Cataphracts, surviving in a world full of mods

Cataphracts, surviving in a world full of mods

Author: Nowhere to Turn

Introduction:

{A slightly magical, self-created world with a large number of original mods by the author}

Once transported to a medieval battlefield, one is immediately surrounded by enemy forces, facing a near-certain death.

But that's okay. At this crucial moment, a magical interface appeared before my eyes. Presumably, I'll be able to unlock easy mode and easily reach the pinnacle of life. It will definitely be of great help, right? ...

After surviving a near-death experience, Xu Ning realized—this thing's only function was a display screen! He'd have to rely on himself from now on…

………………

He found himself transported to a chaotic battlefield in full armored cavalry gear, but that didn't matter; he had survived. Mount & Blade II was just a normal medieval world, he thought, "I can survive..." That was his thought until he saw those long-eared elves...

(The protagonist's initial appearance is inspired by the elite armored cavalry in Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord. This is a story about fighting against alien races and saving the world, starting with armored cavalry, and it has some fantasy elements.)

Volume One

Chapter 1: Armor Enthusiasts Won't Encounter Medieval Battlefields

Finally... finally this day has arrived!

With trembling hands, Xu Ning stroked the cardboard box in front of him. The box looked unremarkable, with a line of large characters printed on the front: "Premium Freshly Pressed Peanut Oil." However, it was clearly resealed, with traces of torn tape on the box.

Such a box could contain anything. After all, although such a cardboard box is not very sturdy, it always seems a waste to just throw it away or treat it as waste paper. So many people will put all sorts of items in it. And this box has a waybill attached to it, so it is obviously a special package inside.

Xu Ning was excited for a moment, but quickly calmed down. He took a pair of scissors, cut the tape at the seams of the box, and then took out the items one by one. The rustling sound of metal lock rings rubbing against each other was clear and delicate. The heavy chainmail, gleaming with silver light, was wrapped in a simple plastic sheet and was now finally seeing the light of day again, still coated with anti-rust grease. Then came lamellar armor made of long strips of armor plates and sturdy leather ropes, a finely and neatly made fish-scale armor skirt, a lamellar waistband secured with leather straps, and a heavy helmet with chainmail as a face shield, revealing only the two eye sockets, with a cluster of bright red plumes on it.

This magnificent and heavy set of armor weighs a total of ninety pounds. The inner knee-length chainmail and the outer lamellar and scale armor combined are heavy enough to make an untrained ordinary person walk slowly. Although they won't fall to the ground and be unable to get up, it will greatly deplete their physical strength. Only trained people can bear this heavy armor.

Adding to the previously delivered plated iron boots and chainmail plated gloves, the armor alone weighs nearly 100 pounds, making even moving it a considerable physical task.

Xu Ning stood up as he looked at the treasures in front of him, his face beaming with uncontrollable excitement, his smile almost reaching his ears. He jumped up and down a few times to release his excitement, but then, as if remembering something, he ran to the window and looked outside, his face showing worry and vigilance… He had bought this set of treasures without his parents' knowledge, and it took a month to arrive. He had even calculated the delivery time himself. Today, they were working in the fields, and he was studying alone at home, which was why he called the delivery guy he was close to. Before that, these things had been temporarily stored at the delivery guy's house.

In short, while these suits of armor are beautiful, their prices are even more so. I've spent almost all the money I've saved up over the years on this trip. If my parents find out, I'll definitely get a lecture. So it's best to keep it a secret. I can keep these nice things in my closet where they won't be easily discovered.

………………

Xu Ning is an ordinary college graduate who hasn't found a job yet two months after graduation, so he's preparing for the civil service exam. He's been studying at home during this time. Although his parents are very supportive of their son's decision, they still hope that he can go out and explore when he has time, instead of always staying at home alone. However, Xu Ning is very quiet and introverted, and he's always afraid of complicated interpersonal relationships, so he still spends most of his time at home.

During his free time from studying, he became obsessed with a game called Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord. He was deeply attracted by the unique atmosphere and worldview it presented. Unable to resist the urge, he ordered a set of armored cavalry-style armor online and went to great lengths to secretly transport it home.

Seeing that his parents showed no sign of returning anytime soon, Xu Ning couldn't wait to try it on. He rummaged through his wardrobe for a while and found a red padded jacket, which would serve as an inner layer. Then he slipped the heavy chainmail over his head, adjusted it to a comfortable position, and secured the lamellar armor to his chest and back with leather straps. Next, he fastened the shimmering armor skirt to his waist, put on the lamellar armor belt with leather straps, and finally put on the lamellar armor shoulder pads, hand and leg armor, stretched out the chainmail visor and put it over his head, and secured the leather straps of the helmet. Looking in the full-length mirror in the living room, he truly looked imposing and intimidating.

