"Plague Ogres are a huge threat," Ryan thought carefully for a few minutes before raising his head. "As long as they are within our range, we will definitely concentrate fire and blow their heads and bodies apart."
"But the biggest threat remains the Chaos Dwarfs' war machines," Ryan decided firmly. "I know the Chaos Hellcannons; they pose a terrible threat to the walls. We must do something to relieve the pressure on Nul's defenses."
"Tch, you'll regret not dealing with the Plague Ogres," Blackheart Reep grumbled, dissatisfied that Ryan hadn't taken his advice. "When I was in the Border Prince's territory, it was those Plague Ogres that stormed my kingdom. You'll pay for this."
"Oh? And how high were your 'kingdom's' walls? How many cannons did you have?" Grandmaster Pfitzman of the Order of the Sun scoffed. "Nul's defenses are beyond your imagination, mercenary. Duchess Emmanuelle brought you along not to command us."
"If you won't listen to my advice, why bring me?" Blackheart Reep was still indignant.
"Your advice? What advice could you give?" Pfitzman clearly despised Reep. "Teach us how to flee from Chaos? Or how to abandon comrades? The Order of the Sun never abandons comrades, never!"
The mercenary baron and the Grandmaster glared at each other, the tension palpable.
Sulia and Carad seemed ready to intervene, but Ryan raised his hand to signal them to wait.
Reep's expression changed, and he growled angrily, "Yes! Yes! I ran, I fled. In the battle at the Border Prince's territory, I lost three things: first, my so-called kingdom; second, my mercenaries; and third, my dignity! But what choice did I have? Without them holding the rear, could I have escaped? Could I have led them to safety? Those men, could they have crossed the Black Mountains alone and brought the message to Mandorf Castle like I did?"
Pfitzman and the others were silent.
"You think I'm despicable, you think I'm shameless, you think I only care about gold!" Reep's anger was palpable. "But what could I do? I'm just a mercenary baron! A lowly mercenary working for lords! It took me decades to build a fortress in the Border Prince's territory, and now it's gone. It took me decades to gather a group of ruffians, and now they're gone too. Even a stone warmed on my chest for decades would heat up. I'm not made of iron! I have a heart, I have feelings!"
"Your damn emperor took thousands of gold marks from me, casually gave me the title of Border Baron, without money, without soldiers, without support, but I still fulfilled my duty. I risked my life to deliver the message to the Empire! Was I wrong?!" Reep spat at Pfitzman. "You think I didn't resist? I led an entire Iron Cavalry unit, and I'm the only one left. The Empire has so many soldiers, like the sands on the Blackwater River. The Order of the Sun's treasury is overflowing, but that's you, not me!"
Everyone remained silent. Pfitzman opened his mouth, then closed it, finally saying, "This time, we'll let it pass. Don't do it again."
"Enough, are you done arguing?" Ryan finally spoke. His cold gaze first fixed on Reep. Now Ryan understood why this mercenary baron had managed to build a small domain from scratch in the Border Prince's territory. The Lady's chosen champion said to Reep, "I understand your desire for revenge. I promise there will be a chance for you to avenge, but Nul's defenses are different from the Border Prince's. Plague Ogres won't easily scale the walls."
"Fine, you fight the war, you command, you're in charge," Reep shrugged, knowing further argument was pointless. "I know you can fight. Soldiers follow good leaders. I'll listen to you."
"Good. Let's send out scouts and plan our attack," Ryan nodded, then asked, "Do you have any more intel for us, Reep?"
"Hey, not bad, Ryan-Malcador, not like those arrogant Imperial pigs," Reep opened his mouth and nodded. "I'll tell you, but don't get mad. Before, in the Border Prince's territory, some mercenaries tried to ambush the Chaos Dwarfs' convoy, but those Chaos Dwarfs aren't easy targets."
