Thy Soul to Keep, Part 11

The Dead Shall Bar the Way

Pieter van Toorn had lost count of the days passed since An'sec misteriously left him for dead. He had tried to return to Wörtbad, only to find himself lost in the Harrowmark. He had started to wonder if he had died and his soul had been trapped for ever in that dreaded wood spanning 10,000 leagues in all directions. Then, one morning, he stumbled upon Karol. The Cuirassier had been searching for him. Even stranger, he had been sent by Kalyustar. Pieter kept trying to make sense of the wizard's actions as Karol led them toward Leechminster and from there to the Soulbridge Realmgate. With An'sec gone, Kalyustar seemed to have turned away from the dark path. Yet, the Witch Hunter could not bring himself to trust him. Only by trial, he could be sure that Kalyustar was free from taint.

Thick, dark clouds run over the pale Harrowmark sun as they reached the outskirts of Leechminster.

The Soulbridge was on sight when a cluth of Deadwalkers emerged from the woods, shambling towards them.

The two men felt the chilling touch of a dark shadow passing over the forest and lingering behind a crumbling mausoleum. The forest was filled with moans and creaks, deadwalkers emerging everywhere around them.

Pieter and Karol opened fire at the nearest Deadwalkers and barged past them to slam into the next. Suddenly, they were surrounded by the shambling undead.
"Split!" ordered van Toorn as single swipe of his Zweihander decapitated three zombies.
"Whatever is controlling them is behind the mausoleum, we must cut its ways out!"

Karol slashed another undead down, trumpled over the last one and made it through a copse, only to find his way barred by more zombies.

Skeletal hands erupted from the ground around Pieter, grabbing his legs as another wave fell on him.

More Deadwalkers emerged from the woods. Behind them, a stooped figure surrounded by a nimbus of amethyst light left the shelter of the mausoleum. They lurched towards Karol.

Pieter hacked at the zombies and skeletal hands still grabbing at his ankles. But more zombies were coming.

The largest group of zombies reached Karol and dragged him down from his saddle. Cackling madly, the Necromancer slammed his staff on the Curassier chest.

Pieter saw the man fell. "He fought valiantly, Sigmar will surely rescue his soul".
With this words on his lips, the Witch Hunter barged through the zombies barring his way and made it for the Soulbridge.