Note: I'm sure some of you were hoping for a more proper continuation of the old story, but as much as I hate to admit, that story isn't going to be continued. There are a bunch of reasons behind this, but put simply, I bit off way more than I could chew when I started writing it, with so many locations, plot lines, and subplots to keep track of, and write. It was simply too much to handle, and I kept losing the direction of the plot. Plus, I started writing it with just the first Total War game, and what I knew from the Warhammer wiki as a source. Of course the games greatly expanded, and with them, so did my knowledge of the setting and lore. With that, and a much greater conception of the lore at my disposal, I started wondering if I could tackle this concept again. On top of that, it's been several years since I started writing that fanfic, and I like to think my skills as a writer have developed since then. That said, this go around, I knew it would be a bit more contained, and wouldn't be a huge, complicated web of stories that would end up going in circles. Don't worry, I won't delete the old story, but it simply won't be continued. I also decided to post the first three chapters here, so there's more to offer here. It probably also goes without saying that the story will taking heavy cues from the Total War games in terms of story and narrative. So without further adieu….

The Winds of Ulthuan

Tyrion was angry. Now that wasn't necessary out of the ordinary for an Asur like him, but this was an exceptional instance. It was getting to the point where even a dragon may be disquieted by the looks he would give people. And really, who could blame him for it? After all, Ulthuan was under attack. Again, this wasn't at all out of the ordinary for the Ten Kingdoms, though this go around somehow felt worse, especially as Tyrion sat at the table, staring down at the war map.

"I hate to tell you this brother, but that map isn't one of your soldiers," a sarcastic voice said, "It won't suit your expectations if you glare at it hard enough." The older twin just grunted, not looking up as his brother approached with two glasses, offering him one, which Tyrion took.

"Water?" He asked, looking into it.

"You're know good to Ulthuan sloshed either," Teclis said, to which Tyrion just snorted. He took a sip nonetheless, taking a moment to savor the cool liquid.

"You should really be joining me in Yvresse," Tyrion said, looking over at his twin, "Your magic would be a great asset on the battlefield."

"Doubtlessly, but my presence may prove a hinderance more than an asset," Teclis said, waving his hand, "There are doubtlessly many mages there already, not to mention Eltharion himself. My presence may strain the Aethyr." Tyrion grunted at that; though he didn't profess to know much about the arcane, he knew his brother did. It was one of the few things Tyrion would always defer to Teclis on. But one subject Tyrion WOULDN'T defer to him on was matters of war, like they were in the midst of at the moment.

It had happened almost unnaturally fast, in only slightly more than a month. A massive Greenskin horde had all but materialized on the Eastern coasts of Ulthuan, in the lands of Yvresse; it was hard to get a precise counting, but observer estimates had put the horde at tens of thousands strong, both orc and goblin. They had overwhelmed the coastal defenses with sheer brute force, and Eltharion was forced to withdraw back to his stronghold at Tor Yvresse. The orcs and goblins were now running roughshod across Ulthuan's Eastern coastline, with nothing to stop them, and to Tyrion that went far beyond simply being "unacceptable".

Tyrion had far more questions than he had time to seek answers for, but the biggest was just how they had made it to Ulthuan. The Greenskins were not seafarers, and even with the majority of Ulthuan's navy patrolling the Western oceans (ever vigilant for Druuchi incursions), they shouldn't have been able to make such a dramatic crossing unnoticed. This raised possibilities, possibilities that Tyrion didn't like; but he had to shelve those concerns for the time, especially, lead by the greatest Greenskin threat the Asur had ever seen: Grom the Paunch.

Tyrion remembered the oversized goblin quite well. It had been less than a hundred years ago (practically no time in the view of an elf), when he launched a massive assault on Yvresse. Tyrion had, unfortunately, been unable to participate in the defense, having been campaigning in Nagarythe against the Druuchi at the time, but Eltharion had defended his land well, and Grom was defeated, though never caught. Everyone, including Tyrion, had hoped that he had died in the melee, fled into the ocean, or otherwise met an ignoble death. But in the cruel world that they all lived in, when did such hopes every amount to anything?

