Within the Lucent Maze
As the coalition army stepped further into the lands of the Chaos Waste, Ursun spoke once again to Yuri.
"I see that you heed my words still." Ursun stated. "Listen well, Son of Kislev. The Lucent Maze and all land surrounding it is under the purview of Tzeentch, the Changer of Ways, the Chaos God of Deceit, the Architect of Fate. His Daemons are spellcasters and creatures of arcane magic. You would do well to prepare for it, as your allies have."
As Yuri digested the information, he was then beset by UF!Richard.
"You seem to be under duress, dear Prince." UF!Richard remarked. "What ails you?"
"The lands we pass through are owned by Tzeentch." Yuri remarked. "His magics are dangerous to us, and I doubt that your people would be any different."
"Perhaps so." UF!Richard answered back. "What shall you do then to prepare? I heard from your men that your faith, the Great Orthodoxy, forbids the use of magic. It must be heretical to have us by your side? Or perhaps you have seen the allure of magic yourself. You might learn to be progressive in your ways, or will you stand by your tenets?"
"...Magic has its uses, but conventional tactics and stout hearts will win us the day." Yuri answered.
"I see." UF!Richard answered back. "And what of the trials?"
"You refer to the trials listed in the journal of the traitor." Yuri stated.
"Yes. While they may be rituals to the Dark Gods themselves… Since Tzeentch rewards his followers for satisfying his wishes…" UF!Richard remarked. "Perhaps beating his followers in their game will benefit you in strengthening you, manpower, resolve, and potency. Which of them do you seek to strive for?"
"...The Conquerer." Yuri said. "Having a territory beyond Dervingard would be a boon to Kislev."
"Spoken like a Prince. And I don't mean that in any derogatory way. Ambition is healthy, but remember what drove Kurnz to madness." UF!Richard remarked.
As the force began to march onwards, as they engaged the daemons of the land, as Kislev and allies fought side by side against them, fighting them with fervor and determination, before managing to seize one of the Chaos-aligned strongholds, which earned him the favor of several men who praised his dedication to expanding Kislev's influence, a faction of the renowned Ice-Guard, royal guards to the rulers and royals of Kislev with unmatched expertise in their fields of combat.
Eventually, they happened on the scene of a burning Northerner village, as the army could see the sign of Kurnz's army in the desecrated settlement.
"Seems like Kurnz has been doing some razing of his own." SoF!Siege commented. "Well, that's one point towards proving that he is exactly how the journal paints him."
"Wait, over there!" UF!Richard exclaimed, before pointing towards a nearby house, as Yuri, and SoF!Siege followed him inside, only to find themselves at the tip of a spear, causing the three of them to freeze up.
"You get out of there, or-" FS!Popol growled, before he then realized who he was threatening. "Siege? Richard!? No, you're the other ones."
"Sorry if we're not what you're expecting." SoF!Siege remarked. "Come on, Popol, lower the spear. We're definitely no impostors."
"With that snark, you're definitely not." FS!Heiwa snorted, walking over. "So, who's tall and brooding with you?"
Yuri took a look around, before he then noticed that there was a third resident, a young girl who seemed to be only two years younger than what FS!Popol and FS!Heiwa was physically, as there was a red-lined kitsune mask on her face, and she had brown skin, before his eyes fall back on the two Overlords. "Who are these human-looking Beastmen?" he asked.
"Beastmen, huh." FS!Popol remarked. "I suppose that's not far from what we are."
"Let's just say that they're what Beastmen look like on our side of the world." FS!Richard answered back.
"Hey, you didn't answer our question. Who. the hell. Are you?" FS!Heiwa emphasized.
"Heiwa! This is a royal that you're talking to!" SoF!Siege chided her.
"So? Am I supposed to bend backwards for him?" FS!Heiwa remarked with a tilt of her head. "I don't like that look on his face. He looks like the kind of person to stab you-"
"Alright, stop." UF!Richard interjected quickly. "Heiwa, I assure you, he may have his faults, but Prince Yuri is no slimy bastard. I can attest to that. As for you, Prince Yuri, do forgive her attitude. She's a little… abrasive towards certain kinds of people, and you unfortunately count among them. She'll warm up to you in time."
Yuri looked unconvinced, glaring at FS!Heiwa before he spoke. "Just make sure they don't overstep themselves. Beastmen in this world…are not looked upon with favor." He warned.
"Cute. I like to see any bastard around here try that." FS!Heiwa scoffed. "If they think they're enough to take me on, I'll make them wish otherwise."
