Some people say that two skulls are better than one.

These people include taxidermy enthusiasts,

blood-mad barbarians and conjoined twins.
They also include us at SKULLS,
and hopefully you as well, dear reader.

Because this is SKULLS 2!

As you might have already suspected from my first paragraph,
I did not exactly think this editorial through. I just sat down and
started writing, because I have too much stuff to do and not enough time.
But that very philosophy is at the heart of SKULLS. We are imperfect
and we are busy. But it is crucial that we still manage to find the time
to make really cool stuff just for the sake of it.

We thank the wonderful artists who entrusted us with their beautiful

art and words. We thank you, readers, who took the time to download
and read a thing, in an age when social media giants spend billions to
keep you watching funny cats and silly dance videos.

We hope you’ll enjoy your time.

If you do, please tell us, share it with your friends, do a drawing,
write a story. We’ll keep digging around, see if we can’t find a third
skull somewhere in the dirt…
 issue two artists:
Cover Artist: Paul-Friedrich von Bargen
paulvonbargen.de / #bolterjugend
Paul works as senior art director for a web-agency. In his spare time he
layouts this magazine as well as helping with the 28 magazine. He studied
illustration & animation in Offenbach am Main a long time ago and, luckily,
didn`t completely forgot how to draw. Favorite things to draw include skulls,
monsters, bald men and genetically enhanced space soldiers.

Doctor Geof
www.doctorgeof.co.uk
Doctor Geof draws humorous nonsense for alternative
subcultures, like fetish, steampunk, goth and warhammer.
No, it doesn’t make any sense to him either. Minimum bribe
level is one tea.

Samuel Allan
www.instagram.com/samuel_allan_illustrator
I‘m an illustrator based in London, I trained as a prop and model maker
for theatre and film but illustration quickly took over. I work for PBS for
their online series about mythical monsters which is called „Monstrum ‚‘.
I‘m also the creator of Lobsterpot which is a weird world of 17th century
squid mutant witch hunters. I have released two lobster pot zines so far
and there‘s a 28mm miniature game spin off written by Ben Doane.

Steven Bardon
www.webtoons.com/en/creator/79kux
Steven Bardon is a freelance comic-maker and illustrator who focuses on ma-
cabre and religious subject matters, conveyed through a textural B&W style
reminiscent of woodcut prints. His storylines are set in fantastical, dystopian
worlds. They explore the darker aspects of humanity through a wide range of
strange characters and their struggles, all interwoven into a greater, super-
natural narrative. Amidst the gritty visuals, though, there is an earnestness
for the human spirit.

Ben Doane
instagram.com/jamjarastronaut
Ben is a queer cartoonist and games maker based out of Boston Massachu-
setts. She creates the rules for Lobsterpot, made a Turnip28 comic, does a
book called Shape Kids, and has 500 points of pugs for Warhamster 40k.
 issue two artists:

Moritz Krebs
www.moritzkrebsart.com/
Moritz Krebs is an illustrator from Germany. Inspired by Renaissance
and Art Nouveau artists, folklore, and fairy tales, his black-ink works
depict the more grotesque and bizarre side of dark fantasy worlds.

Brendan Lacy
brendanlacy.com
Brendan Lacy (he/him) works by day in the field of architecture, designing
buildings in Southern Ontario, Canada. In his spare time he likes to write
and draw comics, play board games and take long rambling walks around
the city. Brendan‘s story in this issue, Ulf Magnusson, is an excerpt from
his first long form comic currently in progress.

Jack S. Rogerfield
Jack S. Rogerfield is a London-based freelance editor, cross-genre writer,
and lapsed historian. He is currently pursuing a MA in Creative Writing
at the Birkbeck, University of London where he edits the respected literary
forum and magazine, The Mechanics Institute Review. He lives in London
with his wife and fur child and spends his spare time training in historical
martial arts and playing miniature wargames or tabletop role-playing
games.

Allan MacRitchie
www.admacritchie.com
Allan MacRitchie is an illustrator from Glasgow, Scotland.
He is the artist of the horror comics Grave Wax, Finis and
Moth to a Flame and likes drawing vampire skulls and
ghoul skulls.

Vulpus
www.instagram.com/Vulpus_art
Hoi =w=)/ I do a fair amount of
Crosshatching and Sketching.
issue two artists:

D.
JapanUnitedGamingSociety
Call me D. I have been writing, drawing, painting, creating and
destroying since my opposable thumbs were able to oppose. I live
in Japan and run the social networking side of my local Gaming
Club (Japan’s United Gaming Society – JUGS) as well as doing
our regular painted mini vids and batreps on our YouTube chan-
nel. I also research, write and perform in a weekly Audio Drama
Podcast called “The Master Tavern Keeper’s History of the Old
World” set in the 16th century of the Warhammer Fantasy Old
World that grew out of one of our outgoing gaming campaigns.
You can find us on instagram to see what miniatures we’ve pain-
ted, what digital art we’ve created as well as game pics week in
and week out and find our other output on all good podcast plat-
forms and the aforementioned YouTube. Arigato!

Jeff Martin
rentathugcomics.com
Jeff Martin is an award-winning cartoonist from Edmonton, Alberta, and
is definitely not a robot. He has written and drawn graphic novels for
clients including Simon & Schuster, Games Workshop, HeavyMetal.com,
heavy metal icons GWAR, and Renegade Arts Entertainment. His works
also include the Hockeypocalyspe series of graphic novels and his webco-
mic, Hell, Inc. He can usually be found in the section of his living room that
he refers to as his “comics bunker,” which doesn‘t make him sound like a
madman at all.

