Thud! Door, cracking, splintering, peeling open, prying open holes. I can see them, the filthy ratmen, there are eyes in the holes, someone is shouting, the captain giving orders I think? The words are being drowned out by the shrie- Thud! Wood, creaks, not, long, eyes in the holes, chittering, clicking, teeth. They are ripping the holes open more. I hear myself muttering a pra- THUD! Hold, spear, tighter, look, tip, point is sharp, it's still there, a glimmer of steel, there are eyes in the holes, I feel a hand on my shoulder, “Hold stea-” THUD! Tighter, shaking, eyes, hole, shrieking, orders, a shape, an arm with fur, and clawed hand trying to reach, through the hole, someone fires an arrow, a second arrow flies that one hits, it screams in pai- THUD! Splinters, door, gone, dust, shapes, one is big, arrows into dust, more shrieks, one, three, more charge into our spear line. I shift my weight, lean my shoulder forward, back leg is firmly planted. They are ten paces away now. I pick one of them,one with black fur, heading directly for me, I aim for its chest, a little lower than mine. It’s five paces away now, four, three, hear captain, two, “NOW!” Everything, shoulder, thrust, air, air, in,pierce, skin, muscle, resistance, hold, deeper, blood, shriek, too deep, pull spear, heavy, cant pull back, more coming, drop the spear, grab for my sword. Another is coming, grab again, sword, where? There! Pull sword, drawn, axe coming high, block, sword. Up, caught! It’s axe is caught, push away, and swing, DOWN. Catch shoulder, not enough, pull sword, pull it back! Cut, open, blood, pain, it shrieks, it drops its axe, staggers back, I can breathe, in, terrible smell, out, have I been breathing? Rats, awful ratmen, smell like rot. I look around, we are holding, but the big one is coming out of the dust.