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:I'm no hero, just an Eradicator:
Ch-1: A fate all to common for newbies
A lone figure stood outside a large cave entrance, easily double the figure's size, he stood with a lit torch in hand. A few more seconds of pure silence passed before a faint sound washed over him, it was so quite that anyone else probably would have passed it off as the wind. But not him for he had heard the same sound to many times to count.
Screaming, crying, begging and mocking laughter.
G̴̡̡̡̩̞͊̓̆͗͛̕ͅo̶̬̮̜̠͉̲̓̄̄̾͐̕b̶͕̪̯͔̹̪̍̅͌̈́̌͠ļ̵̠̝̙̙̙̄̈̀̕͝͝i̴̭̫̳̰̲͌́͊̄̑̚ͅn̵̬̟̱͕̙̞̈́̽́̓̄͘s̶̡̛̰̜̜̰̭͆̌̎͘͘
T̶̖̜̲̼̙̺̓͗̂̃͆̋ḩ̷̡͓̲͎̗̌̑͊̃̐̕e̸͕̳̮̮̜̙͗̆̐̈͆̚y̷̛̩͓͇̫͍̘̍̾́̊̕'̸̟̣̬̬̮̀̔̀̓̽̚͜ṙ̷̛̛̞͚͍͔̟̝̾̈͝e̴̱̥͎̯̖̓̒̄̆͊̆ͅ ̸̢̼̦͎̓͊̽̒͊̒͜ͅh̷̳̮̬͈͍͔̅̂̾͛͝͝ē̷̢̨͈͙̱̂̐͌̂̚͜r̷̢̨̛̪̥͙̅̑̎̿͜͝e̷͔͎͖̻̗̥̍̀͑̕͘͝
Ḱ̸̺͔̤̭̦̄͊̈́̕͘ͅi̷̘̘̗͈̼̦͂̈́͐̽̈́͠ĺ̷̨͔͙͈̠̳̃̈́̅̈́͝l̵̨͙̭̗͎͒̽̐͌͊͜͝ ̴̰̖͕̩̥̲͊̀͊̽͠͠t̵̬̹̜͎̯̫͗̋̀̊̕͠h̸̡̹̣̝͗̋̒̒́̕ͅͅȅ̷͍̬͔͇̫̣̂͐̓̀̽ṁ̵̢̧̩̖͖̒̓́̓̇ͅ
Ṙ̷͉͍̱̗͍̓͗̀͂͠ͅi̸̝̩̟̟̪͆̾̀̊̆̕ͅp̷̨̗̯̭͔̦̄́͛́̑̕ ̴̡̺̹͖̪̉͒͌̒̈͜͝a̶̰̺̦͕̪̥͒̆̋̇̓͘n̵̡̗͙̝͙͒̉̂̾̚͘͜d̴̡̢̮̘̬̰̈́̀́̆̓̃ ̶̭̰̝̤̭̮͛̋́̔̕͝t̶̗͔̻͉̥̥̾̀̉͑̄͝ë̶͕̯̳̠̺̝́̍͊̾̽͠ǎ̸̢̞̺̯̲̼̉́̈́̋͠ŕ̶̡̤̺͕̯̗̓̒̑̚͘
B̶̦͓̩̹̱̼͗̔̿̈̾̈́ų̴͕̼̺̻̖͋̓͐͋͑͘r̴̭̤͉̻̱͌̌͑̀̓͆͜n̸̡̳̫̩̦̼̓͊̈̽͗̓ḯ̶͇̖̱̰̤̮͌̈́̋͒͝ń̸̞͓͔͈̪͂̊̃̇͜͝f̶̢̯̜̤̗̀̈́͋̔̄̓g ̶̢̨̪̪̦̺̊̈́̉̏͝͝f̸͖͙͉͈̗̀̒̈́̓̀͘ͅl̸̻̼̯̠̮̙͂̉̇̍́͠ḛ̴̡̰̮̝̤̈́̆́̀̓̃s̶̗̱̮̬̥̲͆̽̎̍̊͐ḣ̸̨̤̖͇̮̙́̄͐̋̔,̷̜͚͚̦̲̫̈́͂̉͊͊͝ ̵̧̯͈̙̼̖̓̓̓͋͒́s̸̢͍͙͔͉͙̿͑͗͂͊̎ň̷͇̣̞̼͔̞̍͌͑̚͝a̴̛̛͇͖̻̳̣͕͊͂̿̈́p̷̘̺̼̭̟͙͋͋̏̃̀̄p̸̖̟̪̰̥͖̿̾̏̏̐́é̸͚̦̹̤̜̤̂̓̅͘͝d̶̡̠̲͕͎̄͆̒̔̀͋ͅ ̸̺̜͎̫̼͒̊̑̂̇̕͜b̷̮̘̺̘͈̗̓̅̑̑̾̍ō̴̧̰̞͕̦͚̊͌͆̇̕ṇ̵̟̲̺̳̃̎̀̌̆̋͜e̶̼̭̘̠̘͚͂̀́͒͂͗.̵̝̻͓͎̼̦̓̂̽͛̒̑ ̶̜̱̰̗̞̗͂̈́̅͐̀̕Ờ̷͔̹̦͇̺̿̐̑̀͜'̵̧̭̱͍͔̳̑̀̉͌͘̕ ̷͎̘̗͉͈͚͂̋̓͑̈́̕m̵̖̗͓̫̫̻̋́͛̇̆̌o̷͉̟̼͇̠̹͊̿̇̌̚͘t̷͓̻̣͖̠̝͋̆͗́͛̐h̴̨̡̲͓̳̽̓̈́̃͆͠ͅè̸̛̯̭̪͓̬̙̎̏̔̑ŕ̷̯͍̹̞̥̬̇̏͐̌͌-̶̡̧̱͎̥̜̏̆͛̈́̂̕
The figure drew his short sword before proceeding into the cave, he took a moment to inspect the natural layout before nodding to himself. the ground was rough but smooth enough to let him go all out without having to worry about tripping over. The walls and roof on the other hand were much rougher, he didn't need to worry about the walls due to his equipment and the roof was of no threat unless it collapsed on top of him.
