Somewhere, fried rat is a delicacy

I saw the beast wave first as a dark blotch on the horizon.

Gradually, that blotch grew in size, until even the mortal soldiers noticed it.

Then the blotch grew close enough that I saw individual Twinning Rats in it, and the bright cyan glow of their Qi.

Besides that glow, they really looked like overgrown rats with black or brown fur. But the sheer amount of them was staggering. They were like a tidal wave—a force of nature.

I and my soldiers were standing at the town's walls, ready to meet the wave. The weather, dry and sunny for the last few days, was on our side. Small blessings.

Braziers with hot coals were standing along the walls, so that our few archers could shoot burning arrows. I also picked a fitting weapon for this fight—a torch with a very long handle.

Next to me, Captain Qui raised his burning torch.

"Archers! Fire on my signal!"