It was the perfect day for a walk. The leaves were heavy and green from summer rains, tall thin aspen trees with stocky junipers interspersed between them. A few wispy strands of cirrus clouds decorated the big blue sky, swifts and swallows playing on the hot thermals of the season. Atop a high hill beneath this big blue sky, part of a long rolling range of foothills around a more imposing range, a half dozen horses trotted along beneath the greenery. Though this summer was better than normal, there was very little rainfall on these hills, and the steed’s hooves made crunching sounds as they trod on the pebbly, rocky ground. 

Judith sipped casually from her water skin as they descended a steep switchback, her horse’s gilded shoes shuffling down the trail. Unlike her companions, her steed was of finest stock, bred for war and more well trained than any other beast. It was bedecked with gilt shoes, upon which were inscribed the prayers of Inimel, goddess of beauty. The saddle was luxurious; red velvets and electrum beads decorating the white-dyed leather. The stallion was likely wearing more than it’s rider; Judith Navah, the lord templar of Inimel’s faith. Her rosy skin covered lean, spry muscles, taut and toned like a predatory cat’s. Bright blonde hair, almost white in the strong sunlight, hung in a long braid down her back to the base of her spine, a mirrored pin in the shape of a female silhouette holding it together. Her face was enrapturing; keen, bright green eyes sitting in a sharp-featured visage, her narrow chin and high cheekbones adding to her predatory demeanor. Judith wore no helmet, though a thin electrum chain encircled her brow, a single opal dangling between her eyes, the gem cut in the shape of Inimel’s icon.

Judith’s destination was in sight; a small rustic town nestled in the saddle between two peaks, little orchards of apricot and other fruits spacing the buildings apart. It was these orchards that sustained the town, and the quality of its produce was known throughout The Laurel Mountain Republic. The gardeners were likely unaware, thought Judith, that their hamlet was perched atop ancient ley lines, and it was those veins of magic that made the fruit so great. The high priest of The Faith would have bemoaned robbing the town of its fruit; when Inimel’s worship was established, the magic in those arteries of arcane potential would flow to The Cradle, not the orchards, but he was an old, weak man, and Judith was much more pragmatic than he.

Judith saw Objectives. Things that needed to be accomplished, ways to facilitate that, plans for overcoming obstacles. It was the way she approached every situation, with the single-minded dedication to the task at hand that had made her so successful as a Paladin of the Blue Hands. The five horses and their pack mule had made it halfway down the hill when Judith could see the mission. That was her main Objective; the protection of the humble yellow-brown building, though Judith had many more personal Objectives to complete. In the months previous several dozen initiates of Inimel had been dispatched to the Laurel Mountains to spread Inimel’s worship and secure the ley lines for Isaiah’s grand plans. But when reports of religious fanatics had reached The Faith’s headquarters, Judith had dispatched her templars to the mountains. It was not only her obsessive need to manage every little detail, to make sure everything went perfectly, that made her accompany this particular group. Judith had seen something, something shown to her, however unintentionally, by The Goddess. They were here, by this village. The brigands were close by, she could feel it.

Judith and her party reached the base of the small valley and began trotting through the orchards; these were pecan trees, and their yield was already looking heavy and crunchy. Her four traveling companions were wordless, simply scanning the trees for threats and nothing else. They were templars, men dedicated to Inimel that Judith had shaped to protect her worship. They seemed normal; heavy-set and broad shouldered, able to pass as lumberjacks or circus strongmen, their rough features the epitome of masculinity. Judith had constructed each one’s rugged good looks to her preferences; each Templar was shaped from five worshippers of the Fifth Circle she ‘recruited’. The volunteers knew their lives would be forever changed, but they didn’t know of The Magic. They thought they would become sacred eunuchs, and that their emasculation would lead to strength. Instead, they were merged, fused, their combined consciousnesses and bodies creating monsters that walked as men. That she needed four of these creations for her Objective was upsetting, but in the event they took prisoners the extra eyes and ears were going to be necessary.

The group hitched their horses outside the mission and approached the entrance. The templars wore tight fitting leather armor that clung to their bulky frames, concealed beneath heavy woolen garments decorated with the iconography of The Faith. They carried no weapons; Inimel’s message was one of peace, and Tanager thought it would ruin Her image if Her guardians went armed and armored. Instead their weapons were concealed in their bodies, spurs, spines and claws created by The Magic.

By contrast, Judith’s apparel seemed to mock the notion of armor. Slim, polished pauldrons and elbow guards seemed her only real protection; her torso was bare save a metal brassiere that seemed as though a practical piece of armor had been reformed into underwear. Her ample cleavage was visible, and what protection the steel bra provided was negligible. A heavy silver necklace hung between her breasts, the shapely mirrored silhouette of Inimel dangling at the end of it. Tall thigh boots of polished steel, trimmed with electrum covered her legs, and the only thing between them and her bare midriff was a short skirt of glittering chain mail. Strapped to her back was an ornate battleaxe, something that despite Franklin and Tanager’s pestering she would not part with. It was the weapon she favored when she fought as a Blue Hand, and she insisted that without it she wouldn’t be able to complete her Objectives.

Following their creator, the templars stood around the entrance to the squat building as Judith knocked. Before anyone answered she suppressed her voracious look, replacing it with one of piety; a soft sweet smile, compassionate eyes and an empathetic expression. It was the role she had to play, another Objective she needed to complete in the grand mission.