ANYTHING'S A WEAPON! YOU NEED ONLY LEARN HOW TO USE IT FOOL!
The words of his old master played in his mind. Everything was a weapon. Even the mind. And those that didn't capitalize on it were usually the first to die. It was something the old Rhea had drilled into his skull with his relentless training. There was no such thing as honour in battle, only victory and defeat. Those who thought otherwise were fools…
The screaming had stopped. Either the goblin's got fed up of her crying and shut her mouth or she give up. Most likely the latter since Goblin's usually enjoyed listening to there victims crying while they raped them.
''I'm so sorry...''
It was faint. Just barely above a whisper but it was close. About thirty or so meters away judging by the delay between each time she said it.
I̷̢͕̥̝̘̒̂͌̒̽͘ͅg̵̭͚͓̜̭͓̋̈́͛̓͗͒n̷͎̪͇͙̦̔́̋̇͌͝ͅo̸̫̥͓̫̱̓̒̅̌̇́ͅr̷̢̗͕̦̘͐͗͗̀̓̐͜e̷̳͈̲͖̻͉̎̃͌̈́́͛ ̶̖͉͍̪̥̍̇̃̄́͜͠i̶̡͇̯͖̦̤͗̀̌̆́͠ṫ̵͉̙̪̣͍̮̈́̊̊̌͠.̴̙̘̭̻͕͓͗̎̏̚̕͠
̵͖̪̗̼͈̹̃̃͋̌̎́S̷̼͈̭̺̬̜̆̐͋̂̂̈́l̷̖̥̞̹̬̪̒̈́͂͛̄̚a̶͙̠̩̯͉̦̅̍̐̀̂͝ÿ̶̮̦̤̤̩̻́́́̈́̑̅ ̶̨͚̹̞̞̄̂̀̊̿̕͜ẗ̷̛̝̜͚̫͈́̿̑̏͜͝h̶̛̦̲̳̪̳̬̑̑͂̎̉ĕ̶̺̩̳̮̺̩̇̈̀̈́͝m̸̨̞͓̤̭͈͊̾͊̊͛͝.̶̢̢̛̲͕͈̦̀̋̾̅͝
T̷̪͎̻̰̲̹̓̏̓̅̀͑ḁ̴͕̯̣̌͛̎̂̈́͋ͅͅi̸̺̰̳̺̼͈̓́̇͛̆̒n̵̫̝̩̯̝̲̆̅̀͆̒͛t̴̞̱͓͉͚̟̀̂̌̓͊͝e̴̦̰̥̺̤̐̿̃̌͛͜͝d̷̨̩̬͓̣̜͋̌́̓̇̑.̶̠̫̞̳͓̥̎͊̃̽̾̽ ̵͇̹̥̱̗̠̏͑͒̀̄́
T̷̡̢͉̳̥̜̏́̊̚̚̚h̴̨̛̥̹̟̪̙̆͑͗̔͒e̸̝̦̬̳̙̱̓̒̀̌̚̚ŷ̵̨̛̥͇̱͚̥͒̐̕͝ ̴̖̦͍̳͙̱̓̍̉͋͒̾ṃ̸͈̩̮̮̣̄̐̊̄̔̔u̶̡̳̮̘̭̰͒̅̄̀̊͘s̶̙̺͇͈͔̦͛̈́͒̏͒̈́t̴͈̮̱͍̻̰͌̂̓̈́̅̊ ̸̦͇̦̦̞̈́̅̑͋͛͘͜d̶͓̙̯̞̪̦̊̊͊̑͝͝i̶̢̡̙̜̟̬̐̒̎̍͐͝e̴̛̘̺̥̩̣̬̍̓̍͒͝.̵̤͕̬̺͍̠̈̄̅͂̍̈́
He ignored the voice and continued on at his normal pace. He readied his sword arm, prepared to rush in at a moments notice if an enemy scout was ahead. It was rare that goblins would let anyone escape there cave. They were stupid but smart enough to know they if a few weak ones left several stronger ones would come to rescue those left behind.
''Agh!''
There it was. They found the run away. Most likely two or three goblin's judging by the light laughter.
''S-stay away fr- Agh!''
So there was two run away's. The second was probably injured since she wasn't screaming. Most likely a fatal wound or she was poisoned. Either way she was probably going to die today.
More laughing. This time mocking laughter. And it was close, ten meters at most.
Yes there they are.
Two goblin's standing over one girl in torn up witch garbs and laughing at a girl in white and blue. Judging by the pungent smell in the air one of them pissed themselves. Probably the girl in white and blue. Goblin's very rarely stopped a task, only if they found something funny or they were attacked.
