A Crusader with System in the Middle Ages

Afterward, Eric had some men drag part of the massive bonfire in the town’s center to the door, while others hauled flammable materials from the village’s long-abandoned houses.

A Priest emerged from the small house. He had just anointed the dead within with Holy Oil.

A Knight then set the sorrowful cottage ablaze, and flames quickly engulfed it.

The Frank priests stood outside, chanting a requiem for the dead within.

And so, a simple mass was held.

After the mass, Eric took a Torch and returned to the Church where the Turkic People were hiding.

The Priest, thinking Eric meant to burn down the Church, said, "Don’t do this, Count. We fight in the name of God."

"We’re only burning the door. I’ll have men stand by with buckets of water, and if the fire spreads, they will attempt to extinguish it. We don’t know how many Greeks have survived in this area. If we leave and let these three Turkic People remain, more people will be hurt, which I’m certain is not what God wants.

We fight in the name of God. I trust He will not allow this fire to destroy His home."

Eric convinced the Priest. He had some flammable materials piled in front of the door and placed more around the Church to channel the smoke inside.

Brinyos said he knew a little of the Turkic language, so Eric had him yell to the Turkic People inside that if they didn’t surrender, they would be burned alive along with the Church.

But there was no response from within.

The Knights then continued to search the town for any remaining Turkic People, kept watch for any more approaching from the distance, and collected the weapons of the dead.

The Knights were in agreement that the crescent-shaped swords were inferior weapons. With only a single edge, they were ill-suited for thrusting and could only be used for slashing—a type of attack that was largely ineffective against Chain Armor.

The funeral pyre growled in the wind. The night breeze blew hard, but it was a welcome relief in the sweltering heat.

After a good while, Eric and his men waited until clouds obscured the moon.

By then, the funeral pyre at the cottage had died down. The house was now a complete ruin, a makeshift tomb from which a greasy smoke drifted, giving the impression that the cottage had melted like a candle.

The Knights extinguished the fire in front of the Church door. The charred wood stood in the wind, still smoldering.

Belem stepped forward, an axe in each hand. He knocked on the door and pretended to listen, then turned to Eric. "Not a peep. Maybe they’ve left?"

"It never hurts to be careful. They could be waiting with weapons right behind the door, ready to stick you in the crotch the second it breaks," Eric said with a laugh.

"Don’t try to scare me. They went in naked."

Belem spat into his palms, raised his axes, and began to swing. The impacts rang out like church bells to the men outside, though for those inside the Church, they must have sounded more like a death knell.

After five strikes, the charred wood gave way, revealing an equally scorched crossbar. Four more swings shattered the bar. The doors collapsed inward, revealing a dark interior that seemed even blacker in contrast to the bright torchlight outside.

Belem instinctively dodged to the side as a sharp Arrow grazed his cheek.

Eric had two Longbowmen return fire, but their shots seemed to find no purchase.

So he, Belem, and another Knight formed a three-man shield wall and advanced. Lagman and his Warriors formed a second one and followed them inside. They couldn’t be sure if there were other Turkic People hiding in the Church besides the three they’d seen.

Moving shoulder to shoulder into the narrow space, they were momentarily blinded by the transition from the bright outside to the darkness within.

Eric knew he couldn’t afford to be a passive target. He had to do something to draw their attention. So, raising his Shield, he broke from the shield wall and charged forward.

The move startled Belem.

The next moment, Arrows flew from the darkness. Eric instinctively shifted his Shield. Three Arrows struck it, and a fourth scraped against the Chain Armor on his elbow.

’More than three Turkic People. There’s another one, from a different direction.’

But the volley of Arrows had revealed their positions. Eric began to advance slowly.

As he drew closer, he could make out three figures behind a barricade fashioned from a heavy table.

He broke into a sudden sprint again, this time to the right.

Another sharp Arrow flew at him. The instant Eric blocked it, he hurled his Longsword, followed by a piercing scream.

"Front left! Now!" Eric yelled to Belem and his men.

"Charge!"

With a sudden howl, Belem also broke from the formation, drawing their attention. An Arrow soon struck his thigh, but due to the awkward angle, it glanced off his Chain Armor and clattered to the floor.

Seizing the opportunity, Lagman’s Warriors hurled the Flying Axes they carried. They leaped across the open space, closing the distance just as the Turkic Archers were preparing to fire again. A Long Spear pierced one Turkic man’s neck, an axe buried itself in another’s shoulder, and a third axe struck the last man on the head, handle-first.

Just as Eric thought it was all over, a figure rushed him from behind.

The Turkic man seemed to know that Eric had already thrown his Sword.