The door cracked ajar, and a small face peaked out before throwing the door open. A red-haired woman with a bad sunburn stood speechless; her mouth agape and eyes wide. Judith maintained her placid expression as the waif sank to her knees, averting her eyes from Judith and looking at the floor. 

“The living saint…” she stammered as a few other young men and women appeared from inside the building. When they saw Judith their reactions were similar; prostrating themselves and groveling before her. Judith smiled, offering the benedictions of The Goddess. She was pleased to see that even in Laurel Mountains they were properly groomed; Judith despised ugliness. During her time with The Blue Hands she had persecuted the hideous and the unsightly as she would sinners. To Judith, the body was a reflection of one’s soul, and a repugnant body was a clear sign of evil intent within.

“You may rise,” she said after basking in their adoration for a moment. Judith enjoyed her role, enjoyed the supplicants‘ praise.

“Come on, enough whimpering. Lead us to the kitchen and bring out anything you have to spare. We’ve been on the trail a long time and rations only taste good when you have nothing else.”

The redhead led Judith to a cozy room in the back of the mission. Garlands of dried peppers and chickens that had yet been plucked hung from the ceiling, and on the table lay a bowl of spiced wine with a worn wooden spoon laying in it. A small statue of Inimel; a metallic figure of a buxom beauty embracing the world was placed on the center of the table, marking the wine as an offering to Her. Another missionary, a man with olive colored skin and a handsome, square jaw, fished in a cupboard for some salted pecans and fresh apricots for his guests, likely dipping into the reserves the mission kept for the homeless seeking aid. 

The templars picked at their offerings, nibbling on the nuts and cautiously sniffing the fruit and wine for poisons or signs of mold. Judith poured herself some wine and masticated a handful of pecans, ignoring the expectant and worried looks the missionaries were giving her. They wouldn’t object to her sampling the wine; Judith, or Navah the Shining as her formal title went, was hailed by all within The Faith as a saint, a woman favored by Inimel and blessed by her. They weren’t wrong; the goddess was powerful enough that Judith could begin to draw divine power from her, and was held up by the clergy as the ideal worshipper, both in body and spirit. It was due to this channel of divine power that Navah the Shining was forever youthful and beautiful, known as the greatest beauty in Gardenia, even by those removed from Inimel’s cult.

When she finished her snack she rose waved for the missionaries to sit down, signaling to the templars to put on jovial, inviting expressions. 

“I wont mince words,” she said as she finished the fruity, tangy drink. Her voice was curt and to the point, like a general giving orders, and though she maintained her saintly expression, her voice was that of a military woman.

“I am here to save you. I came here, specifically, because She showed me that our foes are nearby.” 

The redhead with the sunburn yelped in alarm when Judith said that, squirming in her seat.

“Are you sure ma’am? I-I mean there-”

Judith glared at the interrupting girl, her predatory expression returning for the smallest of moments. The missionary immediately became quiet and squirmed in her seat, trying to make herself smaller, like a mouse confronted with a deadly feline.

“I don’t need martial aid from you, me and my templars are more than capable of handling a few ugly ruffians. What we need from you is supplies; food, water, maps of the surrounding terrain,” she continued, ignoring the interruption.

Judith paced around the kitchen, her blonde braid flopping over her armored shoulder as she did so, casually inspecting what the larders contained. The paladin’s hands were folded behind her back, pushing her armored cleavage forward. The mirrored icon of The Goddess dangled between her breasts, reminding the audience of the power she served.

“The villagers don’t support these thugs, do they?” Asked Judith, raising and eyebrow. Somehow she had avoided hitting the handle of her weapon on any of the preserved foodstuffs dangling from the ceiling, a credit to the grace Inimel granted her saint.

The missionaries looked from Navah the Shining to the silent templars, the heavyset warriors calmly swallowing spoonfuls of the sangria. 

“You may speak,” said Judith, smiling benignly at the cowed worshipers.

“No ma’m,” said the square-jawed man. Judith cocked her head when he spoke; she intended it to be a sign of interest and attention, but it came off as threatening. Like an owl turning its head towards a rat that just squeaked a little to loud.

“A few families have entered the First Circle, and we get most of our food from their tithes. Most of the townsmen are indifferent towards us, but I’ve spoken with the mayor, and he thinks we’re a positive influence on the community.”

“Good. I want you to increase the food tithes to double the current amount. Tell them I am coming and that a proper offering is required. We’ll be in the field most of the time; three of my men will come with me, the last will remain here to protect you.”

The red-haired girl tentatively raised her hand, biting her lip as she looked at Judith. The paladin nodded, granting her permission to speak.

“Ma’am, what should we tell the villagers about your templar? Where did he come from, who is he, things of that nature?”

“Tell them to ask him directly. He is here for the safety of The Faith, not as a conversation piece.”

Judith reached around one of the confused young worshippers for another handful of pecans. The ley-lines made good harvests, she thought. She almost agreed with Franklin; it would be unfortunate for the nuts and fruits to lose their enchanted flavors. 

“Anyways, we can make due in the guest beds, though I will be commandeering the priest’s chambers for my own privacy. I trust there are no objections?”

The table fell silent save for the templars chewing on the tough dried apricots, occasionally picking pieces of fruit from there rugged beards.

