Lightning crackled, carrying and group of Stormcast Eternals down from Azyr, and straight into hell, though one familiar to them all. It was, after all, the one they had been forged for.

Ruby wasted no time urging her griffon into the air as the reinforcements arrived, Fleshrender followed his partner's command. Rising into the air, they flew towards the manticore hanging above the battlefield. Below her, the Shining Beacon Stormhost clashed with the frothing berserkers, howling the name of their god, "KHORNE!"

Ruby's subordinates didn't vocally respond, those who favored shield and hammer blocking the axes the Khornates were using, while those who favored dual wielding hammered into the flanks. Hammers, axes and swords of sigmarite cut through the armor of the marauders like chaff. That wasn't right, if they were trying to retake the Realmgate…

Looking out as she crested towards the sorcerer, Ruby grit her teeth. Chaos Warriors, in their twisted black armor, marched towards them. She'd have to finish this quickly, to warn the others.

Bracing Crescent Rose, Ruby sent a silent urge to Fleshrender, the two headed beast from Ghur speeding up. The Lord-Commander's warscythe hit home, running the manticore through with a shower of gore. Drawing the sword on her hip with her off hand, Ruby blocked the blow from the axe, staring at the snarling warrior and refusing to stand down.

"Khorne wants your skull!" The man snarled, eyes mad.

"Yeah," the Stormcast said, pushing the axe wide and running him through, "he isn't getting it today!"

"You think blood scares me?" The man laughed, leaning forward, "Khorne cares not where the blood flows-!"

"-only that it flows," Ruby said, "Yeah, yeah I know!"

Ruby wrapped an arm around his neck, throwing him off the manticore and to the ground below, thinking back to how they'd gotten into this point and urging Fleshrender down, gesturing to horizon, "Chaos Warriors incoming!"

"Yes, Ma'am," her second in command Lord-Celestant Vash, a former dead of Shyish nodded. Turning to his own men, lifted his sword, "Stand ready!"

Black and red shields locked, the Stormcast making up the shieldwall gripped their hammers tighter. Those who favored two weapons, or two handed weapons or one weapon and-

Ruby shook her head, focusing on the hill as Vash rallied her men. Finally, two score men crested the hill, and Ruby grit her teeth. Fleshrender swept around, wings beating at air, the minute the horde saw them, they began to charge down the hill, "Vash."

"Yes, ma'am," Vash raised his free arm, "Judicators!"

At the top of each link in the shieldwall, Judicators rested their Truestrike Thunderers, aiming down the gun's sight.

"Fire!" Vash ordered, and the guns went off, an unholy roar of thunder and lightning flew out, most of them smashing into the chaos plate and stopping. Two, however, hit home in the throat, sending the warriors collapsing and being crushed underfoot by the others. Ruby folded Crescent Rose, aiming down the sights, Fleshrender landed, digging his feet into the ground. Pulling the trigger, Ruby watched one warrior's head jerk back, before he was smashed aside by the others.

Fleshrender didn't need any further prompting, immediately taking off so the Warriors crashed into the unshaken shieldwall of the Stormcast Eternals. Pushing the Warriors back, the champions of Sigmar Heldenhammer charged forward. Ghuren warriors wielding two axes that should have been great-axes to anyone else fought alongside Ghyran spear maidens. Ruby hadn't been picky about who joined her Stormhost.

Ruby hooked her scythe around one warrior's throat as Fleshrender smashed into and lifted it into the air, the twin heads of the griffon yanked the one they had grabbed apart while Ruby decapitated the other.

-X Ruby X-

Ruby stepped into the cavernous room alongside her opposite number from the Hammers of Heldenhammer… that was the name of his Stormhost right?

The man as face pulled into a heavy frown as always, looked at Ruby, "Hammers of Sigmar."

"I… did I say that out loud?" Ruby asked.

"No," he said, "You just ask every time. You confuse us and the Anvils of the Heldenhammer."

"You're both named after him," Ruby said, eyes flickering to the man in question.

"'He' can hear you, Lord-Commander Rose," Sigmar said, but with an amused rumble in his voice. The man rose from his throne, towering over his two Lord-Commanders. A feat (heh) since part of the Reforging process inevitably ended with a Stormcast Eternal at at least nine feet tall if they were on the short side. He stepped forward, towards a round table filled with food and gestured for them to sit. Ruby pulled her seat out, sitting easily next to… uh… Talus? Talos? Tal-something, she was pretty sure.

