Wolfran the Knight Avenger
In
The Last Crusade of Altraumzen
Episode 2: Mounting Up
Walking past the ornate doors of the ship’s chapel tower Wolfran never allowed his gaze to wander as he marched past the engravings of praying saints under battling starships on either side. With purpose in his stride the Knight’s Captain pressed on as the doors shut with resounding clang behind him in the long hall devoted to previous glories.
On either side of the high ceiling purposely opulent passage were priceless treasure and tapestries depicting the trials of the saints, and the history of their carrier the Saint Invictus with all her crusades and desperate defenses. When they were done this day a full set of masterpieces would need to be commissioned assuming the behemoth made her way back to the havens at Callisto in one piece.
Wolfran saw Konrad before he spoke standing in between the depiction of the harrowing of the wyverns of Venus. The clash of titan acid spitting lizards, and heavy mechs had always been a favorite of the Knight’s Captain. His father had read him Saint Hansvold’s trails on the hidden jungles beneath the thick canopy of clouds of that green rock when he was a lad only aspiring to be a knight let alone a Captain.
Still, command was on his shoulders, and they had tasks to perform that no art could delay no matter how the sight of the minions of darkness being driven into extinction warmed his heart. So Wolfran marched on even as he heard his Magnus call after him.
“And our Holy Blessing for our cleansing of the Nightmare world itself is complete. Onward to glorious if misguided deaths that our wives will gnash their teeth over.” Konrad said with the air of a jester interceding before a mad king.
“That speech might be more effective if you had a wife, Konrad. Or even a prospect or two,” Wolfran said over his shoulder as he heard Knight’s Magnus Konrad clank after him. Wolfran’s oldest friend and comrade was in full battle armor just as his Captain was. The Magnus’ scarlet stars marking his rank on his helmet glistened in the spotlights above the gallery as he carried it under his arm.
“And you would do better to comfort your men in their time of need oh Knight Captain,” Konrad said as he caught up to the strong strides of his dark haired companion.
Together they were a contrasting pair. Konrad was a stark blonde with bright burning blue eyes while the Knight Captain had black locks and gray brooding eyes. Ever since their fathers had paired them for their mount training they’d been constantly thrown together. Eventually they had no choice but to grow fond of each other's company. Though Wolfran knew he would never admit that fact to his Magnus. Konrad was often correct in his judgements, but he was also an insufferable ass.
“I don’t believe in coddling the men. It’s bad for morale when the inevitable lies come to light. You can do differently when you're a Knight Captain Konrad," was Wolfran’s retort, his steady pace bringing them to the massive bronze and gold inlaid door at the end of the hall. A depiction of knights in armored battle mechs being taken by womanly angels on a staircase to the Heavens was edged into the solid oak doors.
“Dealing with those excessive long winded priests are what I have you for Knight Captain. Not to mention the inability to disparage our ever endowed with infinite wisdom leadership. With the exception of yourself, Knight Captain Wolfran,” Konrad said with a flippant wave of his hand.
“Oh, I can disparage our leadership Konrad. After all, they did appoint you as my Knight’s Magnus,” Wolfran said finally stopping before the towering wooden doorway. Soon the automated doors swung open on well oiled hinges. A laborious process that Wolfran was sure the other Knights Captains had made necessary on purpose to rankle their most pious peer. At least they were keeping their spirits up. They knew how long winded Konrad could be.
“Ah, even you understand their ineptitude. Making me only a Magnus and you a lowly Captain. What was the Kamadate thinking when we earned our mounts? No matter, now we’ll die together on a lava fields surrounded by the cursed dark goddesses’ minions, thraws, and whatever else the shedevil whore can conjure.” Konrad said while stretching out his arms to the Heavens’ besiegingly while the shadow of the pair of marble statues depicting their ancestors in their ancient garb darkened his face in the passage.
“We won’t die today Konrad, or at least we won’t all die. The Grand Marshal has made his decision. Still, I have yet to make all of mine even if his was illconceaved,” Wolfran said with conviction as the doors finally opened wide allowing the harsher light of the mech launch bay wash over their faces waring with the pleasant yellow spotlights of the gallery.
Beyond were dozens of parallel catwalks running along the length of the ship. Clamps holding row after row of mechanized armored suits all of which were fifteen feet tall, and bristling with weapons. Engineers and drones could be seen prepping the war machines for the conflict.
The Knight Captain paused to study their mounts, rising anticipation for their coming assault overflowing in his chest. Each mech was fashioned to match the armored warriors of their antiquity with white bodies and black crosses painted on their chests.
Wolfran’s knights were skydrop class mechs, and thus lighter than the monsters of the heavy mounts. One could not expect to drop on to a rock with any form of terraforming gravity generation, and have any fuel for jumps and maneuvers once your beast made planetfall if it weighed more than a herd of pachyderms. Theirs were the task of maneuver and speed with mass firepower. Those of the heavy mounts were there to hold the beachhead, but if their skydrop failed there would be no beachhead to land the hammer of heaven upon Ishtar's demons.
Thus their armor was adequate and their firepower over emphasized. They were not scout mechs even if their limbs seemed slimmer and their profile more reserved. Racks by each mech held the tools for the highly mobile skydrop core. The weapons were sized to fit the massive hands of the towering mechs, and robust enough to contend with the Nephilim giant demons of the dark gods’ hoards.
There were the double handed claymore electro swords with their cylindrical capacitors lining their bases, spears of saint Archon the younger with obsidian black shafts that doubled as railguns, handgun blades with golden swirls running down their lengths where their mouths would spew burning plasma on their foes. All were the tools of speed, firepower, and aggression. Let the heavy mechs hold the field while Wolfrans core took the mountain with flames of the heaven’s in their wake.
“I’ll be sure to let the men know that they won’t all die today. Tomorrow might be another story with Grand Marshals like these. It is good that God is more powerful than any one man’s folly, but I dare say I’d rather not be the one suffering the consequences of such pride,” Konrad said while shaking his head next to Wolfran.
The words brought the Captain from his revelry. Yes. This would be messy business, and yet one he would savor. Revenge was meant to be bloody. Still, he’d rather enjoy telling his children and grandchildren the story of their great vengeance, and that would take more than fury to achieve.
“You and I both Konrad. Which reminds me of our Marshal’s special orders to free up airsupport when we are planetside. We move fast enough, and we may even have orbital bombardment available. We are to capture the air volley cannons on the plateau, and hack them using the routines downloaded into your mount’s computer. In fact, all the mechs should have them by now,” Wolfran said as clamped his way forward to his mount a mech with a gold star emblazoned on its right shoulder marking his rank.
The cockpit was situated in the massive armored chest cavity where the armor cased seat opened, and hummed as if the machine was greeting his master, rumbling content at its fulfillment of purpose. A purpose that would soon be drowned with blood.
The Story Will Continue Every Friday.
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