In The World Of Sword And Magic As Space Marine - Chapter 119: Sons of Ravens

“Help, I need help with James. He needs a healer.” An old lady chained up with shackles shouts with her lungs out as she seeks help in the dark and cold dungeon. A few minutes later, a door opened and someone entered the room, reeking of the smell of ale.

“Damn it, shut your mouth, hag.” A rough-looking man armed with a sword and bottle of ale in his hand said to Countess Shaw after he kicked her stomach. Countess Shaw attempted to help her servant who was captured with her a few weeks ago. Unfortunately, the armed man had a different idea as he just came to physically abuse the prisoners.

“In the end, we only need you and no one else. Make any noise and I will kill your servant until you understand your place.” The man then slams the empty ale bottle on to servant named James’s head, shattering his skull and bottle.

“No!” This is all Countess Shaw can say as the man kick her once more, interrupting her from saying anything else.

“I said shut up! He is not dead. See? He is just flinching, alive and well.” Just as the man is about to draw his dagger to end James’s life, a small group of men enters the room.

“Dale, the boss said to bring the old lady to him. Looks like he had it with waiting and all,” One of the men said to the man name Dale and have others step forward to grab the countess.

“Fine. But she needs to learn the lesson.” Dale then proceeds to stab the unconscious servant’s neck, ultimately cutting it with a huge wound. The blood gush out from the man as he shook but it quickly ended, his soul and heat leaving the body in the cold dark room.

“James, you poor soul. Kelemvor, Lord of the Dead, please guide him to the afterlife and judge his noble soul fair.” Countess Shaw made a prayer as she is dragged by two large men. After reaching the first floor, the countess saw the outside world through the window for the first time in a few weeks.

The sky is red as the sun was about to set and darkness is about to slowly engulf the heaven above. The interior of the building is stone and old wood, countess guessed that the men who kidnapped her in the middle of the night based their hideout in the old forgotten fortress somewhere deep in the forest.

A few minutes later, men and countess entered the main hall where tables and chairs are shattered everywhere and candles barely lit the room as it was placed without proper placement. Many of the men were pleasant as some were eating and most are drinking what the countess assumed are cheap ales.

“Well, about dam time. I was about to send a search party to find you all,” Sitting in the middle of the group of men stands a small but well-built man armed with two short swords. Countess Shaw immediately realizes that this man is the leader of the gang and a nasty one at that as a man with no big stature usually relies on outsmarting the opponent and a lot of backstabbing. She has seen the type before during her prime as an adventurous noble lady.

“My lady, welcome to my small but humble kingdom. My apologies for not seeing you in person in the first place but as you can see, I have to oversee 50 men’s well-being and such. But now that you are here, I was hoping to discuss your price for freedom. You know, to end this nightmare once and for all.” The leader of the gang said to countess while smiling with such evil that Countess Shaw knew she is doomed either way. No such criminal would let a head of the noble house go after receiving the payment and without a doubt, able to identify the criminals to place a price on their heads.

“What is the price of the freedom that I can only enjoy before your dagger stab me in the back? I don’t believe you and there is no reason to believe you in the first place. You can cut my throat right now and I will gladly accept my death, for I know my daughter will avenge me and my servants by placing your severed head on a pike.” Countess Shaw leers the leader of the criminals with an iron will. She lived a long life and she isn’t going to beg to bunch of low-level criminals to live a little longer.

“Nice speech, my lady. You are right, I for sure won’t want any loss ends after receiving my coins. But there is something you need to know, your daughter is in on this. She is working for my employer and doing his bidding to do something. You have no one and I for sure will have my reward in the end.”

“You lie. There is no way my Gabriella is colluding with your kind willingly. My daughter is strong and she will avenge my death in the end.” Countess Shaw said with a stern voice but her eyes reveal her true feeling as her eyes tears with sadness. Her daughter is working for a mysterious man and knowing her own daughter, by force in exchange for the countess’s life. That is why she is alive, to control her daughter and the authority of her region.

“You or your master won’t have your way!” With that, Countess Shaw bites her own tongue. To release her daughter’s burden of being a slave to criminals and ending her life on her own accord.

“What! That damn old hag! Someone stop her! We need her alive!” Completely surprised by the action of the noblewoman, the leader of the gang panic and order his men to stop the countess from ending her own life. It was at this moment their string of fate ended as giants in iron armor appeared from the shadows and began slaughtering them.