So she had too many names to remember, sue her!

"I have a task for you both," Sigmar said, eyes meeting them, "an important one, my friends."

"What?" Ruby asked, loading her plate while Tal sat straight up.

"The day we've long awaited rapidly approaches," Sigmar said, "a week."

Ruby looked up from her food, silver eyes wide. The lightning in her blood crackled excitedly, and Ruby couldn't help the grin that spread across her face. She'd been getting antsy, far too antsy, "It's finally time?"

"Yes," Sigmar said, "which is why I called you both here. In my time, in the world-that-was, it was customary to give a feast between sword-brothers… or sister, in this case, before a battle. This will be the first of two, one for the three of us, and one that each of you will have with your Stormhosts. Feast, Ruby, Talor, for soon you shall march to war in a two pronged assault. Talor, your Stormhost will fall to Aqshy, you will establish a beachhead around the Igneous Gate and hold it no matter the cost until we can establish a permanent holdfast there. Ruby, yours will do the same for Chamon, and hold the Tri-gate of Tristombul."

"Chamon," Ruby said, "So we should expect Karnath and Tchar?"

"Yes," Sigmar said, "which is the reason for the two pronged assault. The slaves to Chaos have grown complacent, and Blood God holds parts of both Aqshy and Chamon, it is my hope that by striking both at once, the Blood God's followers will be forced to divide their focus. I'll leave the rest up to you two to decide. And, this is important, don't tell anyone you can't trust unwaveringly. Don't tell each other, don't tell me. The more people who know, the more likely it is that the Changer of the Ways will find out."

"But we trust you," Ruby pointed out.

"Then let me rephrase that," Sigmar said, "don't tell anyone but your Chamber Command. I do not need to know, I would not have named you Lord-Commanders if I didn't trust you in matters of leadership."

"Are you sure?" Ruby said, "This could get messy, and-"

"My eye will be on you both," Sigmar said, "and I'll have a constant ear to the forges. If too many Stormcast from one Host return too swiftly, I'll send others to support you. The Anvils for the Hammers, the Hallowed Knights for the Beacon."

Ruby nodded, returning to her meal. This was gonna be… interesting.

-X Vash X-

Vash Deathborn's sword slashed through one Chaos Warrior. Next to him, a silent Stormcast smashed through the Blood Warrior with his thunder axe, lightning crackling along the axe blade. Vash's sword danced, slashing through the another warrior with familiar savagery. The Khornate warrior collapsed with a missing head.

In her place, two more charged forward, only for one to be snagged up by Fleshrender in a blur of feathers. The Stormcast Griffon carried the large warrior high into the air, talons gouging into the armor as Ruby's laughter echoed above the war-din. Finally, Fleshrender dropped him, letting him smash into the ground in a splatter of gore. The second warrior tried to attack him, only for Vash take off his head. Watching Ruby clash with a pair of manticores, Vash wished he had some form of mount to join her. It wasn't that he didn't trust his Lord-Commander, but that they would be more dangerous in support of each other.

Vash's sword danced, cutting through another Khornate, before his white hair stood on end below his armor. Looking up, Vash's eyes widened as he watched a twisting creature made of a hulking man with a reedy second body attached to the back, which began to form a bolt of magic.

The servants of the Changer of the Ways had arrived. They didn't have the Sacrosanct Chamber with them and Ruby was too distracted.

"Judicators!" Vash roared, pointing at the spellcaster. Thunderers roared like their namesake, and the spellcaster jerked several times, and collapsed backward, the spell breaking as he collapsed backwards. Fleshrender wheeled around, plunging low as several other spells fired at his rider.

"Steady!" Vash ordered, as Ruby landed. The Lord-Commander drew her sword, cutting down a pair of charging Khornate before pointing the relic of the World-That-Was forward.

"Prosecutors! Avengers!" Ruby ordered, eyes blazing, "With me!"

The Stormcast forged with wings lifted into the air, hammers, swords and spears in some hands, a pair of boltstorm pistols in others. Ruby turned to Vash, nodding to him, "Hold the Khornates here. We'll take care of the casters."

