The Slayer's Tale

by John Elizalde

One man had made it his life long mission to eradicate the evil posed by Goblins. But when that man is mysteriously taken to a world that is not his own, what will he do? Especially when he discovers that in this world, there are many evils far worse than Goblins. Will he ignore them in favor of his most hated enemy? Or will he cast them in the same light, and slay them all?

2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Goblin Slayer and Warhammer Fantasy Battles are properties of Kumo Kagyu and Games Workshop respectively. I own nothing here except the few OCs I created.

Short Intro: Due to the surprising amount of good responses that I got for the previous chapter, I now have no choice but to bow to the whims of my lovely readers, and present them with a new chapter.

Also, old readers might notice some differences here. I've cleaned up this chapter of some glaring grammatical and spelling errors and fixed a few scenes and lines that either weren't worded correctly or simply didn't make any sense at all. And there were really A LOT of those here. My writing skills of almost 5 years ago really did needed some improvement.

So now here is the new and improved version of Chapter 2. Please enjoy.

Warning! This story may contain graphic depictions of violence and gore, sexual abuse and the use of strong language. All readers may proceed at their discretion.

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Goblin Slayer

Tanya bit down a curse as she hurriedly reloaded her weapon. Heart pounding in her chest and cold sweat running down her brow. The goblin she knocked away just now with her handgun was slowly getting up, nursing a bleeding wound at the side of its head. The other one she had just shot was writhing on the stone floor, bleeding from a new hole on its belly. But another came charging in, its malefic intentions plainly written upon its face. Acting fast, she stopped reloading her firearm and held it in front of her with both hands, blocking an incoming strike from the goblin's club.

But another goblin came charging in, jumped up and planted a swift kick onto Tanya's face. She cried out in pain as she was knocked to the ground by the force of that attack, losing grip of her handgun in the process which clattered to the side, well beyond her reach. Dizzy and with her head hurting from the impact, Tanya tried to get up. Only to be forced back down when several of the green savages piled on top of her.

She cried out in anger as she struggled beneath their hold, trying to shake off these little green bastards. But their combined strength kept her limbs firmly upon the ground, trapping her. The goblins all jeered and laughed at her, amused by her pitiful resistance. One of the creatures soon hopped on top of her and straddled her chest, grinning madly as it looked down at her.

With this beast so close, Tanya felt the the urge to vomit due to the rancid stink emanating from its filthy maw. She sent it a look of fierce indignation, her emerald eyes glaring into its own sickly yellow orbs.

"Get off me you little wretch!"

She hissed at it venomously as she continued to struggle under their hold. And the goblin enjoyed her defiance. As it would enjoy breaking her in.

"Screem fer me humie!"

It said to her in barely intelligible Reikspeil with its rasping voice. And that was all the warning she had before the little monster raised its crude shiv up, and stabbed her in the shoulder.

Tanya screamed alright. She screamed as fierce agony lanced through her shoulder. She struggled beneath the goblins' hold more violently, hoping to removed the rusty blade buried within her flesh, desperate to bring some measure of relief. But the goblins kept her arms and legs firmly pinned down, barely able to raise them an inch from the ground. They all laughed evilly, finding great pleasure from her suffering.

And the one goblin responsible for it was enjoying it the most, and it wanted more. So it started twisting the blade in her shoulder while pushing it slowly deeper, tearing her flesh, widening the already bleeding wound. And Tanya could only scream even more. Unable to handle the excruciating agony she felt, she began to sob openly. Tears soon flowed freely from her eyes and stained her fair face as she started to beg.

"No more! Please no more!"

She cried out to them, desperate for any kind of relief, a much needed end to this suffering. She wanted the pain to stop. Please make the pain stop!

Her pitiful pleas were answered.

In the form of another rusty shiv plunging into her thigh, courtesy of another goblin, who then began twisting the blade as well, tearing her flesh wide open and making her bleed heavily and staining her once pristine skirt. The goblin responsible for this stared at his gruesome handiwork with hunger before it began licking the blood leaking out of Tanya's wounded thigh like some filthy mongrel, savoring her taste. And Tanya could only scream and struggle uselessly, sounding like some tortured animal. And in these goblins' eyes, she and her kind were nothing more than animals. Good for nothing but their own enjoyment and use.

The little monsters continued to laugh and jeer at her in their own vile tongues, greatly amused by her torment. But the goblin sitting right on top of her had a slightly different reaction. Seeing her lovely face up close, in terrible pain and sobbing like a mere child, feeling her supple body shuddering and writhing beneath it as she continued to struggle futilely, especially the feel of her soft and ample bosom pressing against his filthy nether regions. All of it served to make its tainted blood quicken, and inflame its arousal.

The goblin released its hold on the shiv, leaving the blade buried within Tanya's shoulder. Through teary eyes she watched the goblin stand up, and for the briefest of moments, she thought with some hope that maybe this goblin had finally lost interest in her. Only to be sorely disappointed, when the goblin began ripping off the front of her dress.

"NO! STOP!"

Tanya's horrified screams resounded through the halls of their house. Her struggles were renewed with even greater ferocity despite the pain still burning from her wounded shoulder and thigh. Fighting with all her might to get this disgusting abomination off her, its actions filling her with both great shock and fierce indignation.

So in response, one of the goblins holding her arms grabbed the dagger buried within her shoulder and pressed on it, while the other one holding her leg also pressed down on the one still buried in her thigh, eliciting another agonized cry from Tanya in the process. And with this, Tanya was effectively nailed down to the wooden floor and she immediately ceased her thrashings, for to do so would only bring even more pain upon her. Pain that she had never felt before. Pain that she was simply unprepared for.

She could only remain still and sob pitifully as she watched the goblin on top of her continue to destroy her clothes. With each piece of her dress torn off, more and more of Tanya's creamy bare skin was revealed, smooth and unblemished. She could almost feel their filthy gazes roaming all over her nubile body, her exposed state filling them with such brazen interest and obvious hunger.

When the goblin on top of her finally tore off the last remnants of her dress, the little green devil's yellow eyes were immediately drawn to her ample bosom, still contained within her undergarments. Grinning maniacally, the goblin grabbed the handle of a spare shiv from one of its tainted kin and began frantically cutting away at Tanya's undergarments. And soon enough, the goblin succeeded in tearing away the last of her meager coverings and left her completely exposed.

Seeing this human female sprawled helplessly in front of them, young and beautiful, healthy and fit… and perfectly capable of bearing them many, many, strong children, it was all enough to drive the goblins mad with lust! And it showed in the erections all of them now sported. Their filthy loincloths tented by their intense arousal. And Tanya was quite painfully aware of this fact, and her feelings of dread mounted even further, already suspecting what would come next.

One of the Greenskin menaces holding her down could no longer contain itself. It reached out with its filthy hand and grabbed a handful of her breast, roughly kneading and squeezing her sizable mound. Another one mimicked its fellow's example and also grabbed a handful of Tanya's other breast, giving it the same rough attention, savoring the feeling of her soft flesh within its grasp.

She cried out in pain as a result, feeling their dirty, pointed nails breaking her delicate skin and drawing blood. She finally closed her eyes shut as tears continued to leak through them, unable to bear further witness to the depravity being done to her. She felt so humiliated. So dirtied. And no matter how much she tried she could not break free, and she cursed herself for being so weak.

When they forced her legs widely apart, the goblin who was standing above her quickly moved in between her thighs. And she felt it spread her vulnerable maidenly entrance apart while it hurriedly remove its own dirty coverings.

And there was nothing else she could do to stop it, and she openly sobbed and despaired at her impending defilement. But there was one other thing that Tanya could do, one last desperate act before this goblin began mercilessly plundering all that she had planned to give to her own future betrothed.

She prayed. But not for her, for she was already lost.

"O Heldenhammer, mightiest of all, proud defender of Mankind. I beseech thee, save the people of Essen on their hour of darkest need. Deliver them from the clutches of your ancient and most hated foe, whom you once destroyed at Black Fire Pass. May you deliver one who shall be the embodiment of your divine wrath, who shall smite them all from this world. May you watch over my sister Anna, and keep her from suffering the same dreadful fate that shall soon befall me. And lastly, may you watch over that Adventurer and guide him safely back home, for I have failed him."

No sooner did she finish her desperate and mournful prayer when she felt the goblin begin to force the tip of its disgusting member into her exposed opening. And as she braced herself for the coming agony as she felt her tight maidenly entrance being slowly split open, one last bitter thought ran through her extremely distressed mind.

"I wish he was the one to take away my maidenhood right now, instead of this disgusting monster."

The image of that mysterious man with the silvery hair soon appeared within her mind. And Tanya latched onto that image of him with the strength of a desperate sailor cast adrift at a stormy sea, keeping her eyes firmly closed.

Rather he be the one first and foremost within her thoughts as she was being ravished. Rather she imagine and believe that it is he who is about to so brutally take her. For no matter how painful or forceful he would be to her, she would still prefer him over anyone else.

Cries of pain and alarm soon reached her ears along with the sound something else falling to the floor with a dull thud, accompanied by the feeling of something warm and wet splatter her thighs and arms. But most importantly of all, she felt the hold upon her limbs lifted, and the unwelcome phallus that was so close to breaking her maidenly barrier now gone.

Puzzled by this, Tanya cracked open her teary eyes and slowly sat up, curious to see what had happened. Only for her to stare wide eyed in shock when she beheld the now headless goblin lying on the floor between her legs. The stump where its head once stood still leaking copious amounts of blood while its head now lie useless at the side, face frozen within a mask of abject fear.

And that is not all. The other goblins who were holding her down earlier were also lying dead on the ground, each one bleeding from a single clean cut on their necks. The one responsible was currently in the process of slaying all the remaining goblins. And with brutal efficiency.

One of the foul beasts closed in on him with its stolen sword at the ready, only to be knocked back when an armored boot smashed against its face, shattering its crooked nose. It sailed through the air with speed before crashing directly into the still burning fireplace. The goblin howled and writhed violently as its body was engulfed in purifying flames, where it would soon die a slow and agonizing death.