“Good. We will leave first thing in the morning, so I want no interruptions from you before then unless it concerns our enemies. Am I understood?”

There were nods of understanding, and Judith strode imperiously out of the room, but not before grabbing another handful of pecans and a spoonful of spiced wine.

It was nightfall. Judith groaned as she removed what little clothing she wore and undid her hair. The saint act was getting old, having to balance being the perfect role model with actually completing her Objectives, which required a more pragmatic approach. She laid her ornate, double-headed battleaxe by the bedside before turning to the full-body mirror that occupied one wall. She eyed every millimeter of her body as closely as she could; even the crook of her elbow, the insides of her armpits, behind her ears, looking for any imperfections, any signs of ugliness. Judith almost panicked when she thought she saw a wart growing on a finger, but realized it was a bit of pecan that had stuck to her fingers. Only when she had examined herself thoroughly, even the spaces between her toes, did she recline on the bed, her sprightly, muscled body bouncing a little on the firm mattress, and go to sleep.

“Three days old,” said the templar, his nose to the ground, arms splayed out to his sides as he investigated the pile of charcoals.

“Aspen, fresh cut. Big fire, probably big enough for a dozen men.”

“Found some waste over here,” added the second burly warrior from a dozen feet away.

Judith nodded and turned her attention to the templar examining the pile of bones and rotten food. They had been in the hills for three days now, finding signs of their quarry but never the men themselves. While the timid missionaries back in the town were intimidated by her presence, they revered her, directed their prayers to The Goddess through her. They praised her beauty and asked her to bring their benedictions to Inimel, ironically  

“About a dozen, yes. Close, very close, food‘s not that far gone,” said the templar.

Judith agreed, and drew her battleaxe, planting the head in the ground and kneeling. As a Blue Hand this was a prayer for guidance from God, something to direct one to the proper path. Now, it was a way to channel the power of Inimel, to use her divine energies to accomplish what Judith wanted. Concentrating, she dragged a fraction of Her power from far away in The Cradle into her bosom, the godly power alighting in Judith’s soul. The paladin grinned, ecstatic from the surge of magic. In her mind she directed the unfocused power into a point; a needle, an invisible arrow pointing to he Objective.

The divine compass stretched, growing from a few inches to a few feet to hundreds of feet, forming a glittering golden line through the trees.

“Very close indeed, good observation. Have your gifts ready, and be prepared to move on foot a few miles.”

Judith hefted her axe, but did not sheathe it as she followed the glittering line, her templars followed her. From their fingers sprouted jagged, serrated claws, and from their ribs grew wicked bony spines. Bony blades emerged from the templars’ elbows and knees, the burly men turning monstrous in appearance as the weapons Judith hid in them tore through their fluffy wool clothes. Judith hunched over, keeping her profile low, her shoulder blades poking out from her sinewy back.

The divine trail led down the hill, through a field of scree and to the top of a steep rock face. Judtih fell flat on her belly, her impractical armor jangling as she did so, and the templars followed suit, making sure not to scrape their bony weaponry on the ground.

About eighty feet below them was a small camp, eight tents and a sputtering bonfire perched by a mostly dry creek.

“I count fourteen, with spears and short bows mostly,” said Judith, her eyes flitting from tent to tent. The templars nodded in agreement, trying to keep as much of their large frames hidden.

“Can you make out their faces?” she asked, idly tapping her unarmored fingers against her reflective boots.

“Look at them, hideous. The nose on that one, and that awful unibrow. Crooked teeth, birthmarks, disgusting. We’ve got our men.”

Judith stood up, flexing her muscles and holding her axe above her head as she spoke a battle-prayer to Inimel. It was one Tanager had written, full of lurid innuendos and double meanings, and as she recited the lewd psalm she channeled her divine powers. The glittering trail became a heavy pool of golden light at the base of the cliff, a bubble of divine power. 

Navah the Shining gave the signal to her warriors and leapt from the cliff top, holding her axe above her head and roaring in ecstasy. The templars followed after, dropping over the side of the rock face more carefully. When the four hit the ground the pool of divine power, invisible to all but Judith, cushioned their fall, and to the shocked men and women in the camp it seemed their fall slowed until they gently alighted on the ground. Two scrambled for their arms, one tripping over himself as he ran for his spear, the other confidently seizing his bow and a single goose-feathered arrow.

The bandit loosed his shaft at Judith, the point aimed right at her exposed abdomen as she moved towards him. Her eyes were narrowed, her movements deliberate and powerful as she pounced. There was a snapping sound. The arrow broke against her chest, the wooden shaft splintering against her rosy skin, leaving not even a blemish where it impacted. The archer didn’t seem to notice, and readied another arrow as Judith closed the distance, sprinting straight at her target, her golden braid trailing behind her.

The spearmen had found his weapon, and turned towards the attackers only to meet an enormous fist, hard bony nodules sprouting from it’s knuckles, that collided with his face. The warrior was sprawled, his vision vanishing to be replaced with the ugly bursts of color indicative of head trauma.

Six others had reacted to the commotion, emerging from their tents or the woods with weapons drawn and alarmed looks on their faces. A young man, his curly hair a chestnut brown and a thin scar on his chin, stood dumfounded as a spined monster tore into his prone companion, driving its long jagged elbow-blades into his gut. He drew back on his bow and fired at the monster, his arrow embedding in it’s side.

