The central cavern was dead quiet except for the crackle of the bonfire.
Ten Sea Raiders stood behind their Boss with round shields locked and throwing axes ready. In the middle, the Boss grinned through his matted beard, his double-bitted battle axe resting on his shoulder.
Scout Officer Mara stared at the Boss's Sturgian scale armor. Scale armor was heavy, overlapping iron plates designed to turn away sword edges and arrows. Against an opponent that big, a duel was a serious gamble.
Before Mara could speak, Garek stepped forward.
"I'll handle this sea dog," Garek said, drawing his broadsword and unslung his heavy kite shield. He glanced back at Jade and Mataranas with a sneer. "Watch how real Golden Boar veterans fight. Leave the heavy lifting to men who didn't grow up shoveling manure."
Numerius rolled his eyes. "Be my guest, scarface. Don't trip over your ego."
Garek ignored him and walked into the open space near the bonfire. He raised his broadsword and slammed it against his kite shield. "Come on then, raider. Let's see if your axe is as big as your mouth."
The Boss laughed, a low, guttural sound. He stepped out from his line, gripping his double-bitted axe with both hands.
Garek moved in fast. He feinted high with his shield, then drove a fast thrust straight at the Boss's chest.
Clang!
The broadhead sword tip struck the Boss's scale armor, but the iron plates deflected the blade with barely a scratch. Garek quickly slashed at the Boss's thigh, but again, the iron scales turned the edge away.
"Is that all?" the Boss boomed.
The Boss swung his battle axe in a brutal horizontal arc. Garek raised his kite shield to block.
Thwack!
The impact was deafening. The heavy battle axe smashed into the top rim of Garek's kite shield, splitting the wood straight down the middle. The force of the strike drove Garek onto one knee, the shock dislocating his left shoulder with a sharp crack.
Garek yelled in pain, his shield arm going limp.
Before Garek could recover, the Boss kicked him square in the chest. Garek flew backward, crashing hard onto the stone floor, his broadsword clattering out of his grip.
The Boss stepped over him, raising his double-bitted axe high with both hands. "Weak," the Boss sneered, aiming for Garek's neck. "Just like the women in the cage."
Garek stared up at the descending axe, his eyes wide with horror. He couldn't raise his broken shield. He couldn't reach his sword.
SLAM!
A heavy cavalry shield slammed into the Boss's side like a charging bull. The sheer impact knocked the Boss off balance, his axe missing Garek's head by inches and embedding itself in the stone floor with a crack.
[+1 Shield]
Mataranas stood over Garek, his boots planted wide, his metal-rimmed cavalry shield raised.
"Get him back," Mataranas said softly without taking his eyes off the Boss.
Two Golden Boar veterans sprinted forward, grabbing Garek by his armor straps and dragging him back toward their line. Garek clutched his dislocated shoulder, staring at Mataranas in shock. He had just been seconds from execution.
Behind the Boss, the ten Sea Raiders yelled in rage at the interruption.
"Interference!" one of the raiders shouted, raising his hatchet. "Their champion lost! Kill them all!"
The raiders took a step forward, weapons raised to charge.
The Boss spat blood onto the stone floor and thrust his arm out, shouting his men down. "Back off, you fools!"
The Boss glared at Mataranas, his scarred face twisting into a cruel, arrogant grin. "You saved your friend, farm boy. But you just bought yourself a grave."
Mataranas didn't blink. He adjusted his grip on his heavy cavalry shield and raised his iron flange mace.
"I'm next," Mataranas said simply.
The Boss laughed, a harsh, grating sound. He unslung a heavy throwing javelin from his shoulder. "Arrogant trash. Fine!"
Without warning, the Boss hurled the heavy throwing javelin point-blank.
Thwack!
The javelin slammed straight into Mataranas's cavalry shield, the iron tip punching through the wood and stopping inches from Matty's chest. The force nearly knocked Matty off his feet, his boots skidding across the wet stone.
[+1 Shield]
Before Matty could reset his stance, the Boss closed the distance, swinging his double-bitted battle axe in a heavy overhead chop.
Matty braced his shield with both hands, taking the blow directly. The impact echoed through the cavern like a thunderclap. The wood of Matty's shield groaned, splinters flying as the axe bit deep into the top rim. Matty's knees buckled under the immense weight, his arms trembling as he barely held the shield up.
-12 Health
The ten Sea Raiders cheered, banging their axes against their shields. Mara and the Golden Boar veterans winced, their hands tightening on their sword hilts.
Seeing Matty take the heavy hit and buckle under the axe, Numerius's eyes went wide. His temper flared, and he raised his heavy iron-banded mace, taking a hard step forward to charge into the ring and help.
"I'm going in!" Numerius grunted, raising his mace.
Before Numerius could surge forward, Jade grabbed his upper arm, yanking him back into line with a firm grip.
"Hold on, Num!" Jade whispered harshly, pulling him back. "Look at them!"
Jade nodded his chin toward the ten Sea Raiders behind the Boss. The raiders were watching Numerius intently, their knuckles white on their axe handles, their eyes locked on him.
"You step across that line," Jade warned in a low, sharp tone, "and the duel is over. All ten of them charge at once, and it turns into a full-on brawl in the open. Trust Matty."
Numerius looked at the ten raiders ready to pounce, then down at Matty. He cursed under his breath, lowering his mace slightly, but stayed in line.
The Boss laughed, pressing his weight down onto the axe, trying to crush Matty beneath it. "You think a wooden board can save you, farm boy?"
Matty gritted his teeth, his Endurance stat keeping him grounded. Instead of trying to push back against the Boss's overwhelming physical strength, Matty twisted his shield sideways and stepped to the left, letting the axe blade slide off the metal rim.
