Disclaimer: Warhammer Fantasy and Goblin Slayer are the original works of Games Workshop and Kumo Kagyu respectively. I own nothing here except for the few OCs I created and this story is purely for entertainment purposes only. Any names of people or locations used here that might be similar to those in real life are purely coincidental.

WARNING! This story may contain graphic depictions of violence and gore, extreme sexual themes and the use of very strong language. Read at your own discretion.


Heretic

Irina sighed for what must have been the umpteenth time today as she continued to stare out the carriage window, and she looked bored. Her bluish-green eyes regarded each passing tree lazily as the carriage traveled through the main road. The infamous Dead Wood flanked them on their right while the gently rolling hills and grassy plains of the Bleak Moors stood at their left. It was still rather early in the morning and the first light of dawn was obscured by the ever cloudy skies. Giving the entire land a dark and foreboding image. It might just be her rather active imagination playing tricks on her, but she couldn't help but notice how the trees all around her were beginning to take a more sinister appearance. And sometimes, if she were to squint just right, she could spy some strange movements from within the darkness. Bored though she might appear, Irina could do nothing to ignore the ever present feeling of dread within her heart.

"I wish this damned carriage could move a bit faster…" she thought with some trepidation.

They had left her home town yesterday, going eastwards as they took the road that gently snakes across the Bleak Moors, heading towards the village of Essen near the border of old Sylvania. There they would spend the evening before finally going north towards the town of Heffengen. The road they were on was maintained to the best of the local workers' abilities and was wide enough that traffic could proceed at a steady pace. And since it was still in the late summer, the road was not heavily obstructed by the winter snows or hopelessly muddied by the infamous spring thaw.

Yet it was still a far cry from the great paved highways of the Grand Principality of Reikland, or even the famous and prohibitively expensive "Metalled Roads" of the Grand County of Wissenland. She doubted if the humble League of Ostermark would ever be able to match the wonders produced by the more prosperous Southern Provinces, though that hope yet remains. The short of it was, despite the current quality of the roads, their small procession was actually making good time. If her lessons in Ostermark's geography serves her right, their journey should only take around three days to complete. They were now on the second day of their journey, and she reckoned they would reach Essen by night fall.

Quite frankly, Irina wished their entire caravan could move just a bit faster. The sooner they could reach the safety of the walls of Essen, the better. Not to mention that the Stahlharts were famous for being kind hosts and their hospitality was rather famous. Though she hoped her mother would not impose upon them too much, especially since she was well-known for having expensive and exotic tastes.

Nobility though they may be, Irina knew all too well that House Stahlhart's fortunes and station are still rather humble in comparison to that of her family. And a great tragedy had befallen that House years ago and it is said they have yet to fully recover from their losses. So the less of a burden Irina and her family would be to the Stahlharts, the better.

"I wonder how Tanya and Anna are doing? It's been so long since we last saw one another." she thought with a quiet sigh, as her mind briefly took her back to memories of her two childhood friends.

Irina first met Tanya and her younger sister Anna more than seven years ago, during the Sigmar's Day celebratory feast held at House Oldenburg's manor. With her mother being the one to personally arrange the event, she made sure to invite nearly all the noble houses of Ostermark to take part in the occasion, House Stahlhart being among them. It was a truly grand affair, her mother sparing no expense, hiring the finest halfling chefs to prepare the meals, procuring dozens of barrels of exquisite Tilean wine and even employing a fair and particularly talented Bretonnian songstress to perform at the feast. All this in order to properly honor the Heldenhammer, or so her mother claimed.

But in truth, it was just her mother's way of gaining prestige and favor from all the other noble houses, and from the Chancellor of Ostermark in particular, who had also been in attendance. Instead of being a proper feast to honor the legendary founder and patron-god of the Empire of Mankind, it had simply been a decadent affair geared towards the enjoyment of the scheming, the money-grubbing, and the power-hungry. Irina hated that event and all the ones just like it. And though she had only been twelve years of age at the time, Irina had proven quite precocious physically. As a consequence, there had been no shortage of supposedly eligible and clearly less-than-eligible men, some of whom were nearly three times her age, who either sought her hand in marriage in order to improve their station, or were simply looking for a quick tumble and saw her as an easy enough lay.

Unworthy, disgusting swine. The whole lot of them.

The Stahlharts had been the only exception. She remembered Lord Friedrich as a stern but honorable man, mighty yet righteous, a true Captain of the Empire and devout knight of the Heldenhammer. While the Priestess Angela had been one of the kindest and wisest souls she had ever met, almost seemingly glowing with the warm light of the White Dove's loving grace. Their very presence had been a shining beacon of honor, morality and faith within a dark den of decadence and thinly-veiled corruption, and Irina had been most delighted to have made their acquaintance.

But when Lord Friedrich and Lady Angela introduced their two daughters to her, that was when the whole Sigmar's Day celebration truly became the happiest one Irina ever had. For on that day, she had finally made two genuine friends in the form of Tanya and Anna, much to the eternal envy of many of those in attendance. And even after the event had long since ended and the Stahlharts finally returned home to Essen, Irina had kept regular correspondence with the two sisters and visited them as much as her parents would allow. At least, she did, up until that fateful day of Lord Friedrich and Lady Angela's most tragic and untimely passing.

The last time she met Tanya and Anna had been on the day of their parents' funeral. On that most sad and sombre of days, Irina and her family paid their respects to the late Lord and Lady of House Stahlhart and offered their well-wishes and apologies to their two newly orphaned daughters. But little else was said between Irina and the two Stahlhart sisters. Partly because Irina truly did not know the right words to say to properly comfort her friends, but mostly due to her mother finally deciding that it was best for her daughter to disassociate with the children of a clearly dying House. That had been nearly five years ago, and since then, contact between House Oldenburg and House Stahlhart became less and less until it finally ceased entirely. And with it, Irina had lost her two dearest friends. Her only friends.

But now a great new opportunity has arisen. The chance to finally meet Tanya and Anna again after so long, and with it, the hope of rekindling their badly diminished friendship. Truly, that was the only reason why she had even agreed to come on this blasted trip to begin with. In fact, she would gladly remain in Essen and spend days or even weeks with the two sisters than to go and attend some lowly minor nobleman's wedding.

"Something on your mind, darling?"

Broken out of her reminiscing, she took her eyes from the rather dreary scenery around her and looked back towards the carriage's other occupant.

Her mother sat across from her, regal of bearing and radiant in beauty despite her age, clad in a thick, velvety coat of fine furs similar to what she was wearing. Her long blonde hair, of which Irina had inherited, was done in an elaborate ponytail that hung just in front of her ample bosom, which was somewhat poorly concealed by the tight and rather revealing silk dress she wore, adorned with glittering gemstones and other intricate silver embroideries, a dress that cost more than what a commoner would earn even after a decade of hard toil.

It was similar to her own choice of dress, not nearly as expensive for it lacked all the embroideries yet still made of fine silk and dyed a rich blue with green trimmings to compliment her eyes. Though it was much more conservative compared to her mother's dress due to not having a very low neckline, it still hugged her luscious form quite nicely in key areas, serving to highlight the supple curves of her nubile body and to accentuate her firm breasts in particular. If it was simply up to her, she would have worn a simple cotton dress that was slightly loosely fitting, still of fine make but a lot less costly. And yet her mother had insisted that she looked much more attractive wearing this more expensive one, and so to avoid another argument with her, Irina acquiesced.

And as a consequence, Irina had succeeded in garnering quite a few lustful stares from their household guards and male servants. Not that Irina could fault any of them. At least they were all being discreet about it. Mostly.

Tented breeches were still a dead giveaway.

"Nothing much. I just wished this whole carriage would move just a bit faster."

Irina finally said with a sigh after a while. A feint laugh escaped the Lady of House Oldenburg's lips as she looked at her daughter with some amusement.

"Excited to reach Heffengen a lot sooner are we? I knew you wanted to attend the Baron's wedding, even after you claimed that you didn't."

She drew from all of her many years of lessons on etiquette and decorum to not roll her eyes and scowl in contempt at that most inaccurate of presumptions. And yet, etiquette and decorum could not deter her next remarks.

"Yes mother dearest! I am positively brimming with excitement!" she said in a sing-song tone filled with faux eagerness while wearing the most enthusiastic of fake smiles. "Who wouldn't want to miss the opportunity to witness Lord Rottenface marry his third wife-to-be! Or was it his fourth? I seem to have lost count, goodness me. But oh, I also heard the most pleasant rumor, that his new bride is also young enough to be his granddaughter! I'm certain she would make for a most vigorous bed partner, provided that Lord Rottenface's heart can last any further."

The distinct sound of barely suppressed snickers and chuckles could be heard as Irina finished the last line of her impromptu poem. It would appear that their coachman or perhaps one of their guards have been listening. Irina did not mind though, she too could not conceal her own mirth.

"Did I make all of that rhyme? Perhaps I should try my hand at poetry next time. Oops, I did it again~"

But her mother did not share in her amusement. In fact, she was rather displeased as she fixed her daughter with a most icy glare. And when she spoke, her tone was just as frigid.

"Firstly, it is Lord Rotterbach, not Rottenface. Secondly, it matters not how many wives he has, nor does it matter if his newest bride is so much younger than he is. What matters is that he is still a noble lord of Sigmar's Empire. And for that alone, you shall give him the proper respect he is owed and shall refrain from saying anything that may displease him and all the members of his House. And lastly, this wedding provides a good opportunity for us to find an eligible nobleman from a respectable family, who shall take your hand in marriage."

Irina had been looking rather apathetic when her mother began her whole spiel. Upon hearing that very last line, it was now her turn to look furious. Yet she still mustered all her calm to not raise her voice too much.

"I thought we were all in agreement that I would not marry anyone until I am ready for marriage. And only when I have found the man that I love. Father himself promised such to me!"

