N23, The Battle of The Ratmen Village (1)

I was peacefully sleeping on top of my cozy heap of pelts when a ruckus from outside interrupted my rest.

‘Ugh. Who the hell is making a fuss at this hour?’

I was annoyed and still half asleep when the chief bolted out of the tent. His fast reaction set off an alarm in my head that blew up all the drowsiness. Now completely awake, I quickly followed behind him.

Outside I found the chief looking at the flat area of the village. There was an unnatural brightness illuminating the cavern and the screams of ratmen filled the air. With an ominous sensation, I also turned my gaze towards the area of sparse tents where most of the ratmen slept.

Down there a chaotic scene was taking place, ratmen were running in all directions. On the southeast entrance, laborers had climbed over the protective wall and groups of tamers were assembling defensive lines all over the place. They were fighting a tide of humans that was pouring from outside.

At my side, the chief looked at them with a grave expression. The first wave of warriors easily surpassed the hastily assembled protectors and, without worrying to finish the numerous ratmen still standing, divided themselves into smaller groups before scattering through the cavern. One group headed towards the slope, another broke through the stones of the walled grounds and a third marched towards the east entrance.

‘Damn! Why are they attacking this place?’

Since I arrived in the ratmen village I hadn’t noticed the presence of any humans. They only ever showed up in the caves near the hallways when I was looking for my other followers, and those were a few hours to the south. Seeing how developed this settlement was I was sure it had not received an attack on this scale in many years.

‘So, why now?’

While I stood there in a daze, the chief’s guards arrived at the top of the slope and a heated discussion started. In a short moment, I heard the two dogmen utter more words than they had ever blurted in my presence. They quickly formulated a strategy to mount a resistance on the slope and determined how the three paths that led to the top would be protected.

With a few last orders, the chief dispatched his guards and turned to me. “Come with me. We have to put some armor on ya.” His serious words made me react as I saw a glint of uneasiness within his eyes.

I had to call my subordinates! I couldn’t leave them alone in the midst of this chaos. I filled my lungs with air and roared with all my strength. My call overwhelmed all other sounds in the cavern and reverberated off the stone walls before slowly dissipating.

For a moment, I got the impression that the whole village had gone quiet and every gaze was focused on me. Down in the flat area, the humans seemed to stagger and the ratmen redoubled their efforts to repel the invaders.

“I see ya are eager to fight,” said the chief as I nervously examined the cave in search of any sign of my subordinates. He let out a loud laugh and patted my shoulder. “Let’s go grab some weapons,” he told me and I noted a tinge of anxiety in his voice.

No one was coming up the slope, all the dogs I could see from the summit were engaged in the battle happening near the southeast entrance.

“C’mon, don’t just stand there. We have to hurry,” the chief urged me after seeing I wasn’t moving. He grabbed my mane and pulled me towards the tent. Getting some armor didn’t sound bad. After evolving, the craftsmen had made me a leather coat, leg guards, and a spiked collar, they all were stored in the chief’s house. But how long would it take to put them on?

I hesitated. ‘ What if I arrive too late again?’ Doing side tasks was the reason I lost my other subordinates. I couldn't afford to lose the three of them as well. I knew I would regret it if one of them died because I was too busy putting on some armor.

‘I will go and get them quickly.’ I didn’t need protection for that. I would gather them and then would come back here.

With a sudden jerk, I freed myself from the chief’s hands. “Hey! What are ya doing? Come back here!” He shouted as I darted away.

Of the three paths that led to the flat area of the cavern, I chose the middle one. As I started running down the slope I noticed that some fires had broken out near the southeast entrance. Their orange flames were reflected on the ceiling of the cavern and gave the impression that the sun was about to rise from the subterranean galleries. Unsettled by the unnatural sight, I quickened my pace but soon found out that the road ahead had been blocked.

One of the attackers’ vanguard groups had already reached the foot of the slope and was trying to break through a barricade of sacks and stones that had been assembled by the ratmen. I only took a quick glance at them before darting towards the tents, but it was enough to notice that these warriors were better armed than any others I had seen until now.

Each one wielded a long spear with a striking piece of fabric attached close to their shiny blades and also carried several spare weapons, like battle hammers and broadswords. Glistening metal plates reinforced their armors in several places and their round shields were decorated with fierce bears and wolves.

It was clear this flashy group wasn’t your average warriors. They were quickly overwhelming the ratmen defenders. I didn’t know where the chief’s guards had gone, but if they didn’t arrive soon it wouldn’t be long until they breached the barricade and arrived on top of the slope.

Leaving the main path I dashed among the tents and piles of sacks. After scurrying through a narrow alley, I lengthened my strides and jumped over the last dry stone wall that protected the foot of the slope.

I had successfully reached the plain area of the cavern. A few groups of fighters were scattered close to the southeast entrance. The humans had kept pouring through the village gate, but other than their vanguards their advance had somehow slowed down. At a glance, I realized that the attackers weren’t as numerous as I had feared. There were maybe three dozen of them, while we numbered close to two hundred.

Even then I couldn’t be complacent, the bulk of our forces was made up of ratmen laborers that couldn’t be compared to human warriors. ‘Especially not to those I just saw on the slope.’ I thought with a shiver. I had to find my subordinates soon.

