Fifty miles northeast of Katushir City, dust perpetually hung outside the mineshaft of the Red Copper Slope Copper Mine.
Piles of grayish-brown slag formed small hills, baking hot under the sun. Over a dozen miners, their bodies blackened, emerged from the mine shaft, their backs hunched, carrying wicker baskets full of ore. Sweat slid down their cheeks, washing streaks of white onto their coal-dusted faces.
The entrance to the mine shaft resembled a pitch-black maw, from which came the "Ding-dong" sound of chiseling rock, mixed with the miners' suppressed coughs, echoing through the valley.
This was a small copper mine; the ore purity was not high, but it was easy to extract, making it a crucial raw material for iron forging in Katushir City.
In the open space outside the mine, a rudimentary military camp had been set up a dozen gray tents stood crookedly, and rusty iron swords hung on the wooden palisade at the camp entrance.
Two soldiers wearing standard Imperial leather armor leaned against the palisade, yawning and chatting, their spears leaning diagonally on the ground, their tips unpolished.
In the center of the camp, four officers were seated around a wooden table, engaged in a heated game.
They wore gold-trimmed officer uniforms but had their collars open, revealing greasy undershirts; an Imperial card game was spread on the table, with several gold coins scattered nearby. A copper platter beside them was piled high with roasted chicken, cured meat, and wheat cakes, and a wine flask lay overturned, amber ale dripping down the edge of the table.
"Old Ford, your card playing is terrible! If you lose again, you'll have to put up your military saber!" A fat officer slapped the table and laughed loudly, holding an "Imperial Knight" card with a smug look on his face.
The officer called Old Ford frowned, rubbed the stubble on his chin, pulled a silver coin from his pocket, and slammed it onto the table: "What's the rush? I'm definitely winning this hand!"
The other officers joined in the laughter. No one bothered to look toward the mine
the Red Copper Slope Copper Mine had been peaceful for twenty years; let alone a fight, not even bandits had shown up once.
Katushir City's main forces were stationed at the West and North gates. Only a hundred-man unit was posted here, and over time, the soldiers had lost all vigilance. The officers, in particular, treated the camp as a place of leisure. Besides playing cards and drinking every day, they would occasionally raid nearby villages for chickens, living a more comfortable life than they did in the city.
"Did you hear? A beautiful elf dancer arrived at the tavern in the west of the city!" the fat officer said animatedly while shuffling the cards. "When the rotation comes next month, we should go have a good time!"
"Oh, come on, your meager salary isn't enough to buy two flasks of wine!" Old Ford joked, throwing his cards onto the table. "A pair of 'Imperial Guards'!"
The laughter of the officers and the clatter of the cards echoed across the clearing. No one noticed the faint tremor coming from deep within the mine shaft.
Inside the mine, tunnels crisscrossed like a giant spiderweb. Torches were stuck into the rock walls, and the flickering flames cast long shadows of the miners.
Dozens of miners gathered in the clearing of the main tunnel. Some leaned against the rock wall smoking, others sat on the slag chatting, their picks carelessly tossed on the ground
this was their daily "rest period," only half an hour, but enough time to finish discussing their family affairs.
"My Aileen sent a letter yesterday, saying she found work at the city's weaving mill and can earn five copper coins a month!" An old miner with a face full of wrinkles, clutching a crumpled letter, smiled until his eyes narrowed.
His name was Tom. He had mined in the shaft for twenty years, and his daughter Aileen was his only concern. "When I save up a bit more money, I'll bring her back. I won't let her suffer in the city anymore!"
"That's wonderful! Aileen was a sensible girl even when she was little!" The surrounding miners chimed in agreement. A young miner leaned over and said enviously, "Uncle Tom, I wish I could find a job in the city like Aileen, instead of digging rocks in this pitch-black hole every day."
"You will, you will," Tom said, carefully folding the letter and placing it close to his body in his pocket. "Work hard, save some money, and eventually, you can all live in the city."
The miners laughed and chatted, unaware that the ground beneath their feet was trembling slightly.
The torch flames suddenly leaped, and a few chips of rock fell from the wall, making a "tap-tap" sound as they hit the slag.
"Huh? What's going on?" The young miner frowned, looking up at the rock wall above
cave-ins were rare at the Red Copper Slope Copper Mine; at most, only a few small rocks would fall.
Just then, the tremor suddenly became violent! "Rumble—!"
It was as if a giant beast was roaring underground; the entire mine shaft shook, and the torches fell to the ground with crackling sounds. Some were extinguished by the slag, while others ignited the dry grass on the floor, and thick smoke instantly filled the air.
The terrified miners scrambled to their feet, running around frantically and shouting in panic: "Cave-in! Run!"
"Don't panic! Run toward the exit!" Tom shouted, trying to calm everyone, but the violent shaking made him unable to stand steadily. He could only hold onto the rock wall and inch toward the exit.
Suddenly, there was a loud "Crack"! A huge fissure appeared on the rock wall not far away. The crack widened rapidly, and debris rained down like raindrops.
A brave young miner held onto the rock wall and approached, wanting to see what was behind the fissure
new veins occasionally appeared in the mine, and if they discovered one, they would earn extra wages.
But just as he neared the fissure, a pair of scarlet eyes suddenly emerged from it! It was a rat's head, its grayish-black fur caked with dirt. Its long whiskers twitched, revealing sharp teeth, and it let out a strange "Squeaking" sound.
