In the mountains, an ancient castle perched atop a hill. Its weathered walls spoke of its age, while its thick fortifications showcased its strength.
Dozens of black-clad Hashashin cultists patrolled the battlements, their eyes scanning the surroundings with vigilance. Inside the castle, black-clad craftsmen were busy assembling something, seemingly preparing for an upcoming event.
In the castle's dungeon, the air was foul and damp, with water droplets constantly dripping from the damp corners. The torches hanging around barely illuminated the entrance steps, while the rest of the rooms seemed swallowed by a beast named darkness, being digested in silence.
Facing the prison bars, Bai Mao sat calmly on the ground, as if she were in a tranquil temple rather than a pitch-black dungeon. The passage of time meant nothing to her, and the harsh environment could not disturb her thoughts.
"Creak," the old wooden door opened, and a sudden gust of wind blew the torches into a flutter. A long, dark shadow gradually appeared on the steps.
The shadow, like a wriggling black snake, moved slowly yet silently. Light illuminated its legs, while darkness dragged its face into the abyss.
Ibrahim looked at the calm Bai Mao and croaked, "Our attack failed. The Knights are on their way. We need your power now."
Bai Mao remained unmoved, as if a bug had just passed before her.
"Countless of our people died at the hands of those white demons just seven days ago, and you're still sitting here doing nothing," Ibrahim couldn't contain his anger and shouted hysterically.
"It was you who dragged them into hell. My 'leader'," the dark stone room echoed with a voice that carried an indescribable sarcasm on the word "leader."
Ibrahim slammed the bars hard, causing dust to fall from the ceiling, but Bai Mao still ignored him.
"Abar is dead! Don't you want to avenge him?" Ibrahim revealed a maniacal smile, a sinister grin that struck the most sensitive nerves of the person across from him.
Bai Mao finally opened her eyes. Even in the darkness, her eyes, as bright as stars, blazed with anger. She sprang up like a cheetah, her speed unmatched by the bursting wind. Her nimble right hand, like a hunting hawk, seized the black, rough throat.
"You scum! Don't think I don't know what you've been up to all these years. I've tolerated you a hundred times over because you're one of my few remaining kin! And you! You actually incited my brother for your revenge!" Her slender arm exerted terrifying strength, and the burly Ibrahim instantly choked, his body struggling for survival, but a saint-like, grotesque smile appeared on his face.
"You goddamn bastard!!!" With a loud crash, the massive body was thrown to the ground. Ibrahim, gasping for breath and coughing wildly, clutched his throat.
"Why... didn't... you... kill me!" He glared at Bai Mao with eyes full of hatred. "Why didn't you kill me and lead our people to revenge?"
Watching Bai Mao turn and disappear into the darkness, Ibrahim clung to the bars and roared, "You coward! I'll show you. I can avenge us without you!"
The old wooden door slammed shut, and silence once again enveloped the dark cell.
After a long while.
"Abar." A crisp tear fell onto the stone slab. "My brother..."
A few days later, a long line of people slowly entered the mountains. The mercenaries, joking and making lewd comments, had sharp eyes scanning the surroundings. The well-equipped white-clad warriors followed closely behind, their sharp spears gleaming in the sunlight.
The mighty knights rode their tall horses, occasionally praying for the Lord's protection. Behind them were vast supplies and numerous servants, with a group of nomadic cavalry guarding the rear.
As the procession moved forward, Rivaul Castle gradually came into view in the distance.
A mercenary, still discussing the tavern's dancing girls with his companion, was suddenly struck by a crossbow bolt and knocked to the ground.
"Enemy attack!" The mercenaries, realizing what was happening, quickly drew their weapons and formed a circle with their shields.
"Whoop whoop whoop" The urgent horn call summoned the scouts from the rear of the line. These nomadic mercenaries, with cruel grins, saw another easy kill, another 5 silver denarii.
In the middle of the procession, the Grand Master looked at the halted troops and complained irritably to the knights beside him, "These mountain rats, always using this tactic to slow us down."
Everard, beside him, tried to comfort him, "Your Excellency, our strength is overwhelming. A few losses mean nothing to us. And..."
