Chapter 55

Blazblade- You'll probably see that in the next chapter that focuses on Earthland. Also, I think all three are something he would do. He's not the most intelligent when he's angry nor even when he's not.

Warmachine375- You'll see, you attention-seeking mate.

Guts and Toes- Eh…you do you, though I recommend not using just the End Times for reasons on why the Dark Elves shouldn't be called a Blight. They have done a lot to classify them as such.

Alerx09- Yes, though I won't say what.

The outer perimeter of the Great Bastion

The Great Bastion. One of the world's largest, if not the largest, defensive emplacement made by the race of Man. Stretching hundreds of miles long, the Great Bastion was one of the most ambitious and resource extensive projects ever made by the race of Man. Consuming vast resources may make the ignorant believe that such a project is a waste of resources. Yet, since its completion hundreds of years ago, the Great Bastion has proven its worth countless times over. For it protects the Northern Provinces of Grand Cathay, or even the entirety of the Grand Empire of Cathay for that matter, from the gravest threat to the entire world. The Forces of Chaos.

Indeed, Grand Cathay's northern borders emplace the great empire as a neighbor to the Eastern Steppes, inhabited not only by Goblins and other horrid creatures but also worshippers of the Chaos Gods. As a result, Grand Cathay faces countless attacks from various Chaos Warbands and War hosts, resulting in the Great Bastion being a necessity. To protect Cathay from the depredations and horrors of Chaos.

Fortunately, most of the attacks on the Great Bastion by the Forces of Chaos were done by minor Warbands and War hosts. And even then, they're often uncoordinated and undisciplined rabble. Nothing the garrison of the Great Bastion, numbering in the tens of thousands, cannot handle. However, on occasion, Warbands and Chaos Hordes composed of several tribes containing War machines suitable for taking down the Great Bastion and monsters corrupted by Chaos, attack the Great Bastion, reaping terrible blows each time such a force is formed. Some of these even manage to actually breach the Great Bastion and thus wreak havoc upon the Northern provinces of Cathay. Each and every time this happens, it brings great shame to not only the garrison of the Great Bastion, for it was their duty to prevent such incursions into Cathay in the first place, but also the ruler of the Northern Provinces of Grand Cathay, who is also in charge of the defense of the Great Bastion.

This ruler of the Northern Provinces was known for many titles and prestige. Not only is she widely considered the favored daughter of the ruler of Grand Cathay himself, the Dragon Emperor, an actual dragon that can transform into a human if necessary, but she is also considered the most powerful of the Dragon Emperor's children. Supreme Matriarch of Nan-Gau, the City of Smoke, Master of the Storm Winds, and overall warden of the Great Bastion, Miao Ying, otherwise known as the Storm Dragon, held many responsibilities. Many of which were great and, if she failed in even one, then much of Cathay would suffer.

Miao Ying hated very few things in the world. She considered herself above the feeling of hate. She had no time to waste on such petty feelings. However, one of the few exceptions to this was the shame and dishonor she received whenever the Forces of Chaos breach the Great Bastion and begin wreaking havoc on the lands of her father. It made her look weak to her siblings and those under her command. And she was anything but weak.

Another thing that she hated was the Forces of Chaos. Those foolish men and women allowed themselves to succumb to the temptations of the Chaos Gods and become monsters and followers of madness and chaos. Such beings were beyond all hope of salvation. Thus, she took some satisfaction in ridding the world of such beings. She also despised some of the Men under her command. While many have proven to be loyal to her, over the years of her rule, some have fallen to corruption, fighting amongst each other to advance their own careers rather than focusing on the true threat or to make themselves richer than they already are. Such men are usually found amongst her commanders or the industrial lords that provide her soldiers with their weapons and armor. She despised such Men because they waste time-fighting amongst each other, thereby giving their true enemies an advantage over them. She was, fortunately, able to keep most of them in line, but she knew that a few slipped by and try to undermine her efforts. Such foolish men and women will face her wrath when she catches them and her wrath was not something anyone wanted. Especially those under her supervision and leadership.

But, above all those things, she hated the being known as Tzeentch, the Chaos God of sorcery. Known as Chi'an Chi in Cathay, Tzeentch was the one Chaos God that Miao Ying hated the most above the others.

While all four Chaos Gods were capable of creating cults within Grand Cathay, even more so when the Great Bastion is breached and Chaos is allowed to seep through the grand wall, Tzeentch was perhaps the most adept in doing so. Or at least in the lands of Cathay. More often than not, Tzeentchian cults were found in every city in Cathay, spreading the corruption of Chaos and corrupting the citizens of the Dragon Emperor with the lies and deceit of their false god. Miao Ying did her best to eradicate these cults whenever she discovers them, yet no matter how many she destroys, more are always found and created, replacing those she destroys. Tzeentch and his followers are a blight upon Cathay. One that she can't seem to remove, and she hated it.

