The mists parted and Malekith found himself standing outside what looked like some kind of Dwarf mine. There was a chill in the air and snow was falling, a welcome change from some of the southern jobs he’d had to fulfil these last few months, not having to worry about getting sand in his armour was always a relief.
“Where are we, Snorri?” Malekith asked.
“Welcome to Kraka Ravnsvake lad, we’re up in tha faar North now boy.”
“Is it wise to take me to another Dwarf hold after what happened in Kadrin?”
“Ah don’ be so foolish. Ungrim talks tough but he’ not reely gonna kill ye. Besides, slayers don’ fare well in these climates.” Grombrindal replied.
“Alright, what are we here for?”
“Me pal King Haarkon Vikramson owns this place. Apparently some trolls been settlin’ in ‘ere so his miners won’t work … he wants me clear this place out so they’ll return ta work.”
“Alright, sounds simple enough. I could always beat them into returning to work you know.” Malekith replied as the two opened the doors and stepped into the abandoned mining shaft.
“I cann’t see a thin’.” Grombrindal said only a few paces into the shaft. “Sorry.” Malekith responded before before lighting his left hand up with a glowing flame spell.
And so the two adventurers journeyed deep into the cavernous mine in search of trolls to slay. Deeper and deeper they ventured until almost 15 minutes in they started to become puzzled.
“Are you sure we’re in the right place, Snorri?”
“Of course ya wazzuk. Just giv’ me a secon’ ta think will ya?”
“Alright.” Malekith said as he wandered over to a nearby mining cart to sit down. Wait, something was wrong.
“Snorri? How long did you say the miners have been striking?”
“Ah, a week or two he said.”
“That’s impossible.”
“Wh… why is tha’?”
“Because this cart has been used recently. Come have a look.”
As Grombrindal came over to look at the cart Malekith stood up and had a look at a nearby cave wall, one wit the strangest of cutting marks grained onto its rocks. “You should see this too.” Malekith stated.
“I don’ understand. Trolls don’ go mining.” Grombrindal stated as he inspected the cave wall.
“Skaven perhaps? Maybe the miners mistook rat ogres for trolls?”
“Perhaps…” Grombrindal began before suddenly hearing a gunshot from behind them.
The shot tore through the air and exploded upon making contact with Malekith’s right shoulder, easily breaking through his Armour of Midnight. Malekith fell forward to the ground, his crown hitting it face-first while the White Dwarf turned around to see where the shot had come from, brandishing his Axe of Grimnir in doing so as the sound of mechanised stomping approached.
The stomping boots came closer and closer until finally, a hulking figure emerged from the shadows, clad in a humongous set of armour painted red with spikes sticking out everywhere. The figure came closer, revealing a humanoid face as he removed his horned helmet while his hands seemed heavily armed, one with a claw and some form of serrated-sword and the other grasping a gun so oversized it looked more like the barrel of an organ gun to him, though this one had a large skull stretched over it.
“Consider yourselves prisoners of war.”
“Who are you supposed to be!” Malekith yelled angrily as he turned around on the ground, one hand firmly pressed to his wound.
“I am Coryphaus Kol Badar attached to the 34th Host of the Word Bearers Legion. Kol the Warmonger. Soon to be Kol the Avenger, Kol the Victor.”
“I am the rightful King of Ulthuan. Now explain what this is!” Malekith shouted while gesturing toward the massive blown out hole in his shoulder armour.
“I assume yer be responsible for the troll sightings Kol?” Grombrindal asked.
“Simple holograms to drive the mortals out. But you two, you came here searching for danger. I can respect that. Now you are my prisoners so I recommend you help this metal man up and move squatling.” Kol Badar said while gesturing toward them with his weapon.
The metal figure clad in all red lead the two heroes down several more mining shafts, as Malekith leaned on Grombrindal for support, not used to taking damage this way until they finally reached a very spacious area.
The cave had an open ceiling stretching right up to the surface, several hundred yards above them but was otherwise barely of note until the metal figure proceeded to tap on some runes on his clawed gauntlet. Suddenly, there was a momentary flash of light before revealing a sizeable metallic construction before them.
“What’s that?” Malekith asked.
“Mortals would know it as a vessel.”
“Well it will take you a while to get it water from here.”
“Not water squatling. I sail the skies.”
“Aye think ye better begin explainin’ things. Otherwise we cann’t help ye.” Grombrindal insisted.