"Yes, Ma'am," Vash nodded, nodding to the rest of the men and women as Ruby flew off, red merwyrm cloak billowing behind her, "You heard her! We'll hold the line. For the people they took from us!"

-X Ruby X-

Ruby stared down the warhost, Crescent Rose clutched in her hand as she sat on Fleshrender. The sickening smell of perfume hit her nose long before she could see the army.

Breathing in, Ruby quietly spurred her two headed Griffon into the air. Below her, the gathered mercenaries stood, aelves with bows nocked arrows from behind humans holding bucklers and axes. Ruby didn't know their names… but knew she was probably going to die with them today.

Yang… Weiss… Blake… Qrow… Dad… She was sorry, she had tried to find a way home, she really had. Slipping through Realmgates whenever possible, wandering Gyur, Shyish and Ghyran and fighting evil wherever it came. Skeletons, Ouruks, and Chaos. But if her dying bought the people of this village time to escape, that was worth it.

"Tell me, you dogs of war!" Ruby yelled, putting as much theatrics into it as possible. These men had agreed to fight with her, to hold back the march of the Slaaneshi warhost, it was the least she could do, "Do you want to live forever!?"

"If we wanted to, we wouldn't be here, fighting for payment we'll never get!" One called, axe colliding with his shield.

Ruby gave a small smile before urging Fleshrender around, the beast of Ghur giving a sharp cry as the horde of Slaanesh worshipers finally arrived at the pass. The choke point was probably their only hope to winning. Especially with the extra Aelfs laying in wait atop the cliffs, bows prepared.

Watching the garishly colored force, led by a demon, a pointed lashed out across the thousands of needled teeth, a long tail lashing along the ground and a sword in his hand. White wings spread across his back in a parody of an angel.

And attraction began to coil in Ruby's gut. Or tired to at least, the feeling died as quickly as it came, unable to hold a grip on her. The Daemon's eyes jumped towards Ruby, anger flashing in them before they became soft, kind, and the voice that came from his mouth was honeyed, cloying, "Lower your weapons. Join us."

Ruby bit her cheek so hard that she tasted blood, "Loose!"

The order snapped the aelves out of their trance, the arrows that hit the Daemon bounced off his hide without so much as a scratch. The ones that hit the marauders behind him, however, were a lot more efficient.

The poison tipped arrows pierced through the first wave of slaves to darkness' throats. The Daemon's eyes jumped back, before he looked at Ruby, "Kill them."

"Fire at will!" Ruby ordered as the marauders charged. Arrows flew over the shoulder of the melee warriors. The marauders didn't stop as the arrows punched through the front lines. Meanwhile, the Daemon took off, flying towards Ruby. Ruby unfolded Crescent Rose into warscythe form, flying to the top of the pass before flipping and charging the Daemon, Ruby crashed into it, blade hitting home and smashing him into the ground, crushing a small pile of marauders. The Daemon took off as the more heavily armored warriors crashed into the shieldwall. Before Ruby could blink, the Daemon was in her face, only her Semblance keeping the blade from piercing her chest. The Daemon grabbed her, carrying her off Fleshrender and slamming her into the cliff face.

"Your men will die," he crooned, leaning forward, "You'll die, but only once my men have had their fu-

"F-" Ruby croaked, "fire the amber bones."

"Fi-?" Realmstone arrow heads dug into the Daemon's back, cutting through the hide with supernatural ease. Ruby smashed into the ground, Aura healing the injury. Fleshrender swooped down in front of her as a plated warrior charged at her, smashing him into the opposite cliff. He landed, resting his left head against her.

"I'm alright," Ruby said.

"Die!" The Daemon growled, flying towards her. Fleshrender took off, only to be smashed into the ground. The Daemon lifted his sword, preparing to plunge it into Fleshrender's chest. Ruby grit her teeth, rushing forward with Crescent Rose, swinging it around him.

"Get away from my friend!" Ruby snarled, even as the the sword changed direction to pierce her heart. Fleshrender was the only friend she had anymore-

Before the blade could pierce her breast, a loud rumbling came from the sky, blasting the Daemon away.

Or, Ruby would come to realize immediately after, carrying her and Fleshrender away, into a golden hall. A tall man with brown hair smiling at her, "That was very brave of you."