Ģ̶̯̪̪͖͚͗̀̊̐͘͝o̸̺͓̖̣͔̘̿̈̉̅̕͝b̵̨̩̘̮͓͙͋̀̉̍͠͝l̵̛͙̮͖̝̙̭̀͛́̀̀ȉ̸̧̧̦̮͉̝̌̑͊̎̚n̸̤̥͕̠̖̈́́̍͌́͠ͅs̷̛̟̭̮̳̱̪̈́̇̈́̾͆!̸̛͇͎̗̫̫̺̅͒̎̑͐
K̸͓̩̟̳͑̉̽̍̚̚͜ͅḯ̸͔͔̠̟͎̤͑̐͛̎͗l̵̺̱̣͔̲̤̔̂́̌͂͠l̴̙̞̱͚͈͈̄̏̀̂̄͘ ̴̨͙͔͔̖̋͗̍̐͋̓͜t̶̫͚̜̻̞́̿̉̊̏͜͝ĥ̸̡̟̹̘͚̫̀̅̈́̂̑e̶̥̲͙͈͈͎͆͊̈́̎̀̄m̸̢͇̹͇̪̆̐͌͋͆͠ͅ!̴̡̛̺̲̬̭͛̓́̋̓͜
Still. It was time he made himself known.
The armoured figure set his next foot down harder than usual, catching the attention of the two laughing goblin's prompting them to stop and turn to see him. To the girl he was an outline of armour and a single vengeful eye behind a helmet. To the goblins on the other hand…
He was a demon. A reaper with the scythe ready to reap. But they would only know this the moment before death.
The first goblin readied it's bow and let an arrow lose towards the armoured figure. Without so much as a waste of muscle movement he cut the arrow out of the air in the blink of an eye, the spark momentarily illuminating the sword.
His next step crushed the arrow under his boot, something that angered the second goblin as it sprang towards him with it's poison coated dagger in hand. Closing the gap in a few second and with a leap the goblin launched itself towards the armoured figure. Seeing the approaching danger the armoured figure raised his torch arm exposing a shield that momentarily caught the goblin off guard forcing it to change it's stance mid air to latch unto the shield.
Just as predicted.
The goblin landed on the shield and with the flash of victory on it's ghoulish face it brought the knife down between the joint that separated the shoulder and the head. Confusion quickly washed over the goblin as the knife came to a stop with a dull thunk. A feeling of dread overcame the goblin as it looked into the figure's helmet only to see a single red eye staring back at him.
Without time to react the goblin was thrown against the wall by the figure who pinned it against the wall causing it to cry out as the jagged rock cut up it's exposed skin and flesh. Removing the shield from the goblin the figure watched as it slide down the wall leaving a train of blood and cut up flesh. A moment he savoured before pushing his torch into the goblin's face, burning it's left eye shut.
The goblin's cry of pain was cut off before it could even escape it's throat by the shield smashing against it's face, shattering bone and splattering brain matter and blood over the cave walls.
''One.''
Turning his gaze to the next green fiend he watched it stumble backwards before trying to run away to alert the rest that an actual threat was here.
It didn't get very far.
The girl in white and blue proved to be useful, using her staff to block the goblin's way forcing it to stumble to a stop.
Perfect.
Rearing his sword arm back and taking a second to aim the figure threw his sword on the still target. Striking true he watched the sword blade bury itself into the goblin's skull coating the sword in blood. The goblin bobbed back a forth, trying to cling to life before the wound got the better of it and it fell forwards with a dull thud.
Wordlessly he walked up to the dead goblin and with a twist of the blade pulled the sword out of the goblin's skull with a wet crunch as it tore through bone.
''That's two.''
Giving the goblin a quick shape to make sure it was dead he nodded to himself and prepared to set off deeper into the gave.
''Wh-''
He turned to the sound and looked down at the girl causing her to freeze and her words to die in her throat. He looked her over once, she was a newbie. Most likely this was her first quest. She shared a fate all to common for new adventurers, they would go out ill prepared for Goblin's and they would be butchered, the males cut to bits and eaten and the girls used as playthings and to give birth to more of them.
She was lucky, only a minor injury and in need of new underwear. The girl with her on the other hand was a lost cause. She was losing blood fast and the poison had probably already made it's way to her heart, she was dying slowly and painfully. It was best to put her out of her misery.
''Who are you?'' She was still scared. Her words were just above a whisper as she spoke them. Looking back at the girl she flinched and hunched her back, as if ready to be struck.
''Goblin slayer.'' The now named goblin slayer says before turning his attention back to the dying girl. Following his gaze the girl gasped in shock before trying to crawl over to the crying girls side, she failed. The arrow lodged in her shoulder causing her to cry out and fall over.
''Give up on her.'' Goblin slayer says coldly while fishing into his supply pack. He ignored the girl's wide eyed gaze as he pulled out a healing potion. ''She's been poisoned.'' Goblin slayer continued, not looking the dying girl in the eyes as he handed over the healing potion to the girl in white and blue.
''N-no...Please give it to her!'' The girl begged. He said nothing and grabbed onto the arrow shaft stuck in her shoulder, he only give her a moments warning before pulling it out causing her to cry in agony and drop to her side. ''Please…''
''Drink it.'' Goblin slayer instructs while handing the potion to the girl. When she took it he directed his gaze to the dying girl on the ground. He looked her over one last time and came to the same conclusion. She was as good as dead. He just needed to speed up the progress to reduce the suffering.
''K...Kill...me...'' Hm, that was unexpected. Most people, even when in agony, feared death. It looked like she was disciplined to a degree and knew what was going to happen.
