The Last Wolf

Chapter 1: Suspended No More

Loken stirred for the first time in 470 years. His surgically implanted suspended animation membrane disengaged, slowly delivering him from his death-like slumber. He opened his eyes, obscured by the photo-lenses of his helmet and was met with darkness. As consciousness returned, so too did the function of his silver, baroque power armour. Static fizzled in his sight for several seconds before the boot sequence of his helmet and its inbuilt features lined his vision. The hum of his power pack met his ears as well as the audio feed from his helmet. All was silent around him besides the slow, steady dripping of water. His wrist mounted Storm Bolter was missing, nowhere to be seen. Dusty skeletons in old, ragged and discoloured robes littered the ground around him, with the empty shells of traitor Astartes power armour among them.

His helmet showed him the outlines of his environment as a series of green lines. Crags and uneven walls led him to the conclusion he was underground, evidenced by the outlines of rows of stalactites above him. He made to stand but staggered forward onto his hands and knees, robbed of strength by centuries of inactivity. Upon hitting the ground, his hand brushed against something with the sound of metal gliding against metal. He looked and saw his sword lying haphazardly on the cave floor with the blade submerged in a pool of water. Gripping the wall and his sword, he stood using the wall for support. Tentatively, he began to walk.

After navigating winding, labyrinthine tunnels and passages for over an hour according to his chronometer, he soon came to an opening from which he could hear sound. Chanting, gargling, the beating of drums. And the screams. He quickened his pace and stumbled several times, his legs still not having the full support of his stiff muscles. Loken saw a strange thing, a pole with a the skull of an agricultural animal he didn't recognise topping it, with several bones crudely criss-crossed under the skull. A totem. Whatever was in this cave was primitive in his estimate. The chants and gargles didn't sound human either. Gripping his sword tighter, he pressed on prepared to find and, should it be required, eliminate whatever was in there.

The orange glow of fire and the accompanying crackling of burning wood greeted him from an opening to his left. A shadow, small and distinctly inhuman swept past the entrance to the adjacent chamber. He rounded the corner and saw it. Small Green-skins danced and jeered around a large pyre. Some beat bones against crudely fashioned drums. But horrifyingly, they had prisoners, a normal thing amongst some Ork Klans, but this was beyond anything he'd seen or expected of them. They were mating with several captured human women. They were the source of the screams.

''Xenos...'' fury welled up and burned like boiling tar within Garviel Loken. His voice rumbled through his helmet's vox-caster sounding like storm within the cavern. All of the Green-skins ceased their activity and turned to him, malevolence in their yellow, animal eyes. Their was no preamble to combat as by little more than instinct they readied their weapons and came at him. Had they no clue what they faced? He was an Astartes, one of the Emperor's chosen warriors, a veteran of battles no mortal had any business fighting. And they threw themselves at him with naught but scavenged and poorly maintained weapons. His power sword snapped to life as a white corona of energy surrounded the blade's edge; the energy crackling while the weapon's built in micro-reactor hummed.

He snatched the first from the air as it leapt at him, catching it by the head in his left hand and ruptured its skull like a grape, spilling brain and viscera over his gauntlet. He carved a bloody path through Green-skin after Green-skin, seemingly unshaken by the slaughter they'd incurred. Again, quite normal behaviour for their kind. He swept his power sword through three in one swift movement; their blood hissed as it cooked off of his energised blade. Turning, he backhanded one attacking from behind across the chamber. He felt something strike his pauldron and turned. One of the Green-skins was hurling bolts of energy at him. He ran at it, taking blast after blast to his breastplate, which stopped once the Green-skin seized up out of sheer terror. Loken lifted a single leg and stomped down on the creature, reducing its hideous form to little more than red-green paste beneath his boot.

The room went quiet save for the crackling pyre and the quiet whimpers of those women still conscious. Loken's armour was no longer silver, but spattered with smears of red. He regarded the women with the icy blue lenses of his helmet. The ones who were in a condition to look at him flinched, unsure whether to rejoice, or finish up whatever prayers they offered. He looked from them, to a dark tunnel on the other side of the chamber, then back to them.

''The Green-skins...'' he said, the vox-growl making them flinch again, ''How many?'' none answered. Some looked between each other, each expecting another to answer. ''How many?'' he asked louder.

''Th-this is a Goblin nest. There are a lot m-more ahead.'' one of them said quietly.

''Goblins?'' Loken questioned. Though she met his lensed eyes, she turned her eyes down when he spoke.

