Chapter 5: Mercy is a Weakness
Along the frozen coasts of Norsca, all was quiet. No surprise there, given that the harsh land left it sparsely populated. And in the first hours of the day, even if there was no way to tell the difference from night, a mist had rolled in from the sea, lying like a thin blanket over the ice-covered land. And yet despite all this, the three boats maneuvering through the treacherous waters did their utmost to stay as quiet as possible, for discovery could mean certain death for those paddling in the boats.
Cloaked in all white, with elegant bows slung over their backs and wicked-looking blades sheathed in their belts, the twelve men navigated their way through the ice-packed waters. Suddenly, one of the men in the foremost boat raised his hand, signaling the rest to stop. The mist around them would have rendered a normal man blind, and thus unable to see the gesture, but these were not normal men. Nor even human for that matter. Silently, they pulled their paddles out of the black water and let the boats gently drift onward
A soft trio of thuds signaled that the boats had hit solid mass, and so the twelve men disembarked and dragged their boats atop the ice they had bumped into. Keeping a careful eye on their surroundings, they hauled the boats onward until ice was replaced by rock and dirt.
"Hide them," one of them whispered, four of the men nodding in understanding before setting to work. The remaining eight men moved on, cautiously creeping through the masses of rocks that jutted out of the ground like the bones of a long dead giant. They were soon joined by the remaining four, and together, they moved onward. Soon enough, the rocks gave way to trees, and the group paused just at the tree line. It was there that one of their numbers threw his hood back while facing his comrades, exposing long and pointed ears.
"You all know why we're here, what our target is," he began, pausing momentarily as he let his eyes wander over the men. "Somewhere out here in this forsaken land, a sorceress of tremendous power lurks. Should she be allowed to live, she could potentially grow into a threat against Ulthuan itself," here, he paused again to give his men a grim smile. "But we won't let that happen. We will search for her, we will find her… and we will kill her,"
Determination shone in the eyes of his men, and he felt mighty proud. They were his soldiers, his comrades, his family, his brothers. Together, there was nothing that could escape the cold judgment of their arrows. Together, they would end this monster in human form. Of that, he was certain beyond any doubt.
"We split up in teams of two. Search every nook and cranny of the land, leave not a stone unturned. If you do find her, do not engage. Summon the rest of us, and we will take her down together," he instructed, receiving nods of confirmation from his men. "Remember, the target is grey-skinned with violet hair and eyes. Now go," with those words, the Shadow Warriors split up, vanishing into the wilderness like ghosts.
Deeper inland, one of the native animals had decided that it was safe to crawl out of its hiding place for the first time in days. As it scurried through the forest it called home, many would be forgiven to assume that it was just a regular hare. But nothing that lived in the cruel north could ever be described as "regular", not by the standards of southern civilizations. Almost twice as big as its southern kin, it possessed bulging muscles beneath its surprisingly thick fur. Sharp claws and fangs, miniaturized versions of what you would find on a wolf or bear, gave it a look resembling a predator more than a prey.
However, what made the touch of Chaos most obvious on this animal was its trio of eyes, the third one gazing unblinkingly from the hare's neck. Ever cautious of larger and more dangerous predators, the hare moved through the thick snow in search of food, a difficult task in of itself. But then it froze up, large ears twitching. It had heard something, the faintest sound drifting gently alongside the winds. That was enough for any living creature in Norsca to be on high alert. Sadly, the hare never even saw its death approaching before a blade of dark energy had struck it straight in the head, nearly cleaving it in half.
With the deed done, Raven lowered herself back to the ground from where she had hovered unseen among the high branches. Long ago, she would have shied away from taking another living being's life so easily, but times had changed. Now, she was not even fazed as she picked the dead carcass up and strode away from the scene, back towards her camp. How long had she wandered this land now? Weeks? Months even? She truly did not know, what with there being no way for her to tell the time here. Not that she would have any usage for such a method at the moment.
