AoS YA fanfic - Celeste part 2

[KrrNiGit]

 

This is the second part of my Celeste YA AoS fanfic. Enjoy! C&C welcome

 

A festival to remember 

 

Maximillian had his apprentice handgunners practice their rounds relentlessly and they had almost begun to look like real guards. Celeste had spent those days fetching things and getting pushed around by everyone. She learnt many new ways to navigate the town, which was something she hadn’t thought possible having grown up there her entire life.  

 

Maximillian had told them all that they would be on duty during the festival dashing their hopes of joining in the festivities. The guards were devastated but eventually gave their begrudging acceptance. Celeste stayed quiet, thinking to herself that as the runner they wouldn’t miss her if she snuck out for a little bit and joined in, just for a dance or two, if she could find the right partner. Celeste did her best to hide her smile. 

 

  * * *  

 

As the day of the festival dawned the entire town was excited as a hot breeze whipped down the laneways and streets. A brownish green haze had settled across the horizon. Waking early Celeste went down stairs ready for a day running around and trying to avoid Maximillian.  

 

‘Oh you’re up,’ her mother said looking up as Celeste made her way down the stairs. Celeste was lost in her own thoughts, ignoring her. She was too excited and ran straight outside oblivious to the world around her.  

 

Taking two steps out of her door, she felt something soft squish under foot. Pausing she bent down and picked up a small pale blue flower that was now somewhat squished.  

 

By midmorning the ordinarily sleepy Salzburg was abuzz with activity. Everyone was preparing themselves for the festival. Talk and laughter filled the air.  

 

As midday rolled around the convoy hadn’t arrived, while they were usually here by now but Celeste told herself not to worry, it was hot and maybe the convoy had taken it easy so were running a little late. Then it was mid-afternoon and still no convoy. The earlier joyous noises had quietened, replaced by a strained tension of anticipation. Then it was evening and still no convoy.  

 

Maximillian was more agitated than usual, something wasn’t right to his mind. So he kept all his gunners at their posts, occupying himself by giving little surprise inspections to ensure their watchfulness. He had also gotten the halberdiers to shut the town gate and post themselves in the barracks so they were ready if they he needed them. Celeste had tried to find an excuse to pop into the barracks but Maximillian kept a tight grip on her time. 

 

As the light of Hysh settled below the horizon the convoy still hadn’t come. The frustration of unmet expectations weighed heavy on the townsfolk as they tried to settle themselves for a restless night of sleep. The unseasonable heat had not dissipated during the evening only adding to their restlessness. Meanwhile Maximillian had gathered the town guard, Celeste thought to dismiss them.  

 

‘It is our duty to protect Salzburg and its store of Aqua Ghyranis until the convoy arrives,’ Maximillian began. ‘Never in our town’s history has our proud company failed in this duty. We have watched and protected our town. We have done our duty to our god-king and our people. We will not fail now!’ 

 

The guards groaned as Maximillian continued to outline his plan. They were not going home. Maximillian split the guard into watches and patrols, commanding those off watch to rest in the barracks and remain ready. Celeste began to slink off to the barracks, as the runner she was not part of any watch.  

 

‘Celeste, get over here,’ Maximillian called to her. 

 

‘You stay with me,’ Maximillian said. ‘The runner’s job isn’t just to fetch and carry but to relay their commander’s orders. Once we are spread out, you are my only way of coordinating this rabble, and the only way for them to communicate back to me. So you stay in my eyeshot or Sigmar help me, girl, Sigmar help me.’ 

 

How could this night get any worse, Celeste thought to herself. 

 

  * * *  

 

The realm of Ulgu had risen bathing Salzburg in a greyish light, sapping the town of its colour. The first watch was ending and the second watch was heading out to replace them. The warm breeze of the day had stilled leaving a stuffy feeling in the air.  

 

Getting increasingly restless as the night wore on and wanting some fresh air Celeste went out on the pretence of helping the guards hand over the watch. Standing atop the city gate, she saw a single horsemen approached the gate, only stopping once they were past the tree line. The rider sat tall and proud in the saddle, silhouetted by the light of Ulgu. They held a metal banner pole, three times the height of a man and topped with a crude metal ring divided by eight spikes.  

 

The rider banged the pole against the cobbles of the road, eight times. The sound rang out filling the silence of the night, chilling Celeste to the bone. Walking their horse forward, the rider slowly came into focus out of the haze.  

