Markus nocked a Beaststrike arrow, before loosening it. Ghur and Azyr swirled around the arrow, ripping through several Khornates. Four more took their place, only to by scythed down by shots from below. Urging his Gryph-Charger back down the hill, Markus dodged the attacks from the Khornate warriors.

Flower petals drifted in front of him, and he urged the charger on faster, sliding out of the cage of coiling winds that bound the slaves of darkness at the top of the hill. Ruby was standing at the foot of the hill, her scythe in hand. She raised it, undaunted by the gunfire roaring around her. Above them, energy gathered as she slammed the butt of Crescent Rose into the ground, a bolt of silver light fell from the heavens. Those that were hit got incinerated in silver light, decimating two thirds of the group in one blast, scoring the metal-laden ground of Chamon.

That was when Vash and the contingent he had came from behind, smashing into the bloodbound and slaughtering them. Looking around, Markus lowered his bow. The battle had finished, for now.

Markus nodded go Ruby, who nodded in turn and began to walk towards the gate, Fleshrender flying as quickly as possible to join up with Ruby. She had a quick conversation with Vash before vanishing into the Realmgate. Vash drew his sword, impaling it into the ground, "Hold, the Lord-Commander is getting free guild builders. Lord Aquilor Wulfhart, set up a perimeter."

Markus nodded, turning to the Venerators, "I want you a mile out in each direction. If anything from Chaos comes, kill it. If it's a group of more than ten, fall back to the top of the hill and inform the reinforcements. If it's a beast, try to do both. Understood?"

They nodded, each clutching their bows, "Yes, sir!"

"Good, I'll take due north," Markus said, turning to Vash, "and if they get past us-"

"We will deal with it," Vash said, nodding, "Do not worry."

Markus nodded, urging his Gryph-Charger forward, the wingless animal carrying him forward.

-X Ruby X-

Ruby stepped through the gate, cracking a small smile at the deafening silence that stretched as men and woman gaped at her. Ruby stepped forward, smiling at them and raising her hands as several gripped their rifles. Behind her, Fleshrender shifted, tensing. Ruby reached out, silently running a hand down his feathered neck to calm him, "Hi!"

"Lord-Commander Rose," a bald Stormcast in the pure silver of the Hallowed Knights rumbled, stepping forward so he was even with her, "Can we assume that you coming through that gate, the battle has been won?"

"For now," Ruby said, "I'm looking for volunteers to begin laying the groundwork for the defenses. Humans, Aelfs and Duridans who are willing to take the first step out of Azyr and help entrenching efforts."

"I'll go," a Duridan with black hair said, standing from the front of one of the that was around the gate, "Me' ancestors wouldn't forgive me if I didn't come back to our home when the chance came."

Ruby nodded, stepping to the side as many of the men and women stood and entered the portal. Ruby met the eye of the bald Knight, "I can't order you around, obviously, but would you go with them?"

"The Lord-Commander ordered me here to support the masses as needed. Today in a momentous day for those whose ancestors were forced to abandon Chamon," the Stormcast, who's rank Ruby couldn't easily discern. He had the lantern of a Lord-Castellant, but no weapon she could see, "as many of them are journeying through the Realmgate, I will of course be joining them."

Ruby nodded, stepping to the side to climb onto Fleshrender. The Griffon took off, flying through the sky towards Sigmaron in a flurry of lightning and petals.

If Sigmar wasn't a literal god, she'd be slightly worried about the amount of a God-complex it took to name half the things in your kingdom after yourself… that, or maybe he was just as bad at naming things as Ruby was. That was a comforting option.

Not because it made Sigmar worse, but because Ruby could only ever come up decent names for combat strategies back at Beacon and it was nice to imagine there was someone out there who was just as bad as she was a naming important stuff. And because Ruby really, really didn't want to admit she might have hit her peek at age fifteen of her long life.

And she still moved like she was in her twenties!

Ruby gave a chuckle to herself, patting Fleshrender on his right head as he gave a laughing chirp. Landing on one of the great aeries of Sigmaron, Ruby slid off the griffon and began to walk through the halls, while he swept forward, grabbing the carcass of an ox and ripping into it with gusto.

"Hey!" Ruby said, pushing open the doors to the throne and waving.

