“Guthrum!” Jeanne bellowed. “I know you’re out there. I know you can hear me. I know that excuse of a brain can’t remember your left foot from the shit pile you’d mistake for one of your stolen wives. So let me remind you who I am. I am Jeanne Marais! I come from Teeg-Upon-Avon. Your brother, Ealric, murdered my sister. So I repaid him that kindness. You want to know how I killed him? You want to know how I made him regret your mother shitting him into existence?

“I waited for him on that path you all took to get to the whorehouse at Inwuda, the one winding down the Dawlu Creek. He was taking a piss on the side of the road when I came up and knocked him out with a tree branch, smashed his shoulders and knees so he couldn’t go anywhere even if he wanted. I took him to a cave and when he came to, demanded to know where he was and who was I to attack him. Like the pompous pigdog he was.

“He still thought your father’s name meant anything to me when he said there was nothing I could do to convict him in court. Then, when I broke the knife out, he learned … he learned there wasn’t going to be a day in court for him. I started cutting into him, just to see where it’d hurt the worst before I really had fun. And let me tell you. He would squeal like a pig when got the blade in just the right spot.

“And he was hitting some beautiful notes when I took his manhood, and made him eat it …”

“I’ll fucking kill you!” Guthrum roared as he rushed out of the bushes towards Jeanne.

She dodged out of the way, the others racing out with the weapons unsheathed. “Stay out of this!” Jeanne roared, “This one’s mine.”

Guthrum, roaring with murderous fury rushed towards Jeanne, he slashed at her chest. She dodged and swung her hammer towards his head. He ducked beneath the hammer and tried to hit her torso. She stepped off to the side, landing a blow against the vampire’s shoulder. She could see his eyes try to steady on her as he swung he gangly clawed at towards her face.

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Moving back, she loosed a fireball into his face. Guthrum screaming in pain as he stepped back. The skin burning away to reveal the rotting flesh underneath. Another swipe saw his claws grip through her gambeson and into her flesh. Jeanne screamed before pressing her hand against his chest and igniting fireball into his chest, hurling them both back and onto the ground.

Guthrum rose to his feet first, leaping into the air to pounce on Jeanne. She rolled out of the way, training the head of her hammer towards the vampire and unleashed a terrible beam of light unto his body. Seering more of his wretched flesh away. He unleashed a deafening shriek, summoning a dark cloud to rise from the trees and beginning to bolt towards Jeanne. Within less than a thought, she found herself surrounded by a swarm of bats, biting through her armor and into her skin.

As the swarm became thicker, Jeanne cleared her mind and unleashed a storm of lightening, annihilating the swarm and shocking Guthrum, the smoke rising from his now worn form. Before she could react, he slammed against her face with his fists clasped together. She struck his temple, with a thunderous crack snapping loudly as she made contact. He returned the gesture in kind with another strike of his own.

Guthrum tried to land another strike but Jeanne caught his arm mid-swing and headbutted his nose, causing him to fall onto the ground. As he tried to steady himself he looked up to see her standing above him. “Any last words?” she asked, gripping her weapon tightly.

“I’ll see you in the fucking Hellhound’s Den,” he said, spitting blood to her feet.

“Not much of an insult to a member of Wolf company, but you never were a bright one,” she said as she raised her weapon on high. The clouds began swirling above her, darkening and thundering and crackling with veins of lightening. Guthrum’s eyes widened and mouth dropped as he saw the heavens turn into night before sending a constant electric column of light to Jeanne’s weapons. “For Denin!” she roared as she swung her hammer down. The last thing she heard was the terrified scream of Guthrum before she was enveloped by light.