FANTASY

King of German Mercenaries

King of German Mercenaries by Artimer is a fantasy novel, Marin found himself in the body of a young wandering knight who was driven out of the house. Forced into the 15th Century, he was armed with only a horse, a breastplate, and a lance. He was soon caught up in the era of German mercenaries established by Maximilian I. And so he decided to become a mercenary. Relying on his internet, historical and game knowledge, he will establish his own mercenary force. Waging war with French knights and Swiss armies, even Emperors, Kings and Pope will beg for his help. Marin will also send ships to “tail” the Da Gama fleet, going to India and beginning to participate in the maritime trade and colonial competition. Read King of German Mercenaries Blurb Below.

King of German Mercenaries Blurb

A searing white light. A disorienting jolt. Then… silence. Marin cracked open his eyes, expecting the familiar blue glow of his computer screen, the comforting hum of his gaming rig. Instead, a tangle of gnarled roots and a sky the color of faded denim filled his vision. Panic clawed at his throat as he sat up, the scratch of rough cloth against his skin a stark contrast to the smooth cotton of his t-shirt.

He was no longer Marin, the history buff and strategy game enthusiast. He was… someone else. A young man, judging by the smooth, unblemished skin of his face. He wore a dented breastplate, its once proud polish dulled with neglect, and a worn pair of breeches. A stray thought, a fragment of a memory, surfaced – expulsion. He’d been cast out, stripped of his birthright, left to fend for himself in this strange, harsh world.

A whicker from beside him brought his attention to a magnificent chestnut horse, its coat gleaming in the weak sunlight that filtered through the dense canopy. This, at least, was familiar. Horses were a constant in his historical strategy games, loyal companions in virtual battles. But this was real, the weight of the animal’s warm breath puffing against his hand a grounding reminder.

As Marin surveyed his surroundings, a realization dawned. This wasn’t his world. The towering trees, the unfamiliar flora, the very air itself seemed to hum with a different energy. A quick glance at his reflection in a nearby puddle confirmed his suspicions. Gone were the familiar features of the guy who spent hours strategizing virtual campaigns. This face, lean and weathered with a hint of defiance in its jawline, belonged to a man who had seen hardship.

Days turned into weeks as Marin, guided by a mix of instinct and a desperate need to survive, wandered the war-torn German countryside. This was the 15th century, a time of fractured alliances and constant skirmishes. The rise of German mercenaries, championed by Maximilian I, was slowly rewriting the rules of warfare. It was a world Marin knew intimately – from countless hours spent devouring historical texts and mastering intricate war simulations on his computer.

One fateful encounter changed everything. A band of Landsknechte, the infamous German mercenaries, found him collapsed on the side of the road, weakened by hunger and fatigue. Their leader, a gruff but surprisingly insightful man named Albrecht, recognized the spark in Marin’s eyes – a spark of intelligence and tactical brilliance honed in the virtual battlefields of his past life.

Seeing an opportunity, Marin bartered his knowledge – a unique blend of historical insights and unorthodox strategies gleaned from his gaming experience. He spoke of flanking maneuvers, combined arms tactics, and the importance of logistics – concepts that were still nascent in this era. Albrecht, impressed by Marin’s fervor and the logical soundness of his ideas, took a chance. He accepted Marin into his mercenary company, a fledgling outfit desperately clinging to survival.

Thus began Marin’s unlikely rise to power. As their battles unfolded, his strategies, a blend of historical knowledge and innovative tactics, proved devastatingly effective. They routed French knights reliant on outdated chivalry, outwitted the disciplined Swiss phalanxes with flanking maneuvers, and even earned the grudging respect of powerful figures like Emperors, Kings, and the Pope, who sought their aid in their endless conflicts.

But Marin’s ambitions stretched beyond the dusty battlefields of Europe. Inspired by tales of Vasco da Gama, he yearned to explore the wider world. He convinced Albrecht to invest in a small fleet, a “tail” for da Gama’s exploratory mission. Their ships would follow the Portuguese explorer, charting new routes, establishing trade links with newfound civilizations, and laying the groundwork for a German foothold in the burgeoning colonial competition.

Marin’s journey was a testament to the power of knowledge, both historical and virtual. He was a bridge between two worlds, using the lessons of the past and the innovative spirit of games to forge his own path in a brutal and unforgiving era. This wasn’t just a story of a displaced gamer; it was a saga of adaptation, of using one’s unique perspective to rise from ostracized wanderer to King of German Mercenaries, a man who rewrote the rules of warfare and carved his name in the tapestry of history. As his mercenary company grew into a formidable force, and his ships charted uncharted waters, the legend of Marin, the man who walked out of a computer screen and into the annals of history, only just begun.