Her mother immediately scoffed at that, waving her off dismissively with a single pristine and manicured hand. She couldn't help but find that irritating.

"You have been ready for marriage the moment you came of age, and that was four years ago. And now you are in your nineteenth year, a young woman fully grown. I say you have had plenty of time to be ready. And your father is a good man and a loyal soldier, but he clearly has no head for these things. That irresponsible buffoon chose to participate in the campaign to help preserve Tzar Boris the Red and his dwindling kingdom from barbarian invaders, instead of remaining here and helping me secure his daughter's future."

"My future?!" Irina said aloud and bitingly.

How dare she. Earlier she was doing all she can to remain calm and civil, and would have simply brushed this matter aside. But not only is she pretending to care about her and her future while planning to sell her to the highest bidder, she was also insulting her beloved father once again. Her father, who more than anyone has sacrificed so much for their family. Oh no, this time Irina would not hold back.

"For your own greed and ambitions you mean. For your own vanity. For all that, you expect me to willingly offer myself to the wealthiest lord. Like some prized broodmare at market! Heedless of my own personal feelings on the matter and completely uncaring towards the prospect of me being trapped in a loveless marriage with a man who might mistreat me and make the rest of my life miserable!"

"Wrong!" her mother immediately snapped back, steely gray eyes boring straight into her fiery bluish-green orbs. "I expect you to do your duty towards your House, just as how I did my duty towards mine! Just like any true and proper lady of the Empire would do! I was only fifteen when I first married your father and I did not love him either. And yet here I am more than thirty years later, still dutifully married to him, helped him expand his holdings threefold and given him four handsome and wonderful sons."

She said that last part with no small amount of pride, practically beaming with joy. Before her countenance turned sour once more as she regarded Irina with soul-piercing disapproval.

"And one beautiful yet terribly childish and ever rebellious daughter, one who has been nothing but a constant disappointment."

Those words stung a lot more than she would care to admit. Even though she had already steeled her resolve for this latest of confrontations and had already all but given up on trying to meet her mother's exacting standards, it still hurt to hear her say that she been nothing but a disappointment. Because Heldenhammer knows she had already tried so hard, so many times and for many years to live up to her mother's expectations. Only to fail time and again with each attempt and endure one scathing criticism after another. All the while being compared to her brothers, who were all superior to her in almost every way.

She is not like mighty Wilhelm, her eldest brother, who at this very moment is bathing himself in glory and honor as he fought alongside her father against Northmen barbarians in the campaign in Kislev, well on his way to succeeding him as the next Lord of House Oldenburg.

She is not like Maximilian, who had been born with a rare talent for the arcane and is now at the Imperial Colleges of Magic in Altdorf, already a full fledged Magister at the young age of twenty-three. One of the youngest ever produced by the Order of Light.

She is definitely not like Gustavus, who had personally hunted down and killed an infamous band of highwaymen terrorizing the Gryphon's Wood and then slay a marauding troll in single combat naught but a few days later. All the while he was drunk on both occasions. And for these arguably foolish but undoubtedly heroic deeds, he is now residing at Castle Reiksguard in Altdorf, serving as an honored member of the Emperor's personal guard and private army.

Even her youngest brother Mikhail, sweet, humble, and gentle Mikhail, is her superior when it comes to academics. He is currently residing in the great city of Nuln, already finished with his four year degree in Engineering and is now apprenticed to a Master Engineer.

Yes, her mother had ample reasons to be proud of when it came to her brothers, and even she was proud and happy for them even though she was secretly jealous of their achievements. But that was no reason for her mother to keep treating her like she was a black stain on the immaculate tapestry that was her family. A stain that needed to be removed as soon as possible by marrying her off to whichever lord had enough land and wealth to satisfy her. Her worth as a woman and as a highborn lady reduced to only her beauty and her ability to birth children. It wasn't fair. All of it was not fair!

Feeling anger and resentment roiling within her gut, Irina spoke with a sneer. "Careful now mother. I might just surprise you one day."

Her mother simply let out an explosive sigh and shook her head, then closed her eyes as she gently massaged her growing headache.

"I doubt there is anything you could do to surprise me. Short of running off with some unwashed peasant."

Irina laughed at that as she turned her eyes away from her, a contemptuous smirk forming on her lips.

"Now that you mentioned it, perhaps I should do just that."

Upon hearing that, her mother's head immediately snapped back towards her and gave her a reproachful glare.

"That is not a jest you should make lightly."

Grinning mischievously, Irina looked at her mother from the corner of her eye.

"Who said it was a jest? You already said I'm a constant disappointment, so it shouldn't really matter what I do at this point."

"Irina…"

The Oldenburg matriarch said in warning, the anger now clearly evident in her tone. But Irina paid her no heed. She was still all fired up and feeling rather vindictive at the moment. She turned towards her again and gave a sweet smile.

"If I'm going to be sold off like a mare to some fat ugly lord soon, I might as well go and find myself a man who can break me in first and get me all loose and pliant. But it won't be with some ordinary peasant, no. It would be with a strong and dashing knight or a handsome and dangerous-looking mercenary. Even better if he has a huge, fat cock on him!"

*Cough* Cough* *Wheeze*

It would appear someone was still listening in and Irina's line caused that person to accidentally choke on something. But she was too angry to care at the moment. The scandalized expression on her mother's face however was rather priceless and she enjoyed it. She probably didn't expect Irina to be capable of using such vulgarity, which meant she already succeeded in surprising her. Ha!

"Oh don't look at me like that mother, it would all be alright. Such a man would ensure I am perfectly ready for my wedding night with Lord Fat-Ugly and his probably tiny weenie. And if I somehow end up carrying that man's child inside me, then I'll simply convince Lord Fat-Ugly that it's his. At least he no longer has to worry about producing an heir, another man already did it for him. A splendid idea, don't you think so mother? I'm sure you'll be happy to see the daughter you hate so much fall even lower!"

*Smack!*

The sound reached her ears first before the stinging pain bloomed and made itself known. Irina slowly brought a trembling hand to her now reddening cheek. She stared vacantly to the side wide eyed, her mind reeling as she tried to comprehend what had just happened. She tentatively brought her gaze back to her mother. Her bluish-green eyes, already full of hurt and brimming with tears, regarded her mother. And the expressions upon the Oldenburg matriarch quickly morphed from anger to shock, before finally settling into horrified realization.

"Irina, darling! I-I didn't… I didn't mean…"

Her mother said with a trembling voice, actually genuinely remorseful and fearful for the first time as she struggled to find the right words, any words, that she could say that might somehow help mend what had just been broken. But as far as Irina was concerned, nothing she could say or do would ever be enough as her eyes drifted towards the hand she used to strike her. At last she could no longer hold in her tears and they began streaming down her face. She then looked away, unable to bear looking at the woman who was supposed to care for her and protect her, yet ended up hurting her instead.

"Irina please, look at me darling."

Her mother said to her, pleading. But she still refused to meet her gaze, sniffling as the tears continued to roll down her face. Unable to bear the sight of her being so full of hurt, her mother reached out, seeking to comfort her.

"Irina, I know it was terribly wrong of me to do that. And I'm truly sor-"

"DON'T TOUCH ME!"

Irina screamed almost at the top of her lungs as she swatted away her mother's hand, probably with much more force than she actually intended. Only now did she care to look at her mother. Glaring with eyes still wet with tears and full of pain and with a truly furious expression on her face. All the anger and resentment that had been bubbling just beneath the surface a while ago had returned to the fore, mixing with her pain and sense of betrayal. And all of it was firmly focused on her mother.

"Don't you ever dare touch me again!" She shouted with such vehemence. "If you do, then Sigmar be my witness, I'll beat you bloody!"

The Oldenburg matriarch could only stare silently in shock and hurt as she instinctively rubbed her still aching hand, her own eyes now brimming with tears. But Irina was now way passed caring.

She could feel her emotions turning darker and fiercer. An almost overwhelming need roared from deep within her heart, the need to deal out pain and suffering as vengeance against the one who had hurt her. Her mind was soon filled with all sorts of vivid images, of her sitting atop her mother as she lay defenselessly on the ground, beating her face red and bloody and clawing out her eyes. And then taking a sharp blade and use it to cut her, over and over again. Relishing the sound of her screams as she begged her to stop, pleaded her for forgiveness. Only for her make her suffer even more, cutting her a thousand times, laughing in rapturous glee as she reduced her to nothing more than a horribly savaged sack of meat just barely clinging to her worthless life!

Do it.

She really wanted to do it. She needed to do it! The desire was becoming overpowering, making her hands tremble with anticipation, her heart racing with eagerness. It would be so easy, she thought. So easy to just give in, take that one last step over the edge and plunge head first into that roiling sea from which none could ever return. Let loose all of her rage and frustration and indulge all of her desires. No matter how violent, no matter how dark. No matter how carnal and decadent and utterly perverse. She could do it all, it was her right! And no one, not even the Heldenhammer himself could dare gainsay her!

Then do it!

Like an arrow loosed from a bow fully drawn, Irina suddenly launched herself towards her mother. The Oldenburg matriarch let out a grunt of pain as she was thrown down and pinned near flat upon the carriage seat, Irina's full weight keeping her down while her hand gripped her firmly by the neck. With a bestial snarl, she reared up her other hand already clenched into a tight fist, preparing to deliver the first in a series of punishing blows that would see her mother's teeth broken and her face mangled beyond recognition.

"Lady Irina! Stop!"

A forceful cry from a familiar voice rang out, causing her to stop her fist a mere hairsbreadth away from her mother's face, just barely enough to finally break her out of the dark and insidious cloud that had pervaded her mind and soul. Eyes widening in horror, Irina promptly pulled her hands away from her mother as the full weight of her deeds finally dawned upon her. And she felt sick to her stomach, all the previous hate and malicious intent quickly giving way to crushing guilt.

