“Damn you human! We’ve helped you with those reavers and this is how you repay us! You might as well rob us in broad daylight, and it wouldn’t have made a difference. My merchant kinsman always talks about those greedy humans back in Marienburg and it wouldn’t surprise me if you are one!”

If only you knew. But I hope you won’t. Otherwise you may strangle me. Hervig supressed a smile and a chuckle and looked around, once again, in disappointment. He hoped for Teclis to be part of this negotiations but sadly he has other things to do… Seems suspicious. Well whatever, I’ll tread carefully and milk them dry.

“Lord Athelmar, please don’t compare us to the burghers of Marienburg. All of us in this colony are people that want to start a new humble life, away from luxuries and wealth. We simply want to survive and embrace our new life.” Hervig cupped his hands in sincerity and appeared to look unhappy. He picked up the annual census and read out the details to him. “According to this, our population is at twenty-thousand and that’s just in New Altdorf. Roughly, four-thousand are in Nahrstadt and we don’t yet have a suitable bureaucracy to map out our citizens in the countryside- “

“Cut your gibberish and make the point already.” Athelmar huffed in irritation. He wanted to continue learning new magical spells from his mentor and not interact with humans. However, Teclis has given him an order and he shall dutifully accomplish it.

“Apologies for running down your patience but I think its still important to show you the evidence. Your expeditionary fleet is nearly just under two-thirds ours! It’s obvious that we would struggle to feed our people and supply your fleet for a two months journey.” We won’t struggle. We’ve got dozens of wizards from the Jade Order helping us grow our crops… And I can’t use the excuse that we’ve got raided. Unless… Hervig sighed and wanted to rub his sore neck.

“But we just helped drive off the druchii using our magics! Which is much superior to yours! And those captured druchii ships! Surely, they have provisions!”

“In a sign of good faith, Lord Stanhelm has given Admiral Hofstein an order to give you the supplies in those ships. Free of charge. But I have to be honest. The food we’re going to sell you and those captured supplies won’t be enough.” The Treasurer looked regretful. He then saw his counterpart clinging on to his sheathed claymore and he instantly started to sweat. Not from the heat but from panic.

Athelmar wanted to rage at him and wanted to call him a fraud, a liar. But he noticed that they aided them without any conditions attached. He wanted to kick himself and his mentor for not realising this. He glared at the manipulator, not noticing his panic, and relented. To Hervig’s great relief. “How much…”

We’ve hit a breakthrough! Let us milk them dry and give the money to the Conciliator of the court of pleas. To my wife. Maybe she’ll appreciate it. His brief looks of triumph eventually turned to a look of remorse as he heard rumours of the victims of the ‘druchii’. The ones that have been brutally whipped. The ones that have been flayed… He now had a moral reason to swindle the knife-ears and by the gods he’ll gladly do it with vigour.

They continued to hash out the finer details and walked out of the room. Lord Athelmar was fuming whereas his human counterpart looked emotionless.

“One last thing Lord Athelmar.”

“What else do you want human! Didn’t you have enough?” He seethed with rage and scowled at him.

“Do you have any objections on those dark elves getting burnt?”

Athelmar processed the question in his head and couldn’t stop himself getting offended. “What are you trying to say human?” He slightly unsheathed his claymore and strongly gazed at Hervig.

Hervig looked calm as he took a deep breath. “I was just wondering… I thought you would get offended if we were to burn your kin- “

A metallic cling echoed through the hallway of the palace. Athelmar unsheathed his sword and pointed it towards Hervig’s neck causing the yellow cladded greatswords to also raise their swords. Both sides looked at each other intensely. “The druchii are not our kin. Never compare us to them.” The elf looked around and immediately regretted his actions. He quickly sheathed his sword and stormed out.

Well? I think that’s good… He didn’t say he objected so… Time for some hot revenge!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“My son! They had me poor boy whipped till he was nearly dead! I thank Sigmar for giving him strength to survive. But those freaks burnt down our homes and slaught’rd our farm animals! I don’t know how we can survive the next Geheimnistag when our homes are nothin’ but rubble!”

“Hemrick and my sons are now dead! Those brutes killed all of ‘em! Ye should’ve listened to what they were planning to do to me and me daughters!”

