166 Training 2 (1/2)
The others weren't much better off. They too had problems handling their spears in the right way. The only exception was Celine who not surprisingly was more than capable of using her spear to pave the way and repel the rats coming from her side.
Still, they managed to make it through the room and entered the corridor. There they once again changed their formation into one row pointing forward and the other pointing backward.
Unlike before, when the rats didn't enter the corridor, with Vlada trying to pull them in, they now showed no hesitation and readily stormed after them into the corridor. At the same time, another group came from the front, which was lured there by the squeaks of the others.
”Brace for impact.”, Irena called out just before the groups crashed into them one after another.
The group from behind them which was also the bigger one reached them first. Because of their new formation, when it crashed into their shields they couldn't absorb the force as well as before and were pushed back. Which was exactly the moment, the other group crushed into them as well, making them feel like they were being crushed between two mountains.
Their backs collided into each other hard and they barely managed to hold the shield wall up.
But after dispersing the initial force it didn't get better. Because they were now pressed closely together, they were unable to wield their spears without getting in each other ways. Their already clumsy way of using them, got even worse, although this would have seemed impossible before.
”Damn.”, even the always silent Serge couldn't help but curse out loud.
With the rats constantly pressuring them in their attempt to get at them the pressure didn't let up and they were unable to push them back to create some more space to fight more effectively. The only thing they could do was endure.
Luckily, while the rats were unable to get to them, they were able to use their spears to attack them, slowly dealing damage to them and sometimes even killing one of them in one or at least a few strokes.
Ivan used his shield, which had already been damaged quite a bit but was still fully functional to block the rats in front of him while using his spear to try to inflict wounds on them. Slowly his mind started to fill with fog, as exhaustion crept upon him. His thoughts got slower and only one thought was left in his mind, ”Resist. Stand strong. Don't lower the shield. Use the spear to kill them.” These sentences repeated on an infinite loop in his mind, while any other thought slowly vanished in the fog.
He forgot about the others, he even forgot where he was, he only continued on to hold his shield and pierce towards the enemy in front of him.
If he had still been able to form conscious thoughts and observe his own movements, then he would have seen that his moves had gotten more fluent, more efficient, and more effective. The number of attacks he needed to kill one rat had decreased by more than half and the energy used to hold up the shield had also decreased as he now distributed the force better.
Celine who was the only one not overwhelmed by exhaustion saw his and the others changes and smiled in satisfaction. ”They really are some good seedlings. Although those two aren't as suited.”, she then commented. The last sentence was directed towards Greg and Serge, who struggled much more than the others. Although she spoke out loud, nobody was able to listen to her, since they had all fallen into a stupor because of their exhaustion.
Weirdly the rats just kept coming. The group had already killed more than there had been in the complete dungeon last time, but they were unable to realize and question this. Instead, as if they were on autopilot they continued to fight.
And with each passing minute, their movements got more natural, more practiced and more effective, until they finally reached their limit. The first one to fall was Serge, whose strength and endurance had been stretched way beyond his limit. He just wasn't able to keep up his shield anymore.