"Back already?" Sigmar said, smiling at Ruby with a twinkle in his eye. Around them, the celestial orrery span and twirled. Chamon whizzing by Ruby's ear and stopping in front of Sigmar. High in the sky, Ulgu and Hysh continued their eternal dance, the only two planes that orbited each other. Aqshy burned next to her, landing on her finger for a second and spitting great gouts of fire. Sigmar raised his hand, curling a finger towards her and the flaming orb rolled off Ruby's finger. Ruby caught it, tossing from one hand to the other before looping it behind her back and throwing it at Sigmar underhand, the god caught the orb, floating it next to Chamon.

"Yep," Ruby chirped, striding across the gap and snagging a nectarine off the table as she went, "And I've got optimistic and realistic."

"Which is?"

"Optimistically, Chaos got real lazy, you went way overboard and we'll have this all done in a year or two."

"And realistically?"

"We hit them while their pants were down and they're gonna hit back as soon as possible and as hard as possible," Ruby reported, "It's gonna turn into a brutal fight to push further into Chamon, and it's only gonna be worse once we hit fortresses."

"Yes…"

"...You want us to hit a fortress?" Ruby asked, closing her eyes and bracing herself. She knew that inflection. Had been around Sigmar too long not to. It was the infliction he gave when a new member to the Beacon that might be dangerous.

"Not immediately," Sigmar said, "but once the the beachhead forms into a proper defensive position."

"Why?" Ruby said.

"Ghal Maraz is on Chamon," Sigmar said, more to himself than to her, clutching the golden illusion to his chest like an animal of Ghur, "I can feel it…"

"You're sure?" Ruby asked.

"Yes," Sigmar said, turning the orb in his head, "but where-? Ruby, call Fleshrender to you."

"What-?"

"Now!" The God-King's voice boomed as he swept his hands out, all the planes except Chamon vanishing. He stood as Fleshrender looked up, bounding out the aerie, over the head of the Duridan walking the halls and towards them, and slammed the ball into the ground, the magic twisted and warped, showing the Shining Beacon clashing with Khornates clad in black plate, outnumbering them four to one. Ruby grit her teeth.

"Looks like they got their pants up," she said softly, hiding the burning anger as she watched Vash standing hand in hand with another Stormcast, pushing the charging warriors back from the Realmgate.

"Where do you need to be?" Sigmar asked, eyes scanning the battlefield as Fleshrender entered the room, "tell me and you'll be there."

Ruby's eyes scanned the battlefield, before pointing at a group of Khornates heading towards Vash, climbing onto Fleshrender. Sigmar nodded, and Azyr crackled, the ever present smell of burning ozone growing pronounced. There was a boom, and Ruby was gone, falling to Chamon with the fury of the Heavens themselves.

-X Vashanesh X—

Vashanesh watched the Venerator crash into the ground with a thud, standing and drawing the Sigmarite blade forged in the shape of Blooddrinker, Luthor standing behind him and drawing his jagged blade and the first of a brace of Stomburst pistols. Six shots per gun and six guns gave him thirty six shots.

Less than what an equal number of Thunderstorms would give him by over twenty shots, but more dangerous. More explosive power, and that was what the former harbor guard of Lahmia favored.

"What is it?" Vash asked, crouching in front of the woman with blood running down her throat.

"Sk- ski-"

"Oh, joy!" Luthor said, standing above them, "They brought skin wolves!"

Vash's head jumped up, watching the wolves burst from the sparse treeline, shreds of skin and bone falling off them as they went and eyes glowing red, "Judicators!"

They wheeled around, grabbing their Thunderers off their back. Despite their speed, the beasts were far, far faster, one lunging at Luthor. The Hunter-Prime moved with a speed second only to Ruby herself, blasting one with the Stormburst. A fist sized hole exploded into the skin wolf's chest, before his sword easily decapitated the lupine head, thrusting the sword through the skull and flicking it to the side to free the blade.

Vash rushed to the side with as much speed as possible, putting himself between the skin wolves and humans. Throats crushed underneath his armor, growls turned to pained whimpering as he wrapped his hands around the skull of the wolves, dropping his sword, he nodded to the forming shieldwall, "up there! Now!"