 

The rider was covered head to toe in blackened plate armour. It was adorned with cruel spikes and vicious looking blades. Every flat surface was covered crude runes that shifted and hurt Celeste’s eyes when she tried to focus on them. The plate clung to the rider’s body like a second skin. It moved fluidly as if it was a part of the rider themselves, unlike the rigid plates she’d sheen the halberdiers practice with. The rider adjusted their posture as their horse stomped with impatience. Rider and steed moved with a barely leashed violence which reminded Celeste of a great predator, like some sort of great dracoline stalking through the night.  

 

Stopping well within shot range. The rider cleared their throat and begun to speak. Even without raising their voice, it carried clearly to the guards who now stood by the gate. 

 

‘Good people,’ the rider purred in their strange accent, ‘I am Ahn’S’eall, and I speak for the eight voices.’  

 

The rider paused as if expecting some sort of recognition, but Celeste and the town guard had none.  

 

‘I am he who comes in the night, the scourge of Verdia, the destruction of the Dreadwood, the herald of the eight woes.’ 

 

He paused again, clearly frustrated by the lack of response from the guards.  

 

Breaking the silence the halberdier’s sergeant called out, ‘well, that’s all an’ good but what da ya want?’ 

 

Infuriated by the sergeant’s nonchalant reply, Ahn’S’eall spat back, ‘I have come for your water of life! You will not deny me.’  

 

A shot rang out, interrupting Ahn’S’eall, ricocheting off the chaos knight’s armour with a loud ping.  

 

‘You will not live to regret that,’ Anh’S’eall spat.  

 

Thrusting his banner into the earth he turned and cantered into the woods. The banner swayed there menacingly emanating an unnatural red light. 

 

After a long few moments, a relieved chuckle rose from the guards around. This chuckle was answered by the beating of not too distant drums and the call of a horn. 

 

‘Quickly girl,’ the sergeant said grasping Celeste’s arm, ‘rouse Maximillian.’ 

 

 * * *  

 

‘Maximillian,’ Celeste called as she burst into the barracks almost running straight into him.  

 

Barely a foot in front of her he stood, well dressed and equipped, ready for whatever the night might bring.  

 

‘I hear them girl,’ he said as he pushed past her and out into the night, heading towards the gate. 

 

‘To me guardsmen, to me,’ Maximillian yelled above the drums. Quickly he was surrounded by the halberdiers and the handgunners who were resting in the barracks and those within earshot around the gate.  

 

‘We’re under attack, it’s time to earn your coin. We hold them at the gate. If they get through us, there will be nothing left by morning. Then when the convoy finds the ruins of Salzburg, they will deem us to have been the lucky ones, gifted with a swift death in battle instead of the long torment of chaos. So we will hold.’ 

 

He paused and the gathered guards mumbled their accent.  

 

‘Sergeant, from a square behind the gate. When the gate is breached, your men will be the gate. If you fall, we all fall, understood?’ 

 

The sergeant saluted and left to organise his troops.  

 

‘Gunners, you are to hold the wall. If they get over the wall, it doesn’t matter how many gates we hold, we will be lost! Wait until you have a clear shot. Don’t waste your powder. Once you’re out you’ll be down there with the halberdiers. Get to it!’  

 

The gunners gave a quick ‘yes sir,’ and broke off to get into position.  

 

‘And don’t forget your hand weapons, the butt of your gun will only get you so far,’ Maximillian called after them shaking his sabre to emphasise his point. 

 

As quickly as they had arrived they left leaving Celeste and Maximillian alone in the yard. Maximillian turned to her opening his mouth to speak but his eyes focused on something over her shoulder.  

 

Celeste turned to see what he was looking at. Thorpe stood there in his battle armour. Hair and beard as neat as the day Celeste first met him. Above his head was a small furnace, wheezing with steam as he moved.  

 

‘Time to kill these chaos filth,’ Thorpe said lifting his unusual double barrelled rifle enthusiastically.   

 

‘Yes,’ Maximillian said placing a hand on Thorpe’s shoulder, ‘but first I need you to ring the warning bell in the town square. Raise the alarm and gather the folk together. Once they’re all in the square, barricade it as only a duardin can. Once we’re breached we will fall back to the square and hold them there. Protect the people, protect the vat, protect Salzburg.’ 

 

Thorpe didn’t meet Maximillian’s eyes but stomped off towards the town square anyway. Once Thorpe had left Maximillian finally turned to Celeste.  

 

‘Celeste, quickly make a circuit of the walls, tell the watchmen out there to remain at their posts. We have no way of knowing when or where they’ll come at us from. Tell them that they are our eyes, make sure they stay open, then hurry back here. Go!’  

 

With that he pushed Celeste towards the wall. She did not need any further encouragement and ran off in a sprint. As she ran the circuit of the walls, she heard the alarm bells begin to ring. Salzburg was fighting for its life.  