Kees van Hattum

www.instagram.com/keesvanhattumart
In the dreary European city of Amsterdam, at the top of an old warehouse,
there is a small and cramped room. The roof is slanted, so a grown man
would not be able to stand upright. There, sitting on the floor, is a quiet
boy. He is drawing. If we were to look over the boy’s shoulder we would
see images of floating heads, vicious monsters, warring tribes of ants and
grinning skulls.
When, at the impressionable age of 5, he saw Star Wars he decided to
become a filmmaker, to bring his monsters and stories to live. And when
he grew up -or at least grew- he did become a director, and made a num-
ber of short films, including a fan film for the franchise that started it all;
Remnants of the Order - a star wars fan film. Lately the cozy comfort of
his drawing table has been a lot more appealing to Kees than the director’s
chair, and with A Ship Of Flesh and Bone, he makes his debut as a comic ar-
tist. Kees is now considering making his film and tv scripts into comics too,
starting with a paranormal detective set in his hometown.
D.M.A. Mitchell

Tales From The Pit:

“The Rule of Three“
The Pit was everything. There was nothing below, over them all: Three straight losses meant decommis-
nothing above and nothing beyond. It’s lowest rea- sion; three straight losses and you were out; three
ches were demarcated by the oldest oubliettes of straight losses meant death and a one way trip to the
the Overseer, thrice-blessed be his name, whilst the recycling vat to be rendered down. Vadik had lost his
highest point was the Keep of the man himself, held last two fights. His Cultor, Zenya Orpa came to see
aloft by the force of his will alone, or at least so many him for a talk. ‘You are at a fork in the road, Vadik.
believed. There was much in between, but for Vadik Do you know what one of those is? No, of course you
there was nothing more important than the roar of don’t.’
the crowd of the arena. Who knew what the crowd
The old Cultor sighed, although the gesture was lost
truly were though? Not Vadik. They would shimmer
on Vadik. ‘What I mean is this, you’ve two choices
into existence in the stands in the hours before a bout.
going forwards: fight and die, or lay down your wea-
They came first in ones and twos, then in their hun-
pons and come help me.’ Vadik, cocked his head to the
dreds and then finally in their thousands; their voices
right. Zenya understood that this meant he did not
flooding the air with glorious noise.
fully comprehend.
Vadik, more often than not, watched from the steel-
‘I’m offering you a last chance, lad. Why don’t you
gated ingress to the arena itself, fingering it’s rusted
become a Cultor-Auxilium and help me. I’ve poured
spikes as he did so. The members of the crowd fasci-
good coin into you, it’d be a shame to waste it. You’d
nated him; each was different, each was fantastical.
be useful. What d’you say?’
Their forms were like his, a torso, two arms and two
legs, but they were translucent and, instead of faces, Vadik shook his head. ‘I fight!’
each wore a bizarre mask.
Zenya rubbed his temples and sighed, before drawing
Each spectator was locked into their designated his fingertips through the grey stubble that still grew
position and they either could not, or perhaps simply in between the maze of scars that lined his face. ‘I
would not, move from it. Vadik wasn’t sure which. knew that would be your answer. Just as long as you
understand. DOKU! Get in here.’
When a match was complete, Vadik again watched
the crowd closely. Most vanished within moments of The steel plate door behind the Cultor opened with a
the bout being called, their forms scintillating away rusty creak. White light flooded in and in stepped a
to nothingness and their cheers stopping abruptly. thin black silhouette. Vadik squinted his eyes as he
Some lingered though, interacting with those nearby, looked at the newcomer and saw it was a dark waif
their jovial farewells mingling into one another like of a girl, dressed from top to toe in fitted high-density
the groans of the cogwheels that whirred and whirled ceramic armour.
under the arena floor itself. These voices bored Vadik
Zenya addressed her. ‘It seems I will have need of
though. The cheers were all that mattered to him.
your skills after all, Venefica.’
He craved these above all else, and their absence, or
worse, their opposite; the jeering, the laughter, tore
at him. However, it was not only his unfulfilled needs ***
that mocked him, failure too loomed upon high, ever
edging closer to him with bloody barbed talons.

For each fighter, failure, the loss of a bout, was the The gloomy corridor dripped with a variety of unkno-
start of a cycle towards the end that could only be hal- wable fluids. All the corridors this deep in the Pit were
ted by success. This ever present threat was known as the same.
the Rule of Three and hung like the sword of Damocles
Tales From The Pit: „The Rule of Three“

