“For Sigmar!!” proclaimed Praetor, his blooded hands wielding the holy

hammer that had struck down countless abominations in the name of the

God- Emperor Sigmar.  Praetor's body was filled with a rush of

adrenaline as he thundered toward the unholy witch whom had been

terrorising the town for weeks now. “NO!” screamed Marial, the sister

of the witch, scrambling free from Brother Karl's grasp, clawing her

way toward the unholy witch; Marial would soon be free from the dark,

controlling magic's her evil sister had cast upon her. Everything had

seemed to slow down to a virtual stop and seconds felt like endless

hours.

Praetor raised his gold-tinted hammer into the glorious shafts of light

being cast into the great hall through the grand colour-stained windows

that stretched forever upwards.  The witch cowered at the bottom of the

shrine making no noise; only wincing fractions of a second before the

golden, glinting hammer came slamming down... sealing the witch's fate

forever.

Breathless, Praetor stood before the shrine with his hands firmly

gripping the hammer.  Marial swept over her sister in horror and pain,

desperately clutching the witch's dead, cold hands... weeping over her

sister's death. Praetor slowly stared down at Marial, thinking silently

to himself ‘foolish child', he shook his head and then gracefully

turned to face his brethren. “It is over.” Praetor said quietly.

Stepping down from the shrine he headed toward Brother Karl.  They

spoke quietly together barely 9 yards from the shrine.

Marial wept over the witch's body, she placed her arm around the body's

neck bringing it closer to her shoulder.  Something was attached to the

silver necklace of her sister, it pressed softly against Marial's

shoulder. “What is this...?”  She whispered to herself.  Marial

cautiously unbuttoned the topmost button of her sister's once beautiful

garment.  A small, black stone encased in what seemed to be smooth

glass revealed itself to Marial.  She could see her reflection in the

deep, dark depths of the stone.  She was obsessively attracted to the

perfectly smooth stone amulet.  It would be madness to leave it here to

be forgotten over time.  She had to have it... She would not let anyone

else find it... “It's mine!” cried out Marial as she pried the black

amulet from her sister's stone cold neck.  Praetor and all his brethren

quickly turned to face Marial, startled by her sudden outburst.

Streams of black and purple shadows seeped from the witch's corpse to

the black amulet that Marial now possessed.  Brother Karl exclaimed

worriedly  “Is she a witch too!?” raising his crossbow level with

Marial's head.  The evil shadows dispersed from around Marial and once

again, the great hall was filled with a deathly silence...

“Aarrgghh!!!”  Marial screamed in an unholy pitch. Brother Karl let

loose the righteous fury of his crossbow bolt before following suit

with the others and shielding his ears from the high shrilling of

Marial's scream.

For Marial, everything was slow again... her heart was beating so slowly

she could not believe it.  She felt the agonising and torturous pain as

dark, evil shadows penetrated her virginal body.  She could not react.

She was powerless.  Finally, the shadows stopped and she let out an

almighty scream.  There was so much pain.  So many emotions.  Countless

memories struck her mind all at once.  Marial could not muster enough

strength to sail through this torrent of pain, emotions and memories.

She went limp, once again powerless, her legs gave way and her body

fell to the stone floor with one quick, thud.

Composing himself, Praetor rose to his feet. “Karl?” asked Praetor.  He

reached down to his brother and shook him a little by the shoulder.

“Are you alright, my brother?”  Karl looked up to Praetor silently...

he did not say a  single word, he had seen Praetor say something to him

but he had not heard anything.  He suddenly grasped Praetor's arm in

shock. “I can't hear anything!?” exclaimed Karl in a slightly loud

tone.  “What?”  Asked Praetor unbelievingly.  Karl could only observe

Praetor's mouth move but no sounds were to be heard. “Never mind me...

how are the others?”  Said Karl loudly.  Brother Praetor headed toward

the other side of the now darkening hall, he noticed that the stained

glass windows had all been shattered and staring outside he saw the

setting of the golden orange sun. “BROTHER PRAETOR!”  Screamed Brother

Claudios  “HELP ME!” Praetor swung round to the screaming and saw

Marial hanging Claudios high up in the air, clutching onto his throat with her

abhorrent hands

.

Letting out a deep battle cry, BrotherPraetor ran toward Marial as fast as

his body would allow him.

Marial turned her head from Claudios to Praetor, and then stared into

the green eyes of Claudios forcing him under her ultimate control.

Claudios suddenly ceased to struggle anymore, limply hanging there

transfixed to the evil women's eyes. “Kill your Brother.”  Marial

whispered softly into his ears and released him from her grasp; Praetor

quickly grabbed Claudios from her evil, soulless body. “Claudios, are

you injured Brother?” asked Praetor, focusing his eyes on Marial.

“Brother?”  Praetor turned his head to the newest member of the

Brethren, Claudios.  Noticing that Claudios' eyes were black, Praetor

asked, “What is wrong with your eyes brother?!!”  Shocked, Praetor

quickly backed away from the now lifeless Claudios.

“Fell my pain...” hissed Marial as she disappeared in a swirling spiral

of dark, purple smoke from the great hall. Praetor swung his hammer

into the dark smoke but managed to hit nothing. “PRAETOR!”  Shouted out

Karl warningly as Claudios hit Praetor on the shoulder with a jagged,

rough grey stone.  Praetor groaned in pain as bones seemed to shatter

around his shoulder, his collarbone felt smashed and then he dropped to

his knees in agony.  Claudios raised his hand to take another swipe at

the hapless Praetor... but as his hand was at its uppermost level he

suddenly shook violently and fell to the floor, dropping the simple yet

deadly jagged rock onto the flat stone surface.  Standing behind him

stood the deafened Karl, holding his gold-plated crossbow where the

soulless body of Claudio once stood.  Brother Karl stared down at

Claudios and admired the pinpoint precision with which he had unleashed

the holy bolt into Claudios' spine.