"Regardless of her attitude, we will do what we can to help." FS!Popol stated. "While I doubt you'll take my word sincerely, Heiwa will do the right thing. And she's not exactly happy about being dropped here."
"You were… dropped here?" SoF!Siege remarked.
"Of course. Do you really think we would break off the main force, with little Kanako here?" FS!Heiwa remarked, gesturing at their timid charge. "No, some piece of shit teleported us right to here. We were lucky enough to blend into a house around here, just as the carnage rolled through here. You should have seen it, it was bloody right from start to finish."
"You witnessed the attack?" Yuri asked. "What did you make of the man leading it?"
"Didn't see the guy, or gal." FS!Heiwa shrugged. "But I do know that they're doing some messed up stuff. Take a look at the dead bodies, and tell me what you see."
The princes looked upon the corpses of the Northmen. All of them were mangled beyond any form of recognition, some so horribly that the men fought to keep from vomiting at the sight of them.
"...Everywhere I look here, I am reminded of handiwork that only the Apostles could reach." Flora remarked, with a revolted look on her face.
"I do not know of whom you speak, but I can assure you…the Chaos Gods are worse." Gerik said, even as his face was pale and his voice hoarse at the sights within the camp.
"No, I would say that the God Hand are as cruel as these Chaos Gods." Flora remarked.
"What shall we do for them?" UF!Richard asked Yuri. "Bury them, in respect? Or ransack what remains."
"Richard, you can't possibly be-!" SoF!Siege remarked with outrage.
"The decision is Prince Yuri's to make. I'm not giving this choice out of spite for the Northerners, and I doubt that the Prince would do the same." UF!Richard declared. "So, Prince Yuri, where does your heart lie for this?"
"...The Northmen would offer us no mercy. Why should we treat them any differently?" Yuri asked as he faced his men. "Take whatever is of use we can find in this place. Burn the rest of it!" he ordered. "To hell with Kislev's enemies!"
The soldiers went about this task (some rather reluctantly), ransacking the ruins and throwing whatever was unsalvageable into a bonfire…including the bodies.
A good part of the group were shocked by the act of cruelty they were seeing, as Elma was horrified, as she was paralyzed with fear at how cruel the Kislevites were towards the Southerners.
Kanako let out a noticable whine, as FS!Popol gave her a shoulder to rest on.
"Don't worry... this won't happen again." FS!Popol told her gently. "...I won't let it."
"Well, guess Yuri's got something to pay back with." SoF!Siege dryly remarked. "...Damn it, and this is supposed to be the one to save Ursun."
UF!Richard did not respond, as he watched the act, before closing his eyes.
"...He still has a road to walk back on. Be thankful for that." UF!Richard remarked.
"A road..." Gus remarked, with concern on his face.
"You have seen it, haven't you?" Gerik remarked. "The runes on the bodies…"
"The Runes of Chaos." Yuri confirmed. "Kurnz branded them with dark prayers."
"How can you read them?" Gerik asked.
"Kurnz's journal. It deciphers the symbols." Yuri explained.
Gerik looked at his brother with worry in his eyes, before he noticed some of the soldiers talking to the off-worlders. Yuri saw this as well, scowling for a moment before he turned his attention back to the task. "When we are finished here, we march upon the Lucent Maze! Prepare yourselves for battle at first dawn!"
"Brother…" Gerik remarked, worried at the look he was giving the off-worlders. SoF!Siege and Souei also took note, as they shared a look with one another.
Later that night…
A ship entered the atmosphere of the Warhammer world, the entrance to the Realm of Chaos before it. Onboard, many knights were at work, one particular knight with a broadsword strapped to his side standing at the head of the bridge.
"Status report?" the knight asked.
"The gellar field generator is one hundred percent operational, Saint Peter." an engineer said over the comm. "The dark pagan gods themselves couldn't break into our ship."
"I will hold you to that promise, Saint Thomas." Peter smiled as he stared into the whirling mass of dark energy. "A pagan god you may be, Ursun…but no one deserves to be held within that domain. The Prideful Crusade will be your salvation…and Lord willing, Kislev will earn the blessings of the one true God." he thought. "Thrusters at full power. We march into Hell!"
And so, the Prideful Crusade entered the Chaos Warp…
The next day, first dawn…
The Kislev Expedition and their allies marched their way under blue and purple skies, many of the soldiers hearing inhuman whispers within their heads. All of them knew deep down; they would be confronted by daemons soon.
"Brother, do we have to fight these creatures? There must be another way!" Gerik pleaded with his brother.
"No, Gerik, the lore we need is within that maze." Yuri countered.
