The second day started with screaming.
Jade jerked awake from his half-sleep to the sound of war cries outside, raiders beating their weapons against shields in a rhythmic cacophony that echoed through the keep
"They're forming up!" the lookout at the arrow slit shouted
Everyone scrambled to their feet, grabbing weapons with shaking hands, the brief rest had done little to ease the exhaustion or fear
Jade's whole body ached, the bruise on his chest had turned a deep purple and every movement sent spikes of pain through his ribs
Around him militia members were in similar states, some worse, bandages soaked through with blood, faces gray from blood loss and shock
But there was no choice except to stand and fight.
Captain Aldric was already at the entrance, his soldiers forming the defensive line, there were only twelve of them left now, three had died in the night from their wounds
"Militia behind them! Be ready to fill gaps!"
Jade's crew moved into position, all of them running on pure adrenaline now, Yuzon had no bow anymore so he'd scrounged a short sword from a dead militiaman, the blade was chipped but sharp enough
Numerius gripped his club with white knuckles, the wrap on his head wound already spotted with fresh blood
Mataranas held his battered shield ready despite his injured arm, his face set in grim determination
Nathaniel stood among them trembling but present, his sword held in a shaky grip
"Stay close," Jade said to them, his voice hoarse from smoke and shouting, "we get separated and we're dead"
They nodded, forming a tight cluster behind Aldric's soldiers.
The rhythmic banging outside suddenly stopped.
Silence, so complete Jade could hear his own heartbeat pounding in his ears, could hear Nathaniel's rapid breathing beside him, could hear someone in the back of the hall praying in a whispered litany
Then the roar came, a hundred voices screaming as the raiders charged the keep entrance
The first wave hit the doorway like a battering ram, raiders trying to force through the narrow opening where Aldric's soldiers held firm
Steel clashed on steel, the sound deafening in the confined space, sparks flying where blades met, blood spraying as the soldiers cut down the first attackers but more pushed through immediately, stepping over their fallen comrades without hesitation
"Hold the line!" Aldric roared, his sword taking a raider in the chest, the man went down gurgling and another took his place instantly
The pressure was immense, Jade could see the soldiers being pushed backward despite their training and armor, sheer numbers overwhelming skill
A raider with a spear thrust through the gap between two soldiers, catching one in the leg, the soldier screamed and his stance wavered
"Hold!" Aldric grabbed the wounded man's shoulder, keeping him upright
But there were so many of them, pressing forward with sheer numbers, trampling their own dead to reach the defenders, the entrance was becoming clogged with bodies but still they came
A gap opened on the left as the wounded soldier finally collapsed, his leg giving out completely, blood pooling beneath him as he clutched at the spear still embedded in his thigh
"Fill it!" Torvald bellowed from somewhere behind Aldric
Three militia members rushed forward, younger guys from another village, Jade didn't know their names
The raiders were already pouring through the gap.
One of them, Level 7 Raider with an axe and shield, cut down the first two militiamen like they were nothing, his axe cleaving through a raised sword and into the man's shoulder, the militiaman dropped with a scream
The third militiaman managed to block but the raider's strength was too much, he was forced backward and another raider stabbed him from the side
Torvald himself engaged the Level 7, his movements precise despite his age, his sword finding the gaps in the raider's guard, they exchanged blows for several seconds before Torvald feinted high and went low, his blade catching the raider's knee
The man went down and Torvald finished him with a thrust to the throat.
But the gap was wider now, more raiders flooding through, the defensive line buckling
The entrance hall was descending into chaos, the clean line of soldiers becoming a sprawling melee as raiders broke through in multiple places
Jade found himself in the thick of it, his spear thrusting at targets that appeared and disappeared in the press of bodies
He caught a raider in the arm, pulled back, thrust again and missed as the man dodged, Numerius came in from the side with his club and caved in the raider's skull with a sickening crunch
"Thanks!" Jade shouted over the din
Numerius didn't respond, already turning to face another attacker
Beside them Mataranas had locked shields with a Level 6 Raider, both men pushing against each other with all their strength, the raider was bigger but Mataranas's Athletics and Endurance were keeping him in the fight
The raider tried to hook Mataranas's shield with his axe but Mat twisted at the last second, using his shield boss to strike the man's face, the raider staggered and Yuzon darted in with his borrowed sword, slashing across the man's exposed side
The raider went down clutching his ribs.
