Bloodfang

Just then, Ronan, accompanied by two Vigyan Cavalry and the Kujit Iron Cavalry, charged from the flank towards the group of Horse Bandits.

The Kujit Iron Cavalry first struck the Horse Bandits with a powerful volley of javelins. Their aim was precise, with nearly every javelin hitting its mark. The Horse Bandits fell like stalks of wheat, a large number of them going down. The leading Horse Bandit quickly turned his horse and led his men to meet Ronan and his group.

As their warhorses met, Ronan's party emerged unscathed, while the Horse Bandits were repeatedly unhorsed. The Iron Cavalry skillfully used their shields to deflect the incoming spears and scimitars from the Horse Bandits, then directly pierced their bodies with their lances, the sheer force even impaling the enemies on their lances and carrying them off their horses.

Shaking the corpses off their lances, the Kujit Iron Cavalry continued to follow Ronan, charging towards the remaining enemies. Ronan, at the forefront, had already penetrated deep into the Horse Bandit ranks. With his left hand, he powerfully struck with his shield, knocking a Horse Bandit off his mount. Then, with his right hand, he brought his greatsword down in a fierce chop, directly cleaving through the spear a Horse Bandit had raised to block. Following through, he embedded the blade into the bandit's shoulder. The Horse Bandit cried out and tumbled from his horse.

The Iron Cavalry quickly arrived beside Ronan, forming an arrowhead with him at the center, pushing and thrusting through the Horse Bandit formation. The overwhelming casualties quickly threw the Horse Bandits into disarray. Ronan's activation of the Avatar of Fear was the final straw.

The Horse Bandits' morale plummeted to freezing point, and they soon began to scatter. The battle was not long; the Horse Bandits came and went as quickly as they appeared. Ronan's cavalry suffered minimal casualties, but the infantry that had directly resisted the Horse Bandit charge sustained heavy losses. Five merchant guards died, Ronan's subordinates lost six Mercenaries and two Rhodok Spearmen, and of the Nordic Archers, only one remained.

Ronan was in a foul mood. The prolonged time spent together had allowed him to develop strong bonds with his subordinates. The Nordic Archers, in particular, were the ones who had accompanied him through the harsh times in the forest from the very beginning. Although he had known from the start that choosing this path would inevitably lead to casualties, and that he himself could die in the next battle, Ronan was unwilling to abandon the system and find a stable place to live. The mediocrity of his past life fueled his desire to make a name for himself in this world.

After instructing his remaining subordinates to gather the bodies of their fallen comrades, Ronan was about to bury them on the spot, but Belicha's words gave him pause.

"I saw 'Bloodfang' Belik in the crowd earlier. If that's the case, then this group of Horse Bandits is undoubtedly the notorious Bloodfang Gang. However, this isn't their usual territory. While I don't know why they're here, that wasn't their full strength. The Bloodfang Gang would never give up on a target easily. We must depart immediately before they regroup!"

"The Bloodfang Gang? Then what do we do? Abandon the cargo?"

"The Bloodfang Gang is a group of Horse Bandits active on the borders of various kingdoms. Their leader, Belik, was once a noble of the Eagle Kingdom. He has led the Bloodfang Gang to wreak havoc for over ten years without being eradicated. He's a legendary figure among bandits, no less prominent than Krantuman in his time. We cannot abandon the cargo; we'll press on at full speed. We should be able to reach Acorn Hall before they catch up to us."

"Alright, we'll do as you say. Take our comrades' bodies with us. We'll bury them when we reach Acorn Hall!" Ronan instructed his subordinates. The caravan set off again, but their speed had visibly increased, with the draft horses even breaking into a trot.

By evening, the caravan arrived at Acorn Hall. The forced march had left the entire group exhausted, but Ronan first buried the fallen soldiers before entering the city to rest. Belicha did not rush Ronan.

After a simple dinner at the inn, Ronan returned to his room to rest. Lying on the bed, Ronan thought about many things, gradually drifting to sleep as he pondered.

Once midnight struck, marking the start of a new week, Ronan awoke and lay in bed, browsing the system's newly updated weekly quests and soldier recruitment options.

Weekly Quest 1: Cold-Blooded Killer Requirement: Defeat 10 enemies. Reward: 20 Gold, 500 Experience.

Weekly Quest 2: Fighting Master Requirement: Participate in the fighting competition held at the Acorn Hall tavern and win the championship. Reward: 500 Experience.

Weekly Quest 3: Expand Manpower Requirement: Recruit 10 soldiers through the Recruitment System. Reward: 1000 Experience.

The Recruitment System had updated with a batch of Rieldian Militia, a batch of Nord Recruits, a batch of Rin Raven Territory Recruits from the Pendor Prophecy MOD, and two batches of Nord Royal Guards.

"Nord Royal Guard? Looks like I'll need an excuse." Upon seeing the Nord Royal Guards, Ronan, who had been somewhat sleepy, immediately perked up. He got out of bed, found Belicha, and told him he had some subordinates nearby whom he intended to have rejoin him. Then, he mounted his warhorse and rode out of the city.

Once outside the city, in a small grove, Ronan observed his surroundings to ensure no one was watching before choosing to recruit these two batches of Nord Royal Guards. To gather the funds for their recruitment, Ronan had to sell some of the goods he had intended to sell in Sinterland ahead of schedule.

Ten Nord Royal Guards appeared before Ronan. These Nords were tall, each over 1.9 meters in height, clad in heavy chainmail shirts, with cloth robes over them, wearing Germanic helmets. They held round shields in their left hands and short-handled battle axes in their right. Strapped to their backs were greatswords or twin-bladed battle axes, and three short-handled throwing axes were tucked into their back belts.

As the only Tier 6 troop in Mount & Blade: Warband, the Nord Royal Guards were the undisputed kings of the battlefield. During sieges, just having more than six Nord Royal Guards ascend the city walls was enough to declare the siege successful. Furthermore, Ronan discovered they were also troop types from the "Light and Darkness" MOD, capable of being upgraded to Nord Templar Guards.

Returning to the inn with ten towering Nord warriors, the people eating on the first floor were all stunned by the fierce aura that emanated from them. Belicha's pupils constricted upon seeing these fully armed Nords; he could clearly sense the powerful aura radiating from them, a gut feeling honed by years of experience.

After instructing the newly recruited ten Nord Royal Guards to rest in their rooms, Ronan took two Vigyan Cavalry and prepared to head to the tavern to check out the fighting competition. Arriving at the tavern entrance, Ronan saw a notice posted on the door. The rules of the competition were simple: a group of people would engage in a free-for-all brawl in an open area, and the last one standing would receive honor and prize money. The first prize was a generous 30 gold coins, but the competition was scheduled for the day after tomorrow, leaving Ronan to regretfully give up on it.

Entering the tavern, Ronan intended to have a couple of drinks to relax and perhaps pick up some new information. As soon as he sat down, Ronan overheard an interesting piece of news. Two people at the next table were discussing matters concerning Ravenwood Town.

"It's truly tragic. I heard both the Bishop and the garrison commander are dead!"

"Indeed. These foreign races are truly brutal. The kingdom should dispatch the knightly orders to clear out the forest!"

"Alas, I heard things aren't that simple!" As he said this, the man leaned close to the other person's ear and began to speak in a hushed tone.