Surrounded by beasts, and Dave, who was arguably more base than even a beast, Nero fought valiantly. He used his cards in clever ways to distract and divert attention from himself, creating openings to attack. Yet by now, the beasts were much smarter about how they fought him. They had the numerical advantage, and they were using it effectively, managing to avoid deadly attacks. Whittling their numbers would be a slow and arduous process.
At the same time, they closed in around the two, probing and testing for weaknesses. The slightest flaws were all they would need. The beasts were shadows given hunger, and none could escape their shadows. Yet Dave seemed omniscient, dodging each and every attack by a hair's breadth, and Nero was an impenetrable wall, holding off all assaults with his strength and his spear.
