Prologue: The Blood Hunter
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, Goblins Slayer and any other book, anime, game etc depicted in this story.
"Talking"
Thinking
"Demon Speech/ Monster Language/ Blood Hunter "Active" mode"
"Foreign Language"
Emerald eyes scanned the tavern intently, even as he leaned back and sighed, bored out of his mind. It had been some time since he joined a group of new adventurers, and although he said he'd teach them he didn't know they meant he had to teach them while on a job. That form of learning was dangerous, and honestly they were not ready for anything other than sewer-cleaning, but he relented, as he was an employee of sorts, and had to cater to their whims even if he didn't agree.
He watched the tavern as he waited, his eyes scanning every one of its occupants, passing by a Spearman who boisterously bragged about his latest adventure, to a Witch who simply watched with a small, serene smile on her face. He noticed the Spearman wore blue armor with golden outlines, his strawberry blond hair swept back and seemingly tied in a low ponytail, he couldn't quite see his back from where he stood, and of course, as his title would imply he had by his side a spear. The Witch, who sat next to him wore a revealing black robe, a pointy hat atop her head, not unlike a very specific old one he'd seen long ago, and she was smoking from a pipe. He heard them talking something about goblins, although he couldn't quite make out what they were saying about that.
His eyes travelled from them toward another group, this had a Paladin as its apparent leader. The man was silent, contemplating his surroundings even as his friends boasted about their latest adventures. He saw the others' tags, and they were all pretty low in the ranks, but as his eyes went back to the Paladin, he knew better, the tag was not in the open, but the emerald eyed observer knew he was experienced, at least silver class.
The man was mostly covered by silver armor with golden adornments as well as blue cloth running down the front of his armor and his at his waist; only his head was uncovered, but he could see the helmet resting on top of the table they sat on, along with his shield and axe. The man seemed ready for trouble even among friends, he could respect that. He turned his gaze from the man when his mismatched eyes turned and met his own, narrowing dangerously.
"Hey, Hunter! We found a good one for training!" The voice was female, and at the sound of his title he turned his attention toward it. He smiled friendly at Fighter, who was excited to start her adventuring journey. He got up from his seat and walked toward his little band, who had wormed their way into his heart without him even realizing as he helped them, trained them, and most importantly, counseled them.
"Goblins, huh?" He seemed to be in thought after that, goblins weren't the strongest of monsters but they were crafty little critters, and even the weakest of goblins, under guidance, could overwhelm adventurers with no experience. He looked at his group for a while. Fighter, the girl who'd called him over, was his oldest pupil, and therefore his closest friend among the group, and the only among them to know his real name.
The title system that seemed to work on this world was interesting to say the least. No one just presented their names, as with the constant demonic invasions and monster raids, becoming too close was not something people bothered with, instead people were introduced with their job, their title so to speak. One example was his own, he was known as Hunter because his job was of a Blood Hunter, who'd made a covenant with Death itself, although he was also a rather skilled draconic sorcerer thanks to a mutation granted by death from having had close contact with the Hungarian Horntail…well by close contact he actually meant one of the dragon's spike impaled his arm during his first trial, and it left some residual DNA that Death used to change him a little. But still, they called him Hunter, for that was his title, and that was all that was needed for normal social interactions, but to his few close friends he was still Harry James Potter, once the Boy-Who-Lived, murdered at the end of his fourth year by Peter Pettigrew as he jumped on the way of the Killing Curse meant for one Cedric Diggory.
"You okay, Hunter?" The girl closest to him spoke in a whisper, her hand lightly touching his arm. The interaction brought him back from his musings, and he smiled at the girl. He knew her actual name, but he was so used to simply calling her Fighter in front of other, which was most of the time, even in his mind she became just that, Fighter, he'd have to remedy that.
"Yes, I am. Thank you, Fighter." He spoke warmly, and turned his attention once more to the mission that the group had decided upon. He knew they were ready; he'd just remind them of the real dangers posed by goblins as they traveled to the area. "We'll take the mission then…" he spoke slowly, still thinking on the decision, but no sooner had the words left his mouth, a hand made its way to his shoulder, and the paladin from before stood behind him, smiling.
"I see you have decided to take on a goblin slaying quest. I must accompany you, if I may." The tone he spoke with was friendly enough, but Harry knew better, there would be no arguing the point; Paladin was going to take the mission with them. "My name is Servyan. I insist on being called by my name. I am sorry for imposing." That bit gave the emerald eyed Blood Hunter pause, someone from this world actively breaking the unspoken rule? And a Paladin to boot? That piqued his interest, and if for no other reason he would have accepted the man then to learn why.
The group was staring at him as well, apparently unsure on how to respond, something the man seemed to have picked up on, and he chuckled amicably. "There is no need to introduce your own names as of yet, it is simply a personal choice of mine." He said, the hand on Harry's shoulder moved and the man stepped next to him, arms crossed in front of his chest. "I know a thing or two about goblins, my information can be quite vital for this mission of yours, it was a good decision, letting me join."
