[AN/

Hey guys! Reached 2k views and 20 followers since the last update, thank you so much! Love you all!

Sorry for missing last week's update, but I had some difficulties writing this chapter, I had to rewrite it a couple times to be mildly happy with the result. It is also much longer, but I wnated it to be a whole chapter, so I'm splitting it inot tow parts. This first one is slightly shorter, but the next will be much longer. I'll try to post it next Sunday to make up for the lost week, as it is already well on its way.

Don't hesitate to comment, both on what I'm doing right and wrong, constructive criticisms are always helpful and thus appreciated!

Disclaimer: I own nothing and don't pretend to. This story is purely fan work, all content linked to Zootopia belongs to Disney and all content linked to Warhammer belongs to Games Workshop.

/AN]

Chapter eleven : A bulwark against savagery – part 1

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Judy was literally bouncing on her feet, more adrenaline flooding her veins with each new growl and snarl reaching her ears. They all had heard Faust's and Wolfard's warnings a little earlier, but knowing about the existence of a horde of savage mammals was one thing, hearing them get closer and closer was another. Fear gripped her heart, and despite their training and experience, she could tell that the soldiers around her didn't fare better. Even Liz seemed more silent than usual.

She listened closely to the culpeo's regular updates, each one bringing new species of enemies running towards them, from tiny and harmless mice to rampaging rhinos and elephants. The fastest had already reached them, felines and canines mostly, while the others would need more time. This wouldn't help, as the biggest animals would arrive only later, when they would already be worn out and wounded. Things were looking bad. Really bad.

The large street they were in left them completely exposed, and the numerous smaller streets intersecting it were as many entry ways for the coming horde. Sure the buildings in themselves also acted as dams and would force most mammals to use the streets, but if some decided to go through the windows, they would have no way to see them coming.

Not far behind them was the main plaza from where Liz and her were coming from, the perfect open space to see enemies coming and run if necessary, but none of the soldiers seemed ready to move, all waiting patiently. Many forms could already be seen at the end of the street, too far to know their species, but too many to miss.

"What now?" she asked, her voice shaking. "Are we really waiting here? They'll surround us! We need to get to Palm Plaza, it would be safer! We'll see them coming from much farther." A series of grunts answered her, as well as the voice of Wolfard.

"He won't leave, so we stay and protect him." Judy turned to face the fox, who was still staring at the pile of rumbles with only hatred in his eyes. His flames hadn't manifested yet, but she could see the air blur around him. He was ready to release everything at a moment's notice, and she shivered. Sure she was immune to his powers, but the mammals coming surely would not.

Despite her new oath, she felt awful. She knew that lives were about to be lost, and not a few. There was no stopping the soldiers from doing their job, and each savage between them and the snake was an obstacle to be removed. And what quicker way than a bullet to the head or chest? Worst of all, she knew she would have to use her own weapon.

Killing demons had been rather easy. Let instincts take over. Look at how horrible and against nature they were, and do your best to right the wrong of their existence. But taking lives of innocent mammals who were being mind-controlled made her instincts scream in horror. The fact that it was a lesser of two evils, that the snake would do so much worse if he could, did little to ease her. Only the presence of her new friends and the weight of her debt towards them made her stay.

"Can't we drive them away? Act as bait or something?" she pleaded, but only silence reached her ears, its meaning all too clear. Seconds later, a loud and collective roar echoed in the air and the first guns came to life, bent on covering the roar with their deadly melody. Judy watched as a small group of a dozen felines, cheetahs, jaguars and panthers, who emerged from the closest perpendicular street rushing on all fours, were reduced to limp forms on the ground, blood spurting from the numerous wounds now covering their bodies.

"Don't waste ammo, this is only the beginning." Faust's voice was calm and composed despite the situation, the only one showing no sign of unease or fear. It was the first time she was really working with him, as he had been of little help during their mission at Mr. Big's mansion, but she could already understand why he had become so important for the team.

"Where is the main threat?" Liz asked, her head turning right and left for more savages, but the first kills seemed to have given them a little respite. Savages relied on instincts more than conscious mammals, and the noise of the guns had affected them a bit. Their snarls and grunts could still be heard, but none seemed ready to follow the group of now dead felines. Not until their number give them a sense of safety and strength to start another assault.

"Pack of wolf on your east, a block away. Two dozen individuals, hunting like old times, with scouts sniffing ahead." He paused for a bit before pressing on. "Large group of medium sized mammals coming to your north, about sixty individuals, but they bicker amongst each other and some are already hurt, the stronger ones trying to impose themselves as leaders. More groups are coming, but they are small. The biggest threats are going solo and are slow to run, they won't be there before fifteen minutes."