 

She hoped her family would make it to the square. She hoped that they would be alright. Blinking back the tears, she ran. 

Edited July 19, 2023 by KrrNiGit

[KrrNiGit]

The gate

As Celeste arrived at the last pair of watchmen, she heard the distant crack of handguns. The battle had begun. Delivering Maximillian’s orders as quickly as she could, Celeste then took off back towards the gate reinvigorated by adrenaline and fear.  

 

The acrid stink of black powder smoke met Celeste as she arrived back at the gate. Outside the wall, humanoid shapes capered about with a murderous intent. At best they could be described as only roughly humanoid. Some had three arms or an extra head, some were covered in spikes or had a tentacle instead of another limb, and some were far, far worse. Celeste thanked Sigmar that the thick smoke of blackpowder use obscured their details.  

 

These figures seemed to ignore all but the most significant wounds, often taking three or more shots before they fell to the ground, gurgling out their remaining lifeblood. The mutants swiped at anyone who got too close to the edge of the wall, forcing the gunners to take a step back. Once they figured out that the gunners were mostly out of reach they began throwing stones and other improvised weapons as they capered.  

 

Seeing Maximillian standing atop the gate, Celeste headed towards him hands over her ears. He was staring out beyond the wall, ignoring the hollering hoard just below his feet. Following his gaze Celeste saw the unmistakable silhouette of Anh’S’eall.  

 

‘Is that it,’ Maximillian seemed to say to himself.  

 

As if his words were some sort of signal, six figures emerged from the fog. Each a head taller than any man Celeste had seen and all covered in the same black spiked plate as Anh’S’eall. Each carried a shield bearing a sneering demonic face in their off hand and between them they carried a batter ram, ending in a demonic face, burning with an inner fire.  

 

‘Take them down! Stop them getting to the gate,’ Maximillian hollered louder than Celeste had ever heard him. 

 

Handgun shots ricocheted off the chaos warriors and they stomped on towards the gate unconcerned. The rate of fire begun to slow as the chaos warriors reached the gate. Maximillian grabbed Celeste and shook her until she removed her hands from her ears. 

 

‘They need more powder and shot. Keep them firing,’ with that Maximillian thrust Celeste toward the stores and away from the fighting.  

 

‘Go!’ he yelled shocking Celeste into motion. 

 

As Celeste grabbed the extra shot and powder she heard the terrible crunch as the battering ram hit the gate. Looking over her shoulder she saw splinters already flying from it. It would not last long. 

 

Celeste ran along the wall, handing out ammunition as she went. As she did the rate of fire increased and begun to weigh on the chaos warriors at the gate. She turned to see one of the chaos warriors slump to one knee before slowly toppling over. The remaining five continued to ram the gate without missing a beat.  

 

Celeste went to the next hand gunner along the wall, reaching into her pack for a fresh charge of powder as she did so. When she looked up to hand it to them, they were gone. Looking beyond the wall she saw them laying on the street below, a large stone protruding from their head, a pool of blood slowly spreading around them. Celeste closed her eyes to blink away the tears. 

 

   * * *  

 

There was a loud crunch from the ram. They were almost through.  

 

At that Maximillian called the handgunners from the wall, forming them up in a semi-circle behind the square of halberdiers.  

 

Now that the guns had stopped firing an eerie silence descended upon the gate only broken by the rhythmic crunch of the ram. Celeste saw the battering ram’s head poke through creating a breach in the gate. The red flame licked the wooden boards, melting them, causing the wood to run like liquid. 

 

‘One more’ll do it. Hold damn you,’ the halberdier sergeant yelled to his squad.  

 

The sergeant was right. With the next blow of the ram the door flew open sending a splash of melted gate at the front rank of halberdiers. Three fell screaming and writhing. 

 

With inhuman speed the chaos warriors were into the halberdiers. Silently slashing with cruel, murderous blades. It was bloody carnage and sheer violence of it took the halberdier square back a step and then another. One of the handgunners raised their musket to shoot. Maximillian slapped it down. 

 

‘Hold damn you. You shoot when I tell you and not before. Let them do their job.’ 

 

The melee between the halberdiers and the chaos warriors was brutal. The chaos blades rent through the halberdiers as if they weren’t there, separating limb from limb, opening torsos and causing bloody ruin. The halberdiers for their part did their best to work together, using the longer reach of their weapons to pummel the chaos warriors in unison. In that first few brutal minutes of melee combat the halberdiers managed to bring down two more chaos warriors but had lost many more of their number in return. If this continued much longer there would be none left. The remaining chaos warriors began to make a wedge separating the halberdier block, slowly pushing it apart.  