Intent on taking on Greenskins and their filth himself this time, Tyrion had come to Tor Hoeth to gather the famed Swordmasters that trained there, and to enlist as many Loremasters as were willing as well. Soon they would all march back to Lothern to join with the rest of Tyrion's army, and from there they were bound for Yvresse. Imrik was also on the march with the army of Caledor, and while Tyrion had gotten word of the armies of Cothique had mobilized as well. With some strategy, and little fortune, the combined army would attack the Greenskins, and drive them from sacred Ulthuan.

"Even if you aren't going to come-" Tyrion was cut off a strange sensation suddenly came over him. A chill came through the room like a ripple, and the lights seem to grow dim. It shook Tyrion to his bones, and he instinctively moved his hand to the hilt of Sunfang. Teclis also noticed it, as he put his hand his head.

"Did you feel that?" Teclis muttered as he rose to his feet once the initial sensation had faded, holding out his hand, and telekinetically summoned the Staff of Lileath to his hand.

"Yes," Tyrion said steadily, as he stood as well. He wasn't the most magically adept of elves, but even he could sense what had just happened. There had been a ripple in the Aethyr (what the humans called the Winds of Magic), as if the whole world had just shivered.

"Walk with me," Teclis said, gesturing, before leading his brother down the hall.

The twins made their way to the tower's observatory, wherein stood a massive orrery, likely the largest in the world. It showed various celestial bodies floating through the void, with the stars wrapped around them like a cloak. Looming over it was a map of the world, which showed the way the Aethyr was flowing at the time. A lesser version was said to stand in the College of Magic in Altdorf (which Teclis had helped found). Teclis waved his staff, causing the celestial forms to shift away.

"There!" Teclis said, pointing to a spot on the map. There was a tiny little light of blue in that spot, like a tear in the very fabric of reality itself.

"Something has breached the veil," Teclis said, narrowing his eyes, and tightening the grip of the staff.

"Daemons?" Tyrion asked. The entire observatory grew tense at his suggestion; the last thing Ulthuan needed at this time was another daemonic incursion. Teclis opened his mouth to answer, but that was when the blue light pulsed and churned, before it seemed to burst into multiple little lights. Whispering broke out as the lights flew across the orrery, and across the globe. Most of them seemed to land in Elthin Arvan (what the humans rather arrogantly called the "Old World"), while another one went South, towards the Lands of the Dead, and another went far to the East, seeming to land all the way in Cathay. But there was one light that every last elf watched, as it soared through the air… and landed right in the middle of Ulthuan, specifically what looked like Saphery, not far from where they were.

"Asuryan's fire," Tyrion murmured, as his hand went to his sword again, "What just happened?"

"I… I don't know," Teclis said slowly, "But there is only one way to find out." With that, he turned and raised his staff.

"Loremasters of Hoeth!" he called, "To your mounts!" The Loremasters in the room shouted in affirmation, and left to do as much.

"Just what are you expecting to find out there?" Tyrion asked, as the brothers strode down the hall, and onto one of the balconies.

"I'm not sure," Teclis said, "But staying here won't teach us anything, or do us any good."

"I could come with you."

"I'm flattered, but I suspect I can handle this on my own. You have other things to deal with." With that, the High Loremaster put two fingers in his mouth, and let out a sharp whistle. It took a moment, but a brilliant, multi-colored phoenix flapped down, landing before the Arch Mage. It let out a gentle chirp, as Teclis put a hand on its beak.

"Hush, Ignis, hush," he said gently, before the phoenix lowered its wing, allowing him to climb onto its back. As he settled in the saddle, he looked back at Tyrion.

"I will bring whoever or whatever I find back to the White Tower," he said, "In the mean time, stay alert, brother, you never know what may crawl out of the nothing." With that he tugged on Ignis' reins, and the great bird took to wing. The phoenix was soon joined in the sky by several great eagles, who all soared off into the distance together. Tyrion didn't bother watching them fly off; he still had a war to prosecute.

()

Teclis flew for a time with his subordinates, towards where they had seen the light land, and they were getting close, Teclis could feel it. It was getting late in the day, as the sun neared the horizon. Ignis let out an uneasy chirp, as he jerked under the Arch Mage, to which Teclis patted his neck; as an Arcane Phoenix, he could sense the disturbances in the Aethyr even better than Teclis could.