"How many?"

"Two hundreds thirty hostiles in sight, with fifteen percent of them smaller than a rabbit. Expect many more, Hammer's auspexes indicate a number ten times higher moving towards you."

Liz cursed, and thought for several seconds, taking in her surroundings with an expert eye.

"Copy that. Nick is busy, I'm assuming command. Relay my orders. Two heads down, E and S. Sand and iron bulwark, eighty five." The answer came after several seconds.

"Lighthouse required, three rotations." Liz raised her head and shouted.

"Pup, set up the beacon!" Judy was watching the exchanges with curiosity, head tilted to the side and frowning. When the order was given, she saw Wolfard retrieve a small black box from the backpack of a fellow soldier, and set it on the ground. A red light started flashing at regular intervals, and the wolf offered a thumb up.

"What of the fifteen astray?" Faust asked.

"Scalpel peninsula, hummingbird" was Liz's reply.

"Depth?"

Liz looked around her, first at Nick, then at the rumbles, and finally at Judy. Her answer was a resigned sigh as her shoulders slumped a bit.

"High sea." A small silence.

"Confirming orders?"

Liz locked eyes with Judy, seeing the anxiety in the round amethysts, and straightened her back.

"Orders confirmed, Faust."

"May the Emperor have mercy."

Liz raised her head to the skies and mumbled a quick prayer, before meeting the rabbit's gaze again.

"Judy, we need to talk."

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"What did you say?" Judy's voice was trembling, both with nervousness and anger. She hadn't understood the orders, but the snow leopard's posture and tone spoke plenty. She wasn't going to like whatever she was about to hear.

"We need a strategy to win this. All against the snake, it would have been fairly easy, now that he is pinned, but with a whole horde of sav-"

"Cut the bull, Liz. You looked me straight in the eyes when you spoke. What did you say?"

The two mammals stared at each other in a contest of strength of will, Judy letting her emotions take control again, and Liz not ready to back down, simply because she didn't want to. Still, it was her who broke the silence first.

"We don't have time for this. We need to protect Nick. What do you suggest?" Judy looked surprise, but considered the question seriously.

"The ZPD is coming, there's no way they're not. We need to act before the savages can gather. Lead them group by group to the ZPD and have them tranqed. We have auspexes and Faust, we can create several teams, and play a game of cats and mice."

Liz seemed to ponder the option, before motioning towards the end of the street, where a large crowd of savages was already gathered. She also looked around her, holding one paw in the air and pointing at her ears with the other.

"You can hear them, can't you? They're already there."

"We can still do it. Even if they're many over there, the others are scattered around."

"How about Nick? What if some savages escape us?"

"We let a team behind to help him against the snake. I could stay here and use my powers like I did against the wolf. Weaken the snake then withdraw, to let him finish him."

Judy saw the hesitation in Liz's eyes. Her idea had merit, and the soldiers were experienced enough to make it happen, she believed it, and a part of Liz wanted to believe it too, she could see it. Anger suddenly flared in the feline's eyes and she pushed the bunny aside, before drawing her weapon and firing, all in a couple of seconds.

Landing on her shoulder, Judy groaned and quickly turned her head, to witness a wolf fall from the roof of the nearby building. A long howl resonated before being replaced by vicious snarls. Judy saw as the pack of wolves appeared from the windows, roofs, and streets in front of them and on their left. A succession of three shots took down as many wolves, before the rest of them charged, one of them jumping from the roof in a suicidal attempt to reach them from above.

Jumping to her feet, Judy ran forward and met them head on, her aura debilitating the first two wolves she got close to. She used the opportunity to close the distance and knock them out with a kick to the side of the head with her gun. The two animals fell unconscious to the ground, and she felt guilt being replaced by pride. I can do it, she thought. I can stop them without killing them.

Her hopes were soon crushed when she saw two more wolves get killed, their heads reduced to pulp by the high-velocity projectiles from the lethal guns of the leopard, the same one she was gripping in her paw.

"Liz! Don't kill them!" she shouted. But Liz remained oblivious to her plea, and killed three more before reaching for her second gun, the first one finding its place in its holster in a swift motion, waiting to be reloaded. Before it was too late, Judy sprinted towards another couple of wolves who had been eyeing them with hunger and fury. She managed to take them down the same way she had the first two, before being thrown to the ground.

She felt the claws dig in her back, but not much, and the jaw that should have clamped on her neck was hanging open, the tongue lolling to the side. The wolf had managed to pounce on her before blacking out. After several seconds of wriggling, Judy managed to make him roll to the side and freed herself. Raising her weapon, she slowly turned the wolf's head to the side. She tried to control her strength when the gun went down.