But that hate will have to disappear as, once again, the Great Bastion was suffering another attack from the Force of Chaos. This time, they were focusing their attacks on the Snake Gate, one of the three gate cities of the Great Bastion. If they breach the city, they'll have an opening straight into Cathay itself. Miao Ying refused to let that happen. She will not let it happen.

Initially, the force that had attacked the Snake Gate was manageable to the defenders of the Snake Gate without the aid of their leader. Seeing that her men and subordinate officers can handle the defense of the Snake Gate without her, Miao Ying went to her private chambers in the city to deal with more mundane, but still important, matters. Like dealing with the industrial lords that supply her armies with the arms and armor they need to defend Cathay or tending to the needs of the civilian populace of the Northern Provinces. Such matters may seem unfit for someone of her status and power. Still, Miao Ying was taught long ago that one must be competent with the administrative duties of rulership and the military ones if they wish to do either function well. They also must tend to the needs of their people or else they'll rebel against her, something that the Chaos Gods were more than willing to exploit for their own gains. Thus, Miao Ying left to deal with the other portion of her rulership.

However, over time, the attacking force had grown larger, to the point that they were triple the size of their initial force and included more beasts of war and war machines than before. And, to make things even worse, the Greater Daemon known as Kairos Fateweaver was approaching with a massive war host. Now, Miao Ying had to intervene lest the Snake Gate fell and Cathay will suffer for it. And she refused to let that happen.

As the defenders of the Snake Gate were fighting off the Forces of Chaos, they heard the roar of a dragon. Those that were able to without being killed, looked up to see a white-haired dragon flying towards the walls of the Snake Gate. Upon seeing the black dragon flying towards the wall, they felt hope and relief fill their bodies as their leader and ruler came to their aid. The Storm Dragon has arrived.

Roaring out again, the Storm Dragon let loose a magic spell upon a group of Chaos Marauders that were pushing a siege tower towards the walls of the Snake Gate to help reinforce the siege on the wall. However, the group was soon set upon by an icy wind that surpassed the cold winds of Norsca. Before they could do anything, they were set upon by large dragon-like claws and feet that were grasping out in the air for anything. The Marauders have ripped apart as the claws and feet grabbed at them and either squashed or ripped to pieces by the magic spell while at the same time the siege tower was destroyed as well by the same claws and feet. By the time the spell ended, there was nothing left of the Chaos Marauders and siege tower except bloody body pieces and broken wood. Satisfied, the Storm Dragon went towards a section of the Snake Gate's defensive wall that was about to fall and went to work.

Casting more magic spells, the Storm Dragon reinvigorated her soldiers, healing their wounds and hardening their skin to the point that it was rock hard. She the immense strength she possessed as a dragon to topple or destroy the siege ladders and towers that were perched upon the wall, preventing them from being used by the enemy to send more marauders to that section of the wall. She then used her tail to send dozens of marauders flying to their deaths as she swept them off the walls, aiming carefully so as not to kill her own soldiers. The sight of the dragon destroying their siege equipment and sending their comrades falling to their deaths, combined with the reinvigorated Cathayan soldiers, broke the remaining marauders. As they tried to run away, the Cathayan soldiers hunted and put them down like mad dogs. After ensuring that this section of the wall would hold, for now, the Storm Dragon traveled to one of the key points for the city, where most of her commanders were coordinating the defense of the city.

Traveling towards the central building in the city, Miao Ying found several of her commanders, Magistrates that were assigned permanently to the Snake Gate so that it can be efficiently defended from the enemies of Cathay, directing field artillery against the enemy. Seeing them, Miao Ying traveled to their location and, in a flash of lightning and thunder, she transformed back into her human form. The one that she used when her dragon form was unnecessary. Much like her father, Miao Ying has a human form that she can transform into if she so wished. Useful when she needed to interact with the human subjects of Cathay or foreign ambassadors without issues arising because of their true forms. Seeing the Storm Dragon before them, the commanders bowed in respect to her. Miao Ying then spoke to her commanders as they bowed before her.

"How fares our defense?" Asked Miao Ying as she looked at her commanders, many of whom had worked under her for years, before ordering them to rise.

"It goes poorly, Supreme Matriarch." Said one of the commanders as they looked towards the wall and saw more Chaos forces arriving. "At first, we were able to contain the attack, but soon more Chaos filth began arriving in droves. We were able to endure the initial wave of reinforcements on our own fairly well, but more just keep coming. They're exhausting our reserves of ammunition and supplies as well as our available soldiers. If we don't receive aid soon, I fear that the gate city will fall." Frowning upon hearing that, Miao Ying walked towards the edge of the ledge that she was on, observing the approaching force of Chaos followers. Even though she shouldn't be able to hear them as they were still far away enough that it would still be an hour before they reach the gate city, Miao Ying can hear their war chants and war drums as the Chaos war host marched. Eager to shed blood in the name of Tzeentch. Leading it all was Kairos Fateweaver.