"...Then we pray to Ursun for protection, if he can even hear us." Gerik sighed.
"I told you, the Bear talks to me. He knows, brother, he knows…" Yuri assured.
"At times I wonder…" Souei silently remarked before he noticed something ahead, as he Shadow Stepped into the maze for a moment, before Shadow Stepping back. "We're in luck. There are more allies inside. However, they are currently under attack and in need of aid, Prince Yuri!" Souei declared firmly.
"I know Souei isn't one to lie, Prince. What are your orders?" SoF!Siege demanded.
"...We do what we came here to do." Yuri stated, turning to address the troops. "Ursun is lost, but there is a way to find him within the maze! Strike down the Daemons which guard its profane walls!"
"Wow, that's a lot of ice ahead…" Marisa winced, seeing how there were barriers of ice impeding the advance of the army.
"We will need to defeat the gatekeepers, if we are to advance." Patchouli remarked.
"Allow my dragonkin to lead that charge! Advance! Slaughter the gatekeepers! Flame Lances, forward and firing!" Wilheim exclaimed as large hellflares of fireballs shot at the guardians ahead.
"Forward, we must engage the enemy!" Link exclaimed, as the sword-and-shield troops under his command immediately clashed against the Tzeentch forces, with several divisions of mages and archers providing covering fire to slay the aerial daemons.
With the efforts of the two lines of troops, they were able to break through the first barrier, as the ice magically faded away, revealing the path forward, as they continued forward, to find that there was already a battle in motion, as Tzeentch daemons were fighting against an elderly man in white robes, as he held a sword in hand, having just slashed it, before sheathing it.
"Streamline Judgment." The man declared, as water streaked across the throats of the enemies, before it became deadly blood.
"Hakurou!" FS!Heiwa exclaimed. "You holding up well?"
"As fine as an old man can, young lady." Hakurou joked before black flames roasted more enemies, as a red haired and red robe wearing oni landed next to him. "Ah, Benimaru."
"Greetings. Let us dispatch these foes swiftly!" Benimaru declared.
"Glad to have your help again." UF!Richard remarked. "Let us charge!"
The forces began to advance further, until they were able to find Tzeentch's herald, who was leading the troops, as the twisted avian creature squawked orders for the daemons to slay them.
"Alright, who do you think should have the honors of taking this one out?" Marisa asked. "It looks like he could do some damage if someone's not careful."
"Let me." Momiji remarked, before she then rushed forward, as the Herald tried to assault her with a rain of blue magic missiles, only for her to evade them, even blocking some of them with her branded shield.
The Herald summoned several Blue Horrors, as the grotesque horrors swarmed Momiji. However, with each swing she performed, two were slain, as the horde was cut down during her advance, until she was right in front of the Herald.
"Begone." Momiji coldly declared, before she then cleaved the Herald's head in twain, and bisected its body apart, as the ice barrier into the Lucent Maze was dispelled.
"The Lucent Maze is open…" Gerik remarked. "...Brother, must you go alone?"
"It is the only way." Prince Yuri answered back, before turning to his troops and allies. "Remain here and defend the entrance, lest Tzeentch's minions return to seek vengeance for this trespass."
"Very well." UF!Richard remarked, as Yuri proceeded into the Lucent Maze.
"Richard, a word if you will." SoF!Siege remarked, before pulling UF!Richard aside.
"Something's on your mind, Siege?" UF!Richard asked back.
"You haven't noticed what's happening with Yuri, don't you?" SoF!Siege remarked, as a serious look crossed his face. "...Or did you know, and haven't talked about it."
UF!Richard looked back at SoF!Siege, before sighing deeply.
"...Yes, I can see the signs." UF!Richard answered back. "...But he's not truly fargone… not yet at least."
"Richard, his standards of resilience and yours are on different levels." SoF!Siege told him seriously. "If this keeps up, it won't be just that pink eye that he'll be sporting."
"Then we do this quickly then." UF!Richard sighed. "...Before he truly falls, we'll save Ursun, if not for Kislev's sake, for his original wish."
As time passed within the Lucent Maze, as both Kislevite and off-worlders warmed up to each other, Prince Yuri staggered out of the Lucent Maze, looking like he had been through hell itself.
"Prince Yuri!" UF!Richard remarked. "Are you alright? Do you need aid?"
"By the Gods…! Are you severely wounded!?" Benimaru exclaimed.
Yuri didn't respond to any of them, instead walking past them without a word. From behind him, an older man in religious clothing stepped out, looking remarkably well for someone trapped within a Tzeentchian maze.