"What do you mean?" Ryan knew Reep had experience facing the Chaos army in battle. This was valuable, and the main reason Emilia had insisted on bringing the mercenary baron along.
"Chaos Dwarfs are very cautious with their siege weapons. They like to mount them on long, segmented trailers, so they can fire quickly even while moving," Reep explained, spreading his hands. "The trailers are full of Chaos Dwarf gunners and infantry, all heavily armored and unafraid of melee. Many mercenaries thought they could ambush them, but none returned. Plus, they have Chaos war dogs that react instantly, even at night."
"That is a problem," Ryan acknowledged.
Sulia stepped forward, having listened to Reep's account, and looked worried. "If he's right, Ryan, we'll need a careful plan."
Reep glanced at Sulia, momentarily dazzled by her beauty. He thought to himself that Ryan's wife was stunning, more beautiful than any woman he'd ever seen.
Thinking of the Empire's disdain and Ryan's respect, along with the sight of the beautiful Sulia, he had an idea.
"The more challenging, the more rewarding!" Ryan began his plan. "We must do something for Nul. This is a rare opportunity. Only by destroying this Chaos Dwarf convoy can we relieve the pressure on White Tower City and, in the future, Feldorf and Nul's defenses."
With that, Ryan and the others began planning their surprise attack.
***
That same night, at the ruins of Parch, the Chaos Dwarf convoy's camp.
The camp was filled with the sound of snoring. After a hearty meal and plenty of wine, the Chaos Dwarfs were deeply asleep, leaving only a few guards on duty.
Parch had been conquered days ago. The hundred-strong garrison couldn't withstand the Chaos Dwarfs' siege weapons. The seemingly sturdy walls were shattered by a single shot from a Hellcannon, heralding the defenders' doom. The survivors were either slaughtered and turned into bone fences or imprisoned in iron cages, awaiting their fate as fuel for the Hellcannon's daemon engines.
Even in the quietest hours of the night, the camp was not silent. The Chaos Dwarfs' war machines, unlike Dwarven steam technology or Skaven warpstone engines, relied entirely on daemonic energy. The daemonic steam engines and Hellcannon shells required constant sacrifices to operate. Without offerings, they would cease to function.
Occasionally, the Chaos Dwarfs couldn't control the daemons, leading to daemons devouring their handlers. The camp echoed with screams of despair and the clamor of daemonic machinery, but the Chaos Dwarfs slept through it.
Around midnight, things began to change.
In the camp, the Chaos Dwarfs' war dogs suddenly sprang to life, barking furiously, waking everyone. The Chaos Dwarfs quickly roused, cursing as they grabbed their axes and fireglaives, preparing for battle.
But in the dark, no enemy appeared. The Dwarfs nervously stood guard for five minutes while the dogs kept barking.
"Damn dogs!" The drunken leader of the logistics team, a Chaos Dwarf Daemonsmith, kicked a gray war dog. "Shut up, in the name of Hashut!"
"Woof, woof, woof!" The war dogs yelped but kept barking.
Chaos Dwarfs weren't as brain-dead as the Nurgle-corrupted Kurgan or Beastmen who fought by instinct. Nor were they like the Chaos Giants, Chaos Trolls, or Plague Ogres who divided everything into edible and inedible. Seeing the dogs' continued barking, the Daemonsmith grew wary and ordered the entire camp to prepare for battle, forming defensive circles around the daemonic steam engine and the ruins.
Besides the smell of daemonic flames and gunpowder, an unknown wind sound filled the air. The sound of hooves slowly echoed from the northeast.
Cavalry! A large group of Imperial cavalry! Hearing this, the Daemonsmith, sobered by the threat, shouted, "Enemy attack! Prepare for battle!"
The Chaos Dwarfs quickly organized. They charged northeast, forming ranks. The warriors raised their shields, fireglaives aimed at the approaching enemy. The elite Ironsworn and Infernal Guard formed a second line, protecting the daemonic steam engine and war machines.