The sound of metal hitting and maybe cracking the skull nearly made her gag, but two fingers on the mammal's throat confirmed that he was still alive, and she released a long sigh. That's five, Liz killed nine and Faust said there was two dozens, so that means…

Her hope died when she raised her head to look around. Many soldiers, most of them she had never seen before, as well as three clones of Wolfard, were gathered around Liz, all looking at her with a mix of pity, anger and sadness. The street was strangely silent, and Judy understood that it was already over.

"Judy." The feline's voice was soft, but cold. Walking closer, she kneeled over the wolf and checked his pulse. Finding it fast but steady, she sighed and took the bunny by the shoulders, leading her away from the body. "You need to understand that we can't have enemies behind us." Judy tried to protest but the sound of a knife piercing flesh made her jump.

Using the distraction, another soldier, an ash-grey skunk with one eye surrounded by black fur, had walked around and swiftly put an end to the wolf's life, a single knife wound in the heart. When he rose and walked back to the group, he lowered his head in front of the bunny, a silent apology, then walked away with two more soldiers, another skunk and an elk.

Judy was speechless, even anger had left her at the sight of the cold-blooded murder. They were supposed to protect the city. To save its inhabitants. Not to kill them so coldly. She was getting sick already. Several shouts gathered her attention, just in time to see a rocket crash on the ground, a couple meters away from the flashing light.

Acting on an unknown signal, the two ships flew over them and positioned themselves a bit away, where the wolves were coming from. Just like at the warehouse, the shifted until they pointed to the ground, and opened fire. Two rockets flew straight ahead and a couple seconds later, two buildings collapsed, sending a cloud of smoke and stone shards in the air. Moving a bit, the ships fired again, and more buildings were turned to ruins. They pressed on and on, the noise easily covering every shout and snarl.

Judy watched with horror and shock as her city was reduced to ashes, not by the enemy she had agreed to hunt and take down, not by demons summoned from another universe, not by mindless animals not realizing what they were doing, but by the soldiers wearing the same brown uniform she was wearing. The mammals she had agreed to help. The mammals she had sworn an oath to.

A paw landed on her shoulder and she jumped at the sudden contact. Liz wasn't watching her, but the smoke rising high in the air, and the grey rain of debris and ash.

"Stones, brick, mortar. Mammals have and will face much worse than a building collapsing. Everything can be rebuilt in due time. But this city must survive first. No mammal, sane or savage, will come this way now. Our chances of victory have improved, as we can focus on one direction only, and better protect Nick."

"Who will rebuild this city, if you kill everyone, Liz?" Judy's voice was but a whisper, still unable to comprehend destruction at such a scale.

"Those buildings were mostly empty, Judy, we made sure of that. But a war without casualty is a dream at best. You still don't understand the consequences if the snake gets what he wants. We already told you, we lost whole worlds to his demonic machinations. A hundred lives is a small price to pay to protect a hundred billion. And it's a cross we all learnt to bear, long ago. If you can't, your planet is doomed. We can be ruthless, Judy, but we are not the enemy here."

The rabbit looked at the cloud of smoke, then at the feline, shook her head, then turned her back and started walking away.

"Right now, I see no difference."

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OoOoOoOoO

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Wolfard watched as his lover covered her face with her paws, while the grey bunny left her behind. He knew Judy would not agree to the destruction of buildings to act as dams and regulate the flow of savage mammals, but they both had hoped that with everything she had seen, she would at least understand it. It looked like they were wrong.

Liz finally turned to meet his gaze, and despite the distance, he felt her regrets and helplessness. There was little he could do right now, so he simply chose to blow her a kiss, which made her laugh at the ridicule gesture. He shrugged and smiled, happy to at least making her smile, before one of the ship landed between her and the walking rabbit. Liz quickly hopped inside, and waved her goodbye, before catching her long rifle that was pawed to her.

Sighing, Wolfard focused on organizing their defenses again. Most of their ground teams, nearly forty soldiers, had arrived safe and sound, guided expertly by their most esteemed duo, Faust and Terrance. Even his last clones had made it, which was a good thing, as they would be needed soon. They were all setting up the barricades that had been launched from the Hammer, waiting patiently in high orbit.

The sand bags had been stashed in a steel box and covered with a highly flexible foam, used to absorb most of the shock from the fall. Sure, on the thirty that were sent, four were pierced and had lost part of their load despite the precaution, but it was expected. The others were being piled up to form half circles which would first be used to lay weapons and arms, helping increase stability and accuracy, then as obstacles when the beasts would reach them.

