Real Mount and Blade Game

Horseshoes shattered the condensed frost and dew, and at dawn, Shen Mu's mixed cavalry force, like a cold steel blade, cut into the area surrounding New Rivadin.

The bandits brought by Eleanor had long since transformed into the most agile tentacles, scattering like ghosts into the wider shadows of the night.

The air smelled different; it was no longer the earthy smell of rotting vegetation, but a dry, scorching sensation carrying sand and decay, as if life was being rapidly dried up by an invisible oven.

As the horizon turned gray, the silhouette of a sharply defined stone castle emerged in the soft morning light.

New Rivadin, the tentacles of Deherim reaching the far east.

However, the terrain surrounding the castle caused Rezarit and Bestur to frown.

The once continuous low hills and sparse forests have been replaced by vast stretches of abruptly appearing desert.

The grayish-yellow sand and gravel spread out, mixed with weathered pebbles, and nothing grew there.

The former Sujia Village is now reduced to half ruins, stubbornly standing on the edge of the desert, while the other half has been swallowed and buried by sand dunes, silently telling the story of the terrible changes.

“The spirit world…” Rezarit’s voice was low as he surveyed the unnatural wasteland: “It is gnawing at this world, spreading and eroding like mold.”

Bestur spat, grinding his boots into the rough sand beneath his feet: "Damn it, this place! It's a struggle to even run a horse here! Bone fragments could probably crawl through here like mice."

Shen Mu remained silent and spurred his horse forward.

The group bypassed the towering walls of New Rivadin and did not enter the city directly. Instead, led by Eleanor, they headed towards a low-lying area in the northwest corner of the castle.

A massive subway station entrance collapsed into ruins, like a wound gnawed by a giant beast, exposed on the edge of the desert.

Most of the cement structure collapsed, and the steel bars were twisted and exposed, but the main framework of the entrance and some of the downward-extending steps still exist.

The weathering is severe, with huge cracks like ugly scars all over the place, and the sand is slowly but steadily trying to bury the remains of this civilization.

However, at this moment, this place is not a desolate wasteland.

Above the ruins of the subway entrance, four Khergit horse archers are riding back and forth.

Their eyes, sharp as eagles, warily scanned the undulating desert depths and the silent village ruins.

Including this subway station entrance.

Inside the entrance, one could vaguely see moving figures and the faint glow of a campfire.

Upon seeing the black heavy cavalry and the fluttering dark red flags emerging from the distant hills, the vigilant mounted archers let out short whistles.

Soon, a dozen or so bandits from the Kujit steppe, dressed in the same attire, galloped out of the subway station and quickly assembled in front of the entrance.

"Lord!" The leading squad leader, a Kujit man with a face etched with the rough marks of wind and sand, saluted Shen Mu with his hand on his chest, his voice loud and powerful.

The nineteen men behind him saluted in unison, their movements displaying the fierce and efficient style characteristic of the grassland people.

Shen Mu nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping over the elite sentries and the dark entrance to the subway station: "Is everything calm?"

"Reporting to you, sir!" The squad leader straightened his back: "Since the shift change last night, only a few wandering skeletons have been found within a five-mile radius, which have been shot and cleared out by our unit. There are no signs of large-scale disturbances in the depths of the desert or at the subway entrance. The targets warned by Lord Ellen have not yet appeared in our unit's field of vision."

“Very good.” Shen Mu’s gaze fell on the huge breach, as if he could see through to the abyss of the tunnel below.

Rezarit rode half a step closer, his gaze beneath his helmet visor filled with nostalgia and solemnity as he stared at the entrance leading underground: "This is it... the portal to that filthy lair. Last time we cleaned it, the entrance wasn't this wide open; it was more like an underground ant tunnel inside."

He pointed to the subway station entrance: "But I miss the battles with those hellish devils in the subway tunnels back then."

Bestur grinned, revealing a bloodthirsty smile, and continued, "Haha, Rezarit, I remember your shield did a great job! Those little devils that rushed out of the tunnels, apart from their sharp claws, weren't very strong! I led my men on horseback to chase them down in the tunnels and chopped them down like rabbits! One arrow, one sword, one kill! We set their corpses ablaze with torches, burning them so satisfyingly, the stench lingered for days!"

He patted the longbow on the saddlebag, "Unfortunately, the space below is still too narrow; it's not enough for a fast horse to gallop!"

