Here’s another one of my stories.
Again it is set in the Warhammer Age of Sigmar universe, and it is very short and a bit experimental in nature.
It was my entry for a Lustria Online short story contest, and it was awarded (shared) first place.
Gors are beastmen, like Wheel of Time Trollocs.
The ‘Realms’ are kinda like planes of existence. Ulgu and Hysh are the Realms of Shadow and Light respectively.
Slaanesh is one of the five Chaos Gods, the lord of excess.
Light and Darkness
Something was moving. Diforek’s Carnosaur swung its head around and the Scar-Veteran thrust his spear into the direction where he had seen the Gors, behind the ruins to the left. A unit of Saurus Knights charged around the remains of the old city wall and toward the Gors that had tried to flank them.
The dark sky of Ulgu provided no source of light, but the Starpriests had enchanted the weapons carried by the warriors of the First, so they were all shining like torches in the darkness. Diforek was not always happy about it, since it allowed their enemies to spot them from a further distance but they needed to see what they were fighting, and where their allies were. He snorted. The Gors knew where they were anyway.
Nothing was moving. Skink-Oracle Acanti wondered why the Slaaneshi troops did not use their mundane weapons to fight back. Instead they retreated more and more, while their wizards tried to counter the Slann’s magic and cast their own spells. Except a few skirmishes there had not been much fighting, and the Seraphon force closed in on them from different sides.
Acanti nodded with satisfaction and patted his Troglodon, the First had marched for three days but they were still fresh and ready to fight. It had paid off to live in the omnipresent glare of this part of Hysh for many human lifespans, the Seraphon had adjusted to the light and were not longer blinded by it. Most creatures of Chaos seemed to avoid it, so the First had been able to build significant fortifications here. But now they had come. An army of twisted abominations and the foolish mortals who were following in their footsteps, corrupted by their dark desires. They did not know what they were up against, and despite their dangerously large army they had come to a stop.
A bolt of light passed him. The solar engines were firing at the next hill. They had been doing that for hours now, whenever the members of the Warherd launched another attack from there.
The Scar-Veteran felt uneasy. There were too many enemies. The flying scouts had reported that the army on the other side of the hill was way larger than anticipated, and the enemy’s main force was preparing to engage.
Diforek looked over his shoulder to check on the Slann and his Saurus Guards. Lord Zelhua was still in the same position as hours before. It was risky, but his orders were clear: Stay in the old ruins and defend them. They had come to search for something, and obviously the Slann had found it. The Warherd had been driven back initially, surprised by the sudden arrival of the Seraphon. But the incursion into these lands, lands that the Beastmen called their own, had prompted a quick response, and soon the area was crawling with Gors of all sizes that tried to take back the herdstone in the middle of the ruined city.
When the enemy forces eventually pushed forward the Saurus were ordered to retreat. Diforek himself managed to kill a few more enemies, but the seemingly endless hordes of Gors that flowed down the hill required the Saurus to retreat further back and concentrate their forces.
While the next two units to their sides covered their retreat, Diforek had the chance to take another look at Lord Zelhua. The Slann was casting a spell now, moving his hands in complex patterns. The gemstones on his palanquin glowed brightly in the darkness of Ulgu.
A shadow passed him. A cloud of dark magical energy, but Lord Quatzitoec had already began unbinding it, so the cloud never reached the unmoving lines of Saurus Warriors that secured the crystal plains and prevented the Chaos troops from escaping. It just vanished as if it had never existed.
Acanti did not need to look around. He felt the Slann, who was still sitting on his palanquin and concentrating on the enemy. The bond was especially strong right now, because moments ago Lord Quatzitoec had cast a spell through Acanti. The amount of magical energy that a Slann could wield was unbelievable, even after all those years it felt like a torrent of magic would sweep Acanti away whenever the Slann channeled a spell through the Oracle.