 

‘Aim,’ Maximillian commanded raising his hand.  

 

The handgunners shouldered their guns taking careful aim.  

 

‘Fire.’ 

 

His hand rushed down as a deafening volley was unleashed. Another chaos warrior fell, but so did a few more halberdiers. 

 

‘Charge,’ Maximillian yelled as he threw himself towards the remaining chaos warriors not looking back to see if anyone followed.  

 

The handgunners looked at each other for a second and then followed behind Maximillian with a yell. 

 

The fighting was a brutal mash of bodies in the compact space of the gate. After long bloody minutes the guards had pushed the last remaining chaos warrior out of the gate and into the field beyond.  

 

‘Hold here, we are the gate!’ Maximillian yelled, forming the mix of halberdiers and handgunners into a rough formation.  

 

Out of the haze the mutated shapes cackled and capered. When they got too close the guards would strike out towards it with halberd or gun butt. They held their ground there until the light of Hysh began to pierce through the fog and the mutants withdrew. Looking down the road, the silhouette of Anh’S’eall could not be seen.  

 

His banner still stood proud in the ebbing smoke, the eight-pointed icon alight with a blood red inner flame.  

 

‘This is not over,’ Maximillian wheezed exhausted and hoarse.  

[KrrNiGit]

What they came for 

 

Only once Hysh was fully above the horizon did Maximillian feel safe enough to let the remaining guards break their formation. Walking over to the nearest wounded town guard who was slumped against the ruin of the gate, Maximillian tried to get their attention but there was no response. Blood had stained the sleeve of their shirt and he parted it to see the wound beneath. The cut itself was superficial, it would’ve hurt but wouldn’t be enough to kill on its own. Maximillian had seen hardened soldiers fight on with such a wound for hours if caused by a mundane weapon. Unfortunately for the poor guard chaos rune swords had caused these. The wounds would be infused by unholy chaos energy, quickly becoming necrotic and were almost always fatal. This man was dead. Maximillian sighed and collapsed down next to him, utterly spent. 

 

It was still early when Thorpe and the burgermeister arrived at the town gate, Thorpe confidently stomping down the centre of the street with the burgermeister cautiously walking up a few steps behind him. They arrived to see the guards sitting exhausted in twos or threes by the gate. They sat where they had fought the night before. Silent. None dared raise their heads dreading to see what had become of their friends who hadn’t been as lucky. 

 

Seeing the pair approach Maximillian struggled to stand and headed towards them. Reaching them a short distance from the gate he ushering them into an empty house nearby. Celeste, seeing Maximillian get up and go into the empty house forced herself to her feet and followed. 

 

  * * *  

 

As Celeste entered the house Thorpe was in the middle of a belligerent tirade, the burgermeister trying to hold him back from Maximillian. Maximillian said nothing, waiting for Thorpe to bluster himself out.  

 

‘Last night we held the gate against a small Chaos warband,’ Maximillian said once Thorpe had finished. ‘Barely a handful of warriors and a couple score of mutants and they almost had us. We cannot hold off that number again if they come back tonight.’ 

 

‘Of course you struggled, you sent off your stoutest warrior,’ Thorpe exclaimed.  

 

‘I sent our stoutest warrior to defend the heart of our town,’ Maximillian retorted dryly, ‘to be our last line of defence.’ 

 

The burgermeister piped in, ‘so if they come back and we can’t hold the gate another night, what do we do?’ 

 

‘If they come back, we die,’ Maximillian said bluntly. 

 

Maximillian’s response lay heavy in the small room, leaving the three leaders in silence.  

 

Thorpe was the first to break the silence, ‘then I’d better get to fixing the gate and setting some surprises for them. Let us extract a bloody toll before we go to meet our ancestors.’ 

 

‘Why did they come?’ Celeste interrupted suddenly, ‘what do they want?’ 

 

This stunned the trio.  

 

Celeste continued, ‘he said he’d come for our life water.’  

 

Celeste paused seeing the confusion on their faces, ‘I had thought that just meant he wanted our blood and to kill us, but maybe he actually wants our life-water.’ Celeste paused again and still seeing no recognition in their eyes, ‘our literal life water, our Aqua Ghyranis.’ 

 

The truth of what Celeste had said slowly sunk in to them filling them with hope. If there was something the enemy wanted, then there was something more they could do. 

 

This relit the fire behind Maximillian’s eyes, rekindled with a vicious hope, ‘let’s set a trap.’ 

 

 * * *  

 

The unlikely four set themselves to planning for the next assault. They worked together to plan for an outcome that none of them truly considered a possibility and something that was clearly out of Celeste’s depth.  