The cage itself was being positioned in the middle of the street a bit further away, and would force the crowd to slow and split in two, making it easier to control. At least in theory. Wolfard was analyzing the setup and his friends with a critical eye, making sure no detail was left unchecked. He let himself smile a bit at the preparations, satisfied with them with what little time they had. He could hear a few guns barking here and there, keeping the savages in check, but they were coming.

He could feel it in the air. His fur was itchy on his neck, and he was repressing shudders much too often. The tension was building with each passing second, like oil spreading slowly and covering the whole area. All it would take to set the whole neighborhood on fire would be a spark.

"What are those?" The voice snapped him out of his analysis, the rabbit having finally reached him. Her voice was cold, hard, accusatory. She was pissed, on the verge of erupting too. He decided it was best to answer and let her focus on something else that the homeless mammals they were responsible for.

"Sand barricades. Cheap and not really sturdy, but they're better than nothing. Best way to set up a defense in a matter of minutes." Judy snorted.

"Or you could have destroyed the entire neighborhood in a wide circle, and completely isolate us from the rest of the city. You didn't seem to have a problem doing it back there." Her voice was dripping with sarcasm while she pointed behind her pack with a thumb.

"Judy, I know you're mad but it was necessary to protect our backs. We won't destroy more if it can be avoided. And the horde is too close already, we would bury them and this isn't our goal."

"But gunning them down is. You're right, they have more chances to stay alive." Wolfard sighed.

"Judy, they're not attacking yet, because despite their rage, they're scared. Scared of our guns, scared of the ships, scared of death. The more they wait, the closer the ZPD gets, and with them non-lethal weapons. Everything has been planned the best we could to avoid bloodshed. Trust me." Judy snorted again, but whatever reply she had in store was lost when snickers from soldiers around reached them.

"She's just a bunny, she's a farmer, not a soldier. You're wasting your time, Wolfard."

"Yeah, she can't understand strategy, it's obvious. She's too dumb for that." Wolfard growled.

"She saved your sorry ass from that demon wolf, you assholes. Shut your traps!" Judy turned to see the two lions from their mission at Mr. Big's mansion walking towards them, with more sending her harsh looks.

"And we thanked her for that. We saved her, healed her, trained her. She wears our uniform now. And when we die to save her fucking city, how does she thanks us? By doubting us. By insulting us! Just send her home and let her rot with her carrots and her thousand siblings, she deserves it!"

"I said ENOUGH! Go back to your post or I'll have you executed for disobedience!" Wolfard snarled and pointed his gun at the closest lion, who simply smiled widely, showing every white tooth he could, before offering a mock salute and obeying. After he was gone he heard the rabbit's voice behind him.

"You didn't have to defend me."

"I didn't" he replied in an angered tone. "I defended the uniform you are indeed wearing." Before Judy could reply, he brought a paw to his ear and listened to a new order, the voice too low for the bunny to catch it this time.

"You want to prove them wrong? Here's your chance. Are you in?"

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The white worm slithered inside the debris, his tiny body easily finding its way through the smallest cracks. Slowly, carefully, he pressed on, drawn to its prey. Eyes that shone of golden fire pierced through every inch of stone and discerned the shape of the snake, still hidden deep beneath the earth. The reptile's smile was all too obvious, and so was his awareness of the little creature literally worming its way towards him.

"You chose a fitting form this time, slave of the corpse emperor." His hissing voice echoed with malice in the confined space. The worm never answered, still advancing towards the edge of the rumbles. When it finally reached it, it just fell on the ground and took a look at its surroundings. The tunnel he had reached was relatively small, not tall enough to let the snake rise to his full height. His reptilian body didn't seem to care though, used to bending to angles that would break a mammal's backbone.

The walls had been smoothed beyond perfection and covered with dark brown ichor that dripped on the ground, where it was hungrily lapped by vicious tongues sprouting from the earth. An ethereal wind was blowing slowly from a small fissure in the fabric of space, delivering a steady flow of Warp energies to the sorcerer who gladly fed from it.

His wounds were obvious. Many scales had been ripped from his body from the few bullets that had managed to get to him before he could raise his psychic shield, and despite his teasing smile, his tiredness was visible in his eyes and slumped shoulders. The worm watched as the wind changed color a hundred times in less than a second, before reaching one of the wound, sealing it and making new scales grow in record time.

If he had a mouth, the worm would have smiled. Taking the snake by surprise, the wind changed direction and flew towards the tiny creature, whose body began glowing a bright white. It got bigger and bigger, limbs spreading from its oval body. Eophis quickly mouthed a word of power and closed the fissure, but the damage was done. He had offered his enemy more power, and he was about to regret it.

