the thirteenth's chosen

[[[authors note: this is my first story I don't expect this to be very good, but oh well you've got to start somewhere]]]
[tags: war-hammer, Skaven, war, death, dark themes, more tags to come]




-chapter 1- memory lane


"SIRE THERE COMING AGAIN!" the frantic yell from the young lad that had in a panic, barged into your room had quickly woken you from your slumber on your shoddily made bed. Immediately upon hearing him, you woke up and shot right up, doing so you could hear the shouting, screaming, and the general panic from the people outside your room in the halls as they ran past. Pulling the covers off and cursing you standing up and look over to the lad who was standing there nervously and breathing heavily. You ordered him to rally all the civilians that he could find and then head for the tunnels as fast as he could. With a nod and out of breath "sire," he sprints out the room shouting as he goes.

Wasting no time, you move to the end of your bed where your chest was. opening it quickly, you see the most important things you physically have ever know in your life, your war gear. Full body plate armor and your sword and shield such was befitting of an officer of the empire a CAPTAIN to be precise. Quickly pulling it out of its protected housing, you promptly start to don it, how many times you had to go through the procedure of putting the thing on was lost to memory, putting on the greaves first you tighten the straps before moving on to your leg armor the cuisses.

You could still hear the panic from the halls making you hurry faster.The sound of marching reaches your ears. a patrol of men was marching by from the sound it on their way to the lobby most likely. you hear the sound that resembles crashing dinner plates it clear someone has fallen over in the rush of bodies most likely a maid."hear let me help miss" the shuffling of armor alerts you that one of the passing men must have stopped to help her get back up.

"OI ARMS-MEN GET IN HERE"you below out, hoping to get his attention. with a shuffle, he enters the room . "who in the bloody hell..?" looking around the room, his eyes finally rest on you "CAPTAIN SIR," he says quickly saluting you." at easy now help me get this bloody armor on."You tell him. He comes to your aid helping you place your breastplate over your chest, it took two pairs of hands to put on the full plate an aid or an armor was usually assigned to you where ever you went helping to get you on to the field faster, one did get assigned to you, but they were most like dead at this point.

The Armsman behind you was breathing heavily on the back of your neck, muttering a prayer to Sigmar as he adjusted and tightened the straps and laces attaching your armor in place. whether this was because he was scared or eager to follow after his fellow Armsmen or just the thought that he was helping his commanding officer with his armor you dint know. turning your head slightly, you call out to him, "what's your name, son" he was quite young from what you could tell, having observed him for a moment upon his entry to the room. "Rolf, sir," he replies, "what prayer are you muttering there, Rolf." "the shield of faith, sir, "Rolf replies, still muttering under his breath as he continues working on you.  As he comes round to your front, you look him over; his short blonde hair was still bright with all its youthful glory. His skin was ghostly pale, mostly likely from fright, and his green eyes still had a vibrant shine. he's probably never seen the likes of battle and death before. that was about to change.

"Say it louder."Not sure if he heard you right, he looks you straight in the eye "sir?" looking at him straight back you tell him right "say it louder I can't hear my self think, I don't want to hear all that panic in my final few moments before battle drown it out with the blessed hymns of Sigmar." Rolf lets out a final and mighty "SIR" before continuing to say the blessed prayer, the shield of faith, before continuing with your armor.

Shutting your eyes, you take the words in beginning to mutter yourself as you begin to think of the coming battle guts and gore, bloodshed, and the cries of the dying were soon to come. You took a deep breath steadying your heart rate, and began to think. it was good for men to preoccupy them self's before the battle. It kept the heart steady. The mind ready to face what horrors were yet to come, so you set your mind back remembering all the details every memory of what got you to this point all the battles all the bloodshed and all the loss you had suffered through to get you where you are at this very moment in time.

it had all began on the family farm some 20 years ago.

you had only been eight years old when the beast-men had attacked, your family's farm was from what you could recall was located to the south of Reikwald forest. father had been awarded land after serving in the state army for several years before being allowed to settle down.  finally being able to have children now that he had more time with the wife, eventually having twins. You had been playing in the wheat fields with your sister during early hours of the morning when then the sun had just begun to rise when they had struck. bestial, inhuman roar's alerting you to their presents as they charged a handful of them around 30 from what you could remember straight out of the same field you were playing in and headed straight at you.

the two of you ran straight home with the things still on your tail. Lucky father had heard your cry's of help and the roars of the beastmen and knew what was coming, arming himself with his sword then proceeding with mother to barricade the house before rushing to the front door. he was waiting on both of you so he could seal it. you both came out of the field right in front of the house, your sister leading the way only a few seconds were within reach of your father's safety. with your sister leading the way, the only thing you had to focus on was her she was the fastest out of the two of you, all you had to do was follow her, and you'd make it. How none of you saw what came charging out from the left-hand side of the field next to you, still to this day you could still not comprehend.

with a sound like an angered bull, a huge hooved leg the size of a man crashed down right where your sister was standing. kicking up dirt in all directions, making you stagger and turn away. when the dirt cleared, you turn your eyes forward again. the only thing left resembling your sister is a hand with two little fingers hanging on the end of it. The rest of her was red mush. horror gripping your heart, you follow the leg up before looking at the torso of the thing in front of you. over bulging muscle was laced the heads of others, men, women, and children. A huff of hot air blows straight down onto your head, looking up to the source you meet eyes with what you could only presume at that time was the head of a bull its glowing yellow eyes boring into your soul making you freeze.

this creature would later be known to you as a Minotaur.

The eyes by Sigmar! The yellow eyes! They still haunt you all these years later. Fear lingering in your mind every time you remember them.  "sir?"  the unnatural glow. "captain?" the horror.


"CAPTAIN SIR" the second time the voice called out, you snapped out of your trance of the past. It was Rolf. He was shaking you frantically"SIR YOUR NEED OUT FRONT." Gathering your bearing, you see he is holding your sword and shield out for you. Looking over yourself while you had remembered the past, Rolf had put the rest of your armor on by himself. Including your helmet, you must have been out of it. Grunting and regaining your bearings, you snatch your sword and shield out of Rolf's hand. Turning around, you head for the door. Telling rolf to follow as you sprint out into the stone hallways.