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Ashen Fields - A Magnus the Traitor short
As arcing
missiles flew overhead, he breathed in the smoke, air and exhaust. Almost as if
it were sustenance, Magnus felt at home on this battlefield. Dubbed "The
Traitor" by Cygnarians loyal to Leto Raelthorne, Magnus was a loyal
servant and war caster to Leto's deposed brother, Vinter Raelthorne IV. Having spent a large part of Vinter's exile
in hiding, Magnus chose this as his time to strike in the name of his fallen
sovereign leader. This outpost along the
Moran road bordering Ord and Cygnar proper was an outpost that had see little
action, and with the diplomatic breakdown between Ord and Cygnar due to the
Cryxian landing on Ordian shores, this was sure to escalate the issue further.
Donning Cygnarian uniforms, Magnus took advantage of the current political
upheaval to stage an assault on the outpost, relating the illusion that Cygnar
was mobilizing against Ord after a threat of invasion to bolster its holdings
and weaken Cynar after its unwillingness to support them against the Cryxian
forces moving inland. Magnus needed to exercise caution, for while the
advantage was his, he knew that Cygnar had resorted to the use of mercenaries
to patrol the outlands of Cygnar. To make matters worse, he had recently been
informed that the Inquisitor Non Grata, Harlan Versh, had been in the area
recently. While he and Versh were on fairly neutral terms, he did not want to
give him a reason to turn his resources against him. While he was Non Grata
with the Inquisition, he still commanded a strong component of their resources
and had entry taken company with Rutger Shaw and Taryn di la Rovissi during the
Rise of the Convergence of Cyriss. It was safe to assume that if he
kept the company of those two, then they could potentially be a threat. While
it was known that they served no other than their pockets, Shaw was a former
Trencher and Taryn a Former Llaese noble, might still have some tenuous
allegiance to their respective homes and rally forces to Ord's defence. While a
threat looming in the back of his mind, Magnus couldn't care less at this
moment. This was where he was master. This was when he was truly in his element,
and he would not be stopped. Ushering a mental command to the Mule 'Jack, the
coal furnace roared to life and it began to groan and shake as it built up
pressure in its lobbing gun arm as it pressurized the cannon to fire. He
casually glanced back at the machine and waved his finger in a forward motion.
With a loud crack , the missile took off into the air and sailed toward a group
of gun mages laying down fire, occupying Magnus' own Trencher battalion. As the
missile nosed down towards the Gun Casters, it landed dead on in the fray, and
detonated in a massive explosion, throwing them in all directions, most of them
landing, dead before they even hit the ground.
One lone and valiant gunman dared to get up and managed to squeeze off
one last round before being sent to his doom by the sound of rifle fire. The
battle was going well, but he knew that Ord would send a horse for
reinforcements. While this was exactly what he hoped for, he hoped to leave
very little and needed this fight to be over quick. He had arranged for his
Skorne allies to send reinforcements just in case an additional patrol would
show and there had been no sign of the support. He didn't suspect they needed
it but if they could inflict a maximum amount of damage in a minimal amount of
time, then they'd be able to bolster some of their arms and armor before leaving
the battlefield. As the thought finished in his mind, a large mechanical
monster came into view, bearing the mark of the Steelhead legion.
"Shit" thought Magnus. " I had expected to have a bit more
time". As the mechanical jack loomed into view, Magnus' face drew a more
exaggerated frown, when he enlisted that he was not face to face to a standard
Jack, but realized with sudden awe, that he was witnessing the fielding of a
Wroughtiron Rockram. Very few of these machines existed, and were either in the
enlistment of well-to-do mining companies or extremely well off mercenary
companies. Even still, they weren't heavily manufactured, as there were only
maybe about forty known Rockram jacks between Ord, Llael and Cygnar. Rumour had
it that the Khadorans had acquired one, but all that meant was that there was one less in
the immediate fielding range. Making this destroyer his primary target, he
mentally commanded the jack to focus all fire on the Rockram, and as he did so,
he began to internally focus his abilities as he reached deep within himself to
draw upon his caster abilities for one of his most devastating weapons. A spell
that rent earth and iron apart like so much. Weak tin. As he found his focus,
his mechanical right arm raised and pointed at the jack. As the mule. Built up
pressure to open fire on the Rockram, the air around Magnus began to hum and
crackle as a ring of light began to engulf that which was once his right arm.
At the apex of growing power Magnus roared as he let loose his spell and
seemingly out of nowhere a massive explosion threw the Rockram backwards.
