Editing Heretical Love (section)

=== Thread 10.5: THE PLIGHT OF HAT-CHAN ===

Your world was plunged into fear and darkness. You could do nothing as you watched Max being flayed as he ran by the horrible Necron chasing him. You couldn’t even cry out as you watched with horror as his arm was severed.
You could only sit as the Apothecaries tended to him, barely clinging to life. You did your best to give him the only thing you could.

Hope.

For a hat can show neither fear nor sadness.
The Partridges, concerned only for glories imagined, abandoned you inside this tomb, as they carried Max away. You haven't seen him in what feels like forever now, no way to keep track of time. Has it been hours? Days? Years?!
It’s so cold down here, barely enough light to reflect off of your dirty metal. What you wouldn’t give to have another cleaning by those cute Dark Eldar girls. Though thinking of such things does little to curb your heartache at being separated from your best friend.

You know the other Necron has been watching you, but she’s scared to approach you. That’s fine by you, for all you know, Necrons eat hats.
Hope is all you could give Max, and so it shall be that hope is what will carry you back to him.
Though you admit, it wouldn’t hurt to have a friend…
Wait, what was that? Just now?
Footsteps? Could it be?

Yes, you feel joyous as the heavy footfalls draw closer and closer. It sounds like there are several pairs of feet walking.
You do your best to primp up your fibers, deepen your colors, shine your metal. Its Max, it has to be!
A cold, hard hand lifts you from the ground, another joins it and they slowly turn around.
Your heart falls as you see the face before you, barely illuminated in the dim light.
“Well well well… I may have missed the man, but destroying you may prove enough a snack to carry me over until the day I kill that Commissar.”

Abbadon sneers at you as one of his men hold you up to him.
Fury surging through you, you bristle as hard as you can. If this is your end, you will see it through as Max would. Head held high with you upon it.

“The flamer, you dogs, the flamer!”
Abaddon grins maliciously as another of his followers steps forward, brandishing a flamer as he too laughs at your coming demise.
“You have no idea how I will enjoy this so you little bastard.” Abbadon continues.

His follower raises the flamer, and you can feel heat surging through your fabric as a puff of flame comes far too close to you.
This is your final moment, and you shall go out with as much courage as you impart to your dear friend.
The chaos marine with the flamer cackles as he pushes the flamer forward.
This time, it won’t fall short.

You will die as you lived, without any regrets.

“Not so fast, I’ve come for the hat, and I. Will. Have it.”

“YOU?!” Abbadon spits furiously.
“YOU!?!?! Khorne’s daughter?! Get out of here wench, this is no place for little girls!”

Kaleshi grins, her eyes alight with an evil fire.
“As I said before, you failure of a “warmaster”, I’ve come for the hat. And the Queen of the Khornettes doesn’t take no for an answer.”
She licks her chainaxe before starting it up.
“You mad my daddy wouldn’t give me over to you? He doesn’t provide gifts to failures, which is why he wants me to have that delicious Commissar in his name.”

Abbadon laughs coldly.
“As much as I want to ravage that body of yours, whore, I’ll enjoy watching your entrails being ripped out just as well.”

Kaleshi glares, fire igniting at her feet.
“Whore? Max has been my only conquest, and will be my only conquest. I’ll not have you wrecking my husbando’s favorite thing!”
She smirks, running up her own armor, than biting her second digit.
“I’m going to like doing this!” She cries, suddenly charging forward.

The chaos marines turn to fire at her, but they are all far too slow.
You watch as the tremendous dance of blood and axe begins.
The khornette whirls and swings, the axe roaring as it arcs gracefully, almost effortlessly. Blood and chunks of armor and flesh spew out of its teeth as it digs in again and again.
She’s laughing now, her face one of pure bliss. Though perhaps not as happy as when she was with Max in the warp.
The marines begin to falter as they watch their numbers quickly dwindling. Despite their fear, they fire everything they’ve got. Though it must not be nearly enough.
The Khornette dodges and spins, her armor easily deflecting anything that manages to land.
She swings down hard right into the skull of one of the marines. Brain matter erupts and is shot around the small tunnel by the whizzing axe blade.
The Khornette is covered in blood and gore now, which you gather she enjoys. A lot.
“Ahahahaha! I love this! I love it so much!” She cackles as she severs another marine in two right at the waist.

Abbadon is backing up now, and his follower has dropped you to raise his bolter rifle. The few remaining marines fire feebly, none of it having an inkling of effect on the blood crazed daughter of a god.
There are only four of Abbadon’s cronies left now, one of whom slides, covering you in dirt which sticks to the blood and gore which has sprayed over you.
She could get you as dirty as she wants, you know she’s going to reunite you with Max.
She wings the axe at the back of one of the marines who turns to flee. It catches him right between the shoulder blades, burying itself deeper and deeper until it emerges from his front. He grabs at it in disbelief for a moment before falling dead.
The Khornette’s fist bursts into flame which jets outward, engulfing another marine. He screams a terrible scream of pain, falling to the ground in a desperate attempt to put out the fire. It boils him alive inside his own armor.
The last remaining marine grabs out his own power sword, and leaps forward in an impressive downward swing.
You bristle, there’s no way she can avoid that!

At the last second, Kaleshi catches the blade with her own gauntleted fist. She wrenches it out of the marine’s hand and spins it around before plunging it into its owners eye.
The smoke has cleared, the blood has settled, and the Khornette now stands facing Abbadon, who now faces his alone.
“Y-you…!” His mouth continues to move, but emits no sound.

