Mount & Blade: Rebuilding Rome from Mercenaries

The night was as dark as ink. In a remote mountain valley a full Roman mile from the mercenary camp, the Jewish merchant Isaac, wrapped in a gray-brown cloak, anxiously looked around.

"Was there any sound just now?"

His figure almost blended into the night, with only his eyes shifting uneasily in the shadows.

"Tch~"

Across from him, a Saracen man whose face was mostly covered by a rough turban let out a short, snickering laugh from his nose upon hearing this:

"Rest assured, my rabbi. At this hour, in this desolate wilderness, what else could be but wild beasts roaming the night and two wicked people like you and me with ulterior motives? Adulterous lovers?"

"Even if it were an affair, what pair of star-crossed lovers would choose to leave their warm bed and come to this desolate place?"

"Rabbi" is originally a respectful title for scholars and teachers among Jews, but when it came from the mouth of a Saracen pirate to describe a Jewish moneylender...

Isaac's face darkened in the dim light, and he retorted with a pious expression:

"Hmph! Your Saracen pirates' infamy is known from Ireland to the Khitans, so you can act without restraint. But I am a righteous man witnessed by all the bishops, and of course, I cannot meet with scum like you who blaspheme in public!"

The Saracens seemed quite used to Isaac's hypocritical behavior of wanting to have his cake and eat it too, and impatiently waved his hand, steer the conversation back on track:

"Oh, my 'devout' rabbi, stop with your disgusting rhetoric. I'm not here to argue with you. Get to the point! Giskar asked me to gather the brothers from all over. What kind of big business is this?"

When it came to serious matters, Isaac maintained his hypocritical demeanor, raising his hand and pointing towards the distant caravan camp:

"Don't be so hasty, you despicable heretic! Do you see that fire over there?"

"The owner of this caravan is Count Richard of Aversa, and the wagons are loaded with the most sought-after worldly pleasures in Italy today, worth a full thousand gold coins."

"Lord Robert's meaning is very clear: he wants nothing more than the caravan and the mercenaries escorting it! He only wants the 30 exquisite crossbows crafted by Milanese artisans; he has no interest in the other goods."

"God's will sometimes tests humanity with immense temptations, and these 'tests' are heavy enough, aren't they?"

"Several thousand gold coins, God's test is truly generous!" The Saracen licked his slightly chapped lips, eager to try. "No wonder everyone says Southern Italy is a fertile land flowing with milk and honey; they always give such a grand reward!"

"Don't get your hopes up, you infidels!" Isaac poured cold water on his enthusiasm. "The caravan's guards are not to be underestimated. Those ten caravan guards are old Norman mercenaries who haven't been out of armor for long. And that mercenary group they've temporarily hired, though led by a young Norman lad, has quite a few experienced mercenary knights under their command. Can you handle it?"

Men are most afraid of being asked if they can do it!

The Saracen immediately puffed out his chest and said confidently, "Don't worry, I've brought over fifty men this time, all seasoned veterans. We landed in the wilderness south of Naples, stealthily made our way through the shadow of Mount Vesuvius, and are now hidden in the Palatoura Mountains. Absolutely no one will find us. You just need to tell me when and where to make our move!"

Isaac said no more, and carefully took out a tanned parchment map from his pocket. In the dim moonlight filtering through the clouds, his fingertips moved slowly across the map.

"The caravan is here now. Over the next few days, we will travel along the Appian Way, built by the ancient Romans. I will try to control the pace of the caravan so that we can camp at Alpaia, between the Terrano and Palatour mountains, in five days. That is the most treacherous terrain, with dense forests on both sides, making it an excellent ambush location. So, do you think you have enough time to prepare in five days?"

"That's enough." The Saracen took the map, carefully noted the locations, and nodded.

The core of the deal had been settled, but Issa reached into his robes and groped around for a moment before flicking his fingers.

A gold coin arced through the air before being swiftly caught by the Saracen.