Magnus had forced himself to the edge of his limits to make this spell as
devastating as possible to make this spell truly destructive. And while the
spell was heavily taxing, it's dividends truly seemed to pay off as the Rockram
sailed through the air. Scorched and blackened, the jack appeared a wreck, and
almost turned his back until he noticed the machine landing on its feet, and leveled its sledge cannon towards the mule jack. With a roaring discharge, the
Rockram fired what appeared to be physical Armageddon, and when the mule was
struck, the air was filled with a sound that could only be described as the jack
screaming in utter pain for about three seconds. Magnus wasted no time in
diving to his right, and when the screaming stopped, the air was eerily quiet
for a moment. Once Magnus had gained his senses from the concussive he stood up
and looked over the smoke rich battlefield. He looked to where his trusty mule
stood, and found a heap of slag, the only thing identifying the jack was the
two legs that stood malformed in the place where the mule once supported its
caster. Magnus looked a t the massive construct and saw that while it still had
major potential to devastate the battlefield, it was heavily damaged. He
suddenly smiled as opportunity made itself known to him. A weapon that powerful
would go great lengths in helping Master Raelthorne retake his throne. While
the jack was clearly damaged, Magnus had enlisted the services of a young mechanic
named Calin Dronward, and had no doubts that the obviously foreign mechanics of
a Rockram would in no time reveal its servers to Calin. Magnus began running to
the perhaps where his riflemen were perched. In a matter of moments he found
the commanding officer of the rifle crew and stumbled towards him. Knowing
Magnus to be a man lost to the throngs of battle Varius Ness found it strange
to find his general to be so far back from the lines.
"Sir, to which do we owe the honor on the field of
battle?" Magnus growled through the pain in his leg " dispense with
the formalities Varius." He said curtly. "We be got a jack down there
with some devastating firepower. Tell your riflemen and long gunners to with
for their war caster. If we don't take him out now then the fight is
lost". Varius replied "why not take out the jack? It's likely that
the war caster is behind the lines manipulating the thing. My guns are good, but
they aren't that good. To take out the aster puts the rifles well within the
range of their support jacks and guns, not to mention closing distance for
their militia". Magnus angrily replied " don't dispute me Varius, I
want that weapon, and your rifles are the key to obtaining it. Take out their
caster. I will deal with the militia." As the riflemen began their motion
towards their position, a squad of Ord Trenchers broke through the smoke and
charged Magnus. Drawing his hand cannon, he leveled it and fired two shots,
each one taking a trencher in the face. As the Trenchers closed, Magnus holstered
his gun and drew his sword, Foecleaver, and prepared for melee. Magnus would be
surprised again today, for as the Trenchers closed the gap, seemingly out of
nowhere, a number of hooded men in red cloaks materialized and with murderous
grace, carved up the Trenchers with disturbing and unrestricted ease. The
fabled Skorne Bloodrunners were not unknown to Magnus, but to see them
performing their craft was both beautiful and mind-numbingly vicious to behold.
As the Bloodrunners finished their bloody work, another explosion ripped
through the air, as the Rockram was ripped apart with another explosion just
like the one Magnus had created not moments before. The Rockram fell to the
ground, but fell less ceremoniously as it crumpled to the ashes. Still somewhat
intact, the machine was out of the fight. Magnus turned back to find a familiar
face standing a few feet from where the
Bloodrunners seemingly came out of thin air. Holding his double bladed spear,
Magnus wasn't sure if he should be elated or concerned at the arrival of Lord
Tyrant Hexeris. A noble among the houses of the Skorne, he was a loyal supporter of Archdomina Makeda, ruler of the Skorne forces in Eastern Immoren.
She had united an entire caste of people under one ruler ship and was rumoured
to be a master of the use of the sword. While happy at the arrival of The Lord
tyrant, Magnus kept his composure. He strode to Hexeris and stared him up.