“Me pappa… Th-they used him as a targettin’ practice…”

Emma stoically listened to the victim’s plight and tried not to break down crying. She still remembered the time when Nahrstadt got sieged and the forging district were raided. She remembered their wailings and sorrows. She should’ve been well prepared. She knew how to handle their sufferings. But now… Its even worse. At the very least predators eat other prey and its only in their nature. But these elves… She stopped herself picking up her wooden gavel and breaking it into pieces. They had no good reason to do any of this! Are they insane! Why are they a bunch of sadist fucks!

Emma nearly lost herself from anger and grief. Back in the Westerland, reports of dark elf raids are normal. But experiencing the victim’s horror and pain as they voiced their plight is different from reading it straight from a printing press. She calmed herself down and enjoyed imagining what was going to happen tomorrow.

She knocked her gavel a few times and waited till the court quietened down. Emma cleared her throat and straightened her posture. “My fellow citizens of the Empire! I have just listened to your queries and many of them are truly frightening and depressing. Know this, you have my thoughts and prayers. No one, not even our hated enemies, deserved what just happened to you all. This senseless sadism and vulgar brutality will not stand in the eyes of Lord Stanhelm!

“As I speak, hundreds of our rescued countrymen are being clothed and fed and freed from a life of slavery. We can thank the courageous efforts of the imperial sailors for their bravery.” She took a light breath and took the opportunity to look around and was delighted when most of them were nodding along. “Lord Stanhelm has increased the funding of the Imperial Lustrian Fleet and plans to increase its number of ships. To hopefully avert this disaster from happening again. Unfortunately, to most of you here, this decree has come in too late. We as the councillors of this colony and Lord Stanhelm will take responsibility. And it is only fair we rectify our mistake, not just to prevent future raids, but to also compensate those who suffered.”

She signalled for a clerk to open the chest and ordered the greatswords to enforce the queue. “We will pay those who lost their loved ones and lost their house.” Emma slumped down further in her chair and breathed a sigh of relief. They couldn’t have afforded any of this. To pay for hundreds of people’s deaths and to help those who lost their house as well! Looks like Hervig has been busy with those High Elves.

The Conciliator looked around the court and smiled. Her pride came streaming out as she smiled. She was proud that they were helping those in need. They were probably the only rulers in this cruel world that cared about them and, gave them silver and copper to build themselves back up. She remembered Erick’s look of shock and approval as she told him that they were paying back those who’s relatives died in the lizardmen’s attack. He told her that this is the first time he has heard of it. He says that not even the nobility in the Drakwald cared for peasants.

The people in the court looked relieved but a hint of sadness still lurked. Understandable. No amount of gold can bring your family back to life.

She took more queries regarding other aspects of the colony from disputes of land to thievery. The number of crimes that I have to mediate has steadily increased since I was appointed a year ago. Give it a few more years and I’ll be overwhelmed. This is something to tell Hervig and Lord Klaus about.

As the day passed, she remembered something that she was supposed to announce. She went over towards the queue. “It may not bring your dead back to life, but their tormentors would be brought to justice and be burnt for their crimes. Crimes of sorcery, murder and slavery! A pyre is already being built in the Town’s Square.”

They looked at her with a hungry zeal in their eyes and they quickly stopped looking downcast, as it was replaced with looks of vengeance.

“Hope those knife-ears burn! That’ll teach ‘em!” More furious rantings were howled, and Emma didn’t bother using her gavel. My job is done. It’s now time to go home.

She took her leather hat and worn it as she stepped out of the townhall, which sheltered her from the blistering sun. She looked back and reminisced. To think that this was nearly half the size it was, just a year ago. She stared up the spire and noticed a group of men installing a bell. Some of them were sculpting the wall with the imperial griffon with skulls surrounding it. She looked satisfied and signalled a carriage.

“To the Hanoschaft manor please my good man.” Emma generously gave the driver the money which caused him to slightly flinch. She giggled and insisted giving it to him. “Just take the money mein herr. Please.” The driver relented and droved on.

She squirmed in excitement to the thought of cuddling Reinhard again. Emma never had a child before him and never experienced raising a kid, but she was sure Reinhard was developing way faster than other babies his age. He started to speak when he was nine months old and his first words were ‘mama’! She stifled a laughter when remembering his husband floundering and accusing a baby with colluding with his mother. What an oaf and a sore loser.

Eventually they arrived in a two-storey manor with state troop guards blocking the gate. She peeked her head and thanked the guards for doing their duty, and they were let in.