Taking her eyes away from her mother, Irina looked towards her surroundings. By this time the carriage had already stopped as did the rest of their convoy. In fact, it had halted the moment Irina first threatened her mother earlier and their escorts immediately dismounted to attend them. And right now, their carriage was surrounded by a sizable crowd comprised of their household guards as well as their accompanying maids and menservants. And Irina could see all their expressions, from fear and disgust on the faces of her maids to utter disbelief on the faces of their guards.

Or in the case of one Sir Harald the Blackhand, their family's Captain of the Household Guards, anger and piercing disapproval. And Irina felt her shame becoming even more unbearable. She had known the Greatswords veteran since the time she first learned to walk and he had served her family for many decades before that. It was his voice that rang out loud and true earlier, breaking her out of her maddened haze. And how she quailed under the weight of the older gentleman's frightening glare, who once made whimpering little boys out of fully grown men in the training yard.

If Sir Harald who was their family's oldest and most loyal servant was so this displeased of her actions, then what of her mother, whom she had brazenly attacked just now?

Irina couldn't take it anymore. Her guilt and shame was just too much and she couldn't bare to look at her mother, not after all that she had so wrongfully said and done. And so she immediately got off of her mother and frantically reached for the carriage door. She flung it wide open and Irina ran out much to the shock of everyone nearby. She pushed through all of the onlookers and made a mad dash towards the trees.

"Irina! Irina please don't go!"

She heard her mother cry out, genuine fear and concern now within her voice as she felt a hand grab her by the arm. And yet she shook it off and kept running.

"Lady Irina, come back! It's not safe out there!"

Sir Harald shouted from behind her in warning, quite alarmed, yet she paid him no heed as she kept running.

She pulled her skirt up and forced her legs to propel her forward as fast as they could. Not stopping even as the convoy was well into the distance and her mother's continued cries and pleas were but a whisper carried by the wind. She continued running with fresh tears in her eyes even as she had already disappeared into the nearby forest. She didn't stop even as some of the thorny thickets were now brushing against her sides and ruining her dress, not even when some of the branches were now hitting her in the face, delivering new pain.

It was only when the muscles in her legs were burning and her lungs felt like they were close to bursting did Irina finally stop. She collapsed to the earth right at the base of a nearby tree, the rough bark feeling uncomfortable as it scraped against her skin and the hard and thick roots underneath poking her awkwardly. Yet she cared not for any of these things, too physically exhausted and emotionally distressed as she was.

She continued to sob, wailing like a child as she tried to wipe off some of the tears that continued to flow with her sleeve. And so she stayed like that for a long while, nothing but the sound of her weeping permeating the cold and damp air and echoing through the trees. It was only when the sun was a bit high enough in the sky for its warm light to pierce through the thick clouds and somewhat illuminate her surroundings that Irina's sobbin had finally abated.

Sniffling still and eyes downcast and full of sorrow, Irina brought her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around it. With her mind a lot less clouded, she began to properly process all that had transpired.

"What's happening to me? Why did I do that?" she muttered under her breath, almost a prayer.

Yes, why did she do that, attack her mother all of a sudden. It's true, her mother did slap her and it hurt and one could argue she didn't have to do that to her. But Irina had enough humility to admit that she deserved it. Thinking on it now, she was far too out line and was brazenly and deliberately being disrespectful and a downright utter bitch. So no surprise her mother lost her temper and decided to knock some sense into her, and the strike really wasn't all that bad now that she thought on it more. It stung, yes, but definitely nothing that would leave a mark.

So when Irina suddenly got so angry, enough that she tried to attack her mother and wanted to so brutally savage her… That was not like her at all. Yes, she would mouth off and get into an argument but she had never once tried to attack anyone, much less her own mother and with such murderous and malicious intent. So why did she do that? Honestly, she couldn't find an answer. Perhaps there was something wrong with her and she either needed her soul cleansed by a Sigmarite Warrior-Priest or her mind healed by a Shallyan Priestess. Maybe both.

And speaking of her mind needing some healing…

"By Ulric, Sigmar and Shallya, what was I thinking saying all of those things! All of them heard me, so what will they think of me now?!"

She cried out aloud as she covered her face with her hands and shook her head ruefully. She felt like she just wanted to crawl under a rock somewhere and never show her face to the light of day! After that lengthy tirade of hers, her mother would definitely think poorly of her now if she doesn't already. Even if she eventually forgives her for her attack, she would still definitely pester her later on about the things she said, thinking that perhaps her daughter might have actually surrendered her maidenly virtue to one of their knights or household guardsmen. And even if she took back all that she said and swore innocence, her lady mother would still continue to suspect her of being secretly wanton.

And not just her. All of the members of their convoy had no doubt heard her shameful rambling! They had brought over fifty of their household guardsmen with them, a dozen of her father's knights, another dozen of their household maids, several other menservants and several more of their personal handmaidens. To sum them all up, that was nearly a hundred people, not including her mother. Almost a hundred men and women of their House had heard one Irina Oldenburg rant about finding a mercenary or knight with a huge cock and possibly getting impregnated by him before she would be married off to some hypothetical lord. Who might not even be fat or ugly like her idiotic blonde had conjured!

Again, even if she swore up and down to all the gods, both old and new, that she did not mean any of those things she said, that she still has yet to see a man naked in her life, much less know what an actual cock looks like and that she is still the same innocent young maiden that they had all served and cared for, the rumors about her would still persist. And if such rumors regarding her honor and virtue persists, then doubtless they would eventually reach the ears of her lord father.

Now that was a truly dreadful prospect!

If her beloved father, who for years had ensured that Irina received the best life possible, who so cherished his one and only daughter that he would gladly kill anyone who so much as lay hand on her, were to hear word of how her sweet and innocent girl had turned into some sort of perverse nymphomaniac… her dear papa might just die of heartbreak. That is, if he does not first go on a crusade to purge the ones he suspected of having corrupted his daughter. Now that she thought of it more, heads might actually roll because of her blunder!

"No! I won't allow it!" Irina declared with conviction as she suddenly rose up to her feet, fire in her eyes.

Shamed and guilty though she was, Irina had finally regained her former spirit! If there was one thing that truly set Irina apart from the rest of her brothers, was that no matter how many times she was knocked down she would always get back up. And so even though she had currently sunk to her lowest, Irina was determined to claw her way back up, reconcile with her mother and clear up this whole affair before any further misunderstandings arise. And if she's lucky enough and if she does things right next time, she might just be able to properly convince her mother to have a slight change of heart and no longer decide to marry her off to the first lord that comes with a big enough sack of gold and large enough parcel of land.

Instead arranging for her to be betrothed to someone more suitable to her tastes, like a knight, preferably a handsome and dashing one too. And not necessarily with a huge male organ, no.

"Alright everyone, I'm coming back now! I know I made a huge fool of myself but I'll do everything I can to set things right. And mother, I know you're still probably angry with me for what I did, but I promise that I'll make it all up to you. And then we will be right back to just arguing about small and trivial details like we always do."

With her mind finally set on her newfound goal, Irina first decided to inspect herself, see how much damage she caused to herself with her little sojourn through the woods. To put it simply, she was in a rather sorry state. Her long blonde hair was now a mess, her dress had small rips and tears in various places, her shoes were caked with mud and she had dirt stains all over her skirt. She could just imagine the long string of choice words her mother would give her when she finally saw her looking like this, not to mention she had just ruined what was essentially a fifty gold mark dress.

To put it into proper perspective, fifty gold marks is what the average Imperial townsman made in ten years. Yes, that would definitely make anyone's head hurt.

Taking her mind off of her unfortunate appearance for now, Irina surveyed her surroundings, trying to find her bearing and the right path leading back towards their convoy.

She looked.

And she looked.

And she looked some more.

"Alright Irina, don't panic. You're just a bit lost at the moment. Nothing to worry about."

She said with a nervous laugh. In her distraught state earlier, Irina had failed to keep track of the exact path she had taken and now didn't know which direction she should take. This forest was much denser than she had previously estimated and she could barely see past twenty feet in front of her. And even though the sun was now high enough in the sky, the dense canopies of the many tall and mighty trees blocked out much of the sunlight, giving the forest a dark and foreboding aura. And it might be just her imagination, but some of the trees looked rather sinister to her. And that's when she finally remembered something very important.

The forest she is currently in wasn't just any old and ordinary forest. She is inside the Dead Wood. A place that is infamous for all manner of mysterious and ominous happenings and sightings. She remembered her lessons on Ostermark's history well enough, and the Dead Wood is part of the region where the old city of Mordheim is located, the former capital city of Ostermark. A great cataclysm had descended upon the former jewel of the Empire's Eastern March, plunging the great city and all those who dwelt within it into darkness and damnation. The cataclysm not only destroyed the city of Mordheim however, it also blighted the land all around it, turning the once lush and verdant forests dark and gray. The trees were still alive, but had been corrupted by whatever evil had befallen the great city.

It is widely said that no sane person who journeyed into the Dead Wood ever returned to tell the tale. For these woods were now home to the corrupt and the most foul. The dwellings of unnatural and insidious things, or so they say. And Irina had so foolishly blundered her way into it.

"Alright, so maybe there is something to be worried about…"

She quietly said, a chill creeping up her spine. But she refused to allow fear to rule her. Drawing upon the lessons imparted to her by Sir Harald, Irina inspected the ground all around her, searching for the signs of her earlier flight into the forest. She had been running as fast as she could earlier, so surely she had kicked up a lot of dirt and left many footprints. Not only that, there had to be small pieces of her dress left somewhere. If she could find those, then finding the right path forward would be made easier.

After long moments of careful search, Irina at last made a breakthrough.

"I found it!"

She joyfully exclaimed, spotting the marks upon the soft soil that resembled her footprints as well as the trail of broken twigs and crushed leaves. Without wasting anymore time, Irina pressed onwards, reminding herself to give Sir Harald a hug and a kiss on the cheek in gratitude for his lessons.