Zenya scowled in annoyance as he trudged through Again, Vadik was knocked down onto the oxidised
the puddles towards the faint orange light ahead. The slag-gravel of the arena floor with a concussive crack,
glow came from a keypad. It flickered somewhere it’s rust particles once more engulfing him in their em-
between red and orange, but it was bright enough for brace. The new scars at the back of his head were now
him to see the nervulus. He raised his hand to it and uncontrollably weeping blood, but that was the least
felt the familiar white shock of cold race up his spine, of his concerns, for as his head struck the ground, a
causing his hairs to stand on end. The reader duly disembodied silence swallowed him up whole. The de-
scanned his nervous system to confirm his identity. It afening noise of the pit evaporated away, the specta-
did not take long. tors’ roars died in their throats, and all that was left
was the lub-dub pumping of his heart and a spreading
There was a click and the locking mechanism to the
heavy dullness that began to smother Vadik’s limbs
door began to disengage. He waited. It was a complex
and cause his vision to swirl and blur.
system by the sound of it. He heard defence beams
being unhooked and gas dispensers cocking beneath As unconsciousness threatened to take him, Vadik
the well-oiled meshing of cogs and gears, until at last, desperately tried to cling on to some vestige of his
the plain steel door slid open. Before the Cultor was a awareness. He could not lose again. In desperation, he
black room lit by a single light that dangled from the clung on to the stinging lances of pain in his left eye
ceiling. Beneath he saw what looked like an over- caused by the rivulets of blood pooling in its orbit; he
sized-insect caught at the centre of a web of cables clung on to the tendrils of coldness that were sprea-
and tubes, but it was no bug, rather it was his failing ding out from his head wound; but most of all, he
fighter, Vadik. clung on to the embodiment of his failure as it loomed
over him in the form of his rival.
Vadik lay face down on the operating table, his head
cradled by a shiny steel doughnut over which tiny me- Zenya’s words suddenly came back to Vadik, ‘the
tallic crab-like nanofucii crawled about industriously. Rule of Three, remember the Rule of Three’ and thus
Around the table various monitoring devices had been armed, he reached up towards his foe.
hooked up to the prone fighter’s body and their blee-
Egor the Brute contemptuously kicked Vadik’s hand
ping and ticking created a mesmeric cacophony no
away and raised his studded club up high, readying it,
less smothering than the darkness that clawed at the
eager to bring it smashing down in a crowd-pleasing
edges of the lamplight. Zenya exhaled and shook his
deathblow.
head to break the spell before addressing the Venefica.
‘It’s over!’ The pit fighter hissed triumphantly, a
‘Will he live?’
leering grin slowly unfurling across his tattooed face,
Doku nodded in reply as she inserted a purple phial deforming its black-flame design to resemble some
into the injector she had fitted into the base of Vadik’s malevolent tentacled beast. Vadik knew that he was
cranium. right: it was over.

‘He will do his job.’ Whispered Doku in reply. Suddenly though, with a click-whirr, Doku’s chemi-
cal-injector implant kicked into action and a poiso-
‘Good.’
nous cocktail of stimulants, synthetic-hormones and
combat drugs flooded Vadik’s blood system washing
*** the fugue away in milliseconds. Sound returned as a
deafening cacophony that swallowed Vadik up and
spat him back out. He lurched to his feet and stagge-
The crowd roared and cheered, but they were not
red towards Egor, bawling with unshackled rage, his
cheering for Vadik. Vadik was in the process of finally
grip on his long-handled cleaver jerking and spas-
realizing what made a Pit Champion. Unfortunately it
ming as illicit chemicals sluiced through his blood
was at the hands of his opponent.
system. He was reborn; his body was now bursting
Thunk! with more power and speed than he had ever known.
Tales From The Pit: „The Rule of Three“

In his heightened state, it felt like the world around ‘The Venefica is in the gym. She will extract the injec-
Vadik was moving in slow motion. He saw Egor’s club tor. Take Vadik directly there, stop for no one, stop for
drifting towards him in a long arc that he easily side- nothing.’
stepped and allowed to become lodged in the arena
Zenya looked out across the arena to watch Vadik’s
floor. He quickly swung back at his opponent’s arms,
last moments: The Cultor watched the blood drain
bloodily severing Egor’s left hand at the wrist and
from his fighter’s face. He saw the last clenching of
embedding the cleaver in his foe’s right bicep.
Vadik’s teeth and then the spasming of his hands as
Egor launched himself backwards, flailing in shock he released his grip on his weapon before he finally
and pain, but Vadik was already on him, chasing him collapsed. It was time.
down, kicking and screaming at his would-be-killer
‘GO! GO! Get him!’ Zenya shouted.
whilst all the time yanking at the weapon jammed in
Egor’s arm. The orderlies raced towards Vadik, reaching him
in seconds, dragging him onto their stretcher and
‘It’s over. It’s OVER!’ Vadik shouted at the struggling
carrying him back to the arena-side as quickly as they
man, drool trailing from the corners of his mouth as
could.
he screamed.
As his underlings performed their task so did the Cul-
‘NO!’ Came the hoarse retort, but before the pit cham-
tor. Zenya Orpa strode out into the arena, his arms
pion could say anymore, Vadik wrenched his weapon
raised high and his heavy footfalls kicking up a rusty
free and both men simultaneously cried out at the top
mist about him. It had been fifteen years since he had
of their lungs; one in agony, the other in victory. Vadik
last stepped into the arena.
did not waste the moment.
The crowd recognised Orpa immediately. How could
Thunk! they not? He was now, with the death of Egor, the only
Egor was down. He had never been knocked down in undefeated champion of the arena in its long history.
the arena before. For a heartbeat, Vadik towered over A hush once more fell upon them. Zenya addressed the
Egor and gloated, before raising his cleaver up high. High Official above.
Blood flicked off it and into the maddened crowd. A
‘I demand a result, does my lad get the belt? The reig-
hush fell upon them.
ning champion lies dead.’
Both combatants slowly exhaled. Zenya Orpa’s words
All eyes turned towards the High Official. She knew
came back to Vadik again. ‘The Rule of Three’.
there was foul play but she had neither wiggle room,
Vadik grinned as he brought his weapon down onto nor time to confirm her suspicions. Instead she
Egor’s exposed neck and the onlookers ignited into an opened up her left palm and raised it high. There
explosion of noise. was a cheer and Egor’s belt bearer skulked out and
handed the bronze Belt of Champions to Zenya, before
At last, the moment was here, victory, long sought and
scurrying away. It was heavier than he remembered.
long overdue. But then suddenly, there was a flaring
Zenya held it up to show the crowd and the spectators
pain in his chest, and then, blackness.
went wild. Right on cue, the two orderlies returned,
carrying the bloody body of Vadik. They laid it on the
*** ground in front of Zenya. He placed the belt on the
fighter’s waist before closing the dead man’s eyes.

