Hello and welcome to another episode of the Lizardmen Chronicles! Well, what are we waiting for?

…..

Oh, right, me. Ahem, my apologies.

Let us begin.

I do not own nor have I ever owned Total War: Warhammer or Fairy Tail. That honor belongs to Creative Assembly, Sega, Games Workshop and Hiro Mashima.

"Lizardmen speak."

"Warmblood speak."

'Lizardmen Thoughts.'

'Warmblood Thoughts.'

The Lizardmen Chronicles

ACT 1

EPISODE 6: THE DARK TOME, PART 2

The cloudless night sky began to fill with screams of the dying and the cries of the monstrous. If Arkhan the Black could smile he would do so, for few things make him more content then a well executed plan, or in this case a well executed siege.

"The attack is proceeding as planned, my lord." Said one of Arkhan's Liche priests.

Arkhan watches as the city walls begin to crumble before his constructs. "So I see, and the book? Do we know its location within the city?" He asks, his voice making a wheezing sound as he speaks.

"Not definitively, my lord." The dark priest replies. "But I am sure we will know where it is soon."

Arkhan waves his hand dismissively. "It matters not, either now or later, this city will burn before me and the fourth book will be mine. For the glory of Nagash!"

"For the glory of Nagash!" The surrounding Liche priests shout in reverence.

"My lord!" One of the priests shouts as he points. One of the undead army's Necrosphinxes, titanic constructs of stone, storms through the city gates.

"Ah, good." The Liche King says. "Now then, let us retrieve what is mine."

"By your decree!" The Liche priests proclaim.

As the undead horde charge through the gate and into the city, Arkhan and his entourage follow in their wake. The city militia fight valiantly but are overwhelmed by the sheer number of Arkhan's forces, which are bolstered by the militia's own troops as their fallen brothers are brought back to serve the Liche King. As his minions ransack the city, seizing anything of value for their lord, Arkhan himself keeps to his task, which is finding his prize. Unfortunately, for a certain group, he wouldn't be searching for long.

At the Copher Docks

"Are you kidding me!?" Yells Max as the Guild and Siegfried's crew fight off a group of Nehekhara Warriors. "I mean, undead, really!? What is up with this world?"

Gray ducks under an overhead swing then punches his attacker. "Doesn't matter, even if they were alive they'd still get their butts beat. Nobody tries to harm our guild." He turns towards another group of the undead charging the guild's flank. "Ice Make: Lance!" He shouts, sending shards of ice and frost into the enemy.

"You're all very good at fighting, I have to say." Captain Siegfried compliments after they defeat the last Nehekhara Warrior.

"I will admit, I thought it would be more difficult than that." Said Fried. "I did not think such creatures could be destroyed so easily."

Captain Siegfried frowns. "True, but these are just the grunts, easy to create in large numbers."

Fried nods in understanding. "Ah, cannon fodder then."

"Indeed." Captain Siegfried replies.

The conversation halts as an unnatural bellow rings through the air. The members of the Fairy Tail guild turn as one towards the main entrance of the docks as another group of undead charge towards them. Unlike the Nehekhara Warriors, these creatures were far more monstrous.

"Crypt Ghouls!" Yells one of Siegfried's crew.

"Prepare yourselves, men!" Shouts their captain.

There have been many monsters that the Fairy Tail Guild have fought over the years, but nothing from their world was anything like these creatures. There have been stories about ghouls and other undead, depending on the story of course (Vampire romance seeming particularly popular).

Yet these ghouls...are something far more horrifying, their pale skin stretched thinly over large bones, claws; leftover flesh clinging to fangs, and hunched postures, all while emitting the stench of rotting corpses.

Of course, these are only a few facts of the Crypt Ghouls hideous personnel, for unfortunately there are many.

"Well...those are some particularly ugly fellows, wouldn't you say, Starker?." Captain Siegfried asks his first mate calmly.

"Jawohl, most certainly captain." The first mate replies.

"Very well then." Siegfried turns towards the Fairy Tail wizards. "You lot wouldn't mind taking care of these unsavory characters while my crew and I finish loading up the ship?"

Natsu breaks out his signature grin. "No problem, leave it to us. We'll show these guys not to mess with us!"

But just as the mages prepared themselves for battle, something strange occurred.

The ghouls suddenly stopped, and just stood a couple of meters away.

