WARHAMMER DOES NOT BELONG TO ME. MASS EFFECT DOES NOT BELONG TO ME. YOU KNOW THAT AWKWARD FEELING YOU GET WHEN YOU SEE PEOPLE FROM THE SAME FAMILY FIGHTING? YEAH, THIS IS GOING TO BE A LOT WORSE.

Huh, would you look at that? I updated a story more than once in a single week! I have no idea if this will continue, but I'm happy right now!

Honor-Bound

Chapter 21

Pride before the Fall, Part 1

"Don't get me started on Elves. The ones you have to fight are some of the most mean-spirited sons of bitches I've ever met. What's that? Yeah, I know, the ones that aren't trying to kill you can be good allies, but do they have to be such dicks about it?"—General Alexia Shepard

…

Shepard closed her eyes and let the wind whip past her, carrying with it any worries she had. Below her, Stormwing cried out in joy as he flapped his wings. For Shepard, flying had quickly become one of her favorite experiences; back home, she had flown plenty of times, but she had always been inside of a ship or a shuttle, and never really had a chance to enjoy the wind on her face. With Stormwing, she felt free.

Even better, Shepard wasn't uncomfortable on the back of a Griffon, like she was with horses. She wasn't sure why, but she never got sore while riding Stormwing; if anything, she felt refreshed after a long ride.

Finally, she opened her eyes; she glanced at the sun and realized that it was getting late. "All right, buddy, time to go back."

She nudged Stormwing back towards Nuln with her knee, and though the Griffon likely understood that more than her words, he made an almost sulking squawk.

"Don't argue, featherbrain, break's over." Shepard leaned forward and patted his head. "Come on, now, back to David."

At the mention of the infant, Stormwing immediately wheeled around and headed back to Nuln. After two months of training, coupled with Stormwing's own protective nature, the Griffon was more attached to David than anyone, save Shepard, and possibly Eliza. In fact, he sometimes snapped at the air near the guards assigned to David if Stormwing thought they weren't doing their jobs properly… which was most of the time, if the constant snapping was any indication.

When they landed near Stormwing's pen—placed next to Shepard's primary factory and workshop—curious civilians scattered, trying to stay away from the Griffon that had already earned a reputation as a particularly bad-tempered beast, unless Shepard was there to calm him down.

"Okay, let's go check on David, and then you get to take a nap," Shepard said as she hopped to the ground. Stormwing cawed and trotted after her, squeezing his bulk through the doors of the factory.

"Hello, General!" Eliza called out, waving cheerfully. "Did you have a nice flight?"

Shepard grinned, her mood so good that she hugged her former apprentice for a moment. "So far, there hasn't been a flight that wasn't nice. How's David?"

Eliza stepped back and adjusted her glasses while fighting a blush. "He just woke up, actually. I think he wants you; he was getting fussy."

"I'd better get him before he starts crying; he might disturb Leitzer's work." Across the room, Leitzer idly waved over his shoulder, not looking up from the diagram he was examining. "Any messages for me while I was out?"

Eliza followed after Shepard as she headed for the room where David was. "Not specifically, though Lieutenant Locke was here for a few minutes. I think he just wanted to talk."

Shepard frowned. "He knew I was out, why did he come here?"

Eliza blushed again. "Actually, he wanted to talk to me. He, um…"

"Did he flirt with you?" Shepard wasn't sure if she should be mad at Locke—Eliza was not some tavern girl for him to have a fling with!—or happy that Eliza was getting some attention.

"He did," Eliza said. "But… I didn't mind. No one's ever done that to me before."

Okay, so she's not upset, that's good. Shepard opened the door and saw David sitting up in his crib. "Hey, little man, did you miss me?"

David's eyes lit up as he saw his mother and he crawled towards the side of the crib. "Ah! Ah!"

"I gotcha, kid." Shepard picked him up and cradled him in her arms. "Did you have a good time with Eliza? Was she a good babysitter?" David gurgled happily. "I'll take that as a yes."

Eliza beamed, even as she played along. "Why, thank you, David; you were a joy to take care of." She turned to Shepard. "He's so adorable."

"Of course he is," Shepard said, "he's my son; between me and Felix, he was gonna be a good-looking kid from day one." Then she smiled wickedly. "Speaking of looking good, that's probably why Locke decided to flirt with you."

Eliza's face went very red. "Wha—"

"Don't deny it," Shepard said, still grinning. "You've got it going on, girl."