"Have we sent messengers to Nan-Gau for additional reinforcements?" Asked Miao Ying as she saw her soldiers holding on, despite the overwhelming force of Chaos Marauders and war beasts attacking their positions and their gates, their morale bolstered by the fact that Miao Ying has arrived to aid them.

"We have. We've also sent word to the other cities in the Northern Provinces as well as the other provinces." Said another commander. "But reinforcements will take hours to arrive at best. I fear that we will fall by the time they arrive, my lady." Frowning further at the statement, Miao Ying would have scolded the man if it weren't true. So far, from what she's seen, it was only Chaos Marauders that were attacking the fort. No Chaos Warriors or Chosen.

Though not as durable as the true warriors of Chaos, Marauders were still brutal fighters that were more than a match for most Cathayan soldiers. Not in the discipline in training, no, but in sheer power and brutality, supported by years of combat. There were also some war beasts and war machines, but they were mainly trolls with a few War Mammoths here and there, and their war machines were mainly siege towers and battering rams. Nothing too serious, but Miao Ying knew that these were just the chafe. Chafe that was meant to weaken them enough so that the true invasion force can wipe out the weakened defenders with ease. During her time in the air, Miao Ying had spotted a massive camp beyond the ranges of the cannons and artillery of the Snake Gate. A camp that contained the true force of Chaos that they were facing. High above the camp was the symbol of Tzeentch, a despicable symbol that Miao Ying has come to hate. And that wasn't even considering the new war host that was arriving.

With Kairos arriving at the head of a massive war host, she knew that they must have reinforcements soon or else they'll be overrun by sheer numbers alone. Realizing this, Miao Ying gave her orders.

"Send word to the other garrisons." Ordered Miao Ying as she readied herself to engage the enemy. "Tell them to send as many men as they can spare to the Snake Gate immediately. Then send all able-bodied men and women to the walls at once. I care not if they're professional soldiers or not. We cannot let the city fall. Also, evacuate the wounded. They cannot stay here now, but send only a few men to escort them. We need everyone on the walls. Now!" As her commanders gave her words of confirmation or scrambled to complete her orders, Miao Ying jumped off the ledge and transformed back into her dragon form. Roaring out, she flew towards the walls of the Snake Gate in order to assist them in any way she can.

Later

Kairos Fateweaver

"We have arrived, brother!" Yelled one of Kairos' heads as the war host that Kairos led arrived at the camp of the various tribes that were besieging the Snake Gate. All around the war host, various men were sharpening their blades or having one last meal before they were sent to assault the Snake Gate. At the same time, another wave of Marauders was being sent to the Snake Gate supported by various beasts of war corrupted by Chaos and siege equipment. Those that weren't doing either of these things were giving prayers or chants to Tzeentch, surrounding an effigy of Tzeentch's symbol made of wood and metal. This effigy, along with the fact that there weren't similar ones to the other Chaos Gods, showed that this camp was one solely occupied by followers of Tzeentch. Just as Kairos foresaw.

"Excellent, brother." Said the other head before giving out orders. "Find me the leader of this war host. We must speak with them before we begin the true assault. The rest of you will wait until our master gives us a gift. A gift that will allow us to invade Cathay." A few Chosen of Tzeentch obeyed Kairos' initial order while the rest prepared themselves for battle. A few minutes later, the Chosen came back with a Chaos Lord of Tzeentch escorted by a group of Chaos Warriors. Some of the few present in this camp, of which were mainly composed of various Marauders. Wearing dark blue armor and a helmet with multiple glowing blue eyes all over, even in areas where it was impractical, the Chaos Lord looked upon Kairos, no fear present in his stance.

"I am the leader of this war host." Said the Chaos Lord, his refined and elegant voice, marred a bit by the echoes that accompany his voice, pointed to a more privileged upbringing. "I am Mozar the All-seeing. Your presence was revealed to me through visions. Has Tzeentch sent you here to aid me in defeating the Cathayan people?" While one of his heads laugh, Kairos spoke through the other.

"Indeed." Said Kairos. "Our master has deemed both of us necessary to break through the Cathayan defenses. With our combined might, we will destroy their city and march onward to their lands." Mozar, upon hearing that, felt grim satisfaction upon hearing. He was about to make a suggestion and plan when Kairos continued. "But to ensure that will be a possibility, our master has concocted a plan to bolster our magic potential beyond what the Cathayan can possess. It will even allow our lowest of sorcerers to surpass the Storm Dragon in power." Upon hearing that, Mozar felt shock and awe course through his body. Tzeentch was going to give them a blessing? A blessing to beat the Storm Dragon and her forces? Such a thing was beyond fantastic, yet Mozar knew that there was a catch. Such a thing was expected from all the Chaos Gods. Tzeentch especially. Kairos must have sensed his doubt and thus spoke.

