Yelena felt a little nervous as she grabbed her Shockbolt Bow. Her Thunderhead Brotherhood was chosen to support Thostos Bladestorm and Vandus Hammerhand to recapture of Ghal Maraz in the Eldritch Fortress. Her results in training were excellent, but this time it was the real mission since she became a Stormcast Eternal. Because of her pigtail, that she weared despite her shaved head since she was a sister of the verdant cycle order, she decides herself against wearing the usual helmet with facemask. She left her quarter and ran through the hallway to gather her retinue, when she passed some Liberators.
‘Yelena, is that you?’, a female voice asked.
Yelena stopped abruptly and turned around, her sight fixing the only Liberatress of the group. First she didn’t know that to say. Her subconscious had recognized the voice, but that was from a time hundreds of years ago. ‘Was this possible?’, she thoughts with a astonished look. Her opposite sensed the confusion in Yelenas look and grasp her helmet. ‘Do you recognize me?’, she ask while removing her helmet.
‘Verena!’, said Yelena a little stunned, when she saw the pale, freckled face of her former friend. ‘I thought, that I was the only survivor’
‘I thought the same', said Verena back, while sharing a hug after all this time. ‘So, we were both chosen by Sigmar when the monastery was attacked by the Skaven. While the training I had mostly to do with the other Liberators.’
‘Listen Verena. I’m glad to see you again, but our conversations has to wait for another time. The Thunderhead Brotherhood I’m assigned to is dispatched to the Eldritch Fortress to support Thostos Bladestorm and Vandus Hammerhand to recapture of Ghal Maraz.’
‘We got that order, too’, replied Verena.
In this moment Yelena realized that Verena weared the same white Tabard, like her. ‘So, we are assigned to the same Brotherhood. Then we should hurry. Our brothers and sisters need us down in the Eldritch Fortress’, said Yelena while her voice has some force of her rang as Prime.
Verena put her helmet back on, before she replied: ‘Yes sister, we are paying back, what chaos had done to the inhabitants of the realms for hundreds of years.’ With a last clasp of hands they continued their way. Yelena had meanwhile forgot her nervousness, after knowing, that she would fight together with a familiar soul from old times.
Minutes later, they arrived at the Sigmarbulum. Yelena searched the hall for other members of there Chamber.
‘There they are’, Verena said as she saw a cyan colored helmet with a orange plum. After they arrived it didn’t take Yelena long to gather her retinue. At that moment her unit did consist of five members. When she glanced around, to see how many of the units had markings of the Blazenhearts she noticed that only fourty of her brotherhood were ready. These consist three retinues of Liberators and a second retinue of Judicators. Verena was assigned to Riko Stormclaws retinue, one of the two Stormclaw brothers. After Valten Blazenheart, their Lord-Celestant was at another mission, Lord Castellant Victor Brightsoul would lead them in their first mission. As she gazed over again she saw several other stormhosts including the Hammers of Sigmar and Anvils of the Heldenhammer. Then she saw Ionus Cryptborn, the Lord Relictor of the Hammers of Sigmar as he stepped in front of the Stromhosts. ‘Brothers and Sisters. The Situation is critical. Several brothers had fallen in this mission in Chamon and came back to Azyr. I was one of them. However our Lord Celestants Vandus Hammerhand and Thostos Bladestorm are near their goal to reach Ghal Maraz. But are also close before getting isolated from their retinues! To make things worse, Kairos Fateweaver prepares a ritual to bring Ghal Maraz into the realm of Chaos. We are running out of time and have to act immediately! Our mission will not fail and we will regain Ghal Maraz! FOR SIGMAR!’
Thousands of Voices joined in and raised their fists to salute.
Minutes later Sigmar through the stormhosts as meteors down to Chamon. With a hard impact, they landet in the inner courtyard of the Eldritch Fortress. Parts of the walls collapsed by the impact. Yelena tried to orientate herself shortly, before the grabbed her bow. She saw Vandus Hammerhand on his dracoth and then the first Chaos Warriors between her and him.
She tried to judge the distance as Victor gave the command to charge: ‘Liberators, advance! Judicators, give them shooting support!’, that was her signal. She gave her retinue order to target the Chaos Warriors which blocked the way to Vandus Hammerhand and bend her bow. In the time of seconds she found her target let down a rain of arrows, whereby multiple chaos warriors collapsed. Her shot followed volleyshots of her retinue and quarrels of the other Judicators. Riko and Samuels retinue advanced and involved the closest chaos warriors into close combat. In this moment Ionus Cryptborn and his subordinated units marched ahead to reach Vandus. First troops of chaos had overcome their confusion caused by the new arrivals and started to charge, while Horrors and Flamers of Tzeentech let rain fire upon the Stormhosts. Yelena shots volley after volley until she heard a shout from her retinue: ‘Judicatress Yelena! Watch out!’
In that moment she was pushed aside, as a member of her retinue was struck by warp flames instead of her. He collapsed by breathing hard before he raised back to Azyr as blue light. ‘We will see us again', said Yelena partly sad and frustrated after she realized, that he has sacrificed himself to save her because she was to focused on her targets.
She shook her head, got back on her feet and targeted the Flamer that had caught her nearly. He screamed in a high pitched voice, when he dematerialized after spiked with multiple arrows. Additional blue lights raised to Azyr, but Vandus, Thostos and Ionus advanced further. In this moment the ground started to quake and parts of the fortress started to raise, though the main part of retinues were cut off. It was too late for the retinues of her chamber to get up there and so there was only the hope, that the retinues that had reached the rising part of the fortress could succeed in their mission. 'Cause as much damage as you can!', shouted Yelena, while her own unit contained only two other Judicators and she gained control over three of the other Judicators after their prime had fallen. In the distance , she saw Riko’s retinue, that had only four members left. Verena was in combat with a Chaos warrior, while two other warriors closed the distance to her from behind. 'No, you will not do that!', said Yelena, more to herself and target them. Another volley fell both warriors. Verena decapitated the warrior she was engaged to and realized the fallen warriors behind her, with arrows sticking in there backs. With a salute she thanked Yelena and turned her attention to the next Warrior.
They were all getting nervous because they couldn’t be part of the main goal. A scream, coming from two throats let all warriors to pause for a moment. 'What happened up there?', ask one Judicator of her retinue. Yelena was clueless for a moment, then she noticed the disturbance between the daemons. There would only be one conclusion for that scream. Kairos Fateweaver had fallen. Chaos troops around her started to retreat. Then Vandus Hammerhand stood on the parapet of the fortress. The Hammer in his hand wasn’t Heldensen but instead Ghal Maraz. All Stormcast Eternals raised their weapons and shouted of delight. Today they gained an important victory.
