Medieval: Kingdom Come: Deliverance

"Henry, don't worry, this is someone who can help us."

Hans quickly explained.

After their capture, the two men were treated very differently. Hans, being a nobleman, was not mistreated even after his capture; he was simply imprisoned in a room in the Old Lady's Tower. Henry, on the other hand, was much more unfortunate, being thrown directly into a dark and foul-smelling dungeon.

After everyone fell asleep that night, Semioda, who had already taken control of the castle's defenses, rescued Hans and then went into the dungeon to save Henry.

Oda swiftly and cleanly cut the ropes binding Henry, then retrieved their weapons and armor from the shadows, along with two sets of robes bearing the flying fish emblem for disguise. "Put on your armor and the castle guard uniforms, and I'll take you away from here."

"Why..." Henry looked at him in surprise.

"Time is of the essence," Oda said in a low voice. "To make a long story short, I despise von Polgao's rule, but my abilities are limited, and I cannot save your four companions from the Prague sergeants." His voice carried a sincere apology. "I am letting you go now because there is a more important message that needs to be delivered by you."

This was only half true; Auda wouldn't reveal his secret as Peter's spy until he was absolutely certain.

He glanced around to make sure no one was listening, then continued, "Tonight, von Polgao and von Olitz will lead five hundred Prague puppet troops to attack Nebakov Castle. They are expected to be at the city gates before dawn. They are carrying a bronze cannon called the 'Finger of God,' which is extremely powerful. If you want to inflict heavy losses on von Polgao, you'd better inform the true master there, Jandzka, tonight..."

Hans and Henry exchanged a glance, both seeing the shock in each other's eyes. But the desire for revenge against von Polgár made them want to seize the opportunity. As for why they didn't assassinate von Polgár and von Olitz now, Oda explained that he couldn't fully control the castle guards yet, and besides, there were five hundred Prague collaborators outside the city; they'd only attempt an assassination now if they were suicidal.

"Why are you helping us?" Henry asked.

A wry smile appeared on Auda's lips: "I despise von Polgao's ruthlessness, and I also have some personal grudges against him."

He quickly dressed the two men in armor. "I reported to von Polgar that Henry had been tortured for an hour, his legs were broken, rendering him immobile, and his mouth was burned with a hot iron. This way, he won't be checking up on you for a while."

"But what about you?" Hans asked worriedly. "If we escape, von Polgar won't let you get away with it."

"Don't worry about me." Little Semioda smiled and handed the two iron swords. "The dungeon is dark, and von Polgao never comes down there himself. The guards watching you are from our Semio village, and the cook who brings me food will keep it a secret. I can manage for a few days."

Afterwards, Semi, using his position as captain of the guard, quietly led the two away, heading along the shadowy part of the castle. Under the moonlight, the towers of Troski Castle pointed to the night sky like the fingers of a giant.

At a side gate of the castle, Oda stopped. "Go out from here and follow the stream downstream; you can avoid the Prague patrols. Inform the people of Nebakov Castle as soon as possible and tell them to prepare for battle," he said solemnly. "May God bless you."

"Thank you, Aoda. If we meet again, I will repay you. I swear this in the name of the heir of Rattay."

Hans made the sign of the cross and solemnly pledged his allegiance. He harbored a deep hatred for von Polgar and was willing to do anything to strike at the enemy's forces.

"Looking forward to our meeting!"

Semi waved to the two men, and in the darkness, Hans and Henry quietly left Trossky Castle, avoiding the surrounding Prague militia, and walked onto the main road.

"Bronze cannons were introduced to the Ottomans from the East, and then these pagans improved upon them to use as powerful weapons. I had heard my father mention before that the Venetians began to imitate them, but I didn't expect that Bohemia already had this kind of weapon."

Hans recalled his father's stories of the pagan wars, never expecting that the pagans would use weapons and appear under the name of "Finger of God."

"Is this weapon very powerful?"

Although Henry was a blacksmith's apprentice, and his father Martin had spent his whole life forging cold weapons, they had never talked to him about such things.

"It was terrifying. Its roar was like thunder, and it breathed fire. Huge iron balls could smash towers in an instant. The Ottomans used this to sweep across the Balkans, and many castles fell, leaving only Constantinople in the Greek empire."

Hans described the legends he had heard in great detail, which greatly frightened Henry.

"That's terrifying. Nebrakov Castle can't possibly hold out against a cannon, can it?" Henry thought of the small castle he had seen before, a three-story fortress with wooden fences, a brick foundation, and a wooden roof. It probably wouldn't withstand more than a few cannon shots.

"We can only inform them as much as possible and see if they have any solutions," Hans said helplessly, spreading his hands.

Henry's wise eyes suddenly lit up, and he said, "Perhaps we can go and find reinforcements!"

"You mean Lord Peter?"

Hans immediately thought of Trostsky, the true overlord.

"Indeed. Although von Polgao attacked Nebakov Castle first, once they capture it, their next target will undoubtedly be Lord Peter's Red Griffin Camp. I believe that with Lord Peter's wisdom, he understands that helping others is helping oneself!"

Henry was very certain.

"But when Oda let us leave, he only told us to inform Nebakov, and didn't mention Lord Peter." Hans became uncertain again.

Henry explained, "Perhaps he is not familiar with Lord Peter, perhaps he does not realize Lord Peter's prowess, or perhaps his Semi family was previously an enemy of Lord Peter. In any case, to break this deadlock, we must inform Lord Peter to send troops to help us."

"You make a good point," Hans agreed. "But we have no horses, and Nebakov Castle and the Griffin Camp are in opposite directions. Time is of the essence, and to inform both sides as quickly as possible, we two have to split up."

"That's what we'll do then!" Henry said decisively. "I'm fast, I'll go to Nebakov..."

"No, I had a very pleasant conversation with Yandjeska, who was impersonating Sir Nebakov, and he's a nobleman; they're more likely to believe me. So I'll go to Nebakov!"

Hans interrupted Henry and took the initiative to choose the most dangerous place.

Both knew that Nebakov, as the main battlefield, was more dangerous, while the Griffin Camp was relatively safe.

"Hans......."

"Stop arguing, my servant. It's decided. I believe you can bring reinforcements to rescue me, because we're good friends, right?"

"Yes, we are good friends!"

Henry nodded emphatically at Hans' trusting smile. "Hans," Henry said earnestly, looking at his friend, "be careful."

"You too," Hans patted him on the shoulder. "We're going to get revenge on von Polgar together."

The two embraced tightly, then turned and ran in different directions.