" a little late, aren't you" Magnus mused. Clearly not taken to
humour, Hexeris leveled Magnus with a harsh and uncompromising stare. Had
Magnus not known better he might have expected that Hexeris might have leveled his staff as well and destroy him without a second thought. "You have done
well, human, but do not think that because we share a battlefield that we are
friends. You are here to serve a purpose as am I, and it would be best that we
saw those purposes to the same end. Save your musings for your inferior
men". Not being one to miss a queue, Magnus brought Hexeris up to speed on
the situation. Hexeris was already aware of the situation as he and his
Bloodrunners had been watching the battle for some time, and were aware of the
plan Magnus had to re-purpose the Rockram. While this machine would be a
devastating weapon, Hexeris had no fear of this human using it against him and
his kin. He knew he could level both man and machine with a single thought,
and, if he really wanted to, make him serve willingly after his death. After
the update, Hexeris nodded towards his Bloodrunners and they vanished. Hexeris would
claim this victory, not Magnus, but he would let the human keep his toy. A Magnus surveyed the field once again, he
saw the Bloodrunners perform their dirty work on dozens of Trenchers and
militia. Eventually, the Bloodrunners fell, one at a time, but this did not
deter them from their art. By the time the last of them had been killed by
gunfire, or a lucky swing with a sword or an axe, the Ordic militia was but a
handful of soldiers and their caster. The caster had begun to make way for the
stables, and Magnus was not going to let this jack commander flee the field. He
took to the field, running like a man whose life was n the line. He didn't seem
to notice, but the fallen soldiers that had been cut apart by the Bloodrunners
had begun to stand up on their own and by the time Magnus was a mere few feet
from the stable, a small army had gathered behind him. Having heard the
commotion behind him, he turned to see a trencher militia a mere twenty feet
behind him. Fearing a betrayal, he drew his Foecleaver and leveled it to cut
the Trenchers down, but was stunned when they walked right past him. Magnus
turned about far and found the stable surrounded by undead Ordic militia and
two trencher Crews with the mark of the Steelheads clamoring to stop the war
aster from fleeing he battlefield. The doors blasted open as a horse burst
forth from the stable and began to flee to the road. As the lynch mob of
mercenaries and Ordic militia closed in on the horse, escape very quickly
became untenable as hands reached to pull the rider from the horse. As a crowd
of hands reached up, the unfortunate caster was unhorsed and buried under a
flurry of heavy punches and stab wounds. As Magnus closed the distance, the
crowd of undead began to part as Hexeris made his way towards the battered and
bleeding caster. As Hexeris came up to the mutilated but still conscious and
living body, he looked upon the Mage, a look of unimpressed disappointment, and
unceremoniously thrust his spear into the casters chest, ending his life on the
spot. As life left the casters body the army of undead collapsed as if on
queue. Hexeris looked at Magnus and gave him an evil grin. Without breaking his
gaze, he lowered his rot hand and wagged his index finger in a summoning
motion. The caster's eyes flared open, and he rose. Hexeris muttered something
in a foreign language, and the warcaster moved to the fallen Rockram. There was
still some part of the warcasters spirit left, as the body was resisting The
Lord Tyrant's command, but the Skorne warlock was more than the caster could
resist. The caster knelt down over the Rockram and began chanting. As he
continued, his body began to glow and the glow extended to the jack. As the
radiant light became brighter, the jack began to move. At the apex of light,
the caster screamed as if his very soul was being burned to its core and after
a moment of tormenting screams a bright flash emitted from the caster and it
was suddenly very quiet. When the light had subsided, the jack began to writhe
and then it began to stand up. The motions were laboured and bordering on
impossible, but the machine did it. Once it had stood on its feet, the machine
simply stood there, with its head bowed, but its cortex fully restored. It was
still very badly damaged, but nothing that Calin couldn't fix. Magnus stood
dumbfounded, and looked to where Hexeris stood to find the warlock standing
next to him. The suddenness of his appearance startled Magnus, and almost
missed what he had said. Without looking at the Traitor, Hexeris spoke "I told
you when you came to Immoren that betrayal would be met with an eternity of
torment beyond imagining. I also told you that serving us loyally would show
you rewards. Consider this a mutual understanding of our cause, and an
uncharacteristic act of goodwill. You willingly led your men into combat,
led your men to die for the benefit of our agenda. As it would be a waste for
such a weapon to be left behind, consider this a gift. Pray that you're ever aware of your loyalties" he then leaned in "because my power is beyond that of a simple machine, regardless
of its firepower." With that statement, Hexeris turned back to the woods
and strode off. Magnus glanced back at the Rockram and then back at Hexeris
only to find the warlock had disappeared. Wearing a look of suspicion and
delight. He sarcastically replied to the open air "thanks". After marveling at the machine one more, he tapped into the cortex of the jack and
commanded it forward as he met up with the riflemen. As he debriefed them, he
knew that at this point, there was no turning back.
This was only the beginning...
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I hope you enjoyed it! :)
~ Shawn
