Wilhelm

"Mein Gott!"

"Lord Kraus! Wilhelm, help me!"

"Bernhardt, no!"

Wilhelm Kraus spun in the saddle, trying to keep a grip on his man's hand. The vines that had encircled Bernhardt and his other men-at-arms were grotesque and clinging. Diseased-looking, green flesh with thorns as long as Wilhelm's little finger were twining swiftly around their limbs. He watched in horror as one of the vines tangled around Bernhardt's upper arm and pulsed, then ripped away in a spiral of crimson. The creeper whipped back, thorns spraying the foliage with dark blood. Bernhardt was screaming, his ruined arm dangling horribly. Wilhelm was sure that he could see bone under the wash of streaming gore.

"What deviltry is this?" he cried at the silent forest.

His sword was in his hand, but there were no real targets. He tried to cut away at the vines already entangled in Bernhardt's bridle and legs, but whenever he got close enough to make a sure cut, the living plant would shift and pulse, ripping away at armor, wool and the flesh underneath. They had entered this bizarre wood just before twilight, and as soon as the glow of the evening sun disappeared from the branches, they had been assailed by animated vines. Wilhelm was screaming his hatred at the unholy forest, cutting at any vine that snapped closer to Bernhardt. He had given his other men up for dead. They were either too far away to help, or already gurgling on the loam. After seeing the abomination strip his arm to the bone, Bernhardt had slumped in the saddle.

"Come at me, you hellspawn!" Wilhelm screamed into the night.

The creepers had not even come close to him or his mount, who was growing increasingly harder to control. The stallion was battle-trained and experienced, but something unnatural and evil was about, permeating the night with malice. Wilhelm swung his sword crazily above his head, trying to intercept a streaming tendril heading for Bernhardt's unarmored face. Just then, his horse bucked in panic, throwing him wide-eyed into the air. Time slowed for Wilhelm as his mouth opened in a wide circle of shock. His arms pin wheeled as his steed sprinted away, churning up the dirt and fallen leaves underneath him. With a solid thunk that took the breath from his lungs, Wilhelm landed heavily on the ground. His head cracked against a rock, helm not able to fully absorb the blow. As the world grew black and hazy, Wilhelm saw four of the vines waving lazily above him, spiraling him sickly down into darkness.

§

He came to with a start, jerking upright suddenly. Wilhelm heard a roaring scream, the sound of a man being torn apart by ravenous wolves. When he shut his mouth with a click of teeth, he realized that the scream had been his own. Looking about, he saw devastation. Ruined corpses steamed in the cool night air, while the forest itself loomed over him, leaves and debris scattered chaotically around the tableau. The horses were barely recognizable, their flanks shredded and large chunks missing where there should have been muscle and bone and flesh. He couldn't bear to look at his men for long, their humanity stripped as much as themselves, grisly husks that had once been human. Wilhelm stood unsteadily, wishing he had a torch, a light, anything to push back the gloom.

In the distance, a keening wail issued, joined swiftly by another and another. This time, Wilhelm knew that those sounds were not his own, of his body or his mind. The depraved sound was something that rocked him to the core. In his life until now, he had been a strong and devout Christian knight, a man who feared no evil, no unholy menace. After watching his men torn apart around him by living vines, Wilhelm was scared in a way he never realized he could be. The wicked howling ceased abruptly, replaced by forlorn laughter, full of sadness and totally lacking in mirth. The sound reminded him of a woman he had come upon once, holding her dead son in her arms as she laughed and screamed, the sound so completely contrary to what Wilhelm knew. It was a horrible thing to bear witness to, and he had blocked that from his mind in subsequent years, until it came clawing to the surface of his thoughts in this forsaken wood.

He took stock of his body slowly, his brain accounting for and assessing each muscle and sinew. His armor was all in place still, helm a bit askew, but otherwise firmly attached. He was covered in dirt, dried blood and a black substance that seethed with wicked malevolence. Wilhelm lunged over to the nearest spot of loam that had not been affected by the slaughter and grabbed up huge handfuls of brush and leaves. He began frantically rubbing them against his armor, trying to get the cloying stains to leave the previously shining steel. When he finally calmed down, he realized that he had removed most of the gore and his armor had resumed a semi-normal sheen. Jerking in realization, he thrust the leaves away from him, dropping them to the ground where the seething blackness could no longer infect him.