"Uh… Thanks?" Ruby said, looking around and holding Crescent Rose in a defensive stance, Fleshrender standing up and coiling around her. Where were they?

"I'm sorry," the man said, stepped down and walking forward, "You must be confused. I've been watching you for a long time."

"You realize how creepy that sounds, right?" Ruby asked immediately, before immediately slapping her hand across her mouth. Luckily, the man just gave a booming laugh.

"Yes, it does," the man said, face growing more somber, "especially after the threat Gerreon made."

"Gerreo- the Daemon?" Ruby asked.

"He calls himself Azazel now," the man said, shaking his head, "I thought him my closest companion, before his fall. I'm sorry, I let my mind wander. Yes, I've been watching you, because I didn't want to take you from your life until necessary."

"Who are you?" Ruby asked, head spinning. What was he talking about?

The man smiled, a smile as friendly and brotherly as could be. One that Ruby, for a second, felt HAD to be fake, before that idea faded. It was an honest smile, she could tell in her bones, "I am Sigmar Heldenhammer, and I'd like you to join an army I'm creating to end the Age of Chaos."

"Ok," Ruby said without blinking or hesitating to think.

"Are you certain?" Sigmar asked, stepping forward, "it won't be an easy process. In fact, the first step will be agonizi-"

"I'll do it," Ruby said, "if it lets us save people, I'll always- the mercenaries!"

"Have all but passed, I'm afraid," Sigmar said, eyes darkening, "the trap was well planned, but Realmstone, on its own, can't pierce through Chaos Plate.

"And the village?" Ruby asked.

"Evacuated," Sigmar said, "though I can't say for certain how long they'll avoid Azazel."

"Let's go," Ruby said, "If we're gonna do something, I'll start-"

"By eating," Sigmar said, "You'll need to be in top form for what will follow. So come, feast and prepare for the process of being infused with the storm."

-X Ruby X-

Ruby rushed forward, Fleshrender swooping around the magical salvos. Gripping Crescent Rose, Ruby sent a silent urge to Fleshrender. The griffon went low and wide, opening both mouths, and crackling lightning burst from them, ripping through the line of pink horrors the sorcerers had summoned. As Ruby came out of her strafing run, the horrors split in two, pink turning to blue.

That was when the Avengers came in. Wielding two Thunderstorm Pistols, the rain of metal cut through the blue horrors. Ruby didn't hide the smile, she knew that replicating Crescent Rose's gun would help!

The horrors split again, this time turning yellow and burning with brimstone. Ruby flew past them, dodging the attacks and shifting Crescent Rose into warscythe form, eyes locked on the sorcerer casting a spell.

She didn't need to say or do anything, the Stormcast griffon angeled itself downwards on the charge, letting the Sigmarite blade punch straight through the sorcerer and carrying him into the air as Fleshrender rose into the sky, dodging the attacks from two horned, avian humanoids dual wielding swords.

Seconds later, two Prosecutors landed, sigmarite hammers rumbling as they crashed into the back of the bird-men's heads. Several others landed just as heavily, the black and red sigmarite that marked them as part of Ruby's Stormhost looming over the humans. There was a crash like thunder as one sorcerer's head was caved in between two hammers, the Azyr infused metal crashing against each other in a bright flash of light, the head between not stopping them for a second. Landing, Ruby slid off Fleshrender, who immediately took off again in a gliding leap, slamming into another of the bird-man and lifting it high into the air. Ruby shifted Crescent Rose, letting four birdmen charge her before cleaving them down in a whirl of blade, armor and cloak.

Looking down the hill, Ruby met the glowing eyes of a massive bullman holding a staff with a flaming bird skull on the end. The beast lowered itself, driving hooved feet into the ground before it charged forward. Behind him, in the distance, Ruby could see more Khornates marching.

Great.

Ruby rushed forward in turn, shifting Crescent Rose into warscythe form and kicking off the ground, activating her Semblance as she went forward in a whorl of petals and lightning. The Sigmarite blade dug into the bull, and Ruby let go, using the momentum to carry her over its head. Wrapping her hand around Dragon Tooth, Ruby drew the Runefang from her hip, and drove it into the bull's back, dragging it down as Crescent Rose erupted out of his back in a shower of blood. Ruby raked her eyes over the fighting on the hill, giving a smile as she realized it was finished, "Good job, men."