"Ah-ha! Praise be to Dazh, I am free at last!" the man proclaimed, before he spotted the group. "Hm? What dark sorcery gave rise to you, strangers?"
"Excuse me?" Benimaru asked, as his eyes hardened.
"I'm sorry, I don't understand what you're trying to say." Patchouli remarked.
"Dark sorcery?" SoF!Siege asked before he suddenly procured Dyrnwyn. "Would dark beings wield a holy blade such as this, you misguided priest!?"
"Siege!" UF!Richard harshly snapped.
"Sorry… I have a real issue when I'm acclaimed to be goddamn demonspawn." SoF!Siege snarled.
Gerik noticed the commotion and raced to intercede. "Hold yourselves, all of you!" Gerik said, looking at the newcomer. "Those clothes…you are a Patriarch of the Orthodoxy, aren't you?"
"Indeed I am! I am Sorca Gospodarev!" the Patriarch declared bombastically. "And you…are you the leader of this expedition? Explain why you would allow these outsiders into your ranks!"
"You uncultured-!" SoF!Siege was about to exclaim before being halted again, as Hakurou did so, looking at him as SoF!Siege sighed, allowing Hakurou's wisdom to shine as Hakurou would look for ways to humble the prideful bishop.
"To answer your first question!" Gerik said. "I am not the leader of this expedition. I am their advisor. As for these individuals, they have agreed to aid us in rescuing Ursun. I assure you that they can be trusted."
"No one can be trusted! The forces of Chaos can take any shape!" Sorca said. "Perhaps they are merely biding their time, letting you lead them to the Great Bear, only to turn upon you! A common trick of those accused daemons!"
"They are not daemons."
The voice that spoke out came from the entryway of the maze, where a third figure, one the off-worlders recognized, stepped out. "I encountered them before I came to this world. And I detect no traces of the Warp among them…even if some of them are hellspawn." Superbia said.
"Hellspawn…?" Souei asked.
"Hmm…" Sorca hummed, scanning the group with his eyes, before he nodded. "Very well! Until I find evidence to the contrary, we will withhold any executions of these outsiders. However! I will join this expedition, to prevent the taint of Chaos from seeping in!" he declared, marching past the group and towards the soldiers.
"...You all again." Superbia acknowledged the group. "Have you come to try and kill me?"
"You… you remember that? I thought that you were-" UF!Richard asked with surprise.
"Hmph. Only if you differ from our goals." Hakurou stated sternly.
"And what goals would that be?" Superbia asked. "To aid the forces of Hell? To kill or corrupt the rest of my allies, as Samael did to Ira?"
"Our goal is to uphold justice and truth, prideful vassal." Hakurou stated. "If you would drop that pride of yours, you could clearly see we are not demonic. Nor aid Hell in any sort of manner. How can we truly, when we fight hell itself on a daily basis?" Hakurou added firmly, a tone of wisdom behind his sharpened tongue.
"You claim to fight Hell, yet you travel with a hellspawn." Superbia stated, pointing to Elma. "Were it not a fruitless endeavor with all of you here, I would crush the cur's head beneath my hammer. What justification do you have, consorting with that creature?"
"I…" Elma remarked, before Heiwa moved in front of her.
"Hey, you lay the hell off her!" FS!Heiwa growled, before raising a finger towards Superbia. "Now, I don't know the size of the damn stick up your rectum, but Elma's the kind of demon that would rather die than be like her namesake. You want someone to 'Deus Vult' against, you stuck-up bastard, why don't you say that to my face? Overlord of a Netherworld, born demon from the get-go. You want someone's head to hang for your crusade, then why don't you try that with me? If you want her head, you're going to have to go through me first-"
"Heiwa." Elma remarked, as Heiwa turned towards her. "...Please, let me defend myself."
"Are you-? Do you think that this asshole will listen to a single word you have to say!?" Heiwa growled.
"I have to try. Looking at all of this… this conflict, it truly drives my own crest… Such melancholy caused by all of this… this unjustified hatred." Elma remarked, as her voice was sullen.
Heiwa looked at Elma for a moment, before she then snorted, and stepped aside, as Elma walked up to Superbia.
"You best know what you're doing…" Hakurou declared.
"...You are right. We demons were terrible people long before, and even to this age, there are many examples that could possibly give you the justification you need." Elma answered back. "...But I want to tell you that no matter how much you want to believe otherwise, I don't want to cause widespread misery and destruction. No… wherever I go, I have seen far too much of it. And I have been steeped in it, from the day that my own world was almost destroyed once by a god of destruction."