Judith reached her quarry, and raised an armored knee, jumping as she did so, and drove it into the archer’s side as he turned to avoid the blow. He reeled, staying upright but dropping his weapon and grunting in pain, his ribs splitting from the impact.

“Disgusting,” Judith growled, eyeing up the archer’s uneven nostrils and under bite. She swung her axe, the powerful blow striking the archer in the thigh, leaving a deep cut. Judith sprung away from the bleeding warrior as another hurled his spear at her. Navah the Shining snarled, and her arm shot into the air like a lightning bolt.

Two spearmen ran from a templar, their weapons battered aside by it’s powerful swipes. As his partner fled, one spearman turned and tried to stab his pursuer in the shin, hoping the low blow would catch the monster unaware. The iron point collided with the man-thing’s shin, drawing blood, but doing nothing to stop the barrel-chested abomination barreling down on him. The spiked creature tackled him, driving him to the ground, and reared it’s head back. The templar slammed it’s forehead against the pinned warrior, cracking his skull and driving consciousness from his body.

Judith caught the spear in one hand and twisted, keeping the weapon’s momentum as she redirected it back towards it’s thrower. The warrior couldn’t react fast enough, and was skewered on the spear, the force of the toss briefly lifting him off his feat before depositing him back on terra firma. The wounded archer fell to his knees, and tried to crawl away from Judith, but she leapt upon him, pinning his head to the ground with her tall metal boot. A man with a crude short sword swung at her, only to find his weapon collide with the handle of her axe as she blocked it. Judith raised her foot and stomped on the prone archer, crushing his head with supernatural strength. Before he could react, she butted the swordsman’s groin with the butt of her axe, causing him to double over in pain. 

She raised her double-headed weapon above her head, letting the blade catch the light for a second before it fell. The swordsman’s head was separated from his body, falling to the ground with a look of shock. 

A bigger man carrying a short spear was thrown across the camp by a templar, colliding with the rocky ground not far from Judith. She drew back her weapon for the killing blow when the man spoke, spitting blood as he did so.

“Don’t think you’ll stop us, you monster. We know your *cough*, your cult’s dark secrets. Don’t think your false idol will ever turn the people of this *cough*, of this land away from their father’s faiths.”

“False?” Said Judith, her tone mocking and haughty. She rolled her shoulders and creaked her neck, her mirrored pendant flopping over her breasts as she did so. More of the bandits were closing in on her positin, cautiously approaching, clearly afraid of her apparent invulnerability.

“You’ll find Inimel is very real, more so than any simple spirit you’ve adopted as a deity.”

Judith raised her axe high above her head and focused; sending her soul back to The Cradle, all the way in Gardenia, to retrieve more of Inimel’s power. Slowly, Judith rose into the air, soft golden light emanating from her flawless rosy skin. Her braid whipped wildly in the air, like the tail of a wildcat. From the mirrors and gems adorning her form shone bright rays of light, nearly blinding. 

As Navah the Shining ascended, something appeared to change about her. The fanatics fell to their knees, dropping their weapons by their sides. Some wept. Some cried. Some mumbled prayers for forgiveness. Most were speechless, so magnificent, so radiant was her beauty. Like nothing mortal, Navah became angelic in appearance, seeming to embody The Goddess in all her beauty. Even the stoic templars were given pause, their eyes watering, until they forced themselves to look away. 

“She is very, very real,” sang Judith’s now otherworldly, enrapturing voice.

“And through her is the way to beauty, love and peace. Accept her and you can be like me, or refuse her and wallow in your ugliness.”

The unearthly radiance faded, and Judith alighted on the ground, smiling softly at the bleeding man. He couldn’t take his eyes off her, couldn’t speak even when she sashayed over to him and planted a boot on his chest.  

A curly haired archer was the first to break the reverie. He prostrated himself upon the ground, tearing whatever icons of his old faith he had from his body. They had all just witnessed the impossible, a miracle, and one conducted by a ravishing beauty at that.

“Please! We repent! Please, oh please, forgive us. We didn’t- o god- we didn’t know she was-”

Judith interrupted him, planting her hands imperiously on the butt of her ax.

“If you accept her, let her into your hearts, dedicate your lives to Inimel, then maybe I-and She-will grant you union with her radiance. But you must all swear it, upon the very earth you walk upon, that from now until forever your lives exist for Inimel.”

The replies were slow to begin, but they were unanimous. They had been converted, sworn off whatever they believed in for the unreal glamour they had witnessed. Judith nodded to the templars, who began to collect the bandit’s weapons, tossing them into the forest and snapping them between their big meaty fists.

“You are all coming back to the village with me, I have to make an entrance. Which one of you is in charge?”

The curly-haired man stood up, averting his gaze from Judith. 

“Good. The rest of you will be escorted back to the town by my servants. YOU however, will stay here with me.”

Before he could respond the templars threateningly retracted their weapons, slowly drawing the bones back into their hulking forms. He swallowed, and nodded, more terrified of being alone with Judith than the monstrous templars.

When they had left, Judith swayed over to him, sensually moving her hips, her chain mail skirt jangling as she did so. 

“Not a bad specimen of a man,” she said as she wrapped her arm around his head, firmly grasping the back of his head.

“Pretty eyes, nice looking fingers, the nose could use some work but that’s easy enough.”