“Yes, me.” The Khornette smiles, bending down to retrieve her axe. It gives you a nice view of her head. Despite her hair being covered in blood and guarded by two horns, you have to admit, somewhere deep down inside… You kind of want to feel what it’s like to sit there.
“Now then, how shall I punish you, “warmaster”.” She mocks him with every word, clearly reveling in his burning hatred.

“Your father… All of the chaos gods will hear of this!” Abbadon shouts, backing up even as he does. Without his arms, he is more or less defenseless.

“Oh? Tell them then. TELL THEM NOW!” She swings the axe and it nicks Abbadon’s face, leaving a small cut right under the one Max made, which looks like it will scar.
“Tell them, little despoiler, you the mighty warmaster of the black crusades! Tell them how you have failed this day to even torch the hat of your new nemesis! Tell them how your own personal guard were cut down by but a single daemon!” She kicks him in the chest, and Abbadon falls backwards, unable to balance.

“They will cast you out! Siding with a dirty servant of their enemy the false emperor!” Abbadon yells, kicking madly as she approaches him.

“Will they now? Nurgle who is making him a special gift? Will he turn against me? Or Slaanesh, who would give anything to make Max it’s greatest champion? Perhaps Tzeentch, she doesn’t like him very much, but she likes the Emperor who likes him. Maybe my own daddy, the great Khorne, who cares for me above any other? Well Abbadon, which one will cast me aside?!”

She swings her axe down, and you jump a little at the impact.
Abbadon opens his eyes back up slowly, he had expected death.
Instead, Kaleshi bends down and retrieves something, which she grins and holds up.
“How pathetic.” She muses happily, standing over him.
“Now. Beg me for your life!” She spits in Abbadon’s face.

He glares back up at his.
“Never.” He hisses through gritted teeth.

Kaleshi smiles before looking around, her eyes settling on something.
She retrives it quickly, and returns to standing over Abbadon.
You can see now what she’s holding, Max’s severed arm.

“Plead for me to spare you!” She brings the severed limb down and strikes the warmaster across the face with it.
“BEG ME! CRY, SNIVEL, PLEAD! I. WANT. TO. HEAR. YOU. SAY. IT!!!” With every pause she strikes him with the forearm.

Her swings must be stronger than they look, you notice Abbadon’s head is now bruised and bleeding.
“I…I….. Spare my life!” Abbadon relents, tears in the corner of his eyes.

Kaleshi’s face is a contorted malicious grin. You would be absolutely terrified if she looked at you like that.
“Very good, I’ll reward you.”

She forms Max’s severed hand into a fist and grabs Abbadon’s jaw, wrenching it open.
With one swift movement she plunges the arm down right into Abbadon’s mouth. She doesn’t stop until it’s wedged in his throat.

“Oh good, you can still breathe? Tell me next time we meet what your followers say when they have to remove that.” She pats Abbadon on the head before poking him roughly in the eyes.
Clutched in his hand, Abbadon’s top knot.

Finally settled with Abbadon, her gaze turns to you. You perk up, a bit worried at what she might do. But her eyes are soft and she’s wearing a genuine and loving smile.
Her armor ignites into flame, before vanishing into smoke, leaving her wearing a basic black set of sweat pants and sports bra. She bends down to retrieve you, and you can’t help but notice the bit of cleavage.

Soft and delicate fingers wrap around your brim, which is covered in a grizzly mess from the fight. She brushes you off as best she can, before giggling.
“I may have gone a little overboard, sorry for getting you so dirty.” Her fingers trace your bill lovingly as she does her best to clean you off.

“Ah, it’s no good. We’re going to have to get you clean before we can get you back to Max.”
She raises you higher. Is she really going to do it? Can it be?
Yes! She places you on her head, nestling you between her horns. The feeling is very different, and you know the other hats would gawk at your heresy, but wow are you enjoying this. Its way different than any other head, and your previous dispositions about the horns are quickly erased. They feel cool and hard against you, but it actually is surprisingly nice and feels cozy. Despite the fact both of you are covered in obscene amounts of gore, you are glad she put you on.
She walks out of the cave with you perched atop her white hair, which is quite slick with blood, brains, and the like.
“GET WHAT YOU CAME FOR?!” Doomrider shouts from his bike, tossing aside a handful of syringes.

She nods, showing you off triumphantly.
“LOOKS GOOD!” He gives his a thumbs up even as his other hand reaches into his satchel.
“Thanks!” She smiles.

“But it will look better on Max… I hope he’s alright…” The Khornette suddenly looks worried, and as much as you try to console her, it’s a sentiment you share with her. You don’t know what you would do if you lost your best bro.
“ANYWAYS, WHERE WE HEADING?!”

“Well, I can’t give Max his hat back all covered in blood and goo. So let’s head back to the warp, I’ll give him a good cleaning!
As unnerved as you are at the prospect of returning to the warp, you find that you really do want a good cleaning. Yeah, you really want some hot khornette scrubbing action.
She takes a seat in the sidecar of Doomrider’s bike, and waves her axe around in a circle.
“Blood for the blood god!” Kaleshi yells.

“JUST DRUGS FOR ME THANKS!” Doomrider shouts before gunning the engine.
A warp hole opens up in front of the bike, and you aren’t sure what you are feeling in your creases as the bike lurches forwards and picks up speed.

Oh well, like it or not, you are headed to the warp.