Captain's Log: 31st of Vorgeheim, 2514.
I think I'm alive. Yeah. Aching head is a pretty good reminder. Not gone down that metal trapdoor yet. Sun is shining bright enough for such a bloody day. Then again, we lived so maybe things will get easier. Maybe I should get u... aargh! Sitting down seems better. My good friend Doctor Furfoot will resume the healing procedure after doing his excellent work as a scribe. I'm still surprised that I live. I feel like I should somehow be dead...
No, shouldn't dwell upon that. This is Kislev, I'm still lying on the grass of the stone circle in the dark forest near Voltsara. That's it. Sigmar can wait for me in heaven a little while longer. He knows I have work to do upon this earth. The whole crew had assembled again in a small hut in Voltsara. We planned to summon Grigori with the magic bird and then he would direct us towards those accursed beast bastards. We achieved this the morning after. Grigori's miming was excellent and understood well enough. First beastman was a dog faced sentry slumbering up in a tree. Sneaked around it easily enough and an axe throw to the haunches sent it leaping off. After hitting the ground and raising its head weakly, the last thing it saw was the sun blocked by a plummeting flail head. Our marine captain looked at the flail in disbelief after the impac- no, bursting. Everyone was drenched in gore.
With a "whoop, whoop. whoop" Grigori brought us to an ape man, a horned, shaggy horror not fit for Sigmar's realm, on patrol. Arrows, rapier stabbings and the singular, dooming flail swing stopped it from alerting the rest. We felt unstoppable that morning. The flail crushed anything like a fruit, we thought. A good laugh was had after wiping the viscera off. Finally, we reached the stone circle. Two of the beast men were here and on full alert. Pug-face and Goat-head. Not particularly well armoured but definitely well armed. We hid away in the outskirts of the circle and watched. Harbull was considered by Werner to be good bait. I decided to fool the monsters by impersonating their ape friend instead. I whooped until Pug-face came close and then charged with my rapier. I was shockingly well parried by such a fiend. Goat-head was stamping its hoof on a trapdoor. Shite. Soon the doctor's arrow flew directly into the pug's weapon arm, giving me another chance to continue my flurry of thrusts. A final stab through the eye, straight into its brain, ended its miserable life. It was at that moment that I realized how surreal fighting a pug man must look to another party.
Werner's axe throws were aimed well, but were not enough to catch a fleeing Goat-head. I think Grigori ran after it. Don't know where he is. Nothing had emerged from the trapdoor and I felt an immediate, lingering chill. We had been blessed with victory by Sigmar thus far, so there was no returning to the village now. I lifted it. By the hammer it was heavy! Old, thick metal. Looked more like a pot lid than anything. If you wanted to shield yourself from cannon fire, this might just do the job! Below, in the torch light were two figures. One was indistinct but the other was clad in a gigantic, black suit of armour. His helmet was horned like a, a... daemon. I slammed down the trapdoor immediately and stumbled back. Ordered the doctor and The One to stay as far away as possible. After a minute it broke through and stood before us. Dwarfing us was a testament to the hideous power of Chaos. He lifted a warped and ancient sword, challenging us wordlessly. The One's eyes widened and she whispered to me.
"That sword is Death Dealer. It instantly kills any spellcaster it strikes..."
I told her to run. The other thing beside that warrior was a horned, slender being with long claws and crimson skin. It had a sneering, monstrous face with two bright, yellow eyes. It held in its hand a similarly hued blade. It looked more like the bone of an ancient abomination than anything. My toothpick of a rapier was not going to help. Werner tapped on the enchanted blade on his back and told me to wield it. I can't believe we almost forgot that we had it. I won't lie to you. I was very tempted to flee this terror but my crew bravely stood their ground. I couldn't just leave them. I unsheathed the brilliant blade and hurled myself into the fray with the daemon. I slashed through its left arm to its neck and black blood gushed from the artery. It soon faded, howling its misery as Hell took it back. The warrior would not go down so easily. I barely survived Death Dealer's slashes. I felt like my very soul was going to be cleaved apart. Only Werner could truly wound the Chaos knight. Several thunderous strikes from the flail sent the warrior a few steps back, groaning. The battle was ferocious. The next strike sent towards me was narrowly dodged. As I regained my balance, I saw a growing mist in the corner of my eye. A fresh, crimson arm suddenly grew from it.
The daemon had returned. It leaped at me and swung its terrible blade. My helmet saved me the first time. The second blow to my leg cut a deep gash but I somehow lived. That was... lucky. No, miraculous. Sigmar's works are truly great. I was left crawling on the blood soaked grass as Werner stood above me. Loyal to Hell and back. He continued to duel the giant of a man and would not give ground. The daemon excitedly chased after Harbull, shrieking about "nasty spellcasters". I forgot that he dabbled in magic. I was bleeding heavily and realized that maybe fate would finally send me to the heavens. I was being lifted off the ground towards the sky, the world below seeming like nothing more than... The One? The One! She had swooped in, gracefully flying like a great bird, and had carried me away from the bloodshed. I feel like the Norscans have a myth about this sort of thing...
I was left to rest upon a nearby tree, watching the duel from above. The One's magic had not harmed the Chaos knight in the slightest. It was our marine captain's duty to end all this. He suffered a terrible blow that pushed him back but he showed no weakness. With a final swing of his great flail, the spiked head punctured the knight's armour and sent it flying. We had finally defeated the servitors of Chaos.
I hope to be in fighting condition soon.
Who knows what could also live below?
- Johann Dasbuut.
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