Elma then took a deep breath, before she then continued. "Superbia, the world has changed from the days that you remember in your head. Paladins and angels like you still roam this world, doing good for all that they come across. But demons have changed a lot. No longer are we avatars of unbound evil, but creatures who have been taught the virtues of the other beings. Not all demons are evil anymore, and there are noble demons who seek to overturn the eternities of misery that they brought upon others. This is the result of what people like you have done, because there are people who saw demons as creatures that had no choice but to be evil… but could be given the potential to change their ways. I have sworn to someone who taught me that I would do all I can to help others, not condemn them. That is why this staff in my hand… this homunculi, it is meant as a means to heal others, a symbol of my own resolve to do good in spite of all of the hatred. Whatever you think of me… I will accept it, but do not condemn others for sympathizing with a cause many would believe in for the good of others."
Superbia was silent as he took those words in…then looked to the others in the group. "I will…tolerate its presence, for now. I assume you are here to rescue the Bear. I wish to do the same."
"That is sufficient." UF!Richard answered back. "A non-aggression pact with you is more than enough. I did not seek hostilities with you, I merely wished to understand what brought you forth. And thank you for speaking on our behalf, even if you do not like a few of our numbers."
"I…do not know how I came to be here." Superbia said. "I was standing at Ira's grave, and then…I remember a blue light below me, and then…I was falling. There was a door…and a horrific legion was at my heels. When I passed through the gate…I was in that station, next to some sort of half-rabbit creature…and they were holding an infant. The rest you know."
"Half-rabbit?" UF!Richard remarked. "Could you remember more details?"
"Hmm…well, they had purple hair, red eyes, they were wearing a suit…" Superbia rattled off.
"Wait, that can't be right. Whoever you're describing didn't have a child, unless…" UF!Richard remarked, before he then realized something. "...So that's why the Future Seekers responded quickly… Their Reisen must have been in our station, and you happened to cross them."
"Yeah, you spooked her well." FS!Heiwa remarked. "...You better not have tried anything. Because she fainted the moment her eyes fell upon you."
"If you harmed Reisen, or her child…" Benimaru growled, gripping his sword tightly.
"I am no brute." Superbia said, sounding offended. "I would never harm a child who had human blood running through their veins. They deserve a chance to hear the word of God."
"A noble notion." SoF!Siege nodded firmly. "Alright. I think it's safe to say neither side has any sort of reason to attack one another, aye? We can both help each other to get what we want out of this." SoF!Siege added.
"...It is necessary." Superbia agreed.
As Yuri continued onwards, he began to hear Ursun's voice once more, as it was far more ragged, even guttural.
"The fear of lesser men must not sway you from the righteous path, Son of Kislev. You have shown courage. Now, be as brazen as the altar you seek. Enter the lands of Khorne, the Blood God, conquer them, and raid his shrine. Discover the name of the Bridge-Maker, with the knowledge of the altar in your mind."
Yuri silently closed his eyes, as doubt lingered in his mind, seeing how UF!Richard asked his safety first and foremost, the concerned faces of the out-worlders flashing in his mind. However, that doubt was snuffed out, upon remembering the ungrateful faces of his own men, and how they spoke behind his back.
As he pondered this, a hooded figure approached him, with spiked shoulders and a mace slung over his shoulder, as he stopped, looking up at the man, only his golden eyes showing as he looked at him.
"...You're Prince Yuri, huh. Still obeying the words of Ursun?" The voice, which clearly was Rimuru's, asked, but no one recognized the voice was around, so it would be unclear to Yuri who the figure was.
"...Another outsider…?" Yuri asked in contemplation.
"Heed my words, Prince." FS!Rimuru declared as suddenly, FS!Ranga approached near him, a darker variant to his usual self, softly growling as FS!Rimuru pet his wolf. "Not all things are as they seem. Not all gods truly see the balance of the world as just. When the end of the line comes, will you trust in your god, who is already forcing you to convene with Demons? Or will you trust your closest blood, your closest brethren? …Make that a point that you become more discerned in your walk." FS!Rimuru declared, as he mounted FS!Ranga. "...Let me pass you on a hint. As you march for Khorne, one is there who is defying the ways of their god. She fights her urge for needless bloodlust and carnage to seek her own path. She mirrors you, in a way. It's a matter of if you choose the bloodlust, and needless slaughter… or, perhaps, for once. Listen to reason."
FS!Rimuru would then trot off atop FS!Ranga's back into the depths of the shadows of the forest, leaving Yuri to ponder his wisdom filled tone with his words.