All that really mattered now was to survive, survive long enough to find a way back home. But even then, Raven's hopes had been slowly ebbing away. Day in and day out had she marched through the snow, and yet apart from that crude altar and the misshapen creature she had killed, Raven had not found any evidence of civilization. She would try to tell herself differently, tried to convince herself that there was still hope for her. Sadly, it was proving to be less effective with each day passed in solitude. 'Can't think like this, can't give up hope. I made a promise, and I intend to keep that promise,'
At last did Raven arrive at the camp, a cave burrowing its way deep into the mountain. Stepping inside, she was thankful to find that all her meager possessions were still where she had left them. A quick survey with her empathic powers revealed that there was none present that could pose a danger to her. With that, she promptly set to work skinning her catch, and she was proud to admit that she had become much better at it recently. When the hare had been skinned and cut up, Raven quickly made a fire, using a sharpened branch as a barbecue stick to roast the meat.
Much of the fat sadly fell into the fire, leaving the meat a bit dry, but Raven had long since learned to be thankful for what she had. There was no point in complaining about what she could not have. Once she had deemed the meat to be adequately done, she began devouring it with gusto. For a novice such as her, hunting was a most difficult way to acquire food, and so it often happened that she would go days without food before managing to catch something edible.
Nothing was left behind, not even the eyeballs. The bones were gnawed clean, and then broken to get to the marrow within. Once she had eaten her full, she threw the bones aside and let out a content sigh. A quick trip outside later, and Raven had cleaned her hands and filled a cup with snow. Made out of wood, it had taken Raven days to hack it out of a tree with her powers. Leaving it close to the fire so the snow melted, she now had a drink to wash the food down with. She greedily gulped the water down before bundling up in her assortment of furs to keep warm.
It was hardly the most comfortable or luxurious living arrangement she possessed, but it was the best she could arrange with her limited resources. As she sat huddled over the fire, trying to stave off the cold, her hand found itself gently probing her infected wound. Like the last time, she did not even feel when her fingers poked at the blackened flesh, an area about the size of a fist. It was strange, the infection had refused to go away no matter what she did, but neither did it spread any further. Neither was she plagued by pain or fever. It was like some outside force was keeping it contained and harmless to her.
But in the end, even though it confused and intrigued her at the same time, Raven saw no point worrying about it now. After all, she had more important things to worry about. Chief amongst those was where to go now. With the massive mountain range being the closest thing to a distinguishable landmark, Raven had honestly little to no idea which way to go. Was it safe to continue along the path she had already been walking? Should she go in a different direction? In the end, it was like rolling a dice and hoping for the best.
Raven momentarily mulled over the possibility of staying in this cave for a bit longer. After all, there were far more game in this area than in previous ones. She swiftly dismissed the thought. She had already stayed here for too long, she needed to move onward if she hoped to find anyone. But not today, today she rested. So she crept deep into the furs and lied down to sleep. Like many times before, it was largely a light sleep, for there was no telling what might come after her while she slept. Nevertheless, she did catch some small hours of resting sleep.
But like usual, her dreams would haunt her sleep like vengeful spirits. In past times, she dreamt of fire and brimstone, of having to watch as her despicable father burned and destroyed everything she valued. Those dreams had long since vanished, long before she even landed in this land. But now, the nightmares were back, yet these were about cold and misery, of the world plunging into darkness beneath the wings of a dark bird. But what always puzzled Raven when she would awake was the difference in perspectives.
When she dreamt of her father, she always saw it from the ground, amongst the thousands of mortals that would suffer at the hands of the foul daemon. She always saw her own doom approaching just before waking. So why was it that in these new dreams, when she saw the world vanish beneath the shadow of its destroyer, she saw it from high above?
The Gods must have been kind these last few days, for the weather had been calm and pleasant. Well, as peasant as it could possibly be in Norsca anyway. It had actually been possibly to travel long distances across the land without getting buried beneath piles of snow. Of course, that only meant that the chances were greater that such a venture would earn you an axe to the head from the brutal Norsemen now freely prowling across this frozen hellhole.