Zenya watched from the ingress to the arena. The un- ‘Witness the passing of this man, look at the cham-
defeated Egor was now nothing more than a headless pion who ended the historic reign of Egor the Brute.
corpse. Beside the Cultor two of his orderlies stood A near-legend who was but a single bout away from
by his side waiting. He turned to remind them of their equalling my own unbroken record.’ He suppressed
task. a smirk and waited for a moment. Good, the crowd
were silent. It was the right time.
Tales From The Pit: „The Rule of Three“

‘Our champions are dead but the belt lies in my Stable. winnings easily outweigh the money I spent on hiring
I offer a challenge to all the other High Stables, send you and getting the match set up.’
your best to the arena on the Feast Day of the Over-
Doku shook her head. ‘It was a fixed match. He was
seer and we shall fight it out to see who can claim the
supposed to lose. There will be serious repercussions
right to wear it.’
and not just from my people and the High Officials,
With that, Zenya picked up the belt and disappeared the other Stables will unite against you. And who in
into the arena-side, his two orderlies carrying the your Stable will defend this belt? You? You’ve started
body of Vadik behind him. Once out of the glare of the a war you can not win. My fee didn’t include this kind
arena, Zenya did not stop, instead he carried on wal- of risk. You’d better pay me the same again if you
king, only calling behind him to address his orderlies. want my silence. Egor’s Cultor, Gaias Kees in parti-
cular is not known for turning the other cheek. He’ll
‘Take this body to Gaias Kees.’
have your neck after I tell him what you’ve done.’

Zenya smiled before grabbing the Venifica by her thro-

***
at. ‘Not if I give him yours first.’

It did not take Zenya long the traverse the dimly lit
Crack!
corridors to reach the gym. Doku was waiting for
him. ***
‘Our business is done. But I still do not see the sense
in all this. You’ve gone soft in your old age, Orpa.’ She Time was short. Orpa’s moves had sown confusion
said as the Cultor stepped in through the blood-stai- in his rivals, but hopefully left his true opponent no
ned curtain over the ingress. Zenya smiled mirthlessly wiser. But, if he was to successfully land this first jab
before quickly covering the ground between the two, he needed to act fast. Time was short.
his form growing larger and larger with each step
As Orpa walked he could feel the warmth of the dead
until he was all that Doku could see.
Venefica’s body beginning to ebb away. He quickened
‘Go on, explain.’ He said, his voice rumbling like heavy his pace. He was almost there.
machinery. The Venefica shrunk back as she replied.
Ahead, he saw the Stable entrance to the lair of Gaias
‘H-he was destined for death whether he won or lost. Kees. It was guarded by two of the former fighters
But you still gave him his fifteen seconds of glory at of his old rival. Orpa knew them, The brothers Trim,
great personal expense. The Orpa of old would never Helmutt and Horst. He had seen them dominate the
of thrown good coin after bad like that, merely to do tag-team events a few years back.
what ? To indulge the folly of one of his stable?’
It was Horst that spotted him first, raising and enga-
Zenya chuckled and opened up his arms wide. ‘The ging his electrobar as he alerted his brother.
Orpa of old was no good at managing resources. I am
Orpa immediately spun on his heel, holding firm onto
no longer so short-sighted. I’ll admit it, I had a soft
the limp body of Doku as he did so, gathering momen-
spot for Vadik. So why not give him his day in the sun?
tum, before releasing the body and sending it crashing
Is that weakness? I think not. A bribe or two in the
into the nearer of the siblings. It struck with a whack
right place got him this special exhibition fight to end
and sent Horst flying back into the wall beside the in-
his career on. It was seen as a magnanimous gesture
gress. He cracked his head against the steel architra-
by all. If anything, this has enhanced my reputation.
ve surrounding the doorway, besmirching its surface
It was a given that he wasn’t going to win, but he still
with his blood, before collapsing unconscious. One
wanted the chance to dream. It causes no harm to in-
down, one to go.
dulge in dreaming. I, however, also have to deal with
reality. I put on a bet through a proxy that he would Helmutt raised his weapon. But, it was too late. Orpa
win, enlisted your services and then beat the odds. My was already on him. The Cultor grabbed his opponent
Tales From The Pit: „The Rule of Three“

by his wrists and forced the back of his hands dow- insurgents. Use and production of Celeritas had soon
nwards with his thumbs, loosening his grip on the been abandoned though as it ended up killing about
weapon, before ripping it out of his hands. Orpa then half of its subjects. Curious that this was how Vadik
spun the electrobar around, simultaneously smashing had won. It posed questions.
Helmutt across his face as he took his legs out from
Suddenly, Gaias heard a crash outside of the Stable,
under him, dropping the ex-fighter like a sack of rats
followed by the sound of fighting.
before striding over his handiwork. Time was short.
‘Kees!’ Came the voice of his rival, Zenya Orpa.