While their heads were covered in armor, Ruby can tell they were smiling at her in turn. Fleshrender landed with a heavy thud, ripping some meat off the bull while Ruby climbed onto his back, freeing Crescent Rose, "Who are we?"

"The Shining Beacon!" Several of the men chorused, while those who didn't laughed.

"And what do we do?"

"We light the way for others!" They all cried, grins on their voice.

"Now, let's go kill us some Khornates!" Ruby said, Fleshrender taking off alongside her host.

-X Ruby X-

Ruby rushed forward in a blur of petals, dodging the massive stag's charge. Leaping onto its back, she looped Crescent Rose around the neck and severing the head with an exhausted sigh. Pulling out the hunting knife she had acquired a few months prior and crouched in front of the dead beast, Ruby began to carve into it.

Thank goodness for Uncle Qrow teaching her how to skin and butcher animals. It hadn't seemed important at the time, but now…

Ruby shook her head, closing her eyes. Now wasn't the time to think about this stuff. She needed to focus on finding out one, where the heck she was and two, how she got here. Last she remembered, she had fallen down that hole after Zwei.

She certainly wasn't anywhere near Mountain Glenn anymore, that was sure. The tribes she had come across hadn't had any idea what she was talking about. They had just given her weird looks, looks that got even weirder when she tried to pay them with Lien.

And then there were the animals. They were huge, wolves the size of cars, stags the size of trucks. Something about 'ghur', the people said, when they were willing to answer her questions.

But dang if she knew what a ghur was, or why it made animals so big! They were the size of Grimm!

Ruby stopped her butchering as she heard a loud bang and an animal cry, drawing Crescent Rose and looking around. Glancing back at the animal, Ruby worried her lip. That was a gun.

Could it be Huntsmen?

Ruby stood up, abandoning the animal as another shot rang out. Activating her Semblance, she rushed through the spars trees as a third shot rang out.

What she found was as disappointing as it was disgusting. A morbidly obese man was looming over a injured animal, tearing into it without waiting for it to die. Ruby stepped forward, voice rising up before she could think, "Leave it alone!"

The man looked up, mouth caked in blood. He lumbered to his feet, staring at Ruby, aiming his massive blunderbuss at Ruby. Ruby dove out of the way as the crude looking gun exploded in a shower of random metal. The tree she had been standing in front of was ripped apart by broken chain links and and shards for swords.

Nevermind, it wasn't a crude looking gun… it was a crude gun. The type you loaded Dust and anything you could get into and prayed it didn't go off until you wanted it to.

But that still meant he had Dust on him. Maybe she could use that in some way. Ruby gripped her scythe in one hand, the hunting knife in the other. And stepped around the tree, "Hey! I'm still he-"

Ruby dodged the next shot in a flurry of rose petals, landing on the top of a tree. Aiming Crescent Rose at his chest, the Ruby breathed in.

Six burn shots, two lightning, nine gravity, That's all she had left. So she had to be sure the bullet would hit, "Hey!"

"You're still-" the man stopped as the gun went off with a bang, the bullet crashing into his chest right where the heart should have been, fat rippling grotesquely from the point of impact. The man stood, leaving Ruby tense as she realized he wasn't just fat, he was towering. Easily ten, maybe twelve feet tall, and if the shot that should have pierced his heart was affecting him, he didn't show it as he charged at the tree, "YOU!"

Ruby threw herself from the tree as he crashed into the trunk with enough force to uproot it. Landing, she sheathed the knife and unfolded Crescent Rose and rushing towards him. Looping her scythe around his neck, Ruby reversed her Semblance, preparing to kick off the metal plate over his stomach, the only clothes he was wearing.

Only for the man to drop his gun and wrap his arms around Ruby in a bear hug that made anything Yang had ever given her feel tame in comparison, ignoring the blade lodged into his back. Pain coursed through her body as the rock hard muscles under the fat smashed her against the metal plate. The man gave a toothy grin, revealing lines of flat teeth while Ruby's Aura fought the crushing. Gritting her own teeth in a parody of his mocking grin, Ruby let go of Crescent Rose… and gouged out his eyes.