The bandit gulped, his wide eyes flitting from Judith’s hungry face to her bust. The paladin pressed her face close to his, grinning maliciously.

“I think I’ll keep you. Be happy, because you get to meet Inimel early.”

Her lips parted and Judith’s mouth locked over his, forcing her tongue into his surprised face. He was shocked, but after a moment he no longer resisted. It wasn’t every day a gorgeous women threw herself at him, much less one so powerful. She kissed him hungrily, rubbing her tongue against the roof of his mouth and nibbling on his upper lip. She sucked on him, drawing his tongue into her mouth, then bit it, gently at first, then hard enough to cause her prey to wince.

As they kissed Judith moved her leg behind him, pressing her crotch up against his. The bandit, hesitantly, almost fearfully, placed his hand under her skirt, rubbing her taut rear. When Judith responded by pushing against him, rubbing her metal-covered groin against his bulging crotch he gripped her butt, feeling her up under the metal garment.

Judith broke the kiss, shutting her eyes and arcing her head up, her mouth opening just slightly as a pleased, throaty moan came out. Her free hand rubbed his growing bulge, arousing him further through his pants. The bandit grabbed her side, rubbing the small of her back up to her armored bust as she stroked his erection. Judith grunted, and grabbed at the neckline of his garb, pulling it down and exposing his shoulder. She gritted her teeth as the bandit, just as afraid as he was aroused, neared her sex, rubbing from the top of her cheek down to the tip of her tight undergarment. She opened her mouth and bit down on her prey’s shoulder, causing him to grunt in pain and hold on harder, that in turn causing her to buck her hips against his pants.

They continued to tease each other, the bandit stroking her sex through her panties as she nibbled on his neck, leaving blank-and-blue sores, and rubbed his erection. When he couldn’t take it anymore, when he needed release, he opened his mouth, about to vocalize his need when it stopped. Judith released her mouth’s grip on his neck, she let go of his groin, and twisted from his grasp, folding her arms and crossing her legs, a thin, predatory smile on her lips at odds with her blushing face.

“Come on, we need to get back to town. Your men will wonder where you’ve gone, and I have a ceremony to conduct.”

The bandit stammered, about to question what that exchange was for when she shot him a lusty, malicious glance, then seized him by the collar and half dragged half led him around the rock face, to where the templars had herded the surviving fanatics. The templars looked intimidating, standing head and shoulders above the cowed bandits, who watched with confusion as their leader and Judith came up the slope, both slightly sweating and shooting odd glances at each other’s privates. 

They led their captives back along the trail to where the horses were left, and marched them down the hills into town. Before they left, Judith had told the missionaries to prepare the townsfolk for her ‘arrival’, and a throng of people occupied the village square; clearly many more than had been converted to The Faith. They parted, some kneeling, as Judith approached on her lavishly ornamented horse, the bandits trailing behind her and the mounted templars in the back. The procession moved to the center of the square, the townsmen glaring at the unwashed brigands and leering at Judith.

Without a word, radiant light began to shine from Judith’s eyes, glittering beams that swept over the assembled crowd. The villagers fell silent, enraptured by Judith’s display of supernatural power. Slowly, the magical rays faded, and Judith dawned her saintly expression once more.

“I have come from very far, very far indeed, to show you that light,” she said, her voice carrying far though she did not yell.

“And it was from Inimel, the mistress of beauty, the queen of life and embodiment of peace that it shines.”

Judith dismounted her horse and approached a young woman in the front of the crowd; her features sharp and inviting, her short black hair cut in an uneven bob. Her face, however, was marked with warts and blemishes, her nose set at an uneven angle.

“These pillagers, these ruffians,” she said, gesticulating towards the cowed bandits, “have seen her light, and turned to her. Inimel is a loving goddess, and she welcomes all into her bosom, be you rich or poor, comely or,” she paused for a moment, biting her tongue for an fraction of a second, “homely.”

Judith placed her hands on the sides of the woman’s head, somewhat forcefully but still gentle. She shut her eyes and sang a psalm of healing, pretending to invoke Her. Instead, she channeled The Magic, a power from a much different source, and focused it on the enraptured villager.

Navah the Shining glowed with a warm radiance, light like a dozen candles emanating from her skin. That same light spread to the villager, whose eyes watered at the sight. The imperfections in her face, the blackheads and dead skin, the ugly nose and warts, all faded, seeming to become part of the golden light and leave her body. Still Judith sang, her harmonious voice joined by the missionaries and the deep bass of the templars. The light faded, and Judith led the transformed villager to the warhorse. Judtih saddled her mount and brought the stunned woman up with her, admiring her work for the briefest of moments.

 “Her way is one of beauty and love,” she lied, “and if you let her into your hearts, so too can you experience the magnificence of her radiance.”

Judith kicked her heels against her steed, which reared back, nearly knocking the villager from the saddle as Judith waved to the enraptured crowd. They cheered, some prayed, some cried, but all were taken by some display of emotion. The avatar of a benevolent god had come, and they were captivated by her message.

