Knights Excelsior Short Story:Black and White

Entry posted by shinros January 22, 2019

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Act 1
Gerhard stood in front of the desk of his Freeguild general. His office was replete with trophies of war, from orruk skulls to large beasts. There are even commendations from the Grand Conclave of Haven. The largest city within the lands of Gathilee. Yet he was not here for a commendation or a mission, he was here to be chewed out. Stefan Goldstrike sat back on his chair, he looked tense there were bags around his eyes and his brown hair held threads of grey, most likely from stress. Gerhard waited, he wondered how he will be shouted down. Stefan rose from his chair and walked around to the front of his desk, his golden armour rattling with the movement. Once he was standing at the front of his desk, he leaned back on it. “Do you have any idea what you have done?” Stefan said flatly.

Gerhard saluted and gulped. “Yes sir, bu-” “but nothing, you are aware what could happen if your message is picked up by the wrong people?” At the mention of people he obviously thought of the Grand Conclave, they fund this Freeguild to protect the town of Strahafen for it produces and exports the gildweed of Chamon. The root was said to have medicinal purposes and helps in spell casting. So it’s highly valuable. Gerhard’s lips felt dry thinking on the trade of the root, their Freeguild has a lot of responsibility and if they failed in their duties they could lose funding. “T-The Grand Conclave c-could revoke our funding, that would mean we would be out of the job...sir.” His words stammered out of his mouth, but Stefan shook his head. “It’s not the Grand Conclave you should be worried about boy, but the White Angels are the ones you should fear. The Conclave fears them and that...is what we should be worried about.”

At the mention of the White Angels he knew them to be the stormcasts that stand vigil over the city of Haven. They respond to threats throughout the lands of Gathilee, but he did not think that Sigmar’s holy warriors would respond to such an issue, he didn’t think it would warrant it. “Sir, shipments have good missing, patrols have been found dead...I don’t think Stormcasts would get involved. I-I just thought…” “You thought that we couldn’t handle it, these sorts of problems should be dealt with in house.” “S-Sir no one has been listening to me, I even tried to organise a meeting with you but I get stonewalled every time.” “Maybe because your issues does not warrant my attention? Perhaps the other officers are dealing with this issue in house as I said.” He had to admit he didn’t think of that. He looked down slightly“Sir..please don’t eject me the Golden Lions...I-I…” “You need the money, like all reclaimed am I right?” Gerhard simply nodded. “Yes sir...I send the money back to Haven sir…”

Stefan was about to say something, but a knock on the door interrupted him. “Go away!” Stefan shouted. The knock came one more time, the general growled in annoyance. “If you kno-” The door suddenly buckled and burst into a thousand splinters, when Gerhard turned back a white light washed over him. The smell of clean rainwater started to fill his nostrils, as the light slowly ebbed away he could pick up the sound of heavy footsteps. Slowly his vision cleared and standing over him was a white giant, covered in bones and icons of Sigmar. A skull was leering down at him and through the eye sockets he spotted a soft blue glow.
Gerhard simply fell to his bottom, he was shaking with fear. He looked around to see the white giant had two others standing behind him. They held massive hammers and blue shields. Gerhard’s eyes darted to Stefan who was sweating rivers. “G-Greetings my lords.” the general stammered. The giant with the skull looked around the office, his eyes then fell upon his general. “You are in charge of the Freeguild known as the Golden Lions?” the giant’s voice held the rumble of thunder.

The general simply nodded to the question. The giant returned the nod and said “I am Lord-Relictor Atticus Soulflayer of the Knights Excelsior. I am here to tell you that this town will be purged and all officers will be incarcerated at the Black Fortress for further questioning.” At the mention of purge that was when the screams started, Gerhard even spotted a soldier flying across the door. The sounds of carnage began reverberating through the room. Stefan eyes went wide. “You can’t do this! H-How dare you! What of the Grand Conclave!?” Atticus cocked his head. “The Grand Conclave have no control over the Stormcasts. At least in Haven they don’t, wherever heresy and chaos gods go we the holy destroyers follow.” Atticus raised his hand and summoned forth chains of white light that shot towards them like a snake slithering snake.

Gerhard didn’t even struggle as the chains wrapped around him, his general screamed in agony as the chains touched him. He fell to the floor with a thud. Atticus then hefted him to his feet with the chains. “Do not resist general, if you do that will further prove your guilt.” Gerhard shook his head. “Y-You’re stormcasts…” Atticus eyes drifted to him. “Yes we are.” “T-Then why are you doing this?” The Lord Relictor chuckled but there was no mirth in his voice. “If you have to ask then you do not understand us.”

