Allistor nodded. “Yeah, the usual.  Sneak attacks, hits from behind, incapacitated opponent, and just the RNG granting you a lucky shot.”  He looked around.  “I’ll be by the door.  I won’t ask anyone to stand there with me.  It’ll be dangerous, maybe suicidal.”

Airman Weiss held up her blade.  “I just put two points into Strength.  I’ll hack pieces off mama dragon with you.”

Campbell held up his hand to volunteer, but Andrea stopped him.  “No.  You’re a marksman.  We need you out here shooting.”  The other three security officers who’d been about to volunteer lowered hands that had been on the way up.

Another airman named Corvin volunteered.  Someone handed him one of the blades, and he took a couple test swings.  “I’ve got a four in strength, and I’m good with blades.” was all he said.

Allistor said, “We won’t have room for any more, I don’t think.  If we’re too crowded together we lose the ability to dodge.” He looked at the two of them.  “Each of you grab an extra blade, in case you break yours.  And a fire extinguisher.  They won’t do any good all the way back here.  Might work as an interrupt once or twice.”

The two airmen did as he asked, and the rest of the group retreated down the hall around the corner.

Allistor and Weiss took up position on the right side of the hatch, while Corvin stood back on the left.  When the door opened, it would open to his side.  Then he could step forward and attack.   Each of the airmen set a fire extinguisher on the floor next to the wall.  They each gripped a blade, and kept a spare stuck in their belts.  Weiss’s spare was the fire axe.

Allistor pulled a pair of leather gloves from his ring and put them on.  Taking hold of the wheel, he began to turn it.  The heated and possibly bent mechanism was difficult to turn and required a significant bit of his strength.  After just a few seconds, the gloves began to get hot, then started to smoke.  Allistor was forced to let go and pour some water on them.

His second attempt went better, and the door finally unlocked.  Allistor didn’t open it, diving back to his position on the right, instead.  There was no doubt the drake would hit the door again, and he didn’t want to be standing in front of it when that happened.  Or open it himself and get roasted.

They waited, the tension increasing as the seconds ticked by.  Corvin adjusted the grip on his machete, his knuckles whitening.  Weiss, who was behind Allistor, shuffled her feet and coughed once.  Allistor gripped his trusty rebar spear and clenched his jaw tightly shut.