 

‘So what have we got in our arsenal?’ Thorpe asked. 

 

‘We have maybe half a dozen halberdiers left, not enough to stand up to Chaos warriors or hold the gate for more than a few minutes. Not enough left to be anything but slaughtered,’ Maximillian said dejectedly. 

 

‘He asked what we had, not what we’ve lost,’ Celeste pointed out. 

 

‘We have,’ Maximillian retorted, ‘the best handgunners in the realm, freshly blooded with enough shot and powder left to make a gargant blush. But they cannot stand up to a charge of Chaos knights and the walls are too short to offer them protection for long enough to make use of our supplies.’ 

 

‘So we know they’re after the Aqua Ghyranis, and we know that we need to keep out of their reach...’ Thorpe muttered to himself as he stroked his beard. 

 

‘The vat is the tallest building in town,’ Celeste added, ‘can we shoot down on them from that?’ 

 

‘Aye, we could. We have strength enough to draw them into the square, and I can set the gunners around it to create a killing field. Station some on the roof tops around it and some on the vat. If we can keep them there we can kill them,’ Maximillian replied, ‘but how do we keep them there?’ 

 

Thorpe piped up at this. ‘Over last night we began to barricade the square, give me some strong backs and I can make it a trap they won’t escape from.’ 

 

‘Alright,’ Thorpe said, ‘sounds like a plan. Maxi go prepare the guards. Fix the gate the best you can. Can’t make it too easy for the spikies or they might not take the bait. I’ll go and lay our trap and make sure there is no way out of that square.’ 

 

Maximillian turned to Celeste, ‘go around to all the tallest windows looking down onto the square. Take the gunners with you and set them up in pairs. Make sure they have plenty of shot and powder. No point leaving anything for tomorrow.’ 

 

With that both Thorpe and Maximillian turned to go. 

 

‘B-b-but what about the townsfolk,’ the burgermeister stuttered. 

 

Not pausing Thorpe replied, ‘send any volunteers who want to fight to Maxi at the gate. The rest work for me today. Then once evening falls, take them to the hills. Salzburg will be a place of blood tonight.’ 

 

As Celeste followed Maximillian out of the building he paused, grabbing her gently ‘why’d you follow me in here?’ 

 

‘You said to stay within eye shot,’ was her honest reply. 

 

‘Ha. I’ll make a soldier out of you yet.’ 

[KrrNiGit]

Best laid plans 

 

The day passed with desperate industry. All folk worked as best they could without complaint. The gate had been repaired and all roads bar the main street to the square had been barred with debris. Thorpe had partially demolished the buildings of the square turning them into improvised walls. It would be more than sufficient to hold foot troops and cavalry in the square. He had even set explosives to blow the houses by the opening to the square blocking them in for good. As Hysh was setting all had been prepared as best it could.  

 

In all the busyness, Celeste had twice tried to break off and find Toumas. Both times Maximillian had found her and tasked her with another job before she could. On her third attempt she bumped into Thorpe and Maximillian arguing. 

 

‘I led the defence last night, the chaos scum will expect me to lead the defence tonight,’ Maximillian said. ‘I will lead the halberdiers, and once they’re through I will lead the withdrawal to the square. Then I will close the door on them. I still know how to set off a charge.’ 

 

Thorpe grumbled his response clearly unhappy with being sidelined again, ‘Fine, I will hold the square. Celeste and I will set ourselves on the vat. Once you have deemed to grace us with your presence, make your way there Marksmen Maximillian.’ Thorpe bowed sarcastically, ‘now I beg thee pardon to leave, I have a few extra surprises to prepare for our guests. Just in case we need a little something extra before the night is over.’ 

 

  * * *  

 

As evening fell, Maximillian approached Celeste holding a large velvet bag.  

 

‘Do a final run around to the gunners in their spots. Bring them their dinner, make sure they’re ready. And take this,’ handing her the large velvet bag. 

 

Celeste opened it, pulling out an exquisitely made rifle with a glass scope. The makers mark was an exquisite badge with a white cross emblazoned on a red field and bordered with rich green. It was Maximillian’s long rifle. She looked up to thank him, but he had already left for the gate.  

 

After her final round, Celeste took up a position atop the vat with Thorpe and waited.  

 

  * * *  

 

The haze of the previous evening only grew as the early watches of the night dragged on. Clouding out the little light Ulgu offered as it rose in the sky. Lightning struck the nearby hills, once and then twice, but no rain came. The uncomfortable heat felt smothering under the hazy blanket of clouds and Celeste’s nerves frayed more and more in the waiting.  