None of that even remotely faced the warrior, as he ploughed on through the snow, uncaring about whatever was around him, or the threat it might pose. Such arrogant behavior could see a man dead within less than a fortnight, but not this one. No, this warrior had every right to walk this arrogantly through the land. Those that knew of him would wisely back off and hope he was not there for them, those who did not know him would never live to learn from their folly.
"Lookie here, easy pickings," something that these foolish Norsemen were about to learn. Seven of them, clad on only fur and leather for protection. Shields and axes were their primary weapons, though one of them, the biggest one, was hefting a monstrous two-handed axe. He was not concerned in the least about these worms, and just kept on walking like they were not there. Then one of them stepped right in his path.
"Are you ignoring us? Well, let's see you do that when-" that was as far as he got before the warrior moved. The next thing the others could register. The warrior stood behind their comrade, whose head just fell off his neck before the body collapsed to the ground.
"Why you…" one of the others growled before he too fell to the ground without his head, his neck spurting blood like fountain. He had never even had time to dodge or block.
"Kill him!" someone screamed, and the remaining five charged at the warrior, who calmly awaited them. First to face him was the big one, who came at him with an overhead swing. One swing, and the giant man was split in half down the middle and fell on either side of the warrior. Next one swung his axe at the warrior's head while shielding himself with his shield. One swing, and the arm wielding the axe was lopped off. As he roared in pain, the warrior somehow got up behind him. Second swing removed his head.
"What the hell are you?!" one of the surviving Norsemen shouted in a rage as he charged straight at him with reckless abandon. Two thrusts too quick to counter, and the Norseman fell back with both his lungs punctured. The warrior left him to drown in his own blood, and faced the last two enemies. They seemed to be smarter as they stuck together. One of them gave his compatriot a look, and he in turn nodded his head in silent understanding. Then, as one, they sprang apart and attacked from two different directions.
The warrior calmly waited for the two to get closer, standing with the ease of someone who knew he was in no danger at all. They struck at the same time, one aiming high and the other aiming low. Neither blow ever landed, as one was decapitated with a single swing while the other had both his legs removed. And as he lied in the snow, roaring in pain as the white snow turned red around him, the warrior stood above him, completely unmoving.
"Well, what are you waiting for, you bastard? Kill me and be done with it," the Norseman demanded. He had underestimated his opponent, and had paid the price for it. But he would not despair or complain, he would die with dignity, for such was the way of the north. To die at the hands of a superior enemy on the field of battle was something to cherish, not shy away from. Except, his wish never happened. Without so much as a glance at his victim, the warrior walked away, leaving him to bleed to death.
"Wait, where are you going? I'm still alive over here, you haven't finished me off yet," the Norseman protested, yet the warrior never even slowed his pace down as he just kept on walking. To him, these vermin held no significance. They had merely been annoying speed bumps that had appeared in his path.
"Hey! You can't just leave me like this! Come back here and kill me! Grant me an honorable death to join the Gods!" he screamed after the retreating warrior, who still refused to even acknowledge that he had heard him. What did his honor matter to the warrior anyway? The Gods had given him a task far greater than a lowly worm like that Norseman could ever even fathom.
"YOU BASTARD, YOU COWARDLY BASTARD! I CURSE YOU! MAY THE GODS SEE YOU BROUGHT TO RUIN!" the Norseman screamed in rage, even as a snowstorm swept in and claimed the bloody battlefield for its own. The warrior meanwhile just kept on walking. If only that Norseman had known, if only he had known that he was too valuable to the Gods for them to do such a thing. Maybe after his usefulness had come to an end, perhaps? Whatever, not like it really mattered. Such was the way of the north, after all.
It was not hunger that woke Raven many hours later. It was not thirst or the need to relieve herself either. Nor was it that she was fully rested. It was a noise that had woken her. Groggy and half-asleep, her mind had at first trouble discerning what it was. But as she became more alert, she finally recognized them. Metal striking metal, boots running across the ground, men screaming in pain and anger. There was a battle going on!