"Yes," one nodded, grabbing the others hand and beginning to make their way. Vash threw himself in front of a third, gritting his teeth as it latched its teeth around the comparatively weak armor around his throat. Before it could do anything, a silver hammer crashed into the upper skull, throwing it back from Vash. The Hallowed Knight that had come through the gate strode forward, swinging a hammer of silver light while waving his lantern in his other hand. Beneath his helm, Vash's eyes went wide, his mouth dry as he stared at it. How could he not? In another life, in another world, he had fought for the right to wield the hammer it was a replica of. Come within days of doing so, if not for a betrayal.

In the World-That-Was, there had been a saying, 'Vlad Von Carstein's greatest mistake had been Konrad'. As the man who, in undeath, had been Vlad Von Carstein, Vashanesh was of the opinion that that was a load of tripe. His greatest mistake had been Manfred. The amount of regrets that stemmed from taking in the boy was literally too long to count, and nothing made that clear like the Image of Ghal Maraz smashing through the chest cavity of the skin wolf like so much chaff. Smashing the heads together, Vash let the twitching bodies of the skin wolves fall, turning to his second, "Luthor! We must hold the gate!"

Luthor nodded, shooting a marauder as he backed to the gate with Vash. Blades were bared, the first of the Von Carstens and the disgraced Blood Dragon stood even with each other, and then the artillery at the top of the hill began their loud report, while slightly lower, Trueshot Thunderers went off.

-X Ruby X-

"I have a question," Ruby said, staring at Grungni and Sigmar.

"What?" Sigmar asked.

"Is there any way Fleshrender can go through this with me?" Ruby asked, "if I'm gonna be fighting Chaos, I want him with me."

Sigmar glanced at Grungni, raising an eyebrow, "Would it?"

"Hypothetically," he said, "but realistically, it'd be difficult. Not on our end, but hers. She'd need the will to keep them both going."

"I want to try it anyways," Ruby said, gripping Fleshrender tight. The griffon growled, coiling around her, "We're a package deal."

Sigmar was quiet for a moment, before nodding to the the Duridan, "Let her try. It's my power to give."

"Fine," he said, gesturing towards a large chamber, "step into there, lass."

"I'll see you on the other side," Sigmar said, "it will be over much quicker from your point of view than mine."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ruby asked.

"You'll see," Sigmar said, just as the door shut between him and her. Sigmar met her eyes, and said something Ruby couldn't make out. Considering what followed next, she strongly suspected it was an apology.

From all sides, lightning exploded into existence, ripping through her Aura like tissue paper… no, that wasn't right. Her aura was still there, but was being bypassed completely. Looking down, Ruby watched skin, muscle, and even bone flake away, leaving nothing but red energy. Next to her, the same thing was happening to Fleshrender, the red energy of her arm mixed with the brown of his body. And then finally, mercifully, the lightning burned their heads away, and everything went numb.

When Ruby came to, it was to the rhythmic hammering. Opening her eyes, she looked down, watching Grungni hammering away at her chest. With each blow, muscle formed around her exposed bone, "Wha-?"

Grungni looked up, shock betrayed on his face before he put down the hammer, pushing Ruby back down, "Ye aren't supposed to be awake yet."

"Where' fle'render?' Ruby slurred, realizing she didn't have a tongue, or, at least, not an entire one.

"Me boys are taking care of your griffon," Grungni said, "He's fine. Now lie back down. I need to finish this. Don't worry, the hard part is over."

"I dun remember a hard, par," Ruby said.

"That's because you're not supposed to," Grungni said, picking up the hammer and continuing to hit Ruby's chest, muscle, sinew and skin slowly growing across her body, "Only Sigmar, me and me throng are supposed to. But ye passed, and your griffon came through too. He'll be strong enough to carry a Stormcast Hero like yourself into battle now. Just like ye wanted, the two of ya are a packaged deal now."

"Good," Ruby said, closing her eyes, or would have, if she had eyelids. In her head, she could feel a link that hadn't been there before, the noise of ringing hammers came across it, and Ruby was instantly reminded of falling asleep with her head rested on Fleshrender's haunch in the Mortal Realms. Closing her eyes, she let Grungni do his work, the crippled god hammering away at her.