Looking for my subordinates I cautiously approached the groups fighting. Rocks whistled through the air, thrown by ratmen laborers that were sheltered behind tents and piles of rocks. Their barrages did a lot to keep the humans at bay. Meanwhile, the tamers and their dogs defended them on the front lines. They had formed small groups that were scattered through the plain area and resisted the humans with great fierceness.

“What the hell is that monster doing here?”

“Didn’t the Calpavaros Bears’ guildmaster say he would take care of it?”

“What should we do?”

As soon as I got close the human warriors became extremely wary of my presence. Despite being entangled in combat with the ratmen and their dogs, the ones on the west side closed ranks and slowly started retreating away from my position. Seeing how they feared me I didn’t pay them much attention.

‘Alright, now, where are you?’

Thanks to the humans retreating I could focus on finding my three subordinates. I looked around but all the mutts looked the same to me. Only one thing was clear, Number Two wasn’t here.

‘Damn! It’s been so long. Why can’t I recognize them at a glance?’

My frustration was growing by the moment. Should I just call them again? But that may distract them in the middle of combat. I focused on each group's fights and paid close attention to each dog’s movements, one at a time.

‘Oh, there he is.’

Close to a tent, among other dogs fighting a group of humans, I recognized one with distinctive moves. It was Number One, my most loyal follower. While I was watching him, he took advantage of an opening, jumped at a warrior, and disarmed him with a single bite aimed at his hand.

Hopefully, Number Three wouldn’t be too far away. ‘Oh, wow. That must be him.’ With incredible coordination, the dog near Number One closed his fangs on the warrior’s ankle. The strength of the attack tore the man’s boot and made him lose balance. Not many dogs in the village would be able to work that well together, those two were certainly the followers I was looking for.

Not wanting to waste more time I closed the distance with the group. At the same time, I saw a group of tamers had made a dent in the warriors’ formation that had left those in the west front isolated.

‘Nice chance!’

Now I had to sweep the group attacking my subordinates while they couldn’t retreat nor get any reinforcements. Sadly Number One had been unable to finish the enemy he was fighting. When he went for the kill one of the warrior’s companions used his spear to force Number One away. I joined the fight by my two followers' side and received a welcoming bark from them.

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“Shit. Of all places, that monster had to come here!”

“Everyone ready! Keep your positions!”

The humans immediately got really nervous by my imposing presence and banded together like a tortoise getting inside its shell. I could understand their fear, I too had faced many superior opponents. In other circumstances, I would rejoice at the fact that I had the upper hand in this fight, but now my mind was occupied by too many worries.

‘Ugh. Those spears are problematic.’

Most of their lances were pointing my way. They really had their basics down. I couldn’t just mindlessly charge into a wall of pointy weapons. ‘That armor of mine would come in handy now.’ It was a pity I didn’t have time to don it, but there was no point crying over past decisions. I had to be patient and keep making feints until I got an opportunity.

“This fucking rootspawn!” A human swore after I evaded his spear. Not only were their attacks predictable and slow, but they also lacked determination. It looked like they had resigned themselves to defending their position until some reinforcements arrived.

‘That won’t do!’ I wouldn’t just let things get their way and closed my fangs on the warrior’s spear.

“Fuck. You damn overgrown mutt!” The warrior swore as he tried to release his weapon in vain. I was about to take the spear away from his hand when I noticed a fast motion from the corner of my vision.

“Damn it! I almost got him.” Shouted the human that had tried to strike me. In fact, he had been able to scratch my shoulder. I was startled. His movements had been too fast, he wasn’t even close to me a moment ago.

‘This one must be the leader of this group.’

Not only was he more skilled than the rest, but his armor was also of better quality, and if my memory hadn’t failed me he had been the one that warned the rest to keep their positions before. I would have to get rid of him first. Otherwise, I could end up being pierced by him in a moment of carelessness.

“Awoo. Woo awoo.” With a quiet howl, I took my subordinates' attention and pointed my snout at the human. We would tackle him as a pack.

Number One and Number Three immediately caught onto my intentions and harassed him from both of my sides. The warrior defended himself but didn’t take his eyes off me. Instead, he chose to retreat slightly and left his subordinates to take on mine.

‘I can’t let this go on.’ There were too many uncertain factors in this fight. Too many humans with their dangerous weapons.

Thinking I was distracted the warrior reached for his pouch, but just at this moment Number One reached for his leg disregarding his other opponent. The warrior stepped back with a hasty thrust and my subordinate retreated.

‘Well done!’ This was my chance! With the other humans being distracted by my subordinates I rushed at the warrior before he could recover his stance and jumped at his neck. Just before my jaws reached him in the middle of the air I could see his horrified expression under his leather helmet. My weight effortlessly toppled the man. As I threw him on the ground I felt his hand desperately hitting my head. Without wasting a moment, I tore the flesh of his throat and scrambled away before his companions rushed strikes could reach me.