Another goblin charged in with a pair of shivs poised to strike, only to lose both of its arms in a blink of an eye, when he sliced them off cleanly with his own blade. The goblin would have screamed in pain, but it was immediately silenced when his plated hand closed around the goblin's head like a vise, and he slammed it against the nearby wall, crushing it like an overripe fruit.

Another one charged at him from the side with a short spear, only for him to deftly avoid the clumsy thrust. His free hand then lashed out like a striking viper and closed around the goblin's neck before he lifted the little beast high above the floor. The creature released its hold on its weapon and tried to pry off his hand. But it might as well be trying to bend gromril, for his grip proved unyielding.

Seeing him preoccupied with its unfortunate kin, one of the treacherous little devils sought to blindside him with its spiked club. Only for him to quickly turn around and parry the coming blow with the flat of his sword, sending the goblin stumbling backwards. Before the beast could even right itself, he impaled it through the neck with a fine thrust of his blade.

Pulling his sword out of the goblin's neck, he kicked its still upright body away and sent it flying through the window. He then turned his attention back to the last surving goblin still held within his other hand, the creature still fruitlessly trying to escape his hold, grunting and kicking.

From her angle, Tanya could see his face. His handsome features set into a cold and stoic mask. Yet his crimson eyes, now glowing bright with an eerie red light, betrayed his true emotions. And such searing hatred he felt towards the vile creature trapped in his grasp, that Tanya expected the goblin to burst into flames from the intensity of his rage.

His grip began to slowly tighten, and the goblin struggled even more furiously as a result. It screeched and gasped while desperately clawing at his armored hand, yellow eyes bulging from their sockets while leaking tears of blood. Until finally, its neck broke with an audible snap, and its body soon hung lifelessly. He then hurled the goblin towards the direction of the thick wooden door, and with such force that the diminutive monster crashed right through it. It landed outside the house a good distance away, its scrawny body broken in several places.

And with it, it was all over.

Tanya remained where she was, transfixed. Shocked by the carnage he so easily wrought upon her would-be defilers. And eternally grateful for his most timely arrival. If she weren't injured right now, she would have already ran towards him and threw herself at him, and show him just how much she appreciated him saving her.

"Tanya!"

She heard a familiar voice call out to her from the side, before a pair of slender arms wrapped around her in a fierce embrace.

"Anna!"

She exclaimed happily as she turned her eyes towards her dear sister, pleasantly surprised to see her. She had thought her long gone by now.

"You're still here? But didn't I tell you to leave?"

Anna turned her lovely blue eyes towards her and glared into her own emerald ones, and she was slightly surprised at the look of anger on her face.

"You idiot! How could I ever leave you behind!? You're my sister and I am never abandoning you, no matter what happens to me!"

Anna's forceful and passionate declaration left her stunned, looking quite appalled that Tanya would ever expect her to do something so wrong. And she could feel her heart grow warm at the thought of her sister caring for her so much.

"Oh you…"

Tanya returned her sister's embrace and held her close with her one good arm. So immensely grateful that the Heldenhammer answered her fervent prayers.

Anna on the other hand took a closer look at her beloved sister's current state, and her youthful features quickly morphed into a look of horror.

"What have these monsters done to you?! Shallya's tears, did they… How could they…?!"

Anna could not bring herself to finish that last word, fearing the that she might have been too late to prevent whatever these green devils had been doing to Tanya. But much to her relief, her older sister shook her head and smiled at her in reassurance.

"Not to worry, they have not. All they were able to do was give me a couple new scars. And perhaps some dreadful nightmares for the next few nights."

She said with a strained smile and nervous laugh, trying to make some light of what would have been the most harrowing and traumatic experience of her life.

Anna could not stop the sigh that escape her lips, feeling both relieved and very sorry for her sister. She was truly grateful that she and their mysterious tenant arrived just in time to prevent those green devils from forcing themselves upon Tanya. But it still pained her heart to see that they had hurt her so. Their deaths could not be more well deserved.

The sound of heavy footfalls soon reached their ears and felt someone stop right in front of them, and the two Stahlhart sisters looked up to see who it was. They were met with the sight of their mighty savior, his imposing form looming over them.

Now that Tanya had a better look at him, she noted that he was only wearing his cotton trousers and his armored boots. His torso remained mostly bare save for the leather harness strapped firmly onto his body that contained his throwing knives and other bladed weapons. A sword belt was strapped to his waist along with his sheath which now contained his sword.

All this coupled with the thick and hard muscles bulging beneath his pale-white skin, his numerous scars adorning his powerful form, his silvery hair that sat wildly upon his head and that rather young yet truly handsome visage he possessed, made him a truly impressive and intimidating figure to behold.

He reminded her of a mighty warrior-prince hailing from the savage lands far to the north, who had descended upon her home with the intent to conquer, to slay all those who stood in his way and take away the ones he deemed rightfully his. And his crimson eyes were currently firmly fixed upon her.

Tanya felt her heart begin to race and her cheeks becoming red and warm. She was quite aware of her current state of undress, of how utterly exposed she was to him right now. And it filled her with both embarrassment and some measure of insecurity as she shyly covered her bare breasts with her good arm and closed her legs shut, before turning her already reddening face away from him, unable to meet his unwavering gaze.

This was not how she wanted him to see her for the very first time. Tanya had planned to properly greet him when he finally woke up while clothed in her finest silk dress and adorned with some of her mother's expensive jewelry, wearing her most exquisite perfume. Looking all prim and proper. The perfect image of a proud and beautiful highborn lady of the Empire, which would hopefully leave him in awe, and preferably, fill him with desire and longing as well.

Instead here she sat, on the floor, stark naked, wounded and bloodied. She made for a most sorry sight and it she could not help but be ashamed by this. Feeling most unworthy before his eyes.

She sensed him kneel before her, now so very close. And she felt her embarrassment grow even more she felt him study her. She turned her eyes back towards him and looked at him demurely. But to her slight relief, he was not ogling her like she thought he was. Instead his eyes were firmly fixed upon her wounds.

He soon turned his steely gaze towards Anna, and he spoke.

"You, girl."

Hearing him speak for the first time surprised both Stahlhart sisters. They didn't know if he even spoke Reikspeil actually. But fortunately he did, though with a slight accent to it from what she could hear. Which actually served to lend him a further exotic, foreign quality that Tanya could not help but find rather attractive.

"What is wrong with me? All the blood loss must have finally gotten to my head."

Anna was the first to recover from her surprise and replied.

"Yes, what is it?"

"In the upstairs bedroom where I was kept, there are bottles within my bag. Bring me one."

He spoke to her in a calm but firm tone, face still set within a stoic mask.

"Um… which one?" Anna asked tentatively, looking at him rather nervously.

"The red one."

Anna nodded at that and stood up before heading back upstairs to carry out his directive. He soon turned his attention back towards her, fixing her with that unwavering stare seemed to probe into the deepest parts of her soul.

"I need to remove the dagger. There will be pain, but it will be quick."

He said to her, gesturing at the rusted shivs still firmly planted into her shoulder and thigh.

She immediately grew nervous. By this time she her shoulder and thigh had grown a bit numb and the pain had lessened somewhat. But the thought of him removing the damnable weapons from her filled her with dread, for she knew it would be most painful indeed and she was already quite wary of any more pain. But she knew that it must be done if she ever wanted to have any hope of making a full recovery and not dying to infection.

And so with great reluctance, she nodded to him in agreement and braced herself for the coming agony, jaw clenched tight. He slowly placed his hand upon the hilt of the first dagger, taking care not to disturb and cause any unnecessary discomfort, and then held it tight. And then in one swift motion, he pulled the shiv free off her shoulder.

A long and painful groan immediately erupted from her throat as Tanya grimaced, the pain upon her shoulder erupting once more, making her tremble and her eyes well with fresh tears. But it was done and only one more left to go.

After giving her a moment to steady herself once more, Tanya nodded to him to continued, this time much more prepared for the coming pain as she steeled all of her nerves and braced herself. Another swift motion of his hand and that blasted shiv in her thigh was soon gone, bringing with it another eruption of white-hot pain which nearly drove Tanya into unconsciousness.

But now it was finally over and Tanya was able to successfully fight through the agony. The followers of the White Wolf of Winter believe that suffering and hardship are but stepping stones towards attaining greater strength of both spirit and body, as well as the favor of the Old White Wolf who rewards those who persevere through great adversity. Tanya did not worship the old god of the Empire for she was a firm believer of the Heldenhammer and the White Dove of Mercy, but still, she hoped the Old White Wolf would still grant her his favor. For she would sorely need it in the battle still to come.

"Hmm… at least its not poisoned."

She heard him speak with idle curiosity as he examined the rusty shiv within his hand, shortly before discarding it.

He then took one of the tattered pieces of her dress and began to wrap it around her wound. She watched quietly with interest as his hands worked, moving with a deftness and gentleness that belied their crushing strength, standing in contrast to the many callouses that adorned them. After he was done with the wound on her leg, he took another torn piece of fabric and moved to her shoulder, giving it the same treatment. He displayed the same expert skill and gentleness as before, taking care not to cause her any undue pain. Something she was most appreciative of.

"He has good hands. Really good hands. He would make a decent healer. And a wonderful lover."

She quietly thought with a feint smile on her lips, feeling desire slowly welling within her. Now that much of the pain was beginning to subside and her wound were now being properly tended, Tanya could not help but notice and appreciate their closeness. The way his broad and muscled frame being only a hairsbreadth away her more delicate and supple form. His strong and manly scent filling nose, the heat radiating from his powerful body that was brimming with such vitality and strength. Her completely nude and him only partially dressed.

All of this brought an aching need somewhere deep withing her very womb, causing a warm moistness to form within her maidenly entrance, now very much ready to be so utterly and exquisitely filled by him.