"Huh!? Why did they stop?" Asks Jet.

"Oh come on, fight me!" Yells Gajeel at the undead monsters.

"Wait a minute, guys. Notice something?" Questions Bickslow. He points at the beasts. "Look."

The other Fairy Tail members look at the ghouls. They find out that the ghouls didn't exactly cease movement, their feet were making ruts in the dirt as they were trying to advance towards them. It was as if...something or someone was keeping them back.

"My, my, what do we have here?" Says a cold and ominous voice.

The Crypt Ghouls move aside to allow a figure through, the sound of his metal armor scraping together as the figure walked was deafening to the mages of Fairy Tail.

"Interesting. The magical aura surrounding your group is very unique. Why is that I wonder?" The newcomer inquires, his purple colored armor gleaming in the moonlight, along with his glowing dead blue eyes.

"Who the hell are you?" Growls Gajeel.

"Is it because of the magic itself?" The newcomer continues, ignoring Gajeel. "Or is it your body's physiology?"

Gajeel growls. "Hey! I asked you a question."

The newcomer glances at Gajeel. "Yes, you did. But I will not give my name to a simple barbarian."

Gajeel grinds his teeth, ready to pummel the newcomer, but Levy puts a hand on his shoulder, calming him. Levy looks at the newcomer. "My name is Levy McGarden and this is Gajeel Redfox and the others..."

"I care not for your names." The newcomer interrupts. "My name is Arkhan the Black. I doubt you've heard of me so I'll forgo referencing my many titles."

The Fairy Tail Guild glare at Arkhan, being able to tell this...thing wasn't a good person. Oh, how right they are.

Levy decides to ask the question that they all are thinking. "What do you want? Why have you attacked the city?"

Arkhan chuckles, though it sounds more like wheezing. "Ah, I can already tell you have the mind of a scholar, Miss McGarden, so I will answer you as a fellow. To your first question, I want what all scholars want, knowledge. To be specific, I want the knowledge that you have in that tome of yours."

Levy grows confused. 'Tome, what Tome? I don't have...' Then she remembers the tome she received from the strange man.

Arkhan smiles...well, as much as an undead can smile. "So you do have it. Well then, if you would be so kind." He holds out his hand. "I will be taking that off your hands."

Levy holds her knapsack tighter as her fellow guild members move closer to her.

"Why do you want it?" Asks Erza, her eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"Simple." The Liche King states. "Because it belongs to me."

"Really, because I didn't see your name on it, pal." Gajeel snarks.

Arkhan begins to emit a deathly aura. "All of the Books of Nagash belong to me, you pathetic mortals! I have tried to be courteous but it seems for not, therefore I will simply take it from your cold dead corpses!" He gestures to the Crypt Ghouls. "Kill them and bring me what is mine!"

Freed from the spell that kept them from moving, the ghouls surged forward in the frenzy for human flesh, when their soon to be feast was interrupted by a cannonball taking off one of the Crypt Ghoul's heads.

"What the?!" Was the collective gasp among the Fairy Tail wizards.

"Ahoy, my friends!" The Guild turn to the harbor to see Captain Siegfried and his crew manning a single cannon that was aimed at the ghouls and Arkhan.

"Come, this way! The ship is ready, so let us be off!" Captain Siegfried shouts as he beckons the mages towards the ship.

"Everyone, get to the ship, hurry!" Makarov yells.

"Come on, we can take them!" Natsu objects.

"No, do not attack them, Natsu!" Makarov orders. "You may not be able to sense his magical abilities but I can, trust me, that Arkhan is not someone to take lightly."

"Listen to the old man kid." Gildarts concurs. "Besides, what's more important, fighting this guy, or finding Lucy and the others?"

Natsu concedes their point, turning away from Arkhan and the approaching ghouls and running with everyone towards Siegfried's ship.

"Do not let them escape!" Roars Arkhan, a towering Necrosphinx along with Dire Wolves thundering past him after the Fairy Tail wizards. "Crush them all, for the glory of Nagash!"

Siegfried's crew were able to fire one more shot from the cannon, killing three Dire Wolves that had rushed past the ghouls.

Half of the guild were aboard the ship when the first of the enemy reached the docks, forcing half of the remaining group to hold them off so everyone would be able to board.