*** Gaias clicked his fingers and Danh ended her analysis,
before sliding back up his arm to reassume her perch
over his broad shoulders. Perhaps here came the
Gaias Kees was monstrously large. He stared at the
answers.
body of Vadik that the two orderlies of Zenya Orpa
had brought him. His rival’s two lackeys lay at his ‘Kees!’ The voice was closer now and followed by
feet. Their corpses were barely recognisable. They more crashing sounds. Gaias moved to meet the
had had no chance, but their bloody deaths had given intruder.
Gaias no real satisfaction, merely gore-covered fists,
a blood splattered room and a pang of momentary
***
catharsis. The feeling of having been cheated still
gnawed at him. His best, the most adept fighter he’d
ever trained, was dead to this B-class piece of detritus The dining area was a war zone. Gaias’s underlings
at his feet. we’re strewn this way and that, littering the floor and
furniture like sackcloths. Orpa stood at the centre of
‘Danh, analyse the blood and cranial fluid.’ He com-
the devastation; still, calm, unruffled.
manded.
‘Kees!’ He called out again.
At his words, the Cultor’s long snake slid off his
shoulders and onto the table. It was a heavy beast At his words Gaias Kees stepped through the yellowed
that possessed striking green eyes and was covered vinyl curtain on the opposite side of the room. Orpa
in highly polished silver scales speckled by droplets of threw the body of the dead Venefica onto the ground
the orderlies’ blood. The humming and whirring of its and instinctively took up a defensive posture, before
internal servos and motors were barely audible but seemingly catching himself, and lowering his arms
there nonetheless, betraying its true nature. to his sides. So it was to parley that Orpa had come,
thought Kees.
Upon reaching the head of Vadik’s body, it opened up
its mechanical maw to expose two large steel tubular ‘Kees, they took our boys.’ Said the scarred Cultor.
fangs but then waited, completely still. Gaias’ eyes narrowed and he gestured to his old rival
‘Engage.’ Came Kees’ voice. with his fingers to continue.

At the command it sunk its teeth into Vadik’s skull ‘You’ve analysed the blood of my lad, right?’
and began its investigation, probing tentacles burro- Gaias nodded. ‘Celeritas!’
wing into the cold flesh of the fighter and feeding the
data directly into its master’s brain via their neural ‘From the stock of the Overseer and his pharmafemi-
link. na.’ Said Orpa. The omission of other facts felt like
lying but he quelled the feeling. If he kept his body
The results came quickly and were as the Cultor had language in check, this might actually work, thought
anticipated. It was Celeritas: one of a number of per- Orpa as he pointed at the mangled body of Doku. ‘This
formance enhancing chemical cocktails developed one hoodwinked my boy, coerced him into getting
by the Veneficas of the Overseer during the Second this implant-’. He threw the injector on to the floor.
Unrest in order to give his enforcers the edge over the
Tales From The Pit: „The Rule of Three“

‘Knowing it would kill both him and your Egor and set
us against each other. He fears us. He wants to divide
us and he is right to do so. The Overseer’s time has
passed. If he wants a war let’s give him a war, but us
against him, not each of us against the other. What do
you say?’

Gaias rubbed his chest as the feeling of being cheated

gnawed at him again. However, here was a chance at
real catharsis though, one way or the other.

‘I’m listening, Orpa.’

***

Zenya Orpa left the Stable of Gaias Kees energised:

His first step in order to usurp the Overseer had been
a success, he had the second member of his triumvira-
te. At last the Third Unrest could begin and vengeance
could be satisfied.

It was about time that both the Overseer and The Pit
submitted to the Rule of Three.

To be continued…
WE MARCHED TO THAT
HUNGRY BATTLEFIELD

tHE pLATEAU OF THE DRUIDS

and BY DAWN’S LIGHT... ...WE FACED OUR

ANCIENT FOE

a horn signals the

beginning of the end

the sound of blood

rushing in our ears

charge!

THE LAND DRANK ITS

FILL that day --
 i, ulf magnusson, Our army is
face the orc hordes outnumbered,

LEAP

but we are faster... better trained...

and we had the old

gods on our side...

or so we thought--
huh--

huh-- huh--
ulf... ...we
meet at
last!

I cant hold it
much longer

no!
IMpossible!
By J. S. Rogerfield

The Jump
How did I find myself here? This place of murdered the rising panic of claustrophobia.  
morals and shattered dreams. Of forgotten innocence.
They marshalled into three lines facing the doors at
Is it too late to find my way back? To mend my frayed
the back of the hold. Nobody bothered to wake the
principles? To wash away the blood which stains my
rookies. They’d get up or they wouldn’t. You didn’t
soul? I find myself going further in, seeking sanctuary.
even have a name until you’d made it past your first
Where I find a darker place, where I find the well. Its
firefight. If anything, you were a liability to everyo-
waters black, against the fire of the sky. I sip from it,
ne around you until you proved you could handle
in hope that I may still quench the flame. To drown
yourself in the shit. She remembered her first jump,
it. But I drink too deep, and soon, soon it will be I
green as they come. She’d barely made it out of the
who drowns in its dark waters. In its sorrow. In my
lander after hitting the deck with g-LOC. Behind her,
sorrow. My guilt. My dying conscience.    
she heard one of the rookies groan before unsteadily
climbing to their feet. Korina heard the whirl of a drill
*** and then the clunk of armoured boots as they made
their way to the back of the line.