"And that weapon of yours," Grungni said, "I want to look at when this is done. Beyond enhancing it with Sigmarite and runes, I think it could help in the creation of new weapons for the Stormcasts."

"Just don't break Crescent Rose," Ruby said.

"That'd be a shameful thing for me to do, lass, destroy another person's weapon without cause."

-X Ruby X-

The runes of Hysh and Azyr along Crescent Rose's Sigmarite blade glowed as Ruby reentered Chamon, igniting the blade with cleansing energy. Above them, clouds began to form, crackling and roaring. Sigmar's voice rumbled in her head, I'm sending in support. We can't risk it.

"You won't see me complaining," Ruby muttered, "just don't hit me."

Sigmar didn't respond, the message having been uttered in her final moments in Azyr, only sinking in after her landing. Ruby silently urged Fleshrender into a swooping charge, clutching Crescent Rose. The Warrior of Chaos had a second to snarl at her, axe bared, before Ruby's blade punched into his chest. Ruby threw him off as she wheeled around, watching the storm smash into the ground. The Hallowed Knights stepped out of the storm, silver Sigmarite gleaming in the remains of lightning. At their head stood a tall man who looked a few years younger than Ruby, but in truth, there had been almost a century between their forgings.

In each hand were silver replicas of Ghal Maraz, lightning crackling along both hammer heads, and a sword at his hip. His golden hair trailing behind him as he shattered the knee of one approaching Khornate Warrior, hammering the other into the skull of the warrior. Blood exploded, rupturing from the head like a fruit. Ruby landed, nodding to him, "Lord-Commander."

"Lord Commander," Valten said, eyes scanning the battlefield, "There are a lot-"

Whatever he was going to say was cut off as something crashed into the ground. Through the forest, a giant, towering ape with skin as red as blood came barreling, grabbing a Stormcast like he was a child's toy with one of its three arms. Ruby met Valten's eyes, and took off as he began to charge the beast, hammers carving a path through any warrior until-

A man in armor as black as a Shyish night stepped forward, a shield the same color in one hand, he stared down Valten, "I know you…"

"Go," Valten said to Ruby, before baring his hammers. The man's blade and shield deflected the strike, a calm in the tempest of violence around them.

Ruby turned, charging at the beast. Pushing herself up, Ruby hooked the scythe around the monster's arm. Letting Fleshrender continue in a loop without her, Ruby span, landing on the beast's wide back and pulled Crescent Rose. The arm severed, only for the other arms to wrap around her, lifting her to its mouth, it opened it wide.

That was when Fleshrender came back around, crashing into the beast and digging the talons in deep. Lightning crackled out of its jaws, burning down the spawn's throat as it fell backwards, it's grip on Ruby growing lax. She jumped out of it, drawing her runefang to cut down a charging Khornate and grabbing Crescent Rose. Fleshrender took off, flying towards where Vash and… the other guy, were fighting off marauder berserkers while Ruby grinned at the gathering Warriors in blood red armor. Activating her Semblance, Ruby charged forward with a laugh, running towards them with Crescent Rose bared. This was the best they had? Really?

-X Ruby X-

Ruby span the sword, using the flat of the blade to deflect the strike from the warhammer coming for her head. Despite her best efforts, the hammer continued to move, pushing her backwards. Finally, Ruby ducked, letting the warhammer flow over her head and lashed up.

Sigmar took a half step to the side, the blade missing him by an inch. The warhammer crashed into her neck with a loud, sickening crunch. Blood splattered from her mouth in a ragged, rasping cough as her trachea collapsed, wild, blazing eyes rolled back as Ruby collapsed. Dead.

And then, the magic of the Gladitorium pushed into her, great cairns at each of the twelve position of a clock glowed with magic. Collapsed and shattered cartilage repaired itself, Ruby's body spasmed, rising up, before smashing down on her side, hacking coughs of blood splattering across the sands and fading. When the coughing fit was over, Ruby turned and took Sigmar's offered hand, rasping as the magic continued to fix the damage, "I don't think that'll ever feel normal."

"I would hope not," Sigmar said, "because if you dying ever becomes normal, we're going to have a problem on our hands."

Ruby gave a laugh, rubbing her throat, "Yeah."

