text: You grip your spear tighter as you gaze at the distant flames on the edge of the horizon. The cool evening wind that is always present on the top of the big stone walls of Athens seems to be filled with the smell of burning wood. Great pyres of smoke have been visible for days since the Spartans and their allies invaded the lands of Athens. From your high point of view on top the gatehouse you can see the camp of the gathered enemies. A chill runs down your spine as you think of the fighting that has been occurring the last few days. Although the Athenian forces have been able to repel the invading forces, many people have lost their lives. Frankly, you don't believe that you are able to win this war. Most of the people that are defending the city only had the two years of mandatory military education. They are just regular citizens that were drafted to defend Athens in this great war.
  
  You can see light dawning on the horizon, a new day has begun. A new day, filled with fighting. You can see activity in the enemy camp, men gathering, men mounting horses, people grabbing weapons and gathering in formation. You remember when these men first showed up on the edge of the horizon. You remember the men, women and children in front of them, running away, fleeing into the city. You remember men screaming as they assaulted the high walls of Athens, screaming when you pushed their ladders down to the hard earth, screaming as their souls passed on to the underworld.
  
  You lift your shield as the enemy army marches towards the city, the fight is about to begin.
  
  Moments later you spot the first ladders being put against the walls and you rush towards them, either to push them down or to kill the men that are scaling them. Suddenly you hear a familiar sound, like a thousand birds flapping their wings in the skies. A shadow blocks the light of the sun as thousands of arrows fly towards the city of Athens.
  
  > lift your shield to block the arrows
  As the deadly projectiles rain down on the wall you quickly raise your shield above your head. Your heart pounds inside your chest as arrows rain down on your shield. As the final arrow strikes the stones of the city wall you lower your shield.
  
  The sight of the slaughter on top of the city walls makes you gag. Dozens of men, who defended the walls, lie dead on the cold stone floor. Oblivious to the rest of the world you gaze at the fallen soldiers. The ones who survived are behaving the same. Suddenly you hear a shout coming from your right and you spot the first enemy climbing the siege ladders to the top of the walls. You quickly shout to the other men and rush to the enemy. Before he is able to reach the top of the wall you push back his ladder so he falls to the ground. A new wave of enemies, however, has climbed the other ladders. As you stumble over the corpses that now litter the walls you see your fellow soldiers repelling the enemies, destroying the ladders in the process.
  
  Relieved that this attack has been repelled you hear a thundering crack beneath you...
  
  > quickly run down to the gates
  Just as you reach the bottom of the staircase you see the gate give way with a thundering crack. The Spartan battering ram has breached the gates and a horde of enemies is rushing through.
  
  The defenders of Athens fight valiantly against the intruders, trying to repel them. You can see the swift-footed Polymachos, the most experienced general of Athens fighting at the front of the defenders. You quickly join your fellow soldiers. Together, you fight bravely against the invading Spartans and after about half an hour most of the invaders are repelled from the city, the battle has moved outside the city walls.
  
  However, the enemy hasn't retreated yet. After they have regrouped themselves they attack you another time, killing many Athenian soldiers. You find yourself facing three enemies at the same time. As the adrenaline rushes through your veines you kill one of the attackers with your spear. But then the other enemies attack you...
  
  > Duck!
  You duck and the enemies' spears slice through thin air. When you prepare for another attack, your opponents haven't had the time to prepare themselves to defend your assault. You quickly dispatch of one of the soldiers by plunging your spear into his heart. The second one puts up more of a fight. He blocks every trust you make with your spear and vice versa. Eventually you see signs of fatigue across the face of your attacker. With a quick feint you manage to mislead your opponent and you manage to kill him with a single blow to his head.
  
  Panting, you look at the rest of the battlefield. You see your fellow defenders fighting with the courage and strength of mountain lions, but they are clearly outnumbered. To your right you see the lion-hearted Polymachos defending against an attack by multiple opponents and to your left you see a couple of Athenian soldiers who are being slaughtered by the Spartan attackers.
  
  As you are about to lose all hope of winning this fight a huge soldiers comes into your view, wielding a large sword. As you watch him you think you recognize a highly decorated Spartan general named Dusmenecles, but then again, it is hard to recognize people who's faces are covered by bronze helmets. Unfortunately for you, the enemy general is heading straight to wards you.
  
  Seeing no other option, you storm the enemy general with your spear. But before you manage to hit him, he slices through your spear with his sword. Shocked by this turn of events you stand frozen to the ground as Dusmenecles raises his sword for the final blow...
  
  > block his sword with your shield
  Just as the enemy is about to hit you, you raise your shield. But instead of being stopped by the wooden object, the sharp sword of Dusmenecles cleaves right through it, shattering it. This, however, isn't even the worse part. After dealing with your shield the sword carries on with it's swing and slices through your shoulder.
  
  You fail to move as Dusmenecles, sacker of cities, thrusts his sword into your belly. You fall to the ground, bleeding from your mortal wounds.
  
  As the life flows out of you you see a flash of golden light entering your field of vision. As you slowly bleed to death you wonder if all this fighting could have been prevented. The last thing you hear before your soul leaves your body to travel on to the realm of Hades is the evil laughter of Dusmenecles as he claims his next victim.