Faster than she had acted in days, Raven leaped up to her feet, threw her makeshift cloak on, and rushed out of the cave. She could sense it now with her empathic powers, the rage, the excitement, the adrenaline, the enjoyment. All of these, and many more emotions, blending together to form a brutal sick and twisted symphony for her empathic senses. But such thoughts were pushed aside as she drew closer to the fighting, her hope growing stronger. Was it other humans up ahead? Were they fighting more of those monsters that infested this land?
Without realizing it herself, she had picked up speed as she ran onward through the forest. Maybe she could finally meet other people, and make progress on returning home at last. 'Please let it be so, please let it be so,' she fervently prayed. Then she came upon the first combatants. Or at least, their corpses. Bile threatened to rise up in her chest when she saw the number of dead lying in the snow, some of which had been so horrendously mauled or sliced up that they were barely recognizable as having been human.
Killing animals was one thing in Raven's mind, but this? This was just too much, and she was close to throwing up at the bloody spectacle before her. But she forced it down and pushed on, for she could still hear the noise of battle further ahead. It was too late to save these people, but maybe she could make a difference to those still alive. That was when she felt it, and it brought her to a screeching halt. There was something up ahead, something not quite human, something truly sinister.
Gently probing it with her senses, what she felt sent chills of revulsion down her spine. The emotions, the energy, the very soul of hat being. It was all so… wrong, so twisted. Words alone could never truly describe the abomination she could feel, but it was something so horrid and rotten that Raven was certain that she was dealing with a daemonic being. Whatever it was, carnal pleasure and ecstasy was what drove it. Desires so foul that even Trigon would sneer in distaste constantly poured out of this repulsive being, and it made Raven knees weak just thinking about getting any closer.
She even started considering turning around and fleeing back to her cave, wait for this creature to move on before coming out again. The moment those thoughts entered her mind, she felt like giving her rear end a firm kick in shame. 'Is this what I've been reduced to? A sniveling coward who'll run away at the first sign of trouble?' she asked herself, truly disgusted with herself for even thinking about running away like that, just to save her own life. 'No, I'm a member or the Teen Titans, a hero. I won't run away like that, I won't be ruled by fear. I'd never be able to look my friends in the eyes if I did that,'
Steeling her nerves, she pressed on, ever mindful of her surroundings. As she came closer and closer to the fight, she could start to feel how each life was extinguished one by one, slain for whatever sick reason they were fighting. All the while, that corrupted abomination seemed to bask in the carnage, its energy singing in ecstasy as it inflicted pain and misery on those around it. With her empathic powers, Raven felt physically sick from that monster's emotions. Nevertheless, she persevered and pushed on with determination.
Luckily, she did not need to walk far before coming across the battle, or at least a portion of it. Dozens of men, dressed in furs and leathers, at least those who did dress themselves, were locked in ferocious battle with one another. No organization or cohesion existed here, each man simply fought for himself in this chaotic melee. Raven guessed that similar fights were occurring all over the forest, something she suspected due to the maelstrom of emotions that raged all around. By this point, it was near enough that it almost drowned her with its intensity, but she managed to block it and focus on the situation before.
Who exactly was winning and losing here, Raven had absolutely no idea, they all looked the same to her. Unwashed and violent savages who fought more akin to animals than men. Hell, she had no idea who the good ones and the bad ones were. Hiding behind a tree at the outskirts, she debated with herself what to do. Should she get involved and help them? But if she did it, who should she help? What if she accidentally chose the wrong side? Maybe it was safer to just sit back and watch. But could she really just let men get killed? After all, was not that what heroes did? Saving lives, no matter who they belonged to?
These questions, and many more, stabbed into her mind like cruel knives, twisting themselves further in the more she stood back and contemplated. But as she stood by and watched, she was slowly beginning to notice differences between the combatants. One side seemed to consist of far more muscular men, with a plethora of crude tattoos branded into their skin. She also could not help that their shouts always grew more fervent whenever blood was spilled or a head was lopped off. There was no skill, no finesse, not even any attempts at defending themselves from counter blows. They fought like mindless berserkers.
