As the party crested a ridge, the full expanse of Blackstone Town finally came into view. The town was not large, encircled by a crude defensive wall constructed from a mix of sturdy logs and stones.
At that moment, this fragile line of defense was under fierce assault. A diverse group of monsters was relentlessly charging at the town's wooden gates and perimeter wall.
The most numerous among them were half-human, half-serpent creatures. Their upper bodies were covered in grayish-green scales, with muscular arms wielding rusted scimitars or bone spears. Below their torsos, they had long, thick serpentine tails that slithered swiftly across the ground.
These must be the "Minions of the Serpent" mentioned in the intelligence reports—a breed of snake-men, it seemed.
Besides the snake-men, there were also several lumbering, bull-like lizards. Their skin was a dark brown hue, covered in a tough layer of keratin, and they constantly dripped venomous green slobber from their mouths. With each impact, the wooden wall groaned under the strain.
These were the Toxic Swamp Gargantuan Lizards, renowned for their thick hides and deadly venom.
In the sky, a few Corrupted Winged Serpents with wingspans exceeding two meters circled ominously. Their wings resembled rotting leather, and whenever an opportunity arose, they would dive down with a piercing screech, snatching soldiers or townsfolk off the ground and dropping them from mid-air.
The town's defensive forces were clearly inadequate. Scattered along the walltop were a handful of town militia armed with spears and bows. Their counterattacks seemed feeble, and continuously, people were struck by the snake-men's thrown spears or splashed with the Toxic Swamp Gargantuan Lizards' venom, collapsing in agony.
The wooden gates had already been smashed open, with cracks spreading across them, threatening to give way at any moment.
Behind the horde of monsters, a figure clad in a tattered black robe and wielding a serpentine staff topped with a skull stood out prominently. His hunched figure was shrouded in the shadow of his hood, with only a pair of eyes glinting with a cold, green light visible.
He seemed to be orchestrating the attack, muttering incantations under his breath while occasionally swinging his staff to emit streams of inky-green magic. Sometimes, he would empower the monsters, driving them into a frenzy; other times, he would launch direct attacks against the defenders on the wall.
"It's the Shadow Serpent Priest!" an experienced old knight beside Raylo exclaimed in a low voice. "Damn it, these are Hydra's minions! That priest is a tough one to handle!"
The Shadow Serpent Priest was notorious for his cunning, treachery, and mastery of shadow and poison magic.
"Prepare for battle!" Raylo drew his knightly longsword, its blade glinting coldly in the sunlight.
He could sense the fear and despair emanating from the townsfolk, as well as the chaotic and evil aura surrounding the monsters.
"My lord, we..." a knight hesitated, eyeing the substantial number of enemies and the troublesome spellcaster among them.
Without turning around, Raylo's voice was resolute. "We are the guardians of Blackstone! Now, our people are being slaughtered! Knights, draw your swords! For glory, for our land, charge with me!"
Before the words had fully left his mouth, he had already spurred his horse down the slope, like an arrow shot from a bow, charging straight towards the flank of the monster horde.
Raylo knew full well that, given his lack of established prestige, leading the charge was the only way to inspire his men to fight bravely.
Ed drew his sword and followed closely behind.
The other knights, seeing this, also unsheathed their swords in unison.
Bolin was equally astonished by Raylo's bravery, considering that the young lord had yet to ascend to the rank of a true knight.
Drawing his sword and spurring his horse onward, he thought to himself, "If this unfledged kid isn't afraid, then what am I, Bolin, afraid of?"
"Charge!"
Infected by Raylo's courage and determination, the knights' blood boiled. They shouted in unison and followed closely behind, forming a sharp wedge formation as they charged towards the chaotic battlefield.
"Meow!"
Moonlight, sensing the impending battle, let out an excited roar.
With all four paws braced, it transformed into a silver-white bolt of lightning and leapt into Raylo's arms.
The arrival of this reinforcing force immediately caught the attention of both the monsters and the town's defenders.
The militiamen on the walltop initially froze in surprise, then erupted into thunderous cheers: "Reinforcements! Reinforcements have arrived!"
The Shadow Serpent Priest, Slark, also noticed the sudden appearance of the knights.
A flash of surprise crossed his hidden green eyes, quickly replaced by a more sinister glint.
"A bunch of reckless fools! Kill them!"
He screeched, waving his serpentine staff in Raylo's direction.
Immediately, a group of snake-men and several Toxic Swamp Gargantuan Lizards turned to face the charging knights.
As their horses galloped forward, Ed had already surpassed Raylo's position, faithfully fulfilling his duty as the leader of the personal guard by positioning himself to protect his lord.
"Kill!"
Ed led the charge, his longsword swinging out.
Thwack!
The blade easily pierced through a snake-man's scales, sending a spray of inky-green blood flying.
The snake-man didn't even have time to let out a scream before being flung away by the sheer force of the impact.
Without pause, Ed twisted his wrist, the sword flashing as he instantly slew two more snake-men who tried to surround him.
Under the might of a peak Grand Knight, these low-level snake-men stood no chance against him.
The knights following closely behind also collided with the monsters.
Their superior weapons and armor, combined with their skilled horsemanship and combat techniques, gave them a clear advantage in dealing with these low-level monsters.
Knightly lances pierced through the relatively soft underbellies of the Toxic Swamp Gargantuan Lizards, while heavy swords split the bones of the snake-men.
However, the sheer number of monsters remained overwhelming, and under the influence of the Shadow Serpent Priest's spells, they fought with reckless abandon, launching frenzied counterattacks.
A Toxic Swamp Gargantuan Lizard opened its maw wide, spewing a thick stream of green venom at a knight.
The knight reacted swiftly, raising his shield to block. The venom sizzled against the shield, emitting clouds of white smoke.
On another front, several Corrupted Winged Serpents dove down from the sky, their sharp claws aiming for the knights' helmets.
The aerial attacks distracted the knights, causing two of them to be unhorsed by the snake-men. If not for their iron armor, they would have surely perished.
Raylo, witnessing this scene, had an idea. He patted Moonlight's little head.
"Moonlight, use your magic to blast those flying snakes out of the sky."
Moonlight tilted its proud little head up and let out an "aoowu". Several bolts of lightning descended from the heavens.
They struck the Corrupted Winged Serpents with precision. Two of them fell immediately, while the remaining ones were left trembling and flapping their wings frantically to fly away, never daring to approach again.
The fallen Corrupted Winged Serpents were easily dispatched by the knights. These first-order monsters, with their fragile bodies and lack of flight advantage, were no match for the armored knights.
"Well done, Moonlight!"
Raylo praised, his sword never ceasing its motion as he split open the head of another charging Toxic Swamp Gargantuan Lizard.
Meanwhile, the defenders on the walltop, seeing the reinforcements fighting so valiantly, were also greatly encouraged and began to counterattack with renewed vigor.
The Shadow Serpent Priest Slark's face darkened considerably.
"Useless! All of you are useless!"
Slark furiously pounded his serpentine staff against the ground, while a cunning glint flashed in his eyes.
He knew that this surprise attack was likely to fail.
If he continued to fight head-on, he might very well end up trapped here himself.
While continuing to command the remaining monsters to engage the knights regardless of casualties, he stealthily retreated, his body gradually blending into the shadows.
The shadows swiftly faded until he was no longer visible.