Yuzon's face was pale but focused, his Tactics skill probably helping him find openings even without his bow
Nathaniel was behind them trying to stay out of direct combat but still thrust his sword when openings appeared, his movements jerky and unpracticed but at least he was moving this time
Not frozen like before.
"We can't hold!" one of Aldric's soldiers shouted, blood pouring from a cut on his face, his helmet gone somewhere in the chaos
He was right, the raiders were flooding in now, too many bodies crammed into the entrance hall, the defenders being pushed back toward the interior of the keep despite everything
Jade's UI was pinging constantly with damage notifications, small cuts and bruises accumulating, his health was down to 54% and dropping
Around him militia members were falling, some dead, some wounded and crawling backward trying to escape the melee
The floor was slick with blood, making footing treacherous.
"Fighting retreat!" Aldric commanded, his voice cutting through the chaos, "Fall back to the inner chambers! Maintain formation!"
Easier said than done.
The militia started moving backward, still fighting, trying to maintain some kind of formation but it was chaos, everyone bumping into each other, weapons getting tangled, raiders pressing the advantage
Jade saw Torvald cut down another raider, the old trainer's sword work was brutal and efficient, decades of experience showing in every movement
They were maybe halfway across the hall, backing toward the doorway that led deeper into the keep, when disaster struck.
A massive raider burst through the press of bodies near the entrance, easily the biggest man Jade had seen, standing maybe six and a half feet tall with shoulders like a bull
He was wearing actual chainmail under a fur cloak, his helmet decorated with horns, and he wielded a two-handed axe that looked like it could split a tree trunk
Sturgian Warlord - Level 10
The notification flashed red in Jade's vision.
The warlord didn't hesitate, didn't slow down, just charged straight into the middle of their group with a roar that shook the walls
His axe swung in a wide horizontal arc, forcing everyone to scatter or die
Jade dove left, his spear clattering away as he hit the ground hard
Numerius went right, barely avoiding the axe blade that passed inches from his head
Mataranas tried to block, raising his shield, but the blow was too powerful, the axe smashed through the shield's edge and sent Mataranas sprawling backward, his shield arm hanging limp
The formation shattered completely.
Militia members scattered in all directions, the organized retreat dissolving into panicked flight
The warlord stood in the center of it all, turning slowly, looking for his next target
Nathaniel was directly in his path.
He'd been trying to follow the others when the warlord charged through, now he was isolated, cut off from the group by ten feet of blood-slick stone
Nathaniel's eyes went wide, he tried to back away but his foot caught on a body, one of the fallen militiamen, and he stumbled
His arms windmilled trying to catch balance but it was no use, he went down hard on the stones, his sword clattering from his grip and sliding away across the floor
The warlord saw him fall.
A grin split the big man's scarred face, he started forward, raising his massive axe above his head with both hands
Time seemed to slow down, like the world had shifted into that moment
Nathaniel on the ground, scrambling backward on his hands and feet, eyes locked on the axe above him
The massive blade at the top of its arc, beginning to descend, sunlight from the arrow slits catching the edge and making it gleam
Jade was too far away, at least fifteen feet, his spear was gone and even if he had it there was no way to close the distance in time
Numerius was on the other side of the warlord, trying to circle around but he'd never make it
Mataranas was down, clutching his broken arm
Yuzon was engaged with another raider, couldn't disengage
The axe was falling.
Nathaniel's mouth opened, maybe to scream, maybe to say something, but no sound came out
Just terror frozen on his face.
Jade's legs were moving before his brain caught up, running, knowing he wouldn't make it but unable to do anything else
"NATHANIEL!" Jade screamed, his voice raw and desperate
The axe came down-