The other side appeared to lack some of that brute strength, relying more on speed. It also did not escape her that they were the ones with less clothing on, with some being in such a state of undress that it made Raven blush despite the situation. They also seemed to have a fetish for bright colors, particularly pink for some reason. And now that she could distinguish the two sides better, it was obviously that the pink side was losing. Badly. Even as she observed this, one of their numbers was cleaved in half by a screaming lunatic wielding an axe bigger than her. Another of the pink ones tried to sell his life dearly, by running his sword straight through the stomach of one of the bloodthirsty madmen.
That madman proceeded to scream right in his face before literally beating him to death, all the while shouting words in a crude and guttural tongue Raven had never heard before. One by one, the pink ones were butchered like animals, until only one remained, backed up against a tree and facing over twenty of the berserkers. He fought valiantly against the odds, but took a heavy blow to the head that had him crumble to the snow, alive but unconscious. That did it for Raven. Good or evil, she could no longer stand idly by and watch a defenseless man get slaughtered by these madmen.
Just as one of them had raised his axe for a decapitation on his downed foe, Raven struck. A blade of dark energy cut off the axe head, and while its wielder stared in dumfounded confusion at the now useless piece of wood in is hand, Raven conjured a blast of dark energy that sent him careening into three of his comrades, knocking them over like bowling pins. With that done, she teleported in front of the unconscious man, hands encased in dark energy as she crouched into a fighting stance, ready to fend off these berserkers with force if necessary.
"I won't let you harm him any further. Leave now, or I'll make you," she stated with narrowed eyes. None of the men so much as budged, clearly not intimidated. Then again, judging by the strange tongue they spoke with earlier, it was possible they did not even understand her. But one was definitively certain, they were furious at her. she could see it, as well as feel it, these men's rage had grown completely out of control the second she appeared before them, something that unnerved Raven. Sure, she had interfered with their battle, but she had not expected them to react with such levels of fury.
Then, one of them raised his mace into the air, screamed a war cry in his foul language, and then charged at Raven like a mad bull. Without a moment's hesitation, his compatriots followed his lead, charging lie a pack of bloodthirsty beasts at her. Now knowing that fighting was unavoidable, Raven steeled her nerves and awaited them. A barrier of dark energy blocked the mace wielding one from bashing her head in, and a massive fist made out of dark energy swatted him and two others aside like mosquitos.
Now even the slightest faced by her display of sorcery, the others kept on coming. Tendrils of dark energy ensnared five of them, but they refused to give up and started hacking away at the tendrils holding them. Another enemy had meanwhile reached her, and she took to the air to avoid his wild swings, before knocking him out with a bolt of dark energy to the head. 'Need to be careful how much power I use, these aren't just animals, they are real people. I can't kill them,' one of them suddenly hurled his axe at her, and she barely got out of the way before it embedded itself in a tree behind her. 'Though they're certainly not making this easy for me,'
A single sweep of her hand, and a crescent wave of dark energy swept away another group of enemies. She then encased one of the berserkers still standing in dark energy and used him as a bat to swat away the last ones still standing. But one of them actually managed to knock her impromptu weapon aside. He rallied the last three still standing to him, and together they attacked her head-on. Raven could not help but snort at their stubborn refusal to give up. 'I've beaten all of their friends without getting so much as a scratch, I'm hovering far too high in the air for them to even hope of reaching me, and they think charging me head-on like this is going to help them?'
Proving her own thoughts true, Raven ripped up the very ground they ran on, sending them flying into the air before she sent all four of them crashing back to the ground with dark energy bolts to their chests. They did not get back up after that. With the threat finally neutralized, Raven lowered herself back to the ground next to the man she saved. A quick check confirmed that he was still alive, though in bad shape. But the danger was not over yet. She could still feel that corrupted essence out there in the forest, and her empathic powers had detected multiple people approaching. None of them felt friendly in the least.