)-(


"Not much further now… I hope." Irina murmured, fear and hope fighting for dominance within her heart.

She travelled for what felt like hours, though she couldn't be sure for it was rather difficult to tell the exact time while inside the Dead Wood. Even though it was still late in the summer, the air within this dark forest was unusually cold, colder than in the rest of Ostermark. And Irina shivered as she wrapped the fur-lined coat tighter around herself, trying to get as much warmth as possible. Her feet were beginning to ache and the muscles on her legs were starting to burn once more. Irina was simply not accustomed to long and arduous treks through such hard and difficult terrain, where she constantly had to watch where she was stepping, wary of the large and thick roots whose masses seem to bulge across the earth like huge snakes and the many sharp and jagged stones that littered the ground.

Her soft leather shoes afforded little protection nor traction, feeling pain whenever she stepped on something pointed or jagged. And more than once Irina either stumbled along the way or nearly slipped on muddy ground. She felt so tired already and her poor feet were all but screaming for relief. She wished that she would finally emerge out of the forest and rejoin her mother and the others. She wished that she could go back to the safety and comforts of her home.

She idly wonder why was it that when she first went into the Dead Wood, it was so much easier for her, barely encountering much resistance. Yes, her dress had been caught in the thorny shrubbery a few times and was now torn in several places, but the ground had been just fine. She encountered none of the hardships she was facing now which slowed her progress to a crawl. Irina could not help but think that perhaps some of the frightening tales told about the Dead Wood was actually true. That there was evil lurking within this damnable place, and said evil might have help facilitate her easy travel into the accursed forest. And now that she was trying to leave, it was making sure that her path towards her exit was as painful and difficult as possible. Stupid Dead Wood.

"Just you wait, one day people will have to start calling this place Firewood. Heldenhammer willing, I shall have my father send an army of woodcutters into this forest and chop down every tree. Then I'll make sure that all the wood is donated to all the homes in Ostermark. Imagine it, countless families no longer having to worry about wood for the next several decades. Wouldn't that be a happy ending to the dreadful tale of the Dead Wood?!"

Irina said aloud as she cast a furious glare at all the trees around her, her earlier vindictive side coming to the fore once more, anger and frustration welling inside her and serving to fuel her steps. If there was evil lurking inside this forest, then it was only right that Irina reduce it to some homeless beggar from the streets of Altdorf by burning every tree here. Serves it right for making her suffer such indignities. The fact that it was mostly self-inflicted did not bear mentioning.

All of a sudden Irina had to halt her steps and bring a hand to cover her nose, her face morphing into a look of utter disgust.

"Ugh! By the gods both old and new, what is that stench!"

A powerful odor assailed her, giving making her scrunch her nose in disgust. It was like someone had not bathed for a whole year and decided to eat a bowl full of onions shortly before sweating like a pig. Just imagining it made her want to retch. Before she could further contemplate the nature of this smell however, the earth beneath her feet began to rumble as the sound of something very big and very heavy made slow but steady thuds.

Her urge to vomit was immediately overpowered by the desire to hide and Irina acted on it. Spotting a hollow upon the earth at the base of a large tree which was partially obscured by thick roots, she quickly dashed towards it and crawled into it. She pressed herself as tightly into the deepest part of the hollow as possible, silently hoping she would be hidden enough from view. Once again drawing on the lessons imparted to her by their family's Guard Captain, Irina swallowed her pride and disgust as she grabbed handfuls of dirt and started smothering it all over her body. She kept doing this again and again until she was covered in dirt from the neck down, leaving her dress utterly ruined.

The irony of her current appearance was not lost on her, but she could not bring herself to care because her survival was of more paramount importance and by covering herself in earth, Irina hoped her scent would be sufficiently masked as well as allowing her to more easily blend in. She then covered her long blonde hair with her thick furred coat and with it, she remained deathly still.

The heavy footfalls continued and grew ever louder, shaking the ground and making Irina's heart pound mightily beneath her breast. The stench by this time was so strong that it made her eyes water, as whatever creature was the source of it was now mere feet away from her. But there was nothing she could do but bear it as best she can and remain perfectly silent. For the slightest noise she makes might alert whatever was out there to her location.

A loud growl was next to reach her ears and Irina's eyes widened, and for a moment she worried that it could smell fear, because she probably stank of it right now. Sniffing noises were what she heard next, confirming her earlier assumptions that whatever beast this was did possess a heightened sense of smell, and she dearly hoped all the dirt and mud she smeared on herself would be enough to mask her scent.

With another loud growl the beast stomped angrily into view at last. And it was by far the most frightening thing she had ever seen in her life.

A rough face with yellow, goat-like eyes burning with malevolence and hate. Thick and wild hair sprouting upon a head that was nearly bigger than her whole body. A large and crooked nose, covered in warts and pustules, continued to sniff at the air like some hungry beast in search of prey. And a mouth filled with long and sharp teeth that jutted out from a noticeably larger under-bite. All of this was set upon an enormous frame brimming with unholy strength. Powerful muscles bulged from beneath leathery skin that was a dark shade of green, showing most prominently along its enormous arms, its trunk-like legs and on its mighty core. And clutched within its boulder-sized, four-fingered hand was a massive wooden club adorned with brutal spikes.

Irina had seen a troll before. The head of the beast that her brother Gustavus had slain a few years ago was still mounted on the wall of the Oldenburg manor's great hall. Irina did not enjoy having to look at that ugly thing nearly every day, but her father insisted that proof of his son's heroic deed must be properly displayed for all to see. But this creature before her was not a troll, that much she could easily tell.

Nor was it an orc, because Irina had seen enough dead orcs in the past to know that this creature lacked the characteristic stoop, nor did it possess the dumb and belligerent demeanor that was most common within orc-kind.

Studying it closely now, she could tell that this thing was, in fact, a goblin.

But this was no ordinary goblin. While a normal goblin was cowardly, this one knew no fear. A common goblin was small and weak, but this one was much too large, larger than even an orc and possibly larger than a troll. And from what Irina could deduce, possessed enough strength to easily rival either of the two. Or outright surpass them. And finally, while both of those aforementioned creatures were generally quite stupid, this goblin possessed a sinister intelligence that surpassed even the diminutive members of its kind. Irina knew not what evil gave birth to this creature, but she was probably better off not knowing.

By this time the creature had stepped much closer to where she was hiding, allowing her to behold its frightening visage in greater detail. She firmly closed her eyes shut, not wanting bear further witness to such a foul sight.

"O Heldenhammer, please just make it go away! Go away!"

A long and tense moment passed and just when Irina began to fear that the goblin might have finally spotted her, she heard the heavy footfalls start once again. Loudly at first, but slowly yet steadily lowering in volume as the seconds rolled on. But Irina did not open her eyes yet nor did she exit her hiding place. She kept low and still for several minutes longer.

When at long last there was nothing else she could hear but the sound of her own tense breathing and the pounding of her own heart, Irina finally opened her eyes once more and began to tentatively crawl out of her hiding place.

There was nothing else around her but shadows cast by the many gray and ominous trees, broken earth from that goblin's heavy stomps and its ever lingering odor. Irina finally breathed a sigh of immense relief as she narrowly escaped what would have otherwise been a demise most terrible. Forget asking her father to send an army of woodcutters here, she needed to make a direct petition to the Holy Order of Sigmar to have them purge these woods clean of the foulness that had infested it.

With the immediate danger now gone, at least for now, Irina resumed her walk towards her exit once again but now much more wary of danger. She let out a tired sigh, already feeling quite exhausted by all of today's happenings. She just wanted to get the hell out of this forest, rejoin her mother and just beg her to send her back home. She wanted nothing more than to just lay on her bed for a whole day and a half and just forget about this whole harrowing ordeal. Never again will she think any poorly of Imperial state troopers and knights who have to risk their lives to defend her and others just like her from such evils like that massive goblin earlier.

And of course, never again will she think poorly of her mother for being too strict or too watchful. Because she only ever did her best to protect her, to keep her safe from all the myriad dangers of this world. And her exacting standards which she constantly pushed Irina to meet were simply meant to better her daughter, to make her strive to be the very best that she could be. Irina realized that now as she steadily but sadly paced through the Dead Wood.

They never got along as well as they should have, always did they bicker about the smallest of things and fight about the bigger ones yet they rarely ever came to an amicable agreement, a compromise that was still beneficial to both of them. She would like to argue that it was due to her mother being too stubborn and prideful, always wanting to get things her way, but then so was Irina. They were much too similar in personality, she realized. And it would seem this was the main cause of their constant disagreements, much to the chagrin of her brothers and especially her father, who unfortunately always found himself caught between the war of words waged by his only daughter and his beloved lady wife.

But no more.

Irina vowed to make things right this time, As soon as she was reunited with her mother, she would embrace her, beg her forgiveness and make a concerted effort to not only repair and improve their relationship but to once again strive to win her approval, to be the kind of daughter her mother would be most proud of. She only wished she would have more time to do all that.

In a more ideal world, bereft of all the evils that plagued it and the ever thirsting gods that hold sway over it, Irina would have all the time and opportunity to do so. But this world she lived in was not that world.

No sooner did Irina finish making that silent vow when a heavy and sinking feeling within her gut began to form, having finally noticed one very crucial detail. The path that she was walking on right now which lead towards the forest's edge was the same path the goblin had taken. And even from this distance, Irina could already hear the sounds she always dreaded to hear.

The sounds of battle and the screams of the dying.

"No…"

Irina gasped, horror gripping her heart once again. Fueled by fear and desperation, Irina willed her tired legs forward as fast as she could, the desire to see what had become of her people overtaking all her other worries. With each hasty step she took, the closer she was to the Dead Wood's edge, fleeing towards the light cast by the sun at the forest clearing like a prisoner escaping through a dark tunnel. But unlike a prisoner running towards the light of freedom and salvation, Irina was heading straight towards something grim and dark. And if her already distraught mind wasn't playing further tricks on her, she could almost hear the malevolent laughter of a thirsting god.

