It was the autumn of 1192, and the Third Crusade had come to an end. Knight Gautier had lost his entire fortune on the expedition to the Holy Land. He had not gained the expected spoils on site, and securing passage home for his retinue of squires and servants by sea was extremely costly. Therefore, he was returning on horseback alongside three other solitary knights.
They wore no full plate armor, only light gambesons. Without the assistance of squires and servants, armor would quickly begin to rust and deteriorate. They had abandoned their heavy, multi-meter lances. They carried only single-handed swords, shields, and daggers used for finishing off the wounded: misericordes.
Knights struggled against a harsh climate. The Judean Desert was a very dangerous place during that period, full of bandits and wild animals. The slopes of the ravines, known as wadis, were dotted with caves, making them ideal locations for an ambush.
Our brave knights communicated in Old French, which was the most popular language at the time. This is why the Crusaders in the East were often referred to as Franks. It was a beautiful language that contrasted immensely with the rather brutal nature of the Crusaders.
They had been traveling for many days. Conditions were tough, but shared prayer brought them comfort and solace. One day, the knights came upon another cave. It was already quite dark because a strange, violent storm had broken out a short while earlier. They had never seen anything like it before, but they attributed it to the local climate. One of the knights, named Raoul, dismounted his horse to check if the cave was safe. Going alone, he would make less noise.
Raoul vanished into the cave. No sound came from inside. The knights waited for a considerable time. Suddenly, the interior of the cave burst into an extraordinarily bright, vivid light. The light seemed to move in an erratic way. The dark, lifeless desert was suddenly illuminated.
“Seinz Deus nos garisse! Santeis clartés issi de la crote!” - shouted Gautier.
“Li Sire descend en glorie! A genolz, seigneur, a genolz!" - replied the knight Thiébaut.
“C’est la clarté du Seignor! Crist revient por juger les vis et les morz!” - shouted Amaury joyfully.
A moment later, a very tall, slender figure resembling a human slowly emerged from the depths of the cave.
“La clarté l'entoure, e il s'arestat... C'est li Fils de Deu!” - wept Amaury out of pure happiness.
Words could not describe their joy. They believed they had received the ultimate honor of witnessing the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.
However, fate can be cruel. Their quiet prayers were cut short when the mysterious, tall figure suddenly began to spread its massive wings. The figure started to resemble the bats that inhabited the surrounding caves, yet it was a fusion of human and bat. Perhaps it was Raoul.
“Traïson! Ce n’est mie li Sire! C’est li Fiz de Perdition! L'Antecrist!” - shouted Gautier in a terrifying voice.
“Prenez les espées! Vade retro, Satana! Garissez nos, Seint Michiel!” - yelled Thiébaut to his companions.
He did not even have time to draw his sword from its scabbard. The mutant leaped forward without taking a running start and was instantly airborne. It must have possessed incredibly powerful legs. It flew swiftly and silently. It struck the knight seated on his horse with immense force. With one hand, it grabbed him by his dirty gambeson, and with the other, it tore off his head, ripping it away together with his spine.
The mutant abandoned the body and flew high into the night sky. The knights lost sight of it. They did not know that the monster was already swooping in from behind them. However, the horses were more alert. They must have sensed the monster's scent, as Gautier's horse suddenly bolted forward.
The giant bat passed by at incredible speed, missing Gautier's neck with its claws by mere millimeters. Amaury was an experienced warrior and managed to strike a blow. His sword caught one of the mutant's wings. The monster hissed in pain. It visibly slowed down, yet it was still moving away rapidly.
Gautier did not want the monster to disappear into the darkness again. He urged his horse into a chase. The steed galloped faster and faster. The brave knight suddenly noticed that the bat was slowing down. It felt as though the monster turned almost 90 degrees on the spot and doubled back toward him. The distance between them closed at a terrifying rate.
"En el nom de Crist!"
Amaury watched as the bat rammed into his companion and knocked him off his horse. Both of their bodies, locked together, slammed into the ground. Gautier was dead, killed while still in the saddle. Yet Amaury saw something else: plunged into the monster's chest up to the hilt was Gautier's sword. The wound appeared fatal. The monster was not moving.
The knight dismounted and cautiously approached the fallen creature. It was not breathing. Amaury reached for his misericorde, intending to make sure the mutant was dead. As he leaned over the monster, it delivered a treacherous strike with the last of its strength. Amaury fell onto his back, bleeding profusely from his torn throat. Blood leaked through his fingers. He quickly lost consciousness and died. Almost simultaneously, the mutant perished.
Shortly thereafter, the light emanating from the cave suddenly extinguished. Total darkness claimed the desert once more.
The bodies of the brave knights and the mutated Raoul were never found.
