Mount & Blade: Rebuilding Rome from Mercenaries

The captain of the caravan's guards, gripping the hilt of his sword, carefully ascended the narrow spiral staircase.

On the top-floor platform, William, the caravan guard on night duty, stood with his back to the stairs, gazing at the layered mountains to the south.

"Clatter"

The captain stepped on a slightly loose stone slab, which made a soft creaking sound in the cold night.

"Who goes there!" William shouted, turning around abruptly, his hand already on the hilt of his sword.

"It's me." The captain was faster, taking a step forward and pressing down on the hilt of William's sword, which was about to be half-drawn.

"So it was the captain. You really scared me to death." William loosened his grip on the hilt of his sword, his tense shoulders relaxed slightly, and he let out a breath.

"Good job, William, keep up that alertness!" The captain patted William on the shoulder encouragingly. "This place is so gloomy, it makes me feel uneasy. I can't sleep soundly without coming up and taking a look around. You can continue your night watch, don't worry about me."

He walked over to William and stood beside him, his hands resting on the rooftop railing as he looked out over the mountains.

After a long pause, the caravan leader suddenly narrowed his eyes:

"William, am I seeing things? Did a flock of night birds just startle in that forest to the south? Why do I feel a reflection... Ah!... Ugh... Ugh..."

Before he could finish asking his question, a sharp, piercing pain suddenly exploded in his back, right in front of his heart! He looked down in disbelief and saw a blood-stained sword tip protruding from between the clasps of his chainmail.

He wanted to shout, to warn the entire camp, but a hand wearing a hard leather glove covered his mouth tightly from behind. The strange, hoarse sounds were muffled in his throat, turning into desperate bubbling noises. Warm liquid trickled down the lining of his armor, and the cold quickly seeped into his limbs.

He used his last bit of strength to twist his neck with difficulty, and caught a glimpse of William's profile, which was very close to his.

"William...why..." Blood foam seeped from between his fingers with each breath.

"Lord Giscard sends his greetings, dear captain," William's voice came from his gradually cooling ear.

The light in the caravan leader's eyes completely faded, and his heavy body was slowly lifted by William and slumped onto the cold stone slab. William quickly drew his longsword, hastily wiped it on the leader's cloak, and prepared to proceed with the next step of the plan.

Just then, footsteps came from below the stairs.

Bashir poked his head out and was met with William's murderous eyes and the caravan leader's strange "sleeping posture".

"Enemy attack! Traitor in the tower! William killed the captain!"

Without any hesitation, Bashir turned and rushed down the tower, shouting as he ran.

William's face turned ashen instantly. He cursed under his breath and tried to chase after him, but it was too late.

Bashir's scream was like ice water poured into boiling oil. The caravan guards' barracks were already ablaze, and the alert guards were already reaching for their weapons!

"You fool William, you can't even handle this simple task!" On the southern hillside, the Saracen pirate captain roared in fury, "For God, for gold, kill!"

Countless dark figures leaped out of the dark forest, brandishing scimitars and round shields, surging towards the caravan's encampment like a tide.

The Saracen pirates finally launched their attack!

They had clearly planned this in advance, splitting into two groups. One group rushed straight for the stone tower, which was in a brief state of chaos due to the loss of its captain. The other group swiftly charged towards the stone houses where the mercenary group was stationed.

Although the caravan guards were disheveled, they still took turns providing cover on the spiral staircase of the tower against the pirates' attack. Meanwhile, the mercenaries' encampment was unusually quiet.

The pirates kicked open the wooden gate to the courtyard and leaped in through the low windows.

However, the house was empty.

"No! We've fallen for their trap!"

The pirates immediately rushed out of the courtyard on alert, but they heard a strange sound.

Tap, tap, tap!

That was the sound of horses' hooves striking the hard ground.

"The Norman Knight!"

A piercing, almost broken warning finally burst from the pirate's mouth.

Unfortunately, it was all too late.

Under Old John's command, the mercenaries formed a tight formation, maneuvering their horses at a brisk trot. The horses' shoulders were so close together that an apple thrown between them wouldn't even touch the ground.

"Everyone, charge!"

At Old John's command, Tancredi, like the mercenaries around him, spurred his horse slightly, and the steed transitioned from a trot to full speed. His lance was initially held upright, while his other hand, clad in a kite shield, gripped the reins tightly.

"Thump, thump, thump"

Tankred felt the arrows striking his and the mercenaries' kite-shaped shields, but they remained fearless and continued to charge forward.

As he increased his speed, Tancred gradually lowered the lance in his hand, gripping it firmly with his right hand and keeping it under his arm, aiming the lance's tip at the neck of a Saracen who was shooting an arrow.

