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Joined: Thu Feb 13, 2003 4:26 pm
Posts: 7016
Location: Southfields, London, England
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This is the revised ending (in retrospect I thought that even a wizard of Konrads caliber deserved respect, not as much for his ability but because Wizards are both revered and feared in the warhammer world) I decided to publish it here as the material is somewhat unsuitable for Incoming!  , it is Warhammer and not EPIC. Comments are welcome, preferably in a seperate thread tho  .
Chapter One - A Sticky Mess Indeed
Konrad stomped through the pouring rain with disgust. This time last month he had been sitting in his study reading through his masters manuscripts and desperately seeking knowledge to add to his rapidly growing spell base. His toes would have been warmed by the heat of the roaring fire, instead he was left trudging through mud, his feet soaking wet and his skin ripped to shreds on the remains on his clammy walking boots. To make matters worse, this was not just any journey, he had been sent on his journey year by his master to learn the ways of the world? sounds fun until you discover the real reason, his master had received a summons from the Imperial army of Stirland, having more important matter to attend to his ?capable? apprentice was sent in his stead. Goblins and rain, a nasty combination by anyone?s standards this was compounded by the fact that Konrad had never entered battle before, it all seemed somewhat of a mess to him, certainly not something that a sensible wizard should indulge in. Still he was confident in his use of his staff in sparring and he had a variety of capable spells in his book ready for use if any Goblins got too close, still he was hoping that he could just wait this battle out, once he explained that he was only an apprentice and had not even reached the first grade at the Grey college he would be placed in safety and those better accustomed to fighting to get on with it.
At midday, the rain ceased and his clothes started to dry off. The sun laboured to shine through the grey clouds but never quite managed it. Still it did wonders to his morale as his feet squelched in his still sodden boots, by the time he had reached the aptly named village of Kleindorf he felt almost human again. Taking a deep breath and putting on his boldest Wizard stride he approached the town, the outskirts were abandoned apart from a young boy on a rickety tower that seemed unlikely to hold back a snotling let along a goblin horde. Shouting out towards the centre, the boy scampered down the towers ladder at an alarming rate and hurdled off down the main path. Shrugging his shoulders Konrad followed, adjusting his wizard?s hat which was surprisingly uncomfortable and brushing down his robes he started to see activity. A group of dwarves were busy erecting a rather solid looking barricade around all entrances to the main church, casting dark looks around and occasionally slipping out of there own tongue to bellow disparagingly at the villagers who trying to build similar barricades. The fact that this wasn?t what he was expecting dampened his mood further; his idea of an Imperial army was columns of glittering knights, batteries of cannons and the majestic wizards lighting up the sky with pyrotechnics and legions of soldiers marching forwards in tight formation. The only soldiers he could see were labouring away digging trenches and sharpening sticks to make staves and spears, hardly glamorous. He hadn?t dug his way out of the gutter just so he could dig new ones. One of the soldiers started walking towards him, pulling himself to his full height and standing with all the dignity he could muster in his travel worn clothing he greeted the soldier.
?Hail brave soldier, well met. I see you are preparing for battle, I take it the rest of the army will be arriving soon. I am Konrad Schlutz, trained in the arts of Grey magic, or as it is more commonly known?? turning his eyes into a piercing gaze he lowered his gaze to a more sinister tone. ?Shadow magic.? As the words flowed from his lips, for once Konrad was thoroughly enjoying himself, although his words seemed to have little effect on the ignorant soldier, he new that he sounded like one of the great heroes from the sagas of old. He could almost see Erich Dahlfler performing him on stage. ?I have arrived to provide you with magical protection in the upcoming battle.? Nodding regally he looked up into the flinty eyes of the unimpressed soldier, who waited for a moment to make sure Konrad had truly finished.
?Greetings, My name is Heinrich Wulf, I am Sergeant of the 53rd Stirland Blades. Do you have any spells you can use to fortify this town? Barriers in particular and traps would be ideal; we need them concentrated on the road entrances leading to the centre from the wood. Some kind of an alarm would also be useful.? Konrads eyes flickered as he digested the unexpected request.
?Well? not exactly, my skills are more of an academic nature.? He confessed ?In fact it is only recently that I branched out into the art of war.? Feeling the soldiers patronising gaze he began to speak louder to bolster his flagging self esteem ?I should probably go join your generals; they could do with my assistance.? Konrad was starting to stutter now as he realised that he was totally out of his depth, one look at Heinrichs face showed that he wasn?t the only one with that impression.