"So," Sigmar said, scooping up the sword and handing it to Ruby, "What do you think?"

"It's never gonna replace Crescent Rose," Ruby said, sheathing the bastard sword at her side.

"And it isn't supposed to," Sigmar said, "Just as in my old Empire, these new Runefangs shall be the symbol of office. Gifted to those who lead my hosts into battle, so all will be able to identify them."

"That sounds like a good way to get shot," Ruby said.

Sigmar gave a booming laugh, throwing back his head. Ruby chuckled alongside him, and he planted a hand on her shoulder, "Ruby, you ride to battle on a Griffon where others would use a Tauralon, you wield a weapon unlike anything seen in the Mortal Realms. Enemies will know to shoot you either way."

"I'll get a corp of Griffon riders yet," Ruby insisted. Sigmar grinned at her, before tightening his gip on her shoulder.

"We'll see," Sigmar said, "but for now, we should return to Sigmaron's main hall. The Scions should be done by now."

Before Ruby could ask what that meant, a torrent of lightning erupted around them. When it faded, they were standing in the halls of Sigmaron. Fleshrender looked up, before giving a happy purr-chirp and resting on the ground again. Standing above him was a Stormcast man, with a heavy hooded robe in the colors of the Shining Beacon (the unendingly ironic black and red) over him. Despite that, and despite the temperature in Sigmaron never wavering from that of a midsummer day, each time the man breathed, it was visible in a puff of icy breath. He turned towards them, eyes the color of ice staring at them from an uncontrolled mess of hair. His beard, which was second only to Grungni, twitched as he smiled at them, "Is he one of yours?"

"He's my partner," Ruby said, "I'm surprised, he's normally-"

"Aggressive, yes," the man raised his right hand, showing several bite marks along it. Ruby winced.

"Sor-"

"Don't apologize," the man said, "I moved too quickly because he reminded me of an old friend. These bites are my fault, not his and not yours."

"Right," Ruby said.

"What's his name, if I might be so bold?"

"Fleshrender," Ruby said.

"A fitting name," the man said, "Most would kill a mutant like this, but you didn't care, did you?"

"Hardest part was figuring out if him having two heads meant he had two brains and stomachs," Ruby said, "it doesn't."

"Yes," the man agreed, before Sigmar gave a cough, drawing attention to him.

"I'm sorry to barge into this conversation," Sigmar said, "and please, feel free to continue it afterwards, but I think it'd be good to give a formal introduction. Ruby, this is Gregor… do you mind if I use your last name?"

"It doesn't matter either way to me," Gregor said.

"Gregor Martak. He will be one of your Lords Arcanum."

"I didn't think it possible for there to be a title more atrociously stuffy than Supreme Patriarch," Gregor said, "but yes, I suppose that's what I am. Please, call me Gregor."

"And this," Sigmar said, gesturing to Ruby, "is Lord-Commander Ruby Rose, the head of the Shining Beacon Stormhost."

"Just call me Ruby," Ruby said immediately, "Please. Please?"

"I see neither of us are ones for pomp and circumstance," Gregor said, smiling, "It's nice to meet you, Ruby."

"Where's the other one?" Sigmar asked.

"If he's the man I awoke beside," Gregor said, "getting outfitted. He didn't want to waste any time."

"Of course he didn't," Sigmar sighed, "Ruby, come with me, I need to introduce you to Vashanesh."

"His name's what now?" Ruby asked, trying to hide a laugh.

"Vashanesh," Sigmar repeated. Ruby bit her hand, trying to hide the laugh. It wasn't right to laugh at people's names, it wasn't nice to laugh at people's name, it wasn't nice to-

"Vashanesh?" Ruby squeaked, the laughter rising up.

-X Adalbert X—

Adalbert looked up from where he was carving through marauders with one of his axes. The moment he did, his mouth went dry, his axes lowered. Flying high in the sky were dozens of harpies, their skin stained red as blood. That alone wasn't enough to shake him, what was, was the woman at their head.

He knew her, how could he not? Everyone in Aqshy knew her. Heavy, sinewy wings beat in the air, heavy, curved horns sprouted from her forehead and stretched over her slicked black hair, her feet ended in hooves. And in one hand, there was a shield with eight spikes binding the face of a Daemon to it, the beast still howling in pain, its tongue lashing out from a circle of teeth. In the other was a barbed spear, held ready. Her armor was the same bloody red, shaped to look like the flayed musculature of a human.

