Encounter at Cragholm
(dedicated to JJR)
Present, location unknown.
Ragnar had lost his way. These last hours he had crawled in darkness and stumbled through seemingly endless tunnels and low passages. Seeking an air of familiarity, a draft of recognition. But the giant Space Wolf found none.
The hours before this wandering were almost entirely lost to him. He had woken in these deserted tunnels, shaken, bruised and still wet of what seemed to be his own blood. However, there was no smell of a foe or the taint of the Warp. There was little memory of what had happened; he vaguely remembered being with his comrades of the Wolfblade, Torin and Haegr. No remembrance of their mission.
The darkness in his surroundings was complete. His suit's ancient night vision technology had failed. He was forced to use his most primitive senses; his touch and smell. Guiding himself with his arms and feet, he sought a change in the utter blackness. He felt his way down a slowly descending tunnel.
Suddenly, Ragnar felt his right boot slip into nothing and he veered to the left, steadying himself against the wall of rock. Deep beneath him the sound of something dropping into water.
He cursed, he wasn't himself. He felt for his weapons in their usual places. His bolter at his hip, his chainsword. But his hands came back empty. There was only his Powerfist.
He hadn't been able to detect any familiar smell or current of fresh air. What had happened to him and his brothers? The young space marine shook his head, trying to clear his muddled mind. He then scrambled on, muttering oaths to the Allfather.
Before, space vessel "Horn of Plenty".
A tall, somewhat older, distinguished looking warrior sat at a long table made out of stone. A low metal ceiling above, racks at the wall heaving foodstuffs and provisions.
The look of experience was about the warrior, scars on his face and arms. At his hip a slender power sword, on the table a bolt pistol, within reach. In front of him a meager meal, all that was left after the ransacking by his companion. Torin looked at his half empty plate and grimaced; "You could not even leave me a complete meal, Haegr!".
Stretched out at the other end of the table a giant Space Marine sat, munching two haunches of meat at the same time. A laugh rolled in the small dining hall; "When one wants to eat, one has to come first to the table!". Then the immense space wolf frowned and added, in between two belches; "Where is our broody young brother, by the way?"
"Getting instructions from the Fang, while you were scratching yourself, Oh, Round One!" a new, steady, voice from the doorway said. A powerful figure stood at the entrance to the hall, dressed in full Terminator Armour. "Get in armour, brothers, we have a new mission.".
Present, location unknown.
Ragnar's right boot connected with something on the rough floor, skitting the object away. He froze and listened. The sound was not of rock on rock, there was a metallic edge. The first sign of anything other than rock and deep blackness. He stepped forward, searching for the item. He felt the rough ground, his hands seeking through small bits of stone and feeling through patches of slime. Then his right hand touched something cold, he grabbed it and turned it in his hands. Slimed and scratched, but immediately recognizable to him. A magazine for a bolter pistol.
He frowned, shook his head to clear his thoughts. He must have taken a giant knock to the head to still feel this muddled and concussed. Space Wolves were gene-altered super humans, able to withstand much more than regular humans could.
His hands turned the magazine over and over and then, automatically, determined the number of bolts still remaining. None left, the magazine was spent, used to wreak havoc on whoever of whatever had been the enemy.
The silence and darkness closed in on him, he collapsed to the wall. What had happened to him, to the mission? .. What mission? He knocked himself to the head. Think logically!, he urged his rattled brain as he slumped to the wall.
Before, space vessel "Horn of Plenty"
The three space marines entered the thunderhawk "The spear of Russ", their air to ground vessel. A lean, tall woman with a regal manner went in before the three hulking Wolves in their most powerful suits. Gabriella Belisarius was the Navigator they were sworn to protect as the Wolfblade. The Wolfblade was a group of specially chosen Space Marines from the Space Wolves chapter. Now their orders were to drop onto an unknown world in a barely known star system.
The orders were plain and simple. They were to postpone their further journey back to Terra, and they were to explore the origin of a signal. A signal, coming from an astropath, had come from the Nasky star system. A signal bearing a message too important to ignore. And they had been the vessel the closest by.
Torin, servos from his suit whirring, climbed into the Thunderhawk, followed by Haegr and Ragnar. "Mighty Haegr will solve this mystery, even by himself" boasted the over sized Space wolf. "Why did you come along, just for the ride?".
Ragnar grumbled and pushed Haegr through the doorway, the enormous thunder hammer in Haegr's hands making entry more difficult.