''Very well.'' Goblin slayer says while pulling the dagger out of the padding between his shoulder plate and his helmet. Without so much as a word and ignoring the girl in white and blue's plea to stop he pushed the blade through the dying girls neck, being sure to cut through the nerves in the spine to remove the feeling from her body.
A gurgle escaped her throat and a flash of regret entered her eyes. He offered no comforting words, only twisting the blade and severing the spine, internally decapitating the girl ending her life in the blink of an eye.
''W...Why!? We could have saved her!'' The girl in white and blue shouts, her eyes burning with regret and tears.
Ṃ̵̧̯̠̝̫̀̾́̅̌̿ŭ̵̢͇̮͖͕̮͆͌̋̓͋ř̸̤͙̗̺̰͓̊͊́̋́d̸͎̤̥̰̮̻̈́̏̀̏͒͝e̴͓̠̖̖̓͛́̍̚͜͠ͅř̸̛̘͎̘̱̮̹̿̀͂͘ȩ̵̬̺̹̗͖̍̾͊̽͂̾ṙ̸̨̬̣̱̺̉̀͆͛͝ͅ
''Mercy.'' Goblin slayer counters the voice and the girl. ''She was suffering. If we kept her alive we would have prolonged her suffering. There's nothing we could have done for her.'' Goblin slayer finishes while pulling the knife out of the dead girls throat. ''You might have been able to save her if you give her an antidote potion when she was poisoned.''
''Oh...''
''Don't think heavily on it. You're just a rookie. It happens.'' Goblin slayer says while standing up. Offering the girl a hand he pulls her up when she takes it.
''You're a silver?'' The girl sounded confused as Goblin slayer helped her up. He nodded as he tucked the dagger between his belt and armour. It would find it's use eventually.
''Was there a big one?'' Goblin slayer asks. The girl nodded confirming his suspicion that a hob goblin was here. It wasn't uncommon for shaman's to have a hob goblin as a body guard to act as a meat shield while the shaman cast his spells from a safe distance. ''Most likely a wanderer.'' Goblin slayer comments to himself while walking further into the cave.
Ṭ̸̞͎̻͇̠̓́͌̅̏͗ḁ̵̲̤̖̣̣͊͂̃̀̽͘k̸̨͖̯͖͖̼͒̀̀́͘̕e̴̠̳̠͎̺̪̅̓̍̆̕͝ ̷̢̬͖̮̰̺̊́̍͑͝͝h̵͚͍̝̣͚̓́̾̈́͠͝ͅe̴̢̻͖̖̻͗͒̀̈͒̚ͅr̵̡̝̲͕͎̫̒̐̾͑̌̎.̴̺̹̥̥͇̳̈́̍͒̆͌͝
He paused and glanced back at the girl. She was performing a ritual of some sort, closing the dead girls eyes and praying over her body. He wasn't one for religion but it would be rude to interrupt. He waited until she finished and said. ''Are you coming?''
''W-what?'' The girl stutters out. ''O-oh...I...Yes, I'll help...'' He could see the look in her eyes, it was masked by sadness and tears but it was there. the small cinder of revenge.
''Follow my instructions exactly if you want to live.'' Goblin slayer instructs as he walks back to the dead goblin closest to them. ''You're a priest correct?''
''Priestess.'' The priestess corrects before coughing into her hand a shade of red coming to her face at the pointless correction. ''Y-yes I am.''
''How many miracle do you have left?'' Goblin slayer gets straight to the point, already formulating a plan in his head.
''I have three all together...So I have two left.'' Priestess says.
''What kind?'' Goblin slayer pegs.
''I have the miracles of holy light and minor healing.'' Priestess answers.
''Alright. We'll only need holy light, don't bother with minor heal.'' Goblin slayer says before pulling the dagger from it's spot between his armour and belt and uses it to stab into the goblin's rib cage before dragging it down exposing the guts.
He paid no mind to the Priestess gagging at the smell. She would come accustomed to it soon enough.
''W-what are you doing?'' The priestess manages, covering her nose and mouth with her free hand.
''Goblin's have an excellent sense of smell.'' Goblin slayer explains while pulling a rag out of his supply pack. Wordlessly he pushed the rag into the Goblin's opened insides and moved it around, again ignoring the sound of the priestess gagging at the grotesque sight. With the rag now covered in a mix of blood and goblin juices he stood up and turned to the Priestess.
''We need to mask your scent.'' Goblin slayer says making the girl's face to pale. ''Goblin's have an excellent sense of smell. Especially when it comes to girls who have wet themselves.'' The girls face turned red and she shifted uncomfortably while looking away. ''Now stand still.''
The process of covering the girl didn't take long. She fidgeted and threatened to throw up a few times but other than that the smell clung well to her clothing and masked the smell of her piss well enough that goblin's wouldn't notice it unless they were a few feet away. ''Breath through your nose, you'll get used to the smell that way.'' Collecting the knife and putting it back in it's temporary spot he gestured for the girl to follow him.
They didn't get far before coming to a stop, the familiar sound of light footsteps entering Goblin slayers ears prompting him to turn his torch to the left to see a small pair of feet just within his eye sight three meters away. Reacting quickly before the goblin could scream for help he threw his sword and watched it land true right into the goblin's throat causing it to gurgle on it's own blood as it fell over and died.
''Three.''
Astonished by the action the priestess asked if Goblin slayer could see in the dark. ''Hardly. I've just practiced to aim for where the neck or head is.'' Goblin slayer replies before heading on.
''Aren't you going to take your sword?'' The priestess asks, inching towards the body to pull it out herself.