Rezarit nodded steadily and added, "The most troublesome are those demonic creatures lurking in the corners. Now that this place is open... it has become an even greater hidden danger."

He didn't say the second half of his sentence explicitly, but the meaning was clear—once the subway entrance is opened up, the exposed part inside becomes more difficult to defend and easier for outsiders to spy on or attack.

Especially with the appearance of skeleton cavalry outside.

Shen Mu overheard the conversation between the two generals. Their reminiscences were not without value, clearly confirming the threatening methods of the Hell Demons—the Hell Demons' troops had to fight at extremely close range with their own troops, all using cold weapons, and they didn't possess any outstanding supernatural powers.

This judgment is based on experience and knowledge of cold weapons.

He rode his horse to the edge of the huge gap formed by the collapse of the subway station and looked down.

With the help of the faint light of dawn, one can see deeper shadows below, consisting of silted sand and broken concrete blocks.

The erosion of the rules of the spirit world has intensified the changes in the earth's terrain.

The subway entrance, which had been blocked, reopened amidst intense rule conflicts and geological changes, and is now larger than ever before, becoming an underground entrance exposed to the desert and leading to darkness.

“Here.” Shen Mu turned around, his voice as calm as a frozen lake: “We need stronger eyes and mouths. Bestur, send an additional squad of experienced Khergit horse archers. I need someone on guard here 24 hours a day.”

A fierce glint flashed in Bestur's eyes, and he pounded his chest: "Yes, sir! Those red-skinned things that dare to peek out, I'll turn them into a real pile of ashes!"

"Elean, erect a temporary watchtower on each of the east and north wings of the castle, a mixed wood and stone structure, eight meters high, and it must be erected within a day. The view must cover a large area of ​​desert." Shen Mu continued to give orders, his gaze fixed on the distant, desolate horizon of undulating sand dunes: "I want the watchtowers to be able to see the dust raised by any enemy before they even show themselves."

Hellish demons aren't just undead monsters that only come out at night; these demonic servants, clad in special skins, can also move around during the day!

"Rest assured, my lord!" Eleanor's voice had a metallic quality: "You will see the outline of the tower before sunset."

Shen Mu took one last look at the huge, dark subway station entrance.

The skeletal cavalry may come from the depths of the desert, or from some undead erosion point even deeper underground.

The chaos in the spirit world makes any place a potential passageway.

He turned his horse around, and the hooves of the sacred tree-laden steed pounded the gravel, raising a cloud of dust.

"Return to Xinriwadin. I need more detailed defense maps and survey reports of the surrounding area." The cold voice dissipated in the pre-dawn chill. Behind him, twenty bandits from the steppe bowed again, then, like the most alert hunting dogs, quickly dispersed back to their respective guard posts.

Their gazes never left the ever-expanding desert that had swallowed half the village.

On this land forcibly altered by the spirit world, a new battle may be just around the corner.

However, they all started operating as soon as Shen Mu gave the order.

Compared to before.

The defenses and capabilities of the new Rivadin have reached a new level!

……

Night fell quickly.

The heavy stone walls of New Zivadin Castle cast a deep shadow in the night, while torches hanging from the battlements crackled, their flickering light barely illuminating the bustling scene below.

Behind the city walls, there was not a desolate, iron-blooded military camp, but rather a nascent, imposing, and vibrant atmosphere.

The Swadian light infantrymen, in pairs, carried torches and patrolled along fixed routes, their chainmail creaking softly against each other.

Closer to the inner fortress, Swadian infantry were conducting nighttime drills in simple square formations. Their spears, like a forest, gleamed coldly in the firelight, and their shifting ranks carried an air of nascent power.

On the arrow tower, Vaegir guerrilla archers vigilantly scanned the darkness outside the city; higher up on the tower platform, several Vaegir archers adjusted their bowstrings.

In the sheltered spot on the city wall, the figure of the Vikya archer could be vaguely seen, silently watching the direction of the sand dunes, his eyes as sharp as an eagle's.

They are the core of the new Rivadin ranged forces under Shen Mu's control.

Behind the castle, near the inner wall, several simple yet functional workshops still had firelight burning.

The blacksmith's shop echoed with the clanging of hammers as he repaired the armor plates and weapons worn down during the day's training.

The archery workshop was filled with the smell of wood and glue.

The repair workshop deals with damaged axles and baggage parts.