Charge, kid, gun in hand!

This was the Normans' signature move that allowed them to dominate the world in the early Middle Ages, and it was also the most powerful tactical maneuver of the 11th century, leading the chivalric trend in medieval Europe!

In the blink of an eye, Tankred had reached the Saracen pirate. With a loud "whoosh," the tip of his lance cleanly pierced the pirate's neck. The unfortunate pirate was as if struck head-on by an invisible giant hammer; he was sent flying through the air, a thick cloud of blood exploding from his neck, his body twisting and falling several steps before landing silently.

「叮！你用骑枪击杀了一名精锐海贼，长杆兵器熟练度+5（20→25），骑术+5（20→25），个人经验+50，当前等级Lv4 (72/100)」

"Ding! Your pole vaulting proficiency has reached 25. You can choose one of the following specializations:"

[Lancer]: When you are on horseback, you can more easily penetrate heavy armor using polearms.

[Pikeman]: When you are on foot, using a polearm allows you to ignore light armor.

"Ding! Your riding skill proficiency has reached 25. You can choose one of the following specialties:"

[Full Speed ​​Charge]: Your warhorse's charge damage increased by 30%.

[Agile Warhorse]: Your ability to control your warhorse +10%

"Add points! [Lancer], [Agile Horse]!"

Tancred made his choice without hesitation. He chose the Lancer because he would primarily be using polearms on horseback, and the increased armor penetration would be beneficial in combat against real knights. Choosing the Agile Warhorse would allow him to more easily maneuver in chaotic battles, reducing the risk of being killed by a dismounted horse.

Using the trembling sensation after adding points to his weapon to shake off the flesh and blood from the spearhead, Tankred looked back and saw that after the Norman mercenaries' charge, at least 10 pirates lay motionless on the ground. Besides those directly hit by lances, several unlucky ones were knocked unconscious by the speeding warhorses.

The pirate captain's eyes were bloodshot. He shouted at his men to abandon the attack on the tower and finally gathered the dozen or so trusted men who could still remain calm around him, attempting to form a crude circular formation with spears and round shields.

"Turn around! Form ranks!" Old John naturally wouldn't give them that chance; his hoarse yet powerful roar echoed from the rear of the cavalry.

The well-trained Norman mercenaries reined in their horses, drawing smooth arcs as they formed a dense barrage once more.

"Everyone, charge!"

The sacred F1+F3 connected the mercenaries' will, and the iron hooves struck the earth once more. The riders once again formed a dense formation and charged towards the pirates' crumbling circle.

"puff!"

Tankred's lance pierced a pirate's chest, tearing through the pirate's chainmail like paper. The powerful kinetic energy nearly ripped the pirate's body apart, and Tankred himself was nearly knocked off his horse by the recoil of the lance.

「叮！你用骑枪击杀了一名精锐海贼，长杆兵器熟练度+5（25→30），骑术+5（25→28），个人经验+50，当前等级Lv5（22/200），可用属性点 1」

The pirates' will was completely shattered by the riders' second charge. The survivors no longer cared about their leader's roars, dropped their weapons, and fled among the ruins like headless flies.

"Mercenaries, unleash your skills! Rookies, grab your crossbows and let the hunt begin!" Old John turned around and called out. The recruits who had been hiding picked up their crossbows and joined the battle, which quickly turned into a chase and annihilation.

Old John then activated F6 to delegate command! The tactics of Mount & Blade are indeed effective.

Tankred grumbled as he rode his horse toward a group of pirates who stood back to back, still putting up a stubborn resistance.

「叮！你用骑枪击杀了一名海贼，长杆兵器熟练度+3（30→33），骑术+3（30→33），个人经验+30，当前等级Lv5（52/200）」

「叮！你用骑枪击杀了一名海贼，长杆兵器熟练度+3（33→36），骑术+3（33→36），个人经验+50，当前等级Lv5（82/200）」

Snapped!

After multiple assaults, Tancred's lance finally succumbed to the repeated impacts and broke in half. He immediately threw down the lance, grabbed his one-handed battle axe, and charged once more into the completely routed pirates.

System prompts kept appearing before his eyes. How could Tankred let go of such an opportunity to gain experience?

「叮！你用单手斧击杀了一名海贼，单手武器熟练度+3（25→28），骑术+3（36→39），个人经验+30，当前等级Lv5（112/200）」

「叮！你用单手斧击杀了一名海贼，单手武器熟练度+3（28→31），骑术+3（36→39），个人经验+30，当前等级Lv5（142/200）」

When he reined in his panting warhorse and looked around, the sporadic fighting seemed to be nearing its end.

Only the pirate captain, along with a few trusted men, retreated into an empty room and put up a last-ditch resistance.