''No, it's useless now. It's covered In fat and blood and the blades most likely dulled. It'll take to much hassle to cut through goblin's with it.'' Goblin slayer replies, cancelling the Priestess' little mission to make herself useful. Instead he took the goblin's spear and nodded. It would do as a replacement.
Looking into the large room the scout came from Goblin slayer's eyes landed on the remains of someone. The warrior of the priestess' party. He was all but broken bones and paste from the heavy beaten. Looking to the warriors side he spotted the sword the warrior used.
T̵̢̠̞̮͔̖̊̒̔͑̄͝o̷̤̳̞̞̱͈̔̊̓̔̕͘ ̷̫̞͓̱͓͉͂͐̅͒̐͝l̵̠̬̤̠͓̬̓̎̊͐̈͝o̵̲͈̼̤͉͖͛͒̅͐͠͝n̷͎̫̦͔͕̺̆͋͊́͌̚g̸̢̳̘̻͇̫͛̿̂̌͒͘.̷͚͙̞͎̟̪̍̃͘͘͝͠
''To long to use in a cave.'' Goblin slayer comments while picking the sword off the ground, he inspected the blade, it was of fine make but had a few nicks in it, the edge was dulled as well and near the tip the blade was slightly bent. Glancing up Goblin slayer put two and two together.
Despite the disadvantage the kid managed to take six with him.
Hearing the sound of something wet hitting the ground behind him Goblin slayer didn't look back as he said. ''Did you have another member of your party?''
''Hmn-hm.'' The priestess hummed out, not having the strength to speak as she wept over the loss of her party member.
''Since they were dragged in I'm guessing it was a girl?'' Another hum like the last come from the Priestess. ''I see.'' Goblin slayer says before moving forwards again while sheathing the new sword. ''I have to show you something.''
Twenty seconds of backtracking and Goblin slayer illuminated the area for Priestess to see. She gasped seeing a second tunnel connecting to the main one. ''B-but how…?''
''A common mistake for beginners.'' Goblin slayer states. ''You most likely walked past it because of that.'' Goblin slayer explains while pointing at the shaman totem sticking out of the ground. The same one that grabbed the priestess' parties attention. ''The human mind is complex but it will still fall for basic tricks like this. They use the totem to grab the attention of people venturing into there nest and then ambush them using the second passage.''
''So from the very beginning...'' Priestess whispers quietly but her words died, failing to come out when she realized how hopeless it had been from the start.
''Yes. The moment you walked into this nest your parties fate was sealed.'' Goblin slayer says, no amount of empathy in his voice as he laid it out to her. ''Goblins are stupid but they're no fools. You must always remember this when facing even one of them.''
''W-what do you mean?'' Priestess asks.
''There's been cases where mid ranked adventurers have fallen to goblins. There cunning allowing them to overcome the adventurers overconfidence.'' Goblin slayer explains, his mind wander back to a few times where he's rescued steel and even a ruby ranked adventurer once form a goblins nest.
''I-I see...'' Priestess mummers quietly to herself. Shuddering at the thought that even high ranked adventurers could be defeated by goblins.
''Lets go, we're wasting time.'' Goblin slayer says before leading the way back into the cave. Not wanting to be left behind the Priestess follows closely behind him.
At the end of the large room Goblin slayer stopped and opened his supply pack, pulling out two stakes and some rope he starts setting up at trap at the chock point where the narrow pathway joined the large room.
''What's that for?'' Priestess asks.
''A trap.'' Goblin slayer replies quickly, giving the rope a pull he nodded at his handy work before standing up and stepping over it. ''Don't forget it's there. If you do you might die.''
Swallowing the lump in her throat the priestess quickly followed Goblin slayer through the narrow pathway, making sure not to trip over or make to much noise as she did. Eventually Goblin slayer came to a stop at the corner, looking inside he turned back to her and whispered. ''There nest is in here, stand at the entrance and chant holy light. I'll get there attention.''
Nodding Priestess does as she's told and walks around the corner with Goblin slayer stood to the side. ''O earth mother abounding in mercy, grant your sacred light to we who are lost in darkness!'' Priestess almost stopped when Goblin slayer slammed the spears shaft into the ground but she held it together and finished. ''Holy light!''
The divine light illuminated from her staff lit up the room. Priestess gasped at what was inside. Six goblins, one hob goblin and a shaman.
Four girls…
She was brought to her senses when Goblin slayer ran past her and into the room, wordlessly he looked over who was inside before his eyes landed on the surprised shaman, unlike the others his eyes were covered and so wasn't blinded like the rest. Acting quickly Goblin slayer slid to a stop and reared his arm back before throwing the spear at the shaman hitting it's chest and burying the spear inside it.
M̴͍̬̦̠̗͇̅̔͑̿͂͠ĭ̴͈̜͓͖̳̥̏̅̅̾̕s̷̡̤̩͕̱͇̏̄̑͑̉͠ş̶̹̗̬̰̳̍̈́̇̈̐͆e̵͚̜̜̙̲͙͗̀̏̒͘͝d̷̝̬̯̺̰̮̔̌̆́̉̿ ̶̗̝̬͇͇̣͌͌͗̌̊̍t̴̨̰̥͈̝̤́̊̓͂͆̈́ḩ̶͕͔̰̲̤̍̀̂̌͝͝e̸̢̲̝̘͖̳͛̊̃́͂͗ ̵̘͇̣̫̖̻̊̌̐̓̕͝h̴̳͚̗͍̥͖̋̍̓͑̄̀ē̶̢͈̙̲̻̳̿͑̏̆̕a̵͈̫̞̜̟̳̔̒̑̋͠͝r̸͈̣͍̲̱̪͗̍̋̓̕͠ẗ̸͉̮̠̠̤̣́̍́̀̐͠.̶̮͎̰͙͉̞̏̉̌̈́̈́
It wouldn't die but was busy looking in shock at the wound to cast a spell. Spinning around Goblin slayer runs back towards the nests exit. ''Run.'' Goblin slayer instructs as he speeds past the priestess prompting her to follow suit with the hob goblin hot on their heels.