"Calm, Ignis," he said, "I'm sure there's a simple explanation to all this." Teclis said that, but since when was fate every so kind? He looked around, before looking over his shoulder to his peers, and waved his staff, before pointing it down. With that, all the Loremasters swooped down towards the ground. Whatever it was that had arrived in Ulthuan, it was near; Teclis could feel the Aethyr in flux in this area. As far as he was concerned, there were no good options that awaited him. Best case scenario, the Aethyr spat out some magical debris that the Loremasters would need to collect or destroy; as for the worst case, Teclis didn't even want to imagine the menagerie of possibilities (and things) that could've been landed in these woods. Once Ignis was on the ground, Teclis dismounted, the other Loremasters doing the same.

"Spread out," Teclis said, waving his hand, "Be vigilant, and ready." The Loremasters did as commanded, walking off in different directions, their hands on their swords. Teclis did the same, and as he did, he took a deep breath. The Aethyr was in flux, that much it was apparent, though not to the point it was violent. The best way to put it was like visiting an area that had just been ravaged by a storm; one could feel the remnants of the weather in the air.

Teclis held out his hand, and willed the Aethyr to gather around him. Glowing, different colored spheres appeared in his hand, representing the different lores. Each one churned in his palm, as Teclis watched them closely, trying to see what was out of the ordinary; if one learned how to read the Aethyr (like Teclis could), they could understand the abnormalities in it, and what caused them. But seeing no such evidence in the winds themselves, Teclis let out a breath, and let the orbs dissipate. He was about to continue on, when he heard one of his lore masters call out.

"Lord Teclis! Come quickly!" Figuring this may have been what they were looking for, Teclis made his way over to the voice, where the other Loremasters are already gathered. They parted as their leader came through to reveal a small clearing, and a small crater, wherein lay three… humans?

At a glance, they looked fairly normal, with two young adults (one male, the other female) and a girl, perhaps in her early teens. But what Teclis found most strange was the color of their hair; while the young woman had blonde hair, the boy's spiky hair was a strange pink coloration, and the girl's was blue. In addition to them, there were the two animals that lay beside them. They looked like cats, though one was blue, and both were wearing some kind of clothes. No Teclis had heard of some humans trying to dress their pets in various clothes, so perhaps that wasn't completely unheard of, but a blue cat? That certainly seemed unheard of.

"With your leave, my Lord?" one Loremaster asked as he drew his sword, no doubt ready to take the heads of the unconscious humans.

"Stay that sword," Teclis said, putting his staff in front of the other Asur.

"High Loremaster?"

"Come now, sir," Teclis said, gesturing with his head, "One of them is a child. You would so casually murder a child?"

"With respect, my Lord," the Loremaster said, "If these truly are the ones who breached the veil, then who knows just where they could've come from, or by what hand. They could very well serve any number of terrible masters."

"The color of their hair certainly lends credence to that," another elf muttered, perhaps thinking Teclis couldn't hear him.

"Perhaps," Teclis said with a nod, before looking down at the humans, "But there is still much we do not know about who they are and why they're here. At any rate, we need to know how they got to Ulthuan. If this is part of something bigger, then it's best we know what to anticipate going forward. There are too many questions this raises to end it all here." The Loremasters exchanged looks, but none of them protested, as all those with drawn swords sheathed them.

"Now bind them, and carry them back to White Tower," the High Loremaster said as he turned and walked off, "We have much work to do." He then paused as he looked over his shoulder, as the Loremasters went to apprehend the humans.

"And take any magical items they might have on hand."

()

Natsu gasped as he suddenly sat up, panting, putting a hand on his chest to calm his racing heart.

"Damn it!" He said, rubbing his aching head, as he looked around. He was in a small stone room, lying on some kind of cot; the only way in appeared to be a set of bars, which showed a similar room across the way. Now Natsu'd been enough cells to recognize one at sight, but that didn't mean he knew what happened. He didn't remember much of what happened; only that they were in the guild, then there was this massive torrent of light and color, and that was it.

Swinging his legs over the side, the Dragon Slayer pulled himself to his feet, and quickly took stock of his condition. As far as he could tell, he was physically fine, though when he tried summon some magic, he found himself unable. Scowling at his hands, he tried again, with the same vain effort, but that was when he noticed something: his scarf was gone. That was enough for him to finally snap.