Wilhelm looked around, gauging his chances in the eerie forest. The vines that had massacred his men had seemed to have no care for him, the first time they had even approached him was to wave over his body after he had been thrown from his horse. The trees were thick and jagged, limbs heavy with their summer greenery. As he snatched up his sword, he saw a wolf slink out of the tree line directly before him. The beast was huge, haunches heavy and muscular. Wilhelm crouched, brandishing his weapon as the animal's lips peeled back from jutting teeth. It snarled in fury, the sound like the crack of thunder following a blazing bolt of lightning. Wilhelm back away, watching warily as the wolf stalked closer. It paused near Bernhardt, sniffing at the man's body. Without another glance his way, the sharp teeth tore into his man's neck, ripping bits of flesh away from the already ruined corpse.

Wilhelm fell to his knees, heaving and choking. He didn't vomit, but his stomach felt like it was trying to leap through his throat. He stared at his hands, fists pressed into the forest floor.

"Dear God, my Lord in Heaven," he began, hardly able to force the words past his lips. "My God, please protect your servant from this profane place. I beseech you, deliver me from this evil!"

As he uttered the last word of his frantic prayer, Wilhelm saw an explosion of white in the sky, through the heavy branches. The wolf looked up, regarding him in the flash of light. As the brightness faded, the wolf went back to work, gnawing at Bernhardt's cheek. Wilhelm stood, feeling that the light was a sign, that God was with him, despite his terrible surroundings. From the north, he heard the keening begin again and this time, he set out toward it. He left the wolf, knowing that his men's souls were in Heaven, with the devout and virtuous. The husks of their flesh were just shells, no more their essence than a rock or a hare. He staggered through the trees, freeing a water skin from his belt and squirting the liquid in a stream into his mouth. The cool, soothing water was almost more of a balm than the flash of light had been.

Wilhelm pushed past gnarled branches and darkened hollows, his eyes straight ahead. He saw things moving on the edges of his vision, but resolutely refused to look directly at them. If something were to approach within striking distance, he would end it righteously, but he was content to dismiss the ungodly creatures if they did not attack. He felt that something was drawing him, pulling him forward, deeper into the thick trees. Wilhelm thought of his wife, Elise, and their young son. If he wasn't able to survive this test, who would take care of her? Her beautiful, dark face burst into his mind, like a vision of rapture. Bright, blue eyes set above high cheekbones and thin cheeks, her face forming a perfect heart shape. Her hair was lustrous and black, shining with health and vigor. He saw her lips, touched them with his thumb. As the digit made contact, the vision burst into fragmented pieces, blowing away the image.

His shoulders hitching with emotion, tears streamed silently down Wilhelm's cheeks. He pounded through the thick foliage, his sword slicing vines, branches and brush from his path. Just when his sword arm began to grow heavy and hard to lift, Wilhelm broke out of the dense woods. Before him, a moonlit clearing, acres in depth, spread out in a huge circle of rolling grass. In the center, there was a house, after a fashion. The building had once been large but now was a ruin, walls shattered by time and the elements. He could see that some of the compound had survived, lights beaconing him from the unkempt place. Wilhelm crossed himself and began his slow approach.

When the dismal laughter began again, he realized that he hadn't heard the wails or this unique sound for quite some time. He was halfway across the field when a figure burst from a gap in the wall. He couldn't tell if it was a man or woman, the body was hunched and held awkwardly, like it had been maimed and never fully recovered. Raven hair full of brambles and twigs covered the figure's face, accoutrements of various animal parts making up a weird costume. He stared at the open mouth of a disembodied wolf's head attached to the shoulder of the thing approaching him. Its hand shot out when it was mere yards away, spearing him with an accusatory index finger.

"Wilhelm Kraus, Lord Knight of Anhalt, Defender of God's Light," the shrill voice was that of a woman, more like a hag. He couldn't see her clearly, but felt that she must be ancient. "By what right do you trespass in this place?"

"As you yourself have stated, I am a Lord Knight of Anhalt, war leader of his Highness' armies and devout servant of our Lord God. I need no more right to go where I please," he responded, the zealousness of his belief present in his intonation.

"You are nothing!"

Wilhelm spun at this new voice, another hag had approached unseen on his left. He raised his sword, gripping the hilt with white knuckles.