 

She jumped constantly at any noise or perceived movement out of the corner of her eye. Thorpe in contrast sat relaxed on a small barrel attached to a length of pale rope, smoking his pipe.  

 

She nervously adjusted the sights on the long rifle, then the height of her rifle rest, before returning to the sight again. Thorpe tutted, and Celeste ignored him as she had done the previous half a dozen times. 

 

‘They’ll come when they think we’ve worn ourselves out with worrying,’ Thorpe said.  

 

It was now Celeste’s turn to tut before returning to the long rifle. 

 

  * * *  

 

The light of Ulgu peaked through the clouds, by its trajectory Celeste placed it as well past midnight before the first distant cracks of gunfire sounded. Three quick cracks, followed by a pause and then three more. Maximillian was using his repeater handgun with great efficiency Celeste thought. It wouldn’t be long now.  

 

Celeste heard a feint scrabble on roof tiles. It wasn’t coming from the direction of the gate but behind her. She spun around. She thought she saw a shape, roughly the size of a human, but with a bird like head and feathers but by the time she had brought her rifle up and looked down the scope she there was nothing there. She turned to rouse Thorpe, but he was already standing weapon raised peering out into the dark.  

 

‘Next time you think you see something, shoot first and worry about your scope later,’ Thorpe whispered, ‘it’s better to be a living fool than a dead one.’ 

 

They heard an odd cawing, like someone mimicking a crow from across the square, then a scream and then gunfire. All around them, scattered on the roof tops more of the bird like shapes ran. Jumping nimbly from building to building the shapes moved gracefully, hunting the roof tops for prey. Celeste fired her rifle on instinct and swore she saw one of the shapes drop from the roofline.  

 

Celeste screamed at the top of her lungs, ‘watch the roofs, there’s enemies on the roofs.’ 

 

Thorpe grabbed her arm, ‘run to the gunners stationed by the entrance to the square. Make sure they cover the path in. We need the Chaos filth in the square. Go, do it.’ 

 

Celeste nodded and ran. 

 

  * * *  

 

Scrambling through back alleys, and through people’s abandoned houses Celeste picked her way to gunner’s nest overseeing the entrance to the square. She burst into the room to find the gunners both dead, slashed to pieces. Standing over them was in the dim light of the room was what appeared to be a bird demon with cruelly curved talons dripping in blood. Celeste fired on instinct, the shoot going wide and embedding itself in the window frame behind it. 

 

As her eyes adjusted to the light of the room Celeste realised that it was not a demon but instead a human wearing a bird skull and decorated with feathers, a cruelly curved blade still clutched in its hands. Celeste’s hands reloaded the rifle on autopilot. 

 

Then the room was filled with light and sound as Celeste fired her long rifle from the hip and the fiendish bird was gone. The only sign it left was a few grimy feathers floating slowly to the floor. 

 

Celeste ran to the window overlooking the entrance, on the street below a human shape lay awkwardly with a fist sized hole in its chest. Roused from the gruesome scene by the clash of steel on steel Celeste looked down the street seeing Maximillian and a pair of town guards being sorely pressed by a dozen chaos warriors. They wouldn’t make it. 

 

Then one of the guards gurgled, ‘the ****** got Gunter, but I was too tough for ‘em.’  

 

Spitting up blood as they tried to sit up. Celeste still recognised Heidi under all the blood. 

 

‘I can keep firing, you just need to prop me up, Celeste.’ 

 

Celeste struggled to prop Heidi in a window overlooking the street. 

 

Celeste busted out the next window along with the butt of her rifle. Leaning out she took a second to aim before squeezing the trigger. A chaos warrior fell as a two inch hole appeared in their helmet. Celeste hurriedly reloaded and fired again, this time only winging the next chaos warrior but still buying Maximillian a few precious steps towards the square.  

 

Maximillian was just below her window when she heard the sound of hoof beats. Even with her rifle an armoured chaos knight would easily run down Maximillian before he could make it the last 15 feet to the square. Panicking she looked around the room for something she could use. She grabbed Gunter’s handgun off the floor and filled the barrel with blackpowder, she ripped her tunic and shoved a fistful of the material into the barrel blocking it up. Filling the pan with a little more powder Celeste lit it and threw it out the window into the street. She hoped this would work. She hoped that chaos horses hated explosions as much as regular horses did, as much as she did. 

 

She heard the fizz of powder igniting followed by the gun bouncing off the cobbles below. Then when she had just about given up on her improvisation it exploded. Louder than a gunshot and definitely smokier. The chaos horses whinnied and lost the rhythm of their gallop.   