''Y-yes. Are you… from the guild?'' she asked with a hopeful look. He knew not of what she spoke. He hazarded a guess that some guild was meant to deal with these creatures. If that was so, then he supposed that meant he appeared as some sort of saviour. He didn't mind, after all it was his duty to purge for the sake of humanity.

''No. Is this their duty?'' he asked.

''Yes. S-someone will usually take a request to kill these creatures. But it's seen a-as a waste of time by many.'' she replied.

''It's never a waste of time killing Xenos. Let even one live, and there will be a hundredfold. Green-skins in particular.'' Loken said grimly. ''You seem coherent, can you stand?'' she hesitated and forced her legs into action, slowly standing. ''Good. Any others?'' her face became one of both disgust and sadness.

''I'm sorry, but these to have been the toys of the Goblins for hours now. When they were finished, they'd have moved on to me. I don't know why they didn't already, but I won't turn down a blessing.'' she said, her voice sounding stronger. She gestured to the other two women, both motionless and catatonic. The sight and the though of these things turned his stomach and a fresh wave of hatred roiled within him.

''There's more further in. That's where I think their leader is. I saw them drag the others back there.'' she shuddered.

''Very well. If you can, find a way out and get help.'' he said, ''As for these two, what is done about them?'' her countenance became grim.

''If left to their own devices, it's pretty common that victims of Goblins that survive will take their own lives. But a lot also go to the temple and become recluses. The latter is probably the best of any possibilities really.'' she said.

''Do none seek vengeance?'' that question surprised her.

''Not that I know of, but I'm sure some have. Why?'' she inquired. Loken shook his head lightly.

''Mere musings. Flee if you can, and do what you can for them. As for myself, I have Goblins to purge.'' he turned and took a step before she called him.

''Please, whoever you are, I beg you… slaughter them all.'' she pleaded. Loken never turned to look at her, but did respond.

''My name is unimportant. I am a Grey Knight. That is all that matters.'' with that, he marched onward further into the darkness, the silver shine of his armour vanishing into the shadows.

''Grey Knight. I'll remember that.''

Barial Tor saw this most recent development as a gift from the Dark Gods. The Warp had shot him off to a brand new world on his lonesome; a cursed exile to most, but a golden opportunity him. He was a Dark Apostle of the Word Bearers Traitor Legion, hailing from the Daemon World of Sicarius. He knew he had been sent with a divine purpose, and he would serve Chaos Undivided with the utmost fervour to completion. He would turn this world to the worship of Chaos.

He wandered for a time, accruing strays and rejects from society, using his powerful oratory skills to turn them to Chaos. Not that it was hard, people with nothing left will turn to anything with the right words. Eventually, his flock grew, and even other species joined his sermons. The Dark Apostle was growing into a name venerated amongst the lost and forgotten.

As he travelled with his followers, he happened across a town that had been ransacked and burned, it's men and children slain and its women missing. He felt eyes on him. Yellow, goat-like eyes from all directions. The creatures watching emerged one by one; some from houses, others from bushes and behind tipped wagons. They approached cautiously, perturbed by the Dark Apostle's followers' lack of reaction to them. But what interested them was the Dark Apostle himself.

Barial eyed the creatures. They looked like Green-skins, though they had some distinct differences. Smaller jaws, unlike the fang-filled death trap that was an Ork's. They also had sickly yellow goat eyes, rather than the burning red of the Orks. A sub-species perhaps? Some evolutionary derivative? Wait, were those reproductive organs? Indeed they were. Some of the lesser-clothed creatures definitely had reproductive organs. Orks had none at all, reproducing through fungal spores.

''Goblins, my lord.'' one of his commune informed. The Dark Apostle nodded to him and turned to face the Goblins. They had felt the taint of Chaos on him from miles away. It was what kept them from moving on once their raid was done. They felt drawn to it, like moths to flame.

''What has you enraptured so, creatures?'' Barial asked aloud. The Goblins continued staring, but looked between each other. He held up an eight-pointed star, the symbol of Chaos Undivided for them to see. Their soulless eyes followed it intently, whilst flicking from it to the etchings, scriptures, and symbols on his power armour.

''Ah, I see now. You wish to observe the powers, do you?'' a smile crept into his smooth, dulcet voice. ''Very well then. Come closer, and I shall enlighten you all.''

Garviel Loken trudged on through the darkness, undaunted by the task ahead of him. Along his path he saw more evidence of the Goblins and what they did. Scraps of clothing, blood, and personal effects such as necklaces, rings, and other such trinkets. To him it was unthinkable that these vile creatures weren't actively hunted down day after day, exterminated like the vermin they were. He passed more totems down the tunnel, and winding side passages. He stopped, looking at two dark maws that sat before him. A cross roads. He looked at each and frowned. He looked at the ground to look for any clues as to which way the Goblins went, though he knew that either tunnel would lead to them, he had mortals to rescue if possible.

