A New Storm

A Fan-Fiction warhammer fantasy adventure

Chapter 1 Through the Drakwald:It has been more than a year of fighting, but slowly Archaon’s forces have been driven back northward, but many beasts of chaos still lurk in the forest, along with mutants and roving bands of marauders. So our heroes still find themselves in the livery of Graf Boris Todbringer of Middenhiem, part of the 11th Militia company, currently billeted in the village of Untregard. During the war Untregard was a strategic location, due to the bridge across the Talib, Khazak One-eye himself laid siege to the town for 3 weeks, destroying half the settlement, later in the war more and more of the regiments defending the bridge are pulled out in the defence of Middenhiem.

Now there are a mere dozen or so militia left in the village for Captain Schiller to command. Our heroes and the rest of the town have been called in to the town square. Captain Schiller is there on a raised platform. “Friends, we have stood strong against the tides of chaos, we are victorious and the Graf Count Todbringer sends his personal thanks and a cart of supplies including 2 barrels of ale, he holds up a tankard which shatters followed by a gun shot, seconds later a yell goes out, beastmen. A dozen or so mutants are coming across the bridge.

“Carlo! You and 5 men take the front line by the barricades, and hold it at all costs” bellowed Captain Schiller, Carlo blanches, frontline, the old man is crazy, but he takes his position, with one eye looking over his shoulder at an escape route.

Bagram finds a higher viewpoint and takes up his repeater handgun, “C’mon ya buggers, come to Bagram” he yells.

Meridan gathers the children to safety and watches, she has her poultices and herbs ready to treat the wounded.

The 1st wave of beastmen come fast and hungry, four fall to Bagram’s repeater handgun as he rattles off profanities with each shot, three more fall to the militia’s crossbows, then half a dozen smash in to the defenders at the barricades. Carlo is out of his depth, he and his five men fight as individuals rather than a unit, the beastman’s strength soon begins to tell, as a second wave approaches, Bagram’s handgun barks out leaded death, thinning the next wave. On the barricades two defenders fall, hacked down by rusty blades, Carlo’s fancy footwork keeps him safe at the expense of his co-defenders, when a particularly large and ugly beastman confronts him, Carlo’s nerve breaks and he runs.

“Giancarlo you *&^%ing coward, I’ll see you hang for this” Captain Schiller rages after the Tilean.

From his high perch, Bagram sees Carlo run, “back-stabbing wop b’stard” he grumbles and takes aim on the fleeing militiaman, CLICK, Miss-fire.

The dwarf drops his handgun and takes up his axe, just as the beastmen break through, he leaps in to the throng of mutants, slicing and dicing the chaos horde. Captain Schiller strides through the melee, his broadsword cutting great swathes through the foe, then he spots 2 beastmen closing in on the children’s tent and their only guardian Meridan.

Meridan sees the beastmen come skulking toward the tent, they eye her up, grunting and slavering, the first one lunges at her, but Meridan isn’t fazed, she stands her ground and meets the beastman with a mighty right hook to the head, following it up with a swift kick to the unmentionables, the beastman collapses in a foetal position, Meridan stamps down hard on its skull, the crushing squelch announces the beastmans death. The second beastman rushes at her a rusty blade in its hand, the apothecary side steps the beast’s swing and grabs it by the back of its mane, she pulls it over backward then delivers a bone crunching head-butt, the beast falls to the ground as Meridans boot dishes out a similar fate to its herd brother…”my mammy wiz a kindly woman, but my Da was a bare knuckle champion, and naebody touches the bairns” exclaimed Meridan with a voice of fury.. Just then Captain Schiller arrives, ready to do battle, he surveys the carnage and smiles…

Schillers smile fades, “Where’s that cowardly bastard?” Bagram races after Schiller, they find Giancarlo putting on his backpack.“Cap..” he begins to say, but before he can finish the Captains fist smashes in to his face, the Tilean sags to the floor,“Bagram, wake this piece of shit up” he spits.

“String him up too Cap’n” enquires the Dwarf with a grin.“ I wish master Dwarf, but we need every able bodied man.. even this turd is needed.. for now”. Bagram pours water over the prone Tilean, bringing him round. “We lost five good men, we can no longer secure this village, I’m giving the order to evacuate, we’ll head for Middenhiem, they’ll give us shelter.” Announces the gruff commander, “ spread the word, take only what they can carry” Bagram gives a salute and drags the stilled stunned Tilean after him.