The lander shook and groaned from the G’s as it That one may have potential.
plummeted to the surface below. Staff Sergeant Korina
Korina turned to nod at the platoon as she remotely
Volkova opened her eyes, the moment of introspection
activated the chem packs in their suits. She felt the
passed, buried. Korina looked around the hold at her
blissful release of ice in her veins as the cocktail hit
platoon. Men and women gripped handrails tightly
her system and her senses awoke, the exosuit sudden-
above their seats, sucking greedily on the oxygen
ly losing its dense weight. Her muscles twitched as
being pumped into their masks as the blood drained
they readied for action. She triple checked her suit’s
from their skulls. As the pressure intensified, two men
railguns. The Sergeant’s head came round again to
ripped off their masks and dragged themselves out of
glance back at her platoon.
their seats. They skidded on hands and knees across
the cold floor and a foul stench filled the hold as they ‘What are you?’ she asked, her voice coming through
emptied their stomachs before losing consciousness. hoarse but steady via their suit’s comm unit.
Rookies. They’d be lucky to make it through the mor- ‘MACHINES!’ they yelled back.
ning Korina thought. Then again, even lifers like her
‘What do you do?’ she said as the doors gaped open in
would need to work hard to stay alive today.  
front of her, revealing a sky lit by surface to air fire.
The rumble of artillery blanketing enemy positions The lander opposite took a round straight across the
reached through the thick bulkheads as the drop hold leaving a flaming cavity that spewed burning
brought them closer to the target. The thunder of silhouettes into the dawn.
falling shells increased by the second. The expectation
began to build as time ticked by. Then the lights in ‘KILL!’ came the response without hesitation.
the hold switched from red to green with an audible The Staff Sergeant faced front at their response and
thunk. The lander baulked in its descent now as they swiftly took the dozen steps to the open doors before
prepared for the jump. Here we go. Korina glanced wordlessly leaping from the lander. The platoon came
around the hold as forty-eight bodies unclipped their screaming after her, their armoured boots leaving
safety harnesses and breathers before standing in dents in the steel panels as they leapt for the ground.
unison. As one they began checking and rechecking They were still some eight-hundred feet from target as
weapons, inspecting gear and scrutinizing targeting they dropped towards the enemy. This is what we’re
systems. Satisfied, they removed the drills from their made for. Korina thought. Today, we go to work.
pouches and began screwing in the faceplates of their
The sky around her was filled with falling bodies.
exosuits. Korina always hated this part. She breathed
Most like her just trying to keep their feet pointed at
rhythmically to calm herself as the plate locked in, the
the ground as it rose swiftly to meet them. And then
screeching of the drill bit deafening as she fought back
the enemy opened fire. Tracers ripped past her on all
The Jump

sides. She looked around furtively. While a few were over ninety kills and had already depleted half her
floating tagged, their bodies limp, most of her platoon railgun ammunition by the time she reconnected with
were intact. She could feel her heart beating faster. her squad. She was glad to see that only Colmes was
Colmes to her left took one direct to the groin and missing. Corporal Taylor met her before she reached
another to the faceplate. His head disappeared in a the rest of the squad.
red mist. A 50 round grazed her torso and she began
‘Lieutenant’s dead, Sergeant. Fuckers took out his hy-
spinning end over end in a free fall. The sky and the
draulics and then forced a frag through a crack in his
battle-scarred surface were blurring together as she
plate before I could mist ‘em. Enemy is at least three
fell, and all she could hear was the sound of her own
times what they told us in the brief, and we’re already
hard breathing. She had trained for this, her body
short on ammo.’, he said, falling into step beside her.
responding instinctively, bringing her legs up to her
chest, wrapping her arms around them and tucking in ‘Colmes?’ he asked as they stopped just short of the
her head. squad.

She struck the ground hard and bounced across a Korina shook her head and Taylor turned away as if
debris strewn battlefield, coming to a stop in a large to spit. The man had a nasty habit of dipping when off
crater filled with rust coloured water. Alerts were duty which Korina detested, and had the propensity to
coming in fast from her suit as she lay half buried in spit even when the foul stuff wasn’t in his mouth.
loose dirt. After a moment, she climbed shakily to her ‘Longer we delay, the heavier resistance will get.
feet. She reached out a hand to steady herself on the Guess I’m in charge. All squads execute. Let’s get this
earthy bank of the basin as her head started to swim. done and get the fuck outta here.’
She could smell the blood even before it began to stre-
‘Copy that, Staff Sergeant Volkova! Asses in gear, sol-
am past her ear and down her neck. Her suit respon-
diers! Maintain dispersion, 5s and 25s and keep your
ded quickly by spraying the wound with coagulant,
heads on a swivel. Move the fuck out!’ roared Taylor
then sending a jolt of painkillers and adrenaline into
as the squads began converging on the target’s last
her system to compensate for the injury. She shook
known location.  
her head to clear it, blinking fast, and then leapt free
of the hole. Korina’s squad was making its way between rows of
residentials still burning from the morning’s bom-
She took in her surroundings and spotted a dozen
bardment as they attempted to close on the target’s
hostiles heading in her direction from a smoking
location. Bodies, blackened and charred from the fire
compound to the south. They were dressed in a
lay scattered. She tried not to look at the little ones,
combination of fatigues and civvies, their heads and
but their empty eyes followed her, just as their blacke-
faces covered by red and white patterned cloth. Her
ned fingers seemed to reach out as she passed. As if
left hand came up instinctively firing her railgun, the
looking to escape the fire. As if they called to her.
men disappeared in a cloud of blood and body parts.
The chinking of the railgun in her ears brought a grin Save us!
to her face and she looked around for more Tangos. She tore her gaze away from the little bodies, from
The adrenaline had mixed with the stimulants in her hollow eyes and blackened bones. And tried to forget
chem pack, everything becoming a haze as she stalked the smell. She forced herself to keep moving, keep her
through the camp misting anything that wasn’t wea- mind on her squad, on keeping them alive. The only
ring an exosuit, and leaving a bloody mess of bodies thing she needed to fight for was her brothers and sis-
in her wake. ters. Those other people were somebody else’s respon-
Information was buzzing through her comm unit now. sibility. They need you to get them home Korina. When
Forty-two of her unit had survived the jump and were they were within 300 feet of the target, their comms
converging on their designated waypoints. However, suddenly went dead and she threw up her hand and
enemy resistance was heavy with more closing in indicated a stop.
on their location every moment. She had racked up ‘Taylor. Switch to short range radio.’
The Jump