The busy Swadians and Vaegir craftsmen worked silently, providing continuous power to the newly built fortress.

Ellen stood atop the main city tower on the east side, clutching a map of the surrounding defenses and a survey report drawn on rough parchment.

Shen Mu stood beside him, his face calm and expressionless in the firelight. His sharp eyes swept over the data on the desertification range and the location of the Sujia Village ruins marked on the paper, and then looked up at the huge subway station ruins that resembled the mouth of a giant beast.

“The expansion of the underground entrance has far exceeded expectations, sir,” Eleanor said, pointing to the map. “The desertification is accelerating, and the eastern side of Su Family Village has been almost completely swallowed up. The signs of the underground water veins drying up are becoming increasingly obvious. Besturga’s team has arrived, but I am worried that this open cavern… will become a fatal weakness.”

Shen Mu did not respond. His gaze passed over the city wall and fell upon the desolate desert under the night sky.

The darkness was like solidified ink, with only the mournful sound of the wind blowing across the dunes.

at this time--

Woo——woo——!
A piercing, mournful eagle whistle suddenly rang out in the northeastern night sky without warning!
Like an invisible steel needle, it pierced the tranquility of the castle in an instant!

It was the alarm signal from the patrol of experienced Khergit horse archers that Bestur had arranged that had encountered danger!
Almost instinctively, all the Vaegir archers on the city wall placed their fingers on the bowstring!

"Get on the wall!" Eleanor roared, drawing his scimitar from his waist.

Shen Mu turned around instantly and strode towards the lookout hole in the northeast direction, with Eleanor following closely behind.

Without needing further orders, the soldiers on the city wall surged toward the northeast crenellations.

The heavy footsteps and the clanging of armor mingled together.

Through the peephole, the scene that came into Shen Mu's view was cold and eerie:
About two miles away, atop a sand dune, two Khergit horse archers were whipping their mounts frantically as they raced toward the castle!

The horses' hooves left two long trails of dust in the soft sand. They were clearly the patrolmen who had sounded the alarm.

But in the shadows of the slightly lower, sandy valley behind them, something unexpected happened!

In the darkness of night, a gray fog filled the air, and at the edge of New Rivadin, it suddenly surged and splashed violently upwards like boiling water!
An arm covered in dried, rotting flesh and grayish-white in color suddenly appeared within the range of New Rivadin.

Then another one!
A broken rib pierced through the skin and was exposed to the air!
Fragments of bronze armor, so corroded that their original appearance is almost unrecognizable!
As if the plowshare of hell had mercilessly turned over the soil of buried corpses, amidst the sickening creaking of bones grinding and joints twisting, one, ten, thirty...

More than fifty grotesquely shaped skeleton warriors have entered!

They also move much faster than ordinary zombies, which are much slower.

Deep within the empty eye sockets, a single eerie green flame flickered silently, radiating a cold and tyrannical aura.

The broken scimitar, the rusty spear, and the cracked wooden shield in his hands gleamed with an ominous cold light.

However, this was only the prelude to something suffocating!
What truly chilled the hearts of all the spectators on the city walls was the figure emerging from the depths, guarding the core of the skeleton infantry!

The darkest shadows are found at the edge of the dunes.

Five exceptionally robust and tall figures burst forth from the sand, each riding a skeletal warhorse that was nothing but a massive skeleton, with wisps of death energy swirling like black smoke in the gaps between the skeletons, and ghostly green soul fire burning in its eyes!
The bones of these five knights were a dark gray color, unlike those of ordinary skeletons, with a cold metallic texture, as if they had undergone some kind of evil tempering.

What's even more striking is that they aren't covered in tattered iron armor, but rather in grotesque bone armor made of some kind of thick, twisted, and deformed bones pieced together and wrapped around them!
Sharp bone spurs protrude menacingly from the shoulder armor, elbows, knees, and even the front of the sternum. The surface of the bone armor is covered with twisted and obscure patterns, exuding a pure and twisted aura of brutality.

One of the most striking figures was a bone-armored cavalryman riding a particularly tall skeletal warhorse.

What it held in its hand was not an ordinary weapon, but a huge, curved bone blade that was nearly two meters long!

The blade's curves are ferocious, like the fangs of a giant beast, and its edge reflects a chilling glint in the dim moonlight.

Its jaw opened and closed silently, and the soul fire in its eye sockets fluctuated violently, as if issuing silent commands. (End of Chapter)