It was said that every day she flew across the Mortal Realms, gathering the worshippers of Kharneth that died in battle. At dusk, she returned to the Realm of Chaos and deposited them in the halls of blood. Then she lay with the Blood God himself, and at dawn, she gave birth to the red skinned Beastmen that worshipped him

Valkia the Bloody, the Consort of Khorne, Gore Queen, the greatest walker of the Eightfold Path, had taken to the field.

-X Ruby X-

It was ultimately Ruby's Semblance that saved her life. The woman who swept down from the sky was very nearly as fast as her, and the barbed spear ground against her Sigmarite armor in a shower of sparks. Swinging Crescent Rose towards the woman, Ruby winced as the woman kicked her in the chest with hooved feet, dodging around the attack from Ruby and separating her from the scythe. Ruby grabbed Dragon's Tooth, using it to deflect the next attack and dodging around the woman. The woman tried to deliver a heavy blow with her shield as Ruby did, but her Semblance let her barely slide past it.

Fleshrender swooped down, lightning crackling from his jaws. The woman swung her shield around, letting the crackling energy hit it. Eight nails on the shield seemed to burn with a red light, before the lightning was pushed backwards in a bubble around her. Ruby wasted no time grabbing Crescent Rose off the ground and lining up a shot. A loud crack echoed across the battlefield as the bullet hit home in the woman's skull.

It was ultimately ineffective, the Sigmarite shot dropping to the ground and the woman's head turned towards Ruby. In the time it took Ruby to blink, the woman was on her, spear thrusting for Ruby's heart. Ruby dodged it again, hissing as the barbs ripped into her side like the armor wasn't there. Fleshrender dove down, claws aiming for the back of her neck. The woman dodged to the side, leaving the claws to rip through the air.

Two more cracks came from behind Ruby, and the woman threw her shield up. The Daemon head gave a weak scream as the bullets dug into it. Ruby rushed forward, swinging Crescent Rose for the woman, only for her to take off with her wings. Six shots went off, all of them blocked with inhuman speed. The Daemon Princess tilted downwards, wings spread wide, she soared over Ruby's head. The Stormcast had just enough time to turn around and watch the member of the Beacon wielding a sword and gun desperately divert the spear, stopping t from piercing his heart by inches.

But it still must have pierced his lung.

Ruby began to charge forward, jumping and shifting Crescent Rose to its war scythe configuration as Fleshrender flew under her. Landing in the saddle with ease that centuries of practice gave, Ruby aimed the weapon at the Daemon Princess.

Who, in turn, span with what had to be millennia of practice, using the shield to deflect the strike and drawing the barbed spear from the Hunter, it span deftly in her hand, directing right at Ruby's head. To fast to completely dodge.

Ruby grit her teeth as the spear gouged out her left eye, blood pouring down her face. But that didn't matter, because to deliver that blow, the Daemon had left herself open. Not to Ruby, but to the tearing claws of Fleshrender. Azyr empowered keratin gouged into the armor, ripping through it and beginning to eviscerate the woman.

She didn't seem affected by the fact that her gut was being carved open, spinning her spear around to pierce Fleshrender's right skull. Ruby bared her teeth, activating her Semblance to grab Dragon Tooth from her hip and lunging off Fleshrender. The spear pierced her gut, and at the same time, Ruby's blade punched through the Daemon's chest. Below, the Stormcast Hunter and Vashanesh lunged forward, running her through from behind with their own swords and an arrow from Markus lanced through her jaw and into her brain.

The spear finally stopped then, slipping from her hand as her body imploded in a burst of red energy, an overwhelming smell of brimstone burning Ruby's nose. Gazing over the battlefield, Ruby's one eye locked onto the Hunter, "Are you alright?"

"Am I-?" The man said, "You lost an eye!"

"I'll get it fixed when we get back to Azyr," Ruby said, touching the hole, "get me a bandage for now."

- X AN X—-

Before anyone asks, no, I didn't forget Valten's duel. It'll play a role next chapter.