When he was done wrapping her wounded shoulder and he soon stared quietly at her, Tanya wished he would do more to her, so much more. If their situation wasn't so dire, had they met under more favorable circumstances, Tanya would not at all be averse to getting so thoroughly ravished by him. Right here, right on this very floor if he so wanted. And even if her dear sister Anna were to walk in on them while she and this man were still locked in each others embrace, witness her moaning like some whore as she was being taken in every way she could be possibly taken, she would still beg him to continue, to never, ever stop. Not until she had been filled to the brim with his life-giving seed.

It was madness, yes. And Tanya was probably going mad right now, being so intensely attracted to this man whom she barely even know. She knew not why this was happening, for she had never once felt such a need, such great longing for any man before. But it is what it is, since the moment she first laid eyes on him she desired him so, and him saving her only made it that much stronger. She knew this was probably wrong in some way, that it wasn't quite normal or proper. But she honestly could not bring herself to care. She needed him and him alone, and that was all that mattered.

"I got it!"

Her sister's voice soon reached her ears, thus bringing her out of whatever vivid fantasies and amorous thoughts her treacherous mind had conjured. Something she was inwardly grateful for. This was neither the time nor place for such things.

Anna ran down their stairs in a hurry, a small bottle in one hand and a new cotton dress in the other along with a fresh new pair of silken undergarments. Upon reaching them, the younger Stahlhart knelt down and gave the bottle to the silver-haired man before unfolding the dress in her hand and gave it her. Tanya muttered a quiet thank you as she took the offered clothes, smiling gratefully as she finally had something to restore some of her modesty.

The silver haired man removed the stopper from the small bottle of reddish liquid and then offered it to Tanya.

"Drink."

He practically commanded.

Both of them stared at the bottle in his hand and Tanya could not help but stare with some suspicion.

"What is it?"

"It's a healing potion. It will help speed up your recovery."

Was his immediate reply. And Anna just look at him dubiously and she was not afraid to make her opinion known.

"Healing potion? What sort of blasted quackery is that?"

Tanya immediately cast her unruly sister a reproachful look, not wanting her to offend the one who had saved their lives. In secret however, Tanya was also rather skeptical of this potion he was offering. She had heard of many stories regarding these so-called miracle cures that were being sold by those pretending to be physicians. She had even encountered a few of them in the past, trying to hawk their fake medicines to unsuspecting citizens, causing more pain and harm than any actual good. Tanya loathed those kinds of people.

It was because of leeches like them that the field of medicine has been often likened to witchcraft. Thankfully, she and her mother, as well as the rest of the church of Shally, had done an admirable enough job caring for the sick and wounded, thus any damage such charlatans had caused were greatly mitigated.

Tanya did not doubt their savior specifically to be perfectly honest, nor did she think for one moment that he was some sort of trickster. He had already more than proven his trustworthiness to her after everything he had done so far. But still, one could not fault her for being a little skeptical.

He must have sensed her doubt as well, as he sighed rather tiredly before giving Tanya a slightly impatient look.

"It is not a fake. Please, just drink it already. We have little time."

Their was a firmness and urgency to his tone. She pursed her lips at that, feeling a little guilty. Here she was doubting him, when he had just risked his life to save both her and her sister's life from a bunch of vile monsters and was now trying to help heal her. When it would be easier for him to just abandon them to their fates.

Trusting in him, Tanya took the bottle from his hand and brought it to her lips, downing it's entire contents. The taste was quite bitter, and Tanya instinctively coughed a little as a result. But that was when she noticed something odd though. Whatever pain she was feeling, all of it just suddenly vanished.

She looked at her shoulder and tried moving it a little, and to her pleasant surprise, she felt no discomfort at all. And not only that, but she felt quite refreshed as well, filling her body with renewed vitality and vigour.

"It actually works."

Tanya said in slight awe, drawing a curious look from Anna. Tanya was suddenly filled with an intense desire to learn the secrets of this healing potion, and to know whether or not she would be able to produce more it on her own. The Shallyan Healer within her all but begged her to do so, for this was an opportunity to discover a new and much more effective way of healing the sick and wounded. But whatever further thoughts she had on the matter had to be cut off for the man soon addressed them.

"Now tell me. Are there anymore goblins?"

His firm demand.

That brought their attention back to their current situation, now remembering that the people over at the village were still in dire need of help.

"Yes. Over at the village. They attacked our village!"

She exclaimed, distress once again marring her face as the safety of her people was once again at the forefront of her thoughts.

"Where is your village? Is it far?"

Tanya shook her head at this. "No, not far. It's just a few minutes away from here, to the north"

He calmly nodded before asking again. "And how many goblins are there?"

She frowned at that, trying to recall their exact number. "I'm not entirely sure. There were hundreds of them, too many for me to properly count."

"I see."

His simple reply. His face frowned ever so slightly at the knowledge, and his crimson eyes took on a more calculating and contemplative quality to them. Tanya wished she knew what he was thinking right now.

And then he suddenly stood up and walked towards the stairs, heading back up, Tanya called out to him.

"Wait! Where are you going?"

"To get ready for battle."

His only answer as he finally disappeared from view. Feeling herself well enough to move, Tanya took one of the tattered pieces of her dress and began frantically wiping off as much of the blood staining her body. When she was clean enough for now, she got up and began putting on her new undergarments, grateful to be finally able to cover her bare breasts and exposed entrance. When that was done, her sister Anna was quick to assist her as she put on her new cotton dress, tying the laces on the back of her dress while Tanya fastened the ones on the front.

In just a few moments, Tanya was once again back to looking decent and proper, looking as if she was never even assaulted and nearly raped by a group of goblins. And she vowed she would never again allow herself to be trapped in such a situation ever again.

And it was during this time when heavy footfalls once again reached their ears as their male companion was finally descending down the stairs, no doubt finally finished dressing up as well. When he came into view, Tanya could not help but look on in surprise, and more than a bit of wariness.

Now he was clad from head to toe in his suit of armor with every inch of bare skin now hidden beneath protective layers of thick gambeson, heavy mail and solid steel plate. And his handsome face was now completely covered underneath the cold and expressionless visor of his rather frightening horned helm. And still strapped onto his person was his sword and many other bladed tools, but now securely fastened onto his left forearm was that trusty shield of his, the edge of which Tanya finally noticed was also filed to a keen edge, making it every bit a bladed weapon as it was a tool for defense.

Where before he only looked intimidating yet still quite fair and attractive to look at, now he looked downright fearsome and menacing. Looking very much like the deadly Northman barbarian so many within the village had warned her about, what with his suit of armor being dark gray in color and lined with white furs and sporting those broken horns upon his helmet. Before looked like warrior-prince came to conquering and ravish. Now he looked like a machine of war built in the likeness of a man. Violence and carnage his only trade and desire.

Tanya now had a very hard time reconciling that mighty and beautiful warrior-prince of a man with the seemingly soulless and faceless mass of metal before her. If it wasn't for the simple fact she already knew it was him underneath all that ugly-looking plate and mail, Tanya would have thought she was staring at a completely different person.

And right now, he was striding purposely towards the door, walking pass them with nary a glance or acknowledgement.

"You are leaving for battle?"

She could not help but ask. Though now wary and a bit frightened by him, Tanya was still filled with concern for this man, he who had saved her life and had unknowingly succeeded in in capturing her maidenly heart.

"Yes. I shall go slay the goblins now. I will return soon."

His swift and firm reply to her as he now removed some of the debris and furniture blocking the entrance.

"Then we shall go with you."

Tanya said as she quickly moved to recover her discarded handgun, and Anna too made to retrieve a weapon of her own.

"No. You will remain here where it is safe."

His immediate disagreement, causing both sisters to turn back towards his direction in surprise. But by the time she looked at where he once stood, the man was already gone, no doubt heading towards the village of Essen with all haste.

Anna ran towards the front entrance and poked her head out, looking towards where the man went.

"Oh my, he moves very fast for a man in full armor."

Anna said in wonder and Tanya was quick to join her sister to see for herself. And just as her sister said, he truly ran with surprising speed, already well over a hundred yards away and would soon reach the village in but a few moments.

"Then we better hurry and catch up to him."

Tanya declared as she went back inside their house to get ready. She would not allow him to face that Greenskin horde alone. He may be a mighty warrior, but he was still one man. And Tanya refused to allow the new object of her affections to die so soon when they had only just properly met for the first time.

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"Die you green SWINE!"

Wulfrik roared out as he buried his axe into the bald head of an orc trying to climb up the walls, splitting its skull into two bloody halves. He pulled out his axe from the beast's head and watched it fall down into the writhing and howling mass of green at the bottom. Another goblin was soon near him, its pointed nails and strong limbs allowing it to climb the side of the walls with ease. Its reward for its efforts came in the form of Wulfrik's axe biting deep into its shoulder, severing its whole arm in the process. The little monster lost its grip and fell back down, screaming in agony as it did so.

A large barbed spear was soon hurtling through the air, and only because Wulfrik saw it coming that he was able to duck just in time to avoid getting skewered. Getting back up, the former State Army Sergeant turned his wrathful gaze towards the damnable orc who chucked that crudely made pig-sticker. The orc bellowed out a string of obscenities towards Wulfrik in its own guttural tongue.

In response, the grizzled soldier drew his pistol, already loaded and cocked, and aimed at the offending green brute. He squeezed the trigger and a thunderous report filled the air, followed by a thick cloud of smoke, briefly stinging Wulfrik's eyes and nose. But his efforts bore fruit as the round left a coin-sized hole on the center of the orc's burly chest, piercing its damnable heart. It immediately fell to the ground, lifeless.

"Boys, reload!"

He shouted out as he threw his pistol to his two nearby assistants. Felix Steiner caught the pistol and began reloading it with powder and shot with practiced ease. His brother Hans on the other hand had just finished reloading Wulfrik's handgun and soon returned it to him, after which another spent firearm was given to Hans by one of the militiamen and he began reloading it as well.

With his handgun returned and freshly loaded, Wulfrik quickly spun around and turned his attention at a goblin that had just managed to reach the top of the walls. He swung the butt of his handgun at it, striking the little beast directly at the side of its head and with enough force to crack its skull. The goblin was knocked over the side and it fell back down. Wulfrik shouldered his handgun and aimed down at one of the Greenskins climbing up the side of the walls.