There were scratches on the stone, and faint disturbances in the dust. Rows of tracks overlapping, but faint with drag marks spread between at irregular intervals. The tunnel to his right looked to be the correct tunnel, and so he marched on with vengeance fuelling his stride. Suddenly he stopped, the thudding of his power armoured feet ceasing. He turned and was met with a blast of magic to his chest as a Goblin shaman and a host of Goblins came careening from the tunnel he'd just come from. An ambush. With his thoughts racing, his advanced cognition led him to conclude that his power sword would be impractical in such an enclosed environment, as the tunnel was barely wide or tall enough for him to walk through without stooping. Sheathing his blade, he pulled his knife from his waist, a sword for an average mortal, and took it in a hammer grip. He would need to thrust and strike with his extremities in such tight confines.

Arrows snapped and clinked off of his armour as Goblins at the back of the group near the shaman fired in sloppy, ill-timed volleys. Others swarmed around his legs, stabbing and striking at the ceremite plates. He kicked and stabbed down at them, launching some down the tunnel and splitting others in two with his knife. An explosion of light stung his eyes as a bolt of magic struck his face plate, temporarily blinding him. Only the retro-jets on his power pack steadied him as his tired legs almost failed to support his backward lurch. He felt something slam into him from behind, though his auto-senses warned him, his stagger slowed his reaction to it. Whatever it was was heavy enough to knock him forward, toppling him. Loken fell, crushing a score of Goblins under his weight.

He rolled, smearing crushed Goblin remains across his front and the cave floor and onto his back. Above him was a much larger Goblin, much more comparable to an Ork than its lesser kin. Taller and broader than a man, with the sheer muscle mass to match an Ork. It stood glaring with animal hostility. Another wave of Goblins surged forth and climbed on Loken, working their fingers into the neck joint to remove his helmet, while aiming their blades at the joints of his armour. Fortunately, the joints were made of a reinforced rubber-like material, preventing their laughable weapons from compromising his armour. With a sudden shot of adrenaline supplied to his system via the breastplate's built in chem injectors, he shot up. Goblins were torn from Loken as he thrashed, kicked, and swatted at them, crushing the ones not killed by his wild swings against the cave walls.

With a growl of effort he lunged for the large Goblin. At his full height, Garviel was a head taller than the Green-skin. He slammed an open hand into its throat and forced his full weight against it. Over a ton of angry Astartes took it to ground, pinning it. His grip tightened to immense proportions, making its eyes bulge from its sockets and froth spill from its gargling mouth. It struggled, thrashing its limbs wildly and scratching with gnarled fingernails, filling the cave with the piercing shriek of nails on metal.

''Die...'' Loken growled and increased his grip, forcing a choked wheeze from the Hob Goblin's throat. He raised his knife and slammed it down between the Hob's eyes. Its yellow orbs rolled to the back of its head and it twitched and gargled even after death. It didn't escape the Grey Knight that the other Goblins had ceased their assault. He stood and turned, and the Goblins stood unsure of their enemy. One Goblin stood shaking, terrified of this new foe. He was the first to flee, dropping his weapon and pushing through his kin to run back to his hole. Then one after another followed, with none but the shaman remaining.

Its staff glowed yellow as magic surged through it and a ball of mana expanded at the top of the stave. Before it could be loosed or the Goblin could even realise what happened, Loken threw his knife, impaling the Goblin through the forehead; two thirds of the blade protruded from the back of its skull. Loken breathed as he felt the effects of the adrenaline shot begin to subside. He retrieved his knife, ripping it from the Goblin's head and carried on past the Hob Goblin's corpse.

She had no idea how long she would be able to hold out, but by the Supreme God she would not go down without a fight. Female Paladin had miraculously found the strength to overwhelm her would-be captives, stealing a sword from one of the vile things, and kept them at bay whilst defending her fellow captors. There were seven of them in total, all captured to be used as toys and breeding stock for the Goblins. Not on her watch. Though she was naked, wounded, and at a total disadvantage in numbers, she felt no fear whilst she held a blade. If she could stand and fight, then she would take any given chance she could.

The Goblins edged closer, cautious, but that malevolent blood lust and carnal hunger still shone in their soulless eyes. Female Paladin scowled and held her ground defiantly, the only thing between the Goblins and the women behind her.