The message had been from the astropath of a long-lost ship of the Adeptus Mechanicus. In this reach of stars they had been looking for a STC, a Standard Template Construct, a leftover from the Dark Age of Technology. With such a template, advanced warmachines can be constructed. Possession of these Constructs was vital to the war against humanities foes. Adeptus Mechanicus ships was always searching for STCs and would do almost anything to get such an item.
Gabriella, their Navigator, would be coming with them on this mission. She should be able, with her psyker powers, to pinpoint the location of the astropath, their only lead.
Present, location unknown, Nasky star system
Ragnar woke up out of a restless sleep. His eyes opened abruptly and he stared into the thick blackness surrounding him. Images came back to him.
Before, Thunderhawk "Spear of Russ", Nasky star system
Gabriella stood in the cockpit of the Thunderhawk, she seemed in trance. Sometimes she whispered directions to Wulgan, their pilot, and then withdrew into herself once more.
Torin watched her; "I worry, Ragnar" he said. "Taking her along might have been necessary but I would feel more comfortable if she stayed on the Horn of Plenty."
Ragnar sat next to Torin, his black mane hung down while he was checking his armour one last time. "I feel the same, Torin. You stay at her side at all time, agreed?".
The "Spear of Russ" traversed the Nasky system, pinpointing the source of the signal. Gabriella had been able to trace to signal to an old, battered planet named Cragholm. Not much was known of it in the annals, except that there once was a large mining operation during the Dark Age of Technology.
Closein in, the planet seemed to consist of grey rock mountains and darker stretches of lower lying, pockmarked ground, probably from mining deep into the earth. The thunderhawk entered the atmosphere, Gabriella pointing to a large mountain range as the source of the astropathic activity. Descending through the clouds of dust, Haegr, Torin and Ragnar stood up and made ready to disembark.
Present, Ancient mine tunnels, Planet Cragholm, Nasky star system
Ragnar remembered. Their mission, the approach to the planet. The servos of their Terminator armour whining as they stood waiting for the thunderhawk to touch down. Then .. nothing, no further details.
Something must have happened that separated them. Ragnar invoked the Allfather and hit the wall hard with his right, powerfisted hand. Bits of rock spat in his face.
He checked his armour again, it was still functional but he had lost his helmet, most of his weapons. How long ago had that landing been? How long had he been here in these passages - tunnels from an old mine, he realized now.
He heard a noise in the dark. A soft shuffling. He drew a shallow breath. The shuffling became louder. Ragnar smelled the taint of Chaos, coming like a slow wave towards him through the tunnel. In his present state this might be a hard fight….
He felt an emptiness beside him, a side tunnel. Ragnar ran. He cursed his cowardness, but there was no point to die a heroic death when the rest of his group might still be alive and in danger. He ran as fast as his Terminator armour could carry him, chafing chunks of rocks off the sidewalls and ceiling.
Suddenly a bellow from his left and a huge blow to his side. Ragnar turned with the blow and swung his powerfist. The fist, powered by his strength, augmented by the armour's servos, struck like a comet. A sound like a rotten melon bursting, a spray of wetness. Bits of bone, fragments of skull, stuck his face. Ragnar whirled and ran on, into the blackness.
Before, Thunderhawk "Spear of Russ", Planet Cragholm, Nasky star system
The thunderhawk was close now. Ragnar jumped down while the "Spear of Russ" was still two meters above ground. He dropped to all fours, rolled and took cover. Behind hem landed Haegr with a big whoomph. The round-bellied Wolf laughed. "I probably squashed some baddies already!'
Ragnar switched to infrared to pierce the clouds of smoke surrounding the landing site. No heat signatures. He looked over his shoulder to see Gabriella, flanked by Torin, exit the Thunderhawk. The space vessel ascended straight away, it would stand guard from above.
Gabriella pointed towards a large hill in front of them; the remains of the signal from the astropath lingered there, she indicated.
The landscape was bleak. The troop walked through a deep layer of rubble and black dust, around them the faint contours of dark mounts. Clouds of the black dust surrounded them as they came near the base of the large hill. In the distance flashes of lighting illuminated far away clouds. The small sun a ghost low above the horizon.
Ragnar walked point, behind him Torin and Gabriella. The rear guard was Haegr, who frowned into the darkness behind them.