You didn't let us choose Harry thought, though there was no bitterness behind the words, he had a feeling this man's problems with goblins were personal, something of a vendetta, as it were. The others left them alone for a moment and the man turned his attention fully toward him, eyes once again narrowed.
"Tell me, Hunter…why is it I can sense such darkness from you? Do you intend on hurting those new adventurers, if that is that case I cannot allow it." It was said in but a whisper, and Harry could tell no one around them was any wiser to what was said, given the boisterous chatter going on all around them.
"I would never even dream of it, Servyan. I'm actually rather close to one of them to be honest, and hurting her is the farthest from my mind." The man seemed a little less tense as Harry finished speaking, but he still waited, probably to hear the rest of an explanation about his darkness. Paladins were always the more difficult ones to deal with, ever since he got sent to this place. "I made a pact with a dark deity for power to never again lose people close to me…if I may I will leave it at that."
If the man was surprised by the explanation he did not show it, but he saw the man relax further, no aggressiveness coming off him.
"…I see. I'm sorry for prying, young man, it is simply an instinct to protect others." His voice was soft, something Harry wondered about, but a moment later a smile appeared on his face and he turned toward the rest of their group. Harry looked behind them, and saw the people the Paladin had been with were still sitting at their table, talking boisterously with each other.
"Won't your group be joining us, Servyan?" That gave the man pause and he turned to look at the very same group momentarily, a fond smile forming on his face.
"Oh, they are not my group, I usually travel alone. They were in need of help during their mission so I stayed until they were safe." He turned once more to Harry, and the man grinned down at him. "They look pretty safe to me." Harry had to chuckle at that, even as he conceded the point, and a moment later they were called by the others, and away they went, on their own quest.
They were close to their destination, and Harry had told them as much about goblins as he could. He had filled the group in on the ambushes goblins would set in caves, setting distractions for inexperienced adventurers while lying in wait. He told them about the poisoned blades, about the chain of command, what they did to female prisoners. It was somewhat cold to just lay it down on them like that but he felt that, if they didn't understand the very real risks they were taking, they might as well be already dead.
Servyan completed whatever information he couldn't, as his knowledge of goblins seemed much deeper, and he knew about the ranks in the horde, though he didn't share much more than that, saying Harry had covered most of the necessary for them to understand for this particular mission.
As they entered the cave, Harry saw Servyan scowl and mutter something about the reek of the place, and he was pretty sure the stench of goblins wasn't enough to make him put out such a remark, and it made the already on edge Blood Hunter even more so, drawing a dagger from his back; his sword would not help in such confined spaces as these caves. He noticed that Warrior had his longsword out despite the warnings, and he had to sigh at the boy's arrogance, it would get him killed in places like these.
They encountered little resistance as they progressed through the cave, and Warrior became more and more enthused with their success, so much so he ran off ahead, taking Wizard and Priestess with him. He knew the kid meant well, as he'd spoken to each of them about their past, and knew all of them had their reasons to become an adventurer, but Warrior, among them was the more arrogant, and more likely to make a costly mistake, like he was right now. His eyes turned from the emerald green to completely yellow, even the sclera. His eyes closed momentarily as he focused on his weapon, activating one of the rites he knew into his dagger, and as he reopened his eyes, not sparing a glance at either Fighter or Servyan, Harry called upon the darkness that surrounded them, augmenting his own speed and dashed forward, leaving the Paladin behind, even as he heard the man begin his own advance, apparently having sensed something ahead.
It didn't take long for Harry to know just what the Paladin had sensed that made him move, despite the surprise of witnessing a Blood Hunter; he was the only known one in this world, after all; activate his Rite. Wizard was desperately trying to fend off a few goblins that had ambushed them as they rushed forward. The small creatures tore her clothes as they laughed at her despair. A growl escaped his throat at that, a sound that made the green monsters turn their attention to the female under them, just in time for the one holding one of Wizard's legs to be decapitated by a precise strike of Harry's flaming dagger.
The other goblins, taken aback by the appearance of a new, more experienced opponent, simply stood there for a moment, unsure of how to proceed, and that moment had been all Harry needed, his used the darkness to hasten himself once more, dashing past the remaining creatures and slashing them, leaving their burned and headless bodies to fall to the ground behind him as he stood in front of Warrior, a frown on his face.
"This is what happens when you don't listen!" His voice was not raised, but as he was on his Hunter form, it had taken the quality of the voice of his patron, Death. It was raspy and deep, a menacing growl of a voice that had the poor boy frozen in place, even more so than before, not even daring to tremble in the fear evident in his eyes. "You were ambushed, even after I warned you about ambushes, about the totems! You were going to let them rape Wizard!" this time his voice raised to a near shout, as he remembered the girl's face as she seemed to understand what was about to happen over her own mind-numbing fear of having been overwhelmed.
