So Atomic and I talked, and decided that there was a link between Wolf and Meredith's families. This is a story I dreamed up stemming from that. Hopefully he, and the rest of you, enjoy it!

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[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/aPzFGCQ.png[/img][/center]


[hider=Romance Awaits...?]
In a forest outside the great city of Rhea, two men were meeting. Both were in armor, with one of average stature and one decidedly not. 

"I'm glad you called me, my friend. My sword was beginning to accrue rust. Retirement is surprisingly dull," the more average of the two spoke.

"You're late, Guntram" the other, nearly three times the first's size, responded gruffly.

"I assure you, Victor, I am ten minutes early," the first insisted. "I know how important this is to you." All he got back was a throaty grunt before the big man turned and began stomping deeper into the trees, a huge slab of metal, supposedly a sword, resting unsheathed on his well-armored shoulder. Apparently he was impatient this day. "Your armor looks a bit tight on you. Gained weight have we?"

Another half-grunt-half-growl.

"Ah, so just more muscle then..." Guntram rolled his eyes. Some things never changed, like the stone the man must have been carved from.

A feeling of unease grew as they proceeded. Their teeth seemed to buzz and the air tasted of metal. The more this feeling grew, the more Victor's thunderous pace increased. Soon, Guntram had to nearly jog to keep up with the mountain of a man's massive strides. At that pace, it didn't take much longer to reach their destination. 

It was at the base of a smaller mountain; a cave set into the cliffs. The stone seemed to list away from them, allowing the trees room to grow almost right up to the cliff-side. There was no need to explore the cave before them just yet, as their target swayed out to meet them. A... [i]provocatively[/i] dressed woman greeted them. No, not woman -- demon. Succubus. 

"Ah, Victor, it's been too long," she ignored Guntram in the big man's favor.

"Not long enough for your sake." He let his sword fall from his shoulder to strike the ground, creating a tremor they could all feel shoot up their legs. "You'd have been better off not seeing me ever again. You knew who I was when you started this. I'm a fool for being tricked by you, but you're the far greater one for crossing me!"

Guntram raised an eyebrow. Victor was unusually talkative today. The demon truly had struck a nerve.

"Such cruel words! Do you not remember our time together... fondly?" The demon took a step back. It seemed she indeed knew exactly who, and what, she'd angered.

"No." Victor was icy in his resolved.

"Well then... in that case...!" The woman's arms shot out, and two glyphs burned to life on the nearby trees, one to each side of them. With a crack of crimson thunder, the trees exploded as portals opened. Wretched, lanky monstrosities crawled free. Over six feet tall and with razor-sharp claws. Ants before Victor, but Guntram wasn't blessed with such prodigious size.

Two of the seven beasts that had come forth rushed the smaller man. In a flash, Guntram's sword was pulled free and across the first's throat before it even knew what was happening. The next clawed with it's disturbingly long arms, but Guntram evaded and sliced through it's shoulder, dropping the arm limp. He was then behind it, severing the tendons in its knee next. The monster fell to it's good knee, but still twisted and reached with animal-like viciousness.

This time, Guntram simply relieved it of the limb before pulling his sword back and force-feeding it to the beast, ending its struggles.

No more had come for him, so they must have been ganging up on Victor. Of course, Guntram needn't have worried. One had been cleaved from head to waist, another impaled to the ground, but effectively cut in half by the giant sword. Even without his weapon, Victor hadn't slowed. The next two had simply been smashed by his steel-clad fists. The final was already trapped, his massive hand wrapped around its skull. It clawed futilely at the man's armor before its head was crushed like a ripe grape, leaving its limp, twitching body to drop to the forest floor.

Victor had donned his helm, leaving him a faceless, blood-spattered titan of death before the demoness. 

"Bring. Her. To. Me," he commanded. The succubus's face had gone pale and she fled into the cavern. Honestly, Guntram wouldn't have blamed her if she'd never returned, but she did. She fell to her knees, a wailing child in her hands. She lifted the crying toddler high, an offering that she hoped would let her life be spared.

Victor took a step forward, but stopped. He looked down at his gauntlets, still dripping the blood of hell's creatures. He turned his head back at Guntram.

"Always so clean, Guntram." He clenched his fists, letting them drop to his sides. "Please..."

"Oh..." Guntram gathered his wits, caught off guard by the sudden request. He was seeing something quite new from the man that day. He hurried over and scooped up the child. She was big despite her age and she flailed like a fish out of water. "Definitely your child, Victor. She can't be more than three, but already my arms grow tired!" He grinned. "What do you say? A fine friend for Wolfram, eh?" He had never needed to don his own helmet, so he had to rapidly pull his head back as the child suddenly clawed at him. "Oh dear..."

"Perhaps when she has... calmed." Victor shook his head.

"So... I am free to go then, yes? You have your child, unharmed, and all is forgiven?" The succubus nodded frantically.

"No." The succubus shrunk back at Victor's answer. "A child... should have a mother."

"You can't be serious!" Guntram and the demoness spoke in dumbstruck unison at the suggestion.

"Don't be ridiculous! If I can't have my way, then I want nothing to do with that half-breed!" The succubus's true feelings bled through despite knowing better.

"A shame." Victor trod over to his sword, tearing it free from earth and hellspawn. "Guntram... how shall I explain to my daughter that her mother died in childbirth? Is there a good way to broach such topics?" He looked solemnly down at the blade, considering what he must do next...

"I... um... we-" Guntram swallowed hard, but then something caught his eye. He sighed tiredly when he saw the demoness hastily scrawling a glyph into the dirt. "Really? Is that a good idea?" He stepped over. The succubus's head snapped up, eyes wide with guilt at being caught. "Say he does raise the child alone... what do you think he'll teach her to do?"

". . .fight?" the demoness guessed.

"And?"

"K-kill... demons..." Her pupils shrunk to pinpoints. A demon-blooded demon killer. Terrifyingly effective, nigh unstoppable -- [i]and traceable back to her.[/i] All of hell would be out for her blood!

"Cover the girl's eyes, Guntram." Victor had steeled himself it seemed. 

"GAH!" The succubus screeched in alarm. She'd gotten distracted! Her glyph wasn't ready yet! She was screwed either way, though. Running was just a delay of the inevitable, but if she stayed, she was dead [i]now![/i] Guntram just looked down at her with a smug, knowing smile.

Unless... she... Well shit.

"M-m-motherhood! Such a wonderful thing!" The succubus laughed hysterically in terror as Victor turned back her way, hands clutched over her ample chest. "I-I've always wondered what it must be like! Such a rare opportunity!"

Victor lifted the visor on his helmet and looked at Guntram, "Oh... Good. Then the child shall have two parents." He then stroked his chin, a clanking noise as his gauntlets met his helmet, "My friend... should... I also prepare for a wedding?"

Guntram's jaw dropped. The man truly was an all-or-nothing kind of person. It seemed he really would bring the succubus home with him, "Let's, umm, let's just return home and discuss our options, shall we?"

[center][b]. . .[u]Twelve Years Later[/u]. . .[/b][/center]

"And that's how it happened!" Meredith grinned.

[color=DarkKhaki]"I... I... Um..."[/color]

[color=magenta]"What the fu-"[/color]

[center][b]The End[/b][/center]
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