Eyes full of righteous hatred, the Sergeant squeezed the trigger and out came the thunderous report of his handgun. The orc stood no chance as it was shot pointblank, half of its head exploding in a messy spray of blood, bone and vitae. The muscled beast soon lost its grip and fell, its lifeless bulk colliding with several more of its smaller cousins trying to climb up and they all crashed to the ground together.

"Reload!"

He cried out as he threw the handgun over to the Steiner twins, both of whom were already busily and frantically reloading firearms given to them by other militiamen with several more already lying next to them and waiting to be reloaded, beads of sweat staining their foreheads as they frowned in effort and intense concentration.

Barely a second after he gave his handgun away, another Greenskin was already at the top of the wall, brandishing a stolen sword. Wulfrik would not allow it to gain a foothold however, as he quickly lashed out with a kick and struck the vile thing in the face, the force knocking it off and sending it crashing into its tainted kin down below.

All around the village the sounds of gunfire, clashes of steel and roars of hatred filled the air as the one hundred and twenty strong company of the Essen militia fought off a Greenskin horde that outnumbered them by several hundreds. Muzzle flashes and discharges erupted sporadically all along the top of the wooden walls surrounding the village as the loyal soldiers of House Stahlhart shot orcs and goblins pointblank. And whenever the green invaders got too close, they were hacked off by axes and swords before they could get a proper foothold.

Some of the orcs took to cutting the wooden barrier before them with choppas or torching it outright. But the heavy oaken posts comprising the walls would not be so easily broken down nor would it catch fire so readily. And the militiamen on the ramparts would prioritize these Greenskins and shoot them down with well-placed handgun fire before they could do too much damage. The northern and southern entrances of the village were the ones facing the brunt of the Greenskins' attack. Brutish orcs pounded against the thick and firmly braced gates with their crude weapons while the more numerous and nimble goblins simply climbed up the side of the walls to reach the defenders. And the brave soldiers of Essen would send volley after withering volley onto the tightly packed masses of orcs attacking the gates and would cut down any goblin that so much as pops up its ugly green head.

Aiding the militiamen were a number of younger lads lead by the Master Gunsmith himself. They continuously supplied the militiamen with ammunition and spare guns while also reloading spent firearms and giving freshly loaded ones to the militiamen, allowing them to keep firing at their enemies without leaving themselves vulnerable during the long and tedious process of reloading. And of course, the aged Master Gunsmith himself was not idle, his long decades of experience in handling and supplying gunpowder and firearms proving invaluable as he directed the steady stream of supplies to the parts of the battle line in most need of it while also taking time to reload some weapons himself. And he did so with a speed and efficacy that would not look out of place from someone thirty years younger.

With these support teams reloading their firearms for them, the militiamen were able to let loose a steady stream of gunfire at the invaders while cutting down those who got too close. They all worked together like one well-oiled machine, supporting one another as they fought and each of them killing many times their number of Greenskins. The orc and goblin dead at the base of the walls were quickly piling up as the losses inflicted upon them by House Stahlhart's militia continued to mount. This might come as a surprise to any observer and certainly to the attacking Greenskins as well, that a single company of mere militia would prove itself quite capable. That they haven't simply broken at the first sign of danger like other levy forces normally would.

But then again, House Stahlhart's militiamen weren't ordinary militia at all. They were once part of a renowned regiment of the Ostermark State Army who served under the former Lord of House Stahlhart and Baron of Essen. All of these men were veterans of many battles and were definitely no stranger to the sight of blood and death, well-versed in dealing violence and carnage to the myriad foes of the Empire of Man. And even though their late lord is long gone, they still serve the current Lady of House Stahlhart and Baroness of Essen with the same level of devotion. And by Sigmar, they would slaughter all of these Greenskins for threatening her life and desecrating her lands.

Wulfrik raised his axe and brought it down upon another goblin, splitting it from shoulder to chest. Dark blood splattered his wrathful face as he pulled out his axe from the green menace. That must have been the fiftieth goblin he killed since this whole battle began barely half an hour ago, on top of the thirtieth or so orc he had already slain. And yet, there were still hundreds more of them massed below and even more trickling out from the nearby woods. And no matter how much of them they killed, no matter the staggering number of losses they inflicted upon these vile monsters, the Greenskins still kept fighting.

Unmindful of their dead piling up at the base of the walls, the orcs were driven ever forward by their insatiable hunger for battle and the goblins proved persistent as their greedy hearts lured them towards the riches and bounties that lie just further in. Ironically, the Greenskin corpses piling up in ever growing mounds allowed the orcs and goblins easier access to the defenders as they climbed on top of their own dead.

He did not know how long they could keep fighting like this. All of them were brave and strong and loyal to their young Mistress to the bitter end. But they were only ordinary men, and they would tire out eventually. And though they are able to kill many dozens of the green savages in repayment for each man they lost, every soldier who died or was unable to fight made their whole defensive line that much weaker. If aid from another noble House did not come soon, they would all surely perish.

"Oi, Erik! How long until reinforcements get here!?"

The Sergeant shouted over the din of battle to one of his fellow militiaman. The man he was talking to was currently ducked behind the walls as he calmly reloaded his long-rifle.

"Markus already rode out earlier and headed west with all haste. He should reach Himmeldorf by midnight at the earliest, if he doesn't run into anything unsavory on the way."

Erik coolly said, raising his voice just enough to be heard by Wulfrik. Despite the chaos of the ever raging battle, the younger man remained steady and almost unconcerned as he reloaded his spent weapon.

"Unfortunately-

He was interrupted mid-sentence when he was forced to avoid a savage swing from a rusty choppa courtesy of an orc. In response, Erik pulled out his trusty hunting knife and buried the blade deep into the offending Greenskin's eye-socket. The green brute howled in agony as Erik twisted the knife, worsening the already grievous wound before quickly pulling it out and stabbing the beast once again in the neck, cutting off its offending howling.

When Erik pulled out his knife once again with a small grunt, he smiled with cold disdain as he watched the Greenskin fall back down. And now that the source of the rude interruption was eliminated, Erik returned to reloading his long-rifle while continuing his conversation with a furiously fighting Wulfrik.

"Unfortunately, even if Markus reaches them in time, Margrave Oldenburg won't be home to receive him. He is out on campaign last I heard, so his wife is the one left running the place, and I doubt that frigid bitch is keen on helping us. And even if she does decide to send aid, reinforcements would most likely arrive by tomorrow evening."

The grizzled Sergeant growled as he hacked off another offending goblin and sent the foul little thing to Morr's cold embrace. His anger growing darker as he realized the truth in Erik's words. Not only reinforcements would take some time to get here, its arrival was also in doubt. Because House Oldenburg was not exactly in good terms with House Stahlhart, and thus, are not obligated to help them at all, fellow Imperials be damned. In fact, chances are good House Oldenburg might just leave them all to die and focus on shoring up the defenses of their own town of Himmeldorf while the Greenskins are too busy despoiling what is left of Essen.

If Margrave August was the one to receive House Stahlhart's call for aid, then there would be hope of reinforcements. Only because the Lord of House Oldenburg was a warmonger by nature and would not pass on the opportunity to kill some invading Greenskins. Unfortunately, as Erik had just said, the man was out on campaign. His own warmongering ways taking him somewhere very far away and his wife was the one left to manage their holdings. And since Lady Katarina Oldenburg had a reputation for being a cold and ruthless bitch, House Stahlhart's call for aid would most likely be ignored. In fact, that greedy whore might actually revel in its destruction. One less rival for her and her family to contend with.

"Then we will all be dead by tomorrow."

Wulfrik spoke with finality as the thought of their imminent demise turned his already dark anger into burning hatred. And the Sergeant wielded his hate like a weapon as he started hacking every incoming Greenskin with greater ferocity. Fully intent on taking as many of the bastards down with him.

"Perhaps."

The younger man said noncommittally as he finally finished reloading his long-rifle and aimed at the distant form of an orc shaman standing more than two hundred yards away. Peering through the specialized scope mounted on his favored weapon, he could see how that hulking green brute clad in ratty furs begin to glow a pale green as it started casting some sort of spell. Erik will be damned if he allowed that crazy-looking Greenskin to finish its heretical incantations. A single shot to the chest would put a stop to it.

"[Lore of Ghur: Master's Voice.]"

He heard someone say, but he couldn't tell who it was nor did he paid it much mind.

But just when the young hunter from Hochland was about to squeeze the trigger, several wolves suddenly tackled the Greenskin to the ground. Surprised by this sudden turn, Erik continued to watch with macabre interest as the furred beasts tore the unfortunate orc shaman apart with wild abandon, shortly before departing his mangled corpse and begin attacking every other Greenskin nearby. And those weren't just ordinary wolves either. The crude saddles strapped onto their backs revealed them to be the mounts of those pesky goblin wolf-riders. But these wolves had somehow gone into a full state of rebellion and the diminutive owners of these beasts were either helpless to stop their own mounts or were already lying lifelessly upon the earth, their furry pets having chewed them to death.

"Or perhaps not."

Erik said with no small amount of amusement as he watched the chaos caused by the wolves' unexpected betrayal. Plunging the already disorganized ranks of the Greenskins into further pandemonium as more and more of the goblin wolf-riders suddenly lost control over their furred mounts and were completely helpless to stop them from attacking their foul brethren.

Erik didn't know the exact source of this sudden bout of luck, but he was not one to look a gift horse in the mouth.

An orc soon rose out of the edge of the wall, looking to sink its choppa into Erik. The young hunter struck down that notion by simply pointing his long-rifle's muzzle at its face and squeezed the trigger, blowing up the entirety of the brute's head with a single shot from pointblank.

Smirking in satisfaction at his handiwork, Erik haughtily blew away the smoke still rising from his weapon's muzzle before he began reloading his rifle again. But that was when another orc suddenly rose up from the edge, frothing at the mouth with rage and with its choppa raised in preparation to cleave Erik in two.