Xu Ning took a step, the sound of his armor plates vibrating incessantly. He was already very tall, even having to bow his head when entering his own house. His strong body made the entire armor look even better. Excitedly looking around, Xu Ning suddenly had an idea. He thought of the spacious area in his backyard. Although there were a few fruit trees in the yard, there was still a lot of space for him to move around. Why not go there and run around for a bit?

Without further ado, he pushed open the back door and pulled out a spear about three meters long from a gap in his wardrobe. The spearhead was forged by the village's old blacksmith using leaf spring steel from a vehicle, which was considered quite good steel. He then found a hardwood shaft with no knots and straight grain, and thus created this rather lethal spear.

For his short weapon, he chose the most cost-effective option—a hardwood staff with an iron head, or rather, a mace. The head was a large gear he bought online, and the handle was wrapped with leather. It could easily break bricks... In a real melee battlefield, it could also easily smash a head under an iron helmet.

With a smile on his face, he swung his iron-headed staff through the iron ring on his leather belt and stepped out of the room. As his heels touched the ground, a strong sense of dizziness suddenly struck him, as if his brainstem was being shredded inch by inch. Completely losing his balance, Xu Ning lost control and fell to the ground, his hands and feet feeling as if they were being grabbed halfway and completely out of his control.

'This is probably going to be a bad fall, thankfully I'm still wearing my armor...'

Xu Ning, lamenting his good and bad luck, fell heavily to the ground. Mud splashed into his eyelids through the eye sockets of his helmet. The intense dizziness still lingered in his mind, making his ears ring and his nose feel sore and swollen, as if something was about to flow out.

I desperately tried to push myself up from the ground with my hands. A warm liquid welled up in my nose; I didn't know if it was nosebleed or cerebrospinal fluid, but I figured it couldn't be as serious as the latter. ...

The sharp ringing in his ears finally subsided, and the dizziness and imbalance suddenly disappeared. However, the intense discomfort prevented him from getting up for a long time. He could only concentrate all his energy on his hands, which were supporting him on the ground. Cold, sticky mud seeped into his chainmail. He just wanted to get up quickly and clean his armor, otherwise it would definitely rust.

Just as he was wondering why his usually strong and agile body was completely powerless, a pair of large hands suddenly grabbed his shoulders, and another pair grabbed his arms, and the two hands together lifted him off the ground.

"Thanks... What on earth happened today? Am I going to lose my mind at such a young age...?"

Thinking it was his friends from the village who had helped him up, Xu Ning unceremoniously placed his hand on the shoulder of the person next to him, then noticed an unusual sensation… It was the feel of hard armor plates. What had helped him up? ………………

He slowly raised his head, and what came into view was a helmet with a tight chainmail covering his face, topped with a red plume. Several sturdy, curved armor plates, secured with rivets, formed the helmet's body. The lower edge of the helmet was decorated with an intricate pattern made of brass, and brass wings divided the space for the eye sockets on the chainmail visor, revealing a pair of bright black eyes hidden within...

This outfit looked so familiar, so familiar that it was as if he had just seen it before…! Isn’t this exactly the same as his helmet?! Xu Ning suddenly stood up straight in surprise, and the two people who were holding his shoulders also let go of his hands and took two steps back.

Only then did he notice the surrounding noise. A heavy, dense sound, as suffocating as a mountain peak, suddenly resounded in his ears. It was the sound of countless people fighting with swords, the screams and shouts of the dying and wounded intertwined, rushing into his ears with unstoppable force, vibrating his eardrums, and transmitting the signal all the way to his brain through his nerves.

The damp smell of mud, the stench of blood, the stench of feces, and the sour smell of sweat all rushed into his nostrils. This complex smell was so aggressive that it instantly overwhelmed all his olfactory cells, making him involuntarily want to cover his nose. But all he could touch was the cold feel of the chainmail.

A sudden surge of tension filled his heart. His feet shifted rapidly, and he spun around from left to right, taking in every detail of his surroundings. What he saw there left him completely stunned…

This was a gently sloping hillside, littered with charred, fallen trees from the fire. The area had been cleared, and a large group of cavalrymen, their bodies encased in steel, and their warhorses waited quietly there. Not only the soldiers, but even their horses were covered in iron scale armor that reached their knees. The soldiers, holding spears and shields, stood motionless in the rain, and almost everyone's eyes were fixed on him.

To his left was a cluster of white tents, from which emanated a strong stench of blood. Auxiliary soldiers in red jackets were carrying one wounded soldier after another, missing limbs, onto wooden stretchers into the tent area. Limbs were severed, flesh torn open, yellow fat appearing in a complex granular pattern, glistening with blood. White, broken bones, encased in remaining flesh, protruded from the sides of the knees. The wounds were covered in mud and weeds; everyone was filthy. Some were still screaming in agony, their white throats devoid of blood. Others had already fallen unconscious, their tongues bitten off in half, dangling from their mouths. The intense pain tormented them, causing them to scream loudly, their eyes seemingly about to tear open, their vocal cords about to be ripped apart by their own shrill cries.