''Come then, vile bastards! Come and face a woman who will fight to the death!'' she bellowed her challenge. She back-stepped as three goblins attacked and swung her blade, much too large for the Goblin she took it from. The steel cleaved through all three and she stepped forward to her previous position. Being a Paladin, she was very well versed in fighting defensively. She knew how to use every angle, every inch of her weapons to their maximum defensive potential. Backed against a wall, quite literally in her case, she would be immovable with her heavy war plate and shield.

More came and were cut down with the very end of her blade as she moved with strategic purpose. Their tactic of overwhelming their target seemed to be of little use as she would seemingly predict their movements and act accordingly. This was far from her first time fighting Goblins, much less being cornered by them. However, she'd never been bested by them until that day, when a Hob Goblin had managed to overpower her whilst protecting a group of priestesses on a pilgrimage. Her charges huddled together behind her, offering all the prayers they could muster.

The green tide parted as another Hob made its presence known and strode forth to face her. She recognised it as it bore a fresh scar across its face, a reminder of its mistake in taking the Paladin lightly. However like all Goblins, it learned quickly.

''Come to die, have you? I can grant you that wish. Come at me, monster!'' she yelled, setting into posta di donna stance with the sword held diagonally across her back and her body twisted. She hoped to end this fight quickly as her wound was starting to take its toll. A bloody gash was cut into her side. Any one of lesser will power would have either passed out or outright refused to fight had they remained conscious. With a roar, the Hob came at her, rushing headlong to crush her. Once he entered the proper range, she struck. When he swiped with an open hand to strike her non-lethally, she countered, striking the fingers from its hand. It recoiled howling and grunting as equal amounts agony and fury coursed through the Hob Goblin. Though it regained its composure quickly and growled viscously as drool ran in rivers down its chin.

Female Paladin hadn't anticipated such a quick recovery, as it struck with the force of a bull with the other hand. Pain washed over her and her right shoulder didn't feel quite right as she rolled to a stop near the terrified priestesses. Still, she was determined to live. In spite of the pain and sickening heat she felt from her broken shoulder, she forced every muscle she could to make her stand once again.

''It will… take more… than that.'' she growled between pauses of painful breath. 'Why isn't someone from the guild here? Surely there was a request put forward. If only Goblin Slayer was here.' she thought. Knowing that her already minimal chances of a successful escape had been all but crushed, she said a prayer to the Supreme God for their ends to be quick, and that he knew she did all she could. She looked up when she heard what sounded like a panicked Goblin from the chamber entrance and saw the other Goblins had turn to look as well. From behind the vile little bastard she could see eyes. Eyes of light. And a sword which seemed divine with its searing white corona. The Goblin was split in half from scalp to loin by the crackling, energy wreathed blade.

What stepped into the chamber from the shadows was like nothing she had ever seen. The figure was imposing, standing taller than anyone she'd ever seen, and wider too. The armour they wore was beautifully decorated with frescos and lined with gold and sigils she didn't recognise. Though the figure was drenched in blood across the front, it did little to diminish the beauty of the armour. A tired but relieved smile made its way to her face. She felt as though her prayer had been answered.

''Gaze upon your end, Xenos. Death comes for you.'' Loken announced. His form and voice through the vox must have made them believe he was death incarnate as the Goblins began to back up defensively. Faster than anything of his size and weight should have any right to, he charged down the sloping cave stone, seemingly appearing suddenly before the horde. The Goblins all shared the same reaction; seizing up with fright, with some having time to piss themselves as the Gray Knight set his power sword to work, reaping the little monsters like wheat. Even Female Paladin and the nuns froze in place as they watched the sheer speed of the armoured demigod of war.

Goblin bodies were bisected and decapitated by the lightning fast, precise strikes. He massacred them with brutal efficiency, using blade, fist, and boot to dispatch them. The last of them was impaled on his blade as it tried to run away, lifted off of the ground and thrown across the chamber, splatting against a wall.

''You did well.'' Loken said after a moment of silence. Female Paladin blinked, momentarily forgetting the pain in her shoulder and side. Loken turned to face her and she was taken aback. He looked even grander up close, like the wrath of the Supreme God made manifest. ''With your wounds, I'd have expected the worst.''

She thankfully found her voice, ''T-thank you. Your intervention was timely. I was certain we were finished.'' she said gratefully.

''Are there any more of you?'' he asked. She looked at the nuns, who in turn returned her gaze.

''No. We're all that live down here now. The others before us were not so fortunate.'' she replied. ''Though there are still Goblins further in. Though I doubt there are little more than infants now.'' She saw the subtle movement of his fingers curling slightly tighter around the hilt of his sword.