When she finally emerged out of the Dead Wood, the sounds of battle became louder still and with it, came the stench of death and fear as Irina beheld with her very eyes the desecration of all that she held dear, wrought by those who looked like they crawled out from the depths of her darkest nightmares.

A knight clad in a thick suit of heavy mail and bearing the marks of House Oldenburg upon his surcoat, thrust his broadsword deep into the rotund belly of a hulking and naked man who was covered in boils and pustules. The keen blade pierced deep and true, drawing tainted blood. But instead of screaming in pain, the mutant thrust out his left arm which was severely overgrown and sporting countless spikes, grabbed the soldier by the throat with his large three-fingered hand and then pulled him closer.

The knight kept a firm hold on his sword and as he was pulled closer, he drove the blade deeper into this grotesque parody of a man, burying the weapon all the way to the hilt. But the monster before him simply laughed, seemingly unmindful of the wound he suffered. And then he opened his mouth, the jaw splitting wide open down the middle and revealing countless barb-like teeth and a long leech-like tongue.

And he vomited on the unfortunate knight.

The man screamed painfully and terribly. Even from this distance, Irina could see how the skin on his face began to melt and his armor and clothes dissolving before her very eyes. The knight now tried desperately to break free, flailing wildly within the creature's grasp as the acid continued to eat away at his flesh. But the monster laughed, gleefully enjoying the suffering he caused, before he finally threw the man away like a piece of garbage and left him on the ground to slowly die of his agonizing wounds.

And much to Irina's continued horror, the corrupted mockery of a man pulled out the discarded blade from his gut and threw it away, before turning his predatory gaze towards the one the brave knight had been protecting. The young woman, whom Irina recognized as one of her handmaidens and was betrothed to that knight last she recalled, cowered at the sight of the hulking monstrosity, her back pressed against the side of one of the upturned wagons. Abject terror firmly fixed upon her pretty face as the hideous, fat mutant strode towards her, his malicious intentions clearly evident in the disgusting phallus between his legs, already fully erect.

The fat and postulated mutant descended upon her like a ravenous dog and began tearing at her clothes, gleefully laughing all the while. And the girl screamed a shrill scream, crying for help, desperate for someone, anyone, to come and save her. And try as he might, the young knight could barely muster enough strength to drag himself towards his beloved, much less stand on his feet and rescue her, as the insidious mutant's corrosive fluids continued to slowly devour his already horribly burned body. He could only quietly mutter her name and stare in despair as the fat mutant began to ravish his dear betrothed right in front of him.

But no aid would come to the two lovers this day, or any other day soon after. Because all around them, many more were already suffering similar or worse fates.

The soldiers and knights of House Oldenburg were nearly helpless themselves, fighting just to survive against a horde of bloodthirsty maniacs numbering in the hundreds, bearing all manner of hideous afflictions and malformations. Whether through bravery and skill or strength born of desperation, the men of Irina's house fought on even though they were clearly outnumbered and surrounded, the mutated marauders having descended upon them in force and assailing them with jagged claws, tentacled limbs, venomous fangs, spiked and whip-like tongues and other sinister bodily implements wrought by their hellish mutations.

And as many of the mutants continue to slowly but surely overwhelm her father's men, many more of the same mutants ruthlessly exploited every opening and attacked the more defenseless members of the convoy. Already many of the serving girls who had accompanied Irina on their journey were now in the process of being brutally defiled by these grotesque animals who pretended to be men. Many of them screamed helplessly as groups of mutants held them down and rutted into them like wanton beasts, while the braver ones continued to fight and flail wildly, hurling curses and obscenities even as the mutants laughed and jeered and thrust into them with wild abandon, their continued defiance only serving to fuel their dark desires further.

As if to make an already desperate and terrible situation even worse, a frightening roar pierced through the chaotic din of carnage and suffering, signaling the presence of the mutated goblin whom Irina encountered earlier. And said beast was already hard at work exacting a bloody toll upon the people of her house. But the monstrous brute was not fighting, no. Instead it was crouched in front of their carriage, her family's coachman caught within its enormous hand, struggling uselessly. The poor man screamed for help, loudly beseeching the very gods themselves to come and save him. But no divine aid would come this night, a fact firmly reinforced by the goblin munching down on the coachman, tearing and crushing the poor soul within its jaws before finally swallowing him, ending his desperate cries and pleas at last.

But that man wasn't the only one to beg the gods for help. Many such prayers were offered this night, to Ulric, or to Shallya, or to Sigmar Himself. But no prayers were answered and no divine salvation was to be had. The gods of the Empire were silent this night as her people were being senselessly butchered and brutally defiled.

Irina could only stare in horrified silence at all the malicious evils being committed right in front of her, tears already flowing freely down her eyes. Is there truly nothing sacred anymore, that such atrocities were permitted? Is the world she lived in so cruel and so dark that such evils are allowed to not only exist, but to go unpunished? One could not even call this a proper battle, for there was no glory to be had here, no honor being shown or earned, and no mercy given. There was only savage butchering and vile depravities in full display. And against innocents no less.

Is the founder and protector of the Empire so uncaring, that He would turn a blind eye to these abominations, that He would allow His people to suffer so?! Irina soon fell to her knees, the horrors and tragedies in front of her too much for her to bear, and she could not allow it to continue any further. But she was no warrior and she was certainly powerless on her own. So she did the one thing that any helpless maiden could do, whose heart ached and wept for the suffering of her people.

She prayed.

"O Heldenhammer, thou who watches over Mankind and protects them from the wicked and the unclean, I beseech thee, cast away the Mutant and the Heretic, and upon the Anvil of War, smite their souls with the Hammer that is thine divine wrath."

She prayed, desperate and fervent. Her heart, already full of anguish and sorrow and need, now fully open. She waited for an answer, for the Heldenhammer to heed her prayers and deliver her people from their most heinous foes.

"He can't do anything to help. Because he's quite helpless himself."

Such words, so nonchalant and irreverent, were the least of what she was expecting to hear. Tearing her attention away from the madness in front of her, Irina cast her gaze towards the one who so dared to utter such blasphemy. And her heart immediately skipped a beat.

Right beside her stood a man, tall and regal of bearing, dashing and so very handsome, looking much like one of those heroic lords from the tales Irina always used to read. What with his luscious hair the color of bark, his healthy skin fair and devoid of any imperfections, his exquisite face that even the most talented of artists would be hard pressed to render in stone or canvas. And though he was more beautiful than any man Irina had ever seen before, his beauty belied a deadly strength and lethal grace that she strongly suspected he possessed. Evident in his athletic form which was covered beneath layers of silk and fine leather, and in the way his hand rested comfortably upon the hilt of the long and curved blade sheathed at his side.

Despite the gravity of the current situation, Irina could not help but be instantly attracted to this man, feeling a warmth beneath her breasts and a wetness in between her thighs. And all the horrors and evils happening but a stone's throw away from her momentarily forgotten. Even though Irina should have felt shock and rightful indignation for what he said, she found it most difficult to reconcile the heretical words spoken with the angel of a man in front of her, and so decided to push those words far away from her thoughts.

Instead, Irina crawled just a bit closer to him and on her knees still, looked up to him reverently and desperately.

"Oh kind sir, please you have to help! Those monsters are attacking my family's convoy! You have to stop them!"

She pleaded with all her heart, dearly wishing this glorious and noble warrior would lend his strength to her cause and save her people. She would be eternally grateful to him if he did and would not hesitate to show him just how much.

But this mysterious man turned his gaze away from the carnage and looked at her with confusion marring his immaculate face.

"Stop them? What ever do you mean by that?"

He said to her, his voice was rich and seductive to the ears, like gravel drenched in honey and fine wine. For a brief moment Irina wondered what it would feel like to have him whisper to her with that voice as he caressed her with loving need.

"Focus! This is not the time for that!"

She chided herself, breaking away from such seedy thoughts as she concentrated on getting this man to aid her first.

"Those monsters are killing our men and are doing unspeakable acts to the women! My mother is in mortal danger! You need to do something, anything! Please, I need your help! I'll reward you with anything that you ask for, just please save them!"

She pleaded once again and more heatedly this time. And she meant every word she said. If this man would do what is right and save the people of her house and rescue her mother, then Irina would truly do anything he asked in return. Money, power, even her hand in marriage, anything. That was how desperate she was at the moment.

And yet this gorgeous man gave her a rather patronizing smile, looking at her like she was a small child in need of guidance.

"But my dear, sweet Irina, these people are being saved."

She was startled by that, not only because she did not expect him to know her name but also because of the sheer absurdity of his statement. And not even her sudden and intense yet peculiar attraction towards this man could prevent the look of confusion on her face.

"W-What?"

"Yes, you heard me right."

The man affirmed with a smoldering gaze that could have made any woman weak at the knees. And if her situation had been different, Irina would already be melting like butter in his hands. She remained silent as the man continued.

"Difficult to believe though it may be, but what you see here before you is salvation at work. For these people are being rescued from all the lies and filth fed to them by the priests of Sigmar's misbegotten church. Their souls soon to be delivered to She who is the one true Mistress of this world!"

The man before her adamantly declared, his voice slowly rising from soft and gentle to fiery and zealous. His eyes blazing with passion. He soon crouched towards her and brought a hand to her face, caressing her cheek like a long lost lover.

"[Lore of Slaanesh: Acquiescence!]"

Upon doing so, Irina gasped as she could do nothing to prevent the sudden and inexplicable desire burning from within her heart and the aching need deep within her very womb.