While Eliza normally wore heavy work clothes that hid her figure, there had been times that Shepard had seen her in more flattering attire. Despite being barely five feet tall, Eliza had a bust to rival Shepard's, and an hourglass figure to go with it. Shepard might not have been into women, but she could admit that Eliza was hot.

A loud squawk from outside cut into the teasing, and Shepard sighed. "Sometimes I think Stormwing is more attached to David than I am." She stepped out of the room and gave the Griffon an annoyed glare. "All right, here he is, are you happy now?"

Stormwing lowered his head to look closer at David. Shepard could hear Eliza inhale sharply, still unused to the Griffon being so close to the baby; David, however, squealed happily and reached out to pat Stormwing's beak. It always amazed Shepard at how still Stormwing became when that happened.

"Okay, you've seen him." Shepard held David in one arm and pointed to the door with the other. "Back to your pen, you big worrywart."

Stormwing huffed, then trotted outside, where a freshly slaughtered cow would no doubt be waiting for him.

"I'll never understand how you got him to be so gentle with David," Eliza said, staring at Shepard in wonder. "He practically hates everyone but you two, he ignores Leitzer, and I think he just tolerates me."

"Maybe Locke isn't the only one who thinks you're cute," Shepard teased.

Eliza immediately went red-faced. "Please stop it," she muttered.

"Fine, but only for today. I make no promises about the future." Shepard gently elbowed her to get her to look up. "Seriously, though, if Locke does anything that you don't like, tell me; I'll set him straight."

Eliza nodded, then hesitated. "What if he only does things I like?"

Shepard raised an eyebrow. "Then I'd better get an invitation to the wedding."

Eliza blinked in shock. She was only nineteen, nearly twenty, the age where most women in the Empire were expected to be married and have their first child on the way. When thinking about Eliza's age, Shepard was reminded of her own; she was more than fifteen years older than Eliza, and she wondered how many more years it would take before she ever made it home.

With David, of course. Maybe she would also take Eliza, if it was possible and she wanted to go with her; the poor girl might be heartbroken if Shepard left her behind, and she was smart enough to grasp the technology of Shepard's galaxy.

When Eliza started blushing again, Shepard finally relented. "Fine, I'll stop. Anyway, is anything new with you? You seemed really worried yesterday."

Eliza sighed in relief at the change in topic. "I got a letter from my mother. She moved to Marienburg a few weeks ago." Shepard's eyebrows nearly reached her hairline; Marienburg had declared its independence from the Empire decades ago, and it was a ruthless den of thieves and pirates. "I know, it's dangerous, but she's living with some distant relative she talked about sometimes. She's happy, and according to her letter, she's safe."

"I guess that's okay, then," Shepard said. She was a little annoyed at Marienburg, if she was being honest; the people there reminded her of the colonists who had distanced themselves from the Alliance, only to get devastated by the Collectors. She just hoped that nothing similar happened to Marienburg, if only for Eliza's sake; the girl loved her mother dearly, sending her most of her wages to help support her. Then again, if her mother was secure, maybe she could start saving her money and live somewhere nicer in Nuln.

"Ah!" Shepard looked down at David; he was glancing between Eliza and his mother, as if he was trying to figure out what they were saying.

"Nothing to worry about, kid," Shepard said, then gently tapped his nose. "This is stuff for when you're older."

Eliza smiled widely at the baby, then turned back to Shepard. "Do you think he really understands us?"

"Nah, not really," Shepard said. "I think he can understand our moods, though; he'll understand the words when he's older."

Eliza crossed her arms. "So, does that mean that men trade one for the other as they get older?"

Leitzer actually sat up from his desk at that. "Hey!"

Shepard stared at Eliza; it wasn't often that she broke out the snark, but when she did, it could cut deep. For her part, Eliza only smiled sweetly at her fellow engineer, holding it until Leitzer went back to his work with a grumble.

"Come on," Shepard said, nudging Eliza again. "Let's get some lunch, and then we'll check in with the boys." She grinned. "Don't worry, I'll keep you safe from Locke… unless you don't want me to. If that's the case, put a sock in front of the door or something, so that no one barges in."

Eliza's face went red.

…

A few hours later, Shepard and Eliza arrived at the barracks; David had been dropped off at home, looked after by Gertrude, a nanny that Emmanuelle had recommended, and Shepard and Eliza had vetted before hiring.

"Welcome back, General," Richter said, saluting Shepard, then nodding at Eliza. "Master Engineer Schwarzer."

Shepard returned the salute, while Eliza beamed at the use of her title.

"Anything to report?" Shepard asked as Richter led them inside.

"Nothing out of the ordinary," Richter said. "Father Michael is leading a sermon at the moment, so I don't think he'll make it to the meeting."

Shepard frowned. "It's not the usual time for prayers, is it?" Just because Shepard wasn't fond of religion didn't mean she didn't keep track of her officers' habits and schedules.

"It isn't," Richter confirmed. "According to Father Michael, though, he felt a need to pray."

"And I was having such a nice day, too," Shepard sighed. "Now I've got a bad feeling about all this."

"I agree." Richter leaned in close to whisper in her ear. "Should I start getting the troops ready for battle?"

"I kind of want to, but I'd hate to get everyone worked up over a false alarm." Shepard spotted Eliza staring. "What's wrong?"

Eliza pointed behind her. "General, I don't think it's a false alarm."

Shepard followed Eliza's arm and saw Gettmann striding through the doors of the barracks.

"Oh, damn it all…"

Gettmann walked up to them and bowed his head in greeting. "General Shepard. The next shard has fallen."

…

Shortly after Gettmann's arrival, the army was in a state of controlled chaos, as sergeants rushed to get their men ready to march, and probably fight. While the lower-ranked officers handled that, Shepard had gathered her senior officers to press Gettmann for whatever details he had.

"Speed will be of the utmost importance," Gettmann said gravely. "In my visions, I have seen a great city burn, trapped between the jaws of light and darkness."

"Don't say Chaos." Richter was almost pleading. "Please don't say we're fighting Chaos again."

"No, I did not sense the hand of the Dark Gods," Gettmann said, to the relief of everyone else. "However, there is great power at work; while one force seeks the power of the shard, the other seeks to keep it from the other's hands, and will do anything to ensure success."

"Where are we going?" Shepard asked, fingers drumming restlessly on the table.

Gettmann glanced down at the map before them. "It took some time, but my fellow Celestial Wizards were able to narrow the area to around here." He pointed at the western edge of the Empire's borders.

Gregor frowned. "The only large city that I am aware of in that area is Marienburg."

"That is the most likely place to go," Gettmann said, and Shepard heard a sharp intake of breath from Eliza, who was hanging back.

Shepard made her decision. "Prepare the troops to move out. We'll pass by Altdorf along the way, we can send a message as we go." She looked at her officers, conviction shining in her eyes. "Imperial or not, a city full of people is in danger, and I am not about to let a bunch of innocents get killed if I can help it."

"Gallantly said, General," Gregor said. "I shall ensure that the Knights of Ironrock are ready to ride."

"And I will have the rest of the cavalry prepared within the hour," Locke promised.

"Sergeant Richter and I will have the rest of the men ready to march soon," Michael said; next to him, Richter nodded.

"My fellow Wizards will stay with their assigned groups," Parral said quietly.

"And, of course, I will be joining you," Gettmann said.

"Thank you," Shepard said, then stood up straight. "Dismissed."

Once the officers were gone, Eliza hesitantly stepped forward. "General?"

"What is it, Eliza?" Shepard thought she already knew, but she wanted to make sure.

"Please, let me come with you for this battle!" Eliza's eyes glistened with unshed tears. "My mother just moved to Marienburg, and I don't know if—"

"Of course you're coming with me," Shepard interrupted gently, then put her hands on Eliza's shoulders. "I… I never had a chance to save my parents. I don't want you to feel like I did."

Eliza nodded and grabbed Shepard in a quick hug. "Thank you, General!"

"Let me be clear, however." Shepard's voice was stern. "I am not letting you rush into a city that's being attacked. You will stay with the artillery during the battle, and you will only move up when I say that it's safe for you to do so. Am I understood?"

"Yes, ma'am." Eliza looked up at her. "What about David? I know that I'm usually the one to take care of him, but—"

"Gertrude will watch over him until we come back," Shepard said. "You have done so much for my son, Eliza; now it's my turn to help your family." Eliza nodded shakily. "Now get going, you; stick with the artillery and supply wagons until I call for you."

Eliza nodded again and dashed out. As she did, Shepard made two promises to herself. First, that she would do all she could to help Eliza find her family; second, that if the worst should happen, that she would be there for the girl. She owed Eliza that much.

…

"Fucking politics!" Shepard raged as she flew above her army on Stormwing's back. "This is the biggest piece of bullshit I've ever heard! It's the crap with the colonies all over again!"

It had taken half a day for the army to pass by Altdorf, and as she had planned, Shepard had sent a message to the Emperor. Within that message was a brief description of what she was planning to do, and a request for additional Imperial reinforcements. Sadly, while Shepard's mission had been approved, the Empire would not send any forces to assist her, since Marienburg had made it very clear that it wanted nothing to do with the Empire. There was no obligation to help, since there was no treaty of alliance with the city, unlike with the Dwarfs. The best the Emperor could do was increase the military presence near Marienburg, in case whatever was endangering the city spread to the rest of the Empire.

Shepard was incensed by this, but at the same time, she understood. Marienburg had spent its entire time of being independent telling the Empire to go jump in a lake, and they hadn't asked for help. Maybe if they did request aid, the Empire would oblige, but to do so would likely mean Marienburg's annexation back into the Empire.

Officially, Shepard's mission was to enter the city, recover the shard, and return to the Empire as quickly as possible. However, nothing in Shepard's orders said that she couldn't fight whoever was attacking the city during the mission.

The idea of exploiting that loophole was the only reason she only grumbled to herself.

A loud cry from Stormwing dragged Shepard out of her brooding; she looked down at the ground and saw that the army was coming to a halt. It was getting late, and it was dangerous for the troops to march in the dark.

"All right, let's land," she said, and directed Stormwing towards the ground.

When the Griffon landed, it was with slightly less grace than usual. Since they would be going into combat at any time—crossing the Empire was often filled with danger, even before reaching an objective—both Shepard and Stormwing were in armor. While Shepard's hadn't changed, Stormwing was one of the few exceptions to Shepard's dislike of ornamentation. Stormwing had a large plate of armor across his chest, molded into the image of a skull; similar plates of smaller size were strapped to his back legs and the top of his head. He had more armor than a typical Griffon, but Stormwing had proven strong enough—or just mean enough—to bear it.

"Did you see anything from the air, General?" Locke asked as he walked up to Shepard; with Stormwing, Shepard had the unusual option of scouting ahead of the rest of the army.

"Nothing yet," Shepard said, thinking back to the maps she'd studied. "I think we're about two more days away from Marienburg. I don't like it, but we may have to rest the day before we try entering the city. Hopefully, the people inside have held out that long."

"Marienburg has stood against everything the world has thrown at it so far," Locke said, just a tad bitterly. "I think it will hold out for a few days."

"I hope you're right," Shepard said. "But I've seen fortified positions overrun before, so let's not get cocky."

"Of course, General." Locke glanced off to the side and raised an eyebrow. "It seems that Stormwing's friends are back."

Shepard turned and sighed as she saw the handful of Demigryphs of the Ironrock Knights bounding up to Stormwing. When the Griffon had first been brought into the army, the Demigryphs had quickly been cowed by their larger and fiercer cousin. Now, though, they jumped around him and nipped at his talons, almost like puppies around a larger dog. Stormwing tolerated their actions, though he and Mortis, Gregor's mount, would sometimes screech at each other in a brief display of dominance.

Under normal circumstances, Shepard found the whole thing to be hilarious. With lives on the line and Eliza barely able to hold herself together, she didn't have time to appreciate it. Shepard slipped off a gauntlet and brought her fingers to her mouth; she blew a sharp whistle to catch Stormwing's attention, then pointed at the makeshift pen set next to her tent. Stormwing immediately flared his wings and roared at the Demigryphs, making them retreat back to their own stables.

"How did you manage to train him so well?" Locke asked.

"I didn't, actually," Shepard admitted. "Most of his commands were learned back at the Imperial Zoo, and he's trained to obey those commands whenever his rider gives them. I just earned his respect."

The only thing she couldn't figure out was why Stormwing was so protective of David. Her best guess was that Stormwing was so loyal to her, and thus, loyal of her 'hatchling'. Regardless of the reason, she was grateful for the extra protection for her son.

"Ah, good to know," Locke said; Shepard noticed that he was shuffling in place, and refusing to meet her eye.

"Lieutenant?" Shepard crossed her arms. "Is there something I should know?"

"Um, yes?" Locke shrugged. "I mean, I wanted to ask you something."

"Okay… what is it?"

"Would you happen to know, uh… where Miss Schwarzer is at the moment?"

Shepard blinked. "So that thing in the factory wasn't just a one-time flirt?"

It could have been the sunset, or the light from the campfires, but Shepard could have sworn that Locke blushed.

"At first, I thought it was," Locke admitted. "I saw her in something a little more flattering, and realized how beautiful she is, and… well, you know me."

"I do, which is why I'm having this conversation." Shepard leaned in so that she could speak quietly. "Look, whatever you two do is your business, not mine. So long as you are a gentleman, I won't say anything. But," and Shepard's voice was laced with warning, "if you do anything to hurt her, or do anything she doesn't want, I will be… upset. Am I clear?"

"Absolutely, General." There was a seriousness in Locke's eyes that Shepard rarely saw outside of combat.

"Good." Shepard decided to be just a little helpful. "She should be near the artillery, but if I were you, I wouldn't try anything romantic. Right now, she's worried sick about her family. If you want to be useful, she needs a friend, not a lover."

"Of course, General." Locke's roguish smile was back. "I shall lend her my shoulder to cry on after my duties tonight are complete."

"Just make sure that you aren't the one who makes her cry," Shepard warned, her hand resting on Unbak Urk for emphasis. "Remember, I know where you live."

As Locke left, Shepard pushed aside thoughts of being an overprotective sister-figure. She had her own work to do.

…

The march continued on. The troops were silent and grim, but they were also confident; they had faith in each other, most of them veterans of at least one of their previous campaigns, they had the best equipment in the Empire, and most importantly, they had faith in Shepard. To them, she was a beacon of hope and courage. The veterans especially would follow her to the end of the world; her determination was their determination, her courage was their courage, and when Marienburg came into view, her fury was their fury.

"Son of a bitch," Shepard hissed angrily as she watched pillars of smoke rise from the burning city. "Locke!"

The Lieutenant rode up to her, craning his neck to look up at her. "Yes, General?"

"Get down there with some men and find out what we're up against." Shepard didn't take her eyes off of Marienburg. "And hurry. The more time we waste, the more people die… and whoever is responsible for this keeps breathing."

"As you command, General." Locke glanced over his shoulder briefly to see Eliza; the poor girl had fallen to her knees, tears streaming down her cheeks. There was still a chance that her family was still alive, but she had been holding onto the hope that they would arrive before the enemy.

Over the last few days, Locke had done all he could to put a smile on Eliza's face. He played the fool if he had to, and listened to whatever she worried about. Most of it was about her family, particularly her mother. It was after the second night that Locke learned something about Eliza.

She cared about people. It was the driving force behind everything she did. She was so devoted to Shepard because she cared about her; she took care of David so enthusiastically because she cared about him. She became an engineer because she had cared about her father, and she continued to help in Shepard's factories because she cared about the people of the Empire.

And now, one of the people she cared so much about was caught in the middle of a war, and nothing, not her intelligence, nor her compassion, would help. Yet she still traveled with the army, despite knowing that there was nothing she could do.

Eliza had never picked up a sword in her life, nor had she ever fought in a battle, and yet, to Locke, she was one of the bravest people he had ever known, just for having the courage to come this far.

Determined not to fail, either Shepard or Eliza, Locke urged his horse into a gallop, shouting for his riders to join him. He had a mission to accomplish.

…

"Get the men ready," Shepard ordered to the nearest sergeants, who would spread the word. "Gregor, have your knights move to the right flank, they'll have a clear lane to charge down without risking hitting the infantry." Gregor wordlessly saluted with his war-pick and rode off. "Richter, Michael, I want you two at the front of the footsloggers; if you see the enemy, hit 'em hard." Michael bowed his head and Richter saluted before rushing away. "Eliza." The young woman didn't react. "Eliza!"

With a start, Eliza looked up at Shepard. "Y-yes, General?"

Shepard felt bad, but now was not the time to comfort the girl, not if there was a chance to save lives. "I need you to head back now. Make sure the Mako is ready for combat."

After its successful test, Shepard had made a few tiny alterations, mostly regarding maintenance, for the prototype tank, promoting it from just a prototype to a battle-ready war machine. Eager and hardworking troops now manned it, and the Mako had had no trouble keeping up with the rest of the army. Today, however, would be its first test in real combat.

Eliza nodded shakily. "Yes, General."

Shepard sighed; at least now Eliza had something to do. She wished she could say the same about herself; her soldiers knew what to do, but the army would only advance on Marienburg once Shepard had a better idea of what they were facing. And that meant waiting for Locke's return.

"I hate waiting," she muttered.

…

The scent of smoke filled Locke's nose, and the sound of screams and far-off combat filled his ears as he and his men rode towards Marienburg's crumbling walls. It amazed Locke to see the fortifications of the city, which had long held back the Empire's attempts to reclaim it, brought down in a matter of days.

He didn't let it show on his face, lest he demoralize his men, but the thought of fighting whoever did this scared him. He would, of course, fight this enemy with all his strength, but that didn't mean he was a fool; he intended to live a long life, with many more glories to earn.

"Lieutenant," one of his Pistoliers, a man who had recently joined from the ranks of Handgunners, said quietly, "should we enter the city?"

Locke drummed his fingers against the butt of his pistol as he thought about it. "We cannot learn anything from outside the walls," he decided. "We will go deeper into the city until we see someone, either the citizens or whoever is attacking them."

"Should we engage?" another Pistolier asked.

"Only if they block our escape," Locke said. "We cannot report back to General Shepard if we are delayed."

The dozen riders nodded and gripped their reins tighter. Locke led them to a hole in the wall that was large enough for the horses to fit through. As they climbed over the debris, Locke noticed how the stone seemed melted, and yet it was cool to the touch; magic, most likely, he decided.

The inside of the city was even worse than they had thought. What buildings weren't torn apart were either burning to the ground, or smeared with the blood of desecrated corpses. The only good thing Locke noticed about the destruction, what little comfort it was, was that it did not seem like anything that had to do with Chaos. While the death and pain made his stomach turn, he saw nothing that made him fear for his very soul. Still, he muttered a quick prayer to Sigmar before leading his men on.

"What was that!?" a Pistolier hissed, pointing his weapon at something on the group's right. Everyone else readied their guns, but saw nothing.

"Jumping at shadows?" another rider teased, albeit with a shaky voice.

"I know I saw something," the other man growled. "I just couldn't make it out."

"If it's the enemy, then they are observing us," Locke said, trying his best to remain calm. "If it is a citizen, then they are staying away because they hate the Empire. Unless we are attacked, we must keep going."

It really was a shame about Marienburg, Locke reflected; if you took out the pirates and murderers and thieves, and the general hatred of the Empire, it might have been a nice city to visit.

"There it is again!" the first Pistolier said, a little louder this time. "I swear, something is watching us!"

"Steady, men," Locke murmured, "we cannot falter here."

"Yes, sir," the man said, then took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, I—argh!"

Locke jerked back in his saddle as the man fell off his horse, an arrow lodged in his eye. A score of dark-garbed figures darted around the rubble and aimed weapons at them.

At first, Locke thought they were under attack by Human pirates, but they were too tall and moved too fluidly for a normal man. The armor they wore was like nothing he recognized; it was of exquisite craftsmanship, and covered with spikes. The crossbows they carried were also like nothing he had seen before.

Still, they carried mortal weapons, which typically meant that they could be killed by mortal weapons.

"Return fire!" Locke shouted, drawing both of his pistols and firing at the attackers. To his private relief, when one of his shots hit, he was rewarded by a scream of pain, and one of the enemies fell back, clutching his shoulder.

The other Pistoliers opened fire as well, and two more enemies were hit; this time, they died. However, the crossbows used against them had greater range than their pistols, and the enemy quickly realized this. They pulled back and fired another volley; another of Locke's riders was sent tumbling to the blood-soaked ground, along with his horse.

"Sir!" another Pistolier shouted. "There's more coming from the flank!"

Locke glanced to the side to see a dozen more enemies; their armor was similar to the first group's, though these were armed with shields and spears. That was bad; Locke's cavalry was lightly armored, and would be skewered if they charged the spearmen. Even if they did, crossbow bolts would hit them in the back; if the cavalry tried to engage the crossbowmen, the spearmen would charge them from behind. At that point, Locke would have ordered a full retreat; unfortunately, the spearmen were between the riders and their exit.

So much for living to see greater glories, Locke thought tiredly, then reloaded his guns. "Fight, men of the Empire! Fight to the bitter end!"

They were dead, and they all knew it; with that knowledge, Locke and his riders threw everything they had into the fight. Five more crossbowmen died, along with three spearmen, but by then, only Locke and four of his men were left.

For Locke, time seemed to freeze as he met the eyes of a crossbowman; even with the distance between them, Locke could see the malice in his would-be killer's eyes as he pulled the trigger.

Just before Locke met his painful demise, however, a miracle occurred. A bright flash of light caused him to shield his eyes; when the light faded, all of the crossbowmen were dead. In fact, he could only identify them as having even been there by scorches on the ground and the odd crossbow or fragment of armor lying around. Standing just behind where they were, however, was a tall, thin man, wearing beautiful robes and light armor. In his hands was an ornate staff; Locke couldn't be sure if it was the staff that was radiating power, or the man.

A shout from the other side caught Locke's attention; another unit of cavalry was charging the spearmen from behind. Unlike Locke's cavalry, these knights were heavily armored, as were their horses; as they rode closer, Locke saw that the horses' armor was designed to look like a Dragon, and the riders' tall helms had Dragon-themed decorations as well.

The knights were led by another rider; while he didn't have anything related to Dragons on his armor or mount, neither were any less ornate. Locke had no talent for magic, but even he could tell that the man's armor was magical in nature, as was the large sword he swung into the enemy ranks.

Within seconds, the knights and their leader had crushed the spearmen. With them dead, Locke thought that the knights would slow down; instead, they readied their lances and began charging towards the Imperials.

Before Locke could say anything, the man with the staff rushed forward, shouting in words that Locke didn't understand. Whatever he said, it was enough for the knights and their leader, and they brought their charge to an abrupt halt. The two began talking to each other, and though Locke didn't know what they were saying, it was clear that they were arguing about something—likely what to do with the Imperials.

"Lieutenant," one of the surviving Pistoliers whispered, "what do we do?"

"Not much," Locke admitted; even if they wanted to run, the newcomers were now between them and the only exit they knew of.

After a few minutes, the argument ended. From the way that the man on horseback angrily gripped his sword, the Wizard—for what else could he be?—had won.

"Greetings," the Wizard said in flawless Reikspiel. "I apologize for my comrade's behavior. He believes you to be a threat. I have convinced him to stay his blade, at least until you explain your presence here, Imperial."

Locke blinked, then got off his horse. "I am Lieutenant Elias Locke, serving under General Alexia Shepard. I am afraid that I cannot speak of our mission, but considering that you saved our lives, might I assume that you are not our enemy?"

The Wizard glanced back at the other man. "For the moment, yes, and I will endeavor to keep it that way." He tilted his head. "Perhaps we might speak with your leader? I have an idea of what brings an army of the Empire here, and I would like to discuss the matter further."

Locke nodded. "I believe that can be arranged."

The man spoke to the knights in his language; all but the leader obeyed easily enough. That man pulled off his helm and scowled; he said something that appeared to amuse the Wizard. He then replied, and whatever he said seemed to startle the knight into silence.

It was as Locke and his remaining riders moved closer to the knights that Locke got a good look at the man before he put his helm on again. Specifically, he got a good look at his pointy ears.

Elves! He realized. They're Elves!

…

"General, the scouting party is returning," a soldier reported. "Only a few have come back, though they have a group of armed warriors behind them."

Shepard looked up from the map she was studying. "Are they being pursued?"

The soldier shook his head. "No, General; Lieutenant Locke claims that they are here under a flag of truce."

Shepard raised an eyebrow. "All right, I'll go see what this is all about."

As Shepard moved, Stormwing cocked his head and squawked. Shepard merely lowered one hand towards the ground in a silent command to stay; if things got out of hand, she knew that Stormwing would come to her aid, command or no, though she had enough soldiers around her that the Griffon would likely only tear apart corpses. Still, she kept her weapons with her as she joined the scouting party.

"Lieutenant," she said in a neutral tone, "I see you've had an interesting day so far."

"Indeed, General." Locke was drained; the look on his face was one that Shepard had seen many times, either in other unit leaders back home, or on her own face when she looked in the mirror after a particularly bad mission. It was the look of someone who had lost most of the men they were supposed to lead.

"Get some rest," Shepard said, looking at the riders. "All of you. That's an order."

Locke nodded wearily, and led his surviving men to the makeshift stables. After they left, Shepard joined the newcomers, along with Richter, a dozen Greatswords, Michael, Parral, and Gettmann.

When Shepard saw that none of the riders, even the friendly-looking Wizard on a horse, looked like they were going to speak, she decided to go first.

"I am General Alexia Shepard," she said. "May I ask who you are, and what part you've played in the attack on Marienburg?"

The leader of the knights took off his helm; many of the Humans visibly reacted upon seeing that he was an Elf, but Shepard remained stoic behind her wolf-helm. She had read about Elves before, and though this was the first time she had ever met one in person, she was determined not to let it unbalance her.

"I am Prince Orzin, of Ulthuan," he said haughtily, eyes looking over Shepard critically. "I lead this force against my people's ancient enemies. It has nothing to do with you, Human."

"You're going to have to be more specific," Shepard replied, taking off her own helmet to meet his gaze. "What 'ancient enemy'? Also, since you're attacking a Human city, one that sits on the Empire's borders, and happens to be where my friend's family is living, I'd say it has more to do with us than you think."

"The ones you know as 'Dark Elves'." Orzin spat the words like they were poison. "They attacked the city, we are here to stop them. If you care so much for you kind, you should be thanking us for fighting those—"

"Calm yourself, Prince Orzin," the Wizard said gently, guiding his horse next to Orzin's. "The Humans have more claim to this battle than we do, though I would like to know what brings them here."

Orzin seemed to struggle with himself for a moment, then bowed his head. "As you wish, my Lord."

The Wizard smiled at Shepard. "You'll have to forgive him, some of my people refuse to give yours the respect that is due."

Even though this Elf had only spoken a single sentence to her, Shepard decided that she liked him infinitely more than Orzin. One thing she couldn't decide on, however, was if the Wizard was speaking a little slowly because he wasn't used to Reikspiel, or if it was because he thought he had to; it did sound like he was speaking to a child. For now, though, Shepard would give him the benefit of the doubt.

"I've dealt with worse," Shepard said. "May I ask who you are?"

"Of course." The Elf removed his ornate helm, letting his long hair flow freely. "My name is Teclis, and I believe that we can help each other."

I'm going to make myself very, very clear on something: I don't like Elves. It doesn't matter if they're High Elves, Wood Elves, or Dark Elves, they all piss me off in some way. At least the Wood Elves usually leave people alone unless they're stupid enough to go into their forest, but the other two have no such excuse!

So, yeah, I won't exactly be bashing the Elves in this story, but I will admit to being biased. Towards the Dwarfs. Because the Dwarfs won the War of Vengeance, bitches! Suck it, you knife-eared, self-righteous, break-your-arm-jerking-yourself-off assholes! I mean, the Dwarfs aren't even in this arc, but that doesn't change how I feel!

*ahem*

Sorry about that. But, yeah, High Elves are pretty arrogant bastards. Most of them consider Humans little more than barbarians, and are honestly worse than any Turian or Asari that Shepard has had to meet back home. Actually, now that I think about it, a lot of High Elves (and Elves in general) are like Javik, who see themselves as superior to everyone else.

This is why I included Teclis. He is literally the only Elf that I respect. I mean, the guy gave Humans the knowledge needed to have Wizards as we know them. He founded the Colleges of Magic! He's one of those guys who gets that everyone needs to work together against the evil things out there! Also, unlike some other Elves (like his angsty Mary Sue brother), Teclis had to work to reach his level of power. I can respect that. Also, you might be wondering why I included some random OC prince instead of Teclis' brother, Tyrion. Aside from the fact that he annoys me at the best of times, I know what happens when both of them fight at the same time. This wouldn't even be a battle, and it would have been over by the time Shepard got there. I mean, even putting Teclis in this is a risk, as he's one of the most powerful magic-users in all of Fantasy. Seriously, the guy beats up Greater Daemons with his spells in his sleep!

Moving on, any of you who have any knowledge of Warhammer knew that this arc was going to include Elves. Whether or not more Elves will appear in future arcs is unknown, mostly because Shepard may or may not punch them in the face. Repeatedly.

Another thing you probably noticed was that Eliza has been getting a lot of attention over the last couple of chapters. I like Eliza; she went from being a cute apprentice for Shepard to being one of my favorite OCs in this story. However, I want to emphasize that she will not be going into battle. She's not a warrior, she's a dreamer and a builder. And as for a possible romance between her and Locke… well, since I'm a hopeless romantic, I wanted to put one pairing in this story, since Shepard had her fling with Felix and if she had to balance a relationship on top of taking care of David and all her other responsibilities, she'd probably go insane. Also, who else was Eliza going to get together with? She works with Leitzer, and all the other officers are either too old, or are not into women. And I like Locke; he's fun.

Wow, that rant went on longer than I thought it would. Better wrap this up.

Next Chapter: Shepard walks a delicate balance between friend and enemy.

The Pigeon Bomb might be more dangerous, but the Pigeon Muffin is more fun.