''Then I will slay them too. None shall live while I am present. Find whatever you can for clothing and leave this place. I shall not take long.''

Loken finally left the caverns, finding the surviving women at the mouth of the cave, all dressed in some semblance of clothing scavenged from the Goblins. It was night when he got out, and the temperature reading on his tactical display told him it was a warm night, so they had no worries about freezing or succumbing to exposure. Their eyes were firmly locked on him. He knew why. No matter where an Astartes may go, he will always draw attention from regular humans. Female Paladin stood supported by a couple of the nuns, while the woman Loken met before cared for the two less fortunate women. She had covered them with a blanket, though the gesture seemed to go unnoticed by them. As far removed from baseline humanity as he was, Loken still felt the stirrings of pity within him. He was incredibly humane compared to his Astartes brethren, and it showed in his dealings with the citizenry during his time in the Great Crusade.

''I thank you. Sincerely. Without you I'd hate to think of the fate that awaited us.'' Female Paladin said gratefully. She had recovered scraps of her armour; her boots, gauntlets, and breastplate. ''What will you do now?''

Loken swept his gaze across the rolling plains before him. There were no signs of civilisation save dirt roads for miles. He had no way of knowing which way to go, and he needed information. He looked down at the gathering of young women. There was no telling if there were more Goblins in the area, and if he left, he would hate himself for leaving them defenceless should anything happen.

''Do you know if there will be anyone passing by here? Any form of transport?'' he questioned.

''Wagons travel these roads between the frontier towns regularly. Adventurers often use them to travel to their jobs.'' Female Paladin informed. Loken nodded, quiet for a moment.

''Then I shall wait until transport arrives. What shall happen upon returning to your town?'' he said, much to the relief of the others.

''I shall return to the Temple of The Supreme God with these priestesses. I was to escort them there after their pilgrimage. After that, I suppose I will head to the Guild and find another request to complete.'' Female Paladin said. ''However, I believe that these two poor souls will be best off coming with me to the temple. They can receive treatment and help there.''

''I'll check in with my family, then start work at the Guild again. I'm a barmaid, so they're not gonna get their drinks if I'm not around.'' she said light heartedly.

''Take some time to rest. I will take watch for the night. No harm will come to you.'' Loken said.

''Shouldn't you get some sleep too? After all, all of that fighting must have tired you.'' Female Paladin said. Loken shook his head.

''No. I believe I've slept enough. Now get some rest.'' he replied, turning his back to them and standing behind them in front of the cave entrance as to allow no remaining Goblins to get past him, should any had escaped his blade.

''Good night then, Gray Knight. And thank you.'' Barmaid said with a smile. When all fell silent save for the soft snores of his charges, the last loyal son of Cthonia, the Last Wolf, began his vigil.

Concept Explanation: Transhuman Dread. A phenomenon which occurs when an unaugmented or otherwise ordinary being, human or not, faces an Adeptus Astartes head on. This is what I had the Goblins experience.

"Transhuman dread. Aximand had heard iterators talk of the condition. He'd heard descriptions of it from regular Army officers too. The sight of an Adeptus Astartes was one thing: taller and broader than a man could ever be, armoured like a demigod. The singularity of purpose was self-evident. An Adeptus Astartes was designed to fight and kill anything that didn't annihilate it first. If you saw an Adeptus Astartes, you knew you were in trouble. The appearance alone cowed you with fear.

"But to see one move. Apparently that was the real thing. Nothing human-shaped should be so fast, so lithe, so powerful, especially not anything in excess of two metres tall and carrying more armour than four normal men could lift. The sight of an Adeptus Astartes was one thing, but the moving fact of one was quite another. The psychologists called it transhuman dread. It froze a man, stuck him to the ground, caused his mind to lock up, made him lose control of bladder and bowel. Something huge and warlike and moving with the speed of a striking snake, that was when you knew that gods moved amongst men, and that there existed a scale of strength and speed beyond anything mortal, and that you were about to die and, if you were really lucky, there might be just enough time to piss yourself first."

-Age Of Darkness Page 163

Thought I'd take a stab at some Goblin Slayer. Not much to say for a first chapter aside from Review and tell me what you think. I fancied the idea of taking an established character from 40k, or more specifically 30k, and so place post-heresy Garviel Loken in the world of Goblin Slayer, as we really don't know what happened to him once the Heresy ended, aside from it being implied he was among the first eight Gray Knights. That's all for now, BrutalAftershock out.