To Ragnar's right suddenly a figure rose out of the dust. Then, a figure to his front, and his left. Large shadows, clad in blue with gold space marine armour, looming in the dust. Ragnar stared and recognized the helmet of the figure in front of him. Madox! Their arch enemy, the leader of the corrupted "Thousand Sons" Space Marine chapter.
Behind him he heard the bellow of Haegr who stormed the figures at their backs; "Protect Gabriella, I'll distract them!" Torin reacted immediately and grabbed Gabriella, looking around for a place to defend. Ragnar fired his bolt gun at the heads of the figures, trying to buy time. He scrambled back, towards Torin, who shoved Gabriella into the dark mouth of a tunnel and then held off two attackers with his thin blade.
Ragnar jumped between the two "Thousand Sons", hacking with his power sword into the neck of the larger one. A grunt from his foe, who met Ragnars sword with his own blade. Ragnar, expecting that, turned with it and put two bolts into the misguided head of the chaosbound space marine, who slumped to the ground. Torin, pulling his blade from the heart of the other attacker, said through a crooked grin; "We've been played like a fool, young one."
Ragnar nodded. It had all been a ruse, a ploy by "The Thousand Sons". Madox was here with a large force, trapping them. Apparently, the Thousand Son sorcerers had been able to mimic an astropaths signal and fool them into coming here. And the only reason for them would be killing the Wolfblade and take the Navigator. Ragnar cursed, and turned to face their faith.
Just then, the force of an explosion tore into them. Time slowed. He saw Torin, blood spraying from his arm, bowl slowly into Gabriella. Ragnar himself was blown off his feet and taken on a long sweep through the air. The last thing Ragnar saw, before the edges of a dark hole rose up to him, was red spattered Haegr, holding three dark figures at bay with his giant hammer.
Present, ancient mine tunnels, Planet Cragholm
The reality tore into Ragnar. He lost a step, stumbled, then ran on, his head clear at last.
"We've been played like a fool, young one" .
How could they have been so gullible and undertake this mission without any backup? Without any suspicion or reservations?
Ragnar had a single goal now; to find Gabriella. When he found her, he would find his brothers as well. Or they'd be dead.
Ragnar thought about the situation. Madox must have gotten to the Navigator and taken her, the last Ragnar saw of the ambush did not bode well. The Sorcerer Lord would not kill her but try to use her, and her powers, for his own purposes. Ragnar could hardly imagine the foul deeds by Madox with the powers of a navigator under his control.
Ragnar remembered Wulfgan and the Thunderhawk as he ran the tunnels, seeking a clue of his companions. Wulfgan would not have gone down without a fight.
Something changed. Ragnar stopped and smelled the air, his nostrils flaring. The taint of Chaos was greater here in these passages. He checked his power fist and followed the stench of evil.
Before, during the ambush, Haegr
Haegr knew immediately, when he saw the figures around them, that he had to buy time for Torin to get Gabriella to safety. He charged into the three Thousand Son Traitors before him, bellowing to his Wolfblade brothers to protect Gabriella.
He took bolter hits to his chest plates, ceramite fragments spraying the ground. Ignoring the force of the impacts, Haegr was within seconds upon one of the three treacherous marines. The "Thousand Son" was almost as large as Haegr and bore a large glowing axe, green fire glowing from his visor. Haegr swung his ancient thunder hammer and pushed his enemy back. From Haegrs left the second fiend closed in and thrust a hissing blade towards Haegrs armpit. "For the Allfather!" called the huge Space Wolf. He took the blade between arm and his great belly, turned, pulled the unlucky ghost of a marine towards him and crushed his helmet with the backend of his hammer.
The large chaos marine in front had recovered and swung his axe down at Haegrs helmet. Haegr pulled his hammer up to block the axe. Sparks rained down on them. Clouds of the black dust billowed around their armoured legs.
Then - a large explosion at his back. Swinging his hammer in a large arc before him, Haegr looked back. He saw Torin slumping, bleeding. He saw Gabriella, backed into a corner, hacking with her slim knife. And Haegr saw Ragnar, rocketed into the air, falling into a deep tunnel mouth, disappearing from view. Cursing, Haegr, anger powering his arms to a new level, drove through his foes, answering every blow with faster and harder counter blows, one by one overpowering his immediate attackers. "Puny Chaos Marines, you may have won this battle, but Haegr will escape and take revenge!".
