"The Green Knight!"
"The Green Knight, the Green Knight has come to support us!"
The Green Knight, the champion of the Lady of the Lake and the most outstanding fighter among her warriors, is the protector of the holy lands.
His origins could fill countless myths. Many believe he is the incarnation of the eight virtues of knighthood, while others think he's the spirit of a legendary Grail Knight who has passed away.
All that is known for sure is that thirty years after the founding of Bretonnia, the Green Knight began appearing across the kingdom's lands, tirelessly guarding the shrines and holy places of the Lady of the Lake. He moves through forests, appears by springs and waterfalls, slaying any who dare desecrate these sacred grounds. With his sword ablaze with righteous fury, he cleaves the heads of enemies, only to vanish quietly amongst ancient trees once peace is restored.
Moreover, he serves as the Grandmaster of the Grail Knights, presenting challenges to knights in their quest for the Grail. Sometimes, knights on their quest encounter the Green Knight without warning, facing challenges that could lead to their demise if they fail.
"Advance! Soldiers, do not fear the darkness; I will fight alongside you!" The typically silent Green Knight suddenly spoke up. Clad in green armor covered with ivy, his green steed and sword glowing brightly, he raised his hooves high under everyone's gaze: "Forward! For the Lady!"
"Forward! For the Lady!" The morale of the Bordelaux army surged. The Green Knight led the charge, unaffected by any vampire attack. His blade, the Sword of Sorrow, swung up and down, swiftly slaying two bloodthirsty direwolves, greatly relieving the pressure on the knights of the sea god. Inspired, they pushed the vampire army back in a fierce charge.
Bodrick finally caught his breath, drawing his sword and leading the sea god knights in a counter-charge. No undead could withstand a single blow from the Green Knight, who broke through their ranks alone.
A blood knight spotted the Green Knight and charged at him with a lance filled with corrupt energy.
"The Sword of Sorrow." No ordinary weapon could harm the Green Knight. Many spears passed through him without effect. Facing the charging blood knight, the Green Knight raised his dark green blade.
The sword glowed blindingly bright, the blood knight's lance pierced through the Green Knight's body, but his sword sliced through the blood knight, beheading him in a swift motion.
Continuing his charge, the Green Knight claimed several blood knights' lives, heading straight for the enemy's leader, the Red Duke.
"The Green Knight!" The Red Duke saw him charging directly.
Memories of the past resurfaced; as the Duke of Aquitaine, he had heard legends of the Green Knight. Fear crept into the Red Duke's heart. He drew the ancestral sword of the Duke of Aquitaine for a direct confrontation.
When their swords clashed, the vampire center lit up as if it were daylight, blinding nearby undead. The weaker zombies were completely purified.
After the clash, the Green Knight's steed carried him through the center, then vanished into the mist with a flash of green light.
"Hmph!" The Red Duke scoffed, noticing a crack in his armor from the injury.
"Advance! For Manann! For Bordelaux!" As soon as the Green Knight vanished, Bodrick and the sea god knights followed, causing the vampire army to collapse. The Red Duke, sensing a significant threat, reluctantly ordered his blood knights to hold the line.
"Ah!" Bodrick, fueled by rage, raised his golden trident of the sea god, piercing a direwolf's mouth. The power of the sea god erupted, shattering the direwolf's head in a shower of blood. Hundreds of sea god knights and thousands from the ranger knight order charged, driving the vampires back. The Red Duke, nursing his wound, ordered a temporary retreat.
Horses neighed, knights shouted, and the undead ranks were thrown into disarray by the Green Knight, crumbling under the charge of the sea god knights. The undead lost control and dissipated into a mist of blood, leaving the zombie legions and grave guard completely vanquished.
After breaking through two enemy lines, Bodrick, seeing the situation turn in their favor, led the knights back to the castle.
"The castle is held." Back inside, Bodrick's expression finally eased: "Tomorrow, Francois will arrive."
"Yes, my duke, thanks to the Lady, thanks to Manann," Sir Holf, his deputy, covered in blood, his cloak torn in many places.
"No, it's all thanks to the Green Knight," Bodrick shook his head with a sigh: "Without his aid, I might have... You know, Holf, I truly wish to embark on the Grail quest right now."
"My duke, Bordelaux cannot spare your wise leadership."
"I know... Rest now, I am tired."
"Yes."
After Holf left, Bodrick looked up at a painting on the wall behind him.
It depicted the first Duke of Bordelaux, Marcus, dueling with the Champion of Chaos, Sven, atop a great tower. The first Grail Knight, Marcus, bravely fought with his sword against the Chaos Champion.
The strength of his ancestor made Bodrick stronger, his will firmer.
If my ancestor could become a Grail Knight, so can I.
...
The next day at noon, Francois arrived with reinforcements, easing the pressure on Duke Bodrick. Bodrick personally led the sea god knights out of the castle to welcome the reinforcements.
