Berserk, Total War: Second Son of Nobles

On the outskirts of Mont-de-Marsan, a cobblestone road glows slightly under the scorching sun.

This road was built by John in order to efficiently mobilize troops and supplies during the war with the Kingdom of Lana. After the war, the new governor did not neglect its maintenance.

Griffith, Jiedu and Bibin walked slowly along the stone road.

The scorching sun hung high in the sky, scorching the earth mercilessly, and the green grass on the roadside was dried and turned yellow.

Jie Du faced the fireball-like sun in the sky, shielding himself tightly with his hands, muttering:

"After this job, go buy a horse, otherwise we'll be walking too slowly."

His voice seemed a little weak in the hot air, and sweat kept rolling down his forehead.

Griffith replied:

"Indeed, the faster you go, the more you can gain in intelligence."

The military courses he took at the Black Watch stronghold made him deeply understand that speed is the key factor to victory in war.

Just like in previous battles, whoever can mobilize troops and transport supplies faster will be able to seize the initiative in the war.

Bibin said with some concern:

"Speaking of which, I see there are only three of us on this road. Will there be robbers coming over soon?"

"Oh, that's impossible."

Jiedu said this solemnly, his tone full of confidence.

"Ever since the former governor, now the King of Helderland, wiped out all the bandits here, there haven't been many bandits here. Besides, there is a base of the Black Watch Mercenaries nearby, so I don't think any bandits would be so blind as to come here..."

Just as Jie Du finished his words, a burst of hurried horse hooves sounds came from a distance, breaking the brief peace.

Suddenly, several people on horseback wielding various weapons rushed down from the hill nearby. It seemed that they were coming for the three of them.

Jie Du looked at the two people staring at him and quickly explained:

"This... maybe it's because I haven't been back recently and the information is outdated, but how could there be robbers coming here?"

"Let's not talk about this anymore, let's prepare for battle."

Griffith's eyes flashed, and he quickly drew his sword. Bibin also reacted quickly and drew the mace on his back.

When these cavalrymen came before him, Griffith noticed that all of them on horseback were children of the same age as him, except that the one leading them had a mature look on his face.

The leading robber pulled the reins of his horse, looked down at Griffith and the other two, and said loudly:

"Hey, do you know who I am?"

Jiedu asked cautiously:

"I don't know, what do you want to do?"

"I'm telling you, I'm the bandit king around here, Master Gorkas. If you pass by me, you have to pay me a toll!"

Gorkas shouted at the top of his lungs, his voice full of arrogance and dominance.

"how much do you need?"

Jiedu asked, frowning.

"Not much, just thirty... forty silver coins will do."

Gorkas first stretched out three fingers, then felt that was not enough, so he stretched out another one.

"Why don't you just go and rob us? Do we look like people who can afford to pay so much money?"

Even though Jie Du had a good temper, he couldn't help but scold.

Wow, if you don’t manage the household, you don’t know how expensive things are. This is the first time I see a robber stopping me on the road and asking for so much money.

"Hmm? How dare you talk back to your uncle Gorkas!"

Gorka's face turned red with anger, like a ripe apple.

He drew out his sword with a swish and pointed it at Jie Du. The blade flashed a cold light in the sunlight.

Jie Du was not to be outdone. He found that these people did not use bows and crossbows, so he was not afraid of someone shooting arrows at them during the fight. At the same time, his hand hidden in his robe was ready to pull out a throwing knife at any time to give Gorkas a chance.

Griffith stared at his peers riding horses in front of him, thinking to himself:

"If I can use them for my own benefit, it will also be a help to me."

"I still say that, if you don't have the money, I can't give it to you..."

Just as Jiedu finished speaking, Griffith stepped forward and took out the purse from before and said:

"There are fifty silver coins in this purse."

Jiedu and Bibin were a little surprised to hear Griffith's words. Is there anyone who would rush to give money to robbers?

"You can ask for money, but there is a condition. You must fight me one-on-one. If you win, you can take the money from me. If you lose, you have to join us."

"Ok?"

Gorkas originally thought that Jiedu was the leader of this gang, but after listening to Griffith's words, he began to look at him.

Griffith was the same height as himself, wearing a suit of armor that he had found from somewhere unknown. Although it was a bit worn out, it was still majestic.

There was a sword hanging at his waist, and the hilt gleamed with metallic luster in the sunlight.

Gorkas only dared to come and rob because he had more people than others. He didn't know if he could succeed if he fought alone.

His heart couldn't help but beat fast, and a feeling of uneasiness came over him.

"Why, you dare to rob but not to fight, what kind of bandit king are you?"

Seeing that Gorkas didn't respond, Griffith continued to provoke him. His words were like a sharp knife, piercing Gorkas's self-esteem.

"Come just come, whoever is afraid of whom!"

Gorkas was so angry that he shouted at his accomplices:

"Everyone stand back, I'll meet this guy!"

Then he turned his horse's head and rode back, his hooves raising a cloud of dust. He turned his horse's head again and rushed towards Griffith, the horse's four hooves churning like an arrow.

Gorkas leaned over the horse's back, with a fierce light flashing in his eyes.

Griffith stood firmly in place, eyes as sharp as a knife, waiting for the best time to strike.

Every time Gorkas attacked, Griffith dodged it. Gorkas was very angry and cursed:

"You're just hiding, you coward!"

Once again, when Gorkas's horse rushed to within three steps of Griffith, Griffith suddenly pounced forward, hooked the stirrup with his sword, and then pulled hard. Gorkas suddenly felt himself leaning towards Griffith.

Then Griffith leaped up like a cheetah, and his iron-like hands accurately grabbed Gorkas's legs.

Before Gorkas could react, he was pulled off the horse's back and fell heavily onto the hard stone road.

"boom!"

With a dull thud, Gorkas's back hit the ground and severe pain shot up from his spine to the back of his head.

His vision went dark, his ears buzzed, and the stinging pain in his palms and knees made him gasp.

Without time to think, he instinctively raised his sword to block, then rolled on the ground and got up awkwardly.

The battle continued. Every time he swung the sword, Gorkas felt his muscles trembling and his breathing became more and more rapid, as if his lungs were burning.

Sweat trickled down his temple, Gorkas's movements began to slow down, and a hint of panic flashed in his eyes.

Just as he turned to dodge, Griffith's sword suddenly appeared in his blind spot. The moment the cold metal touched his skin, Gorkas trembled all over.

When Griffith's blade was against his throat, Gorkas clearly felt the threat of death.

The chill from the sword spread along his neck, causing him to shiver involuntarily. He didn't dare to move and could only stare at Griffith with wide eyes.

At this moment, the arrogance and arrogance in my heart had long disappeared. If I had known that I would meet such a person, I would not have come out to be the leader of the kids today.

Suddenly he found the emblem of Black Watch engraved on Griffith's sword, and he was shocked, because that was a mercenary group that even the king was afraid of.

"I see."

Gorkas licked his cracked lips.

"Do you surrender or not?"

Seeing that Gorkas's companions were about to come up to rescue him, Griffith immediately asked.

Gorkas sighed, then took Griffith's sword aside and said loudly:

"I accept the defeat. This is the first time I, Gorkas, have seen such a strong peer. There is nothing much to say. We will fight side by side from now on!"