Harry took a deep breath, turning his attention from Warrior to the trembling girl lying on the ground, still not daring to move, lest she attract more goblins. In a much softer tone, or at least what he hoped was a softer tone, he spoke to her as he walked to her side. "You did well Wizard…it was a rash decision to just follow Warrior, but given your circumstances you did the best you could." He smiled down at her as her face turned to stare into his glowing eyes. He was pretty sure his visage was anything but calming, but he tried to soothe her as he pulled the wrapped pack from his waist, wrapping the blanket there around her shoulders to cover her exposed body.
"Your teachers would be proud, you're certainly on your way to becoming an exceptional Wizard." Despite the sound of his voice, his words seemed to work as the girl offered him a shaky smile. The sound of steps caused her to hold onto his arm like a lifeline, her eyes widening in fear as she watched the dark passage for any new goblins.
"Hmm…your abilities, despite dark, are truly a blessing if they allowed the saving of the young girl." Servyan walked toward them, and Wizard tightened her hold on him, causing the Paladin to pause momentarily. "Don't worry child, I mean to simply heal any wounds the beasts inflicted on you…" he paused to allow her to either give him permission or deny his request, and when she meekly nodded he continued his approach, both men noticing she still clung to Harry.
It didn't take long for Servyan to finish inspecting her for any wounds, and finding only minor ones, he concentrated momentarily before laying a hand upon her head, pushing his blessed light into the girl's body, the minor wound sealing shut as he did so. Harry watched as the man then got up from his kneeling position and turned his attention to Warrior and Priestess, a disappointed frown on his face.
"You endangered you whole party because of your arrogance, and you couldn't even protect them in their time of need. You should not continue as an adventurer once this mission is done if you can't reign in your emotions and begin to think on the welfare of those under your care." The tone he used was calm, collected even, but the harshness of the words remained, and the boy hung his head in shame. Harry, meanwhile, wondered why only such a small group came to meet them. Maybe his appearance dissuaded the rest from joining in? Or maybe they were simply regrouping and forming an even larger group for a second attack?
His answer came in the form of a hobgoblin, whose heavy steps shook the earth beneath them as he walked toward them. Harry whispered a few words to the girl who still clung heavily to him, and she reluctantly let him go, pleading for him not to leave her alone. His attention turned to Warrior, Priestess and Fighter, who had created a protective wall close to the downed spell caster.
"Make sure you protect her this time, boy." His voice was harsh, but he didn't particularly care. The mental damage Wizard had gone through that day would likely never fade, and her days as an adventurer were quite over. His attention turned to Fighter, to whom Harry offered a small nod, and the girl smiled widely, nodding back and falling to a defensive stance. Once that was done Harry turned his attention to the tunnel, his eyes able to see in the darkness, he whistled lowly at the numbers.
"There are quite a few left, Servyan, let's make sure they don't get to the others, yes?" The man consented his point, drawing a ranged weapon from his hip, and nodded at Harry. He understood the meaning, two close range fighters in such closed space would just get in each other's way instead of helping, even experienced ones like they were. Harry heard the sounds of a crossbow being loaded, and dashed toward the coming horde. There weren't too many, but the numbers were still high enough that if the party of new adventurers had decided to come alone their fate would be only one, and not a victorious one.
AN: Would you look at that, a new story xD anyway, I wanted to wait to post this one but I felt it necessary to post it now because I needed to update you guys on a few things. First is that I'm now on medication, and until my body adapts to the effects I'll be a little woozy, so I'll probably not be writing all that much, but once this period is done, I'm very hopeful I should be back on track where writing is concerned, and should be updating my stories more often. So yay? Anyway enough about me, don't wanna sound like a bitch now, do I xD
Second is...yes I'm a Goblin Slayer fan, sorry to those of you who didn't like the manga/anime (which I'm going to follow) but I rather liked it. Now for pairings, Harry will be the Harem boy, hopefully the explanation as to why is believable xD Gob-san will be with Guild Girl and Cow Girl, unless I get good reasons not to put them together. The OC will be with the Barbarian woman that appears on the season finale '-' and that is all for pairings...oh and don't expect me to write off any rape scenes, even IF they happen, which I don't think they will (but sometimes my fingers get off my control and the story goes in different directions than the ones I had set up...it happens)
Third is thank you for the patience with me so far. I know I'm not the only person going through shit, but one thing you learn as life goes on, is no two people are equal, they think different, they act different, they suffer differently. What doesn't affect you as much, will absolutely demolish someone else, I try not to judge anyone when they decided to talk about things, but in a bad moment of mine someone called me out, so I promised I wouldn't anymore, and I won't, this is the last you'll see of that.
Again, thank you and sorry for another delay, but it's for a good future for me and my stories, so I'd appreciate the comprehension xD
See ya \o