“Very well. I was being dispatched from Sicarus as part of the strike cruiser Valediction on route to Calderis, a Blood Raven recruiting world nested in sub-sector Aurelia in the Korianis Sector when the cruiser was ambushed by Freebooter Orks in warp-space.”
“Orcs? You were ambushed by Greenskins?” Malekith asked.
“Nothing like your orcs I assure you. The freebooters tore through the cruisers hull using bizzare machinery while we were subjected to heavy bombardment from their own cruisers. In defence, I took to my ship to intercept their bombers, I struck down 3 of them before our own cruiser exploded. As the shockwave expanded I lost control of my craft. It nearly burnt up as it tore through uncharted quadrants of warp-space and then smacked into this world’s atmosphere upon exit. With my ship heavily compromised this world’s gravitational forces almost killed me but through Khorne’s glory I survived!
My ship crashed into a nearby forest in these mountains and I was left here. *Kol Badar removed his left gauntlet revealing a long scar of stitched up skin and pus as he continued speaking* I was injured, abandoned. My fellow battle brothers an entire battle-force destroyed. All of them defeated by degenerate orks without so much as properly functioning technology.
But I’m a commander in my unit’s special assault group, trained to adapt to unknown surroundings. And so long as I draw breath, I remain victorious! I moved my craft away from public eyes by scaring off the locals while I sought to repair it. From there, I began laying plans for the revenge of the 34th Host. I have scavenged these mines for resources to mend my craft and only need a few more precious metals from whence to restore it to its full power. Soon, I will have all the weaponry I need to render your miserable world as nought but a cinder floating through the warp.” Kol Badar spoke.
“No, you can’t want to destroy this world. You mentioned a heretic god – you may like to know that he has followers on this world you would be slaughtering too.” Malekith interjected.
“Indeed, I have seen them from afar during my stay. Admirable in intentions, but far too primitive to ever achieve victory. I would offer mercy by finishing the job for them.”
*ANALYSIS COMPLETE* a small voice could be heard as Kol checked the HUD on his armoured gauntlet. “Impossible. Metal man, what is that armour you are wearing? My system recognises trace elements of meteoric iron, found only in warp-comets.”
“Why do you ask?” Malekith pondered cautiously.
Without any sort of warning, the chaos space marine reached for his bolter and shot Malekith again. Grombrindal charged toward him with his axe only to find that the head of his axe couldn’t even pierce the warrior’s metal frame before receiving a kick to the chest from the Khornate space marine.
“I am clad in Ceramite Armour, half-form. Think again before attacking me!” Kol Badar yelled before reaching over toward Malekith and tearing a fragment of armour from his where the bolter round had impacted.
“Computer, analyse armour fragment and calculate optimal pathway to Hell Blade re-ordinance.” Kol Badar said as he jammed the piece of meteoric armour into his ship’s cockpit. “Thank you metal man, I had expected to need multiple metal types to mend my ship but this should speed things up considerably.”
Wheezing between breaths, his exposed burnt skin stinging as it made contact with the air (imagine how bad it would be open to outside weather), Malekith asked what the space marine was going to do.
“My scans detect over 4000 concentrations of psyker-energies across this world’s landmasses, many of which convene at a central maelstrom to the West and two identical concentrations at the far North and South of this planet’s orbit. These primitive but lethal concentrations of power will make effective targets for repeated strikes by my craft’s autocannons.”
“Ye would trigger untol’ magical instability, causin’ chaos?” Grombrindal stated angrily.
“And I will return to Sicarus as an avenging hero. My name will be struck from shame in our annals of history. My battleforce redeemed. Yes, I would do it!” Kol Badar bellowed, his inner Khornate anger becoming more and more apparent with each word.
*ANALYSIS COMPLETE – Starcraft operational in 13 minutes* the warrior’s HUD stated.
“Ah, not long now.” Kol Badar stated.
“There’s no way we’re gonna let ye do this! Ye must be stopped!” Grombrindal yelled as he lifted his axe.
“Your defiance is good, squatling. My computer’s battle intelligence on abhuman organisms is incomplete. My ship’s countdown will give me ample opportunity to expand it with the experiments I shall perform on you!”
Malekith suddenly rose to his feet despite the pain he was in and responded “Don’t you dare lay a finger on him. I won’t let you!”….

• Wow React: Kol Badar took out his bolter and proceeded to blast Malekith’s faceplate with it, blowing his facemask up, before finishing the dark elf off by activating his left arm’s mounted chainsaw and plunging it through his back.