Corporal Taylor passed the order to the squad before possible and maintain dispersion. Eyes out for an am-
leaning in so only she could hear. bush, this place has the look of a killing ground.’

‘Forcing us to go analogue, Korina. Can’t be a good ‘Copy, Staff Sergeant Volkova’, the four responded in
sign.’ His grey eyes were trying to get a fix on her. unison.

‘We carry on, Taylor; the target is top priority in the They moved quickly to the right flank using the debris
sector and it’s the only way to guarantee reunion of and several abandoned vehicles for cover. As they
the platoon. I won’t risk leaving anyone behind’ made it to the edge of the plaza and began moving up,
she radioed Corporal Taylor.
‘Roger that, Sergeant’, he said, before returning to his
place amongst the squad.   ‘We’ll move up in concert, Taylor. I have a feeling
we’re about to get hit’.
They resumed moving towards the target compound,
though Korina now led at a more cautious pace. The ‘Hooah Sergeant, was just getting that feeling myself.’
alleys were narrow and made perfect choke points.
The two teams were moving towards the smoke,
Behind her she heard Taylor reminding the squad
weapons ready and eyes straining to catch a glim-
to maintain dispersion. Smoke from a fuel depot fire
pse of any possible targets when multiple explosions
to the west was obscuring their view as they came
rocked the plaza sending stones and shrapnel flying.
to the mouth of the alley. They faced an open plaza
As the explosions hit, they dived to the ground or into
enveloped by a mix of residential and commercial
cover. Enemy fire tore through the square from within
structures. The plaza had taken several direct hits in
the long stretch of commercial buildings to the north
the bombardment. Korina observed numerous impact
end of the square, putting the enemy directly between
craters at the centre which had sent stone and other
them and the target.
debris in every direction. The target should be in a
building on the other side of the square, but she was ‘They’re using the smoke for cover, Taylor, and trying
getting a bad feeling. to pin us in place while their mortars rain down hell.
Time to pop some smoke of our own.’ Korina relayed
She was crouched low at the edge of the alley as
via her radio.   
she tried to get a view through the smoke. Then the
sound of heavy fighting reached them from the east. ‘Copy that, Sergeant. Smoke em!’ came Taylor’s voice
She heard the chink of railguns, the popping of small over the radio.
arms and the thunder of heavier guns. Somebody was The call went through the squad. They fired canis-
trying to get a piece of one of her squads. She tried ters of nerve gas into the enemy positions from their
to raise them on the radio but they were out of range shoulder launchers before throwing themselves
and her main comms were still down. Taylor came up forward guns hot. One man laying down suppressing
beside her. fire, the next moving to a new position. They pressed
‘Sounds nasty, Sergeant. You think we should go lend into the thick smoke of the fuel fire, passing quickly
a hand?’ into the space beyond and storming the occupied
buildings. By the time they breached, enemy fire had
‘No. We stay on target. You’ll take half the squad and
ceased. Provided protection from the gas by their
flank left through the plaza while I take the rest up
suits, the squad moved in untroubled and quickly clea-
the right. We reconnect on the other side.’
red the block. It was easy work as they went room to
‘Yes Ma’am, Staff Sergeant Volkova!’ He moved away room executing paralyzed or spasming Tangos.
and signalled to Cash, Wickwitty and Brown to fall in
‘Not soldiers work this, Sergeant.’ Taylor said as they
behind him.  
regrouped the two halves of the squad.
Korina gave the rest of the squad instructions to fol-
‘No, Corporal. Not soldiers work… but, necessary.’
low her in on the right side of the square.
He looked at her hard for a moment before silently
‘We move in wedge formation, keep in cover where
nodding. They were in reach of the target’s compound
The Jump

now and could see a variety of communications into the hallway before storming it. All that faced
equipment on the roof, likely the source of the comms them was a large basement, empty, except for a metal
jamming. door in the opposite wall.