"There's one more small favor I need to ask you, and this is my payment." Isaac's face remained expressionless. "The young captain of that mercenary group is an 'old acquaintance' of mine, so you must make sure that all the men in the group go to meet God, or of course, meet Satan if you want."

"Oh?" The Saracen twirled the extra gold coin between his fingers, his tone playful. "All the 'men'? It seems that mercenary group has women too? Why is our devout rabbi suddenly so merciful, showing such tenderness towards women?"

"What do you know?" Isaac snorted. "That kid's lucky. I only saw it for myself today. Such a beautiful woman, wrapped in rough armor, it's quite a sight. Who wouldn't want to try it?" Besides, after it's over, after cleaning her up, maybe he could offer her to some bishop in Rome. Wouldn't that be another source of income?

"Oh ho? A pretty woman in armor? I'm getting a little envious!" The Saracen clicked his tongue, a cruel smile playing on his lips beneath his turban. "If that's the case, I can't guarantee I can control my men. You know, these guys have been at sea a long time; they've got a lot of tricks up their sleeves! All I can guarantee is that you'll be the first to have her, and then I'll leave her with her last breath. As for what happens in between..."

"Then tell your pack of stray dogs to behave themselves, or they'll ruin it and won't fetch a good price!" Issa said, feigning a stern reprimand, but a sneer of disdain flashed through his mind.

You call that playing with flowers?

He'd chatted and laughed with cardinals before, so he'd certainly witnessed the "refined tastes" of those bishops in Rome. These country bumpkins from the sea should really see what real entertainment was all about!

"I have to go back. If I stay away for too long, it will arouse suspicion and cause trouble." Isaac tightened his cloak and quickly disappeared into the forest.

The Saracen spat in the direction he had left, then walked away in the opposite direction.

The valley returned to silence, with only the rustling of the night wind through the trees.

A full quarter of an hour later, from behind a thicket of thorns only ten paces or so from where the two had stood, came a trembling voice asking:

"Are you sure they're both far away?"

Anna's voice was weak and feeble, as if she had just been pulled out of the water.

"Damn it, I don't know if this is good luck or bad luck!" Tankred's teeth were chattering.

"Are petty thieves attracted to each other? Otherwise, why the hell would they choose the same place?!"

He and Anna were huddled together in the bushes. Late autumn in Italy was already chilly, especially with their clothes lying at their feet.

Knowing he'd been tricked, Tancred had been on edge for days. He was just about to relax when, how did he end up in this perfect spot? The two had barely finished warming up when they heard Isaac and the pirate captain arrive in the woods. They didn't dare breathe, and could only huddle together for warmth in the bushes.

He listened with trepidation, while simultaneously covering Anna's mouth and nose tightly, afraid she would make the slightest sound. It wasn't until long after the two had left that his frozen limbs and wildly beating heart began to calm down.

"Alpaya, I know that place!" Anna said, trying to pull the shirt off the ground. In the moonlight, the curves of her figure trembled slightly in the cold night, rising and falling with her rapid breathing.

"That village has only a few households, and it's surrounded by hillsides on both sides—it's indeed an excellent location for an ambush. We must quickly inform the caravan leader that we must change our route immediately!"

"Change routes?" Tanker's fingers, fastening the leather buckle, were somewhat clumsy due to the cold. "How do you know those ten guards aren't with Giskar? We now at least know their numbers, when they'll strike, and where they'll ambush us. We should make good use of this. If we rashly alert them, they might change their plans and strike ahead of schedule, and we'll lose even this last advantage!"

He grabbed the military uniform from the ground, haphazardly put it on, and said decisively:

"We mustn't make a fuss. We'll go back quietly and find old John directly, telling him everything we've heard. He's experienced; we should listen to his advice."

Seeing Anna lying there wrapped only in her clothes, Tankred couldn't help but urge her in a low voice, "What are you still lying there for? Get up and go back to camp!"

"You're stepping on my hair!" Anna said through gritted teeth.