She felt sorely tempted to just tear off her clothes here and now, spread her thighs wide and beg this man to make mad love to her, to have him conquer her and ravish her in every way she could possibly be conquered and ravished. The fiery desire she felt was so foreign to her, for Irina had never felt this way before, her mind reeling and struggling to comprehend the nature of these feelings and of their origin. Yet it was there nonetheless, and it was practically roaring for satisfaction!

"And you, my dear and beautiful Irina, are also deserving of sweet salvation. You may resist it, and suffer greatly for it as many of those fools have, or you can open up your heart and welcome it deep within you as some of them are doing right now. Not only would you be saved, but you shall be free! Take a look."

Still enraptured by him, Irina did as he commanded and looked towards the people of her House.

By this time the intensity of the battle had died down, as most of the Oldenburg men were either dead or dying. Only a few remained alive from what Irina could see, and they were the last remnants of defiance even as the maddened mutants were in the process of torturing them. Eliciting gut-wrenching screams as the perverse mutants enthusiastically cut off fingers and tongues, scooped out eyes, flayed flesh from bone piece by bloody piece, force-fed some of the men with horrid fluids straight from their own gory malformations or decorating themselves with the bloody entrails of their still living victims. Just to mention but a few of the many other horrible acts being committed.

And some of the women were lying lifelessly upon the ground as groups of savage mutants continued to take turns upon their motionless bodies. These girls were either already dead after taking their own lives some time ago, though it did little to deter the mutants from defiling their still warm corpses, while the others were simply reduced to a catatonic state, their soulless eyes open yet unseeing as their minds were too badly broken by all the terrible depravities inflicted upon them by their abominable assailants. They only waited for death, an end to their suffering. And these monsters were keen on prolonging it as much as possible.

Even through the carnal haze clouding her senses, her heart still broke for these people, these faithful servants of her House who are guilty of no crime yet were slaughtered ruthlessly or were now suffering fates far worse than mere corporeal death.

And yet, there were those among them who shocked and dismayed Irina to the core. Because those of her family's servants, an alarming number of them, have finally thrown away all sense and honor to the wind and were now willing participants in their own damnation.

Those women who have been screaming for help earlier, were now greedily sucking every erect appendage offered in front of their faces and frantically jerking the ones they could not with their hands, all the while bucking their hips wildly to meet the savage thrusts delivered into their now eager holes. And those women who had been most defiant in the beginning as they hurled curses and obscenities against their assailants, were now screaming those same vulgar words as they either rode their erstwhile oppressors to completion or were now moving on to mount another mutant and bring him to rapture, wearing manic looks and perverse smiles all the while.

Even Irina's own handmaiden from earlier had finally succumbed to corruption and madness. Now on her hands and knees like a bitch in heat as she not only greedily took the fat and postulated mutant deep into her cunt, she was also busy servicing another horrid mutant with her mouth. Even though this one had the face of a wild boar, covered in coarse hairs, drenched in sweat, flee-ridden and sprouting many sharp, pincer-like appendages on his back, Irina's handmaiden continued to suck and lick his disgusting, wart-ridden member like a person dying of thirst.

And she did all of this right next to the corpse of the knight who had suffered greatly to protect her earlier. The man was already dead, but not before bearing witness to his beloved fall into depravity. His one remaining eye, wet with tears, was still firmly fixed upon her as her new mutant lovers finally shot another torrent of tainted seed into her hungry throat and thirsting womb, making her shiver in exquisite bliss. Her former knightly betrothed already long forgotten.

"As you can see, my dear Irina, they have finally found true freedom and bliss, having finally accepted the truth of She Who Thirsts."

She felt him gently turn her head back towards him and made her look into his eyes. Those eyes that now glowed a faint green mesmerizing her, compelling her to listen and heed his every word.

"And you can be just like them. Free and happy, able to do everything you ever wanted, engage in your deepest desires. You need only surrender yourself to Her, and we shall both travel these lands together, doing everything we want, whenever we want, to our heart's content. And all the while spreading the divine gospel of the Dark Queen to those who are yet lost. Would you not join me, Irina, my love?"

"I... Uh, I mean- uh, I..."

She was at a complete lost for words, sorely tempted to accept his offer yet still doing her utmost to stop herself from saying that one sentence that would doom her forever.

"Say no! Get away from him! JUST SAY NO!"

She begged to herself, screaming within her very mind as she willed herself to push this man away and outright reject his honeyed words, knowing them to be the poisonous heresies they truly were. But much to her continued dismay and no small shame, Irina still could not do it. Her own treasonous mouth would not do as she commanded, her lips trembling as she struggled to get her rebellious tongue to form those words of defiance.

Seeing her obvious inner struggle, an amused grin formed upon the man's lips, hunger within his eyes. This man who was temptation and desire wrought in human flesh, suddenly closed the scant distance between them, and captured her lips in a deep and sensuous kiss.

Her eyes widened in shock at the unexpected contact and whatever words Irina had wanted to say immediately died as he took advantage of her slightly parted lips and thrust deep into her mouth. Skillfully wrestling and dominating her more innocent and inexperienced tongue with his own.

She instinctively brought her hands up and tried to push him away. But to her own frustration, Irina did not seem to have the strength to do so. Perhaps she was just too weak and him too strong, there was a considerable difference in size between them after all. Or perhaps she was just too unwilling to break it off, too hesitant to end the pleasure brought about by his delectable lips and aggressive tongue.

She did not know which one was true, but soon enough Irina could no longer find the strength to care. For she finally found herself swept away by his passionate ministrations, eyes drawing to a close as she lost herself in the intoxicating drug that was his touch. She felt his hand cupping one of her full breasts, carefully and lovingly massaging the ripe fruit of her nubile body through the thin and soft material of her dress. Sending a sudden spike of pleasure straight into her very core, drenching her maidenly entrance even more.

Instead of removing his hand as she rightfully should, Irina's own hand moved to cover his and willed him to start fondling her breast even harder! And with her other hand she began to frantically remove the intricate laces that held her silk dress together, to allow him greater access to her now willing and eager body. And with this act, the first vestiges of her innocence was stripped away.

Irina soon reciprocated the kiss and with such gusto that surprised even herself, releasing soft moans of pleasure as the man kept fondling her breasts and made passionate love to her mouth. Though she was clearly inexperienced in the act and lacked skill, Irina's spirited and rebellious nature took this as a personal challenge, willing herself to match his masterful skill and superior knowledge with sheer youthful ardor.

Surprised by her actions but most pleased nonetheless, he pushed her down until Irina found herself with her back upon the earth, with his large and powerful frame dwarfing her more supple and delicate form. With her dress finally undone and her upper body fully bared for all to see, the man finally broke off their kiss, leaving Irina breathless and gasping for air. But she only had a brief moment to recover, for he moved towards her bare breasts now, hungrily sucking and kissing one while roughly kneading and pinching the other, unleashing a loud euphoric moan from her that sounded so utterly depraved to her own ears.

A sound that one would normally expect to here from some perverse harlot, and not from a proper highborn lady like herself. But considering the new depths she had now fallen into, she probably did look like some common whore.

Lost within this carnal haze, Irina's own treacherous body continued to defy her as her thighs instinctively opened wide, as if to invite him inside. And this man was not one to let an opportunity to go to waste as he quickly lifted off her skirts with his free hand and began to tear her undergarments off. The silky and delicate material, already thoroughly drenched with her arousal, proving little defense. Irina gasped at the feeling of coldness as the chilly air now caressed her bare entrance, thoroughly aware of just how utterly exposed she was right now. Despite her current intense state of arousal, embarrassment still managed to bloom within her and allowed Irina to gather enough of her senses to try and get away from him.

But it was too late, she was already firmly entrapped by him. And much to Irina's growing trepidation, he had already freed his manhood from the confines of his trousers. And that devious member was aimed right at her maidenly entrance.

She wanted to cry out in protest, to beg him to stop. But before those words even had a chance to leave her tongue, the man moved as quickly as a striking viper, and plunged mercilessly into her.

A loud cry tore out of Irina's throat, eyes brimming with fresh tears and her face flushed red and grimacing, as a hot lance of pain pierced through the tight confines for her womanly entrance. His powerful rod of flesh, so hard and thick, ruthlessly savaged the inside of her soft and velvety cunt with fast and brutal thrusts. And more than once he even managed to reach the very gates of her womb, threatening to push his way inside.

Irina knew not for how long it continued, maybe minutes or even more than an hour, she could not tell. But every second this act persisted was another second of torment for her as she continued to cry and sob, eyes shut and cheeks wet with tears. Even though she knew she had been mysteriously robbed any control over her body, still she tried to move it, to command it, begging it to put up at least some modicum of resistance, only for it to continue betraying her. And all the while she quietly mourned the loss of her maidenly virtue which she had spent years carefully preserving, that she had fully intended to give to her future husband as a special gift on their wedding night. Her ultimate proof of her purity and her fidelity.

And now it was gone, mercilessly destroyed by the grinning Heretic on top of her. Plundering her body for all the delights it could possibly give him while inflicting only stinging pain and eternal shame upon her.

Soon enough, the pain slowly subsided, the stinging agony within her loins becoming a dull ache and Irina's cries and sobbing finally stopped. But her struggles had also died, her arms lying uselessly at her sides as she lay on the ground seemingly lifeless. And inside, Irina did feel like death was quite preferable at the moment as she quietly but forlornly watched this man on top her. Seeing him wildly buck his hips against hers, gripping her waist rather painfully as he relentlessly thrust into her already battered entrance, desperately trying to reach his own release. And from what Irina could tell from his expression of intense concentration and effort, he was already close to unleashing his own tainted seed deep into her vulnerable womb. And quite possibly seeding her with vile and corrupted life.

But she could not bring herself to care anymore. She offered no defiance. What was the point?

She was already so close now, so dangerously close to her own damnation. She felt herself once again being pulled towards the edge of that cliff, now but one small step away from falling into that dark and roiling sea of decadence and perversion from which none could return. That same sea which Irina came close to falling into earlier today when she attacked her mother in a pique of murderous rage.