After a brief rest, by evening, Francois and Bodrick met on the castle walls.
Looking at the undead army outside the castle, despite a night of battle, their numbers seemed unchanged. Standing on the tall walls, the bloodstains and the state of the battlefield told Francois of the fierce fight: "The vampires are relentless; we must find a way to defeat the Red Duke."
"Thank you, Francois, for coming to my aid," Bodrick, slightly revitalized after a day's rest, led the sea god knights along the wall, speaking to Francois: "But our numbers are still too few. Any movement from the other dukes?"
Francois shook his head: "Berchemond's reinforcements are still on their way. They've encountered stray undead knights and won't arrive anytime soon."
"Heh, such is our king. I bet if Tures Castle falls and I retreat to Bodlebrox, our king would finally prepare to support me." Bodrick's expression showed his age, nearly a decade older than Francois, who looked only in his thirties despite being a Grail Knight, while Bodrick appeared past forty.
"Now is not the time to discuss this, Bodrick," Francois remained calm: "The Red Duke's assault cannot last. This battle is a drain on us, but even more so on his magical powers, and..."
"Trouble, my lords!" A soldier rushed up the wall: "A new army has appeared! And two siege towers!"
"It seems the vampires' reinforcements have arrived." Francois, with his son Julius and a host of Winfort family knights in blue and white, alongside sea god knights in blue and yellow, moved along the wall to the city gates.
In the distance, hundreds of undead knights joined the vampire army, and two makeshift siege towers stood about two kilometers from the castle.
"Siege towers." Bodrick's expression turned grave as he ordered, "What are you waiting for? Use the trebuchets to destroy those towers!"
"My duke, the trebuchets don't have the range. We can't hit those towers!" the soldier responded.
"No, arrows can't damage the towers, and if they get close to the walls, we're doomed. The soldiers won't be able to hold off so many enemies." Bodrick frowned, pointing at the large group of undead knights and a squad of blood knights, "Clearly, it's a trap. If we attempt to leave the castle to destroy those siege weapons, the undead knights will surely engage us in open battle."
"The towers are too far, my duke. The trebuchets' maximum range is eight hundred meters," the soldier informed Bodrick. "We can't reach that far!"
The huge siege towers, approximately fifteen meters tall, moved slowly with the effort of dozens of zombies and grave guards. The towers' surfaces were covered with animal hides and oilcloth, clearly to protect against fire.
The two dukes agreed: "We cannot allow these things to get close to the castle."
"Dwarves, where's your heavy cannon? Bring it to me!" Francois shouted, "We need cannons!"
"Coming, coming!" Amid the strenuous efforts of a dozen men, the dwarven heavy cannon was being brought up to the walls. Dwarf engineer Dugan Ironhand, clutching his beard, said, "Here, my lord, where do you want me to aim?"
"At that siege tower! Can you hit it?" Bodrick, surprised to see a dwarf among Winfort's troops, was desperate. He pointed at the two advancing towers, trying to speak clearly, "That one! Can you make the shot?"
"Wait a minute! Wait a minute!" Dugan thought to himself about the roughness of the Bretonnian knights. He gave a thumbs-up towards the towers and squinted, "The distance is about twelve hundred meters!"
Francois and Bodrick looked at the dwarf engineer with hopeful eyes.
After ten seconds, Dugan shouted, "We can do it! Brothers, adjust the angle! Elevation thirty-seven degrees, twenty-one minutes!"
The accompanying dwarves tensely adjusted the cannon's barrel. A wooden box was opened, and a round black cast-iron cannonball was taken out by the dwarves' dirty hands and placed into the cannon.
Once everything was ready, Dugan yelled, "Fire!"
"Fire!!!" The dwarf heavy cannon let out a deep boom, the black cannonball soaring through the air with thick smoke trailing behind.
"Boom!" The right siege tower was hit at its base by the cannonball. The hastily constructed tower, made of wood and stone, exploded, sending splinters and stones flying like raindrops.
"Creak, creak~" With a massive hole blown in its base, the siege tower could no longer support the weight above or the grave guards ready to scale the walls. It emitted a twisted sound of collapse, tipping over and breaking many wooden supports before crashing down.
"Brilliant!" Bodrick, seeing the right tower shattered by the cannon, shouted joyfully.
"Of course! Dwarf craftsmanship is the best." Dwarf engineer Dugan Ironhand's face flushed with pride as he stroked his beard, ready to keep some secrets to himself.
He had actually aimed at the left tower: "Let's continue!"
"Fire!!!"
Update: This is today's second update! Please vote!
___________________
(Support with power stones, comments or reviews)
If you guys enjoy this story, In support me on Patreon and get access to +200 advance Chapters
Read Ahead
Patreon.com/INNIT