There were at least a thousand people screaming in agony nearby, with only a few dozen people in white short-sleeved shirts moving among them, seemingly medical personnel. The dead lay piled up on the open ground nearby, densely packed like a mountain. A doctor, holding a bloodstained saw, directed several auxiliary soldiers to hold down a man's legs. As the man struggled violently, the doctor pressed the saw above his knee, gave a shout, and then pulled hard…

A large amount of blood gushed out, and the sound of the saw tearing through muscle was sickening. Soon they sawed into the bone, and tiny bone fragments emerged from the cut. The man had already fainted, but the auxiliary soldiers still dared not let go. With the final two cuts, the silvery tendons were severed, and the entire severed leg fell off, carelessly tossed aside by the doctor in a nearby corner.

He picked up a small iron knife, casually rinsed it in the boiling water beside him, and then began to peel and stretch the skin off his thigh, stitching it up at the end to completely seal the wound. He then took a roll of white cloth from the side and wrapped it completely around the huge wound. He wiped the sweat from his forehead with his blood-stained white sleeve and called to his helpers to carry the man away. The next man, whose arm had been smashed at the end, was carried up...

One after another, sharp screams and wails filled the air. Xu Ning shivered, his eyes still glazed over, but now tinged with fear. As if sensing something, he raised his head and looked out at the distant plains—as expected, it was a vast battlefield, with countless military formations tearing and squeezing at each other, their crimson liquid seeping into the earth and turning the dark soil into a bloody sludge.

Steel and flesh are being ground into a giant millstone, and the raw materials being ground are also these things. After the viscous entrails and flesh flow on the ground, they are trampled by pair after pair of feet until they are completely integrated into this land and can no longer be distinguished. Countless weapons are being wielded and thrust in the air, then hitting flesh and armor, causing those precious yet filthy lives to flow out from the wounds.

The wounded, still groaning, were trampled to the ground by countless feet. Again and again, until all was silent, the dense arrows rained down in the air, some even rubbing against each other and falling halfway down. But most of them still landed in the dense formation. The lucky ones were blocked by armor and shields, while the unlucky ones pierced through flesh and injured internal organs.

Such a magnificent, cruel, and shocking scene unfolded before his eyes, and Xu Ning's soul seemed to leave his body, observing the dream before him...

"Lord Tersolius, the consul has just given the order that we must launch an attack."

Xu Ning turned around, dumbfounded:

"ah?!!…………"

P.S.: I'm a new author, so please support me if you like it.

Chapter 2 A Narrow Escape

"ah?!…………"

A dull and foolish voice came from Xu Ning's mouth. In those few minutes, he had come to understand the situation he was in, but a sense of wishful thinking was preventing him from recognizing reality, from recognizing a terrible and helpless reality: as an ordinary college graduate, he now had to lead armored cavalry to charge into the enemy's formation... to charge into that huge meat grinder and grind himself to dust in it.

The reality was so terrifying and unacceptable that his usually quick thinking became frozen and sluggish. If it weren't for the chainmail covering his face, all the cavalrymen around him would have seen their leader's foolish expression. This gave him a rare opportunity to reflect on his situation.

However, this opportunity was extremely short; he had at most a few minutes to make a decision...

He stiffly and slowly turned his head, and then noticed that the cavalryman to his left had his fingers resting on the hilt of the sword at his waist. It was an exquisite steel sword with a slightly curved scabbard and a sharp, simple design. The brass counterweight was carved into the head of an eagle, with tiny, flat feathers meticulously depicted. The cavalryman's right hand, clad in chainmail and gloves, was resting on the hilt of the long sword. It seemed like an ordinary action, but it made him suspicious.

He began to suspect that the other party had noticed his abnormality, that his commander was no longer the same person, which was why he had subconsciously gripped the hilt of his sword… This couldn't be ruled out, after all, he had acted extremely strangely just now. To be the commander of such an elite heavy cavalry unit, he certainly wasn't some insignificant person who would be frightened by the battlefield, yet he had been stiff and clumsy… Although the other party couldn't possibly guess the real situation, they would definitely have more suspicions about him…

"Lord Tersolius?"

Xu Ning came to his senses. No matter what, he had to say something, at least to dispel the other party's current doubts.

"Didn't the consul give clear instructions? Or am I told to play it by ear? Read the order to me clearly."

The words startled him when they came out of his own throat. He never expected his voice to be so calm and powerful, low and hoarse, yet carrying a sense of composure that put those who heard it at ease.