“Thanks for that my good man.”

“I-it was a pleasure milady.” He fumbled the huge pack of coins and dramatically opened his mouth.

At the entrance of the house stood their loyal head maid who was once Reinhard’s wet nurse. “Hello there Melinda. Anything interesting happening around the house when I was gone?”

“It’s nothing special mil- my lady but I’ve caught Reinhard crawling out from his room again.”

She rolled her eyes at that. Not again. At least he’s persistent. Just like his mother! “Let me guess, he crawled towards the library again?” He seems far too curious for a baby. Is this the magic that Sig’ told me about? If it is then I’m all for it. Maybe I should start reading him history books as bedtime stories. She snickered and caused Melinda to awkwardly look towards her. “Ignore me. Just thinking about stupid things.”

“Mama!”

Emma pointed her head towards the doorway and couldn’t resist running up to her baby. She swiftly lifted him up which elicited a happy squeal from her son. She then planted her lips to his cheeks. “How’s my baby boy doing?”

“F-fine.”

“Fine? Looks like you’ve been naughty today. Escaping from your room and worrying poor Melinda over here.” She talked in high pitch tones and gently swayed side to side.

“Eym Bord- Bored.”

“You were bored? What do you want us to do so we don’t make you bored?”

“Too much sleepeng.” He pouted his cheeks and stuck his tongue out.

“Uh, oh. No can-do little Reinhard. You need your sleep so you can grow! Do you want me to read you a bedtime story instead?”

His one-year old son eagerly nodded his head and Emma didn’t resist cuddling him even more.

“Whenill pappa be here?”

“He’ll be here soon baby. Don’t worry you have me instead of him.” She carried him towards the library and passed through a stairway. How does he manage to climb the stairs? “Auntie Melinda has been telling me you keep wandering towards the library. Why do you want to go to the library anyways?”

Reinhard flailed his arms around and angrily sighed. “Eym bored!”

She planted him in the table and wagged her fingers. “Don’t be angry with me little man. I just want to help you.” Emma stared at his son and smiled when he lowered his head. “Good. You want something to be read to you?”

“Uh-uh!” He sucked his thumbs as he nodded again.

Emma ruffled his head and stood up to get a book from the shelves. She incredulously chose a difficult book about the history of Sigmar and flicked it towards the interesting bits of the book, and stopped when she saw the chapter titled, ‘The Battle of Black Fire Pass’. She read him this chapter and would occasionally look at his son. She noticed how intensely he stared at her and would excitedly nod at some bits as if he understood! She continued to read to stop looking at him with pride.

“… The grandest alliance between Man and Dwarves the world has ever seen. Through that alliance they fought the greenskins lead by warlord orc, Urgluk Bloodfang, at the Black Fire Pass and massacred them. Through that battle, the populations of the greenskins significantly dropped.”

“Wat das ‘masscre’ mean?”

A sudden shout from the manor’s atrium saved her from answering his question. He’s too young to know that word. “Stay here Reinhard. I think pappa is here.” He giggled and squealed at that and stretched his arms towards his mother.

She couldn’t resist and scooped him up and struggled to climb down the stairs with a baby in her arms.

“Reinhard! Emma!”

“Pappa!”

They all huddled around and hugged each other.

“Why were you both in the library?” Hervig asked as he touched his son’s nose.

“Bedtime stories!”

“You love those don’t you. Its not even bedtime yet.”

“I want to lisen to bedtime stories all day!”

His parents laughed at that. “Then you don’t want to see your pappa duelling the greatswords?” Hervig jested which prompted Reinhard to sniffle and cry.

Emma slapped her husband at the back of his head. “You oaf. Now look what you’ve done.” She swayed him side to side again in an effort to calm him down. “Don’t worry little Reinhard, you can still see your oaf of a pappa beat people up. Now, now.”

“My lord, my lady. Your supper is ready.” Melinda curtly interrupted them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Klaus grinned with triumph as he saw his Lord Admiral lead a group of dark elves wearing nothing but tattered clothing. He delighted in the fact that they were stripped off their resplendent black elven armour. Now they look like beggars. He was still wondering what he’s going to use their armour on. Hervig suggested selling them but his brother adamantly requested to equip his soldiers with it.

He noticed that they were more smaller pyres built around the Square and was confused. He was just informed that there were only four massive pyres to burn them all in. Klaus signalled one of the organisers below the stand. “I thought there was going to be four pyres. Not two-dozens.”