?The Captain is helping with the trenches, over there just on the other side of the church.? With a curt nod Heinrich then turned his back and strode back to work on his section of the barricade scowling all the way.
Thoroughly deflated Konrad drew what haughty dignity he had left and wondered round the church to find the Captain, one look told him who was in charge, a large man just an inch shy of Konrads height being a mere 6?3, though massively broad with a rippling torso. Villagers milled around him like scurrying ants which he barked out instructions, at the same time he was tearing through the thick Stirland soil with his shovel as if it was sand, heaps of the orangy brown clay were stacked inside the barricade to shore it up. ?Konrad called out to him.
?Captain, I have come to answer the Imperial armies summons. Perhaps we could speak for a moment?? The Captain turned and smiled, his moustache expanding across his face like an animal stretching out in the sun.
?Ah! The battle wizard Otto promised, welcome to Kleindorf, a rather apt name, though even we are going to have to just defend the church, too few men you see. There are just 14 of us here and of course the militia though we will have to bear the brunt of the fighting. I mean, there are a couple of good warriors amongst them, but mostly they are just to fill the gap... that IS between you and me by the way, no point in dampening the poor chap?s morale at this stage in the game! Still our commander Otto reckons they will strike north up the river Stirland, Kleindorf is too far away from the capitol to be of any use to them. Still all the villages up the river need to be fortified just in case. He is expected tonight for inspection, the dwarves were a bonus though, and they are staying till the barricades are air tight. Stupid villagers never bothered with a wall.? Pausing from his digging he gave Konrad a critical glance. ?Pardon my bluntness but I was expecting someone a lot older, I take it you are not a senior wizard??
Konrad paused ? the thought entered his mind to claim grandeur and to enjoy the awe, but the nagging realisation that these people obviously were expecting him to be a potent battle wizard capable of turning the tide. Knowing that he could not live up to expectations meant that he would have to be as honest as his ego could manage. ?Captain ? I have a confession, my master was unable to make the journey, his studies have reached a crucial climax and he dare not leave. Instead I have been sent; I am a battle wizard and have trained under him for many years now. I understand that you will probably want me in an advisory capacity as my skills are not as much as you obviously intended? though I hasten to add that they are still formidable ? ?
?Hush Wizard ? you don?t do yourself justice, as long as you are still a capable wizard then that will be enough for me, you will be on the northeast barricade with the defenders there. Hopefully your magic will bolster that section whilst Heinrich and I cover the other quadrants. Tud will hold the last one with his comrades.? Seeing Konrad hastily shaking his head and attempting to butt in Gruber swiftly and smoothly continued with a smile. ?Naturally a wizard of your stature deserves command over his own force of battle hardened men, with your powers there is no where more suited to your abilities.?
Konrad could tell from the emphasis on the ?No? that he had no option in the matter, he would have fight on the front lines, and he could only hope that his soldiers were capable of keeping the enemy away from him. With that thought his heart fluttered? he had a command, he was in charge of his very own set of minions; he just hoped they didn?t die too quickly so he could wallow in the glory of the moment. Konrad ? Battle wizard of the ancient order of the Shadow would lead his warriors into valiant combat; perhaps the bards might even pen a tale in his name?
Heinrich sat in the corner sipping from his wineskin, well, it used to be a wineskin all it carried now was water. There were little enough luxuries in this god forsaken place, he was lucky enough to find wholesome food let alone wine. Still it was easier living out here than it was back at home in Altdorf, there weren?t the constant reminders of Kirsten to bring back old pains. Still no matter how much he ran from her he could never bring himself to exorcise her totally, he still wore the chain around his neck she gave to him on the day of the dead, he kept the knife in his boots scabbard which her father had given him as a gift, even he had wholeheartedly expected them to marry. He had thrown away the miniature portrait of her that she had given to him as he left with the army, but the memory of her face still haunted his dreams at night. She had been everything to him but in the end he had realised that he was just an amusement to her, a source of fun until a more suitable suitor came her way and that he couldn?t handle. He would have given her anything to love him and yet she still acted flippantly around him, refusing marriage and spurning offers out if her friends could give her a better offer. They lived but a thirty minute walk away from each other but he was lucky to see her once a week, what with her studies and socialising, even her fathers gentle words had failed to sooth her spirit. He had been left with only one option, in order to save his soul he would have to leave and put as many miles between as possible, only then could he hope to mend the deep fissure that had slowly eroded into his heart. He welcomed battle and had no fear of death for without Kirstens love, life was the only thing he feared. Now he had this blasted wizard poncing around the village like a stuffed peacock, full to the brim yet with nothing of value despite the pretty exterior. Hopefully he would be the first to fall when the goblins attacked, he only hoped that too many men didn?t die trying to save him. Realising that his thoughts were growing ever morbid, he leapt to his feet, pulling out his standard issue sword he ran through the first nine drills, twice. Finishing with a flashy flurry of blows, he sheathed his blade. Hearing clapping behind him, he turned with anger flashing across his face, seeing the wizard walking towards him his expression darkened further.
