups of mind flayers and their servants."
Balin's account was vivid and professionally worded, as though he had been on the battlefield himself.
"The mind flayers instinctively seized the high ground. In a small skirmish, that would have been a sound tactic."
"But against an army, standing up high made them sitting ducks. A single volley from the crossbowmen riddled them with bolts. Only one mind flayer opened a portal and escaped."
Renato could not help interrupting:
"Did Madra recklessly advance his army at that point?"
"No." The old dwarf shook his head. "Old Deepforge is a crafty old bastard, and his son isn't stupid either. Madra immediately pulled his army back into the Rolling Stone City Ruins, where he dug in among the surviving buildings and waited for the enemy to come to him."
"He chose a good spot. It was the Commoners' District Ruins we visited before, where some defensive fortifications still remained. The low cavern ceiling also made it hard for the levitating mind flayers to spread out. The Duergar crossbowmen could take the high ground, while the heavily armored soldiers held the street entrances."
Renato silently nodded at the decisive judgment. If they retreated in haste and the mind flayers pursued them, it could easily turn into a rout in the dim caverns.
Choosing a favorable position to wear down the enemy before organizing an orderly withdrawal was indeed the safer option.
"The lad thought the mind flayers wouldn't dare attack an entrenched Duergar army." Balin's voice grew somber again. "Every Duergar there thought the same. Even now, the surviving warriors can't believe they lost. But the mind flayers..."
"There were too many. Far too many. If I hadn't seen the images recorded by a Psionicist, I'd have thought