The Boss overextended, his heavy axe chopping deep into the cavern floor with a loud crack.
Mataranas seized the second. He drew his iron flange mace and drove the blunt head straight into the Boss's exposed ribs.
CRUNCH!
The flange mace didn't need to cut scale armor. The blunt impact smashed through the iron plates, breaking two of the Boss's ribs beneath.
[+1 One-Handed]
The Boss grunted in pain, but he didn't fall. Enraged, the Boss dropped his wedged axe, lunged forward, and tackled Matty around the waist.
Both heavy men crashed onto the stone floor, their weapons clattering away across the cave. The duel instantly devolved into a desperate, barehanded brawl.
The Boss scrambled up first, grabbing Matty by his padded vest and slamming his iron helmet forehead straight into Matty's face.
CRACK!
Blood spurted from Matty's nose, the sheer force knocking Matty backward onto his knees in the dirt.
-10 Health
The Boss stood over him, grinning through his blood-matted beard. He raised his heavy iron-gauntleted fist to rain down finishing blows on Matty's head.
Kneeling in the dirt with blood dripping from his nose, Matty's vision blurred for a split second. But as he looked up at the Boss's hips, his real-world muscle memory took over. He was not only a Level 4 peasant in Calradia, he was a 230-pound starting college linebacker.
Matty locked his eyes straight on the Boss's center of gravity.
Instead of trying to throw a weak barehanded punch from his knees, Matty braced his boots against the wet stone floor, coiled his legs like steel springs, and exploded upward from the kneeling position.
[Athletics High Impact]
Matty drove his left shoulder straight into the Boss's stomach below the scale armor line, wrapping both thick arms tight behind the Boss's knees in a textbook linebacker tackle.
The sheer explosive power of the drive lifted the 250-pound scale-armored raider completely off his feet.
Matty drove his legs forward, driving the Boss backward and slamming him headfirst onto the hard stone cavern floor with massive force.
SNAP!
A horrific, sickening crack echoed through the entire cavern as the Boss's neck snapped backward against the solid rock face upon impact.
The Boss went instantly limp. His body twitched once, his eyes rolling back into his head, and then lay completely still on the stone floor.
Silence fell over the central cavern.
[Enemy Leader Defeated: Sea Raider Boss]
[+150 XP]
Mataranas stood up slowly from the stone floor, breathing heavily and wiping blood from his broken nose with the back of his hand. His health bar was down twenty-two points, but he was standing.
Garek sat against the wall, staring at the dead Boss with his mouth hanging open. He had never seen a man get tackled from his knees and killed by a broken neck on solid rock.
Suddenly, one of the Sea Raiders yelled in rage. "Kill them! Kill them all!"
The ten remaining Sea Raiders broke their word, raising their hatchets and charging across the cavern.
"They're breaking the deal!" Jade shouted, drawing his short spear. "Archers, loose!"
From behind the archway, Yuzon stepped out with his hunting bow. He drew and released in less than two seconds.
Thwack!
The arrow caught the leading raider straight through the throat.
[+1 Bow]
"Charge!" Scout Officer Mara bellowed, her sword out.
Mara and the Golden Boar veterans hit the raider line alongside Jade and Numerius.
Jade used his short spear's reach to thrust past a round shield, catching a raider in the chest.
[+1 Polearm]
Numerius lunged in with his iron-banded mace, swinging it like a sledgehammer and smashing a raider's wooden shield into splinters.
[+1 One-Handed]
Without their Boss and caught in a two-front push between Yuzon's arrows and the team's shield wall, the remaining raiders collapsed. Within two minutes, the last Sea Raider fell to the cavern floor.
The central cavern was secure.
[Quest Complete: Clear the Coastal Hideout]
[+300 XP]
[Level Up Available]
Jade wiped blood off his short spear and sheathed it. He walked back toward the side chamber where Nathaniel was crouched near the cage.
Nathaniel was sitting on the floor, handing a wooden cup of water through the iron bars to the youngest captive. The women were still terrified and weak, but they were drinking.
"It's over," Jade said softly, stepping into the room. "The cave is clear."
Nathaniel let out a long breath, his hands shaking as he set the water bucket down. "Good. Let's get these bars open and get them out of here."
Back in the main room, the Golden Boar veterans were stacking the looted weapons and searching the supply crates.
Garek sat near the bonfire while a healer set his dislocated shoulder back into place with a sharp pop. Garek winced, sweating heavily, then looked up as Mataranas walked past to wipe blood off his face.
Garek stayed quiet for a moment, then called out.
"Hey. Mataranas."
Matty stopped, turning his head.
Garek looked down at the floor, then back at Matty. His arrogant attitude was completely gone.
"I owe you my life," Garek said, his voice rough and sincere. "If you hadn't tackled that monster, my head would be rolling in the dirt right now. I was wrong about you boys. You're real fighters."
Mataranas looked at him for a second, wiping his nose, then gave a single, quiet nod. "Just keep your shield up next time."
Numerius grinned, clapping Matty on the shoulder. "Told you, scarface. The Calamity Squad doesn't break."
Mara walked over to Jade, a heavy leather sack of silver coins in her hand.
"Good work, Commander Jade," Mara said, offering a rare, genuine smile. "We found sixty silver denars in the Boss's iron chest, plus thirty broadhead arrows and four chainmail vests. Your ten percent squad share is six denars cash, plus two chainmail vests."
Jade accepted the silver pouch.
[Party Finances Updated]
[+6 Denars Squad Loot Share]
[+2 Chainmail Vests Acquired]
Jade looked back at his four friends. They had cleared the hideout, saved the captives, earned the respect of the Golden Boar veterans, and leveled up again.
"Let's get these women up to the horses," Jade said, slinging his round shield. "Our contract here is done."