Down in the ravine, the Chaos Warriors’ boots shake the ground, their massive armour clanking and banging as they charge. Blood-curdling battle cries split the air as they run towards the Outriders, waving their cruel weapons in the air.

The Outrider’s leader calls out to his men, whose horses are pacing nervously.
“Stand your ground, men! Let them come closer!”

The Chaos Warriors approach rapidly, and finally reach level ground.

Swinging his glittering sword forwards, the Commander yells:
“CHARGE!”

The Outriders spur their horses and gallop towards the Chaos Warriors. By all rights and purposes, the battle should have ended in moments.

But it did not.

The Chaos Warriors, possessed by a fanatical battle frenzy, did not waver or retreat. In the front ranks, one of the running Chaos Warriors, wielding two massive axes, draws his left arm back and hurls his axe. Its massive blade sinks right up to the handle in the chest of an approaching Outrider, slamming into him with enough force to lift him from the saddle and throw him metres backwards. The arrows fired by the Outriders bounce harmlessly off the Chaos Warrior’s black armour, their wooden shafts splintering and shattering without so much as scratching the armour. Occasionally one of the Chaos Warriors falls, a fletched shaft protruding from the eye-slits in his helmet, but the majority are left unharmed as the two forces crash upon each other.

Black blades whirl through the air with insane speed, lopping off limbs and heads left and right. A charging horse has both its front legs severed by a running Chaos Warrior carrying a serrated sword, and as the horse’s rider is catapulted from the saddle, he has his head sliced off by the axe of another warrior. He is dead before he even hits the ground.

The Outriders fight with skill and grace, but even their training seems to be no match for the insane fury and precision of the Chaos Warriors. A core group of Outriders rally and move more tightly together, protecting their commander and slaying Chaos Warriors using the advantage given to them by their steeds.

But even then, the battle takes a turn for the worse. Black clouds gather over the battlefield, swirling unnaturally above the Sorcerer still standing at the top of the ravine. He speaks the dread syllables of his magic, and unleashes a terrible, body-shredding wind amongst the ranks of the remaining Outriders. Several of the Outriders at the fore of the group are annihilated instantly, their flesh torn from their bones. The other retreat as bolts of black lightning lick from the whirling column.

But then, suddenly, the wind stops. The Dark Sorcerer stares, unbelieving. Then, in a rage, he chants again, preparing to unleash a Shadow Lightning spell. It fizzles and dies the moment it leaves his hand.

Soul Reaver, having countered the Dark Sorcerer’s two spells, and spurred forwards by an ominous feeling of premonition, continues to run towards the fray. He hurls his cloak from his shoulders, his black cape flapping as he runs. He throws himself at the Chaos Warriors with a soul-tearing shout, Blooddrinker swinging downwards as it leaves its sheath. The first Chaos Warrior, who attempts to block the blow, has the steel haft of his axe sliced in two. Blooddrinker plunges downwards, crunching through the middle of the Chaos Warrior’s helmet, and does not stop until is strikes the rocky ground in a shower of sparks.

The Chaos Warrior literally explodes in a spray of gore as Soul Reaver carves a bloody path through the other warriors. Despite their skill, they cannot stand against him. Blooddrinker arcs left and right, a trail of crimson burning in its wake. The Chaos Warriors are powerless to stop Soul Reaver – their armour is no impediment to his Daemonic blade, their axes unable to penetrate his defences. Bursts of magic sizzle from Soul Reaver’s hands, throwing the Chaos Warriors through the air like rag-dolls. Their ranks begin to break into confusion.

The Outriders seize their chance and bravely forge directly into the heart of the enemy forces, their diminished numbers forming a spearhead formation and charging. The Outriders hack left and right with their blades, cutting down the fleeing Chaos Warriors.

The Dark Sorcerer cannot believe his eyes. This could not be! He had been promised victory! Dominance over Irongate! He had sacrificed his very humanity for this chance! In final desperation, he calls on all his reserves of power, intending to summon a spell to kill everything… the Outriders, his own warriors… and the accursed stranger.

Soul Reaver’s head whips around as he feels the streams of magic begin to shift and blacken with the Dark Sorcerer’s efforts. Time seems to slow as he twirls Blooddrinker around in his hand, so that the blade is facing downwards. He draws his arm back, until Blooddrinker’s razor point is level with the Dark Sorcerer. With a loud cry, he hurls the sword forward.

Blooddrinker streaks through the air straight and true, and slams into the stomach of the Dark Sorcerer. He is picked up off his feet and slams into the boulder behind him, the sword pinning him to the rock as the blade embeds itself in solid stone. His magic drains from him as he cries out in pain.

Soul Reaver sees the final few Chaos Warriors being cut down by the Outriders… but he feels that he is not done yet. Something else awaits him here…