His cool and cocky mask momentarily broken, Erik hastily brought his rifle up to block the incoming blow. But he needn't bother.

Before the orc's weapon could descend upon him, a flash of shining steel impaled the orc through its exposed neck, halting its attack mid swing. With a look of shock on his face, Erik watched as the long and fine blade was swiftly pulled out of the Greenskin's neck, before it thrust into Greenskin's still open mouth. And with enough force to pierce all the way to the other side of its skull. The blade pulled out of the now lifeless orc for the final time, and the brute was left to fall off the edge.

Erik immediately glanced to the side to see the one responsible for this most timely intervention. And his eyes fell upon the buxom form of a familiar Bretonnian maid.

He watched in stunned silence as Giselle effortlessly sliced open the neck of another orc before it could even raise its weapon at her, the fine edge of her long and elegant rapier easily cutting through its flesh like a hot knife through butter.

And with a quick flick of her blade, she struck an attacking goblin at the wrist, the precise cut severing the tendons and nerves within. Which cause the goblin to lose its grip over its club, suddenly robbed of the ability to use its hand. And before the little devil could cry out in pain, she silenced it with a quick stab to the throat.

And when another orc had succeeded on getting onto the ramparts and immediately charged at the Bretonnian Maid with crude axe in hand, Giselle gracefully sidestepped its clumsy swing and finished it off with a single elegant thrust, mercilessly skewering its heart.

Seeing this ravishing young woman kill three orcs and a goblin using that rather delicate-looking rapier, with little difficulty and with no hesitation, Erik was unsure if whether he should be rightfully shitting his trousers, or grow rock hard.

He quietly decided on the latter and silently vowed that if he ever survived this day, he would finally start pursuing the Bretonnian. He had not expected her to actually take up arms and participate in the defence of Essen, for she never struck Erik as a fighter before. This was the first time he had seen her fight. And for a woman, she was doing remarkably well. And that rather tight dress she wore made every movement of her full hips and luscious arse that much more alluring. And despite the severity of the situation, Erik could not help but think how it would feel to grab a firm hold on them while he thrust hard and deep.

Seemingly aware of Erik's lingering gaze and lustful thoughts, Giselle rolled her eyes at the young Hunter before casting him a very pointed look.

"Stay focused, s'il vous plait."

Was Giselle's reproachful remark in a mix of her native Bretonnien and accented Reikspeil, before she promptly resumed her deadly dance.

Finally seeing the obvious need to weaken the defenders from range, several squads of Greenskins wielding crudely made war-bows began loosing arrows at the defenders in rather chaotic volleys.

"[Gifts of the Lady: Aerial Shield.]"

Someone whispered, yet none of the militiamen knew who or from where.

But they soon found that only few of those poorly made shafts actually found their mark, lightly injuring an unfortunate militiamen or two. The vast majority of those projectiles completely missed their intended targets. Half of them landing uselessly somewhere due to terrible aim on the part of the Greenskins, and the other half had simply, quite mysteriously, vanished into thin air.

Many of the men looked at this with no small amount of surprise, but were grateful for it nonetheless. And seeing the complete failure of their first volley, the Greenskins archers began nocking more arrows onto their bows and prepared to launch further volleys, fully intent on overwhelming whatever strange protections the defenders may have and drown them in a rain of arrows, accuracy be damned.

"[Lore of Ghur: The Flock of Doom.]"

An ominous declaration from a mysterious source. And to the further astonishment of all those present, furious cawing soon reached their ears as a large flock of ravens suddenly emerged from the nearby forests.

All the men watched with wonder in their eyes as the ravens quickly flew towards the chaotic mass of Greenskins and descended upon them. The orcs and goblins all cried out in alarm and pain, panicking as they were clawed, raked, scratched and pecked to death by their new feathered assailants. But the ones who bore the brunt of their wrath were the archers within the Greenskin's ranks, and Erik couldn't help but wince at the sight of those ravens pecking out the eyes of every orc and goblin who were unfortunate enough to be holding a bow in their hands.

"Now the bloody birds are helping us!?"

Erik couldn't help but cry out, staring wide eyed in both shock and wonder at this most unexpected sight. And thus, failing to notice a certain Maid smiling with smug satisfaction.

Many of the Greenskins, mostly goblins, decided they had enough of this madness and quickly ran away, abandoning their erstwhile allies as they made a frantic dash towards the forests. Only for the deserters to find themselves relentlessly harried by the ravens or quickly run down and mauled to death by the wolves. And because of their timely arrival, many of the orcs were now distracted by their newfound aggressors and began swatting at the beaked menaces, with mixed results. And this left them even more vulnerable to the deadly attentions of the Essen militia, who now saw this whole affair turn into one huge shooting gallery and began gunning the orcs down with little risk of reprisal.

Now, the green invaders' progress had literally grounded to a halt, finding themselves pinned down and nearly helpless as they were mercilessly shot down by the Essen militia from their front, the wolves tearing at them from the sides and rear, and the ravens swarming them from above.

It was as if the Lord of the Deep Wilds himself had shown his favor to the defenders and unleashed his wrath upon the Greenskin invaders, thus causing nearly all of the militia company to erupt into cheers and laughter as victory was now within sight. Where before it was in doubt, now there was an ever growing possibility that all of them might just live to see tomorrow with their homes and their families safe.

The only ones not celebrating their coming victory were the Bretonnian Maid and the veteran Sergeant. Intense concentration firmly written on the face of the former and a furious expression on the face of the latter, remaining reserved and vigilant, all the while they both cut down Greenskins that got within striking range of elegant sword and brutal axe.

*Crash.*

*Crash!*

*CRASH!*

Loud crashing noises came from the direction of the nearby forest, effectively silencing the cheers and laughter of the defenders, confusion and trepidation now overtaking mirth and joy. And Wulfrik, Erik, and Giselle in particular, watched with growing horror as the trees began to fall one by one as something very big and very angry was now smashing through the woods and heading straight towards their direction.

Finally tearing out of the woods was a hulking mass of green muscle clad in ramshackle armor. Unbridled fury and incredible strength radiated from every inch of its massive form, towering over all the other orcs in the field by several feet and making the already diminutive goblins look tinier in comparison. Huge hands that could crush a boulder with ease gripped what must have been the largest and most cumbersome looking choppa Wulfrik had ever seen in his life, its jagged blade already stained with dried blood. And the face of this enormous green beast was permanently locked in a mask of savage belligerence as its beady red eyes glared at the walled village of Essen and the militia company defending it.

Raising its enormous weapon high up, the Orc Warboss let loose a truly loud and bloodcurdling roar.

"WAAAAAAAAAAGGGHHH!"

That fearsome war-cry alone was enough to make their spirits sag, a truly mighty opponent finally revealing itself. And as if a bomb had just been triggered, a further series of roars and shrill cries exploded from all the other Greenskins within the field as the fierce war-cry and mighty presence of their Warboss whipped every orc and goblin into such a frenzy that they attacked the Essen militia with tripple the previous vigour and ferocity!

"Shit! Here comes the big one!"

Erik cried out, fear now within his voice as the young Hunter frantically fought off Greenskin after Greenskin that were now attacking him and his comrades like maddened beasts. So relentless were their renewed charge that Erik no longer had enough time to even reload his long-rifle and was now forced to use his favored weapon as an improvised club.

Wulfrik in comparison redoubled his own efforts as he did his best to match the Greenskins' supernaturally enhanced aggression with his own bottomless well of righteous hate for their kind. Furiously hacking, parrying and slashing with his axe like a man possessed by the White Wolf of Winter. Yet he too no longer had enough time to reload his spent firearms. Much less even have time to give them to the supporting teams and have them reload it for him.

Not that the Steiner twins and Master Mauser would even be able to. Because now, they and the rest of the supporting members of the militia were overwhelmed by the enormous number of spent weapons being thrown their way and can no longer hope to reload them quickly enough! And some of the soldiers actually found themselves out of ammunition and were now frantically calling for more, and the supporting teams also found their stores of cartridges and gunpowder running dangerously low and now had to run back to Mauser's personal warehouse to get more.

And to make matters for the defenders even worse, the Warboss was now heading towards them, running as fast as its massive bulk and thick, trunk-like legs can allow, and all the while roaring like some raging beast. Its enormous choppa held threateningly, ready to destroy anything that got in its way.

It was at this moment that the swarm of angry ravens that had been harrying the Greenskin horde soon turned their attention towards the Warboss. The feathered creatures looking like tiny flies buzzing around the enormous orc as they relentlessly attacked it with beak and talons. And further more, all the remaining wolves who had been busy tearing at the Greenskins immediately disengaged from their current opponents and headed straight towards the Warboss, where they began tearing into it with sharp fangs and claws.

Unfortunately, all of these attacks were but minor pinpricks for the Warboss, because not only was it heavily armored, its tough and leathery green hide was also thick. And it did not take long for the Warboss to start retaliating against these animals, swatting the many of the ravens away with each mighty swing of its gigantic weapon and brutally crushing the wolves with its huge fists and large, armored feet.

Wulfrik stared with some disappointment as the last of the wolves were finally slain and the birds soon flew away in retreat, their innate desire for survival now overpowering whatever mysterious force had been manipulating them into fighting. And with the last of these annoyance now gone, the Warboss was free to continue its menacing approach towards the walls.

The Sergeant soon pointed at it and cried out.

"Focus all fire on that Warboss! Bring it down!"

That was a tall order, for nearly all the militiamen within his company were engaged in a desperate struggle against the renewed Greenskin onslaught and their handguns were already either spent or broken. But several militiamen were able to do as the Sergeant ordered and brought their handguns to bear against the charging Warboss.

A small volley of deadly lead was soon launched from the top of the walls and all of which impacted the massive Greenskin, easily penetrating its armor and punching deep bleeding holes into its muscled bulk. But despite these many wounds, the orc kept running, not in the least slowed down by that volley. If anything, it actually increased the pace of its heavy strides, roaring out in defiance as it did so.