That was when one of the stormcasts behind Atticus came over and hefted him up with the chains as well. He was lead out of the office with his general. When he got outside the garrison itself was a charnel house, men and women were strewn across the floor. One was still alive and was crawling back screaming for his life, but the stormcast ignored their pleas as she bought her hammer down upon the soldier’s head without hesitation.

Now he understood what his general meant, now he understood the gravity of what he has done.

Act 2
Gerhard was lead through Haven with the other officers, the trip took several hours and they had to walk without any breaks. He could feel his feet throbbing in pain, but despite the pain what was shocking him was when men and women were running to their houses. Children were dragged from roads and stalls were abandoned as the Knight’s Excelsior marched them through the city. Despite all of this happening he noticed one thing that stood out, it’s been years since he has last been home but every single house and stall was covered in religious icons and parchment.

His eyes drifted to the stormcasts that escorted them, he knew they had something to do with it. “Look at what you’ve done.” Stefan hissed. The general was walking next to him, despite being surrounded by the white giants they are not stopping him from speaking. “I told you reporting the situation to the city would catch the attention of the wrong people!” He was not shouting, he was speaking in whispered tones. “As the years went by the Stormcasts grip on the city turned more firm, the Grand Conclave’s hands are tied you fool!” The general kept ranting, his heart was sinking but it collapsed completely once they reached the dreaded Black Fortress.

Gerhard has heard stories of stormkeeps, they were meant to be grand and beautiful bastions where the warriors of sigmar lived and watched over them. But beyond the bridge all he saw was a dark fort of black metal being manned by white giants, it seems in this area the light of Hysh was dead. Storm clouds covered this area in its entirety and it didn’t help either that it was raining despite the fact the rest of the city was enjoying summer.

They were then lead down the bridge and he noticed the stone bridge held statues of grim warriors both mortal and stormcast, he didn’t understand the significance of them. His mind was mainly still reeling at the thought of the Stormkeep.

Once they reached the spiked gates Atticus raised head upwards and called out. “Open the gates!” His voice cut through the wind and rain. The gates made a clunking sound and slowly they rose upwards. They were escorted into the courtyard and the sight of it filled his mind and heart with despair. Oubliettes dotted the field, stormcasts were throwing people into them and worst of all were the executions. Priests in white robes and Stormcasts were calling down lightning upon those who were tied to posts. The screams were too much, worst of all were the wails that erupted from the great building at the other side of the court. He dreaded to think of what was happening inside. Atticus turned them to and shouted. “Those who forsake the light of Sigmar will find no reprieve here! Unburden your heart so the blessed storm can take you sooner! If not...you will know the tears of Sigmar forever…”

As he finished speaking the stormcasts divided them and dragged them to oubliettes, they were stripped of armour and clothes. Gerhard shuddered in fear as the female who crushed his fellow soldier’s head opened the gate of an oubliette. “****** this! I haven’t done anything wrong!” Gerhard looked back to see another sergeant was trying to run for it, but a stormcast on the battlements who wielded a bow simply aimed and fired. As the arrow traveled through the air it turned into a lightning bolt and crashed into the fleeing sergeant. His screams were added to those on the wind as his blackened corpse fell onto the grass.

Gerhard eyes came back to the oubliette and that was when the stormcast escorting him started tearing off his gear. It only took her moments and once she was done she shoved him in. Gerhard fell onto the hard floor, as he staggered to his feet he looked up and he watched the gates close. That was when he started wailing he tried to reach up and the gate was several centimetres out of his reach. He even tried to jump and he still couldn’t reach it.

He began panicking while looking around but he was only met with cold stone. “Help me!” he cried out out. Rainwater poured down onto him through the gate, it was cold the biting kind but he kept screaming. “I didn’t do anything wrong!” He kept screaming, but deep down he knew his voice was just one more scream added to the wails of those incarcerated here.

Act 3
He didn’t know how long he has been here for, he hugged himself while sitting on the ground, he was trying to push back the cold that gripped his body. He should be dead due to the temperature and rain but something or someone was keeping him alive. He had that intrinsic feeling that was the case and he cursed the person who was doing it. He sneezed and looked over to the small sack, it was full of soggy bread. He had several of them which were empty he hoped to use them to cover himself but it didn’t help keep out the cold. His stomach then growled but he forced it back, he knew the timeframes for when they were fed was random, there was no set time. Sometimes he would go through days of a sack not being dropped down to his prison.

It got to the point that he prayed all of this to end, but his survival instinct would kick in and he would stuff his food into his mouth. Gerhard then remembered what Atticus said, to unburden his heart then the torment would end. So he reflected, he thought back to when he was sixteen winters when his parents couldn’t find a job. Their status as reclaimed kept them from most jobs by the ayzerites who founded the city.

