A Prayer by the Stir River - by Mister G.

A Prayer by the Stir River

Reinïger spat on the ground. How could those foul followers of chaos be so much south? This was Stirland, by Sigmar’s name, not Kislev!

The great river Stir was known for a lot of bad things, especially here, so close to Sylvania. Thieves and pirates were bad enough. But lately, the greenskins were pretty active near the mountains of World’s End Edge. There were also more and more rumors about the «walking dead». It had been a while since Stirland had problems with these.

A full army of Chaos Warriors (not those common savages from the North, but the mighty fighters of legends) clad in what looked like impenetrable armors was probably something unheard of in Stirland for at least a generation.

- Markus?

- Yes Emmerich.

- The General and the knights are ready on the right flank.

Markus spat on the ground again.

- All right, let’s see if those walking studs can withstand the strengh of Sigmar’s children.

Emmerich smiled, but it was a nervous one. The Celestial mage hadn’t seen much fighting since he left Altdorf. He had a good magical potential and he had done what he could against some greenskins and a little skirmish with some Highelves in the last weeks.

Markus Reinïger lowered his head and started singing a prayer to Sigmar. He could hear the men behind him gripping their halberds tighter while joining the singing. Soon, the whole army was chanting, the prayer gaining momentum and strength.

He was proud of them because they were all scared of this new, unknown foe they would have to fight today. He was proud because they were showing guts and Markus Reinïger, lowly Warrior Priest of Sigmar, wasn’t about to let them down. He was about to show all those free men how to crack open some Chaos armor.

He looked left and saw the Flagellants dancing and singing and mutilating themselves while waiting to die for Sigmar. The Greatswords were ready, as always.

On the right flank, he saw the young General and his knights, impatient, on his mighty steed, waiting for the signal he and the priest had arranged. The swordsmen were hiting their shilds with their swords in unisson with the beat of the song. The whole army was ready to stand and fight for their homeland.

He took the two warhammers from his side and raised them both over his head and the whole Empire army fell silent.The Chaos army was ready to advance and he saw armored sorcerers strating to weave the winds magic.

It was time.

- By Sigmar!!! Let’s show these spiky assholes how it’s done!

The Empire army answered with a great roar and then, all hell broke lose. The artillery shot their payload all at once, the handgunners and the crossbowmen joining the lethal barrage.

The Chaos army was now advancing and closing the gap, suffering casualties; not as many as Reinïger would have liked. Those chaos armors were not for show. Beside him, Emmerich was trying to close the ennemies magic as best as he could. At least 2 Sorcerers were summoning curses and hexes. So far, the Celestial mage was succesfull in containing the evil magic.

On the right flanck, Markus saw that the General was wounded and having trouble with several Chaos Warriors of Nurgle and one of the Sorcerer. A few knights laid dead already.

He couldn’t do anything to help now. A large unit of Marauders were fast approaching the center of the Empire line. Reinïger and his halberdiers, supported by the swordsmen, crashed in them like a tidal wave. The northmen were strong but the disciplined and fury of his men was to great for the followers of Chaos.

Around Reinïger, the battle was raging. Even so, he could hear the screams of the flagellants being butchered on the left flank. They had to hold the flank. Hopefully, the Greatwords were not far.

Then, Markus saw one of the mighty Sorcerer, his thick armor crackling with eldritch energy. With a voice full of confidence, he launched a challenge to the sorcerer who accepted, laughing at this feeble opponent. Without losing a second, Reinïger furiously assaulted the Sorcerer who was caught flatfooted and had to backup.

Each hit by Markus was of a strengh and a speed the Sorcerer had never thought possible from a feeble human unblessed by the Chaos Gods.

The Sorcerer tried to fight back but he was now slow, feeble and… bleeding?

- Impossible… the gods are abandoning me.

Reinïger started laughing.

- That’s all you’ve got, Sorcerer? Pathetic excuses?

He crashed one of his hammer right on the chest of his opponent and saw blood pourring out of the Chaos helmet.

- What did you think? That we would not fight for our homes, our friends, our families? You tought we would flee before you, like weaklings?

He blocked a desperated strike from the Sorcerer with his left warhammer and then spun on himself while crouching, gaining momentum with his other warhammer and smashing the kneecap of the chaos worshipper.

- Sigmar’s giving me strengh, stealing yours to make my arm obliterate your discusting face!

And while the Chaos Sorcerer was falling down, unable to support himself with his shattered knee, Markus Reinïger took a mighty upward swing with both warhammers that connected with the face of the Sorcerer, ending his life in a bloody mess.

On the left flank, the Greatswords had flanked the Chaos knights that were butchering the Flagellants. On the right side, the General and the remaining knights were riding hard to help and wipeout the Chaos survivors.

Then, coming from behind an abandonned house, a big unit of Khornate warriors appeared in front of Reinïger and his halberdiers. Those were out for blood and vangeance, not victory. A shiver ran trough Markus’s body. More of his friends would die today.

Then… Kaboum!!

Reinïger was blinking in surprise. Half the Khornates warriors laid dead, most of them cut in half by a perfect shot by the Great Cannon team on the hill behind them. «Sigmar bless them!»

The remainging warriors of Khorne left running, knowing they would not be able to achieve anything, not anymore.

A great roar came from all the men around him. They had done it. They had fend off a Chaos warparty , a first in Stirland in 20 years! Reinïger looked around him and saw the grin in the faces of those surrounding him. This was a great victory, and besides the Flagellants, they hadn’t suffered great casualties. He saw the Celestial mage walking slowly towards him.

- So Emmerich Weber, missing the taverns of the great capital city yet?

- Never had such a bloody headache in Altdorf… even after that time i drank beer with a dwarf…

Reinïger looked more closely at Emmerich and saw that the mage had suffered. Blood was coming out of his eyes, nose and ears. He looked confused.

- You okay, Weber?

- Nothing time will not heal.

- Good, you did a good job today, for a town boy. Shutting all that Chaos magic by yourself.

- You were not so bad yourself, Markus. I saw you destroy that Sorcerer. Did you use that little mirror I gave you?

- I did. In the end, I think the Sorcerer felt like his gods abandonned him. He never suspected that such a little thing could do what it did to him.

- Glad it helped.

- Yes, me too. Time to go pray Sigmar for our victory. And then, Emmerich, my friend, we’re gonna go have a drink with the good General. I heard he’s got some good beer. Came directly from Bugman’s Brewery.

- Bugman’s Brewery? Markus, isn’t that dwarf beer?

- The best in the Word!