First, four members extended, long and lean, ending in fisted paws. When they opened, sharp claws erupted in a sickening crack of flesh, bones and chitin. At the same time, a fifth limb emerged from behind, the long and bushy tail slowly taking its final form. Finally, the round head lengthened to form a canine muzzle, with two pointy ears taking their place on top of it.

When it was complete, the last organs opened, a pair of golden eyes flaming with power and pure hatred. The jaw opened wide, revealing two rows of shining teeth and four much too long fangs.

"EOPHIS!" The psychic roar shook the very earth, the name pulsing with hate as Nick spoke it for the first time in several decades. It promised violence and death, but the snake didn't even flinch before the manifestation of his fox nemesis.

"Lord Inquisitor Nicholas Piberius Wilde" the snake replied, crossing two arms on his chest and bowing low. "I apologize for the mess, but I didn't expect company." The taunt had no effect, but he wasn't expecting one. Without warning, the fox pounced, aiming for his enemy's throat directly. With supernatural speed, the snake managed to twist his body and the jaw clamped on the shoulder instead, making him scream in pain as the flesh began melting.

The attack was followed by a swipe of the paw, claws tearing the flesh from the snake's cheek, blood spurting from the wound as the scales proved defenseless against the psychic limb. Eophis hissed in pain and anger, and folded his four arms on the fox, plunging his claws as deep as he could. But his opponent wasn't made of flesh and bone.

When the limbs reached the psychic fire of the inquisitor, they were immediately reduced to ashes, as they had no protection compared to the rest of the body. As a last resort, Eophis summoned a psychic blast that sent the fox flying back to crash on the wall, a large chunk of flesh in his burning jaw. Eophis watched as his enemy slowly took a pouncing stance again. Focused as he was, he could see the tail disappear and reappear in a flick of energies, and a predatory smile crossed his now scarred face.

"I didn't know you could do that, dog. I must say I'm impressed, you sure trained well since our last spar. But how long can you hold, huh? And what will happen to your body up there when this ends?" Nick crouched low and growled.

"You won't be there to see." And he pounced again, ready to end it once and for all. This time though, he was caught mid-air by the long tail of his enemy, and sent crashing against the wall again. Choosing to remain on the ground this time, he attacked again, rolling under the swipe of the tail, and struck at his target's stomach. The snake avoided the blow by bending, and glided backwards to avoid the next strike.

He crossed two arms in front of him to parry, and both were neatly cut at the wrists, opening a new way for the blood to flow freely. Sensing his advantage, Nick pressed on, sending blow after blow with all the strength he could muster, while Eophis changed tactics, doing his best to stay away from the enraged fox.

For long minutes they fought, Nick using his agility and burning form to deal severe damage to his nemesis' living body, while Eophis focused on defense, using his natural slipperiness and small spells to avoid the most dangerous blows. The confined space was at the inquisitor's advantage, but he knew all he had to do was hold on a bit longer. It worked, as the wait between each attack started getting longer, bit by bit. The strikes were also slowly losing strength, and it began easier to avoid them.

A desperate attempt at jumping at his prey's throat left Nick open for a second, and Eophis didn't miss the opportunity. The tail flew in a flash, piercing the fox through the chest. Nick screamed a silent scream, his jaw open wide but no sound escaping it. His bright white started to fade into a pale yellow, then turned transparent, before vanishing in small particles.

Eophis quickly mouthed the words of power he had learnt when he was only a neophyte, and another fissure in reality opened. The winds of chaos blew in the tunnel and he breathed them deep, sighing in pleasure as he felt the chaotic energies flow through him. His nemesis was just up there and too weak to defend himself. He had to act quickly, but first he needed strength. The fight had taken a huge toll on him, not expecting his enemy to have become so powerful.

Going now would make him face the whole team, and he wasn't ready. But taking care of them wouldn't be a problem. All pieces were in place. It was time to end the game. Using more of his powers, he used another spell to blow the illusion away. The end of the tunnel, or so it appeared, vanished and revealed a longer room, where the heart of the giraffe lay on a stone pedestal.

Eophis took it and cradled it in his two remaining arms like a precious kit, and casted another spell. Finally, he took a very deep breath, and released a war cry that was heard throughout the entire city. Very few mammals hadn't heard the explosions or the horde of savage mammals suddenly filling the streets, some working in their basements, others listening to music with headphones on their ears. But all felt the scream, as it shook their bones and made their hearts miss a beat.

Wolfard finally stopped repressing his shudders, his entire body trembling in anxiety and excitement, his heart speeding up in his chest. Faust's voice filled the global channel, though they already knew what he was going to say.

"INCOMING!"

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[AN/

…

/AN]