Raven could potentially stand and fight, but she was no longer so confident about her chances. Besides, the man needed medical attention if he was to have any hope of surviving. It hurt her pride as hero to only be able to save one life, but one life was better than none here. So she engulfed the two of them in dark energy, willed it to take shape of a massive bird, and then took off back towards her cave. Contrary to her rush out to the battlefield, Raven's trip back to her camp was over in only about a minute or so. Once back, she retook her physical form and gently lowered the wounded man to the ground.
A few waved hand gestures later, and Raven had started a new fire and brought in snow to be melted into water. It still amazed her how quickly she had recovered her lost strength after the events at the strange rock. But this was not the time or place to wonder about such things, right now she had a life to save. 'Well, no time like the present. Just get it done with already,' with that thought in mind, she set to work, thoroughly inspecting the man's body for any damages. Though given her lack of experience with the male anatomy, she could not help but blush profusely as her hands travelled across his firm body. 'Get your mind out of the gutter! You're here to save his life, not to cope a feel!' she harshly admonished herself.
And it seemed she had her work cut out for her. To put it simply, the man was a mess, with more wounds, bruises, burn marks and swellings than she dared to fully count. Not to mention broken bones and internal bleedings. He must have taken a severe beating before Raven had arrived. Knowing she did not have the skill to heal them all fully, she prioritized. His swellings in his brain were quickly fixed, then any internal damages along the rest of his body. She worked tirelessly for hours on end, pouring all her strength and willpower into fixing him up. Finally, at long last, she was done. He would be pretty sore when he woke up, but at least he would live.
Leaning her back against the cave wall, Raven let out a tired sigh. That had been tiresome to her, and now she desired to rest, to recover the strength. But she was hesitant to give in to such a temptation. There were still people out there in the woods, people who would no doubt prove to be hostile. With her patient still unconscious, someone needed to stay vigil in case they were found. So it was with great reluctance that Raven settled herself at the entrance of the cave, silently watching for anyone that could prove to be an enemy. 'What I wouldn't give for a door to lock at this time,'
But as the hours wore on, with nothing but the cold winds to keep her company, Raven found her mind wandering. After so long, she had finally found other people, but not the way she had hope. Casting a quick glance over her shoulder at the still unconscious man, question after question spawned in her mind, fat too many to even keep track of. And she hoped that this man could provide the answers. He probably would. After all, she saved his life, surely he would be willing to share some knowledge with her in gratitude. But another part of her feared the opposite.
What if she had chosen wrong after all? Raven most certainly knew that those men from before were truly evil. There was nothing but rage and bloodlust that drove them on. But how could she be sure that this man was different? How could she be sure that he would not be a threat to her when he woke up? These questions ate away at her resolve, made her worry that she had chosen poorly. 'No!' she harshly stopped herself from going further down those thoughts. 'I did not do wrong! I saved his life, like any hero is supposed to do! Like my friends would have done!' with steel in her eyes, Raven glared out at the silent forest. The battle must have ended by now. 'I will not cast away my code as a hero, I will not abandon the morals I have tried to live by all my life. I will not become like my father,'
It strengthened her resolve, and banished the doubts from her mind. But it did not rejuvenate her body, tired from fighting, healing and hours of silent vigilance. Already, she could feel her eyelids drop dangerously low, but she stubbornly refused to fall asleep. Sadly, that only worked for a short while, because eventually, the body defeated the mind. With a last look at her patient, Raven fell asleep.
For how long Raven was asleep, she had no idea whatsoever. But she did know with certainty what had woken her: strong hands roughly groping her body. In the span if a heartbeat, Raven was wide awake and striking out at whoever dared to touch her. Her slaps hit solid muscle and did not but elicit taunting laughter from her attacker, who began to tear at her clothes. Terror and anger instantly overwhelmed her senses.
"NO!" she screamed as she let loose a shockwave of dark power that sent her attacker flying into a wall. With wide eyes and rapid breath, Raven scrambled up on her feet, unconsciously covering herself even though her clothes were still intact. She was met by the man she had saved earlier, already standing back up and eyeing her up and down with a lecherous look. It sent chills of revulsions down Raven's spine.