When the enemy forces were almost surrounded, they tried to push outward. The fighting picked up in intensity, but the Saurus and Skinks in the front line held their ground. Acanti once more felt the Slann cast a spell through him, it made him slump in his saddle, while a raging storm of fire and ice shook him. When it finally ebbed away he opened his eyes and looked at the enemy army again.
A solid sphere of darkness appeared over the army of the First, right over the spot where the Herdstone had been. It was perfectly round, several paces in diameter, and it was of an even deeper darkness than the Ulgu sky already was. Swallowing all light, discomforting to look at, even to eyes used to Ulgu’s darkness.
The members of the Warherd did not care what it was, they charged at the Saurus’ lines and soon Diforek had to turn around and face them. The real part of the battle had started.
The Scar-Veteran looked back a few times, but nothing seemed to happen with the dark sphere.
The Slann seemed to continue concentrating on it, but it did neither move, nor provide any noticeable effect on either the First or their enemies.
Minutes passed.
A solid sphere of light had appeared over the enemy army. It was perfectly round, several paces in diameter, and it was even brighter than the Hysh sky already was. Blinding, even to eyes used to Hysh’s light.
Acanti could see and feel the daemon casters frantically trying to dispell it, but the Slann maintained control through his Oracle.
Otherwise nothing happened. Both the First and the enemy seemed to expect an explosion or some other kind of effect, but there was none.
Minutes passed.
Diforek’s Carnosaur was as covered in gore as his spear, and while he was retreating back into his own lines to regroup once more, he again caught a glimpse of his lord.
The Slann’s Skink advisor started to look concerned as the Saurus moved back further and further. Lord Zelhua did not move, he stared at the sphere of darkness, his hands stretched out toward it, and otherwise did nothing.
Acanti looked at the Saurus in the front lines. They were slowly driven back by the maniacally laughing daemons, and they were losing ground.
The Slann’s Skink advisor started to look concerned as the Saurus moved back further and further. Lord Quatzitoec did not move, he stared at the sphere of light, his hands stretched out toward it, and otherwise did nothing.
Suddenly another sphere appeared next to the first one.
It was of such an intense brightness that it seemed to fight the darkness of Ulgu itself in the environment, and the area around the two fighting armies took on a greyish tone.
Suddenly another sphere appeared next to the first one.
It was of such an intense darkness that it seemed to swallow up the light of Hysh itself, and the area around the two fighting armies took on a greyish tone.
The two spheres started to swirl around each other, faster and faster, mixing into grey streaks and spiraling outwards from the Slann’s position.
They did not hurt the army of the First, but when they reached the enemy army, they cut down the Beastmen where they stood, grey lightning burning them and waves of thunder ripping them apart.
The two spheres started to swirl around each other, faster and faster, mixing into grey streaks and spiraling outwards from their position over the enemy army. Immediately they tore into both daemons and mortals, and where they struck they cut down the Slaanesh troops where they stood, grey lightning burning them and waves of thunder ripping them apart.
But when they reached the army of the First, they did not hurt the Saurus or Skinks.
When the swirling spheres winked out of existence eventually, the enemy army was gone. Only a few stragglers were left, and the Saurus disposed of them.
When the swirling spheres winked out of existence eventually, the enemy army was gone. Only a few stragglers were left, and the Saurus disposed of them.
“Scar-Veteran?” one of Diforek’s warriors asked him, “What was that?”
“I don’t know” Diforek replied.
“It was some kind of ritual,” their Starpriest interjected. But he looked puzzled as he continued. “I am pretty sure that Lord Zelhua only conjured the dark sphere, I don’t know where the other one came from” he explained.
Diforek shrugged. “We will never know I guess.”
“Oracle?” one of Acanti’s Skinks asked him. “What was that?”
“Lord Quatzitoec conjured the bright sphere, I could feel it. Then he just waited. I don’t know where the other one came from” he explained.
The Skink looked puzzled. “How did he know that the other would appear?”
Acanti shrugged. “We will never know I guess.”