The ceremonies had lasted the rest of the day, as family after family was inducted into The Faith, and Judith offered blessings and healing to all who asked. A group beautification was run, and all assembled were washed, cleaned, made-up and dressed. After its completion, the assembled all had their hair died a bright gold, their features highlighted identically, so it seemed all were an incarnation of the same being. Judith’s Objectives were all but complete, and her party had left the town at the end of the celebrations. The villagers had offered her bags of pecans, baskets of apricots, dates, figs, chestnuts and all manner of produce, their flavors and consistencies enchanted by the magic of the ley lines. The healed villager had come too, professing her desire to dedicate her life to Inimel, to serve Her Faith for the rest of her life. She said that Judith’s glory was the most beautiful thing she had ever witnessed, that she would devote her life to that radiance.

The final Objectives were in sight; all Judith needed was to escort the brigands back to The Cradle. They wouldn’t be missed, having cut their ties with family and country to fight The Faith, so they were perfect candidates for Isaiah’s work. They would be raw materials for the many projects that madman worked on, and if any contained a spark of true faith, the miniscule shard of divinity within the soul, they would be joined with Inimel. But Juidth had one final Objective, a personal one, she needed to complete, so as they made camp for the night she brought the bandit’s leader away from camp, far enough that they couldn’t see the flickering light of the campfires or the conversations the bandits made under the templar’s supervision.

Judith sat him down on a fallen juniper and stood before him, her arms folded imperiously.

“One of you men said something that alarmed me. If you wish for this,” she lifted her chain mail skirt exposing her tight panties, “to happen, I need to know everything about it.”

The brigand nodded hastily, his eyes focused on her crotch.

“Good. He said he know of our faith’s ‘dark secrets’. Tell me, what did he mean? Don’t omit anything, every detail is important.”

The bandit stuttered at first, struggling to explain. A man had come many months ago, when the missions were first being established. His appearance was strange, with long dirty hair and a broad nose, strange jewelry decorating his neck. He rode a strange beast, like a horse, the bandit said, but not quite so; there were something strangely off about the animal. He had told them that an evil was coming from the north, disguised as a cult of healing and life, that would seduce them away from the faiths of their fathers and their father’s fathers. 

The odd man, whose tools seemed made from skin and brought with him more strange animals, told them that if they valued their ancestors they would fight the evil, that they would repel it’s attempts to steal their hearts and souls. Monsters that walked as men, he said, would come and hide among the people, would devour them and offer their children to a abomination that hid beneath the earth. He had left as quickly as he had come, adding he would spread his message thorough the Laurel Mountain Republic, to rouse it’s denizens to arms against the invading monsters. He had left them convinced.

“If he was so persuasive, why embrace Inimel know?”

The bandit turned his expression to his feet and added that when they saw the display of beautiful divinity, he realized that the traveler must have been wrong, for nothing so beautiful could be evil, could be as terrible as he said.

Judith’s lips curled, forcing herself to smile despite the upsetting news. If what he said was true then she would have many more Objectives soon, and the rest of the Inner Circle needed to know. Fast.

“Marvelous,” she said sardonically. At least she could finish one final Objective before scrambling to rush the captives back to The Cradle. She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose and turning away form her prey.

“Wait here, I have a quick change to make, then we can get this started for real.”

She heard a brief word of compliance before she walked away, her steel boots rattling as she did so.

She didn’t know the man’s name, didn’t even care. To Judith he was unimportant; a faceless, nameless piece of meat. Prey.

Her second victim of perdition was seated apart from camp, gazing at her transformed face in a pool of water. She must have heard Judith coming, for she did not act the least bit surprised when the paladin grabbed her by the shoulders and stood her up.

Judith cupped her chin, admiring her work for a moment. Judith’s free hand wrapped around her quarry’s waist, pulling the girl in close. The paladin’s sharp green eyes locked with hers for a moment, and their breathing grew heavier as they felt each other’s heartbeats, felt each other’s chests rise and fall. The villager’s eyes were wide, like a deer that had just been spotted by a wolf, but soon they lidded as the predator’s lips brushed against hers.

Judith pecked at her quarry’s mouth, planting soft kisses on her lips. Eventually, she slowly pressed her tongue into the villager’s pliant orifice. They made out with passion, the villager’s hands roaming over the paladin’s body. When they separated Judith glared down at the panting woman, a keen look in her eyes.

“Come this way, we can finish this with another.”

Without waiting for a response, Judith led her by the hand to where the bandit was seated. He looked surprised to see another woman, but not the least bit upset. Judith crooked a finger beneath his chin and lay down by his feet, bringing the villager with her. The two ladies intertwined, the villager on top of Judith, as they ran their hands over each other, feeling every inch of their partner’s body. Judith’s unbuttoned her prey’s shirt, letting her modest bust swing free, and ran her fingers through the woman’s hair, pulling her head back slightly. The bandit watched, clearly aroused, as the villager reached around Judith and undid the clasps keeping the breastplate attached, depositing it to the side of their passionate embrace. Judith sighed, and reached a hand under the villager’s skirt, probing the sensitive mound beneath, before retracting and doing the same for herself.

Judith pushed her prey off of her and stood up, removing her reaming armor. Her pink nipples stood erect, captivating the bandit. The villager did the same with her clothes, tossing them aside and crawling to Judith’s feet, kissing her calves and running her hands up and down her muscular legs.

Judith looked at the bulge growing in the bandit’s pants, then stared him in the eyes and waggled her eyebrows. He needed no other prompting to tear off his clothes and rise to meet Judith, hungrily kissing her and groping her breasts, her butt. The paladin ran her hand through his curly hair, slowly making a fist and pushing the bandit closer. Her free hand held his as he manhandled her boob, guiding him as he tweaked her nipple and squeezed the firm flesh.

