Month 3 Story - Reinforcements

Jekkala approached Deneghra and Asphixious before giving a half-hearted salute, making her contempt for her 'superiors' clear.
"We found yer scholar in a small village jus' north of here, 'oled up in a church o' Morrow.  We got some information out of 'im but..." She motioned to a dismembered corpse, little more than a head and a spine. "Me girls 'ad a bit too much fun with 'im."
"Jekkala, you and yours are near useless."  Deneghra despaired of the Satyxis sometimes, but aside from some Mechanithrall, they were all she had.

The War Witch sighed to herself.  "Alright, I'll see what I can do..."
---
Zaal strode through the camp, casually observing as the paingivers lashed a titan, enjoying the aura of pain and power that emanated from the great creature.  He gestured to the robed Skorne behind him.
"The Titan is scared, it is in pain.  It is more powerful now than it will ever be in nature."  The Extoller he was addressing nodded.  "But that is the Mortitheurge's art.  We care about these."  As they kept moving, Zaal motioned to a unit of Praetorians as they drilled, fresh from Makeda's army and ready for combat, their blades flashing in the sun with the precision of warriors born.

"...These are the heroes that will make our Extollers great."
---
Kaya led her Druids to a grove with a naked Khadoran chained to an altar.
"In times of peace, I would rather allow these to breed naturally, but..."  Laris began to whimper as the young druid solemnly offered the man a drink.  Gasping, he accepted it, gulping it down.
 "Why...  Why are you doing this?"
"We found you scouting our domain.  You may not have known, but ignorance is no excuse."
"Then why...  Did you give me drink?  Why keep me alive?"
"I didn't give you a drink."  He stared at her for a second, completely uncomprehending before he screamed in pain, his bones snapping and reforming, his muscles growing and shifting, his muzzle elongating... "...and I would never do this to one of my own."  The new Warpwolf broke free of the chains and, with a lunge, tore a druid apart with new and infinitely sharper teeth before Kaya could fully bend it to her will.  Newly cowed, it took up a branch and started wielding it like a blade, warily keeping the humans at a distance.  Kaya looked up at it, surprised.

"Interesting..."
---
The Greylords forced several Winter Guard into a chamber of the Khadoran fortress that even Irusk didn't know existed.  The men were cowards, traitors, deserters and overall embarrassments to the Motherland.  Zerkova looked them over, sickened at what she saw, but with a renewed hope for her forces.  She would give these men a second chance to serve their country.  She would give them a second chance to be great.  As one broke down into tears and tried to flee, the chains around his legs forced him over, and one of her greylords struck him with his staff.

The lead Greylord started unlocking and opening several lead-lined chests and, if she heard the whispers, she gave no sign.  The traitors flinched and cried as they had chains strapped to their wrists to stop them simply dropping the swords they were equipped with, all in the cause of reinforcing the Greylord's army.

She would make them great.
---
In death, the archaeologist had proven more useful to Deneghra than in life.  Still, he couldn't tell her what he just didn't know, and the remnants of his body had been retrofitted by the Necrotechs as a new Mechanithrall.  Still, she had a name, something to look for, and the locations of the burial sites of some of Llael's greatest heroes.  As she broke into yet another tomb and began an incantation to fill another ancient warrior's remains with the power of the Void, she allowed her mind to wander over her goal in this god-forsaken country.

The Silent Child.  What power it would bring...

Month 2 Story - Beginnings.

Kaya awoke with a start to find a druid kneeling over her.

“My lady?  You were hurt in battle with Khadorans.”  Kaya cringed, both at the memory of her battle with Zerkova and at Overseer Alissa’s formal nature – she’d experienced the Wilding late.  Late enough for a Llaelese upbringing to start to take hold, with all the pomp and circumstance that held.

Kaya had done nothing but fight running battles against Cryxians and Khador since she had got here, and it was a losing battle – they had numbers on their side, and Kaya could only kill so many and, if she was honest with herself, she couldn’t fight their magics.  She hauled herself to her feet and greeted the Blackclads in front of her.  She didn’t like it, but she needed their help.

Baldur had always said her independence would be the death of her...

---

Aleksandra Zerkova stormed into the council room like a frigid wind that caused everyone except Sorscha to shudder.  The Kommander didn’t even  look up from her maps.

“Koldun Kommander, glad you could come.”

“It still amazes me that you think you can play war, Kratikoff.”  Zerkova glided past her with an air of contempt.  “Still, at least you know when you’re outmatched and when to call for backup.”  She slammed a scroll onto the table bearing the seal of the Empress.  The two Warcasters locked gaze for what seemed like an eternity before the Greylord smirked.  “I mustn’t keep you waiting, Irusk wants you back in Korsk.”

“KORSK!?  But that’s nearly a week away!”  Zerkova’s smirk grew wider.

“Then I suggest you start riding now.  And while you’re on your way, please ensure my mechaniks are en route.”

---

The arrangement had worked out, but as a mixed blessing.  Morghoul had needed an extoller more knowledgeable than him in the arcane, and Makeda had sent the best.  Still, as Supreme Aptimus Zaal marched into the tent, the paingiver had his doubts.

“I believe you need my assistance?”  The extoller looked both at Morghoul and, somehow, through him.  Even with everything he’d seen and done, this still unnerved him.

“Yes.  We have a prisoner and, while I can get the information, I don’t know what to do with it.”

“Where, naturally, I come in?”

“Of course.”  Morghoul turned to the Winter Guard crucified on a tree, and then to the beaten and bloodied soldier cowering at it’s base.  He sharpened his claws and spoke to the man in broken Khardic.

“Now...  You will tell me and my friend everything we need to know about these...  Orgoth...”

---

“So.  What do we do with them?”  Deneghra motioned to the Satyxis, the crew of the Widower that had been left after Skarre had gone off after Magnus.

“Use them?”  Asphixious glided up behind her.  “Until their captain returns, they will follow our orders.”

“Indeed.”  She turned to her Skarlock.  “Ready them and my Mechanithrall.  We still have a toy to find...”
---

Skarre had expended every augury in her pursuit of Magnus, and had ended up on the shores of a lake in Khador.  Finally, after weeks of running, he turned to make his stand.

“Do you know why I’ve chased you here?”  Magnus instinctively ducked under Takkaryx and parried Bloodworm, leaving himself open for a vicious headbutt, sending him sprawling to the floor.  He stopped moving and hoped she’d take the bluff.  “Get up, worm.  I won’t be denied a good fight before I finish you.”  The Cygnaran pulled himself to his feet and wiped the blood from his nose.

“Ah well, worth a try.  And yes, I know that you think I owe you coin.  Here.  Take it.”  He unclipped a pouch and threw it at her feet.  She didn’t even look at it.

“This is no longer about the coin.  You know too much.”

“That you’re looking for something?  Most people are?”  Skarre hurled a bolt of green fire at him and was at him before he’d recovered.  Magnus’ vision flashed red, then white, and then he became very aware he was looking at his own intestines.

“Yes.  I am.  And these will help me find it...”

---

A hooded figure formed from a tree into the grove Alissa had chosen to meditate in.

“You have found her?”  His voice was grating and deep, but not unkind.

“Yes, my lord.  What would you have us do?”

“Just keep her alive.  She doesn’t know what she’s getting into.”

“But my lord, she is headstrong, she runs into fights she knows she can’t win, and she has nearly died so many times already!”  A booming laughter filled the grove.

“Yes, that sounds like the child.  Still, you have your orders.  Do this, and do it well.”  The figure faded back into the trees.  Closing her eyes again, Alissa contemplated her situation.

Things would not be easy...