The priestess looked back and almost cried out seeing the hob goblin was closing in on her, looking ahead she seen Goblin slayer making distance as well. Then her eyes widened when she seen Goblin slayer vault over something, it took a second but her mind registered that the trap was there. She'd forgotten!
At the last possible second she jumped over, the tip of her shoe brushed against the rope causing her to lose her balance, with a frightened cry she crashed into the ground.
''Use holy light!'' Goblin slayer instructed, readying the warriors sword for when the hob goblin reached them.
''O earth mother abounding in mercy, grant your sacred light to we who are lost in darkness! Holy light!'' Priestess rushed out. For a moment she thought the incantation might fail but that worry was banished when she had to close her eyes as the blinding light suddenly poured out of her staff, blinding the hob goblin.
The trap worked like a charm.
The now blind hob goblin misjudged the distance and jumped late causing it's leg to catch on the rope leading to it tripping over and slamming into the ground head first with it's skull cracking loudly against the cold unforgiving floor. Not wanting to risk it Goblin slayer moved in, in an instant and jammed the warriors sword into the hob goblin's skull, ensuring it was dead. Pulling the sword out he sheathed it.
Quickly going into his supply pack Goblin slayer pulled out a sealed glass capsule and emptied the contents on the twitching hob goblin corpse. The unfamiliar and pungent smell made the priestesses nose scrunch up, but thankfully it wasn't as bad as the goblins guts. Squeezing his foot under the hob goblin's corpse Goblin slayer lifted his leg and pushed the corpse down the narrow pathway, catching to goblins as the corpse rolled down to the bottom. When they eventually did Goblin slayer threw the torch down and watched as the gasoline caught fire igniting the body and the two goblins on fire.
''Twelve.''
''W-what was that?'' Priestess asks, looking down at the burning bodies.
''It's nick-named Medea's oil, but it's actually just gasoline.'' Goblin slayer explains while picking up the hob goblin's weapon. A makeshift axe made from a sturdy stick, rope and a sharp rock held together using some bones as supports.
''Won't the fire spread then?! What about the girls!'' Priestess demands, looking worriedly to the fire.
''No, it won't spread with only three bodies to feed it.'' Goblin slayer reassures, watching the entrance and waiting for them.
''T-then are we going in?''
''No need.'' Goblin slayer says before ducking down, avoiding a club aimed at his head from the darkness, counter attacking he used the axe to strike the goblin's chest, burying the axe in it's heart. The second one to attack shouted in surprised as it's leg caught on the rope mid jump leading to it hitting it's head on the ground with a loud 'conk'. The third moved in to attack Goblin slayer while his weapon was useless but was stopped by Goblin slayer using his shield as a weapon and slapping the goblin against the wall and caving in it's rib cage. Pulling his axe out of the dead goblin's chest he reared it back and threw it at the last attacking goblin lodging it into it's skull.
Looking to the last goblin he raised his boot and brought it down on the goblin's head crushing the head with a wet pop.
''Sixteen.''
''Goblin's always set traps for adventurers or those stupid enough to venture inside, but the one thing goblin's keep failing against is when people set traps for them. They never expect it.'' Goblin slayer explains to the dumbstruck priestess. Picking up a club made from wood Goblin slayer gestures for the priestess to follow him. ''Let's go, they're all dead.''
I̶̻̦̯̳̙͕̾̈́͒̐̽͠t̴̨̹͉̳̣̙́͌̉̂͒̕'̷̡̨̦̙̲̘̋̔͛̈́́͝s̸͈͖͍̙̜̭̅̀͒̍̓̈́ ̵̨̡̱͉̘̑́͑̏̒͂ͅạ̴̢̧͍̝͙̉̈́̄̕͝l̸̳̘͙̗̣̀͋̑̈́̆̅ͅị̸̢̱̬̪̗̏͂̿̒̔̚v̵̨̛̺̠͈̱̭͋̅́̎͆e̵̛͕̩̯͚̪͖͑̌̈́̈́̓.̸̰̳̼̼̤̥̈̈́̔͆͒͝
Walking past the charred corpses Goblin slayer did a quick one over of the nest, making sure there was no goblin's hiding in a corner who was waiting in ambush for him to let his guard down. There was none. Only the four girls in the nest.
That wasn't entirely true.
Walking up to the 'dead' shaman Goblin slayer looked down at the corpse and watched it's eye move and inch. ''As I thought.'' Goblin slayer says prompting the shaman to spring into action, intending to use it's claws to slash at his eyes through the gaps in his face guard.
He was faster.
He moved back, allowing the claws to harmlessly cut through the air in front of him before he counter attacked, bringing the club down on the shaman's head splitting it open like a coconut splash blood and brain matter on the nearby walls and Goblin slayers armour.
''Seventeen.''