"What the hell are you doing?! I just saved your life!" she screamed in rage at him, disgusted by how he chose to repay her kindness. But the man just laughed at her and approached her again, licking his lips like he was seeing the most delicious thing in existence.
"Don't you dare!" Raven snarled in rage at him, backing up as he drew closer. He did not even seem to understand what she said, as he kept on coming closer with that hungry look in his eyes. But it was more than what she saw that made Raven shiver in disgust, it was also what her empathic powers felt. She felt it all, the sick pleasures, the depraved thoughts, the disgusting images. Without having to say a word to her, Raven knew exactly what this maniac wanted to do to her. She also knew what he did not simply restrain her while she was asleep. He wanted her to struggle, he wanted her to futilely fight as he stole her pride as a woman. Sadly for him, he had miscalculated here. For Raven was not some fragile little girl that could be cowed with a look and a slap, she was a powerful sorceress.
"GET THE HELL OUT!" she roared in anger as she let her power loose on her would-be rapist. He flew right back into the wall he had earlier crawled up from, then he was launched into the roof, then the ground, then the roof again, then the wall, then back to the ground and then into the roof one last time. Then, at last, did Raven throw him out of the cave with a final scream of rage. He vanished into the snow and trees, but Raven did not let her guard down, standing rigid at the entrance with hands encased in dark energy. Finally, after many long and agonizing minutes, Raven decided that the man had given up and left. At which point she collapsed to her knees.
Tears were threatening to flow out of her eyes, but she fought them back. Crying would solve nothing, and would only make her appear weak. Her sorrow was then turned to rage as her hands tightened into fists. That filthy, ungrateful, corrupted degenerate of a human being. She saved him, and he tried to rape her! What kind of twisted savage would do that? 'I should have never helped him,' she thought bitterly to herself. But even thinking like that felt wrong to her. She was a hero, she saved people no matter how much they may have desired their fate. She should not let this affect her so strongly, and yet it was.
"I try to do good, and this is what I get for it. Where's the justice in that?" she asked herself. no matter how hard she thought about it, she had no answer to it.
He felt like his whole body had been pulverized. Every step hurt like hell, every movement felt like agony, and yet he was grinning like a lunatic as he trudged through the snow. That pale little girl was feisty alright, and apparently a witch too. Oh, the fun he could just imagine he could have with her. The images alone were enough to excite him. But even he knew when he was outclassed. This was why he had limped away in search of his fellow Slaaneshi followers. Strength in numbers and all that. Though that would mean he would have to share the girl with them.
Oh well, better than nothing, he guessed. Now he just needed to find them, and hope that they had not been turned into trophies for those brutish Khorne maniacs. He felt like sneering at the mere thought of them. 'Mindless brutes, the lot of them. No appreciation for the true pleasures of life,' Thankfully, it seemed like Slaanesh had not forsaken them on this day, for he soon came across a band of his fellow cultists.
"Ho, I see the battle's been won!" he called out cheerfully.
"Most certainly! We're just mopping up any stragglers in the forest, at the behest of our great Lord!" one of the cultists called back.
"That is good! But I have found something far better than simple Khorne brutes to slaughter! Something that we can all enjoy!" he stated as he came to a stop in front of the band. He had piqued their interest, but none looked ready to follow just yet.
"You sure? The Master has commanded us to kill Khorne followers, and we don't want to disappoint the Master," one of them commented.
"But surely there's no harm for just one time, tight? Besides, we'd still be technically searching for surviving Khorne followers," that convinced the group, and without another word of protest, they followed him as he led them back the way he came. He could not wait to hear the girl scream for him.
Just as a heads-up here, it will probably be awhile before I update this story again. Need to write a few chapters for my other stories as well.
And by the way, you're interested in a bit of a Warhammer role playing, there's this forum on fanfiction called WAO: The Role Play. Just recently discovered it, and it seems interesting.