?What do you want?? Blunt and too the point he watched the wizard falter in his steps, he mind previously cleared by his weapons training became to grow dark again.
?Actually I was rather impressed by your sword play, Wulf isn?t it? Though I must hasten to wonder why such a skilled swordsman as yourself would be using such a tiny blade, I mean in a confrontation, you would ideally want a blade like mine; it has almost double the length meaning I could stop you before you even got close. Could you not afford a proper sword?? Konrad pulled out his sword, making an elaborate show of the ornate hilt.
Heinrich gritted his teeth at the condescending, self important smile that adorned the wizards face. Reaching down to his backpack he pulled out a long package and shedded the cloths covering it. ?You mean like this wizard?? Yanking the blade out of it?s scabbard he swung the blade over his shoulder in a crescent arc bringing to it down to within an inch of the wizards blade, he grimaced as a second later the wizard jumped back clashing swords clumsily, Heinrich lowered his blade slowly and walked right up to the wizard until the point of the wizards sword was pressing against his chest, his expression neutral he waited for the wizard to lower he sword before continuing. ?Allow me to grace you with a lesson in warfare; first thing being why I have a short sword as well as a long sword. Reason being that modern warfare and tactics demand it.? His eyes were daggers preventing the wizard?s scepticism spilling forth; he carried on swiftly blocking any apparent pauses in his speech. ?When an orc comes running at me and I am alone then yes, having my long sword is a great boon to me, however, when the hills are teeming with the marauding greenskins, and I am shoulder to shoulder with my comrades I don?t have room to wield my long sword, hence I can wield my short sword which is a stabbing weapon and not a slashing weapon. Warfare is no longer won by groups of individuals! Regiments are what win battles. Ulric preserve the men fighting under your command because you obviously haven?t seen any warfare outside of a Sigmarite play.? Konrad paused, sceptically assessing the warrior.
?Well, I still think that having the increased length on your blade is far more important than having your comrades standing closer to you. But we shall see when the battle commences!?
Snorting in disgust Heinrich turned his back on the wizard and strode off to find the Captain. The wind had picked up and his hair whipped round stinging his face. The Captain was sitting taking a break with the village head man and the leader of the Dwarf group that had accompanied them to Kleindorf. The Sigmarite cleric was preparing bread and soup for the villagers just in front of them, Heinrich still had difficulty accepting that a woman could be an effective priest of Sigmar, after all Sigmar was a warrior god ? whilst the church stood as a symbol of unity for the Empire did a woman have the strength to provide that? He eyed her critically as he approached the Captain. She was old, with long, wispy, white hair. She carried herself with authority and seemed almost immune to the biting chill of the wind that forced itself through the gaps in her muddy, grey robes and through the fibres of the thickest clothing. Certainly the other villagers treated her with the utmost respect, he decided to give her a chance to prove her whilst trying to avoid preconceptions, and after all if he didn?t then he was just as bad as the so called ?wizard?.
Captain Gruber looked up, a beaming smile on his face.
?Ah Wulf, I was just about to go check up on you, how is the defences going?? Heinrich smiled.
?The defences are pretty much in place, I would like to see any 4ft goblin trying to climb that barricade. Do we know if it is a purely goblin force or there be other kinds of green skin? A troll will smash through our barricades in seconds.?
The wind was beginning to die down, so Grubers booming voice echoed around the encampment with only the groans of aching men and the clashing of tools and Stirland clay.
?According to Otto, it is a purely goblin force and shouldn?t be much of a consideration as long as we had our defences in place. I think numbers are the only threat here; there is about forty or fifty of the blighters. We should be able to hold with minimal losses.? Snorting the dwarf interceded.
?Minimal losses? If this were a dwarf force we would meet them on the plains, such a small force of goblinoids is hardly worth building defences for.? Coughing deeply he grimaced and rummaged round his thick leather jerkin for his pipe and some tobacco. Heinrich gazed down at his commander.
?Seems like a lot of effort for just a few goblins. Could the cavalry not track them down, could have sent the wizard with them and done us all a favour.?