"Send the distress signal!" the Daemonsmith ordered.
A red flare shot into the sky, signaling for help. Nearby Chaos warbands would soon arrive.
The Imperial and Bretonnian cavalry quickly approached, shouting battle cries. The Chaos Dwarfs, well-trained, didn't panic. The warriors' shields could effectively counter the cavalry charge, and the fireglaives were ready to fire.
Unexpectedly, the cavalry stopped just outside the fireglaives' effective range. Grandmaster Pfitzman of the Order of the Sun, dressed in black armor with a golden sun on his helmet, rode back and forth, shouting insults.
"Come on, Chaos Dwarfs, your granddaddy Reep is here to deal with you scum!" Black
heart Reep fired a few shots into the air with a four-shot pistol. "It's your misfortune to meet me. I swear to avenge my defeat! Come on, fight! Hiding behind cover, what cowards!"
"Hmph!" The Daemonsmith sneered. There were at least two thousand cavalry. Fight them outside the camp? He wasn't stupid. Holding out until reinforcements arrived, the knights would all die here.
"Ignore their taunts! Hold the line!" he ordered, bringing more soldiers to the northeast for a third line of defense. The fireglaives traded shots with the Imperial pistoliers, but both sides were out of effective range, making it more of a show.
The two sides faced off in the ruins of Parch, the pistoliers darting around, the Chaos Dwarfs holding their ground, the sound of gunfire filling the air but causing minimal casualties.
Firing the Hellcannon required prisoners as "ammunition," and the Chaos Dwarfs had few captives due to Wiesen's scorched earth policy. They refrained from firing, figuring the cavalry wouldn't charge.
Ten minutes passed.
What are these knights doing? The Daemonsmith felt something was wrong. Once reinforcements arrived, the cavalry would be doomed. Two thousand knights couldn't withstand thousands of Rot Knights and Kurgan cavalry.
Meanwhile, on the camp's southwest side, Ryan, Carad, Sulia, and a few Grail Knights and elite old guards had stealthily approached under cover of darkness.
With the entire camp focused on the northeast, the southwest was lightly guarded. The few remaining guards, groggy and burping from their drinks, realized too late that enemies were near.
Suddenly, a blinding psionic storm accompanied by deafening noise erupted. Ryan-Malcador, wielding the Thunder Hammer, charged into the camp. He roared, the first Chaos Dwarf sent flying by his hammer. The second Dwarf, raising his axe, was pierced by a sword, his guts spilling out.
"For the Lady! For Bretonnia!"
"For Ryan-Malcador!"
"Old Guard, advance!"
Ryan led the charge, Sulia and Carad close behind, followed by fifty elite old guards including Sir Bertrand the Green Arrow and Raymond. They exploited the breach, catching the Chaos Dwarfs off guard.
"For the Lady!" Ryan's hammer felled five or six Chaos Dwarfs. The Lady's champion raised the Thunder Hammer, unleashing a psionic storm that enveloped nearby fireglaive gunners, vaporizing flesh and melting armor. Carad, like a legendary Grail Knight, became an avenging force, Durandal tasting Chaos blood with each swing.
Sulia was even more terrifying. Radiating sunlight, she struck fear into the Chaos Dwarfs' souls, making them hesitate to approach. The female knight, like a Valkyrie descended, carved a path through the camp, her sword glowing with deadly light. She slew over twenty panicked Dwarfs.
Crippled, the remaining southwest guards fled, exposing the daemonic steam engine and war machines to Ryan.
The Chaos Dwarfs reacted. The Daemonsmith screamed, "Return! Protect the Hellcannon!"
Meanwhile, Ryan smashed an Ironsworn to pieces, then crushed another trying to block him. He raised the Thunder Hammer, lightning tearing through the night. Thunder and psionic storms roused the old guards slaughtering the disoriented Dwarfs.
"Destroy those war machines!"
"Move quickly!"
_________________________
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