Ssarak Dyreackthanose --- Ssarak knew not why many of the demons suddenly turned their weapons on themselves, but now was not the time to question it. Had they not, there would have been no hope of them breaking into the dining hall. Meirin moved to hold the entrance while the rest of them made their way inside, but Ssarak had no intention of leaving her to fight alone. With a quick telepathic message, Ssarak ordered three guards to follow and protect the students they had been escorting as they ran into the dining hall, while the rest of them remained to hold the door. Ssarak took his position next to Meirin to cover her flank, just as the guardsman beside him was covering his. Even with the sudden death of many in the demonic horde, they were still a fearsome and deadly force. Alone, they were assured to be overwhelmed, so it was only by working in tandem with one another that they would be able to hold the line. On the way over, Ssarak had informed the others of his psychomantic capabilities, so if they needed to relay information to him, they needed only to think about it and allow him access to their minds. In turn, he could give crucial information to them wordlessly, and direct them all in a way that allowed them to fight near-perfectly together. When the demons pushed forward, the line held as best as it could. When Ssarak saw a demon with a crude longsword advance on Meirin from her right, he stopped it by simply placing himself between her and the blade, which slid harmlessly across his armored torso. One swing of an axe was all it took to cleave into its chest and crush the bones underneath with the force of the blow. Unfortunately, he was unable to move fast enough to avoid the blow from the demon behind it. It was a bit larger than many of the demons surrounding it, though still smaller than Ssarak. It carried a simple-looking mace, which impacted hard against Ssarak's right shoulder. It had been aiming for his head, but with the height difference between them, he was at least able to prevent that serious of a strike. Ssarak swung horizontally at the being, but the surprisingly agile demon managed to duck underneath the axe, then deliver two quick, fierce blows with the mace. The first struck his chest hard enough to make him recoil, while the second was bound for his head, but instead struck his forearm when he threw it up to protect himself. His armor did little to protect against the blunt force, and while the second strike was more of a glancing blow, the first knocked the breath out of him, and could potentially have done even more damage than that. Luckily, Ssarak was not alone. The guardsman to his right managed to push away the demon he was struggling against just long enough to hit Ssarak's assailant with a shield bash. Ssarak gladly took the opportunity and retaliated with his axe as quickly as he could manage. The demon attempted to jump back, but the Esyire's swing caught it right at the knee, cutting its leg in half. Meanwhile, on their far right flank, one of the guardsmen was facing far less success. A demon about the height of a forest elf with a club fused to its arm managed to knock him off balance. When he raised his shield to protect his vital organs, the demon simply used the club to crush his leg, causing him to scream out in pain. His ally beside him managed to mostly sever the arm of the offending demon with a swing of her longsword, but the damage was done. Around the same time, Meirin called for a retreat, to which Ssarak could not agree more. [i]"Hold for just a moment longer!"[/i] Ssarak said telepathically to the guards as himself and Meriin moved behind them. Ssarak grabbed the wounded guard and drug him into the dining hall just as the three guards who escorted the students inside returned to reinforce the door. Ssarak handed off the wounded guard to one of them so he could be moved somewhere safer. The other two guards, along with himself and Meirin, prepared to defend the interior of the hall. [i]"Get inside, now![/i] Ssarak ordered to the guards holding outside. They each backed their way into the room at the same time as the demons were pushing forward. Most made it inside to reinforce the defensive line forming next to the door, but the last guard through was not so lucky. One of the demons grabbed a hold of her shield and pulled it aside to expose her to an attack from the other demon next to it. Two heavy blows of a one-handed warhammer struck her head. Though she was wearing a helmet, the impact went through all the same. Ssarak wanted to help, but by the time he saw what was happening, it was already too late. She was on the ground, no longer moving, and demons were pushing through the door around her. Although her life was lost, the other defenders were now in a much better position. The door was acting as a choke point, through which only a few could pass at a time. Ssarak, Meirin, and the guards were actually now capable of surrounding them as they entered the room to finish them quickly. For most of the demons, this strategy worked perfectly, but Ssarak feared it was only a matter of time before a tougher, more unique demon made its way through the door, one which could break down their line.