When at last the Warboss had joined the rest of its foul brethren and was now wading through the thick green mass of smaller Greenskins like a man walking through waist-deep swamp water, accidentally crushing a few of its kin in the process, Wulfrik watched with growing despair as the enormous orc let out another loud roar as it raised its giant choppa in preparation to smash the walls apart.

"[Lore of Ghyran: Awakening of the Wood!]"

A desperate cry was heard over the chaotic din of battle.

And with it, a flash of verdant green light suddenly erupted from the center of the Greenskin mass, directly where the Warboss stood, momentarily stunning and confusing all those who had seen this most peculiar and mysterious phenomenon. All present looked around in alarm as the earth beneath them began to rumble, and Wulfrik was afraid that some new foe might have finally come to destroy them.

But such fears were unfounded as the ground where the Greenskins were standing suddenly out came many thick and gnarled roots and huge vines that began lashing out at the green savages like vengeful serpents. Coiling around their limps and their necks and mercilessly squeezing and strangling them to death. All the orcs and goblins suddenly lost their momentum and forgot about their fight with the militiamen as they were now locked in their new desperate struggle against the mysterious roots and vines that were now trying to kill them all. And those few orcs and goblins who were already at the top of the wall, soon found themselves cut down mercilessly by the defenders, who were now enjoying a much needed time of respite, no matter how brief it might be.

Wulfrik stared at the Orc Warboss now struggling mightily against the many gnarled roots and thick vines that continued to wrap themselves around its enormous bulk, with some of them coiling around his choppa and preventing the Warboss from properly using it. It filled him with no small amount of wonder at the sight, but it also instilled within him an ever growing sense of suspicion and dread.

Before, he was able to simply ignore the strange happenings around them, or simply deem them as particularly curious natural phenomena or the tricks played by a weary mind. Now, the veteran Sergeant could no longer ignore this latest act or judge it as simple curiosity. The answer was quite obvious now.

There was a sorcerer hidden among them, and one that has most likely infiltrated their village some time ago, probably many years ago in fact. And whoever this sorcerer was, today he or she deemed it necessary to aid them in battle using their heretical magics. But none could say if this sorcerer would do the same in the future, or if this sorcerer might not one day decide that the people of this village would make fitting sacrifices to whatever dark, heathen powers they secretly serve.

One would think that seeing all the incredible acts used to help them would make the Sergeant view this mysterious practitioner of the arcane in a more favorable light, but no. He knew of the dark truth about magic and the malicious evil that has birthed it into the Old World. He knew all too well what sort of suffering and destruction those who dabble in such dangerous arts were capable of. And thus, Wulfrik silently vowed that when this battle is over and he yet lives, he would find this sorcerer and he would purge it from this world, as Imperial Law so solemnly dictates.

"Sergeant… Sergeant!"

He heard a woman's voice cry out to him, weakness and fear evident. Wulfrik quickly turned to the source of those cries and his icy-blue eyes fell upon the downed form of Giselle.

The Bretonnian Maid was now lying on her side, looking quite exhausted as her delicate form was supported by a single arm. Her beautiful face scrunched up in obvious pain as her hand pressed against the shallow wound at her side delivered by particularly lucky goblin, the cut oozing warm crimson blood and staining her already tattered dress. The elegant rapier she wielded earlier now lying discarded at her side, its fine blade slick with Greenskin blood.

Seeing her obvious state of distress, Wulfrik's heart immediately filled with concern as he quickly rushed towards the side of the fallen Maid, all of his earlier hate and suspicions fading away, at least for the moment.

"Gods above girl! You should have remained with the rest of the women and children at the temple where it was safest!"

The older man berated the young woman as he knelt by her side and began to remove his own cloak and used it to cover the wounded Maid, shielding her from the chilly air as well as preserving her modesty. Her dress had suffered several tears that now left her quite generous bosom and creamy thighs somewhat exposed to unwelcome eyes, and Wulfrik's own sense of chivalry and propriety would not allow him to leave the unfortunate Maid in such a compromised state.

"This proud daughter of Le Breton could not allow you Imperials to hog all the fun and glory. Oui, en effet."

Giselle gave the grizzled Sergeant a childish grin as feint laughter emanated from her throat like the tinkling of silver bells. Quite appreciative of the Sergeant's gentlemanly act of preserving her honor even as the veteran shook his head and frowned at her words.

Then Giselled grew more serious as she looked at the Sergeant with obvious worry.

"But we must retreat immédiatement! I fear that Warboss and his horde will not remain trapped for long!"

Wulfrik turned his eyes back towards afformentioned Greenskins and he immediately saw the truth of the fair Maid's words. Though the mysterious roots and vines had succeeded in strangling many of the orcs and goblins to death and effectively immobilized the vast majority of them, the Sergeant could see that the damnable horde was now slowly but surely breaking free of their entanglements. And to make matters worse, the Warboss was also slowly breaking free of his restraints, the monstrous strength and tenacity that it possessed was enough to overpower the many living roots and vines that were desperately trying to hold it down, tearing at them with its sharp teeth and ripping them off with his bare hands.

Yes, their moment of respite was quickly drawing to a close and they must make wise use of it while it yet remained.

Wulfrik immediately grabbed Giselle's discarded rapier and sheathed it within his belt along with his axe. Before he promptly picked the wounded Maid up and carried her within his arms, something Giselle was secretly quite grateful for, for she had all but spent her reserves and doubted she even had the strength to properly stand on her own, much less run for her life.

With the fair Maid now tucked safely within his arms, the Sergeant turned his attention to the rest his company and bellowed out his new orders.

"Everyone fall back! Fall back to the temple!"

All the men within earshot heard his orders and quickly relayed them to all those further away. And then they all began helping up their wounded comrades and made their way towards the safety of the temple as fast as they can. Master Mauser and the supporting teams were quick to act upon hearing the Sergeants new orders of retreat and hastily began retrieving as many weapons and ammunition as they could carry and brought it with them on their way to the temple. Ensuring that the militia had enough left to keep fighting later, for this battle was far from over.

As Wulfrik with Giselle in his arms and the remaining members of the now bloodied Essen militia were now beating a hasty retreat towards the relative safety of the temple, the Sergeant heard the furious roar of the Warboss as it finally broke free of its magical restraints. And not long after that, a loud crash resounded from behind the retreating soldiers of House Stahlhart as the Warboss finally tore down a sizable portion of the wooden walls of Essen with a single, powerful blow from his massive choppa.

With a breach finally made upon the walls, a vengeful green tide burst through the narrow opening and quickly flooded into the village, murder and hate within their red eyes as they pursued the quickly retreating forms of the defenders.

And as Wulfrik ran as fast as his legs could carry him with Giselle's wounded form still within his protective hold, a single desperate prayer was muttered through his dried lips.

"Old White Wolf and Heldenhammer, please watch over Mistress Tanya and Lady Anna! Please keep them safe!"

)-(

Tanya held onto the reins of her horse tightly as the beast galloped along the road leading towards the village. She was now fully dressed and mostly recovered. Her father's handgun was slung behind her back. Sitting just behind her was Anna, holding onto her sister's waist for support. The bag of cartridges for the handgun was slung over her shoulder and strapped to her waist was a simple axe currently covered in its sheath.

Tanya would have much preferred if Anna had stayed behind at the house, for she did not want her to get into harms way by coming with her to the village, which was undoubtedly teeming with goblins and orcs right now. But the younger Stahlhart had insisted she come along, that she would be of more use to Tanya by assisting her rather than just hiding somewhere in their home. She reluctantly agreed, having not enough time or patience to convince Anna otherwise.

The familiar walls and watch towers of Essen loomed overhead. But unlike the day prior, the whole area outside the village was littered with countless corpses, all of which were Greenskins. The southern entrance to the village was now flung wide open and a sizable portion of the walls had been broken down by something massive and incredibly strong. She could not see a single one of the defenders at the ramparts and she dearly hoped the villagers were all safe, that none of her friends had come to harm.

As she drew closer, the sounds of an ongoing battle could be heard. Clashing weapons mixed with pained screams and hateful roars. Tanya quickly pulled on the reins and brought her horse to a stop.

"Get off now Anna, we'll be continuing on foot." Tanya said to her sister and Anna complied, getting off the horse.

Tanya followed after her and quickly pulled off her handgun from her back and shouldered it, pointing the barrel towards the direction of the open gate. She began her steady approach towards the village entrance, her handgun already loaded and cocked, ready to shoot down the first sign of belligerent green she sees. Anna stood just a couple of feet behind her sister, the axe held resolutely in hand, ready to cut down any goblin that dares venture too close.

Upon passing through the gates, the two Stahlhart sisters were greeted with a rather astonishing sight. All around them they saw dozens upon dozens of dead Greenskins, both goblins and orcs. Many of them sported clean cuts upon their necks or other vital areas, obviously made by a keen blade of sorts. But the others suffered much more disfiguring wounds, in the form of shattered skulls, twisted necks, pulped faces, torn limbs and chests savagely caved in. They even saw an orc with its head and both its arms cut off.

It was clear for Tanya and Anna to see that these were not the handiwork of any of the village militia. She knew enough about them that none of them possessed the skill and raw strength to inflict such frightening injuries upon the Greenskins. Only one other person could have committed this carnage.

The sound of a loud war-cry caught their attention. Tanya and Anna immediately ran towards the source, passing through the main street before turning at a corner and emerging within one of the narrow side streets. And that was where they finally found him.

There was a hulking orc clad in thick furs and pilfered mail, armed with a cumbersome looking weapon that crudely resembled both an axe and a sword and a large round shield plated in bronze. It ran down the street with its brutal looking implement poised to strike, its beady red eyes filled with murderous intent. The target of its ire calmly stood his ground, his back currently turned towards the two sisters.

When the orc came within striking range it swung its massive weapon towards him diagonally, seeking to bisect him in two. But in a surprising display of swiftness, the silver haired man dashed pass the heavy swing before it could connect, the orc's weapon passing harmlessly through thin air. Before the hulking brute could swing its weapon around to try and hit his wily opponent, the silver haired warrior drove his sword into the back of the orc's unprotected knee, impaling it.