The villager crawled between them, one hand on either’s rear, and began to lick Judith’s wet entrance, rubbing her tongue over her sensitive labia. The paladin moaned into the bandit’s mouth, bucking her hips forward as she did so. She let go of his head and reached to his firm member, cupping his balls and rolling them between her fingers before slowly stroking the shaft. This time he groaned in pleasure, and the villager turned from Judith’s sex to his, licking along the underside of his cock and looking up hungrily at the pair. She alternated her affections between the two, inserting her tongue into Judith’s vagina only to withdraw it and take the bandit’s head into her mouth. She fingered herself as she did so, her own arousal building as she worked the two above her.

As she deep-throated the bandit’s dick Judith broke the threefold embrace, laying on her back and raising her crotch, biting a finger suggestively as she looked at her partners.

“Come,” she said, wiggling her hips invitingly.

The curly-haired bandit needed no further prompting, and he leapt atop Judith, his slick member held at the ready. He prodded against her sex experimentally, and when the toned woman cooed in pent-up need he slid his rock-hard head into her folds. She gasped, then bit her lip as she grinned, narrowing her eyes and bucking her hips against her eager lover. He was knocked off balance at first, then matched her pace, thrusting deep within her. He held her legs up by her thighs to get a better angle, penetrating deeper into the paladin with every thrust.

The lusty villager crawled over to the writhing pair, running a hand against the side of Judith’s face and undoing the braid in her hair, letting the golden strands fall free. The villager bent in for a kiss, hungrily driving her tongue into Judith’s mouth; the paladin allowing her to surge forward before driving her slick muscle forward in time with the bandit’s thrusts. 

Judith gripped the villager’s hair and forcefully pulled her out of their wet embrace, panting as she did so.

“You wish, huhh, to devote your life, huhh, to Her?”

The villager nodded, rubbing her sex as she needily watched the bandit’s forceful thrusts.

“Through me is, huhh-harder, come on, harder-is Her. Join with me and-oh yes, right there-you can experience Her beauty, become part of Her. Do you-aah! Do you want that?”

The villager replied affirmatively without hesitation, her fingers struggling to match the bandits frantic, rapid pace. Judith’s toes curled, leaving small tracks in the pebbly ground, her captive-cum-lover panting, his hands gripping her legs so tightly they would have left cuts in any other woman.

Judith’s eyes began to shine with what her prey assumed was Her light, but was really The Magic. The two were so similar the distinction might not have mattered; the division only because of where the power came from; Her magic from the thing being made in The Cradle, The Magic from Judith’s mind and soul.

Navah the Shining wrapped her arms around the girl, bringing her in close and biting down on her neck. While at first she shrieked in pain, her cries were soon those of bliss as the light that shone from the saint crept over her body. The light now came from both of them, and it grew in intensity, in power, until it was blinding and the brigand had to shield his eyes. The villager’s body seemed to become light, and the two shining women seemed to merge. Where there were two sources of incandesce there was now one. As the light died it became clearer what had become of the two.

The villager had vanished, and Judith lay where she had before, a look of complete ecstasy on her face. From beneath her arms, however, sprouted a second pair of limbs. They was the villagers arms flailing blindly and clawing at the ground as Judith massaged her breasts. From between her firm globes the bandit could see what could only have been the villager’s face; her eyes, nose, mouth and facial features occupying the gap between Judith’s tits. 

“Don’t you dare stop,” growled the saint, pressing her boobs together and smothering the shocked face of the faithful villager. She wrapped her legs around the bandit’s waist and pulled herself upright, her extra arms grabbing his shoulders for support. She bucked her hips along his length, the bandit’s shocked, fearful face eroding back to one enraptured by pleasure. 

“She wants you, you know,” said Judith in a husky voice, tweaking her nipple as she spoke.

“She wants you deep inside her, inside US, and that’s just what she’s going to get.”

Judith pushed disengaged from him and pushed away, the villager’s hands quickly following suit. She twisted, sitting up on her knees, the absorbed villagers hands supporting her. Her upper body arched back, pushing her mammaries out and leaning her head back as far as it could go. Her original arms reached behind her head, running them through her hair.

She rocked back and forth, offering her taut rear to the stunned man. He groaned as he felt her wetness press against him, and as he recovered from the horror of the situation he seized her hips and thrust back into her. She grunted, and the mouth between Judith’s tits cried out. He rapidly thrust in and out of her, any sense of pacing or restraint lost as he wildly fucked the paladin. Her boobs flopped back and forth and both her voices cried out in animalistic lust. She bent back further, reaching behind the bandit’s head and pulling him down for a kiss. His crotch slapped wetly against hers, and the saint’s leg quivered as waves of ecstasy washed over her. 

Quickly, she pulled away, squatting by the shaking man, her face by his rigid organ. Both pairs of hands grabbed his rear and pushed him into her upper mouth. She locked her lips around the dick, pulling on it hungrily and drawing as much of him she could into her mouth. 

She let him slide out, a thin line of drool leaking from the corner of her mouth. 

“She wants it bad,” she groaned, probing a finger into the mouth between her breasts. 