?Didn?t think you would get one with the wizard Wulf my boy, come nab some soup with me.? Flashing his broken teeth with a warm grin he pushed himself up off his knees and inhaled deeply as if trying to trace the scent of the steaming soup through the wind. The priest smiled back, a glint in her eye. ?Well don?t hang around Wulf, play are cards right and we might get double portions.? Striding forwards Gruber swiftly approached using his traditional swagger with Wulf closely following walking stiffly, his scowl having been usurped by a smile at the casual attitude with which Gruber lived his life. Behind them a foul cursing could be heard as the dwarf tried to light his pipe in the shelter of the barricades. The priest gazed at them as they approached, her face erupting into a morass of wrinkles that somehow seemed to drive away the icy bite of the weather.
?And how are our valiant protectors? Hungry? I hope so because we have slain one of our finest cattle for your pleasure here.? Gruber could smell the soup now and he began to salivate.
?Ah! My lady, every regiment needs one of you? a cook of this calibre is worth risking ones life for? giving a deep bow he winked at Wulf. ?Well don?t hang about boy, grab yourself a bowl!?
?You are too kind sir, here, have another spoonful you will need it to sustain yourself in the upcoming battle.? Pouring a heaped ladleful of Beef stew into Grubers already considerably full bowl, she turning beaming at Wulf.
?Well? an Ulrican? We don?t often get them around here, most are on our borders with Talabec. I hope that Sigmar rewards your prowess as much as Ulric obviously has.? She adds an extra ladle to Wulfs bowl as well, though he cannot help but notice that it is half what was added to Grubers bowl.
?No problem lady, I am just doing my job.? Nodding his approval Wulf walked with Gruber to a vacant bench.
?For gods sake Wulf, learn to open up a bit. Unlike the gods, humans do actually answer back!? Shaking his head he looked up at Wulfs awkward expression. ?So then, what did the wizard do to tick you off?? Wulf shifted under Grubers intense gaze.
?Captain, you can?t put him in charge of one of the barricades, my men can?t be expect to follow that moron to his grave. He couldn?t command a nursery let alone a group of warriors.? By the time Gruber had interjected Wulf was veritably growling.
?Alright, alright, I can tell you are annoyed but answer me this. When the going gets tough, do you honestly expect him to fight at the barricades with your men? Chances are that he will end up quivering in the church pretending to be casting some kind of battle winning spell whilst our priest here gets him a flagon of ale. Give him a chance; I sense strength in him, just not nearly as much as he seems to think he has. We have to humour to him an extent; you know the political power these wizards wield. If he complains to Otto then we could be in deep trouble, one day remember he could be Arch Mage of the Colleges and then what will you do? think ahead boy, you are not always gonna be a low life. You have a career ahead of you, keep up the training and don?t get yourself killed and who knows, you could make general!? Wulf listened intently until Gruber started guffawing at the thought of him being a general. Wulf elbowed him in the ribs, hearing a satisfying cough he smiled.
?Just wait, I will cut off your pension and set you on latrine duty!? Grubers eyes flicked wide open.
?Pension! Why I am tempted to make you official bodyguard to his lordship over there. I may be forty, but there is plenty of fight in me yet.? Gruber waves vaguely in the direction of where Konrad was barking orders to his minons from the comfort of an upturned barrel. Occasionally getting up to pace majestically and point out the flaws of his workers and how lucky they were to have him as a boss. ?You know, I have a feeling that this battle ain?t gonna be as easy as Otto makes out. The wind has foul whispers for us tonight Wulf? mark my words. Foul whispers, something just isn?t right about the reports we have been getting, there is just too many resources being poured into this conflict for it to be a simple goblin mob. I hope Otto knows what he is up too?.? Grubers face was unusually sober, until his eyes twinkled and a wry grin broke out again as Wulf started to speak.
?Whatever comes Captain, as long as my blade can pierce its hide then together we will cleanse this village of the green filth. Just as long as we don?t have to rely on the ?wizard? for magical protection we will be fine.? Clapping Gruber on the shoulder he started to soak up the remains of his empty soup bowl with thick chunks of bread. ?I ought to get back to the lads; the barricade isn?t going to build itself now is it.?
?That is my boy! Go do it, ignore me, I was a born cynic.? Gruber watched as Wulf nodded and departed back to his men. He shook his head in an attempt to clear the grim forboding that hung over him and then failing that, grabbed the empty bowls and went to return them to the priest who was frantically serving the villagers as they reported in.
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