Wolfran the Knight Avenger
In
The Last Crusade of Altraumzen
Episode 10: The Hidden Horror
The formation soon came upon the looming oversized gates that towered over even the tallest of the mounts. They were silver in color, and reliefs filled with debauchery covered their cursed surface. Black walls rose up to the domed roofs on either side of the main gates. These were dotted with blue reliefs of bulls edged in gold now covered in soot, plasma scorching, and the depravities of battle.
This would be Ishtar’s more loyal servants abode as well as a fortress. Intelligence was undetermined on the latest “loyal” servant after the last’s failed attempt to seize the throne of the Nightmare World. The title had changed hands so fast, and such were the summary executions that even the local minions seemed at odds on who was presiding from the citadel. Due to the carnage however, there were few prisoners to interrogate.
The towering structure glared down upon the host of intruders as they stomped through a crack in the door. In reality however, this was a passage wide enough for four of their mounts to walk abreast, and their mechs were no miniscule machines no matter what the Heavy Mech Knights claimed. The structure made one be absorbed in their own inadequacies in a universe far larger than one could imagine, but rather than pointing one to the Lord Almighty and creator such as the grand cathedral of St. Burgur standing even taller than the Holy Emperor’s palace itself this machination assaulted the spirit.
Wolfran knew that by the very design of the fortress the horrid construction was designed to make man look up at the debaucheries, demons, and the whore queen Ishtar herself. To supplant the God of Heavens’ Armies, and declare his children slaves to her whim thus consuming their birthright on this forgotten rock.
It will take some doing, but the Captain was sure the priests would demand the sacrilege melted and the structure reborne to a holy purpose. That is if this crusade were to overcome certain shortsided strategic goals and tactical errors. A sight the nightmare will be when the planetforgers had their way with the lava strewn fields and ashen rock. No mark of evil could stand their skills of reforging, and no servant of the dark could abide the beauty they left in their wakes.
The thought was almost motivation enough to see the dead world teeming with only blight forged anew overflowing with life and crystal waters. And yet, despite a priest or two who would disapprove Wolfran’s true ambition for these punic measures will be in line with the vengeance of the Holy Father himself. There were priests for mercy, and there were knights for Holy retribution.
Inside was the main gathering hall as tall as the doors themselves, and littered across its black marble floors were the broken corpses of giants who could bash their heads upon the soaring rafters above their heads. At least four lay where the knights had brought their ruin. These doubtless were the guardians of the keep. One could fit two of their mechs comfortably inside their skulls if they had any headmatter left to compare.
By the looks of the arrangement of the corpses, and what was left of their heads it would seem they fell from rail and plasma shot from behind. No matter how large you were, decapitation was generally deadly. For all their size and girth they went down as Goliath to a stone.
All expected of course. Wolfran had been briefed on the quick purging. The only true surprise was finding the banner of the keep’s Lord next to an unrecognizable splattered mass of gore. The Captain supposed they would never know who the underling to replace the last unfaithful servant had been. Their only clue was the banner of a black horse trampling maidens on a field of red. Surely, another had claimed his just eternal reward this day, and had not found himself with the company of saints.
Ironic, Wolfran guessed the Lord of the Keep had held his most powerful guardians back in the initial assault to defend himself in the tower as he waited for reinforcements. If he had released his full strength the Skyfall’s contingent’s casualties would surely have been massive. Catching these fiends at unawares is one thing. Matching their blows head to head was another matter entirely.
They would’ve been victorious, but the drone swarm would surely have overwhelmed Wolfran and his knights. Most important to the would be Lord of the Keep would’ve been that his servants would not have crushed him in their cataclysmic falls once their brains had been incinerated. Cowardice wouldn’t save one in the end.
Shaking his head at the wreck of marble columns, endless statues, and the seats of the guardians themselves Wolfran walked up the black stairs. Each golden throne looked comically massive as one passed near their legs on either side of the stairs that would have had one pass at eye level of the deceased giants if they were sitting on their perches. A most intimidating experience for any slave surely, but almost comical to a conqueror who hadn’t even bloodied his sword in the taking of those coveted stairs.
Eventually they came to a doorway still several feet higher than their mounts, but almost nonexistent next to the ruins of the behemoths the party had just passed. Yet before they could pass the golden edifices overflowing with reliefs of stags and drunken orgies a side alcove slide opened. Out from the dark passage beyond thumped Konrad’s scarlet mech as well as a squadron of Zweihanderkrieger knights.
“Good of you to finally join us Captain. I trust our specialists kept you well and hearty in my absence,” Konrad called over the intercom as the knights circled the crew of specialists. This was a freshly conquered fortress. Couldn't be too careful especially when being careful irked you’re ever berserking Captain to his core. Wolfran was pleased to see the inner corridors of the keep were designed to accommodate the more average sized demons and giants they’d faced in the courtyard for their mechs had room to spare. Any smaller, and Konrad’s ego and perpetual nattering wouldn’t fit their oversized posterior through the main gates.
“Yes, I feel quite healthy, Magnus. Healthy enough to lead a charge against a few worms without the aid of mounts,” Wolfran heard his men laugh even as he knew Konrad was rolling his eyes within his mechs cockpit. The Captain had made Captain when he had done such a charge minutes before unlooked for relief forces had saved their hides. His Magnus was sooner to forgive his Captain for that stunt than a mother hen her chick for jumping in and out of the mouth of an aging mockasin.
Suddenly a massive wave of messages and pings hit Wolfran’s cockpit. The jammer appeared to have been neutralized, and now every single demand for updates and status reports from every admiral in the fleet slammed into the overworked Captain’s computer all at the same time.
“Jammer is down sir,” Konrad said.
“Thank you Magnus,” Wolfran always tended to go back to rank when Konrad began to win in their bantering verbal jousts. A habit he would need to crush one day.
Before Konrad could answer a single distress signal rose and squashed all the other noise in the Captain’s cockpit. Looking at the signal Wolfran confirmed that the broadcast was hitting all of the mechs and heavy infantry in the fortress. Magic. The wizard attached to the irregulars was forcing his signal to suppress all the others through his arts, and urgent must be his message indeed to override command’s signal. The upper echelons already had a tenuous relationship with the nomadic space farer as it was, but his skills were undeniable. Without him the irregulars would have never made the surface of Altraumzen undetected.
“Do not enter the Guardian Chambers of the Keep at Atrukrieg,” Wolfran recognized the twang of the wizard’s heavy accented voice,” It is a trap! Do you hear me Sir Wolfran Boshorrors?”
“Konrad,” Wolfran called over their proximity signals,” Are we not already in the Guardians' Chambers?”
“That would be an affirmative Sir,” Wolfran was afraid that would be the answer.
A black drop landed on the armored cockpit plate of Wolfran’s mech. Dark black, and thick like blood. A dark cold grasped at the Knight’s heart at the sight. Steadily more drops fell amongst them till the whole company looked to the rafters high and dark above their heads. Wolfran spotted the anomaly at once. There was a bright red eye so massive he could see details despite the distance.
A cry shook the entire keep as out from the shadows slithered the true guardian, and horror of the keep. Apparently, Wolfran was going to join into the cleansing of the fortress after all.
The Story Will Continue Every Friday.
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