"Hey!" he shouted, "Is anyone there? Gimme back my scarf!"

"Natsu?" a familiar, feminine voice called from beside him, sending a jolt through the Dragon Slayer.

"Lucy!" Even though Natsu couldn't see her, the knowledge that Lucy was okay did send a brief wave of relief through him. Indeed, in the cell besides his, the Celestial Mage groaned as she sat up, rubbing her head.

"What happened?" she asked.

"I was gonna ask you," Natsu said, as he tried (and failed) to stick his head between the bars, "Do you have my scarf?"

"No, I don't," Lucy answered, looking around, "This looks like some kind of prison." She then reached down, and to her shock, she didn't feel her keys anywhere on her belt.

"They took my keys!" She cried. They had also taken her whip, but that was considerably less important for her at the moment.

"Damn it," Natsu grumbled, "Who are these bastards?"

"Natsu? Lucy?" a small voice called from nearby.

"Wendy?" Lucy called, coming up to the bars, "Is that you?"

"Yes!" the Sky Dragon Slayer called, causing to Lucy to let out a sigh of relief. And though his wasn't as audible, Natsu was no less relieved to hear the girl's voice.

"You guys are awake!" The voice of Happy said from further down.

"Wendy!" Carla's voice called, "Are you alright?" The more voices she heard, the more comfort Lucy took, especially with her keys lost, though as she listened for more, she didn't hear any. It appeared it was only the five of them.

"What the hell's going on?" Natsu asked, as he tugged at the bars, "Who're these guys that got us?"

"I don't know," Lucy said, "I've never seen a prison like this before." The air in it was strange; it felt restrained, as if there was great energy swirling around that had been constrained and subdued. The stones were white, unlike most prisons Lucy had been in, and there weren't any windows.

"Maybe if you hadn't read that book aloud without thinking…," Lucy said, rolling her eyes.

"Hey!" Natsu protested, "How was I supposed to know what would happen?"

"That's not the point!" Lucy answered, "This is just like when we switched bodies. You can't poking around in things you don't understand! Magic can be dangerous if someone's not careful."

"Would you both please quiet down?" Carla interjected, "None of this is helping."

"Carla's right," Wendy said, "We don't even know where we are, right now." Lucy let out a sigh, knowing the Dragon Slayer and her Exceed partner were right, as she sat down, and leaned into her hands. She was agitated by losing her keys, and wasn't thinking straight, and if ever she needed a clear head, it was now.

"What do you think happened to the others?" Wendy asked with a small voice.

"I don't know," Lucy answered, rubbing the back of her neck, "Maybe they got away while we got captured?" That was at least what she was hoping, but she couldn't hope to know. The last thing she remembered was they were in the guild, Natsu was reading something (Lucy hadn't seen what it was), there was this flash of blue light…. And here they were. Lucy didn't like her head feeling so fuzzy, it made her anxious, and apparently she wasn't the only one.

"GRRR!" Natsu growled as he pulled at the bars again, "This sucks!"

"Just take a breath," Lucy said as she leaned against the wall, "We obviously can't use magic, so busting out isn't an option right now."

"Then what do we do?" Happy asked.

"I guess we just… wait?" Lucy suggested.

"GAH!" Natsu groaned, banging his head on the bars, "I hate waiting!" Lucy just rolled her eyes and sighed. Honestly, though, she couldn't really fault him for feeling the way he did. She had no idea where her keys were, and that made her about as stressed as Natsu probably was, and probably no less frustrated either.

()

"What do you make of them?" Tyrion asked.

"Strange," Teclis answered.

"That's all you have to say?" Tyrion said with a frown, "People call you the 'smart' brother, do they not?"

"Just because I'm smart doesn't I'm omniscient," Teclis answered, "We patronize Hoeth in this institution, but we don't have his powers." Tyrion snorted at that, as he looked back at the scrying pool, folding his arms, not sure what to make of what was happening; they had way too many issues at the moment, the last thing they needed something like this.

"And those items you took from them?" He asked, "What do you make of them?"

"As of now, nothing," Teclis answered, "But my Loremasters are studying them intently, so we'll find out their nature before long. Though the runes should keep their magic suppressed for the time, if that's what you're worried about."