 

She saw Maximillian duck out of the cloud of smoke and hobble towards the entrance to the gate. He was closely followed by the silhouette of Anh’S’eall mounted upon his chaos warhorse.  

 

Celeste cried a warning. Maximillian turned towards her just as Anh’S’eall’s warhorse crashed into him. There was a sick wet crunching noise as he was flung with some force into the side of the entrance way. Maximillian slumped awkwardly down. Ignoring the broken Marksmen, Anh’S’eall beckoned his warriors onward into the square.  

 

‘The prize is here, listeners to the eight voices, take it, it’s yours!’ Anh’S’eall said pointing his ensorcelled blade towards the vat. 

 

He and his warriors cantered casually into the square. Confidence in their victory clearly seen by the change in their demeanour.  

 

Celeste stood staring at the broken body of Maximillian. She couldn’t believe he was dead and he wasn’t. Slowly he began to crawl, pain etched on his face, one arm hanging limply from his torso. He painfully made his way towards the barrel of powder set into the entrance to seal the square. Upon reaching it, he held his pistol against the fuse and pulled the trigger. 

 

  * * *  

 

The force of the explosion knocked Celeste from the window and back into the house. She bounced backwards, tumbling to the floor, pinned down by a great weight. She struggled to untangle herself, pushing the body of Heidi off her as she stood. This time she knew she was dead, an eight inch length of piping had pierced her head. 

 

Struggling to her feet she focussed on making it back to Thorpe and her duty to escape the terrible scene she had just witnessed. The sounds of confusion and gunfire rang out as she scrambled back through the buildings to the vat. It was good that some of the gunners had survived and were making the chaos warriors pay, she thought with grim satisfaction.  

 

As she mounted the vat, she saw Thorpe standing proudly laughing down at the chaos warriors. She noticed that his armour was dented and scratched in several places but he seemed unbothered. In the square below there was a thick cloud of dirt and debris that had been tossed up by Maximillian’s explosion. She could only see the silhouettes of four chaos knights and dozen or so warriors on foot through the obscuring haze. They were obviously confused, turning, unsure of their surroundings, uncoordinated in its aftermath. She could see flashes from half of the gun nests they’d set up.  

 

The handgunners continued to pour fire onto the chaos warriors below. Slowly they began to pull them down one after the other. The gunner’s fire was also uncoordinated, but at least they were safe in their vantage points. After a while the dust from the explosion died down to a three foot blanket of haze covering the square. Even obscured by the dust it was clear that the chaos warriors were were angry. Anh’S’eall still rode, working hard to re-establish some control over his warriors again. 

 

The plan was working, Celeste thought, it would soon be over. 

 

Thorpe next to her raised his double-barrelled grudge-raker to his shoulder, aiming at the closest knight and fired. A high pitched pop went off as he pulled the triggered, leaving behind a small trail of white smoke that soon dissipated in the night air. The chaos knight next to Anh’S’eall fell from his horse, leaving it riderless. Anh’S’eall moved to the now riderless horse and pulled out an ornate horn 

---

 

from its saddle. The crude runes carved into the horn hurt Celeste’s eyes as she looked at it. Anh’S’eall put it to his lips and blew. 

 

Celeste ducked down and covered her ears at the sound. The shrill call seemed to cut through her like a knife, piercing her mind and causing her to cry out in pain. The square fell silent and the gunfire stopped. Then Anh’S’eall laughed. It was without warmth or mirth. It was the turn of the defenders to stand confused with what was about to happen. 

 

Then in response to the horn a monstrous bellow sounded in the distance. Then there were heavy footfalls, pounding on the cobbles of the town. Moving between the outlines of the rooftops, Celeste could see a monstrous shape. Seconds later it burst into the square throwing bricks and debris everywhere. It stood on four legs the size of tree trunks, with its shoulder at the height of the roofline. It had several stumpy mutated arms, each ending with vicious looking claws. It raised its horned head and bellowed again, eight small eyes glinting red in the dim light.  

 

Anh’S’eall pointed at the nearest gun nest and said ‘kill.’  

 

The great beast leap with surprising speed at the building, tearing it apart easily. The occupant’s screams were cut short as the beast ripped them apart noisily.  

 

This carnage shocked the defenders out of their confusion. All started firing at the great beast.  

 

Enraged the corrupted animal went from building to building laying waste to each in turn. Nothing was even slowing the thing down. 

 

Thorpe shouldered his grudge-raker with a sigh. 

 

‘So it comes to this then. Celeste come over her and help me with this,’ Thorpe said pointing to the barrel at the far edge of the vat’s top.  

 

‘What is it,’ she asked. 