She sat up a bit higher, her new limbs pulling her breasts apart. She pressed her chest against his cock, a tongue emerging from between her tits and licking the bandit’s sack. Judith rose slightly, villager’s mouth traversed up his shaft and took the head of his penis. She then descended, forcing as much of the bandit’s cock as possible into whatever served the lower mouth as a throat. The lower mouth gurgled, and a strand of precum mixed with saliva leaked out, sticking to Judith’s breasts.

Judith moaned in ecstasy, her hands gripping her breasts alongside the villager’s, kneading the flesh as she skewered her second mouth on the bandit’s cock. The curly-haired prisoner was too far gone to realize the wrongness of the scenario, fucking the face of someone transformed so lewdly. The man grunted, and his dick twitched, shooting its load into the strange face between Judith’s mounds. Both women groaned in ecstasy as he loosed his seed, the villagers eyes, placed so profanely betwixt Judith’s boobs, rolled back in their sockets. 

Judith rose unsteadily to her feet, both pairs of arms wrapping around the bandit as she panted in pleasure. The lower mouth swallowed the cum and licked the globes that flanked it, as well as the chest of the brigand.

“More,” growled Judith in a voice that would have given a lion pause. Her eyes lit up like two miniature suns, the bright light of The Magic also shining from the mouth and eyes of the absorbed woman.

The brigand broke from the reverie of his afterglow and realized what the predatory woman was doing, that the traveler’s warnings had been right. He struggled to escape, but the quartet of limbs held him fast as the light crept into his being. Just like the woman before him, his body was suffused with light, becoming an indistinct glowing mass as it merged with Judiths.

The result was abominable. The man’s rear end sprouted awkwardly from Judith’s waist, facing backwards so that his cock was lined up perfectly with her sex. A hand jutted from her right shoulder blade, it’s fingers constantly clutching and un-clutching at nothing. A single, terrified eye had appeared where her belly button was, constantly looking around at its awful new form. 

Judith laughed, rubbing all four of her hands over the butt that hung from her waist. Shutting her eyes and sticking out her tongue, she pushed down on it, guiding whatever muscles moved it. The head of the penis entered her, and she pushed harder until it-he-she bottomed out. She then let go, letting it slowly withdraw until it the member sprang free. The hand in her shoulder gripped wildly at her skin, and the eye watched with rapt, horrified attention. Again and again she guided it into her depths, pushing it as deep as she could. One of the villager’s hands darted into Judith’s sex as the cock left her, pushing four of it’s fingers deep against her sensitive walls. 

The paladin threw her head back and groaned through her teeth, shutting her eyes and briefly squeezing her breasts. As she pulled the dick back inside her the hand left, reaching up to first insert two of her fingers in the villager’s mouth, sucking on it and tasting Judith’s fluids. The cock sank deeper into her loins, causing the lewd warrior to cry out. The villager’s dripping hand inserted itself in Juidth’s mouth, and she hungrily sucked on the fingers.

Judith groaned and arched her back, digging her nails into the oddly placed butt. Her toes curled and her hips bucked, her vagina clamping down tight on the partially-absorbed member. Soft light began to shine as Judith, the absorbed villager and the bandit all came, the combined ecstasy of all three beings robbing them of coherent thought. They grunted like animals, the solitary hand spasming out of control, the villager’s arms grabbing the back of Judith’s head and pulling as hard as they could. The light grew brighter and brighter as Judith panted, moaned in uncontrolled pleasure, writhing on the ground as semen that was somewhat her own leaked from her tight sex. When the light reached the highest intensity it could Judith shrieked, and then it all vanished.

The extra arms. The misplaced face, eye, hand and abdomen. All that remained was Judith, rolling on the ground and rubbing herself, mouth hanging open and tongue lolling out as cum dripped from her loins. Her prey had been claimed, and Judith’s features had shifted slightly. She appeared younger, if only by a little, and her beauty had somehow become even more enrapturing, more perfect. 

She stood up and retrieved her clothes. As she strapped her boots back into place she smiled. At least her most important Objectives were finished, for the time. Now she could focus on the task at hand. She ran her hand up her side, seductively gyrating her hips even though nobody was watching. She ought to thank Inimel, she mused, except that it should be the goddess thanking her. She did so much to make Her a reality, and when The Goddess was finished, Judith knew that she would be the one in control of the vast gestalt consciousness that made up Her. Surely she, of such pragmatism, power and, of course, beauty, would overcome all the other weak minds that made up Her. 

Judith dipped a finger into her loins and drew out a translucent glob of cum. She sucked on the finger as she thought, considering the future. Thanks to The Magic she was forever beautiful, forever young and perfect. She wanted to dispense with the saintliness, with the charade of piety, and force her worshippers to offer sacrifices to her, to give themselves willingly to her beauty for the sake of joining with her alone. But that wouldn’t happen, she thought. Not yet at least. She had Objectives to complete before her Goal was fulfilled. And foremost among them was marching these bandits back to Odette’s barony and Isaiah’s flesh-pits in The Cradle. 

Judith strode confidently back into camp, her predatory grace enhanced by her recent ‘additions’. When this business with the Laurel Mountain ley lines is over with, she thought, we will be that much closer to Inimel being completed. The populace of the world will unite in magnificent beauty, all embracing Her worship or joining with Her. And all her work will be rewarded, she thought, and the world will bare witness to ultimate, flawless, divine splendor.

“And my apotheosis.”