# Ludwigs Tale



## Druchii in Space (Apr 7, 2008)

I've been thinking about haveing a go at the fan fiction contest, I think this piece is too long, but its one I like and I thought I'd share, I wrote it at the end of the Storm of Chaos campaign as I'd played a lot of battles with my Empire army at the time.

If anyone has any comments I'm always eager to listen, or take pointers on board.

Thanks in advance to anyone who takes the time to read this. 



Ludwigs Tale


Lucky Ludwig they called him, a sergeant of the army of Ostermark and the Empire, a brave soul and liked by all. He squinted as light of the sun pierced through the cloudy sky, he tried to wash away all the noise to focus on the colours swirling around him but it was too hard to force down the anger.
Rage tore at Ludwig's breast as he slashed out with his bastard sword, a family heirloom, the rage clawing at him inside as the blade struck cleanly through the Marauders stomach. Hot blood sprayed up his arms but he didn't care, his face a grimace of fury as he spinned and parried an axe strike at his neck. The brightly coloured armour of the Chaos Warrior loomed over him, but Ludwig just cried out with a mixture of anger and fear and drove his blade into the chainmail at the Warriors neck. Circlets of metal broke and scattered from the impact followed by dark blood that washed across the pink armour as the warrior fell from view.

Pausing he took a deep breath and tried to clear the rage from his heart, gasping he could see that all around him the forces of Ostermark fought bitterly with minions of Chaos. Most of them being the cursed minions of Lady Vichxkiss and her twisted daughter Daelana, both Champions of the accursed God Slaanesh. Ludwig stood in the centre of his armies line, his black tunic was torn at the neck from where a beastman had tried to throttle him moments earlier. Other members of the Mordheim patrol fought around him in similar garb, nicknamed the black feathers for the plooms and feathers they wore on their heads they where a renowned regiment of Ostermark. Something Ludwig and his fellows held a strong sense of pride for, but all around him grim faces fought on bitterly. It was as if their strength had been sapped from them, but even so they fought on determined to make the Chaos filth pay. He understood why, the same reason his rage had grasped onto him so savagely, their captain had been slain, their banner cast down and beyond their reach in the Chaos lines.

"For Dieter. For the black Feathers. For Ostermark, drive them Back!" came Lord Jared von Strudt's roar as he leapt past Ludwig his rune encrusted blade lopping the head of a beastman Gor in one stroke.

Ludwig scrambled back a half step at the sight of his lord's fury, the sword of Mordheim swinging left and right, a long blonde pony-tail flowing behind the blows. He spotted a Marauder lose his flail and both hands from a swift blow. A gout of blood errupted from the chest of another Chaos Warrior as the blade tore through the armour like it was parchment, Ludwig took a deep breath at the sight of such feroicity and almost collapsed. His breathing suddenly heavy as weakness descended upon him and he could hear only the roar of his own blood rushing through his body as fear gripped his heart. The stress, the shock of such wanton bloodshed it was almost too much, but even with his vision slightly blurred he could see the Slaanesh Lord. The one eyed, red haired woman prominent in the Chaos front line, it was Daelana her armour too revealing for any Empire lady tormenting him. She was lifting Dieter's head in truimph, drinking blood from his neck.
It seemed to be the last straw for Lord von Strudt he leapt at her his blade at her heart. Somehow the witch parried it with her curved scimitar at the last second and danced several steps backwards as Jared pressed his attack. Their blades sung like chimes as both parried blow after blow all the time with a twisted smile on her lips. Around her as she passed Men of Ostermark faltered at her beauty only to be torn apart by her bodyguard with curved axes and spiked mauls.

It couldn't get any worse Ludwig thought, then a huge shadow passed over him and he screamed in panic as a massive axe just missed him his face, splitting Wilhelm Grouter straight down the middle. The lad barely sixteen was unable to even scream out as his body fell away from the axe in two bloody piles. Turning Ludwig stared up at the monsterous Shaggoth and felt his heart sink, spinning he ran away his fear getting the better of him a sense of terror now clawing at his chest. With a bestial bellow the Shaggoth lifted it's axe and struck out, Ludwig didn't know if it was luck or fate but a stumble put him under the swing, several of his fellow Black feathers where not so lucky however. Bodies torn in half and various limbs where thrown in all directions, a wave of gore and blood splattering across the battlefield. Ludwig gasping for breath looked down at his arm as the blood of his fellows was running down his back. Soaking through cloth, making him feel sick in the pit of his stomach, then he could see it running down his arm and pooling around his hands. It was at that moment he realized he was going to die, his luck had finally run out.