But unlike before, there was none to help pull her back from the brink. Not her mother, whom she fearfully suspected is now suffering the same fate as she did. Not Sir Harald, whom Irina feared had already fallen in battle earlier in defense of all she held dear. And not even the Heldenhammer Himself who, much to Irina's continued disappointment, was still silent and absent despite her earlier prayer and all that has happened to her.

And at that moment, when she was finally so close to giving up and embracing her own imminent corruption, she saw it.

Irina walking down that isle in the arms of her father, her brothers looking on with pride and joy, and her dear friends Tanya and Anna smiling with tears of happiness in their eyes. Until her father finally surrendered her to the man who would be her husband.

The look of pure joy on her face as she finally held her first child, all the anguish she felt to bring him into this world fading away as she quietly nursed him.

Irina passing down the middle of a road flanked on each side by a roaring crowed, riding at the side of her husband after a grand victory, her two dear friends also with them. They waved at the crowd as honor and accolades continue to rain down upon them.

She looking on with her children at her side, as the man she came to love rose to great heights of power and glory. Feeling pride and fulfillment in the fact that she helped put him there.

And finally, many decades later, Irina lying on her bed, already old and frail yet wearing a smile on her face. Her many children and many more grandchildren surrounding her. But her beloved was not there. For he had already left this world long ago and Irina was now on her way to join him.

A single, bitter tear rolled down her cheek as Irina beheld the visions, more vivid that any dream. She knew not who had shown her this. But she understood the meaning behind them well enough.

Resist, and receive the chance at a lifetime of love, happiness, fulfillment and lasting glory. Surrender, and be guaranteed eternal damnation and suffering.

Seeing the paths made perfectly clear to her, the choice was an easy one to make even for a blonde idiot like her. And oh, how it filled her with rage upon realizing that this Heretic was about to deny her the bright future that rightfully belonged to her!

She gritted her teeth and clenched her hands into fists as Irina began to dig deep into that roiling mass of anger and resentment that she once felt when she foolishly attacked her mother. And she used it to power through whatever insidious curse had been placed upon her by this man, banishing the fog clouding her mind and regaining control over her body.

"GET OFF ME!"

She screamed at the top of her lungs as she unleashed a savage punch at his exposed face, and she did so with all her strength placed behind it. Not expecting this at all, he was struck dead on and the force was enough to knock him clear off of Irina and rooting out his insidious member from her. And without a moment too soon, for as the man fell to the ground with a thud his devious phallus started spurting out rope after thick rope of vile seed. And all of it was shot to the side where it landed fruitlessly upon the cold ground, much to Irina's immeasurable relief.

She wasted no time, scrambling back to her feet with all haste while clutching at her dress and furred coat, placing a very comfortable distance between them. She panted heavily and stood rather awkwardly due to her still aching loins. And her right hand throbbed mightily and proved painful to move, no doubt she had broken it after that heavy punch she delivered earlier. But even so, she began to put her clothes back on as best she could, desperate to restore some semblance of her modesty. And despite the pain she felt, she could not stop herself from smiling, elated and proud of herself.

She did it! She actually did it! Irina was able to break free out of whatever spell she was placed on and doing so on her own no less. Well, mostly on her own. Those visions she received did the trick, reminding her of all she was about to lose in return for surrendering to an eternity of damnation. It was only a very slight nudge, but it was enough get Irina moving towards the right direction. Lighting the sparks of defiance and righteous hate within her which now blazed like an inferno. And Irina swore to herself that she would never again allow her fire to be snuffed out.

Her smile soon faded however as she watched that man slowly rise up once again. And blood slowly trickled from a broken nose and a busted lip. She really did hit him hard, but in Irina's opinion, she probably didn't hit him hard enough. Because the man was wearing the most arrogant, self-satisfied grin ever on his damned face as he looked at her, hunger still burning within his eyes. Gone was the guise of a glorious noble and the true serpent lurking underneath was finally revealed. He might have the face of an angel but he was a daemon at heart with a soul as black as sin.

"Oh, how I underestimated you…"

The man finally spoke once again, chuckling in amusement.

"Here I thought you were just another stupid and spoiled noble brat desperate for a bit of cock. But I was wrong. Which means it would be all the sweeter when I finally break you in."

He said with such hunger within his eyes, licking his lips with his long, forked tongue. Akin to a snake tasting blood within the very air, savoring its next meal. And Irina could feel the tendrils of fear slowly beginning to coil around her heart. Yet she willed herself to be brave in the face of this monster in human flesh, and the sheer loathing and disgust she had for this man was enough to overpower her own fear.

"Silence you vile Heretic!"

Irina shouted at him, contempt and hate dripping from every syllable. By this time all the other mutants had paused on their debaucheries to pay attention towards their exchange, all of them listening intently to the young lady of House Oldenburg as she continued.

"I will never forgive you for what you have done! You deserve nothing less than a most painful death! Sigmar be my witness, I swear that you shall burn screaming for all of your sins!"

A long, excruciating moment of silence passed as the man she now dubbed as the Heretic stood there quietly looking at her as did his many mutant followers. Until finally he began to laugh. And a rather sinister laugh at that which caused a chill to crawl up Irina's spine.

"Oh, a Heretic am I?"

He said with a cold smile. And then he traversed the distance between them, all twenty feet of it, in just the blink of an eye. So fast was he that he appeared as a blur to Irina's eyes and now here he was looming over her. It made her gasp in surprise and she now stared fearfully at him as he looked down on her. An almost manic grin was plastered upon his face as hatred burned within his eyes.

"Let me make one thing abundantly clear. I am not the Heretic here, you are."

His voice was as cold as winter, his tone possessing such a finality to it. Another tense moment passed and when Irina thought that was all he had to say, his hand darted out and grabbed her by the throat. Her eyes widened even more in shock and fear, and her hands immediately grasped his and tried to loosen his grip. But try as she might, she couldn't even budge his fingers one inch, his hold upon her as strong as steel. And then he roared at her.

"You! Your greedy and ambitious whore of a mother! Your warmongering and glory-seeking father! Those spoiled and pompous brats you have for brothers! Everyone who serves your damned House! And all the pathetic excuses for Human beings that live within this dreary backwater and in the rest of the Empire! ALL OF YOU ARE THE TRUE HERETICS HERE, NOT ME! AND DO YOU KNOW WHY?!"

Irina gasped in pain as his grip upon her neck tightened, before she was promptly lifted off a good three feet above the ground. She panicked and began to struggle, but nothing she did could free her from his grasp and it was now becoming quite difficult for her to breath.

"Because you serve a false god! A weak, pretender of a god! While the one I serve is so very real, much more powerful and oh so generous!"

He held her aloft for a moment or two more, watching her begin to struggle weakly as she slowly ran out of air and was at risk of passing out. But just before she did, Irina finally felt the pressure around her neck slacken and she was dropped unceremoniously upon the ground. She cried weakly in pain as her back hit the earth but it was nothing compared to the intense relief of finally having precious air fill her burning lungs once more. She brought her hand to her throat and gently rubbed the spot where he gripped her hard, bruises already beginning to form.

"And now dear Irina…"

The Heretic began once again, much calmer this time but his tone even darker.

"I want you to be a good girl and stay still, so that I may continue absolving you of your sins… by fucking the heresy out of you!"

A fresh wave of panic bloomed within her upon hearing him say that and Irina immediately began pushing herself backwards, desperate to get away from him. Grinning hungrily, he took a step forward and prepared to lunge at her like a wolf leaping towards its downed prey.

*Bang!*

A crack of thunder tore through the air and the Heretic was sent staggering backwards. Pain and shock now marring his unnaturally immaculate face as his eyes slowly drifted downwards to where he was struck. Irina too was most surprised as she stared at the coin-sized hole now adorning the man's chest, already oozing dark and tainted blood, staining his once pristine silk shirt and leather coat. His gaze soon left the wound upon his chest and turned towards the one who had shot him, and Irina saw his eyes widen in surprise and burn with hate.

"You…!"

She too turned to look towards the one responsible. And she immediately beamed at who she saw. The stony countenance of one Lady Katarina Oldenburg radiated cold fury as her soul-piercing gaze, which had always succeeded in cowing Irina into submission back when she was younger, now bore straight into the one who had harmed her one and only daughter. Making her look every bit as terrifying as she was beautiful, her disheveled state and tattered state of dress did nothing to detract from the intimidating majesty she exuded at that moment. And for the very first time in her life, Irina couldn't be happier to see her.

The double-barreled pistol within her hand was still emitted smoke when her mother gently cocked the second hammer on her weapon, And then she said.

"Get away from my daughter, filth."

*Bang!*

Another loud report pierced through the air and the Heretic was struck dead center once again. A strangled sound emanated from his throat as he fell to the ground, the force of the blow knocking him off his feet. Irina spared that monster one final glance and upon seeing him now sprawled upon the earth, seemingly lifeless, it filled her heart with no small amount of vindication. She then turned her attention back to Lady Katarina.

"Mother!"

Ilina cried out in joy before she quickly scrambled back to her feet and ran towards her mother. And the normally cold and stone-faced matriarch of House Oldenburg, who had rightfully earned a reputation for ruthlessness, could do nothing to prevent her cold mask from falling as she dropped the already spent weapon and ran towards her daughter in turn, tears brimming within her eyes.

Finally closing the distance between them, mother and daughter were immediately locked in a warm and tight embrace, genuinely happy to be reunited. She had only been gone from her for several hours, but for Irina it felt like she had been away for years and she sobbed openly as she buried her face into her mother's chest, the joy and relief she felt right now indescribable.

"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! For everything I said to you, for all that I've done, I'm truly sorry!"

Irina cried out, begging as tears ran down her eyes. And her mother was quick to sooth her as she lovingly caressed her hair and kissed the side of her head, her own tears now staining her face.