That was when he was approached by other youths who ran the street gangs, they were all reclaimed as well which fed into the vicious cycle that they could not be trusted. They told him if he ran with them his parents would live comfortable lives. All he had to was deliver gildweed to the black market and fight with them. Most wouldn’t refuse considering the conditions most non-azyrites live in. Yet he chose otherwise, he decided to enlist in a Freeguild, he was refused many times but he didn’t give up and eventually he was taken in by the Golden Lions. It was tough working with them considering his status but he bared it and made it to sergeant, he used that money to make sure his parents could see a ripe old age. He wondered what would they think once news travels that the Golden lions have been decimated by Sigmar’s chosen? He dwelled on his parents until he heard metal grating.

Gerhard staggered up, gazing to the skies he could see the door to his oubliette has been opened. He would be happy but a stormcast was standing there, the giant reached down and grabbed him by the neck. Right away Gerhard clawed at the gauntlet but the giant pulled him up with ease. He then threw him to the grass, looking up he saw it was the Lord-Relictor. “Get him up.” Atticus said flatly.

He was surrounded by what looked to be humans in white robes. They hefted up by the arms and that was when the Lord Relictor turned from him and began walking to the main building. The humans followed after the Stormcast, Gerhard didn’t have the strength to walk but those in the white robes simply dragged him along.

When they entered the building the warmth crashed into him, the screams on the wind were silenced.

He started crying but that was short lived until his gaze fell upon a set of stairs, one was heading up and the other was heading downwards. Atticus walked to the stairs heading down and that was where he was dragged to, going down he picked up the sounds of more screams. His tears turned to ones of despair as he realised his torment was not going to end. When they reached the bottom of the steps he could see they were in a corridor, the walls were covered by great metal doors. The screams were coming from there, his heart shuddered as he was taken to one, he watched Atticus turn the handle of the door and opened it. He gestured into the room.

The white robed humans nodded and dragged him into the room. Gerhard spotted a large table and bench, there was also another white robed human standing in the corner. They were holding a large book, but what rattled his soul was her face was covered with tattoos. Her bald head held the sigil of the Knight’s Excelsior, the great sun with a crescent moon on top of it. She also had black lightning bolts tattooed over her eyes as well.

The ones dragging him set him down on the other side of the table and stood behind him. That was when Atticus came into the chamber and closed the door, he sat down across from him. That was when the female set the large book in front of the stormcast who opened it up. The leering skull and the blue eyes from Atticus caused Gerhard’s to wince in fear, he wanted to voice something to speak out against his treatment but no words would come. One look from the stormcast made him cease the attempt. “Do you know why you are here?” asked Atticus. Gerhard shook his head. “Let me tell you then.” the stormcast said flatly. “The Golden Lions are guilty of trading Gildweed to a cult belonging to the ruinous powers.” At the mention of cult his eyes went wide. “W-What?” Gerhard stammered.

The Lord Relictor simply turned the page of his tome. “General Stefan Goldstrike and the upper echelons have all been profiteering from this trade. Also I would like to add each had a grand amount of debt so the deal enticed them. This cult was stationed in the town of Strahafen.” Gerhard shook his head “I-I d-don’t understand. I never knew about this.” “That’s the surprising thing.” Atticus declared. “I suspect it has to do with your status as one of the reclaimed, but how ironic the group that is prone to corruption avoided it...Let me tell you why.” Gerhard rubbed his arms, it was far more warmer in this room but he could still feel the stinging cold somewhat. “I am not all that different from anyone else…” “But you are.” said the Lord-Relictor. He turned the page of the tome. “Let not the soul waver in the face of grey, it’s a tenant from the Shining Lord, the greatest among us in the Knights Excelsior. Do you know what that means?” Gerhard simply shook his head. “I don’t.” “It means that the soul wavers when it sees grey. We make excuses for why we do evil and trying to see grey leads to your soul being enshrouded with the blackness of heresy.” “Then...what of the people you killed? I am sure not all of them knew of what was going on in Strahafen.” Gerhard felt a measure of anger as he preached at him.

Here the stormcast was speaking of morality when they butchered a whole town. Atticus chuckled, it was most likely he was seeing his anger. “It’s quite simple.” said Atticus. “They were all guilty, we have been investigating this town for quite some time. All knew of the missing patrols, murders and trade issues but none thought to do anything about it. They made excuses, I am too scared to get involved, I don’t want to ruin my position, I have a family to take care of.” “There were children, did you kill them as well?” Gerhard said firmly.