The bellow of the Shaggoth came from directly above him and he felt the earth shake by his feet as a mighty clawed foot smashed onto the ground beside him. He closed his eyes expecting the blow to come, but instead a sudden sensation of heat roared over his back and the Shaggoth screamed out in pain. Rolling over he looked up to see the Shaggoth stumbling backward its head and neck ablaze. Ludwig's head snapped over to the right and a brief smile crossed his lips as he spotted Kiefer von Schekkle, the Bright Mage lifting his hands and with a incantation that ignited the air aflame and cast another fireball into the face of the Shaggoth.
Ludwig grasping his chance quickly got to his feet and grabbed a spear from the floor, with a sudden roar of courage he lunged forward and thrust the spear at the Shaggoth's belly. The spear point tore open the flesh and Ludwig pushed with all his might as the spear sank deeper into the flesh. The Shaggoth roared out in pain as it stumbled back another step and from Ludwig's right two spearmen of the duchy army thrust their spears into the same wound forcing the shaggoth back another step. It struck out wildly with it's axe and one of the spearmen vansihed from Ludwig's view with a splattering of crimson gore. Ludwig snarled in anger and felt the muscles in his arms bulge as he pushed with all his remaining strength. With a crack of bone Ludwig's spear sant a further foot inside the great beast and the Shaggoths death scream errupted out across the southern gate causeway as the spear's tip pierced it's heart.

The body fell to the floor with a mighty crash and the axe bounced out of it's grip across the floor ripping off legs and cleaving through flesh. Dropping a dozen fighters from either side with screams of agony and yells of pain. Ludwig took a deep breath and kept his hands tight on the spear ready to thrust it in further should the monster move again.

From the distance horns rang out and suddenly the chaos forces became bewildered, as if in a deep shock. Ludwig was positive he managed to make out 'Archaon has fallen' from somewhere in their lines. The courage robbed from many faces, they began to break and run, Marauders, Warriors, the Lords and Sorcerer's of all the Ruinous powers turned to flee. The Forces of the Empire and their allies rushed forward, many minions of Chaos where cut down, but those at the southern gate did not retailiate and fled across the wasteland into the forest.

Ludwig dropped the spear and stood in silence for a moment, all around men and women of many nations looked at one another, blood drenched in their battered clothing, all seemed tired and close to being beaten themselves. From a battlement above, a horn of Middenheim rang out and within a heartbeat the cheer rang across the entire battleline. The battle for Middenheim was over and Chaos had been defeated.

Ludwig fell to his knees and clenched his fists together, the roar of celebratiion around him blanked out by his thumping heart. Unable to speak, unable to move, Ludwig just managed a silent prayer to Sigmar and thanked Morr that he was still alive.


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## Hespithe (Dec 26, 2006)

It needs a bit of a spell check..... 10 errors, not to include the differences between British and American English (which I happen to like). It is only 1446 words long, so it is well within the guidelines. Just a spell-check and you're golden!


Oh, btw for all of you who may be wondering.... I would do the spell-check myself, but I do not have the authority to edit posts in this forum. Cheers.


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## Druchii in Space (Apr 7, 2008)

Oh okay, I'll have a look, if its one entry I prefer the one I'm tidying up, but If I can do more than one (will check in a sec I'd enter this too.) As to spelling errors, cheers I'll get that sorted, tbh I took this from an old file on my USB and just copied and pasted it, didn't consider a spell check. Also I write free form so I tend to miss errors quite often, should check more. I also have a nagging doubt I might be dislexic, due to my problems spelling words, mis using words (I have the right one in my head but I type in the wrong one) and pronounciation probs when I'm talking sometimes.. but I've never looked into it. Love writing though, so I don't let it get me down.


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## Hespithe (Dec 26, 2006)

Please feel free to post one for Fantasy and one for 40K.


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