The man let go of her with a scream, staggering back and clutching at this face as Ruby grabbed the metal plate around his gut, pulling it down around his ankles. Which was when the animal he had been eating came in with a weak cry. Claws ripped through the man's gut, disemboweling him… alongside several other organs that shouldn't have been that low. Which explained why her shot did nothing. His heart wasn't where it should have been.

The animal, which looked like a Griffon Grimm, collapsed immediately after, blood pouring from the shots in its side and the bites. Ruby stood up, walking towards it carefully and reaching out to touch it. It curled away from her, beak snapping at her fingers. Slowly, it's eyes glazed over, and Ruby was left looking around the campsite. There was a fire burning away, a small animal tied to-

Oh…

Oh…!

Ruby bit down the desire to kick the man's body as it dawned on her that the animal was a small griffon, a baby one. He'd gotten what he deserv-!

Ruby's head whipped around at the small pair of cries from next to the fire. Walking past it, Ruby found herself staring at a two headed baby griffon bound in rope. Both heads stopped as they saw her, tilting as one. Ruby bit the inside of her cheek before reaching out to run a hand alongside its back. The animal's eyes closed, and it let out a combination of a chirp and a purr.

"C'mon, little guy," Ruby said, pulling out her hunting knife and cut the griffon free, wrapping her cloak around it and picking it up. The griffon snuggled against her chest, "I'll take care of you."

Now, to pray something hadn't eaten that stag since she left it.

-X Ruby X-

Ruby coiled around Crescent Rose as she leapt off Fleshrender's back. The Sigmarite blade of the warscythe ran through the Chaos plate with ease, coming out the other side in a shower of gore. At the same time, Fleshrender swooped low with a loud cry, catching another marauder trying to charge on Ruby, taking his head off and carrying on to grab another warrior with his talons. The Sigmarite armor defended him from the retaliatory axe swing, letting him carry the warrior high into the air.

"I've got good news and bad news," Ruby said, shifting Crescent Rose and spinning it, blood flying off as she effortlessly cut through two more Khornate warriors with a spinning of the obsidian black blade.

"I swear by Djaf, if you say there's more coming up that hill," Vash growled, "I'm going to be very, very cross."

"Tzeentch's men are dead," Ruby said, not blinking as she continued to cleave through the remaining marauders like chaff. Any that somehow made it through the whirling maelstrom of her scythe being quickly dispatched by Fleshrender or Vash, "but we've got a whole bunch of Khornates coming up the hill. Lock battlelines. Where in Shyish is artillery support when you need it?"

'Did you actually just liken Shyish to he-?" Vash started before shaking his head, "We don't have enough of a beachhead for artillery, ma'am."

"Fine then," Ruby said, wheeling around, "Judicators! Avengers! Full mags, prepare to fire!"

The sound of guns crafted by the Six Sons of Grungi loading immediately echoed. The long rifles immediately pressing at the top of the shieldwall. Avengers hovered in the air, ready to fire.

"Vanguards!" Ruby continued, unfolding Crescent Rose and aiming down the sights, "if anything gets past the shots, I want them pincushioned! Lord Aquilor! Take a squad of Knights Venerators and make their approach as miserable as you can! Let them know that the Beacon has taken this place, and if they want it back they're gonna have to march through a storm of shot and blade to slaughter us to a man! Send them screaming to their gods so they know that their rule over these worlds ends today! That Sigmar has returned, that they should fear the storm, for it is a sign that we are near! Knights Heraldors, sound the horns!"

The knights stepped forward, lightning crackling along their horns as they blew into them while the Lord Aquilor took off with the flying knights with bows. Ruby turned to Vash, Fleshrender landing with a heavy thud and lowering himself, "Take the Palladors and flank them. When the time comes, and you'll know, hit 'em for everything. I'll lead the defense here."

Vash was silent for a moment before nodding, climbing onto Fleshrender, who rushed forward, Stormcasts on Gryph-Chargers following him. Ruby breathed in, lining up Crescent Rose as the Khornates crested the hill, missing several soldiers. Wolfheart was doin' his job.

"Ready!" Ruby said, "Fire!"

The sound of nearly a hundred guns going off sounded the sign of the start of the next wave of the battle.