"You are Worm! You squirm and flop in the dirt, your ideas as twisted as your actions," said a third hag, causing Wilhelm to spin again.

He backed away tensely, hoping to put some distance between himself and these witches. They came together, side by side in front of him. He watched as they began some odd, silent gesticulation. He rushed forward, intending to skewer at least one of them before they finished whatever they were doing.

"For Christ!"

He stumbled abruptly, his sword skittering away from his outstretched hand. It bounced against the firm, grass-covered ground, coming to rest in front of the hag in the center. His forehead cracked against the same cool earth, his helm absorbing some of the blow, but still making him see stars. This time though, Wilhelm fought back the blackness, knowing that if he lost consciousness now, he would be dead soon, or much, much worse.

"You uncouth jezebels! Remove your spell!"

"Oh, Wilhelm..."

"You don't understand yet..."

"But you will, soon. You will understand everything."

Wilhelm listened to the broken cadence, each one continuing where the other stopped. He felt strong hands grip him by the shoulders and legs, talons pressing against his flesh where the found their way into the cracks between his armor. He couldn't move, paralyzed in the grip of these witches. He prayed then, fervently and loudly, the cackling of his assailants the only response. He noticed the ground changing under him as he bounced along. The thick grass gave way to cobbles, then more fashioned stones. The rocks were mostly broken and in general disrepair, the same thing he had seen when he first exited the wood.

"We're here..."

"Somewhere..."

"Remove his armor."

He protested to no avail as he was roughly flipped onto his back. Wilhelm felt their fingers working the straps, yanking the plated steel away first. When this outer layer was removed, they cut away his woolen priming shirt and pants. They paused, his eyes frantically bouncing around, trying to focus on one of them, or anything. Then he felt cold fingers slide into his breeches, the last layer between his skin and the crones slowly being pulled away. As his manhood popped free, Wilhelm felt his nipples contract, a chill coursing through his body.

"Oh..."

"Well..."

"That is unexpected."

"What? What are you going to do to me!" Wilhelm screamed, the last more of a desperate shout than a question.

Instead of answering him, they picked him up again, carrying him deeper into their lair. He heard them murmuring amongst themselves in some foreign tongue. It sounded harsher than his native Deutsch, and Wilhelm feared that it was some Hell language, the tongue of the Devil himself. Without warning, they dropped him into steaming water, the scalding fluid shocking him from the paralysis that had gripped him. He flailed about, gaining his feet, the water at his waist. Wilhelm balled his hands into fists and reared back, preparing to smite these harridans with nothing but his body. What he saw when the water streaming past his face cleared though, gave him pause.

Standing before the large, circular pool, were three beautiful women. The one in the center had dark, shining hair, her body voluptuous and curving. To her left, a blonde wisp of a girl, with slender strength and firm, upright breasts, was slowly running her hand over her tight abdomen. The other was also blonde, but more like the first, her large breasts full and heavy. She had shocking azure eyes, the orbs holding his gaze until he tore his eyes away. They were either fully naked or barely clothed, Wilhelm seeing plenty of bare skin through their nebulous rags. His eyes went lower and found a collection of animal parts and untreated skins, scattered around their ankles. As he was about to comment on the oddity, the one in the center hissed.

"Who are you?" Wilhelm asked, feeling almost like he had been slowly drinking ale for hours. The uneasy feeling of inebriation wouldn't leave him as the women slithering into the pool. He watched their firm bodies slide toward him, his mouth watering when the small one ran her wet hand down her face. The apparent leader approached him, her mouth lush and smiling. Her hair reminded him of Elise, and Wilhelm felt his cock stir.

"We are nothing..."

"No one..."

"Yours."

His head bounced back and forth between them as they spoke. He felt that their words, the way they spoke, should give him pause, but he didn't know why. Wilhelm felt the raven-haired beauty encircle his manhood with her small hand. The other two moved to either side of him and began rubbing his body. His dick was throbbing and instantly hard, surprising him with such an immediate response. Usually when he had been drinking, it took a little coaxing to attain a vigorous erection. Wilhelm moaned, feeling all six of their hands on his warm skin, washing him with clean water.

"So firm..."

"Yes, perfect musculature..."

"Mmm, and hard. His cock is huge."