He glanced back to see Priestess picking up one of the girls, although she was covered in filth she didn't care as she pulled the traumatized girl close and whispered into her ear while rocking her back and forth. A meaningful gesture but one that would ultimately mean nothing. It was rare that a girl used by goblins ever recovered.
''The higher level ones are tough.'' Goblin slayer comments before using his foot and kicking down the chair made from bone exposing a crudely put together door. ''You're lucky.'' Goblin slayer says getting the attention of priestess.
''H-how?'' She asks, Goblin slayer said nothing, instead he opted to open the door exposing what lay inside.
C̶̫̩͙̟͓̀͗́̈̀̾͜h̴̨̜͔͓̣̻͋̉͋͒͘͝i̵̭̩̯̪̐̉̍͌̃͜͜͝l̴̨͔͈͓̦̹͋͛̊̃͌̈́d̵̼̦̥̰̻̯̈́͆̾̀̚͝r̵̡̧͙̱͚̱̈́̿͒̄́͝e̵̳̬͚̟̖̤͌͌̆̒͝͝n̶̛̝̭̬̩͖͂̋̎̾̒͜.̸̢̤͍̣̪̜͗̊̈́͑͆͘
K̸̨͉̟̲͉̣͊͋̀́͌̿i̵̗͕̖͍͚̮̿͑̈́̐̌́ļ̸͎͔̯̦͔̄̀̿̽̌͝l̵͇̘̼̫͕̰̈́̊͂̍̔́ ̴̘̬͔̼͍̽̿͗̏̓͐ͅt̷̫̙̗̰͈̎̊̇̈́̆̕ͅh̴͔͉̼̘̼̣͋̋̈́͑̎̐ẽ̶̢̞͈̭͖̞̿̾̔̌̿m̷͚̦͇̖̠̯͐̈́͊͑̾̀.̸̧̖͚͕͈̻͆̓̈́͛̕͝
T̵̢̪͚͎͖͉͂̓̎̓͒̀h̵͍̤̞̼͍̖̀͐̓̀̕͝ȩ̸̪͈̪̫͕͒̉̈̊̓͝ỳ̸̧̗͍̤̍̒̎̑́͜ͅ'̷̟̯̜̼͎̓͑͑̀͒̿͜l̷̡̧̪̰̬̯͋̎͋̈́͘͝ḽ̵̲̣̭͔̯͊͗̐̎͗̕ ̷̨̢̧͎͙͖̂͆͑̓̏̏m̶̧̲̗̤͖̟͂̽̔̈̓̾ū̸͉̭̹̠̘̟̓̾̊̚̕l̷̜͚̫̫̦̫̎̂̿̒̒̏t̸͙̙̮̮͈̙̿͋͑̽̃͘ỉ̵̡̛̞̟̺̙̹̄̈́̓͑p̴̻̩̩̼̖̞̌̈́͌̈́͘͝ḷ̸͖̪͕̜͖̾̆́̐͒͛y̶̹̣̙̻̲͛͐̏̇́̿ͅ.̷̗̻͔̩̖͕́̃̓͂̊̕
''Children.'' Goblin slayer says, looking down at the terrified goblin children. They looked no older than 5 days old. Unlike other races goblins grow up incredibly quickly, reaching maturity at the age of 10 days old. ''If you'd come a few days later there could have easily been fifty of them.''
Stepping inside Goblin slayer tightened his grip on the club.
''You'll kill them as well?'' Priestess asks, looking at the children with eyes full of pity.
''Of course I will.'' Goblin slayer replies while raising the club. ''If you let them live they're learn, they'll become wanders and join another nest and make it stronger. Maybe one will become a hob goblin.''