Everard turned and looked at Otto in the crowd, praising slightly, "Thanks to Knight Otto, we have plenty of water and don't have to worry about the mountain rats' harassment."
Hearing this, the originally displeased Grand Master also smiled and said to Otto, "Knight Otto, your contribution will be rewarded after the battle." Otto bowed slightly in humility.
As the scouts brought back a bloody head, the massive procession moved forward again, gradually closing the distance to Rivaul Castle as the sun began to set.
Finally, before sunset, the procession reached the pre-scouted clearing at the foot of Rivaul Castle. The boiling human voices shattered the ancient silence of the mountains, and thousands of white-clad soldiers were methodically setting up camp.
The Grand Master and some knights stood at the foot of the mountain, observing Rivaul Castle on the hilltop. A scout was reporting, "Rivaul Castle is surrounded by four irregular walls protecting the central keep. The north wall, backed by a cliff, is the widest, about 40 meters long. The south wall, facing the mountain path, is less than 20 meters wide. The side walls are about 30 meters each. There are six hastily built watchtowers on the walls. Apart from that, there are no other defensive structures on the walls."
The Grand Master waved his hand to dismiss the scout and turned to discuss with the other knights, "This castle, though ancient, is strategically located, backed by a cliff with only the mountain path to the south. But fortunately, there are no other fortifications. Tonight, everyone should rest well. Tomorrow morning, we will take this castle! We will slaughter every last one of those scum." Everyone cheered in agreement.
As night fell, the camp was no longer as noisy as during the day. Only the patrolling soldiers occasionally made faint noises.
Dozens of dark figures slid down from the castle on ropes and disappeared into the vast darkness.
On duty, Otto and Everard sat in a tent. The fire in the middle of the tent crackled incessantly. Everard stirred the fire with a stick and said boredly, "So, how's this trip going?"
Otto replied calmly, "Nothing special, just fighting. Seen it all before." But for some reason, he thought of the crying Adile and said with a hint of worry, "What will happen to those refugees?"
"Ah, those infidel refugees?" Everard stirred the fire, making it roar: "According to the Order's custom, either sell them as slaves or let them fend for themselves."
"How could..." Otto's voice carried a hint of disbelief, "The Order is supposed to save the innocent, right?"
"That's for our Lord's believers. It's already mercy that we don't take their lives immediately," Everard said with a hint of amusement, looking at Otto, "What? Knight Otto, are you getting soft?"
"Of course not," Otto's eyes flashed with the image of his wife. "I just hope to atone soon."
After a long silence, Otto slowly said, "If possible, could you help me buy these people? Norn's estate needs laborers."
"Norn, of course, no problem," Everard thought of the "cute" little boy and couldn't stop laughing.
"Speaking of Norn, it's about time," Everard slapped his head, took out a large scroll from beside his feet, and walked out.
In a moment, whistling white dots flew into the sky. Amidst the continuous popping sounds, the sky was dyed with a rosy hue. One moment a chrysanthemum bloomed, the next stars twinkled.
"Even though I've seen it many times, I still think this is truly a masterpiece given to us by the Lord!" Everard gazed at the sky in a trance.
"Yeah! Norn is a good kid!" Otto also looked at the brilliant fireworks in the sky and praised non-stop.
After a while, the fireworks dissipated, and a soldier came to report, "Sir, we just spotted a group of Hashashin. They've been driven back by our arrows."
"Good," Everard waved his hand excitedly and said to Otto, "It looks like we can get a good night's sleep."
On the castle wall, Ibrahim stared at the long-gone fireworks in silence. He looked down at the soldiers who had fled back, and a sense of helplessness seized his heart.
The night passed with the occasional sound of fireworks. The next morning, the quiet camp came to life again. The well-rested soldiers, who had spent the day repairing their weapons, were in high spirits. Wisps of smoke rose continuously, signaling the last calm before the storm.
The horn sounded, and the soldiers marched out in rows. Dozens of phalanxes gradually approached the castle.
Grand Master Odod sat on his horse, constantly observing the castle. But the ancient castle seemed deserted. He gave up on observing and signaled the attendant beside him to start the attack as planned.
