OG: Chapter 45

Our attack on the Beastmen Forces began with a salvo of fire from the Gryphon Gun-Howitzers, towed here on carriages by horses. The evolution of Horse Artillery was one of the things I had worked hard to instill in my forces that were unique, after all. It proved its worth now, as it allowed our Gun Howitzers to be quickly towed into position and sighted down on the attacking Beastmen Horde. Within moments of the guns being unlimbered and hauled into position, they opened up, cannonballs blasting out and smashing through the tightly packed rear ranks of Ungor Raiders with their Javelins and Shortbows.

The Ungor Raiders had previously been attempting to keep the Forces mounted atop the crenelated walls of Aldium suppressed with missile fire. Now that the cannonballs from our Gryphon Gun-Howitzers were smashing through them, bouncing around and rending limbs and splattering brains, that missile fire slackened considerably. It allowed the Crossbowmen atop the walls of Aldium to pop up from behind the Crenelations and fire a volley down on the Gors trying to force their way through the Force of Mixed Mercenaries and Caravan Guards holding the gates, scything down Battleaxe-wielding Gors with bolts from above.

Nor were those the only obstacles the Gors had to face, as even without our Guns or the Crossbow Fire from above, the Gors attempting to force the gates and break through the force of mixed Mercenaries and Caravan Guards and into Aldium were subject to scalding with boiling oil from Murder Holes within the gatehouse of Aldium's Gates. I watched as a Foe-Render, one of the crude approximations the Beastmen had for Regimental Champions among Gor Warherds, stepped up with a black iron axe in either hand, ready to cut down a pair of Mercenary Swordsmen, only to be doused in boiling oil from the Murder Holes and set alight, dying with a whimpering, bleating noise.

Of course, the Beastmen weren't about to just let us shell them with impunity. As the Wargor Leader of the Warherd easily deduced the reason for the sudden repulsing of this attack was fire from our artillery. He let out a loud bellow and pulled a number of Minotaurs and Doombulls away from the attack on the gates. Then, together, they charged for the Guns. That was our cue. If we didn't move to charge the detachment led by the Wargor Leader from the flank and defend the Guns, the enemy would reach them unimpeded. That would be very bad, because the guns were only protected by a thin screen of Militiamen from Mantreda led by Sergio Triano. We simply did not have the forces to defend everywhere at the moment.

"Come on! They're going for the Guns!" I shouted as I pulled our cavalry away and into a charge.

Fortunately, I had plenty of able veterans to delegate overall command to. Martine and Ruggiero eagerly took command of the infantry advance while Ion, Francois de Montjoie, and I took our cavalry to charge the Wargor Leader. As we formed up into a flying wedge to begin our charge, I heard Martine command her Guards to nock arrows and loose a volley, as they had just reached the extreme edge of the range of their longbows. By the time we made it a quarter of the way to the enemy Leader's Formation, the sound of loosing arrows was joined by the staccato rhythm of gunfire from our Streltsy Revolving Autorifles.

I couldn't pay much more attention to the rest of the battle shortly after noting that, however, as our Cavalry Charge began to close on the enemy formation. From the saddle at halfway to the enemy, I fired off a quartet of shots from my Customized Enchanted Streltsy, downing a pair of Minotaurs that had stopped short and began to rouse the attention of the enemy forces to our charge. Shortly after that, however, I had to holster my Streltsy in the saddle holster and draw my Runeblade for the final approach on the enemy formation. Unfortunately, it seemed my shots had drawn the attention of some of the enemy forces just as surely as the bellows of the two Fallen Minotaurs had.

Some of the enemy had managed to turn and prepare against our charge, however, setting up with looted halberds from fallen members of the Khypris Border Guards to try and defend against our charge. Fortunately, Ion and his Strigany Cavalry were able to break up the partial hedge of halberd blades and spike with a hail of Javelins and Darts, felling some of the Minotaurs and opening gaps in the line before they charged home with spears and blades. Nearby, Francois de Montjoie and his Mounted Yeomen charged in with twelve-foot cavalry lances that had a reach advantage against the six-to-eight-foot-long Halberds, goring through Minotaurs and drawing blades and horsemen's axes with which to continue the fight.