"It's quite alright, darling. The only thing that matters is you are safe now, and I will never let anyone hurt you again. Not even me. I promise."

As heartwarming a scene as this was, it could not last however. For the many mutant followers of the Heretic, hundreds of them in fact, who had been idly observing the exchange between Irina and their lord, now rose up in alarm and fear upon seeing him wounded and downed. And then they all looked towards the pair still locked in each other's embrace.

"Oi, don't just sit there mucking about, get 'em!"

One of the mutants screamed to his fellows, and many of them wasted no time and began charging towards Irina and her mother. Seeing the large group of malformed defilers bearing down on them, Irina's heart raced in alarm while her mother held her even more protectively within her arms, ready to fight them all off to preserve her child, and die for her if need be. They may be free of the Heretic's sinister attentions for now, but they were not free of his mutated servants just yet, and they were just as keen to inflict upon them all manner of pain and humiliation as their twisted master.

Perhaps a day may come that such a thing would pass, but it was not this day. Because charging straight out of the Dead Wood was a hulking mass of furious muscle and vengeful steel, passing right by the two ladies of Oldenburg and met the approaching group of mutants head on. Balanced impeccably upon his destrier, the armored figure held a mighty greatsword at the ready with both hands, and just when he was but a few feet away from his tainted foes, he willed his trusted steed to turn to the side with a slight nudge to his flanks and the powerful animal did as its master silently commanded. As they both turned, the armored man swung his massive blade, and with skill and strength born from years of hard-earned experience and rigorous training, decapitated five of the mutants in one merciless arc.

Stunned by his sudden entry and his killing of several of their fellows in just one attack, the other mutants in the group paused in their advance and looked on apprehensively at the mounted warrior now within their midst, holding their assortment of weapons at the ready but none of them daring to make the next move. And this moment of hesitation of theirs was plenty enough time for him and his steed to quickly come around for another pass and charged their disorganized formation, delivering three powerful swings with his greatsword in rapid succession. And each precise blow resulted in the swift decapitation more than a dozen of the mutants, leaving only one last quivering wretch to stand before the mighty warrior.

Gathering at last what is left of his wits, this mutant ran towards the mounted figure with his stolen axe held aloft within his clawed and deformed hand. Seeking to run him through in one desperate attack. And for his efforts, he was rewarded with a single, mighty swing from his greatsword that cleaved him from shoulder to hip. Mutated muscles and corrupted bones proving no defense against honest Imperial steel, tempered to excellence.

With the swift and unexpected end of many of their fellows in such a short time, all the other mutants stood where they were, too hesitant to get within striking range of that armored warrior, knowing full well that whoever got too close would be cut down without remorse. For all their desire to inflict pain and revel in vile pleasure, none of these mutants held any true courage or honor within their hearts, and as such, none were willing to sacrifice themselves to help bring down this clearly superior foe.

Their fear of him granting him a brief moment of opportunity, the armored warrior quickly turned around and headed straight towards the two women, their safety his paramount concern.

Her mouth still slightly agape after witnessing the impressive displays of death he had inflicted upon their foes, Irina watched with wonder in her bluish-green orbs as the mounted warrior approached them, anticipation and hope growing within her heart. When the rider finally halted but a few feet in front of them, he brought an armored hand to his helmet and lifted his visor, revealing to Irina the gray and grizzled visage of the one who has been her most stalwart protector since the day she was born.

"Sir Harald!"

She cried out in joy, truly happy to see the Captain of their Household Guard both alive and well, all her previous fears of his demise now left unfounded.

"Gods above, both of you are sorry sight. Yet you couldn't be any more beautiful."

The older man said in jest as he dismounted his horse, yet his relief was clearly evident within his voice. A laugh escaped Irina's lips as she escaped her mother's hold and ran towards him. She all but tackled him as she embraced the Greatswordsman, all the fears and hurt of today momentarily banished by his mere presence alone. And the older man chuckled as he returned her embrace, truly happy to have found her again. Her mother was quick to join them and she too was elated to see the old knight once again, embracing him as well

"I'm glad to see your are still alive Sir Harald. I had feared the worse."

Irina's mother spoke, giving the Greatswordsman a warm smile.

"No more than I, my lady. And for my failure to properly protect you and your daughter this day, I shall gladly pay for it with my life."

The stalwart veteran solemnly declared as he soon released his gentle hold upon both of them. His rough face now a mask of genuine regret. But he soon steeled himself once again as he gestured towards his horse.

"But we have little time. Get on that horse, now."

Irina nodded and did as the older man instructed. And he assisted her as she climbed on top of the mighty beast, wincing slightly as she tenderly sat upon the hard saddle, her body still aching from all the abuse she had suffered just moments prior. Her mother followed soon after, having less difficulty mounting the horse as she sat just behind Irina.

"Now make your way to Essen with all haste. Never stop for anything."

Worry made its way back into Irina's heart as she looked at the old veteran in alarm.

"But what about you? You won't be joining us?"

The Greatswordsman shook his head, wearing a wry grin.

"Not enough room on that horse I'm afraid."

"But you can't stay here! Please Sir Harald, you need to come with us!"

Irina cried out to him, her fears for the knight's life coming back. Her mother remained silent for she already knew what the knight was intending, but she too could not suppress the sadness within her eyes as she looked upon one of the oldest and loyal servants her family has ever had. And much more.

"Fret not dear girl. I'll simply buy you and your mother plenty of time to escape. And then I shall make my way towards you."

He said to her in comfort, giving her a confident smile and a wink. But Irina's fears could not be allayed as her tears flowed once more, for she knew full well that what he was planning to do would surely lead to his death. And that thought alone filled Irina with much more sorrow and grief than she could have ever expected.

But she also knew that there was simply no other way and nothing she could say would do anyhting sway this brave and honorable man from his chosen course. And so she remained silent and looked away from him, covering her face with her hands as she sobbed.

And as for Lady Katarina, she and Sir Harald shared one long and meaningful look with one another. Saying no further words, for their eyes conveyed so much more than what mere words could. And then she leaned down towards him and their lips soon met in a deep and sensuous kiss, so full of longing and heartache.

The Mistress of House Oldenburg soon broke the kiss and pulled away from the Greatswordsman. Grabbing the reins of the warhorse, Lady Katarina spared one last glance at Sir Harald, before finally turning her resolute gaze forward and galloping off into the distance.

Sir Harald, Greatswordsman of the Empire and knight of House Oldenburg, stared at the quickly retreating form of the two most important and most beloved ladies in his life, his heart aching. Knowing that this would be the very last time he would ever see them.

Yet soon he steeled himself once again as he tightened his grip upon his mighty greatsword, Retribution. And then he turned back towards the still present horde of monstrosities, who were now slowly encroaching upon him. The mass of heretics and mutants now slowly moving to surround him from all sides, cutting off any and all avenues of escape. Not that he had any plans of escape.

No, there would be no retreat, no surrender, not one step backwards. These heretics have reveled in the suffering of the weak and the defenseless, thinking themselves invincible for it. Now he shall see how well they stood against one so armed and ready, who had fought and survived in a hundred battles across nearly two dozen campaigns over the course of his long life.

So much death and suffering had already happened this day, and many have fallen into damnation. But there was one last faithful servant of the Emperor here that yet draws breath. And with honest steel in his hands, he marched forth to certain doom.


Author's Notes:

Hello! I welcome you back to a brand new chapter of the Slayer's Tale. And I must say, I apologize for taking so very long to update. I will not bore you all with the details, but let's just say that I recently recovered from my own personal, in real life Age of Strife. And this event had culminated in the loss of a venerable piece of STC that is my laptop. And with it, months worth of painstaking work, research and my Google password. I know, I'm too dumb to properly remember my own password. But now everything in my life has been put back to order once again, and this allowed me to once again put more time towards this story.

Now, a few things about this chapter. So much violence, so much sexual abuse and many other disturbing details. I'm pretty sure this will be a hard read for some, hence why I placed the warning in bold at the very top of the chapter so those who don't wish to read about any of the horrible things I wrote here won't have to. Because of the things I put in here, this story is now truly well into the very limits of the M Rating, and possibly bordering on MA Rating if it hasn't already fallen into it. I don't even know how long this story will last until one of the moderators here decide to take it down due to extremely graphic content, though it is my wish that they won't. As dark and grim as this chapter is, there is still light at the end.

As for the characters here, this chapter has no Goblin Slayer in it that much is obvious. Instead we are properly introduced to this series' very first main antagonist as well as a few new side characters I made. I hope you will all enjoy Irina's character. I have put a lot of work into writing her and I must say I enjoyed writing some of the lines she had. But I only plan for her to be present in a couple more chapters after this, possibly at the very end of what I call the Heretic Arc. After this arc is over, I'm not sure if she will appear again.

As for the Heretic himself, yeah, truly fine piece of work isn't he? And I hope you will all come to like my own depiction of the forces of Chaos in this chapter. As you can probably tell from all that's happened here, the most perverted and debauched faction belonging to the God of all things Pleasure and Pain is the first to be represented. So expect even more disturbing things to read about in the next couple of chapters, because I plan to properly and accurately write the servants of She Who Thirsts in accordance to all available canon lore surrounding them. Both WH40K and WHFB lore to be exact. And I will also do the same for the rest of the Chaos factions, so yeah, Chaos fans rejoice!

And one last thing. If some of you are wondering why this chapter is so much longer than all the rest, well that's because this was actually meant to be two chapters. But considering my very long absence, I decided to merch it all into one, with the hopes that it will tide you all up until the next chapter comes. And next chapter is already around 20% complete. I say 20% because I also plan on putting as much content into that as I did in this one.

And that's about all I have to say here. Again, please don't forget to leave a review and tell me all of your thoughts. And if you enjoyed this latest chapter, hit that fav and follow button for the latest updates.

Take care y'all! John out! :-D