"Where are we?" Wilhelm asked as they spoke like he wasn't really a part of the conversation. Instead of answering, they continued their ministrations. He felt the slender, blonde girl slide her fingers between his ass cheeks. The other blonde was rubbing low on his hip, moving her hand steadily between his balls and his leg, teasing his heavy sack. He gasped when the small one thrust a finger into his ass, making him thrust his pelvis forward.

"What are you doing? No decent woman would do that..."

They threw their heads back in unison then, laughing maniacally for long moments until Wilhelm began to feel a bit uncomfortable. She removed her finger while the other blonde splashed his face with water. As she washed the grime from him, the woman with his dick in her fist was pumping him furiously. He couldn't see her, but lost himself in the motion, feeling her small fingers press into his thickness. His cock felt huge, far more engorged than it normally did. He felt the head press into something soft and opened his eyes, seeing that the woman before him had moved closer, until she was stopped by his jutting flesh pressing into her stomach. Her pink tongue snaked out of her mouth, licking along her lower lip. Wilhelm's own mouth was open, his head leaning toward her.

"Kiss me..."

"Yes..."

"Let me touch him!"

The leader slid around his hard shaft, pressing her breasts to his stomach as her arms flew around his neck. She lunged up at him, her wet mouth staggering him momentarily, until he thrust his tongue between her lips. He felt the more voluptuous blonde move around to the front, her hands finding his erection. She grabbed his balls fiercely, stroking him roughly. Wilhelm moaned as he felt her lift half of his cock from the water and then felt a warm, wet mouth engulf it. She slammed her mouth down on him, dragging herself slowly away, her lips sucking hard all the way to the head. Then she repeated the process, again and again.

Wilhelm's lips were locked against the dark-haired girl, her tongue fighting his for control. He felt her firm breasts rubbing against him and then she straddled his right thigh. He kicked his knee up a bit, raising her with the pressure. As she kissed him, she grinded her sex on his leg, moaning wantonly. Wilhelm's eyes went wide as the girl behind him inserted two fingers this time, the pressure intense and unfamiliar. Wilhelm had never been with a woman other than his wife and had never imagined being with three at once. He felt that he should be exploding in the mouth of the woman wrapped around his cock, but was somehow able to control himself completely. He wanted to satisfy them all before he sprayed them with his seed. He felt wild and drunk with lust. Suddenly, all three of them broke contact with his skin, floating away from him in the steaming water. Wilhelm watched the leader with hooded eyes.

"My Lord..."

"Come..."

"Quickly," the leader finished, breathless.

"Yes," Wilhelm muttered, climbing out of the bath. "Yes, but where will we go?"

She smiled then, and Wilhelm saw her sharp incisors gleaming in the low light. Unseen torches illuminated the scene subtly as he followed them through gloomy, crumbling halls. His skin was warm and the cool night air didn't affect him. His throbbing erection led the way as he strode after his shifting guides. They entered a room, candles burning low in a huge semi circle. A bed with bright red sheets pulled back sat in the center of the space, no other furniture visible. The slender harlot stepped up to him, gripping him by the shaft and yanking him toward the bed. Wilhelm followed her, watching as the other two began kissing, falling onto the bed. Their hands were all over each other, firm breasts smashed together. The leader broke the kiss long enough to look at him and wink, her dark eyes alight with mirth. Wilhelm gasped then as he felt his shaft embed halfway into a wet, soft tunnel. He looked between his legs, the blonde girl was spread on the edge of the bed, her folds sucking at his manhood with a life of their own.

"Oh, God," he moaned, thrusting himself into her.

"No!"

"No God!"

"He cannot penetrate here, this is our realm," the leader growled. "Don't speak His name here again."

"What..." Wilhelm could barely speak, his thoughts spinning crazily.

He lost himself in the lust for a time, his hips powering his hard rod into the slender girl while he bore down on her with strong arms. She gasped every time he felt his balls slap against her, the head of his manhood striking something deep inside of her. He lifted her from the bed, her weight slight in his solid arms. He gripped her by the waist, suspended in the air over the bed. He dropped his knees against the edge of the bed to give himself purchase, then began to urgently fuck the girl. As he thrust, he also slammed her down on him. She began gasping, her head lolling backward as he impaled her over and over. Wilhelm felt like his shaft was growing wider and fuller as he stretched the young slit. She can't be more than twenty, so tight, he thought in a haze.