My own section of the enemy flank was less well-organized than the others, and I was able to cast a spell of Burnished Gauntlet by drawing on the power stored within my Arabyan Puzzle Box to open a hole, the mystical golden gauntlet flinging itself into the throat of a Minotaur and breaking the thing's windpipe. It fell to the ground choking and sputtering, allowing my horse to trample it even as Radamenes, loping alongside my horse, pounced onto the chest of a second Minotaur and shredded its throat with his daggerlike tusks and fangs. As I lashed out with my Runeblade, carving through the Bone and Hide Armor of a Minotaur and cleaving it in twain from shoulder to hip, my own section of Cavalry Guards began to pile into the gap formed by my attack, widening it.

Now we were stuck in, and as I parried an attack from a wicked-looking blade that looked like it had come from a fallen Ogre, as it was more cleaver than sword, before ripsiting with a cut that cleaved the Minotaur's Skull open, I realized that if I could win victory here, the rest of the battle would be more or less easy. With victory here, that would be two-thousand-three-hundred Beastmen Troops slain, which would be a bit under a third of the Corpsecaller's Seven-thousand-strong Horde dead at my hands. We'd still have to face four-thousand-six-hundred Beastmen afterward, but it was doable, especially with troops we might pick up here in Aldium. Now I simply had to concentrate on winning the battle.

Unfortunately, it seemed such a thing would be easier said than done, as no sooner had I realized that than a Trio of Hulking Brutes in Black Iron Armor, wielding a two-handed cleaver-like sword of Black Iron, a pair of Black Iron Axes, and a Black Iron Single-headed Battle Axe, respectively, stepped forth to challenge me. Two Bloodkine Champions led by a Doombull Officer. The Officer let out a roaring bellow at me and charged me, as I realized that these three, too, had the Blessing of Khorne, though not to the extent that the Wargor Leader did. However, as their bulging muscles allowed them to eat up ground faster than should be possible, even for a Minotaur, I was forced to concede that was the case.

I barely had time to draw my Customized Enchanted Streltsy and get off a quick pair of shots before they were on me. One of my shots punched into the Black Iron Armor Pauldron of one of the Bloodkine Champions, the one with the Single Black Iron Axe, spanging off the metal and drawing sparks, even as my second shot punched through its shoulder, following on the heels of the first. Then they had crossed the ground, and the Doombull Officer lashed out with both of its two Black Iron Axes, forcing me to parry with my Runeblade. I deflected one axe strike with that parry, sending it off to the side of me. My horse wasn't so lucky, unfortunately, and the second axe bit deep into my mount's neck, decapitating my horse in a single strike. I was sent tumbling to the ground and twisted my ankle on landing with a wince.

Thankfully, Radamenes had my back and pounced on the weakened Bloodkine Champion with the Single Black Iron Axe, claws, fangs, and tusks shredding into the Bloodkine. Now it was only two on one. I parried a strike from the cleaver-like sword of the Blade-wielding Bloodkine Champion, only to be forced to duck away from a double strike of the Twin Axes of the Doombull Officer. My Sandy and Kerenzikov engaged as I flipped the switch for my implants, and time slowed down. I began to run the numbers as I backed away from the attackers, only to find there was no way out that didn't involve me picking up another wound. Thankfully, there was a way through this attack that let me be minimally wounded.

As time sped back up, I launched myself at the Doombull Officer, sliding under the twin horizontal swings of its axes, before thrusting up with my Runeblade. The Gromril blade punched through the armor of the Doombull Officer from Below, killing it, even as I took a stomp from its mighty hooves to my head, the Scarab Bone Sheath of my implants cracking even as my skull was cracked from the hoof strike. The Doombull died, though, and my Perpetual Nature ensured that I could heal from such attacks with time. I forced myself to block out the pain through force of will and surged up at the same time that the remaining Bloodkine Champion attacked, parrying a diagonal cut from its cleaver-like blade, binding our blades for just a moment before displacing the Bloodkine's blade to the side and cutting out with my Runeblade in what would, in Sigmar's Empire, be considered a variation of a Zornhau cut, cleaving the Bloodkine's arm in half at the wrist. That didn't stop the Khorne-fueled Beastman, of course, but the follow-up cut, which decapitated it, did.

As three Champions, one of whom was a Doombull Officer, all of whom had a minor blessing of Khorn, fell to me and Radamenes in rapid succession, that drew the attention of the Wargor Leader of this Warherd. It bellowed a roaring, bleating challenge at me and charged, tearing through a knot of fighting Cavalrymen and Minotaurs alike with axe and savagery. Four Cavalrymen from my Cavalry Guards went down to the Wargor, as did three Minotaurs of its own troops. However, the delay that caused allowed me to partially reload my Custom Enchanted Streltsy.