The orc cried out in pain as it was forced down to the ground on one knee, the other crippled beyond hope of recovery. And then the armored man stepped closer towards the injured orc, pulled out one of those strange triple-bladed daggers of his, and delivered a single precise swing to the back of the orc's neck, cutting it wide open.

Tanya watched with macabre interest as the orc's pained cries and struggles immediately ceased, akin to a puppet with its strings suddenly and mercilessly cut. Its lifeless body soon fell forward and hit the ground face first with heavy thud, the wound on the back of it's neck still leaking copious amounts of blood.

Tanya turned her gaze from the murdered orc to the one who performed the deed. He regarded the downed Greenskin with a look of utter disdain, before he turned his sights towards their direction. His crimson eyes glowed like a pair of burning coals from behind his visor, but the cold fury within them was enough to send chill up Tanya's spine. Any previous assumptions or illusions she may have had about this man were now as dead as the orc on the ground. This was a ruthless killer, a mighty spirit of death and vengeance bound in mortal flesh, merciless steel in both hands.

And he was now dashing towards their direction, weapons poised to strike. He moved so fast, closing the scant distance between them in the blink of an eye. Her heart pounding mightily within her chest, Tanya expected him to attack her next and leave her on the ground choking on her own blood. But when he simply rushed past them, nothing of the sort happened, much to her resounding relief.

Gurgling sounds and pained groans soon reached their ears, and both of them turned around to see what it was. Standing just several feet from them was a goblin. And it was currently coughing out blood from its filthy maw as a wide cut on its neck bled heavily. And lying lifeless on the ground were two more of its kind. Both of which had their heads severed from their necks.

And the man responsible for it loomed over the dying goblin, blades dripping with freshly spilled blood. As the creature groaned pitifully, clutching at its ruined throat in a useless attempt to staunch the bleeding, the silver haired warrior simply raised his foot, and sent a kick towards the goblin's face. Breaking its pointed nose and much of its ugly face and sending it sprawling to the ground several feet away, where it bled to death.

The sounds of bestial grunts and rasping voices soon got their attention as a large group consisting of over a dozen goblins soon emerged from the village's main street and were now charging towards the pale warrior. Each goblin was armed with an assortment of crude but deadly weapons, and all were intent on tearing apart the human that had been killing so many of their kind. Any other man would have balked at the sight and ran.

But to their continued surprise, the mysterious man in front of them met their charge head on, short sword and triple-bladed dagger poised to strike, his eyes glowing bright red with murder.

Tanya had never seen anyone fight like he did before.

The goblins fought back as best they could, using their superior numbers to try and overwhelm him while also maneuvering around him to strike at his exposed flanks. But he moved much faster than any of them despite his armored bulk, his reflexes razor sharp, responding to each strike delivered to him in a flash, parrying it or avoiding it outright before unleashing a vicious attack of his own. And each blow delivered by him resulted in either a clean death or such grievous injuries where death was certain.

Whole limbs were severed, necks were cut, bellies sliced wide open causing bloody entrails to spill out and heads were shattered like much too delicate porcelain. All done using either one of his deadly tools of war, or the crushing force delivered by his powerful kicks and punches.

So much brutality, yet so much deadly skill as well. Tanya truly had not seen anyone fight like he did. No dramatic yet useless maneuvers, no proud poses that left one open, no fancy flourishes to needlessly distract. And no war-cries or loud praises to some deity or another. He did not fight with honor like knight of the Empire or sought glory and praise like any other warrior. He fought simply to kill. And in the most expedient manner possible.

When it became apparent that the lone man before them was simply way beyond their meagre capabilities to match, let alone defeat, the few remaining goblins in the group turned craven and ran. They only managed a few meagre steps before their crimson eyed opponent quickly caught up to them and cut them down without any ounce of mercy.

When the last goblin was now lying in a pool of its own blood only then did the warrior paused his savage streak. Both of his blades slick with their foul dark fluids with some of it staining his arms and torso. Had Tanya not already known otherwise, she would have surely thought this man as some fearsome Norscan warrior possessed by a malevolent deity of carnage. She quietly thanked all the gods of the Empire that he was not. At least, she believed he wasn't.

She glanced towards her sister Anna, to see how she was doing in the face of such brutality. And she was not surprised to see a deeply disturbed expression upon her face. One that was most likely mirrored by her own.

A loud roar came from behind them, startling the two young women as they quickly turned towards the source. They were met with the sight of another savage looking orc, its massive spiked club gripped within its two large hands as it ran towards their direction. The desire for blood and carnage evident upon its hard and battle scarred visage.

It only managed to get within ten paces of the two women when a familiar looking shortsword soon flew across the air and impaled the orc through its exposed neck, silencing its bestial cries. It released its hold upon its weapon as it slowly fell to its knees, choking out while trying in vain to staunch the blood flowing out of its neck.

Her attention was once again drawn to him as he calmly walked past them and approached the still kneeling orc. The Greenskin cast him a vengeful and bitter glare as it feebly reached out to him with its grubby hand in a last act of defiance. He simply batted away the outstretched limb before grabbing the hilt of his sword. And slowly pushed it deeper.

The orc's red eyes widened as its scarred face twisted into a mask of agony, its hands instinctively grabbing the silver haired warrior's hand in an effort to stop him from driving the blade further in, coughing out more blood as it groaned piteously. But inch by bloody inch the blade was driven deeper, until it finally stopped at the hilt. He then twisted his blade, widening the wound, before finally pulling his sword out of the orc's neck.

He calmly stepped to the side as the large orc fell forward. It twitched several times, slowly bleeding out upon the ground as it futilely clutched at its ruined neck. Before its movements finally ceased, the look of agony it wore still frozen upon its face.

And with it, the last of their immediate foes were slain. And Tanya didn't even get the chance to fire off a shot. She watched as he sliced off a sizable piece of the Greenskin's filthy tunic, and used it to wipe the blood clean off his sword.

"You two shouldn't have come here."

He finally spoke after a while, his voice somewhat distorted and given an oddly metallic quality as it passed through his visor's slits. sheathing his sword before cleaning the blades of his strange dagger next. Calmly wiping off the blood and viscera staining his blades like a tavern keeper cleaning his steins, preparing them for the next intense round.

"It is much too dangerous, as you have no doubt seen."

"We can say the same for you."

Quipped by the younger Stahlhart, causing the man to turn towards them and look at Anna in particular, fixing her with a cold glare. Feeling alarm, Tanya was quick to cover for his sister, not wanting this extremely dangerous man to feel any anger towards her.

"What my sister means to say is that we have come here to help you. As you said, it is quite dangerous, so you will need all the help you can get."

She explained to him rather diplomatically, offering a most welcoming smile.

"If you want to help me, then you should have remained in your house where it is safest. You will only be a burden to me."

Came the man's immediate rebuttal, blunt as a hammer and just as honest, enough to make Tanya wince and drop her smile. His words stung a lot more than she would care to admit, but there was little argument to be had against it. The ways of war were simply not within her field of expertise. She could fire a gun, but that was about it. But even so, Tanya refused to sit idly by and allow someone to do everything for her when she knew she could still do something to help. Especially now that her people were in mortal danger. But it would seem that she wasn't the only one who felt that way.

"But we can fight too! We are not just a couple of helpless wallflowers you know! Our father was a Captain of the Empire and he thought us a thing or two about war."

Anna argued back, eyes shining with stubborn courage as she defiantly matched his cold stare with her own fiery gaze. But Tanya could only sigh ruefully upon hearing her sisters words for they were not exactly a strong argument to make. And this silvery haired man knew this.

"Then he was a fool."

His glare intensified and his tone took a more biting edge.

"If I was in your father's position, the first thing I would do is to take my two foolish and unruly daughters as far away from this place as possible. For no good father would allow their children to come to harm, much less fill their minds with silly ideas about war."

Both of them were left stunned and hurt by those choice words which cut as deep as any blade would.

He had just spoken out of turn, but Tanya could not rightfully fault him. A part of her wanted to lash out at him and say that he was wrong, but she couldn't do it. Because she knew that this man was still unaware of their House's recent history and its current state. He cannot be blamed for thinking poorly of them, for he had just met them and he hardly knew them enough. And he cannot be blamed for thinking poorly of their beloved father, because he has never met him yet, and thus, he never had the chance to truly know him for the honorable man and noble hero he truly was prior to his passing. And he probably never will. And his reasoning was actually quite sound, if viewed simply from a perfectly logical point. But it wasn't that simple.

It may not have been his intent, but his words still hurt. And it also brought up a lot of unpleasant memories of their loss. And try as she might, Tanya could not suppress the tears slowly welling within her eyes, making her sorely wish that her father was actually here with them at this moment. So many things would have gone differently today if he was. And she was not the only one with such thoughts.

Anna was now openly glaring at the man with hurt and resentment, her hands clenched into tight fists. She knew that Anna loved their father dearly, probably more so than her. And to hear this man make that negative remark about him rubbed her younger sister wrong in many ways.

"Why you…"

She said in a trembling voice, her anger clear, and the tears in her eyes had already fallen and stained her cheeks. She very much wished to denounce him and berate him for being so callous and insensitive, for speaking of matters he knew nothing about. But as luck would have it, this silvery haired man seem to have quickly realized his mistake, as his face softened ever so slightly and he said.

"Apologies. I spoke out of turn."

His tone was much gentler this time and genuinely contrite. At least he apologized and though his words still stung, his immediate apology appeased them somewhat and this served to calm her sister Anna enough to prevent her coming tirade, though she was still glaring at the man with obvious resentment.

"But I still stand what I said. I cannot allow you to come with me. The risks are simply too great. So please, do not put your lives in harms way needlessly. I know not if I am strong enough to protect you."

And with that, he turned and began walking away, heading towards the center of the village where most of the fighting was still taking place, leaving the both of them surprised once again. For he said those words with such earnestness, and if Tanya's ears weren't deceiving her, a hint of desperation as well. He all but pleaded them not to put themselves in harms way. Not because of pity or a simple sense of righteousness, but because somehow it would cause him such great pain if something untoward were to happen to them and he could not allow it.