"You are wise to be skeptical about this gift." Said Kairos as he moved towards the effigy of Tzeentch, a massive monument, roughly the size of the Greater Daemon himself, to Tzeentch that will do nicely for his plans. Behind him were several Chaos Chosen that were carrying barrels of something. Mozar caught the sight of one and saw that it was blood. "Our master will not give a gift as grand as this without a sacrifice. Indeed, this gift will kill many of those that attempt to take it, but such is the price for power such as this!" The Chosen then brought the barrels of blood towards the effigy and began spilling or tossing blood all over the base of the effigy. At the same time, several Doom Knights, mounted on their Discs of Tzeentch, also began spilling blood over the top of the effigy. Eventually, the entire effigy was coated in blood. While the Chosen and Doom Knights were moving away from the blood-coated effigy, the camp inhabitants, including Mozar, were confused at this. Blood was a symbol of Khorne, not Tzeentch. Why were they covering the effigy of Tzeentch in blood?

Their question was answered when Kairos rammed the base of his staff upon the base of the effigy. This caused the blood to start glowing blue with power as Kairos began conducting a ritual. Screeching out, Kairos opened a rift in the realm of Tzeentch, utilizing the blood-soaked effigy as a sacrifice. His master and creator heeded the call and, wishing to utilize his new prize as soon as possible, gave Kairos the key to winning the battle.

As the mortal followers of Tzeentch watched, they saw a sizable block of blue crystal emerging from the rift that took the place of the effigy. The rift closed as soon as the crystal came out of it completely, taking the effigy along with it. As the mortal followers of Chaos were gathering around the crystal, Kairos spoke.

"This crystal contains magic power beyond your imagination." Said Kairos as everyone gathered around it. "Our master had taken this crystal from a faraway land and coveted it. Mutated it to better serve our needs. Consume parts of this crystal. Harness its strength to better yours and our strength will enable us to destroy the Cathayans with ease!" Upon hearing that, many of the camp's original inhabitants were enticed with the prospect of acquiring such power. A power that can help them on their goal to acquire the most coveted of prizes for the followers of Chaos, immortality. Only Mazar was suspicious. Before he could say anything, though, Kairos spoke something that surprised them all. "However, the first bite belongs to us. No one will consume this crystal before I."

Kairos then used its claws to rip out chunks of the crystal. Though Kairos wasn't the strongest of Daemons, he still was more than strong enough to rip out crystal chunks the size of trolls and began consuming them, one for each head. Everyone then watched as Kairos swallow the crystals whole, a bit stunned at what he just did. Wondering what would happen, everyone then took a step back when Kairos began screeching out in pain.

Eyes glowing blue, Kairos' two heads pointed upward in the sky as the Daemon felt power he had never known or felt before began to course through his body. As it should for the crystal came from the Tower of Heaven, taken from Earthland by Tzeentch himself.

Altered by the Chaos God, Tzeentch had altered the properties of the Lacrima in a myriad of ways, making it more suitable for his many schemes. And one of those schemes was to be altered by this newfound crystal. In a way that greatly amused and benefitted the Architect of Fate. From within the Chaos realm, Tzeentch watched in amusement as Kairos tasted the newfound crystal and began suffering the side effects of consuming it. For a moment, it seemed that Kairos would succumb to the pain of consuming the Chaos-altered Lacrima. However, Kairos proved stronger than anticipated and soon his screeches of pain became screeches of triumph.

Screeching up in the air, Kairos stretched his wings to their full length before looking upon the followers and daemons of Tzeentch, both sets of eyes glowing blue.

"Yes! Yes. We feel the power!" Yelled one head while the other laughed maddingly. "Feast! Feast on this crystal, mortals! Feast and those that survive will know power beyond your imagination!" For a brief moment, everyone just looked at Greater Daemon, sensing the power coursing through the Daemon increasing further and further as time went on. Eventually, Mozar looked at the crystal and began walking over. Soon other inhabitants of the camp began making their way to the crystal. Whether they be Chaos Marauders of Tzeentch, Chaos Warriors, or even Chosen. It mattered not. Soon, the crystal would be gone and in its place was a group of Ethernano-charged warriors that Kairos was eager to see for himself as he foresaw. As the first began to cut into the crystal and eat their cut, Kairos felt the amusing laughter of Tzeentch as several of his plans are coming together nicely. Nicely indeed. Now all he needed to do was to ensure that only his intended target saw or felt what was going to happen soon and not his hated rival or the one that selfishly guarded all Elven souls from them.