“Oh, I’m sorry fer that milord. I was goin’ to inform ye but I got distracted. I was plannin’ for four massive pyres with enough fuel to burn a hundred of ‘em, but there’s this witch hunter that told us not to do it.” He pointed towards the gentleman with a long brown hat wrapped with a golden buckled belt

Stanhelm nodded at him and asked one of the Carroburg greatswords to call the witch hunter to him. They tend to be disrespectful and dismissive towards secular rulers. Might as well scare him with some powerplay. He stared at him as he came closer and noticed the telling look of a witch hunter. Typical frown with a tinge of paranoia and rapid eye movements which tries to look at everything. “What’s your name witch hunter?”

“Hertwig van Hal… My lord.” He said with a slight scoff which Klaus dismissed.

Van Hal… Interesting. What’s a witch hunter related to a famous lineage doing back here in Lustria? We’re not exactly infested with witches like Sylvania and Stirland.

“My retainer has said that you helped rearrange the pyres. Why is that?”

“If you burn them in large groups, they don’t die by burning. Most would probably die by breathing in the smoke, so they’ll never be completely purified. Burning them in smaller groups reduces their chance of dying like that.” The witch hunter explained with an edge in his voice.

“That’s why you built smaller pyres?”

“Yes. That’s why. Anyone doing or being complicit to illegal and dark magic needs to be cleansed. They should thank me for that.” Hertwig pointed at the shaking dark elves that are being tied up in their stakes.

I don’t think they’ll thank you for that. However, the families of those they tormented would. It’s probably wise to listen to him. He has probably burnt more abominations than I did.

Several labourers piled timber and haystack beneath them and scurried about. He noticed a familiar face as the High Priest of Sigmar walked towards him.

“Lord Stanhelm, it is customary of my sacred job to say the rites and extract confessions from the damned. Will you allow me?”

“High Priest Dunbar why go this far for those freaks. They might as well be mutants and you helped us kill a fair lot of them and saw their atrocities.” I want to accept. I want to rub the salt in their wounds by having a person not within their cruel faith administering their deaths. Oh, and it will be very fun to see their faces when Dunbar is trying to extract confessions from them. But I’m curious why he’s doing it. He mentally snickered at that.

“They all seem to be tainted with Chaos. I can’t in good will not perform a rite. Otherwise, Chaos’ corruption might infect this town square and the rest of New Altdorf.”

Klaus heart sped up causing mild chest pains. He took time to adjust his heart and breath rate and tried not to touch his chest. He gulped down and tried not to look weak. Gods… Did I just send Chaos here!? Here! Oh, Sigmar forgive me! “D-do what ever you think must be done.”

He frowned and plunged further into his chair. Other people saw the display and to avert panic he simply smiled, hoping they won’t catch on to anything. I need to talk to Hervig about the money required to build a Sigmarite church. I completely neglected the spiritual needs of my people. He covered his forehead and eyes with his palm as he contemplated in shame.

Dunbar walked into the gaps between the numerous stakes and performed a rite that would banish and cleanse the chaos surrounding the square. He opened a book. “Sigmar Heldenhammer, may you bless this upcoming fire and cleanse these abominations. Cleanse them of corruption and purify them.” The book started to glow and then Dunbar was covered in a golden ray. This was met with thunderous applause from the peasants nearby.

“Sigmar is with us!”

“For the Heldenhammer!”

“The Empire Endures!”

Several chants were zealously shouted.

“Now, do you dark elves want to repent?” He sneered as he asked.

They responded by spitting and grunting against him.

Dunbar wiped the spit off his face and grinned. “The rite is complete. Burn them. May this flame purify and cleanse them.”

Dozens of men carrying torches appeared and started to light the stakes. As the fire spread, they hurried to not get burnt themselves.

The crowd was awarded with howls of pain from the normally stoic elves. They writhed and struggled against their bonds, but it was futile. They tried kicking the fires away and some succeeded and prolonged their agony. Looks of defiance has been replaced with fear.

Their victims watched on and continued to stare. Some of them were disturbed and vomited as the pungent smell of fat being burnt assaulted their nostrils. Some looked dissatisfied as they felt their punishment being quite tame. But most were smirking in righteous anger. However, they all shared something in common. They knew that their loved ones were avenged, and that justice has been done.