‘Let’s get this done, Taylor. I want our comms back ‘Must be a panic room, Ma’am’ said Private Wickwit-
online so I can find out where the fuck my other ty.
squads are. We move in as a unit, hit the building with
‘Can you breach that, Cash?’ she asked the soldier.
the rest of the gas and take care of any survivors.’
He carefully approached and began inspecting the
‘Copy, Staff Sergeant’, Taylor said with noticeable
heavy door. Looking back at her he shook his head.
reluctance in his voice.
‘Sorry, Staff Sergeant, not with explosives. It’s a blast
This doesn’t sit well with me either, Corporal, but
door. We may be able to cut through with the laser,
orders are orders and I have mine.
though it will take time, Ma’am.
‘All ready, Staff Sergeant.’
‘How long Private?’
She looked over her squad and nodded. They fell in
’Not sure, Staff Sergeant. At least ten minutes.’
behind her as she breached the wall closest to the
target‘s compound. They rushed the open space bet- ‘Get it done’ she said before getting back on the radio
ween the two buildings and took up positions around to Corporal Taylor.
the door. Private Cash attached the breaching charge ‘Taylor, when you‘re done with the comms, have your
as the rest set up a perimeter. Korina sent two of her team take up defensive positions on the upper floors
soldiers to circle right and two left. They would send then rejoin me in the basement. My team will take up
canisters of gas inside once the door was breached be- positions on the ground floor. We need to cut into a
fore rejoining them at the entrance. She hand-signal- safe room to get this bastard and may need to repel a
led three, two, one and Cash breached the door while counter attack.’
she and Taylor rolled gas canisters into the building.
‘Affirmative, Sergeant.’ came Taylors reply.
They waited sixty seconds for the gas to take effect
As the minutes ticked by and Cash continued to laser
before entering to begin their sweep of the ground
into the safe room, anxiety began to bubble up in Kori-
floor. When they reached stairs to the upper floors
na’s stomach. She paced up and down, trying to figure
and basement, she sent Taylor and his team up while
out what to do when the comm abruptly cut into her
she led her team down. They swept room after room
thoughts. Taylor had succeeded in shutting down the
but found no bodies, nothing but empty rooms. There
jammers.
wasn’t even any furniture. She was beginning to get a
very bad feeling. ‘Comm back online, Sergeant.’

‘Found the jamming equipment, Sergeant.’ Taylor’s ‘Good job, Corporal. Now get your ass down here.’
voice came in over the radio. ‘On my way, Staff Sergeant.’
‘Dealing with it now. Comms should be back up mo- Korina allowed herself a moment of relief at getting
mentarily. Eerily quiet up here, though, Ma’am. No communications back. She hoped to hell her platoon
bodies, no resistance, nothing.’ was still intact.
‘Same here, Taylor. We have one last floor to check. ‘Sergeant Alverez, report.’ No response.
Take care of the equipment then meet us down here.
It looks like intel was wrong. Somebody fucked up big ‘Sergeant Davis, Sergeant Carter, Sergeant Patel!
time.’ ANYONE! Report!’

‘Roger that, Sergeant.’ Still no response.

Her team moved cautiously down the last set of steps, ‘Corporal Taylor, confirm! The jamming equipment is
stopping at the turning below to throw a flashbang disabled?!’
The Jump

‘Confirmed, Staff Sergeant.’ Korina found herself before a well, its water black,
against the fire of the sky. She knelt before it, and
Where the fuck was the rest of the platoon? Had they
cupped a hand, which reached down below the inky
pulled out already? They couldn’t have taken out
veneer. As the arm slowly withdrew, an orange glow
three squads of troopers. Could they?
lit the surface of the waters. From a flame which now
Private Cash suddenly shut off the laser and turned to sat within her palm. She lifted it to her lips and drank
give her the thumbs up. She made her way to the lip of deep, the fire dripping from between her fingers to set
the wall where it met the door. She gave Private Cash light to her clothes, even as it raced down her throat
a nod. He began pulling the heavy door open. As the to renew the dying embers that lay nearly extinguis-
gap grew larger, she crouched low, ready to take the hed within.
corner and mist anyone still alive inside. Just when
She saw her then, another woman, a Shade of sorrow,
she was about to swing into the doorway a blinding
kneeling beside the water on the opposite side of the
light filled her vision as an explosion flung her across
well. The woman drank great handfuls of stygian
the room where she landed in deafened silence. Kori-
fluid, the sombre liquid flowing from her gaping jaws
na felt heat lapping against her body, but the pain was
to soak her chest and thighs. Its black water running
far away. She could hear a terrible ringing as somet-
from cupped hands to splash upon the ground. And
hing warm and wet ran gently from her ears, and her
slowly a puddle became a pool as she sought to drink
vision slipped steadily from lurid colours into the cold
yet deeper, her body bending closer and closer to the
embrace of night.
mouth of the well. Until with a splash that broke the
deathly silence of that place, the Shade finally descen-
*** ded into the blackness. Her legs kicked as she slipped
deeper, and became a shadow thrashing in the water.
With horrifying slowness, Korina watched her drown,
in the feeble light of a dying flame.
 o p l e g a v e
th e s e p e
) s k u l l s :
u s ( t h e i r
Simon Schnitzler D.
Duncan James Stone
Sam_F._Derache Phil Millar
omegaterrain Oren Wry
admacritchie wethevy
spencerdavie Tim Colwill
Glenn Le Calvez stygian_thorne
cat.min.art Perry
Christian Schwager P.-F. von Bargen

Web 28-mag.com All submissions to SKULLS are made on the basis of a licence to publish
Facebook@28mag the submission in SKULLS, our website and/or social media channels.
Instagram@28mag We retain the right to edit and use any and all material. © Copyright SKULLS 2023.
Submissions [email protected] All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be reproduced, digitally or in print,
without the written permission of the publisher.