As it closed, I fired a trio of bullets in rapid succession at the Wargor Leader. Two of which were stopped cold, one by the red aura that surrounded the Wargor, and the other by its Brass Armor. The Third, however, punched through, biting deep into its torso. That only seemed to fuel its rage as it lashed out at me with its axe, forcing me to duck, only for it to thrust the butt of its axe into the open face of my helmet. The brass bludgeon on the butt of its axe smashed right into my mouth, smashing into my lip, splitting it, and knocking a tooth out. It would regrow and my lip would heal if I survived, thanks to my Perpetuality, but it was yet another wound on top of the two I was already sporting. As I stumbled back, it lashed out with the double-headed blade of its axe, and I was forced to throw myself to the ground to avoid being carved up like a turkey.

I dropped my Custom Enchanted Streltsy and surged up, reaching out with a gauntleted hand, enhancements and implants working overtime to arrest the backswing of the Wargor's Axe as I grabbed the haft and strained to check the blow. As I did so, I brought my Runeblade around in a cutting stroke that bit deep into the Wargor's Side. It bleated in pain, its Brass Armor, forged using fel magic, proving not to stop the Runeblade emblazoned with the Master Rune of Alaric the Mad, as the deep gash it opened was seared shut as the blade cut thanks to the Rune of Fire. In desperation, it lashed out with a headbutt that smashed into my face, breaking my nose, cracking my orbital bone, and busting me open. Had I not been wearing my helmet, that would have been a fight-ender. As it was, I was sent hurtling to the ground, Runeblade still stuck in the side of the Wargor.

The Wargor growled, bloody spittle dripping from its maw as it stomped over to finish me off. However, the Headbutt had sent me skidding back toward my fallen horse, saddlebags open where they had fallen and revealing my Arabyan Puzzle Box, still primed with Chamon Energy for me to draw on. As the Wargor Leader closed the distance, I summoned the energy in the Arabyan Puzzle Box, twisting it into a spell of Burnished Gauntlet, aimed not at the Wargor directly, but the hilt of my Runeblade, which was still stuck in the side of the Wargor, the power of Khorne letting it ignore an otherwise mortal impalement. The mystical golden gauntlet blazed forward, striking the pommel of my Runeblade as the Wargor was about to reach me and wrenching it sideways in a motion that wound up cutting the Wargor in half as if it had been snipped by a giant pair of shears.

The look of shock on the Wargor's Face as it toppled to the ground in two different directions soothed the many aching wounds I'd suffered so far somewhat. I hobbled over to my Runeblade and picked it up. Turning to regard the progress of the Battle. With the Wargor Leader dead, and both Bloodkine Champions and the Doombull Officer dead along with it, the enemy detachment had pretty much lost whatever steam they had begun their attack with. A few more minutes of fighting had them routed, with Fracois de Montjoie and Ion leading their Mounted Yeomen and Strigany Cavalry to ride them down. Around an hour after that, our infantry had the remaining Beastmen, primarily Gors and Ungors, with only a few remaining Minotaurs, encircled. It was a slaughter.

After two and a half hours of fighting, another nine hundred beastmen lay dead on the field of battle outside Aldium. In return, we suffered around one hundred casualties between killed and wounded, with the breakdown being roughly sixty killed and forty wounded. That meant we had inflicted on the enemy nine times what they inflicted on us. Not a bad day's work, if I said so myself, especially when the enemy had been hopped up on the power of a Dark God like Khorne. As for myself, I would need to rest before meeting with the Commanders of what was left of the forces of Aldium. After a day and night of rest, my Perpetuality managed to take care of the multiple wounds I had suffered, while our wounded had been healed with Alchemical Healing Items.

Now, I was ready to meet with the Commanders of what was left of Aldium's Forces. We would wind up doing so in the Great Hall of the Aldium Citadel, where formerly Lady Averil had ruled from in her own right some forty-eight hours after the Battle of Aldium.

Hopefully, they would have good news for me, despite the grim situation. . .

XXXX

The Great Hall of the Citadel of Aldium was a work of baroque design. Stucco Walls, Frescoed Ceilings, and Marble Floors were in evidence around the room. Honestly, as one of the very few holdings of any real size and level of wealth in the whole of the Border Princes, Aldium's Citadel had one of the handful of Great Halls that would be considered up to an acceptable standard for the Nobility of the Empire or Tilea. Even my own Great Hall in Alynda would be considered backward by many of the Imperial or Tilean Nobility and Merchant Princes, though it would still be considered acceptable compared to the holdings of some areas of the Border Princes, which would be considered little better than hovels by some. After all, Many of the more remote settlements in the area had to make do with some quite crude accommodations indeed.