More than 50 mercenaries straggled out of the formation. For the reward of 1 gold nomisma each and an additional 5 gold nomisma for the first one to climb the wall, they would launch a probing attack. Under the leadership of their respective captains, the mercenaries, each holding a variety of shields and carrying ladders, slowly approached the castle wall.
At a hundred paces, there was no movement on the castle wall.
At seventy paces, the castle wall was still empty.
When they reached fifty paces, the mercenaries were still relieved that they could easily earn the gold nomisma when suddenly a large group of black-clad figures appeared on the castle wall.
The ancient Rivaul Castle finally revealed its ferocious fangs.
Countless arrows and crossbow bolts flew like locusts towards the mercenaries. Several mercenaries were nailed to the ground by arrows flying from the side, moaning in pain. The rest were pinned down by the dense rain of arrows, only able to squat half-way and pray that the arrows wouldn't find them.
The heavy crossbow bolts screamed death. A few thin shields couldn't withstand the assault and shattered in a few hits, taking their owners with them and tearing them to pieces.
"Close ranks! Close ranks!" Finally, a mercenary captain gave the order. "Form a shield wall, or we'll all die here today!"
The mercenaries quickly gathered around, forming a makeshift shield wall with dozens of shields of various sizes around the ladders, and stumbled towards the castle wall. Every few steps, someone would be taken down by an arrow that pierced through the gaps. But even so, the shield wall still protected most of the people.
Behind the castle wall, a dozen dark dots traced a deadly arc across the sky and smashed into the mercenaries' heads. The fragile clay pots burst instantly, splashing black liquid onto the shields.
"Oil!" Before the mercenaries could scatter, several fire arrows ignited the crowd. The massive flames instantly enveloped most of the people.
"Ah!" A dozen mercenaries in the center of the flames screamed in agony. The intense pain made them run and struggle, but even as they collapsed weakly to the ground, the flames of death still savagely gnawed at their flesh.
The mercenaries' already taut nerves couldn't withstand the assault of the flames and they scattered and fled back.
Odod ignored the mercenaries' miserable state and signaled the attendant to start the next round of the attack.
The mighty horn sounded again, and the blue signal flag waved a few times.
In front of the phalanx, a Templar Knight who had finished praying raised his sword high and rallied his soldiers, "My brothers! Those shameless infidels think their assassinations can make us submit! But they are wrong! Today we will use their blood to witness our loyalty! In the name of the Lord!"
"In the name of the Lord!" the crowd roared in response.
The phalanx moved forward slowly under the knight's lead. Unlike the mercenaries' rudimentary equipment, the Order's soldiers were well-armored. The tall tower shields covered the warriors' bodies tightly, and only a few arrows could pierce through the gaps. But the soldiers' excellent chainmail and padded armor effectively neutralized the arrows' force. The unconcerned warriors simply grunted, pulled out the arrows, and continued to fight.
The heavy phalanx, like a thick-skinned wild boar, ignored the harassment of the arrows and moved forward steadily until it was 70 paces away from the castle.
A grating sound of a winch, the massive bow arm was pulled into a huge arc, a crossbow bolt as long as a spear was placed in the slot, the sharp arrowhead pointed at the phalanx.
The heavy hammer struck down, the giant ballista arrow screamed death, the thick tower shields were pierced like paper, the unstoppable ballista arrow penetrated three soldiers before finally stopping. The originally tight phalanx was torn apart, and the arrows and crossbow bolts, like bloodthirsty horseflies, crazily seized the opportunity to feast on the soldiers' flesh and blood.
"Spread out! Soldiers!" The leading knight, ignoring the arrow in his left shoulder, shouted at his soldiers while holding his shield.
The surviving soldiers scattered, and another ballista arrow screamed towards them. The massive kinetic energy directly severed a soldier in half, splattering blood and entrails everywhere.
"Whoop whoop whoop" The urgent retreat horn sound liberated the soldiers who were still struggling. They raised their shields high, covering their surviving companions as they retreated.
Grand Master Odod's face finally turned somewhat stern. He stared at the battlefield filled with moans.
"Pass the order down, rest for five days. The next time we attack, leave no grass standing."