"That's the least of my concerns," Tyrion said, shaking his head, "There is a reason outsiders are restricted to Lothern, and for them to appear near the White Tower, it raises more than suspicion. Who know's who or what they are?" It didn't take much for Teclis to put together what his brother was suggesting.

"Brother, at this point, I highly doubt that they came here of their own volition," Teclis said, "Is it really just for us to punish them for a crime they possibly didn't even realize they committed?"

"We have our laws," Tyrion answered, "And it is in times like these that we must follow them as diligently as ever." Teclis sighed, as he drummed a finger on his staff.

"But….," Tyrion then said with a sigh of his own, "I suppose so long as they are incarcerated here, that solves the most immediate issues. I think I can trust you with whatever you had planned for them."

"I'm glad you see it my way, my brother," Teclis said with a satisfied grin, which his twin didn't return.

"Don't make regret it," Tyrion said pointedly, to which the mage just nodded.

"At any rate, their magical auras are… odd, to say the least," Teclis said, as he looked back at the scrying pool, "While the woman's aura brings to mind the powers of Azyr, the man and the child are very different. Their auras are more akin to dragons than humans."

"Come now, dragons?" Tyrion said with an audible scoff, "That's ridiculous." Both he and Teclis had engaged with dragons many times now, and they were quite familiar with the presence a dragon had.

"I am merely telling you what I've observed," Teclis said, "I think, in all, that warrants at least some study."

"Well put frankly, I have far, far more important things to worry about than a trio of trespassers with their pets," Tyrion said as he turned to leave, "Do what you will with them."

"Oh, I fully intend to, brother," Teclis said, as he looked back down a the scrying pool as his brother left the room. The pink haired man had started to literally gnaw on the bars.

"What are we to do with them, Lord Teclis?" a Loremaster asked, as he came up to him.

"For the time being, we will observe them," Teclis answered, as he leaned down towards the pool, "We will find out what we can."

()

Across the Eastern edges of the Land of the Dead were the Great Mountains. Dry, desolate, and imposing, they had once been part of the great dwarfen empire, but they had long since fallen to dark, savage forces. They now stood as a solemn reminder of the cold, ever marching gauntlet of time.

But monsters and barbarians were not the only things that dwelt in the mountain. High in one of the countless peaks was a dark, smoky cave, lined with scorched stones and streaks of earth, and within the cave slept a great beast. A beast that few had ever seen, but many had heard the name.

The creature spent most of its time sleeping, but out of nowhere, an eye as bright and piercing as the sun itself snapped open. A massive form covered in scales the color of blazing fire heaved up from the dust, as a pointed snout pointed up, and sniffed the air. It then exhaled, letting out a thick cloud of steam.

"At last," the beast mused, as it reared up, and slowly squeezed through the dense cavern chambers, before emerging into the open space; as it did, the clouds parted, letting in a beam of sunlight that struck the creature. A massive pair of wings unfolded from behind it; on each wing was a symbol of Aqshy, and its eyes glowed like wildfire.

"Now then, what kind of person will you prove to be?" Gordinar, the Champion of the Flame, asked nobody in particular, as he beat his wing a single time, and ascended into the sky.

Note: Some might remember that originally only Natsu and Happy were in Ulthuan, while Lucy was in Lustria, and Wendy and Carla were in Athel Loren. In retrospect, I'm not sure why had Lucy in Lustria; perhaps it was just a general desire to include the Lizardmen in a prominent way. I don't know, but she's with Natsu at this point, as is Wendy.

I'll take this as a moment to admit that the High Elves are my favorite faction, and I always like writing them. I have grand ambitions for Natsu, Lucy, and Wendy while their in Ulthuan, and while I won't go into detail just yet, they will do great things with the Asur.

By the by, for those who might not play Total War, or at least hadn't played Imrik's campaign, Gordinar is one of the unique dragons that Imrik can recruit. In the vanilla game he has the standard Sun Dragon design, but I'm taking cues from some mods that alters the dragons design slightly.

Lastly, in terms of the Fairy Tail characters, this takes place after the Alvarez Arc, but before the 100 Year Quest.

Be sure to leave a comment.