Regardless, I found myself somewhat jealous of Lady Averil, though it wasn't exactly a noble sentiment for me to feel that way, especially not after Lady Averil's death in battle at Vimera. I tried not to let it show as I met with the Commander of what was left of the Aldium Militia, the Lord-Mayor of Aldium, and the Commander of the Mercenary Forces left in the City. Each of them had a different origin, reflecting Aldium's status as the closest thing in the Border Princes to a Major Trade Hub.

The Commander of the Aldium Militia was a Tilean who spoke with the peculiar Phonology and Affricated S-sounds of a Trantionese Accent, Vittorio Salvato, whose forces were a mixture of Militia Pikemen and Militia Crossbowmen. Then there was the Commander of the Mercenaries left in Alynda, Kaspar Fedorenko, a Fellow Kislevite, though he was from Erengrad in the Western Oblast. Finally, the Lord-Mayor of Alynda, actually a Lady-Mayor, Erika Brandt, who spoke Reikspiel with the smooth, slurred cadence of a Talabeclander. The First was a wiry man with a black goatee, while the second had a drooping mustache and was burly. Meanwhile, the latter was fond of dresses that showed off her ample tracts of land, though that seemed more of a calculating affair than anything, measured to gain advantage in negotiations.

"All right, let's call this meeting to order, then." I intoned.

"Da, let's. My men need to be paid." Opined Kaspar Fedorenko.

"My Militia needs a time frame for when they will be stood down. Most are anxious right now." Intoned Vittorio Salvato.

"More to the point, with Lady Averil's death, we do not have a Baron for the City. I can only handle so much with the powers vested in the Office of Lord-Mayor." Pointed out Erika Brandt.

"Which is most pressing?" I questioned.

"The Barony." Insisted Ion.

"Yes, a Mayor won't be able to handle everything. They aren't supposed to have unilateral power, after all." Agreed Martine.

"Speaking as someone who was a long-time Mercenary before gaining his Title, when contracted for the defense of a town, payment has generally been authorized by the Town's Lord, rather than its Mayor." Added Ruggiero.

"Very well. We'll discuss the vacant Baronial Seat first. That should lead into the Concerns that the Mercenaries have about payment." I nodded.

"A wise choice." Remarked Erika Brandt.

"Da, so long as movement continues on our payment." Concurred Kaspar Fedorenko.

"I suppose I can wait my turn, though I need to have my concerns addressed eventually." Sighed Vittorio Salvato.

"Do you have any prospects for Baron?" I queried.

"I would put myself forward, but I need to be able to handle my duties as Mayor. Somehow, I doubt you want the Ruler of Aldium to have sole power over such a lucrative trade hub." Smirked Erika Brandt.

"No, I do not." I nodded.

"What about Commander Fedorenko?" Asked Ion.

"Me?" Questioned Kaspar Fedorenko.

"That might be a good plan. Give him and his men a stake in settling down here." Mused Ruggiero.

"What if he pays himself and his men more than agreed upon once vested as baron, though?" Queried Martine.

"I can vouch for Commander Fedorenko's character, if need be." Offered Vittorio Salvato.

"What do you think, Commander? Would you be willing to take over as Baron of Aldium?" I asked.

"I have run my Mercenary Force for some years, but I also have enough formal schooling that I might be able to make a go of it. My Uncle is the Ataman of Chebekov, and I am technically of Druzhina Rank. Are you sure, though? I will still be learning many things as I go." Hedged Kaspar Fedorenko.

"It will be good to have another Countryman as a Baron." I confirmed.

"Then it's settled. Commander Fedorenko will be the new Baron of Aldium. I expect that Madame Brandt will help him learn the ropes of the job." Mused Ion.

"Which brings us to payment of the Mercenary Force." Pressed Ruggiero.

"Yes, how much were you promised to fight for the City?" Questioned Martine.

"One thousand Guilders, plus three guilders per man. In total, one-thousand-nine-hundred Guilders." Answered Kaspar Fedorenko.

"Does Aldium have that amount of coin on hand?" I queried.

"We do, and more besides." Nodded Erika Brandt.

"Then pay the Mercenaries what you promised. I will also match the offer to hire your men out for the remainder of the conflict." I intoned.