But what really stood out to Tanya and made her opinion of him improve by several notches, was his own humble admittance that, for all his skill and strength, he may not be strong enough to protect them, thus he would not take a risk.

She might just be reading too much into nothing, but Tanya had always had an uncanny ability to learn of the truth within the hearts of others. And despite his stoic mask which was also hidden beneath that cold and expressionless visor, the truth was plainly written all over him. And knowing this, she could not simply sit by and wait for him to return alive and victorious. She would make sure of it.

"Please wait!"

Tanya cried out to him and she quickly went to catch up with him. The man still did not stop but she knew he heard her well enough. And so when Tanya had finally reached him, she grabbed him by his hand and urged him to stop.

"Please, listen to what I have to say!"

She all but pleaded to him. And this time, the man finally halted and Tanya was glad he did not pull his hand away from her grasp like she feared he would. Instead he turned his head ever so slightly to the side and quietly regarded her from the corner of his eyes.

And those crimson eyes were probing, expecting, wary. But deep within, Tanya could see a hidden longing as he looked at her face. Quite curious it was. She knew not why that is, but she silently vowed she would learn the truth of it. But right now, she had to convince this man first.

"I wish you would reconsider."

Tanya began, voice filled with passion and her deep emerald eyes so full of determination.

"I am the Lady of House Stahlhart and Baroness of Essen, and the people of this town look to me to guide them and protect them as their noble Mistress. But what sort of Mistress I would be if I were to just cower within my home and watch as others fight my own battles for me? I know I asked for your aid, but that does not absolve me of my own vows to safeguard the people living under my banner. Allow me and my sister to assist you in this battle. I promise you, we will not be a burden to you. We may not know the true ways of war, but we can learn, and we can follow your lead. So please lead us and we shall not fail you."

She knew that there was very little she could actually do to help him in the coming battle. She was not a soldier, and she was hardly a fighter even, this she accepted. But she still wished to help him in anyway she could. Assisting him in this battle would be the first step in repaying him for saving her earlier. And that was a debt she couldn't possibly repay but she would try nonetheless.

"My sister is right."

Anna's voice reached their ears as the young Stahlhart soon joined Tanya's side. By now her tears had mostly dried and gone were the hurt and anger within her eyes. Instead, they burned with a resolve that would not look out of place from the most devout of Warrior-Priests. And it was quite evident in her next words.

"I know you may think us foolish, for we are untrained and untested. But I will not have you doubt our willingness to risk our own lives to ensure the safety of others. As I said, our father was a Captain of the Empire. And he always reminded us that as highborn ladies of House Stahlhart and faithful daughters of Sigmar, it is our duty to care for our people and defend them if need be. And Heldenhammer be my witness, I will honor my father by defending our people from those Greenskins with honest steel in hand and a prayer to Sigmar upon my lips. So lead us, show us the way, and you will not find us wanting."

In the face of both of their impassioned entreaties, Tanya was pleased to see that this stoic man was left a bit awestruck, and now regarded them with a newfound respect. He remained silent though as he took the time to consider their words. And so she patiently waited for his response, watching him cast a glance towards the direction of the village where the battle was still ongoing, and the fearsome roars of the Warboss could still be heard. But after a while, the man finally turned fully towards them. And giving them a stern glare, he said.

"You may come. But only if you will do as I say, and exactly as I say it."

His tone commanding and brooked no disagreement. And it quickly sent a bolt of elation through both of their hearts, readily agreeing to his demand.

And they would not squander this opportunity. Because even though his hurtful comments earlier may have caused them pain, he had also unknowingly succeeded in lighting the flames of resolve within their hearts, filling them with an intense need to prove themselves to this man, that he may consider them worthy enough to stand by his side. Tanya couldn't help but think this a rather peculiar feeling, being so inspired by him all of a sudden to reach greater heights, but it was not unwelcome. If she were to be completely honest, she actually found herself wanting more of this strange new sensation. And she was certain Anna was feeling exactly the same, probably even more so than her.

And the pale warrior soon turned his cool gaze back towards her younger sister, and with that same hammer-blow of bluntness and honesty that he was fast becoming known for, he spoke to her.

"But you will not be fighting with steel in hand, as you have said. You are too weak to survive in melee and I'm certain your skill with that axe is nonexistent."

"Ouch."

Those scathing criticisms weren't even directed at her, yet Tanya couldn't help but grimace as she listened to each word said. He sounded very much like a harsh taskmaster who was unafraid of pointing out every flaw in ones work and expected everyone to meet his exacting standards. Tanya could understand and appreciate that, and she had enough patients and humility despite her young age to know that one should not take his words as an insult, but rather as a challenge. Not her sister though.

Anna was once again back to looking rather livid as her fists trembled and her jaw clenched tight, having taken much offense from his remarks and looked to be on the verge of blowing up on his face. Thankfully her sister, who is rather infamous for her short temper, was able to successfully rein in much of her ire and instead of screaming the man's ears off and telling him where exactly he could stick his opinions, she retaliated with her own barbs.

"Oh, thank you for that most insightful deduction, O Wise And Noble Master with The Strange Hair And Weird Eyes! Tell me, what should I fight with if not this perfectly sharp axe I brought with me? Should I be throwing sticks and stones at those orcs instead and hope that one of them would eventually die of embarrassment?"

Tanya could almost see the sarcasm dripping from each word while her sister fixed the older man with a sickly-sweet smile that did nothing to hide her obvious frustration and anger towards him at that moment.

But to his further credit, the man did not take offense to her sister's words and remained perfectly calm as he soon walked to the side. With curiosity, both of them watch him approach the corpse of one the nearby dead militiamen. The unfortunate man was barely recognizable, having had his face smashed to pieces and his limbs broken in several places. Tanya grimaced at the sight, feeling a stab of sorrow within her heart and a flare of anger from deep within her very soul. This was one more reason for her to hate Greenskins. And they have given her plenty of reasons to hate them already. One day, she would make them all pay.

As their mysterious companion reached the broken corpse, he knelt down and grabbed the handgun lying next to it. He inspected it for a moment, his critical gaze searching for any damage upon it, before he finally rose back to his feet and returned to them.

Her sister looked on with interest and a bit of surprise, all of her previous anger and frustration quickly fading. That was another peculiar thing about her. So quick to anger, but so easily appeased as well. Tanya always found that rather adorable.

"Here."

He coolly said as he gave the handgun to Anna. She could almost see her sister's deep blue eyes sparkle with delight upon receiving her newest weapon. Tanya knew all too well that Anna had a certain affinity for guns and she remembered how she always asked her to buy her one for her next birthday. Him giving her this handgun was basically the equivalent of an early birthday present.

"I believe you are well-versed in its use?"

The silvery-haired man inquired. And Anna was quick to flash him a confident smile.

"Oh certainly! I practiced with one almost every day!"

And to prove her point, her sister began inspecting the weapon and upon finding it spent, she hurriedly retrieved a fresh cartridge from her bag and began reloading the handgun. And as she did so, Tanya could not help but notice how the man was studying her sister's actions most closely. His critical gaze observing every movement like a hawk and seemingly committing every detail into his undoubtedly near limitless memory.

When Anna was finally done and now stood at the ready, the man nodded in approval before he gestured for them.

"Stay close, stay silent. Mind every corner."

His firm instructions to them as he began stalking forward, his footsteps surprisingly light despite all the armor he was wearing. And they both obediently followed, heeding his commands. He truly did remind her of her father in many ways. His manner, his speech and even his bearing screamed a man who not only survived hundreds of battles and emerged the victor, but is also one who is quite used to leading others into victory. She could not explain why, but just his mere presence alone was enough to convince them that victory was now assured. And this horrible battle will soon be won before the sun even reaches its zenith.

And as they quietly passed through one of the back alleys, handguns at the ready, Tanya could not help but regard this mysterious man in front of them, staring at his armored back with some longing. And a simple thought finally occurred to her. They were yet to be properly introduced.

"By the way, I'm Tanya. And this is my sister Anna."

She whispered to him, careful not to draw too much attention to themselves.

"I see."

And he said with low grunt. He didn't even glance her way. Tanya couldn't help but make an uncomfortable smile and feel a tiny bit of sweat drop from her brow, now learning that for all his incredible skills in matters of death, he was severely lacking in both tact and sociability. Tanya would need to help him this later on.

Anna on the other hand did not look kindly to his seeming lack of manners and her sister glared at the back of his silvery head and reprimanded him but in still quiet tones.

"It's considered proper courtesy to introduce yourself in turn, especially when it you have been addressed by two ladies."

Tanya shot her sister a look, silently telling her not to push the man. But Anna ignored her as she continued to glare at the warrior while pouting her pretty lips as she waited for his response. And when a long moment of silence passed and it appeared an answer from him would not be forthcoming, Anna's cheeks reddened in frustration.

"Hey! Did you just here what I-!"

"Goblin Slayer."

The man sudden answered at long last, stopping Anna mid sentence. Now both sisters could only stare at him in slight confusion upon hearing that rather strange name.

"What?"

Anna was the one to ask, trying to see if she heard him right.

"You may call me Goblin Slayer."

And the man firmly reiterated, still not looking their way. Tanya frowned at that as she looked at him curiously and asked

"Is that truly your name? Or just your title?"

"That is what I am and what I am known for."

Was his reply, as if he was stating an obvious truth of the known world, similar to how water is wet and the sky is blue. Or green, if Morrslieb happens to show itself in fullness.

"But can't you give us your actual name instead, the one you were given at birth?"

Anna insisted, clearly wanting to know who this man really was. But much to her continued disappointment and Tanya's as well, he refused to acquiesce to her demand.

"No. My true name may only be known to me and my family."

He firmly stated, and with such a finality to it which showed he would not budge on the matter. And so her sister finally relented, her frown deepening in displeasure.

"Fine then, have it your way. I suppose I'll just call you Slayer from now on then."

Though his back was still turned to them and his face hidden , Tany could almost feel him smiling at that suggested moniker.

"You may."