Present, ancient mine tunnels, Ragnar
The smell of Taint got stronger and stronger. A faint glow illuminated the passages, enough for Ragnar to take a measure of his surroundings. The tunnels seemed to warp sometimes, in and out of reality. Sections of the wall seemed to pulse with an organic throbbing. He could feel the taint of chaos threaten his soul, his being. But his inner Wolf steadied him, gave him strength.
His ears pricked, he heard a soft droning coming from a low passage. Ragnar ducked down and entered the passage, his armour softly scraping the sides. The droning got stronger, the press of Chaos heavier, his determination greater. He began to hear separate voices in the dron. The faint glow of the walls now overpowered by a green light coming from the end of the passage. The feeling of reality not quite being right, not quite there, unsettled him.
At the end of the tunnel he lay down and looked into a very large cavern, the far side and ceiling disappearing into gloom. At one side giant double doors made out of ancient pocked metal stood closed. In the middle of the cavern was a circle of figures surrounding a large stone. The droning voices were from "Thousand Sons", they encircled one of them standing next to the stone. In the air above the stone hang a Terror Eye of Chaos, in it were faint swirling images of faces of the warp. The Eye was giving off a harsh green glow.
On the stone a prone figure lay. Ragnar recognized Gabriella. A shiver ran through his gen enhanced body. His wolf spirit snarled, seeking release. Then he spotted Torin, lying 20 yards away from the stone. Ragnar didn't see any movement, no sign of life from the body of the experienced Wolfblade, his best friend.
Ragnar's mind was racing. His first instinct was to storm the gathering of evil Sorcerers. But, how long could he last with only his Power fist? He needed to act, to rescue their protege. But one Wolf could not stand up to so many Thousand Sons. He grinned of frustration, his fangs glistening in the green glow.
Then he saw something move. An arm twitching. Torin was alive.
Ragnar focused his senses, his body tense. He opened and closed his power fist, electrical charge causing miniscule sparks to run over it, and studied Torin. If Torin could somehow create a diversion, then there might be a chance.
Torin moved one arm, the other hanging limb. None of the sorcerers paid attention, caught up as they were in their incantations. They were attempting to break the Navigators resistance.
Ragnar saw Torin very subtly stretch his limbs, testing his body. Ragnar stood ready.
Present, ancient mine tunnels, Haegr
Haegr grumbled. He hadn't eaten since the landing and he was getting irritated. He stood still, trying to find the right direction. He had been maneuvering his big bulk through pitch black corridors and narrow passages for hours now. After his escape from the clutches of the forsaken Madox and his Chaos Marines he had tried to find his brothers.
He had entered a tunnel some hundred paces from the one he had seen Ragnar fall in. And he had tried to find tunnels that went towards Ragnar. The first hundred meters in the dark he had been followed by a Thousand Son but Haegr had ended that quickly, battering the stubborn Chaos Follower into the walls.
He hefted his enormous hammer. A few years ago he had found it during a mission in an overrun old city. The ancient hammer had been in the plundering hands of a huge ork Warboss, whose life ended during the confrontation with the Space Wolves. It had been Haegr's favorite weapon since.
A tunnel leading northwards caught his attention. The taint of Chaos felt stronger that direction. Haegr scratched his belly and walked, his steps softly echoing in the tunnel, towards the taint. After a hundred meters he felt a stronger and stronger sensation of reality twisting. The walls seemed to become alive and moved in slow ripples with him. Then, around a corner, he saw - by a very dim glow - a huge double door at the end of the tunnel. Two large figures stood on guard. Haegr did not hesitate.
Present, great cavern, Torin
He could not feel his right arm. That was a shame, it had been his favorite arm. Torin smiled underneath his battered helmet, even that was painful. He tried to get a hold on his situation. His ears told him he was close to the cursed Thousand Sons, evidently some kind of ritual was underway. He smelled the air and carefully opened one eye.
It was bad, his right arm hang by some last clinging muscles to his shoulder, blood pooling underneath it. His eyes scanned the rest of his body and then his immediate surroundings. The chaos marines had apparently taken him and Gabriella to a giant cavern and left him for dead. Gabriella lay upon an altar of some sort. An Eye of Chaos hovered over her. Madox stood in front of her, drawing power from the portal and directing it toward the Navigator. Through her body went slow waves of agony. She was still resisting them, Torin saw with admiration. Torin started to test his battered body, slowly flexing his muscles and moving limbs. He had to get up. He had to try to disrupt the connection of Maddox to the Warp.
