Warhammer Divine Throne

”Heh~ ha~ heh~ ha~” A large crowd of Clan Rats was patrolling. Deep in the mine tunnels and among the heaps of refuse, this pack of Clan Rats, numbering over five hundred, marched with sword and shield and Long Spear in hand, patrolling under the lead of several Storm Rats.

”Prepare for battle!” Marshal Rick Heilberg began signaling his soldiers to ready themselves. At the same time, he turned and motioned for Belgar to give the order: ”All right, Dwarf King, your turn. How do we fight this?”

Since he had promised Belgar to obey his command, Heilberg, though inwardly harboring some objections to the Emperor’s orders, nonetheless carried out the Emperor’s will to the fullest, as was beyond doubt for Marshal Rick.

Belgar stood where he was and pondered for a while, carefully observing the patrol route of the Clan Rats.

Everyone could only wait patiently.

After five minutes, Belgar suddenly shook his head. ”No, we’re not attacking.”

”Not attacking?” Heilberg immediately realized Belgar had another plan. Marshal Rick motioned for the soldiers to quiet down and kept his patience: ”State your plan, Dwarf. The enemy is right in front of us—if we’re not fighting, we need a reason.”

”We wait for the Ratmen to walk into our jaws themselves.” Belgar weighed the situation, speaking in a low voice: ”If I’m not mistaken… everyone, rest where you are first, eat something. What comes next will be a hard fight.”

The Dwarf Army had no objections. These Oath Guards and Rangers immediately sat down, took out malt beer and bread and started eating. The human army, however, hesitated and looked at Marshal Rick. Once Heilberg’s order came, these loyal soldiers finally sat down to rest.

Throughout all of this, not a single Knight or Great Swordsman spoke an extra word. They were like precise War Machines, maintaining silence and neat formation at all times. Belgar stroked his beard; he said nothing, but inwardly he nodded to himself, thinking that although the army under the Emperor of the Empire could not compare to the Dwarfs, its quality was barely acceptable.

In the eerie depths of the mine, Laine pulled Surya down to sit beside him. The stench all around killed his appetite. The Count closed his eyes and patiently waited for Belgar’s orders.

Belgar signaled a few people to gather for a quick council.

”I can’t shake this feeling of unease.” Surya looked around at the surroundings: the damp underground, the chaotic piles of garbage, the murky air, the dim light. The female Knight pressed her body as close as possible to her husband. ”What does King Belgar want us to do here?”

”Obviously, he’s waiting. And for a stubborn Dwarf to be willing to wait patiently, there can only be one thing…” Laine turned his gaze toward Belgar. ”The prey we want.”

”Exactly.” Belgar nodded, his voice rough. ”You’re right, lad. We’re here to wait for the Broodmother. War underground is not like war on the surface. The forces and combat power we can bring to bear at any one time are limited, and the engagement frontage is likewise extremely restricted. Under such conditions, too many bodies will get us spotted too easily, too few and we lack the punch.”

In the faint firelight, Belgar continued laying out the tactics: ”Taking out a patrol is easy, but if it sets off the Ratmen’s alarm, it’s not worth it. Here’s my plan.”

”First, we wait for the Broodmother to show herself. Then the Demon Hunter and the Imperial Marshal will lead the Great Swordsmen and Walking Knights straight at the Broodmother, ready to deal with the Albino Guards.”

”Then, the Dwarfs will protect your flanks. The Rangers will pick out those special Ratmen and eliminate them.”

”Next, nine times out of ten, that thing will be there to protect the Broodmother. Laine, you go deal with it. What I mean is, we leave it to you. You Holy Grail Knights are always especially good at bringing down large Giant Beasts.”

”Fine.”

Once the plan of action was set, the group began their vigil in the dark corners.

Twenty minutes later, the Broodmother appeared.

The Dwarfs took it in stride; the human soldiers, however, felt their scalps crawl the instant they laid eyes on her.

It was a mass of rotting flesh constantly writhing. The enormous lump of meat was being hauled along the ground by a large crowd of Slave Rats, inching forward. It was at least three meters long. Aside from a huge rat’s head and the tail behind it, the rest of its body had swollen into a sphere, covered in all manner of ugly scars, pustules, and ulcerations. Yellow pus trickled down its body; through the decaying flesh you could almost see the viscera within, mottled with green blotches. Hallucinogenic fluids and filthy ichor dripped constantly from the rat’s head, while the Slave Rats kept cramming food into the Broodmother’s mouth.

Dozens of protrusions bulged from the meat mass. Hordes of pups were suckling on them. Foul, green, stinking milk sprayed from within the growths, and hundreds of pups swarmed around the Broodmother like a mudslide, spinning, scrambling for food.

Around the Broodmother were several hundred Storm Rat Guards and over a thousand Clan Rats. Besides that, at her side stood two Albino Guards clad in red armor, and a single Rat Giant.

”That’s the Broodmother.” At the sight of her, endless hatred flared in Belgar’s eyes. ”Kill it, and the entire clan of Ratmen will wither!”

”Oh, I like this tactic.” A hint of expression finally appeared on Marshal Rick Heilberg’s stern face. ”Soldiers, prepare for battle!”

”Prepare for battle, Dwarf Warriors! The time has come for the Ratmen to pay in blood!” As the Skaven Ratmen slowly drew closer, Belgar signaled that the moment for battle had arrived. ”Await my order, human soldiers!”

The Dwarf Army began taking out Hand Grenades and detonator caps from their persons, igniting them with their firing devices.