"Ah—!" The young miner screamed in terror and turned to run.
But it was too late! "Boom!"
The entire rock wall collapsed with a crash, debris flew, and smoke filled the air.
Over a dozen grayish-black figures poured out of the breach
they had human bodies and rat heads, were covered in short fur, and carried sharpened wooden sticks and rusty daggers. They ran incredibly fast, their claws making a "Shuffling" sound on the slag.
They were ratmen!
"Kill! Steal all the ore!" the leading ratman shrieked, its voice sharp like fingernails scraping Kurzadh.
It brandished its dagger and lunged at the nearest miner, plunging the blade deep into the miner's back. Blood instantly sprayed out, and the miner fell to the ground, twitching a few times before going still.
The miners were completely panicked, screaming and scattering everywhere.
Although the mine had many tunnels, there was only one exit. In the chaos, many were pushed down and trampled by those behind them, letting out agonizing screams.
Tom held onto the rock wall, desperately inching toward the exit. The letter in his pocket was soaked with sweat, and he had only one thought
to escape and find his daughter Aileen!
But before he could move a few more steps, a sound of heavy footsteps came from the breach.
The smoke gradually cleared, and several tall figures emerged from the breach
Gors with goat heads and human bodies, Great Horned beast with bull heads and human bodies, and the smaller Gors. They were covered in filthy fur, carried great axes and iron clubs, and emitted a nauseating stench. These were the beastmen Skarsnik had encountered!
"Roar! Kill all these two-legged sheep!" the leading Great Horned beast roared. With one swing of its great axe, it split a fleeing miner in half, scattering organs and blood across the ground.
The beastmen rushed into the chaotic crowd of miners like madmen. Great axes and iron clubs fell, each strike drawing a spray of blood.
The ratmen, meanwhile, darted like ghosts through the mine's tunnels, hunting down the fleeing miners.
One miner hid behind a mine cart, thinking he had escaped, only to have his throat pierced from behind by a ratman using a wooden stick.
The ratman "Squeaked" with laughter, dragging the miner's corpse toward the breach
they intended to haul these "two-legged sheep" back underground to serve as provisions.
Tom was swept along by the crowd, inching step by step toward the exit.
He saw a nearby miner struck by a beastman's great axe, his head rolling to his feet, eyes still wide open; he saw a young miner grabbed by a ratman and bitten to death, blood splattering onto his face.
But he dared not stop; he could only frantically push forward, clutching the letter in his pocket tightly
he had to survive, he absolutely had to survive!
Outside the mine shaft, the officers were still playing cards.
When the violent tremor hit, the fat officer cursed, "Who the hell is setting off explosives in the mine? It shook my cards right off the table!"
But immediately afterward, agonizing screams and faint roars came from the direction of the mine.
Old Ford frowned, stood up, and looked toward the mine entrance
only to see dense smoke billowing out, and a group of blackened miners running out of the shaft like lunatics, shouting: "ratmen! beastmen! Run!"
"Ratmen? beastmen?" The fat officer was stunned, thinking the miners were joking. "What are you yelling about? Where are these ratmen and beastmen coming from?"
Just then, a grayish-black figure rushed out of the mine entrance
it was a ratman! It held a bloody dagger, and its eyes lit up when it saw the officers in the camp. It shrieked and charged.
Immediately after, more ratmen and beastmen poured out of the mine! The leading Great Horned beast, carrying a bloody great axe, saw the officers in the camp, let out a savage roar, and charged toward the wooden palisade.
With a "Crack," the wooden palisade was shattered. The beastmen stormed into the camp, and with one swing of a great axe, one of them split a soldier leaning against the palisade in half.
The officers were utterly stunned.
They still held their cards, and the roasted chicken on the table was still steaming, but the scene before their eyes was a nightmare
grayish-black ratmen, blood-soaked beastmen, scattering miners, bodies and blood everywhere, and a nauseating stench instantly surrounded them.
The fat officer's legs turned to jelly in fear, his cards dropped to the ground, and he muttered: "H-how could this be... This is impossible..."
Old Ford reacted the fastest. He yanked out the saber at his waist and yelled at the other officers: "Quick! Grab your weapons! Notify Katushir City!"
But it was too late.
The beastmen had already stormed the camp. The Great Horned beast's great axe swung toward the fat officer, who was split in half before he could even scream, his blood splashing all over the cards and roasted chicken on the table.
The ratmen, meanwhile, burrowed into the tents, frantically tearing and biting the soldiers inside. Agonizing screams came from the tents, but quickly faded away.
Old Ford swung his saber, cutting down an attacking ratman, but more ratmen and beastmen surrounded him.
He watched the officers beside him fall one by one, watching the soldiers in the camp being savagely slaughtered, and only despair remained in his heart
the Red Copper Slope Copper Mine was finished.
The miners were still frantically fleeing into the distance. Tom, mixed in with the crowd, glanced back toward the copper mine
smoke billowed, and roars and screams intertwined, making it look like hell.
He tightly clutched the letter in his pocket, tears sliding down his cheeks, silently murmuring: "Aileen... Father will definitely come find you..."
The sunlight was still dazzling, but the Red Copper Slope Copper Mine had become a living hell.
ratmen and beastmen ran rampant through the mine and the camp. Bodies lay everywhere, blood stained the piles of slag red, and even the air grew thick.
No one knew why these ratmen and beastmen had suddenly appeared here.
He didn't know either!