Present, great cavern, endplay
Ragnar watched Torin move and jumped down, three meters to the floor of the cavern. Ragnar landed and ran on, straight towards the circle, counting on Torin to create a diversion. The closest Chaos Marines heard his feet thumping the ground, shook from their concentration and turned around, drawing their bolters.
Torin, on the other side of the circle, stood up en threw himself at the nearest chaos sorcerer. He bellowed oaths and cursed his opponents, trying to disrupt the ceremony. With his single arm he managed to wrestle a power sword from a surprised "Thousand Son". He pushed it deep into the bowels of the insanely grinning sorcerer, blood flowing over the sword and floor. Another sorcerer had woken from the trance and swung a sword at Torin's head. Torin ducked and rolled, hoping he had made some kind of impact on the ceremony. He looked at the rock where Gabriella lay, there he saw the red eyes of the Chaos leader, Madox, looking his way. Mild surprise but foremost disdain lay in those eyes. Madox pointed his hand and a blue bolt of energy surged toward Torin. Torin smiled inside, he had managed to interrupt the proceedings, now it became a fight for survival.
Ragnar kicked the closest chaos marine against his arm, pushing away the bolter. Several bolts hit the ceiling, raining down sparks, fire and chunks of rock on them. Ragnar's powerfist swung underneath the sorcerer's arm, denting armour and crushing ribs. Ragnar ducked, anticipating an attack from behind. Bolts lighted the air above him, hitting the chaos marine who was still recovering from Ragnar's blow. Ragnar stole a glance at Torin; saw him ducking blue rays of energy. One of them hit his friend on the shoulder tearing off his already wounded arm..
Ragnar spat a curse and shouted "Hold tight, Torin!". He wrestled a bolter from a huge chaos marine by smashing his head over and over again with his powerfist. The bloody pulp of brain and bone clinging to Ragnar's fist, he took the bolter in his left hand, turned and shot bolts at the source of the energy rays. It was Madox, Ragnar realised.
A blow hit Ragnar from his left, his attention to long on his arch enemy. Ragnar rolled with the blow and escaped most of the damage. He stood and looked into the glowing eyes of a towering Chaos marine. "Your flesh is mine, loyalist!" the marine spat and swung a huge axe at Ragnar. Ragnar leapt out of range and used his bolter. Nothing; the gun was empty. The Space Wolf frowned and stepped back; the range of his enemy's axe against his own powerfist not to his advantage.
Torin lay on the rocky floor of the cavern, the dim ceiling filling his sight. He felt his right arm but knew it was no longer there. Blood was pooling under him. He saw in his peripheral sight the figure of Ragnar before a huge Chaos marine. He turned his head, and saw Ragnar's enemy wielding an axe - swinging it in a long arcs towards his friend. Then, a cold shadow fell over Torin, a new figure stood above him. "Your day has come, believer" said a choas sorcerer, holding a power sword above his head.
Ragnar used his powerfist as a shield, sparks flying off it as it obstructed the battleaxe again and again. His opponent was probably a Chaos Marine Champion, stronger and more lethal than most of them. Ragnar slowly backed up, trying to find an opening in the attacks. Beyond the Champion, ha saw Torin lying down and he saw the circle of sorcerers closing again, starting the ritual anew. He saw Madox standing under the Eye of Terror, drawing power off it. He saw Gabriella, lying limp on the stone.
Suddenly a loud crash. At the other side of the room, the huge metal doors buckled. A body flew through the opening, propelled by the force of a giant blow. Then a second body, in a spray of blood, crashing inwards into the room. Ragnar heard a heavy voice shout; "Fear your lost souls, tiny beings, I have arrived!". Ragnar grinned. Haegr, still alive! They still had a chance!
"For the Emperor!" he shouted, taking the fight to the Champion in front of him. He feinted a blow en then ducked underneath the swinging ax. He grabbed a steel encased leg and pulled with all his might. The champion faltered, the axe hitting the ground. Ragnar swung his powerfist against the champion's helmet, his enemy slumping to the ground. Ragnar pivoted towards the entrance and saw that Haegr had overpowered the marine above Torin, rescuing his friend. The chanting of the smaller circle of sorcerers rose in volume, Madox probably in a hurry to end it and suck Gabriella dry of her psycker energy. Ragnar ran towards the rock, jumping between two sorcerers in trance. On the other side of the circle Haegr engaged two other sorcerers. Ragnar rolled and stood up three meters from Madox, the mad Chaos Sorcerer noticing it, it seemed, for the first time.
