Warhammer Fanfic: Starting with a Core Cabin

"Ahhhhhhhhhh!!!"

Accompanied by a hellish scream like the wail of a tormented ghost, the entire manor began to tremble violently. The wallpaper peeled from the walls, and the surroundings fell into ruin. At the same time, the solid floor suddenly shattered as skeletal soldiers wielding weapons and shields crawled out one by one, completely surrounding Duanmu Huai and Olgis.

"No one is allowed to hurt Father!!!"

With that furious cry, a system prompt flashed before Duanmu Huai's eyes.

[Quest "Investigate Moonfall Forest" – Stage 1 Complete]

[New Quest Triggered: "Fury of the Departed"]

[Objective: Eliminate the Source of Rage]

[A wrathful soul unleashes its hatred. Traverse this cursed land of the dead, find the origin of the curse, and destroy it!]

"Why am I not even a little surprised..."

Tightening his grip on the Thunder Warhammer, Duanmu Huai muttered to himself.

Then he charged straight at the skeletal warriors in front of him.

To Duanmu Huai, these undead soldiers were no harder to deal with than the Skaven. Gripping his hammer with both hands, he swung it like a windmill, smashing everything in his path. The skeletons shattered like brittle twigs. Though they felt no fear or pain, as long as they were smashed to bits, they posed no threat.

Boom!!

A skeleton blocking Duanmu Huai's path, armed with sword and shield, was sent flying by a direct hit from the warhammer, crashing into the wall like a discarded figurine and scattering into a pile of bones. As the broken bones began to stir, trying to reassemble, a massive power-armored foot stomped down, grinding them into dust.

Following behind him, Olgis had also joined the fight. She extended her hands, and countless razor-sharp puppet strings slashed through the air, slicing the skeletons into neat, clean pieces—as if bones were being sawed apart by a fine blade.

If I ever need big bones chopped up for soup, I should probably ask Olgis for help.

While that ridiculous thought floated through his mind, Duanmu Huai smashed his way through the undead ranks and burst out of the main hall. He still remembered that before the man died, he had told his daughter to hide in the basement. Which meant the root of all this chaos had to be down there.

Clack clack clack!!

Just as Duanmu Huai reached the corridor, the sharp sound of hooves echoed. A ghostly knight atop a warhorse, holding a lance, came charging down the opposite end of the hallway. Duanmu Huai immediately turned, raising his warhammer and swinging it down at the rider!

Boom!!!

The lightning-charged Thunder Warhammer crashed down on the warhorse's head, reducing it to a mangled pulp of flesh and bone. But even headless, the horse didn't stop—still galloping straight toward Duanmu Huai. Meanwhile, the knight atop it thrust his spear like a lightning bolt, aiming straight for Duanmu Huai's chest.

A bone-chilling cold swept over him. Even through the powered armor, Duanmu Huai could feel that icy chill penetrating his body, draining the strength from his limbs with the bitter breath of the undead.

"Damn it!"

Cursing under his breath, Duanmu Huai gritted his teeth. That was the troublesome part about fighting undead. His power armor might withstand bullets from rifles or even machine guns, but against these creatures, it was as good as being stark naked—no defense at all.

Fortunately, Duanmu Huai had come prepared.

Psionic Shock!

Just as the ghost knight's lance was about to pierce his chest, a burst of shimmering psionic light exploded from Duanmu Huai's body, blasting the ghost knight and his headless steed away. Taking advantage of their loss of balance, Duanmu Huai charged forward and brought his warhammer down with all his might!

Boom!!!

With a single thunderous blow, the ghost knight shattered like a balloon and vanished. But more phantoms quickly emerged from the hallway, floating in the air with outstretched arms, lunging toward Duanmu Huai.

"What a pain."

At the moment, his only weapon effective against the undead was the Thunder Warhammer. His power armor offered no defense against spirit-based attacks. If he were facing Skaven or Chaos cultists, he could've relied on the heavy armor to tank their strikes. But against these incorporeal ghosts, it was a completely different story.

To them, Duanmu Huai's armor might as well not exist.

This was always the biggest headache for melee fighters against spellcasters—and so far, Duanmu Huai had no good solution. All his puppet-type soul cards, including Olgis, dealt purely physical damage and had no resistance to psionics.

Frowning at that thought, Duanmu Huai pushed forward. As the ghosts tried to surround him, he unleashed another psionic shock, blasting them away. Immediately after, the booster on his back flared to life, rocketing him down the haunted corridor. In the blink of an eye, he shot past the swarming spirits and reached the far end—where he slammed his hammer down onto the ground!

BOOM!!!!

The floor erupted under the impact, revealing a gaping black hole. Without hesitation, Duanmu Huai leaped in. He didn't have time to look for a proper entrance to the basement. Not that it mattered—if he couldn't find a door…

He'd just make one.

There was no door in the world—but after smashing enough, one appears.

Whoooosh————!!

Just as Duanmu Huai landed, a gust of wind suddenly howled out. He instinctively turned and raised his hammer. In the next second, a heavy impact crashed into him, strong enough to make even his power-armored frame stagger slightly.

Still, that brought him some relief.

Good—this one has a body.

If it had been a pure spirit, this would've been a real nightmare.

"You... you dare hurt Father!!"

Before him now stood the purple-haired girl from earlier, wielding a massive steel wrench nearly as tall as she was. Her eyes glowed with blood-red fury, and her entire body radiated a hostile aura—she looked more like an evil spirit than a living being.

"I'll never forgive you!!"

"Hey, I'm not your enemy, kid!"

"Leave this place!!!"

Though Duanmu Huai tried to calm her down, the girl was clearly lost in a berserk rage. With a furious roar, she swung the wrench—easily comparable in size to a powered battle axe—charging straight at him.

No choice, then.

Watching the furious girl barrel toward him, Duanmu Huai shook his head and raised his warhammer. If he had high Charisma, maybe he could've tried a persuasion check. But with only 1 point in Charisma...

Guess it's time to reason with her—the hard way.

(End of this chapter)