———————-

An hour ago,

“It took a few hours but we managed to arrive before nightfall. Now, Midnight, do your thing.” The Wolf Seer and fifth captain of the Blacksouls gave his order and right away, his wolf sniff the air to catch the scent of the missing noblewoman.

Standing at the location where Countess Shaw went missing, any trace of the missing person was long gone as it was weeks ago when the countess was kidnapped. But for wolves of the Fenris, this is nothing but Thursday for them as they are evolved to track miles of harsh winter climate. Within a few minutes, Nightfall caught the scent in the air and point her head toward the deep forest beyond the city wall.

“That’s my girl. Let’s go boys, we got the scent.” Wolf Seer hop on the Midnight and led the party as large portions are former Space Wolves. As for the rest of the party, they are a small group of Space Marines from the different chapters who end up assigned to Wolf Seer’s fifth company. As usual, these Astartes remain silent but quick and well hidden as their expertise is assassination.

‘We will finish the mission tonight and have enough time to drink. Now, what should we do until Chapter Master and his forces arrive?’ The fifth company captain thinks to himself as he drank his ale from the rehydration tube within his helmet.

———————-

“What is going on!” One of the armed men shout and before he realized what was going on, his head was sliced in three different ways as lighting claws strike.

“Who said that?” A second man asked but just as he finished his words, something big grabbed his head and crushed it without making a noise.

When giant men with iron armor appeared, all the candle lights extinguished at the same time, darkening the entire room. With night fallen and the moon covered by clouds, 50 armed men quickly reduced to 20, and second later, 3. Just as 4th man perished, clouds slowly moved away from the moon, blessing the hall room once again with moonlight.

“What the hell just happened?” One of the surviving men standing next to the leader said in a silent voice as he saw the slaughterhouse in front of him. His comrades of many years lay in pieces and bloody on the ground. No armor could protect them as it was cut with the bodies, and no weapon helped them fight back as they were already dead before realizing what had happened to them. The massacre happened in a matter of a few seconds as if an angel of death came to collect the souls.

“I don’t know who you are or how many of you are here but don’t come any close! I swear on Mask, Lord of the Shadows (DnD God of thievery and shadows) that I will kill her before you take my life.” The leader of the gang draws his short sword and places it on the countess’s neck to show he was serious.

This was a mistake as his primary arm and shoulder fell from his body as something sharp sliced into three pieces. At the same time, two men who were standing next to each other with their weapons out are lifted to the ceiling by thin strings, disappearing into the darkness. A moment later, two men dropped to the floor with body sliced into pieces and their inners splashing the floor like wet rags.

“Who, what, how?” The leader who is still alive somehow said to himself as he kneeled to the ground while doing his best to hold his missing shoulder. As for Countess Shaw, she was in shock not from biting her tongue but from the horror of slaughter as she didn’t know if this is mindless killing or rescue.

Just as the countess was about to turn pale due to the loss of blood, a single giant in black armor appeared out of nowhere and kneel in front of her. For a moment, Countess Shaw thought the giant was William as she recognized the black armor, but before she could see the difference in the armor, the giant knight opened a small medkit and start treating her using the small metal object. It was at this moment when Wolf Seer and his Astartes bust through the doors to rescue the countess.

Seeing the hostage secured and all hostels taken care of, Wolf Seer snarled as he missed all the fun. It was at this moment when 9 more Astartes in pitch-black armor appeared from the shadows. Equipped with black-bladed lighting claws, power swords, and modified bolters, former sons of the Raven Lord present themselves in the moonlight.

“Damn it all, you blackbirds. You took all the fun out of the hunt.” Wolf Seer said to the former 19th legionnaires and approach the countess with heavy steps.

“Well, at least the mission was accomplished. Countess Shaw, by the order of the Chapter Master William and a personal request from your daughter, we are here to rescue you and secure the legion for upcoming armies.” Said Wolf Seer as he saw the countess quickly recover from her self-inflicting wound as the apothecary managed to finish the treatment.

“You were sent by Lord William? My daughter, is she alright?” Said the countess as she slowly got up with help from the apothecary.

“Yes, and we are here to end the ones responsible once and for all.”

“You mean their master? Do you know where he is located?”

“Of course. According to the Chapter Master, the mastermind of all these lies beyond Fort Stormfist. Expect his arrival in a few days as his armies left a few hours ago. Now that you are safe, we are here to secure the land and make sure nothing interferes with the advancement of the invasion forces. We are going to burn them all, my lady. By the All-father and Great Wolf, we are going to purge the land of the undead.” With that, Wolf Seer open a waterskin to drink Fenrisian ale.