"You!" he called with cracking dark voice. "You are late, Ragnar Blackmane, she is almost sucked dry!". Ragnar closed the distance and jumped at Madox to close the range for his powerfist. Haegr, behind Madox, crushed a chaos sorcerer, breaking the last remnant of the circle, ending the trance. The chanting stopped, the "Thousand Sons" woke from their concentration. Eight Chaos Space Marines left, now all fully awake.
Ragnar stood face to face with Madox, feeling the full force of the taint. The ruinous powers of Chaos ran high within the leader of the Thousand Sons, the swirling energies in the eyes of Madox mirroring the evil energies in the Eye of Terror still hanging over them. Ragnar knew his powerfist alone was no match for the powers of Madox, his hopes lay in distracting Madox and then trying to free Gabriella. He taunted Madox; "We have ended your ritual, mad one. You will not have Gabriella!." Madox laughed and pointed his hands at Ragnar. From both a stream of energy spew forth. Ragnar spun away, avoided one stream but was hit by the other. The stream ate at his armour, the ceramite material started to steam off his shoulder, boiling away and exposing Ragnar's flesh.
Haegr stood his ground. He was encircled by three Chaos Marines, but he fought them off with his whirling Thunder hammer. Haegr wanted to help Ragnar but could not get past these opponents. Then he saw a movement next to the stone where Gabriella lay. It was Torin. Using his last strength he had approached the stone and was now heaving, with his single arm, Gabriella on his back. "Cover me!" Torin called with a rough rasp. Haegr turned to get in between Torin and the Chaos Marines.
Ragnar was losing and he knew it. His right shoulder armour had ceased to function, the Terminator armour now hampering his arm more than aiding him. He felt the presence of more enemies at his back. In front of him the powerful sorcerer Madox who wanted to end Ragnar's life. Then he heard Torin's cry. Ragnar's inner wolf jumped at that cry and new energy fed his resolve. He spun and pulled a marine toward him, bashed his head with his power fist and then pulled him between him and Madox. Another marine from his right aimed a sizzling sword at Ragnar's head, taking off strands of Ragnar's thick hair. Ragnar cried out, the wolf within him overpowering his human rationality. He snarled, saliva hanging off his wolflike fangs.
Torin stumbled, Gabriella almost fell off his back, but he recovered. He was walking towards the double doors, both now bent back on their hinges allowing access to the tunnels and their escape. Haegr followed Torin, using his hammer to block their followers. The chaos marines were now using their bolt pistols and the bolts flung off the walls around Torin and Gabriella. Ragnar had escaped his attackers en jumped the back of Haegrs followers, setting his teeth in the neck of a Chaos marine. Ragnar was becoming a wolf and he couldn't stop it. He howled as he attacked another sorcerer, bolts struck his legs but he felt no pain. His ferociousness slowed the Chaos Marines, allowing Torin to enter the tunnels. Madox sent streams of foul green energy at Ragnar and Haegr, but he only hit his own sorcerers, melting heads and limbs. Ragnar ran on and met Haegr at the doors. Haegr hit him hard across the face and called 'Awake, young Wolf!". Ragnar shook his head, his eyes widening. He jumped through the doors. Haegr following him, grunting as bolt his him and his hammer.
Epilogue
Ragnar stood in the medical bay of the "Horn of Plenty". In the corner sat Haegr, polishing his hammer. The thunder hammer was blackened and charred. Behind Haerg an medical servitor placing bandages on Haegr back.
In the middle of the room two sickbeds were occupied. At the left lay Gabriella, alive but very weak. At the right Torin, his arm still missing and battered and blooded. He was weak but conscious.
They had ran the tunnels, ducking bolts. After a few minutes they had reached the surface. Wulfan in the "Spear of Russ" had awaited them, he had been able to track them and was about to enter the tunnels. Taking hits Ragnar and his friend had jumped in the Thunderhawk, leaving the chaos sorcerers on the desolate planet.
Ragnar shuddered as he recalled the berserker wolf inside him. He looked down at Torin.
"Played as fools we were, my friend, but we escaped with our honour intact" Torin said softly. Ragnar laid a hand on Torin's shoulder and looked at Gabriella, opening her eyes for the first time.