Grombrindal took another swing with his axe, this time aiming for Kol Badar’s face but the chaos space marine simply caught the weapon with his clawed hand and tossed it aside before grabbing the White Dwarf by the throat and lifting him off the ground with that same claw as all manner of wires and instruments emerged from a panel in his gloves and inserted them into the dwarf’s face via the mouth, nose and ears before subjecting him to excruciating torture. By the time his ship was ready for takeoff, Malekith was dead and Grombrindal was nothing but a lobotomised husk. Kol Badar entered his cockpit and took off through the hole in the cave ceiling, ready to begin his assault on the planet’s magical centres of power……..

…..

• Angry React: “And how are you going to stop me, metal man? Your weapons cannot even harm me.” Kol Badar asked bemused.”Perhaps, but I don’t need to kill you. I just need to destroy your ship.” Malekith responded before using the massive open ceiling above to cast down an immense doombolt. The skies above turned purple and the magical projectile took form before plummeting down and obliterating the chaos space marine’s starfighter.

Kol Badar enraged at the sight of his destroyed ship, instantly charging at the elf who did this and knocked him to the ground before unloading an entire clip of explosive rounds into the Dark Elf’s faceplate and body. Grombrindal charged towards him with his axe and managed to land a blow against Kol Badar’s neck while he was hunched over Malekith but this did little more than further infuriate the Chaos Space Marine, leading to Kol Badar grabbing Grombrindal by the throat with his claw gauntlet and choking him to death while simultaneously crushing his neck.

He may now be grounded here but so long as he breathes, Kol Badar will go on and wreak havoc on this world for what he has had to endure.

• Sad React: Kol Badar stared at his destroyed ship bewildered for a moment before letting out a blood-curdling roar and starting up his gauntlet’s chainsaw. However, while he was doing this Grombrindal was able to reach Malekith and call in his transporting mists, allowing the two to escape Kol Badar’s wrath by the narrowest of margins.

Kol Badar raged, fully incensed by this defeat. His plans have been foiled but he would do all he could to make sure Malekith & Grombrindal suffered for this when next they met……………

• Love React:

“And how are you going to stop me, metal man? Your weapons cannot even harm me.” Kol Badar asked bemused.”We’ll see about that.” Malekith responded before unsheathing his blade and slicing it through the extended fingers of Kol Badar’s claw and its chainsaw accessory, chopping both of them off.
“Impossible.” Kol Badar stated as he inspected his glove before taking his bolter out with the other hand to slay his foes. However, the gun was prevented from firing when Malekith cast a freezing spell which blocked the gun’s mechanism from firing.
“Arrghh! I don’t need weapons to kill you!” the chaos space marine shouted as he dropped his gun and charged at Malekith only to be caught in a trap as Malekith cast a blade wind curse on his foe. A swirling maelstrom of magically-conjured swords appeared and promptly proceeded to encircle the the skyman, cutting him from all angles and sides while Malekith proceeded to slash at him from the front with the Destroyer sword. “Come on Snorri, you don’t want to miss out on the fun!” Malekith cried as Grombrindal joined in with the action. The duo hacked and slashed at the immense chaos space marine’s armour, breaking more and more of it apart until finally, Kol Badar had been slain.
Turning to the spaceship which was still counting down regardless of its pilot’s death, the two considered for a moment what they should do with it before deciding it would be too much of a risk if it or its technology ever fell into the wrong hands, specifically followers of chaos on this world who may be called to it somehow. As such, Malekith called down a spell causing the ceiling of the cave to fall in on itself. Grombrindal called the mists to take both of them away, managing to escape in the nick of time as the spaceship and everything in the cave was crushed. Grombrindal set off to take his companion somewhere where Malekith’s wounds and armour could be mended…..

• Laugh React: Kol Badar lifted his bolter to blast the resistant Dark Elf when suddenly he heard a voice.

“Sorproise!” before an Ork landed from the ceiling and proceeded to thrust his crotch against the Khornate space marine’s head.
“Not exxpecing dat wer ya? Ya reeely tink ya be esceiping mi?” the Ork continued before a bunch of Ork Boyz came down from the ceiling as well to join in with the “krumpin”.
Seeing Grombrindal and Malekith, the first Ork spoke “Mi neims Kaptin Bluddflagg fellas. Wi be handing tis from ‘er. Wanna sii sum spattar?” before turning back to his boyz “Les bi oll snikiti loik den. Com on ya gitz – git killin!”
As the space-faring greenskins all leapt on top of the chaos space marine and promptly began tearing him apart and bashing his starfighter in, Grombrindal saw that Malekith was losing quite a lot of blood from his earlier wounds and decided this was the time to leave – before anything gets even more crazy!