"They'll be happy to fight so long as their paid." Agreed Kaspar Fedorenko.

"What of my militia?" Asked Vittorio Salvato.

"I need replacement troops for the ones slain in battle. Currently, our Captains are evaluating your troops to figure out who is best suited as replacements. When I have the list, the rest may stand down. One-hundred-fifty of the Mercenaries will stay behind to act as a Garrison Force for Aldium in their place." I announced.

"They should be ready with a list by the end of the day, last I was told." Offered Ion.

"Indeed. Honestly, though, this has gone a lot better than I thought it would have." Pointed out Ruggiero.

"Il ne faut pas vendre la peau de l'ours avant de l'avoir tué. Let's wait until we've defeated the Corpsecaller before making any such proclamations." Snorted Martine, offering a proverb in her native tongue.

"Martine is right. We need to make the best of our time, anyway. We don't have time to fantasize about further, relatively bloodless victories." I scoffed.

As the meeting continued, we went over various things. Matters of repairs to the gates and walls, the disposal of the remaining Beastman Corpses, projected losses of trade revenues from casualties and damage, and so on. By the end of the day, I not only had things in order in Aldium, but I had my replacements from the Aldium Militia, along with the contract for more Mercenaries. We waited for a few days, drilling and waiting for more supplies, coin, and equipment to be shipped up the Tana Dante from down south, but finally managed to march out after four days of that.

As we made our way Northeast toward Vimera, however, the signs of damage were clear. The countryside was more rugged the closer we got to the foothills of the Black Mountains. We passed by several burned-out logging camps and razed farmsteads as we made our way toward Vimera. The lands around Vimera had been pretty badly ransacked. More than once, we passed by a hamlet that had been attacked, looted, burned to the ground, and had the skulls of their inhabitants piled in a pyramid in the center of town, while the crops lay rotting in the fields. We wound up having to purify those settlements with fire to avoid lingering taint.

In the end, however, Vimera was in sight, the Earth and Wood walls of the Settlement practically lost amidst the vastness of the Corpsecaller's Siege Camp. The Town of Vimera itself hadn't been very large before this, maybe ten thousand people in total, with a heavy skew toward men, as the rugged lands around the Town had attracted a number of prospectors and lumberjacks, populations that tended to be primarily unmarried young men. That population seemed to have dropped substantially over the course of the siege, and the one responsible for it all stood in the middle of the Beastmen Siege Camp.

The Corpsecaller was gaunt for a Wargor, though I knew better than to take that at face value, especially with the speed at which it moved and the buzzing aura of flies that surrounded it. This was a Wargor that was clearly favored by Nurgle. The blessings of the Plaguefather seemed to be upon the Corpsecaller three times over, as the shaggy, matted fur provided an extra layer of filth-like armor atop the unnatural speed and the buzzing aura of flies providing forewarning of attacks. It gestured at the walls with the Axe it bore in its grip that seemed to radiate a fel power. It seemed like the Beastmen were getting ready to assault again. We couldn't have that.

I formed the Army up as soon as I saw that. Getting everything into place for the final, climactic battle with the Corpsecaller. Unfortunately, even if we won here, this wouldn't be the end of it. There were still the Zani, Greenskins, and Prince Waldemar of Greymare looking to take advantage of the situation. Those were for after I dealt with the Corpsecaller, though. For now, I had to focus on the task at hand and winning this battle before I could tackle the others.

As the army formed up, the Corpsecaller's Horde noticed us and began to form up opposite our own force. They were too slow to do so, however, and we were ready before they could finish forming their own rear guard to protect their siege camp. With a trio of staccato trumpet blasts, the advance was sounded.

We began to advance, and the Third Battle of Vimera had begun in earnest. . .

XXXX

AN: All right, so here we have the next chapter. In it, we get to see the Battle of Aldium as well as meet some more local bigwigs. The MC got to put in another person as Baron of Aldium as well, and it's pretty much a given at this point that he'll wind up as Prince of Khypris when this is all said and done, as there isn't likely to be any Nobles left who don't owe their title to him in some way, shape, or form. There isn't going to be anyone left who even wants to challenge him for the position because of that.

At any rate, the next chapter will be the final battle against the Corpsecaller at Vimera, followed by an interlude featuring the High Warchief of the Zani Hill Tribes as he seeks to take advantage of the situation with the Corpsecaller to raid and seize lands in the lowlands. I'll also have a few more images and a character sheet update out before then as well.

Stay tuned. . .