Free Mark of Chaos by C.L Werner Page A

captain,' the engineer said, waving a finger towards the wagon.
    Von Kessel frowned. 'Field equipment?' he queried. 'I didn't know anything about any additional cannon.'
    'Aha! No you did not! And it is far more than a cannon,' the engineer proclaimed. 'Requisitioned at the reiksmarshal's order, it was. I tell you, the Elector Count Otto Gruber will be upset when he hears that the reiksmarshal took it, he will. A very special piece of equipment, this. The Wrath of Sigmar !'
    'The Wrath of Sigmar ?'
    The engineer leant in close to the captain, a conspiratorial look on his face. 'It's one of von Meinkopf's macro-mainsprings of multitudinous precipitations of pernicious lead,' he whispered proudly. He rocked back on his heels and sucked on his teeth, awaiting the astonished gasp from the Ostermark captain.
    Stefan looked at him blankly. 'It's a what?' he asked.
    'A what?' the engineer scoffed. 'Do they teach you nothing in Ostermark?' The engineer sighed and rolled his eyes at the bemused captain. 'In layman's terms, it's a helblaster volley gun. Ah, yes! Now I see you understand!'
    Von Kessel looked again at the wagon with wide eyes. It was a powerful weapon indeed. He waved for more men to come to help the ones struggling to free the bogged-down wagon, and he walked into the middle of the mire to lend his own help. He leant his weight against the back of the wagon, and set his boots in the mud. The call was given, and von Kessel heaved along with all the other soldiers. Straining, he could feel the wagon beginning to move, and redoubled his efforts. Suddenly, with a great sucking noise, the wagon sprang forwards and rolled free of the mire. Von Kessel and the other soldiers pushing it fell face first into the mud.
    Laughter rang out. As the captain rose to his feet, the laughter petered out. He spat mud from his mouth, and wiped his hand across his face, clearing the clinging mud from his eyes. Then he began to laugh. The other laughter started up again, and the muddy soldiers slapped each other on the backs, laughing and cursing.
    Stepping through the mire, the captain approached the engineer once more. 'There you are, Markus. The engine is free, and no harm came to it. I hope it was worth the effort.'
    'Oh, it will be, captain,' said the engineer, offering von Kessel a silk handkerchief, which the captain declined, much to his relief.
    'Captain! Our scouts have sighted the coast!' came a shout. Von Kessel bid goodbye to the engineer, and began to make his way to the front of the column, where he found the reiksmarshal. The knight looked at the mud-covered captain and raised an eyebrow.
    'I slipped,' the captain said flatly.
    A scout could be seen galloping hard down the trail towards them. Thick white froth was on the lips of his horse, and it whinnied and stamped the ground in agitation as he brought it to a halt before his captain.
    'What news, Wilhelm?' asked von Kessel.
    'Are you alright, sir?' asked the man. The captain waved a hand to dismiss the question, flinging mud as he did so. 'It's bad, sir. Castle Kreindorf is occupied, as the reiksmarshal had said, and I can see white sails out to sea, sir. Elves, I believe.'
    'And this is bad news how?'
    'They cannot land, sir. The castle is surrounded, and the ships cannot beach.'
    'Surrounded? Is it the Norse? Quickly, dammit!'
    'Aye, I believe so, captain, and other things too.'
    'Other things?'
    'They are quite far-off, but there are thousands of them. Furred beasts that walk like men.'
    'Beastmen.' spat von Kessel.
    'Aye, captain.'
    'We must move with haste.' said the reiksmarshal calmly. 'If those elves are slain, it will be very awkward for our Emperor Magnus.'
    'I'm sure it would be more awkward for the elves.' said von Kessel. 'What are they doing out here anyway? And why are those ships trying to beach?'
    'I fear they are trying to land so that they can pick up one of the elves. Someone very important: an elf mage of the royal bloodline.'
    'A what? We came all this