Berserk, Total War: Second Son of Nobles

Griffith had never felt the breath of death so clearly.

The Black Watch cavalryman stood before him, expressionless, the muzzle of his gun pointed steadily at his brow.

The smell of gunpowder filled the air, and the metal parts of the guns reflected a cold luster.

Griffith's sight was fixed on the muzzle of the gun, as if bound by invisible threads, and even blinking became difficult.

It seemed as if he would die in the next second.

His body was so stiff as if frozen, and even his breathing stopped.

My heart was beating wildly in my chest, almost breaking through the constraints of my ribs.

The cold wind howled across the wasteland, picking up fine snow particles that hit his face, but it was unable to dispel the chill that penetrated deep into his bones.

Just as his consciousness began to blur, as if he was about to fall into endless darkness in the next moment.

"Whoosh!"

An arrow flew through the air and accurately pierced the cavalryman's throat.

Griffith snapped back to his senses and watched as the Black Watch cavalryman's body suddenly stiffened, and then as if struck by some invisible force, he was thrown heavily from his horse's back.

Before he could react, a huge force yanked him from the side.

"Mount!"

He instinctively grabbed the reins and was dragged onto the horse's back by a brute force.

Jiedu held the reins tightly in one hand and the crossbow in the other. It was he who shot the arrow that pierced the throat of the Black Watch cavalryman just now.

"Come on!"

Jiedu growled and slapped the horse's butt hard.

The warhorse neighed, raised its hooves and galloped away, carrying the two men out like an arrow!

Griffith's legs were tightly clamped around the horse's belly, the wind was whistling in his ears, and his heart was still beating violently, as if it was about to jump out of his chest.

He looked back and saw the Black Watch cavalryman who had been shot lying on the snow, his blood spreading on the white snow like a glaring red flower.

"What are the casualties?"

Griffith looked behind to see if there were any enemy pursuers, and whispered to Jiedu in front of him.

Jiedu galloped on his horse and quickly answered:

"My side is doing fine, only losing seven men. Bibin lost fifteen, and Gorkas lost thirteen. The cavalry you led was completely destroyed because they were exposed to the enemy's musketry. All the cavalry units are now retreating."

Griffith gritted his teeth, his face gloomy. His original plan was to fight a quick battle, using the mobility of the cavalry and surprise attacks from both sides to defeat the enemy's infantry and archers, and then go straight for the noble himself.

But who knew that the Black Watch's Musketeers were hiding so deeply, and there were even cavalry ambushed on both sides to deal with the sudden cavalry attacks.

They quickly returned to Jiedu's cavalry, and the surviving mercenaries gathered around when they saw their captain return.

Griffith took a quick look and saw that many people were injured and bandaged, but fortunately the casualties were not particularly serious.

"Everyone, retreat immediately!"

Griffith shouted, "Abandon the pursuit and return to camp immediately!"

The mercenaries did not hesitate, turned their horses around and began to evacuate in an orderly manner.

However, just as they rushed out of the edge of the forest, they suddenly heard several cold gunshots from behind!

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The sound of arrows breaking through the air was accompanied by the whistling of lead bullets, and several mercenaries were shot and fell off their horses in an instant.

"Damn it! They're chasing us!"

Jiedu cursed angrily, quickly put an arrow on the bow, and shot it at the Black Watch cavalry chasing from behind.

Griffith looked back and saw that the Black Watch cavalry had not given up the pursuit, but was instead keeping close to them.

They were excellent riders and accurate with their muskets, and every time they fired, a mercenary fell.

"boom!"

A gunshot was heard in the distance.

A cavalryman behind Griffith trembled violently with his horse, then fell to the ground, and the bullet pierced his head accurately.

Griffith froze, a chill instantly spreading throughout his body.

"Everyone speed up!"

Jie Du shouted sternly and slapped the horse's belly hard. The warhorse neighed and galloped away at full speed.

Griffith subconsciously looked back and saw that the cavalryman who was shot was lying limply on the horse's back. The horse was still running forward under inertia, dragging his body and gradually moving away from the team.

"Damn it!"

Griffith gritted his teeth, his heart pounding; he had never been so close to death.

War horses galloped across the wasteland, the sound of their hooves was like thunder and the dust was flying.

Griffith stared straight ahead, looking for an opportunity to escape the pursuit.

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"

Arrows and lead bullets were flying in the air, and mercenaries were shot and fell off their horses one after another!

Beside Griffith, a mercenary was hit in the shoulder by a lead bullet. He screamed and fell off his horse.

Finally, they rushed out of the forest and came to an open wasteland.

Griffith looked back and saw that the Black Watch cavalry had stopped at the edge of the forest and did not continue to pursue.

Are they not chasing?

That's true. After all, their mission is to make us withdraw from the occupied area.

Griffith breathed a sigh of relief at the thought, but at this moment...

"boom!"

In the distance, a gunshot pierced the air.

A cavalryman behind Griffith suddenly stepped forward and reached out his hand to touch Griffith in front of him. Griffith immediately reached out to grab him, but the next second he fell limply on the horse, and the horse immediately dragged his body away from the team.

"Don't worry about him, your life is more important now!"

Jie Du reminded him, then tightened his grip on the horse to speed it up.

When Griffith's horse entered the territory of Dordore Castle, it was already dark.

The lead-gray clouds were hanging low, as if they would collapse at any moment and swallow up the entire wasteland.

The outline of Dordre Castle was vague in the distance, and the torches on the city walls were dotted like faint fireflies in the darkness.

He pulled the reins and took a deep breath of cold air. His lungs were aching from the long gallop.

The surviving mercenaries followed him all the way, their armor stained with blood and mud, their horses' manes covered with frost, and their horseshoes still covered with unmelted snow.

"Captain, they are back!"

In a manor on the outskirts of Doldore Castle that he chose as his temporary residence, Griffith immediately summoned Bibin and Gorkas after returning.

Bibin's left arm was wrapped in a thick bandage, blood seeping through it, but he didn't seem to care.

Gorkas wasn't seriously injured, but he looked depressed.

Their team members gathered in twos and threes, some leaned against the wall to catch their breath, and some simply slumped on the ground, still holding weapons in their hands, as if ready to engage in battle again at any time.

Griffith closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and when he opened them again, his eyes had returned to their usual calmness.

Casca came over with a few children. Her skirt was stained with blood and her hands were dirty. Because she was a girl, she was only responsible for some logistical matters in this mission.

Seeing Griffith's expression, she didn't ask any more questions. She just glanced at the surviving mercenaries and whispered:

"The injured have been taken care of, but there's not enough medicine... Several of the seriously injured may not survive tonight."