The night was young as Fritz began his shift as guardsman of one of the many entrances to the magical vaults of the Empire. The tedious nature of the job meant Fritz had complacent. This complacency had lead to obesity as he found little better to do most nights than gorge on the meat his wife had brought home from the days market. Why was it he always got the night shift while Hans always got the day shift? Fritz suspected it was something to with the special relationship that HAns was having with the Captain of the Guards wife. The Captain listened to his wife more than his soldiers and it was blatantly obvious. Why oh why, Fritz though to himself?
An object darted past Fritz as he pondered on this great mystery of life. Thankfully, his obesity hadn't affected his senses and Fritz gave chase to the object trying with all his strength to catch whatever it was heading for the vault. He appeared to have it cornered. Fritz knew they were standing over the central vault where the most dangerous of all the magical items were kept and the object had now stopped. Fritz caught up with it and exclaimed in an authoritative voice:
"Who goes there? This is secure ground as ordered by the Emperor himself. Being in here holds the penalty of death."
A slight twist on the truth but it would have to do for now. Fritz was out of breathe and held his sword up. It was visibly shaking as he tried to regain his composure. As he did he noticed the creature was looking at him. He was expecting a human or maybe elven face, at a long shot one of the dread Skaven or a Chaos worshipper. What he saw was much worse. A bare skull. It had no skin at all and the only thing covering its frame were black cloaks. Fritz was taken aback and charged at the creature. As he got near though, something strange happened. His limbs were stuck and he was unable to move. The skull spoke with an other worldly boom. The voice seemed to echo for an eternity and Fritz felt himself shiver and whispering a prayer to Sigmar as the wraith reached out and touched him.
"You cannot kill that which is dead."
With that Fritz dropped to the floor, stone dead and the creature began to sink into the floor. Across the city every wizard or magically inclined person knew something was wrong as the wards on the central vault were breached with the greatest of ease. Each person who actually knew what was happening began to run for the vault with any guards they could muster in tow.
Minutes passed and the first wizard arrived at the vault, a man by the name of Gerheim. He was a wizard of the Bright Order and a good one at that. Passing by the guards, he approached the place where the disturbance had occurred. Turning a corner, he was greeted by a single guard. With a needing tone of voice, Gerheim addressed the guard.
"Please, good sir, what has happened here, the vaults have been breached!"
The man replied in a slow voice
"Nothing has happened here. We have been standing guard all night."
"Then, guard, what is your name so I may present this to the others."
"My name sir? Is Fritz."
With that, Fritz eyeball fell out its socket and looked like it was on a stork. Shocked, Gerheim immediately incinerated Fritz without giving it a second thought. The guard was possessed of some demon or beast. Even as the guard burned, he tried to rise, and the skin was burnt from his very bones and Gerheim would see what was happening. Gerheim yelled to his magical brethren with urgency;
"Necromancy! The vault HAS been breached. It must be searched at once so we may ascertain what has gone missing. QUICKLY!"
Looking back to the corpse, it had stopped moving and was nothing more than a pile of ash. Gerheim hoped that this was just another attack by cultists and that there was not actually a vault breech as a single item from the Vault was enough to change the destiny of Empires.
Staying on that thought, Gerheim couldn't help but get the feeling that someone, somewhere, was watching him.
An object darted past Fritz as he pondered on this great mystery of life. Thankfully, his obesity hadn't affected his senses and Fritz gave chase to the object trying with all his strength to catch whatever it was heading for the vault. He appeared to have it cornered. Fritz knew they were standing over the central vault where the most dangerous of all the magical items were kept and the object had now stopped. Fritz caught up with it and exclaimed in an authoritative voice:
"Who goes there? This is secure ground as ordered by the Emperor himself. Being in here holds the penalty of death."
A slight twist on the truth but it would have to do for now. Fritz was out of breathe and held his sword up. It was visibly shaking as he tried to regain his composure. As he did he noticed the creature was looking at him. He was expecting a human or maybe elven face, at a long shot one of the dread Skaven or a Chaos worshipper. What he saw was much worse. A bare skull. It had no skin at all and the only thing covering its frame were black cloaks. Fritz was taken aback and charged at the creature. As he got near though, something strange happened. His limbs were stuck and he was unable to move. The skull spoke with an other worldly boom. The voice seemed to echo for an eternity and Fritz felt himself shiver and whispering a prayer to Sigmar as the wraith reached out and touched him.
"You cannot kill that which is dead."
With that Fritz dropped to the floor, stone dead and the creature began to sink into the floor. Across the city every wizard or magically inclined person knew something was wrong as the wards on the central vault were breached with the greatest of ease. Each person who actually knew what was happening began to run for the vault with any guards they could muster in tow.
Minutes passed and the first wizard arrived at the vault, a man by the name of Gerheim. He was a wizard of the Bright Order and a good one at that. Passing by the guards, he approached the place where the disturbance had occurred. Turning a corner, he was greeted by a single guard. With a needing tone of voice, Gerheim addressed the guard.
"Please, good sir, what has happened here, the vaults have been breached!"
The man replied in a slow voice
"Nothing has happened here. We have been standing guard all night."
"Then, guard, what is your name so I may present this to the others."
"My name sir? Is Fritz."
With that, Fritz eyeball fell out its socket and looked like it was on a stork. Shocked, Gerheim immediately incinerated Fritz without giving it a second thought. The guard was possessed of some demon or beast. Even as the guard burned, he tried to rise, and the skin was burnt from his very bones and Gerheim would see what was happening. Gerheim yelled to his magical brethren with urgency;
"Necromancy! The vault HAS been breached. It must be searched at once so we may ascertain what has gone missing. QUICKLY!"
Looking back to the corpse, it had stopped moving and was nothing more than a pile of ash. Gerheim hoped that this was just another attack by cultists and that there was not actually a vault breech as a single item from the Vault was enough to change the destiny of Empires.
Staying on that thought, Gerheim couldn't help but get the feeling that someone, somewhere, was watching him.