 

‘This barrel is what we’ve both been working for this past year. This is my greatest invention. My contribution to the good of the realms.’ 

 

Celeste looked at him confused. 

 

‘It’s blackpowder made with hauntwood and has a twisted hauntwood fuse. It even burns under water, in fact being submerged seems to multiply the effect of the charge. Strange stuff. I wish I had more time with it, I was only starting to get to know it.’ 

 

Thorpe’s chest puffed up a little, obviously proud of his work.  

 

‘Oh and take this,’ he said, holding out a small cog marked with a duardin rune towards her. ‘That token is your entry into the cogsmith’s guild, marked with the rune of Grungi it is. Let them know what we achieved together.’ 

 

Celeste came to stand beside Thorpe at the vat’s edge.  

 

‘I know you will do me proud girl, I know you will and... Sorry about this,’ Thorpe said, placing both hands upon Celeste’s back he pushed her off the top of the vat. 

 

Celeste hit the roof of a nearby townhouse. She rolled down the steep sloping roof before thudding hard into the ground below, knocking the wind out of her. 

 

Dazed she struggled to her feet. 

 

She heard Thorpe’s deep voice cursing in the hard duarden tongue. Then there was the familiar fizz of a lit fuse, then nothing. Celeste heard the muffled mocking laughter of Anh’S’eall from the other side of the barricade. She took a step and stumbled. She had to get back to fight. Then there was a muffled boom. The vat groaned. It’s brass fittings bending outward for a second before it gave all at once. A great rush of Aqua Ghyranis poured out of the vat in all directions. The wave caught Celeste up, washing her down the street far away from the square. Celeste banged her head in the process and everything went black. 

 

[KrrNiGit]

The Soot of Salzburg  

 

Celeste woke long after the light of Hysh had begun to shine. Her head hurt, everything ached but she was unmarked. Her forced Aqua Ghyranis bath the night before had healed her wounds as it had tried to drown her, she thought to herself smiling. Then she thought of Thorpe and the smile fell from her face. 

 

Standing up uneasily, she saw the long rifle Maximillian had given her, now bent out of shape. Using it as a crutch she hobbled back to the town square not sure of what carnage waited for her. 

 

Celeste found the square in ruins. A solitary handgunner half getting up at her approach, before collapsing down again when they saw that it was her. Puddles of precious Aqua Ghryranis making mud of the dirt of last night’s battle. Moss and clovers were already beginning to grow in the life enriched puddles. The vat itself that had once dominated the square was completely destroyed. The only reminders of it were the bits of brass scattered across the square. 

 

In the middle of the square the giant bones of the chaos beast lay bare of their mutated flesh, washed clean by Thorpe’s plan B. Nestled in the middle of them lay a man in black plate armour that was quickly rusting away to nothing. His features oddly human in the early light of Hysh.  

 

Instinctively Celeste pointed her long rifle at the figure before laughing to herself. The weapon was in no condition to fire and she knew if she tried she’d be the one dead. She hobbled back to the ruin of the vat leaving the figure where he lay. 

 

Reaching the ruin of the vat Celeste collapsed, exhausted. In the rubble she saw something blue and gold. Moving some rubble out of the way she uncovered her guards cap. It was covered in the grime of last night’s fighting but remarkably still intact. The stubby feather coated black in the soot of Salzburg. Celeste picked her cap, and without bothering to wipe the grime off, she put it on proudly. 

 

 

Epilogue  

 

She had tried looking for Toumas in the aftermath, but had found no sign of him. Giving up she returned to the square to watch Anh’S’eall. Celeste had barely moved staring at the figure of Anh’S’eall, ever alert for any sign of treachery. For his part Anh’S’eall had barely moved sitting naked in the drying mud. 

 

It was late in the day when the townsfolk returned to Salzburg. They were flanked by six golden clad Stormcast Eternals, each a head taller than the average human. They were resplendent in their armour despite each of them showing the dents and scrapes of recent fighting.  

 

One of the giant golden clad warriors stopped in front of Celeste and bowed. 

 

‘Herrin Marksmen,’ the Stormcast’s voice rumbled, ‘you need to come with me to Hammerhal and explain all of this.’ 

 

Celeste was confused, she was no Marksmen. Then she remembered the soot blackened feather in her cap. Looking up at the stormcast’s sigmarite faceplate with new resolve, Celeste pointed to Anh’S’eall, ‘bring him too.’ 

[NinthMusketeer]

Always cool to see people put their work out there! Not sure if it needed two threads but hey it isn't like the narrative section of the forum is bustling, thanks for adding something

[KrrNiGit]

Yeah, that’s fair enough. I might have some actual narrative play content to share at some point soon too