“Shit! It got Sklaer!” The expressions of the humans were full of fear. It looked like they could disband at any moment. Some of them glared at the ratmen cutting off their escape route but didn’t dare to show me their backs. I was again in my position with a bloodied mouth, I hadn’t been injured but the hit I had ignored as the last futile attempt of a dying man was showing some nasty effect. My left eye felt like it was burning and a strong odor had entered my nose and threatened to scorch my throat.

‘Ugh! What’s this?’ I couldn’t stop coughing, I tried to calm the itch I was feeling in my eye using my leg and it got stained with a brown powder. ‘Was this the thing he was looking for in his pouch?’

It smelled like that unnerving black powder mixed with some unknown substance that irritated my nose. It didn’t seem to be poison, but I couldn’t be sure. It was better to get rid of it as soon as I could.

Wanting to end the current fight quickly I charged at the warriors. With their leader dead, their formation crumbled, and the solid turtle became a chaotic flock of cranes. They still had deadly beaks, but otherwise, their defense was in shambles.

We wiped them like a pack of wolves getting rid of a herd of sheep. I didn’t go for the kill but also didn’t show them any mercy. I attacked the warriors in any unprotected body part, anywhere I could strike, and either left them for dead or unable to fight. I didn’t have anything against these pesky humans, but they were the ones at fault for coming here. They shouldn’t have barged into my temporary oasis.

‘That’s it for you.’ I thought as one of them bled to death on the ground and I took the chance to wipe my face on his armor.

With the group of warriors finished I called Number One and Number Three to my side. I had to bring them with me while I looked for my most rebellious subordinate. I was sure he wasn’t here, there was no way I would have missed him with his unique black fur color.

‘I guess he must be on the east side.’ I would need to go around the combat zone to reach him.

As I was about to depart in search of him something bright surprised me from the left and I jumped back to avoid it. An orange light passed in front of my snout and exploded into a ball of flames a few meters away from me. I turned my head in search of the source of the projectile and I spotted a gray-haired woman staring at me.

‘So she is the source of all these fires.’

While I wasn’t more tents had started burning, forcing the laborers taking cover behind them to give up their positions. I briefly pondered if I should attack the woman before discarding the idea. She was hiding behind several human warriors. Getting to her would be almost a suicide mission.

I carefully made some distance from the combat zone and went towards the east while actively avoiding most of the adventurers and fights. We swiftly moved along the enclosure of the walled grounds that had gained a new big hole and arrived at the other side of the cavern.

Once there it didn’t take long to find Number Two, he was tangled in a fight against another group of humans. The battle here had progressed quite a bit as there weren’t enough tamers present to protect the laborers. A lot of them lay dead on the ground while many others had suffered grievous wounds. I couldn’t see any casualties on the human side, but the group fighting my fierce subordinate was quite injured. I soon joined him with my other two subordinates in tow.

“Shit! What’s that thing doing here?”

“First it was the grey hound and now the wolf!”

“We were told there wouldn’t be anything dangerous here!”

The humans on this side were not happy to see me either. The fight had come to a halt when I showed up and they looked at me with frightened expressions as they nervously gripped their weapons.

I roared at them menacingly and their formation started to crumble as all of them took several steps back. Unlike the previous group they lacked cohesion, they didn’t even try to put up a fight and frantically scrammed as soon as I charged at them.

Even with their weapons, these lone humans that had abandoned their formation weren’t a threat to me in my current form. I got rid of one of them and then cut Number Two’s path. He was always raring to fight and this chaotic battlefield wasn’t an exception. He had also finished his opponent but didn’t have enough. He growled at me for stopping his amusement, but soon lowered his ears in submission after seeing my stare. I wasn’t in the mood for one of his tantrums, I needed to think about our next course of action.

On the west side of the cavern, the lower part of the slope was on fire. It looked like that arsonist woman had been working hard after I left.

‘Damn!’

The humans were gaining ground. They had practically gotten hold of all the west side of the flat area. I could see the dangerous vanguard group that I had avoided earlier was still fighting in the middle of the slope. If the chief and his guards hadn’t gotten rid of them yet then they would be hard-pressed once the rest of the invaders joined in. I could also hear some ruckus coming from the north. Probably from the team that had blown a new hole into the walled grounds. They also seemed to have some very dangerous individuals.

‘It looks like this place is done for.’ I thought somberly.

The fact that the humans would be able to destroy the settlement had been looming on the back of my mind all this time. They wouldn’t have come here if they didn’t think they could win. After all our primitive village wasn’t a big threat to them.

‘Fucking humans!’ They had made my little haven into hell. I didn’t want things to end like this! I still had a lot of questions for the chief! Once again I felt frustrated at my lack of strength. ‘If I had evolved once more!’

With my blood boiling, I turned towards the eastern entrance. The largest one of the ratmen village. I couldn’t bet everything on the remote possibility that the chief would somehow turn the situation around. I had to cut my losses. Now that my subordinates were with me I had to escape while I could.

We went through the now undefended fortifications. I would gather my strength in the familiar caves where the ratmen hunted before heading north in search of the exit of the underground. Maybe one day I could come back and give the ones after this a good beating.

‘Uh?’

I stopped abruptly in the middle of my thoughts. Blocking our path there was a tall barricade full of sharp metal spikes.