"His Excellency the Consul has ordered us to charge the enemy's archer formation, utterly destroy them, disrupt the enemy's rear, and create an opportunity for the main force."

The other person immediately repeated the order, but his hand remained tightly gripping the leather-wrapped hilt of his knife. At the same time, he raised his other hand and pointed to the chaotic battlefield, pointing to a specific area within the dark green military formation:

“Those are the Hols archers, about 2 gallons from here.”

Xu Ning looked up and estimated that the distance to that area was about 2 kilometers. It seemed that this world had its own unique units of measurement, and their enemies were those Hols soldiers wearing dark green armor...

While mentally organizing the information about this world, Xu Ning continued to ask questions without showing any emotion:

"Is everyone ready? Carefully check your horses' hooves and your own equipment. I don't want a bunch of idiots falling down on the way to the charge. I don't need to remind you to feed your horses, do I?"

"We have checked it three times according to the regulations, and there are no problems. We have also fed the horse concentrated feed, which is enough to support acceleration for this distance."

"Check it one more time. It's drizzling today, the roads will be even more slippery... What are you looking at me for? Hurry up and go!"

After driving away the cavalryman on his left, Claude turned to look at the cavalryman on his right. This man was extremely tall. Xu Ning himself was already considered tall, but the man was half a head taller than him. Moreover, he wasn't the kind of tall but skinny type; rather, he was incredibly tall and muscular. The chainmail he wore, which should have been loose, was stretched taut, and the lamellar and scale armor on top were also perfectly supported, enough to instill fear in any enemy.

"What's your name? What's your position?"

Xu Ning gritted his teeth and asked the question. He knew it would easily arouse suspicion, but he was about to go to the battlefield and might die soon. He couldn't care less about that. He had to seize every opportunity to find a way to survive... He didn't even know how to ride a horse or which foot to step with first when mounting it. How could he lead them in a charge?

“I am Arka, your flag bearer and your squire.”

The tall Alka seemed somewhat puzzled, but still answered his superior's question.

'Flag bearer? ......'

Xu Ning turned around and looked at the large flag behind him. It was supposed to be very conspicuous, but he had been in a panic and hadn't noticed it at first.

The large banner was supported by a thick wooden pole, with a short horizontal wooden pole to hang it. The banner was entirely black, with a golden double-headed eagle embroidered in the center. It was not the kind of abstract image commonly seen in ancient times, but a more realistic pattern. The edges of the banner were decorated with golden tassels, and a tuft of gray feathers was fixed to the top with a metal base, which was now trembling slightly in the airflow.

Some golden characters were embroidered on the bottom of the flag, looking neat and beautiful, but he didn't recognize a single one. With his pitiful level of knowledge, even if this was a language from Earth, as long as it wasn't Chinese or English, he couldn't possibly recognize a single word. But he figured it must mean boasting about his achievements... But strangely, he could understand what other people were saying, and it seemed that he had inexplicably mastered another language and could speak it fluently.

What is the size of our military unit?

"There are 1078 people gathered here who can collect all the armor, and another 54 people who cannot wear warhorses will follow behind us."

How many commanders are there in total?

"There are 104 squad leaders, 10 centurions, a standard-bearer, a quartermaster, and a guard captain... and then there's you, sir."

…………

Xu Ning felt utterly hopeless, realizing he had no better options... He was a centurion, with over 1000 men watching him. He couldn't simply turn and run, because he had no idea what the others would do if he did... Given his limited knowledge of this world, he might even be killed on the spot if he tried to escape. He had no idea what kind of control he actually had over this unit; perhaps he was just a temporarily promoted guy with no real power base...

If he were just an ordinary soldier, he could look for an opportunity to slip away unnoticed, but now he's trying to escape in full view of everyone? ... That's definitely not going to work.

He could only hope that the troops would have more time to prepare, giving him more time to think. In such a short time, his not-so-bright mind simply couldn't come up with any good solutions.

"My lord, we are ready. All the equipment has been checked and the warhorses are in excellent condition."

? ! ! …………

Xu Ning turned his head blankly and saw that everyone's eyes were focused on him again, waiting for the order to set off. The warhorses kept snorting, these temperamental mounts were already a little impatient, and the knights on their backs were shouting or listening to soothe them. Everyone was ready and waiting for him.

He suddenly felt a strange mix of anger and shame: Why weren't you afraid at all?! It was such a terrifying battlefield, where countless people died every single second, so why were you rushing in? How could you be so calm? Didn't you know you were very likely to die there?

…………

Why aren't you afraid of this like I am? ...Then I'd have an excuse to turn around and run away with you...

These jumbled words raced through his mouth, about to leap from the tip of his tongue, but he swallowed them all back down. He practically forced out a single word through clenched teeth: