WARHAMMER DOES NOT BELONG TO ME. MASS EFFECT DOES NOT BELONG TO ME. IT TOOK ME A WHILE, BUT I FINALLY GOT MY UNDEAD BUTLER TO PREPARE A MEAL WITHOUT DROPPING PIECES OF HIMSELF IN IT.
First of all, sorry it's been so long since my last update. I've been focused on my book, and as I'm sure you're all aware, that takes priority over fan fiction. Still, this is fun, so I'll keep going.
Honor-Bound
Chapter 29
Bitter Harvest, Part 6
"The General is an honest woman. She'll usually tell you anything if you ask, and if she doesn't want to, she'll say so. There's just one thing that she will never talk about, and if you like having teeth in your skull, you'll heed my warning: Do not ask about Henrietta von Carstein."—Lieutenant Elias Locke
…
Shepard looked over the plans for Retribution Keep once more and nodded at the progress being made. It had only been a week, but the outer walls were already starting to take shape—thanks to Dwarf strength and undead stamina—and were tall enough to give the allied army cover when the Skaven sent out their attacks. Thankfully, those assaults were increasingly infrequent, and were beaten back with minimal losses.
It was almost disappointing that Shepard would never use the fortress herself. In fact, it wouldn't even be finished before she and her allies had to leave; that matter would be left for the reconstruction. After the war was over, it would probably be used by Stirland to keep this part of the province secure. Regardless, it was a good idea to have the fortress at all; there was a considerable gap in the Empire's defenses in the area, and Retribution Keep filled that gap nicely.
Still, it was nice to design something again, especially with a peer.
"This elevator system is brilliant, General," Grimm Burloksson admitted as he reviewed the blueprints, squinting in the fading light. "With the proper counterweights in place, one man can deliver ammunition and powder in minutes, and never leave his post!"
Shepard smiled modestly. "It's not that big a deal. I've seen fortresses where troops had to carry all that stuff from the armory to the guns, and it drove me crazy. At least for the tower gunners, it'll be simple."
Grimm nodded, then pointed to the design in question. "May I…?"
"Go right ahead." Shepard grinned as Grimm copied down the schematics on his own notebook. "We'll have to leave the blueprints behind for the people who'll finish this place."
"Aye, that we do." Grimm scowled in a way that was common for most Dwarfs, but not for him. "And since I'll be back at Barak Varr, you'll have to make sure that they're doing it right!"
"I'll do my best, but this is the first time I've designed a fortress." Shepard laughed. "I would have scrapped the whole design if you and Morgrim hadn't approved."
"Nothing to worry about there, General; I've seen plenty of fort designs, and yours is sound."
Shepard held back a sigh of relief. Building a fortress was very different than building a weapon or a tank; she had to take local weather, soil composition, available materials, even the attitude of the people who would use the fortress into consideration.
"So, how much longer do we have before we're ready to move out again?" Shepard asked. Despite the labor involved with building even the foundation for a fortress, and the occasional Skaven attacks, the allied army was fairy rested, and was just waiting to be resupplied for a push deeper into Stirland.
"The last of the supplies we need to move out just came in," Grimm said. "We can leave tomorrow."
Shepard's good mood vanished, replaced by determined anger. "All right, then; we can finally finish this stupid war."
"Assuming that Vampire is still close enough for us to catch," Grimm warned. "It's possible that she slipped past us."
"Or she's planning some other way to attack," Shepard countered. "Still, we haven't heard anything unusual from the other fronts, so she might just be biding her time, just like us."
"General! Urgent news!" Hundreds of eyes turned at Locke's shout as he rode in from his patrol; his horse was trembling from the hard sprint the poor creature had been forced to make.
Shepard blew two sharp whistles before Locke even reached her; that was the signal for Richter, who had been nearby, to start organizing the Human troops. "What's going on, Locke?"
"The undead vanguard, coming in from the north, General!" Locke practically leapt from the saddle to run to her. "I only saw part of the force heading our way, but it looks like the entire damned army is heading right for us!"
Shepard paused for only a moment, then turned on her heel and began shouting. "Leitdorf, Morgrim, Khalida! I need ranged units at the wall, and I need them now! Grimm, I'm putting you in charge of the artillery, full coverage for both ground and air! Gregor, pull your knights to the south wall, get ready to charge on my signal! Michael, I want you at the front, and I want these freaks to burn! Parral, do whatever you can to keep us all alive! Come on, people, let's move!" She glanced behind her. "Locke, grab a new horse and join your men; you're running interference against any flyers that Vampire bitch sends our way."
Thousands of soldiers, living and undead alike, scrambled to obey; the allied leaders were more dignified, but moved with just as much urgency. None of them had been expecting a counterattack, especially one that contained the whole Vampire army; the allied army was the only thing keeping Henrietta out of the south, and she broke through, she might never be stopped.
One way or another, this war would be over.
…
"We will have to be swift," Zacharias said calmly. "We only outnumber them by a small margin, and many of our minions will be cut down before they reach their lines."
"But we have an advantage," Henrietta countered. "Our soldiers can never truly die, and our numbers grow with each one of theirs we slay. The Humans make up the greater number of their soldiers; if we kill them quickly enough, we can use them to overwhelm the Dwarfs and Tomb Kings."
"That is assuming we can defeat them before reinforcements arrive." What Zacharias didn't say was that he worried that they wouldn't be able to defeat Shepard and her allies at all. Henrietta seemed almost excited at the prospect of her army's utter annihilation; it was like she had thrown away all hope of conquest, instead focusing on settling her score with Shepard.
His suspicions increased when a bat flew up and landed on Henrietta's shoulder. She untied a parchment scroll from its leg and dismissed it with a mental command. After reading the message, she grinned madly.
"Good news, I hope?" Zacharias doubted that it was related to the battle, but he had to ask.
"Oh, it is." Henrietta threw back her head and laughed. "I'm about to get everything I need to utterly destroy that wretched woman! Even if she somehow survives this battle, she'll wish she'd died at my hands years ago!"
As Henrietta cackled and walked off, she left the note behind. Curious, Zacharias picked it up and read its contents.
"Interesting," he mused. "Henrietta is using this for herself, and I might be able to do the same…"
…
Several hours before the battle, Leandra was on the most important mission of her undead life. Not because it was tactically valuable, but because if she failed, Henrietta would kill her in the slowest and most painful way imaginable.
Nuln was a fortress in all but name; its walls were thick and had many guns mounted on it. Hundreds of soldiers patrolled its streets at all times, and the many engineers that called the city home often had more weapons in their workshops than they knew what to do with. It was almost impossible to break into Nuln by force, and it had only happened a few times in the Empire's history.
But Leandra wasn't going to enter the city by force.
Even though she served Henrietta, who was much more direct than Neferata ever was, Leandra was still a Lahmian—subtlety, charm, and guile were her preferred tools. With the Nuln guards busy handling refugees, all it took was a slight application of Vampiric charm and a few honeyed words, and then she was inside the city. At least Henrietta's war had given her additional cover; Leandra had snuck into the city with her armor and weapons hidden only by a long cloak.
Once inside Nuln, Leandra starting looking for anything regarding Alexia Shepard. It didn't take long to persuade a drunken guard to tell her about Shepard's workshop, and how many of the people she cared for stayed there while she was out on campaign. If Leandra's target was anywhere, the workshop would be the best place to look.
The deeper she went into the city, the more Leandra noticed Shepard's name on various things marked 'Public Works'. Sewer entrances, lesser factories, and even a public school all bore her name. In the short time Shepard had been in the city, she'd made quite an impact.
Finally, after doubling back to avoid stricter patrols, Leandra found the main workshop. It wasn't the largest in Nuln, but it was connected to a factory that towered over the nearby buildings. The factory's chimneys belched smoke, but most of the lights were out. The workshop, on the other hand, clearly had people inside; there were also a pair of guards, well-trained by the looks of them.
Leandra was a Lahmian, but she was also a Vampire; sometimes, she just needed to get her hands dirty. The first guard was easily dealt with; Leandra's sword neatly decapitated him. The second, however, put her mission in jeopardy by shouting loudly; he managed to block her first two strikes, but her dagger slipped past his guard and punched through his eye and into his brain.
Her enhanced hearing caught the sound of frightened shouts inside the workshop, and of a baby crying. She was now racing against time; Leandra kicked the door off its hinges and stormed inside. She ignored the tables and shelves filled with blueprints and half-finished models, focusing instead on the half-dozen mortals standing in her way.
"Eliza, run!" The mortal who shouted, a man, drew a pistol, while the other men picked up various tools. The last mortal, a small woman, picked up a bundle and ran out a back door.
Leandra was already moving, almost too fast for a Human to react; her sword pierced one man's chest, and her dagger slashed the throat of another. A third died to her fangs. The mortal with the pistol fired, but the bullet only grazed her cheek; Leandra eviscerated the other surviving man, then picked up the last and hurled him into the wall with enough force to break his bones. She would have made sure that he was dead, but there was no time.
If Shepard's son escaped, Leandra would face her second death.
…
David was crying, and nothing Eliza could do would make him stop. Not that she held any real hope of being quiet enough to escape a Vampire's senses. She considered running and hoping that she would find more guards, but the Vampire would probably catch her before she found help. That left fighting back, but Eliza had never been in a fight in her life. What was she supposed to do against a Vampire!?
But then there was David, still crying in her arms. Eliza didn't even think twice about defending him. She didn't know what she could do against a Vampire, but she knew what she couldn't do: let that monster touch even a single hair on her 'nephew's' head.
And she was an engineer who worked on weapons, who was now in a factory full of said weapons. Despite everything, Eliza smiled.
Maybe there was something she could do.
…
Leandra knew she'd made a mistake. She had thought that the little girl would be easy prey, like so many of the other mortals she'd killed over her long life. What she hadn't expected was a hail of bullets to meet her as soon as she entered the factory.
Two bullets tore through her shoulder. Three more ripped holes in her thigh. Another ripped her ear off. The force from the barrage knocked her off her feet, and sent her scrambling for cover behind an assembly line.
"You're not touching him, bitch!" Eliza screamed from behind a hastily-aimed Heavy Repeater.
Leandra snarled, her fangs fully extended. "I might have let you live if you'd given me the infant, but now, I'll enjoy killing you!"
She stuck her head around the corner, prepared to withdraw as soon as the girl fired her heavy weapon again. Rather than aiming the repeater, however, Eliza was hefting another weapon in her hands, one that Leandra recognized. She was already running when Eliza fired the grenade launcher, which saved her life; she only took a few pieces of shrapnel to the back, rather than being blown to pieces.
Eliza tossed the launcher away and grabbed the Heavy Repeater again, swinging it around and firing at Leandra's position. The Vampire knew that it would only be a matter of time before guards heard the gunfire and explosions, and in her weakened state, she wouldn't be able to fend them off and complete her task.
This had to end.
Gathering her strength, Leandra jumped into the air, only taking a single bullet to the ankle as she did. She practically flew across the room to Eliza's position, landing on the Heavy Repeater and smashing it to pieces. Eliza desperately tried to reach for another weapon, but Leandra was faster; she grabbed the mortal by the throat and slammed her head into the floor, knocking off her glasses and breaking her cheekbone.
It was over and they both knew it, but Eliza continued to fight. She kicked and punched and clawed, but she couldn't hurt Leandra; tears of frustration ran down her face as she struggled.
"Enough of this," Leandra growled, and grabbed Eliza's left arm at the elbow. "I'd kill you slowly, but I must take my leave. Goodbye, wretch."
Eliza screamed.
…
"How many Ghouls did that bitch bring!?" Shepard asked as Stormwing swooped down on yet another pack of the slavering monsters. She had lost count of how many times she and the Griffon had hit the undead lines, but almost every time had involved killing Ghouls.
The battle had gone on for almost an hour, and Shepard was honestly worried that the allied army would run out of ammunition before long. Thousands of undead had been destroyed, mostly before they even reached their lines, but the ones that did still numbered in the hundreds. Even the allies' combined numbers couldn't hold out against Henrietta's forces forever; Shepard had sent messengers to call for reinforcements, but the best-case scenario was that they were already on their way.
On the front lines, Michael, Richter, Morgrim and Leitdorf led their personal guards in a whirlwind of destruction. Swords, hammers and axes shattered skeletons, crushed zombies, and slaughtered Ghouls. The troops around them were inspired to fight harder, and each group of undead that reached them was quickly destroyed.
Despite the heavy fire of the Human and Dwarf artillery, it was Khalida and her own undead that were the stars of the shooting war. Enchanted arrows rained down in waves, breaking apart skeletons and pinning zombies to the ground like insects in a collection. Khalida herself entered the fray, sending bolts of magic from her staff that destroyed dozens of undead.
"A fine showing, my lady!" Leitdorf laughed, his shout loud enough for even Shepard to hear. "Truly, you have earned your crown!"
Khalida's face was hidden by her mask, but she nodded in his direction, and then pointed. "Beware! A champion of the foe!"
Shepard followed her arm, and her eyes went wide. Leading a huge mob of Ghouls and Crypt Horrors was… something. It vaguely reminded her of a Ghoul, but it was bigger, stronger, and had a glimmer of intelligence.
"Ghoul King!" Michael shouted. "General, I will deal with this monstrosity! Save your strength for the real foe!"
Shepard wanted to protest, but she knew he was right; both she and Stormwing were starting to get tired, and if she was going to fight Henrietta, she had to rest. Reluctantly, she had the Griffon land near the gunners behind the wall; while Stormwing rested, Shepard climbed atop the wall to watch her friend battle a monster. She couldn't help but worry—the Ghoul King was the most dangerous thing Michael had fought since losing his eye.
At first, it looked like her fears were justified. While Michael's Swordsmen fell upon the Ghoul King's followers with zealous fury, Michael charged the monster and missed with his first swing. In response, the Ghoul King slashed Michael's side; the claws didn't pierce his armor, but the blow still knocked him back. The claws lashed out again, and this time, Michael only survived by ducking at the last second. Then the Ghoul King kicked him in the knee, forcing him to kneel. He brought his claws up for a final blow, but just before they landed, Michael blocked both of the creature's hands with his hammer.
"I kneel to no creature of darkness!" Michael bellowed. His hammer began to glow, and then his entire body did the same as he rose. The Ghoul King's hands burned where they touched the hammer. "I shall only bow to my lord, Sigmar, and he is with me now!"
With a mighty roar, Michael slammed his hammer into the Ghoul King's arm, not only shattering the bone, but also tearing it off at the shoulder. Before the monster could even scream, Michael's next blow came, shattering his jaw and forcing him to his knees. The Ghoul King made a gurgling sound, and then Michael brought his hammer down one more time, shattering his skull in an explosion of gore.
The death of their leader sent the rest of the Ghouls running. Only the Crypt Horrors remained, and they were soon torn apart by Michael's Swordsmen and several other units that rushed to help them.
Those on the allied side who saw the battle cheered at the victory of one of their champions over their enemy's. The more pious Humans among them shouted praise to Sigmar, while the Dwarfs called out gruff praise for Michael's skill. When the Warrior Priest turned to rejoin the line, Shepard raised her axe in salute; Michael returned the gesture with his bloody hammer.
Henrietta's army still outnumbered them, but the allies began to hope that not only would they survive, they would triumph.
…
"Visharos is dead," the Undertaker sighed. "I never liked him, but he was useful. The Vengeful Lady will not be pleased."
Zacharias, seated atop his Zombie Dragon, shrugged; he sincerely doubted that Henrietta cared either way. Now that he thought about it, however, he hadn't seen Henrietta since the battle had begun. When he couldn't see her from where he was, he urged his mount into the air for a better view, but still saw no sign of her.
With a mounting sense of horror, Zacharias looked at the note Henrietta had left. Was it possible that she had abandoned her army? Were things so bad here that she thought it wasn't worth her time and went to pursue her personal vendetta?
And I thought I would be the first to abandon this war, Zacharias thought bitterly. Now, I might be the only one who can lead us out of this disaster.
"Send in the wraiths," he ordered as his Dragon landed. "Send in the Vargheists, send every beast and spirit we have! They will throw the enemy into disarray long enough for us to break through."
"What then?" The Undertaker looked afraid for the first time since Zacharias had met him. The Necromancer appeared to have reached the same conclusion about Henrietta. "Where can we go?"
"South, to Black Fire Pass." It was an impromptu plan, but Zacharias saw merit in it. "We can raise the dead there, and that will buy us enough time to escape. Then we can go to the Border Princes; it will be much easier to carve out a kingdom of our own there."
They would have to abandon most of their minions on the way; the Border Princes weren't nearly as powerful as the Empire, but they were strong enough to hold off the remnants of an army. It would be easier to sneak in with just Vampires and Necromancers and corrupt it all from within.
"Very well." The Undertaker chanted spells under his breath, bending the various spirits in the army to his will and sending them headlong at the allied forces. Overhead, the few remaining Vargheists shrieked and dove towards mortal flesh. Moments later, the rest of the army wheezed and rattled as it marched forward.
As Zacharias took to the air again, he saw a Griffon in the distance; on its back was an armored figure, holding a glowing axe over their head. That had to be Shepard; while he had no personal grudge against the woman, he knew that at least part of the army would collapse if she were to die.
His army would fight its battle, and he would fight his own.
…
Shepard took a long breath to calm herself, but it was hard. Easily twenty thousand undead were charging, and even though she was in the air, it still felt like they were all coming straight for her.
The troops didn't need any orders from her. They knew what they had to do. Skeleton Archers, Dwarf Thunderers, Imperial Handgunners, and every piece of artillery they had poured fire into the oncoming horde. The Mako blew a Vargheist in half with a lucky shot. As the undead got closer, flamethrowers unleashed their fury, burning hundreds of them.
The problem, however, was the mass of spirits that swept through the ranks. Ominous wraiths that wielded huge scythes hacked down dozens of Humans, Dwarfs, and Nehekharans in moments. Others rode on ghostly steeds, with both rider and horse flickering with ethereal fire as they trampled and hacked down their foes. Still more spirits swarmed over helpless victims, stabbing and clawing until they were torn apart.
It was magic that saved them; the spirits were all but immune to normal attacks, but spells from Gettmann, Khalida, and the Jade Wizards that knew offensive magic were able to blunt the assault. Dwarfs with runic weapons banished spirits with a single strike, and Michael's raw faith dissolved them just from being nearby. Within minutes, the spirits were all but gone.
Still, the damage was done; the center of the allies' line was in disarray, and that was when the rest of the undead army struck. Skeleton Warriors and Zombies crushed their opponents with sheer weight of numbers, while undead knights trampled unprepared infantry. If something wasn't done soon, the undead would punch through.
Thankfully, Shepard had one more trick up her sleeve. "Gregor! Locke! Now!"
It had taken some convincing, but Leitdorf and Khalida had agreed to hide their cavalry with the Ironrock Knights as a heavy reserve. At Shepard's signal, nearly five hundred mounted warriors rode around the fortress, sweeping into the Vampire army's flank. On the other side, Locke and his light cavalry rode parallel to the fighting, firing wildly into the mass of undead. In moments, the tide turned from an overwhelming defeat for the allies into a bloody stalemate; it wasn't ideal, but it was better than a rout.
A wheezing roar dragged Shepard's attention away from the battle below. Coming at her fast was a Zombie Dragon, and riding it was a Vampire in thick armor. He carried a huge lance in one hand, a thick shield in the other, and a sword was sheathed at his hip.
The Vampire didn't say anything, but his intention was clear: he wanted to fight her.
Shepard was happy to oblige. "Let's get him, buddy!"
Stormwing roared, answering the challenge, and charged the Dragon. The Vampire's lance gave him better reach, but Shepard's weapon was easier to handle. She allowed the lance to skim across Spellmaw, then swung Unbak Urk in a wide arc that smashed into the Vampire's shield. Unlike hers, the Vampire's shield was destroyed, and a chunk of his arm was sliced off.
Unfortunately, Stormwing wasn't as successful; the Dragon's talons carved a nasty gash on his flank, while he had only broken one of the monster's ribs with his beak.
Rather than simply drop his lance for his more maneuverable sword, the Vampire used his unnatural strength to hurl it like a javelin. Shepard managed to bring up Spellmaw again, but the impact nearly tore her from the saddle.
"You want to play dirty, asshole?" Shepard drew her repeater pistol with her shield-hand. "I can play dirty, too!"
Shepard fired all of her shots into the Vampire's chest; two deflected off his baroque armor, but the rest buried into dead flesh. The Vampire reared back, and Shepard took her chance; Stormwing flew in, ripping apart the muscles and tendons of the Zombie Dragon's neck, while Shepard slammed Unbak Urk into her opponent's wounded arm, cleaving through it and into his ribcage.
With a sickening tearing sound, the Zombie Dragon's head fell from its neck; without its master's concentration, the beast was falling apart from the damage it had sustained. Both the creatures and their riders tumbled from the sky, Stormwing's talons unable to get free of the decaying bones and flesh. It was only at the last second that he broke away, shrieking in triumph as his undead foe crashed into the ground.
The victory didn't last for long; Stormwing had taken a bad hit, and had to land, or risk bleeding to death. Shepard urged him to the ground; she could see Parral already on his way, so he could fix the Griffon up while she made sure that the Vampire was dead.
Amazingly, he wasn't; his legs were crushed beneath his dead mount, and his blood dripped sluggishly from his wounds. Still, he seemed more annoyed than anything else.
"I knew… this was a bad idea," he said as Shepard approached. "I never should have joined the von Carstein woman. Her madness has doomed us all."
Shepard glanced around; the undead still outnumbered the allies, and it would only be a matter of time before they ran out of ammunition, and out of energy. She was about to point out as much, but then a new sound reached her ears. At first, she thought it was a group of Zombies that had broken through the line, but the moans were different. They were full of pain and despair and rage, things that Zombies didn't experience.
And then a new voice bellowed out over the sound of war.
"FORWARD! FOR SIGMAR AND THE EMPIRE!"
Hurtling into the rear of the undead force was… well, it couldn't be called an army in even the loosest sense. It was more of an army-sized mob, made up of screaming men and women clad only in rags and waving flails over their heads. Thousands of Flagellants charged headlong into the undead ranks; they were so caught up in their own fury that some of them killed each other, or even themselves.
Leading the horde of lunatics was a man carried in the most ornate chariot Shepard had ever seen. It looked more like a small cathedral on wheels, pulled by two armored horses. On top of the cathedral was a massive golden Griffon that clutched a huge hammer. The entire thing glowed with golden light, just like Michael at his most pious, and almost looked like an artificial sun in the night.
The man riding the War Altar of Sigmar—an artifact that Shepard had heard of, but never seen before now—was as impressive as his vehicle. He was old and bald, with an impressive grey mustache. His robes were white, and he had a glowing jade Griffon on his chest; in one hand he held a staff with a tiny version of the Griffon on the Altar, and in the other, he carried a hammer.
Shepard had never met Grand Theogonist Volkmar the Grim, but she had heard of what he was capable of. By words alone, he had roused thousands of Flagellants from across the Empire, shepherding them towards this one battle. This nigh-uncontrollable force was now slamming into the back of the undead army; it was likely unintentional, but that was where many of the Necromancers and lesser Vampires had been, where they could safely control their minions. Most of them died before even realizing what had happened.
"IN THE NAME OF SIGMAR, I PURGE YOU FROM THIS LAND, WITCH!" Volkmar roared as he brought his hammer down on the Undertaker's head. Though he was old, the Grand Theogonist was still strong enough to pulp the Necromancer's skull.
With the deaths of their masters, the undead army began to fall apart. In minutes, the only undead still standing were those that fought alongside the Empire.
Despite the sudden and overwhelming victory, the cost to the allied army was high. At least five hundred of Shepard's men were dead from this battle alone; that meant her army had nearly been cut in half after the campaign. Morgrim had lost well over a hundred of his warriors, and Leitdorf had lost hundreds of his own. Khalida was the only one who didn't need to worry about casualties; her Liche Priests brought the fallen back once the battles were over.
"General Shepard?" Shepard blinked, then turned to see Volkmar, who had gotten off the War Altar and was walking towards her. "Might I have a word?"
Shepard glanced back at her officers as they gathered; Gregor nodded, indicating that he would manage things while she was occupied. The others nodded as well, save for Parral; he was busy tending to Stormwing.
"What can I do for you, sir?" Shepard briefly wondered if calling him 'sir' was incorrect, but was suddenly too tired to care. "Thanks for the rescue, by the way."
"You are most welcome." Volkmar smiled, his serenity a stark contrast to his earlier wrath. "I was wondering if you were going to finish off that Vampire. He does not seem to be going anywhere."
Shepard blinked again, then nodded. She knelt down by the Vampire and held Unbak Urk close to his head. "Where's Henrietta? I didn't see her in the battle."
The Vampire chuckled. "She gave up on conquest, and she gave up on us. All she cares about is hurting you, and she has." He reached into a pouch, drew out a small piece of parchment, and handed it to her. "If you hurry, you might stop her in time. It would be my final act of revenge; give her my regards when you slaughter her."
Shepard read the note, and for an instant, it felt like the entire universe had stopped.
I have Shepard's child. I will meet you in the clearing, two miles outside Nuln.
"No…" Shepard whispered. "No, no, no, fucking no!"
Heads turned as Shepard's voice rose to a shout. Even Khalida was surprised by the rage, fear and despair that Shepard radiated.
"Parral, can Stormwing fly?" Shepard demanded, ignoring even the helpless Vampire.
"Er, yes, but he still needs to rest—"
"No time!" Shepard actually pushed Parral out of the way and jumped onto the saddle. "Take care of things here, I need to get to Nuln!" A large part of her refused to believe that David was gone. She patted Stormwing on the neck. "Home, buddy—home to David!"
Stormwing could sense his rider's distress; that, coupled with David's name, made him forget all about his pain and fatigue. Something was threatening Shepard's hatchling, and now his protective instincts were in overdrive.
In seconds, the two were gone, leaving everyone else with a feeling of foreboding.
…
It was a long flight to Nuln, even with Stormwing flying at his fastest. Shepard could feel the poor Griffon's heartbeat hammering through the saddle, but she couldn't afford to let him slow down.
He has to be safe. Eliza would die before letting anything happen to David. Shepard viciously silenced the part of her mind that wondered if that had happened.
After what seemed like an agonizingly long flight, Shepard spotted the towers of Nuln. "Just a little longer, buddy. Home! Go home!"
Stormwing cawed weakly, but put in just a little more effort. If Shepard had been in the right state of mind, she would have been moved by the Griffon's loyalty. However, all she cared about was getting to her son, to see that Henrietta had failed, and that this was all just a nightmare of a joke.
It was less of a landing in front of Shepard's workshop and more of a controlled crash. Stormwing tumbled and squawked in pain, but he made sure that Shepard was able to run; he had just enough energy to watch her reach the door, and then he collapsed from exhaustion.
Shepard almost punched someone who got in her way, but instead tried to sidestep them. When that person grabbed her by the shoulder, she drew back her fist to actually punch them, but managed to stop when she realized who it was.
"Alexia, what's wrong?"
"Felix? Gotrek?" Shepard paused, dumbstruck that now, of all times, her one-time lover and his Slayer companion were here again. "What are you—never mind, I don't have time! Follow me and shut up!"
Gotrek and Felix shared a surprised glance; they had clearly expected a warmer welcome, and it was disturbing that Shepard was so distressed. They followed after her as she ran into the workshop, their hands already reaching for weapons.
Shepard's fear increased as she passed by several bodies. They were covered in sheets and guarded by members of the city watch. Only one person on the ground was still alive, and that was Leitzer; he was unconscious, and his bones were in positions that they shouldn't have been, but he was breathing.
"General Shepard?" One of the guards pointed to the door connecting the workshop to the factory. "There's another one that's still alive in there, but she's—"
Shepard ran past, not even letting the man finish. Some of her engineers were dead, Leitzer was in bad shape, but she refused to accept that David might be—
She froze as she entered the factory. There was damage everywhere, and there was a lot of blood. Too much blood for a baby, but enough for a small woman. Shepard stumbled as she approached Eliza.
"Alexia…" Eliza looked up at her through teary eyes. "I'm sorry… I'm sorry…"
The fact that Eliza was still alive was a minor miracle. One side of her face was swollen, she was covered in deep cuts, and her left arm had been savagely crushed and torn off from just below the elbow. She was pale from blood loss, and shaking terribly; the only reason she lived at all was thanks to the quick actions of the guards, who had managed to stop the bleeding.
"Get…" Shepard swallowed bile and turned to a guard. "Get a Jade Wizard. Get one of them here right fucking now!" Once the man ran off, Shepard turned back to her adopted sister. "Eliza, where is David?"
"I tried," Eliza sobbed. "I tried to fight her, but she was too fast, too strong… David just kept crying, and I fought, but I couldn't stop her! Please, Alexia, I tried, I—"
"I'll get him back," Shepard said, kneeling down and gently taking Eliza's remaining hand in her own. "I will get him back."
Eliza nodded, but continued to cry. Shepard did her best to make sure that she was comfortable, then turned to Gotrek and Felix.
Felix glanced at Eliza, then at Shepard. "Alexia, what the hell is going on!?"
By this point, Shepard knew that her son had been taken. Instead of giving in to despair, she channeled it into rage. "A Vampire kidnapped my son. I'm going to get him back."
Felix was many things, but stupid wasn't one of them. Shepard had never told him that she had given birth to his child, but she could see the gears turning.
"What can we do to help?" he asked.
Shepard pulled out the note from before. "They're at a clearing in the forest not far from the city. If we hurry, we can make it."
"What're we waiting for?" Gotrek hefted his axe. "Let's go!"
…
With Stormwing too exhausted to fly, the trio settled for horses, and they galloped into the night at full speed. Shepard had an idea of what to expect, and laid out a rough plan as they rode.
"Are you sure about this, Alexia?" Shepard almost smiled at the concern in Felix's voice. "This plan of yours is very risky, especially to you."
"It's the best chance we have," Shepard replied. "I'd rather risk myself than David."
After a few minutes of hard riding through the forest, Shepard's wolf-helm picked up the familiar sound of a baby crying. She brought her horse to a stop and dismounted; after checking which way the wind was blowing, she pointed to the right. Gotrek and Felix nodded, dismounted, and headed deeper into the forest.
Shepard took a deep breath, and pushed on. It didn't take long for her to reach the clearing, and she did not like what she saw.
Henrietta von Carstein was holding David in her arms, a triumphant smile on her face. At her side was another female Vampire, though this one was badly injured, and Shepard made a note to praise Eliza later. There were also several Grave Guard standing watch, all armed with enormous blades.
"Ah, you're here at last." Henrietta's smile turned vicious. "I was right to leave that clue with Zacharias."
"What, you wanted me here?" Shepard knew she had to keep Henrietta talking; the longer she stalled, the best chance Gotrek and Felix had.
"Of course, fool. I knew Zacharias would betray me if I was gone, and I wanted you all to myself. If you died at his hands, so be it; I would escape with your legacy. If you won, you would come running to save your precious spawn. Mortals are so predictable."
"Fine, here I am," Shepard said. "Let my son go."
"Well, now that you're here, I don't need your son… yet." Henrietta handed David over to the other Vampire, then whipped out one of her swords and held the point at his throat. "You won't be given a chance to struggle. Drop your weapons. Now!"
Slowly, Shepard placed her axe, shield, and gun on the forest floor. At that moment, Henrietta held all the cards.
"Your helmet, too. I want to watch the life fade from your eyes."
Shepard removed her helmet, but didn't look at Henrietta; instead, she looked at David, who had finally stopped crying when he saw his mother's face.
"Hey, little man," she said in a happy tone. "Don't worry, everything's going to be okay."
"Are you so sure?" Henrietta moved like quicksilver, both blades drawn now. "I've been waiting years for this! I am going to make you suffer!"
One sword plunged into Shepard's thigh, then the other, forcing her to her knees. The other sword pierced her forearm and out the other side. Henrietta pinned her arm to the ground, then ran her shoulder through with the other blade.
The whole time, Shepard didn't scream, or even register Henrietta's presence at all. She kept her focus on David, even managing to smile.
"It's going to be okay," she repeated, though her voice was faint.
Henrietta grabbed her by the hair and yanked her up, the motion tearing open her wounds further. "Don't give false hope to something that can't even understand you! Look at me, Commander Alexia Shepard!" At that, Shepard finally looked Henrietta in the eye. The Vampire smiled and held out a tarnished chain and a pair of tags. "Yes, I know who you are. I've kept this ever since you murdered my child. Now, you're going to watch as I kill yours. Only then will I kill you."
Shepard tried to rise, but the swords still pinned her to the ground. "No! Kill me if you want, but leave my baby out of this, you evil bitch! You even scratch him and I'll rip you apart, I swear!"
Henrietta only laughed as she drew a dagger and held it over David. Once again, the universe froze, and Shepard, helpless, did the only thing she could think of: she prayed.
Please, Sigmar, give me the strength to save him, and if not me, then let his father do it! Please, I'm begging you!
Henrietta plunged the dagger down.
"NO!"
The shout didn't just come from Shepard, but from Gotrek and Felix as well. In an orange blur, Gotrek had placed himself between Henrietta and David, taking the dagger on his meaty shoulder. Felix moved just as fast, shattering the Grave Guard in his way before decapitating the other Vampire. David had barely begun to fall, but Felix caught him in his other arm and spun to bleed off momentum. When he stopped, he held his sword protectively between Henrietta and his son.
With her only remaining weapon buried in thick Dwarf muscle, Henrietta backpedaled to where Shepard lay and ripped the swords free in a wash of blood. Shepard knew that she was going to try to finish her off, and put all of her strength into one last move. Her armored boot slammed into the back of Henrietta's knee, staggering her just enough. Shepard rolled to where her weapons rested, grabbed Unbak Urk, and hurled it.
Henrietta sneered as she leaned out of the way of the spinning axe. "Please, don't make me laugh."
To her surprise, Shepard sneered right back. "I wasn't aiming at you."
Henrietta turned too late. Gotrek, now wielding both axes, slammed into her; his own axe cleaved Henrietta's left hand off, while Unbak Urk split her skull and kept going, all the way down to her sternum. With a grunt, Gotrek ripped the axe free; a moment later, Henrietta von Carstein turned to dust and a pile of ruined armor.
For a moment, no one moved; then, with a groan, Shepard collapsed. Gotrek was at her side an instant before Felix was.
"Is he…?" Shepard weakly reached for David. "Did she bite him?"
Felix quickly examined the baby, checking for bite marks. "No, he's still Human."
Finally, Shepard let the tears fall, and then everything went black.
Aaaand… story's done! You can all go home!
Nah, I'm just kidding, that would be such a dick move. Seriously, though, this was the last battle for the arc. Next chapter is just going to be cleanup.
So, yeah. Injury count for this arc:
Michael lost an eye.
Shepard got fucked up (seriously, I think these were the worst injuries she's sustained so far, possibly even worse than when she arrived).
And Eliza lost an arm. And got stabbed a lot. I swear, this is the last time I'm hurting her, and I feel like the worst for doing all this to a fictional character.
But, hey, Henrietta's dead! Shepard's personal nemesis is dismembered dust! Thanks, Gotrek and Felix!
And I figured that this would be a neat time to bring them in for a bit. They just happened to be in the Empire again, probably hadn't even heard about the war yet, but wanted to say hi to Shepard. That's their kind of luck. And Shepard's, too, come to think of it; remember all the times she ran into old friends in Mass Effect 3? And now Felix knows he's a daddy. That's gonna be fun.
Like I said at the beginning, I'm sorry that this took so long, but if it helps, it only took about 2 days to actually write. I'll be going back to my book for a while, so if you want to read that, check out the link on my profile.
Next Chapter: The Aftermath
Those that fall to the Muffin armies soon rise again…