Captain Siegfried jumped off the ship to fight a ghoul. "My, you are a particularly ugly one, aren't you?" He rhetorically asked the undead. "Have at me then!" He challenges. The ghoul charges him, Siegfried ducks under a swipe from the ghoul's claw, then he shoots it in the face with his pistol, then drives his sword through the monster's throat.

"Well, that was easier then I expected." He voices aloud.

"A good kill, sir!" Starker congratulates after pulling his battle axe out of a Dire Wolf he just slew.

"Thank you, Starker." Captain Siegfried replies. "But I'm afraid our troubles have just begun." He points at the enemy. "Look."

The Necrosphinx had reached the docks, but because of its titanic weight, it couldn't get onto the walkways. So instead, it went into the harbor itself, treading slowly through twenty feet of water towards the ship. It obviously would not be deterred from its objective, which was the elimination of Fairy Tail.

"Guys, we've got company!" Max shouts.

Siegfried and Starker jump on board. "Are we the last?" Asks the captain.

"Yes captain, but we won't make it out of the harbor with our limbs intact if that construct gets any closer." Says one of the crew members.

"Have no fear, friends!" Says Erza. "I will drive this beast away. Requip!" She changes into her Heaven's Wheel Armor. "Dance my swords!" Dozens of swords fly at the Necrosphinx, each one finding its mark. But all it did was scratch it.

"What?! How…?!" Erza was dumbfounded.

"You fool, a Necrosphinx is a product of centuries of spells and incantations by the greatest Necrotects, and yet you believed that simple magic swords are enough. Such arrogance." Mocks Arkhan, as he arrives where the ship is docked.

"Oh, I'm fired up now!" Natsu shouts with enthusiasm.

"Yeah, let's smash this thing!" Gajeel agrees.

"Fire Dragon..."Natsu says.

"Iron Dragon..."Gajeel says.

"ROAR!" They finish together, launching two powerful breath attacks against the Necrosphinx. The elemental attacks hit the construct, sending it at least a hundred feet back and making it lose its footing, thereby it falls beneath the waves.

The ship's crew along with Fairy Tail Guild cheer as the construct falls. "The ship is ready to sail, captain!" Another of the crew reports.

"Full speed ahead, Starker." Captain Siegfried orders.

Jawohl, full ahead, Mister Lars." Starker relays.

"Yes, sir! Full speed, sir!" The helmsmen complies.

And so the Fairy Tail Guild were setting forth on their journey to the continent of Lustria to find their fellow guild members. Levy pulls out the large tome given to her by the stranger at the bazaar.

"Is that it?" Asks Macao, pointing to the book.

"Yeah..this is the book that Arkhan wanted." Levy replies, looking at the book in a more cautious light.

"Doesn't look that dangerous to me." Says Gajeel.

"Don't be so quick to pass judgment." Says Captain Siegfried, walking over to them. "If I may?" He asks Levy.

Levy nods then gives the book to the captain for inspection, but as soon as he looks at the cover, he pales. "By Sigmar." He breathes.

"Whats wrong?" Asks Erza.

"This is one of the Nine Books of Nagash. How did you get this!?" Siegfried asks in return.

After explaining the events of how Levy came into possession of the tome. Siegfried didn't feel much better about the situation.

"Well, at least I know why Arkhan The Black was chasing us, though knowing the reason doesn't help the fact that we made an enemy out of a powerful necromancer, which never ends well."

"But who is this Arkhan, and for that matter who is Nagash?" Asks Levy, needing answers.

Captain Siegfried sighs, then looks behind him. "Starker, bring me some rum! This will take a while to explain."

Back at the Copher Docks

Arkhan The Black stares after the ship quickly fading over the horizon, taking away with it his prize.

"If I may, my lord, why didn't you join the battle?" Asks one of his Liche priests.

"One thing you must never do in a battle is to engage an enemy you know nothing about." Arkhan replies, glancing to the side as the Necrosphinx pulls itself out of the harbor. "But I assure you, the next time I meet this 'Fairy Tail', I will make them rue the day they go against the will of Nagash."

Sorry for the delay, took a little longer than I thought to write this chapter. Also, I'm taking a break from Fanfiction for the duration of the World Cup, so I probably won't download another chapter till August. Thank you for reading. Until next time.

"May your imagination bring you to places old and new." - The Bug Catcher.