Silence reigned the chamber, the Lord-Relictor simply turned the page of his tome. “Evil succeeds when good men and women do nothing. It’s that simple, that’s why we kill everyone.” Atticus declared. “Such people shouldn’t raise the young, the parents habits are imprinted into the children. Even so there was one white soul in the town. It was you.” “Me?” “Yes you, the plan to purge the city was in place for weeks but when I received your report our Lord-Veritant suggested that we shouldn’t kill you. I decided to take a look into your background and it further proved your soul is white, you don’t see grey. When you could’ve taken the easy road you didn’t. When you were enticed by crime you chose service. When you saw something was wrong you didn’t choose the dark powers you chose Sigmar.”

The Lord Relictor closed the tome. “So now you must make another choice.” Gerhard knew what this meant. He looked slightly back to those in white robes and then back to Atticus. “You want me to work here, don’t you?” he said flatly. The Lord-Relictor said nothing. The silence confirmed it, Gerhard looked down to his pale skin. “I will be helping you torture people…” “You will be torturing heretics.” “Isn’t that still wrong?” “Not against them mortal, for their souls are black.” Gerhard clenched his hands, who was he to gain say the chosen of sigmar? He hoped that maybe, just maybe there was a proper reason for their actions. “Fine...I will help you.”

The Lord Relictor turned his head to the female. “Agatha get Gerhard a white robe. Have him cleansed and brought to the courtyard.” The woman simply nodded. “Yes lord.” Gerhard watched the stormcast rise and walk over to the door, once he left his mind started to race with questions, he wondered what he meant by cleansed?

Act 4
Gerhard stood in the courtyard with his brothers and sisters. His hair has been shaved, he was almost drowned by a lector through a sacred cleansing and now he earned his white robe. Underneath it he wore a small amount of armour and a sword was attached to his belt. Yet what he found strange was the rain wasn’t cold anymore. When Agatha explained what he was now a part of it didn’t sound that bad. Essentially they were an auxiliary Freeguild attached to the Knights Excelsior called the White Templars. Agatha said this specific stormhost has the greatest trouble finding mortals to fight with them, very few meet their standards. Thinking on the bar required to serve them Gerhard didn’t think it was that high. He just wanted to help his family and be productive, that’s it.

He focused on Stefan who was now emaciated. When their eyes met the general started shouting at him. “Traitor! Siding with murderers!” Gerhard winced, Stefan continued to spit venom at him but that was silenced as Atticus came forward. He was holding a great staff with a skeleton embedded into it, he told him that it used to be a battle companion who fought to the bitter end to help found this city. But his name was forgotten, nobles have torn down his statues and replaced them with statues of their own likeness. Agatha placed her hand on his shoulder. “Ignore the infidel, he seeks to push his sins upon you.” “He is making excuses to why he is now here.” Gerhard said flatly. “Indeed he is, now watch. Lord Atticus will summon the storm to tear him asunder.” Gerhard gulped, he was not sure if he was ready to see this.

The Lord-Relictor raised his staff and shouted to the heavens. “Know that you bought forth Sigmar’s fury. He placed his trust in you to serve his grand dream! Yet you chose to work with those who would unravel that sacred task! Feel his fury made manifest!” Lightning began to thread the clouds, and line of lightning shot down towards Atticus’ stave. The blue light almost blinded Gerhard, at least it felt like it. Still he could see Atticus clearly the smell of clean rainwater intensified and at the same time his skin tingled as lightning arced around them. None of it touched them but within the crackling it was like a presence was there. He could feel that someone out there was angry and also sad. Gerhard did not get much of a chance to explore this since Stefan started to scream. Stefan howled and wailed and the smell of burnt flesh forced its way into his nostrils. Once his screams faded so did the blue light, Atticus stepped aside and all that was left of his general was a blackened corpse.

Gerhard clutched his white robe, part of him wanted to think he didn’t deserve such a fate but in the end he traded with their enemies for coin. Who knows what the cult could of done with the gildweed? What bothered him most of all was why would anyone trade with followers of the ruinous powers? Questions upon questions railed his mind until the Lord-Relictor approached. “Even in the end he sought to blame someone else, not even once did he reflect upon what he has done. Now he is fodder for the dark masters he aided.” Atticus said flatly. “You will seek to find answer but it’s simple. He was a greedy and evil man who put his vices ahead of Sigmar’s dream. A dream where the realms are free of chaos. If you desire that dream...look upon him with scorn and hatred. His blackened husk is the same colour of his soul...remember that Gerhard.” The Lord-Relictor walked past him, attending to the next execution with the others.

Gerhard dwelled on what the stormcast told him. Deep down he had to admit he was right, Stefan was respected and achieved a position of trust. He squandered that. He then quickly made the sign of the hammer and turned to follow after everyone.