T̴̤̰͍̜̣̝̓́͌͒̿̈́ḫ̶̗̱̥̤̓̂͆̉͊́͜ę̷̱̗͕̮͈̋̇͂̃̚͝r̸̡͙͉͈͙͉͗̓̋̓̃͘e̵̩̫̻̫̤̾̆̄̑̋͆ͅ'̵̨̡̩̼͙̝̑̄̇͛̌͝s̸̛̠͔͙̗̭̹͗̈́͆̈́͘ ̶̢͉̤͇̲̉̍͌̈́͘̚͜n̷̨͕̯̳͖̜͐̋͑́͘͝o̵̱̼̩̯̜͚̽̃̈̾̌͘ ̶̧̛͔̠͇̣̥̿͊̋̊͝r̸͔̰͎͚̥̣͊́͗͑͋͝ë̴̙̯͖̥͚̐̀́̕͘͜a̸̢̛̠͇̪̝̓͑͋̃̆͜s̸̡͙̲̱͕͙̈́̒̇́̋͝ȏ̴̢̺̳͈̮̮̏̒̿͑̚ņ̶͔̪͖͖̣̈́̃͐͑̊͘ ̴̢̨͇̖͚̍̎̇̃̓̕͜t̶̨̛̹̰̹̮̦̋͌̉̓̆ǫ̸̧̬̩̟̠̇͐́͐̎̇ ̷̨̲͚̯̠̣́͋́̑̈́̚l̷͙͍̬̬̜̈́̾̋̅̔͑ͅe̵͓̭̟̮̩̋͆͌̃̄͘ͅṭ̸̨̜̼͚̫̆̏̐͗̈́ ̸̪̝͉̖̫̳̀̇̅͗̿̚ṱ̷̭̻͈̻̎͗̇̀̌̎ͅĥ̶̭̗̟͉̦̗̐̇̕͠͝e̸̛̺̫͇͎̱̮̍̀̅́̚m̶̛̲͖̞̝͉̲̈́̊̾͋̍ ̸̨̣̝̹͓̀̊͐̿̐͘ͅl̶̡̻͖̦͉̀̋́̔̄͑ͅi̷̩͚̺͍̲͎͑̽̈́̈́͠͝v̵̨͚̘̤̫͔͛̿̀̏̉̚ȩ̸̝͉͎͉̦̈̐͑̈́͐̕.̶̧̰̥̤̟̤͑̏̋͋̕͝
K̸͓̬̫̺̭̫͐́́̇̑̄i̷̤̳̲̼̭͒͛͒͂͗͘ͅl̸͓͙̥̱͇̭̂̈̈́̀͊̈́l̵̻͔̮͇̯̭̂̒̇̀̚͝ ̶̛̼͈̰̜̭̭͊̐̍̓́ţ̸̧̬͖͈͖̃͐̋̔͛͝h̷̡̝̯̟̲̀̌͗̂͋̒͜ḙ̶̠̖̠͎̞̂̊̊̊̐̌m̴̢̪̱̣̣̞̋̄̄̀̆̚.̷̢̧͈̪͚̣͒́̊̂̒͠
D̸̢̮̟̗̰͇̐̔̃̈́̆̓ë̸̦͔̲̻͕̈́̋͋̚̕͜s̴͍̥͓̮̖̝̈̏̃̓͛͝t̶̠͍̬̣̜̓̂͆̾͂̎ͅr̸̨̲̠͚̾̂́̅̄͘ͅͅo̴̦͍̹̲̮̙̽̏͐̿̆̕y̸̢̮͙̱͎͎̌͋̋͋͊͘ ̵̹̗̙̬̺͖̆̔̈́̕̕͝t̵̙̲͚͔̜̭̄͆̓̎̽̽h̷̢̤̹̼̩̹̄̿̂̿͘͠ȩ̴̮̹̠̺̝̏̂̎͊͂͘m̷̢͔͇͖̫͙̊͒̂͆͛̚.̵̻̠̤̦̰̇̈̏̓̾͜͝
Ě̶̡̮͓̫̪͓̽͊͌̉̕r̶͕̥̲̫̪̖̅̏̉̂́͆a̵̼͍̖̰͒̈́̀́̕̕͜͜d̵̮̮͓̼̞͙̃̀̔̈́͘͝i̷̱͓͙͈̤̠͌̇̎̀͘͝č̶͓̜̹̺͔̠̓̓̿͋̚a̵̖̞͓̪͉̍́̂͂͊͋ͅt̸͖̹̬͕̰̫̊͑̾̎̕͝é̸̡̙̦̥̞̪͐̈́̉̌̕ ̶̬̭̥̯̠͚͂̽̔̇͛͒t̶̳̻̖̟̼͂́̎͐́̕͜h̶̡̰͙͚͉̼̃́̓̏̄͝e̷̬̬͖̠̥͂́̈́̐͑̕ͅm̶̯̫̩͔̞̹̓͌́͋̂͝!̶̡̧̡̤̠̺̉̀̌͊̚͝
he brought the club down on the first, a loud wet crunch echoed in the cave as the goblin child's head caved in on itself, spraying blood and brain matter onto the others causing them to begin to sob and cry.
It was fake. A ploy yo make him let his guard down.
''W-what if there's a good goblin?'' Priestess asks, closing her eyes, not having the strength to watch as Goblin slayer brutally killed the children.
N̶̨͕͓̮̙̹͒́̊̽͋͗o̶̧̤̘̗͕͍͋̋̃̌͌̔ ̵̧̧̠̲͖̦͗̑̏̐͒͠g̴̡̱͖̮̯͖͛̿̋͑̍̕ő̵͖̤͚̙͙̞̄̇̃͑͝o̵̘͉̠̫͈̘͆͛̑͝͝͝d̵̢̼̪̙̙̱̀͒̈́̈́͂͒ ̶̥͔̲̖̎̌͛̓̆͜͠ͅg̸̼̼̝̮͉̩͗̓́̅͂́ỏ̴̺̲̩̗̥̹͋̄͑̃̅b̶̢̫̺̱̣̦͌͂̅̎͘͘ḻ̶̼̮͉͔̘̂̌͌̈́̑͐į̶̙̠̜͎̭́̍̊̕͝͠ṅ̷͙̘͚̪͙̒̈̔̽̑͜
Ơ̵̧̹̗̭̳̽̍̀̍͝ͅn̸̡̛̻̫̻̭̤̈̎̀̍̓ļ̸͖̭̞͖̓̐̿́͐̚͜y̸͓̝̪͕̥̫̒̍̋̌̓̑ ̷̢͖̠͉̞̥͌̄̂̐̍̿g̶̢̨͍̲͙͎̓̾̎͗͛̚ò̵̼̩͉̦͓̻̉͌̔͑̂o̶̳̠̣̰̙̐͋͛̑̈́ͅd̵̝̯̮̥̼͋͛̇̇̾́ͅ ̷̧̝͎͔̙͔́̋͋̃͘͝g̸̢͓̤͔̥̪̈́͛͒̎̀̀o̶̧̻̪̘̠̪͗͐̈́̊̀͝b̵̬͔̪͚̦̿̇͌̉́̕ͅl̷̝̖̻̳̲͑̂̎́̕̚ͅi̷͚͇̣͉̰͍̎͗͂̒̈́͊ņ̸̛̱̼̫̗̯̄̏̎̈́͝ ̵̬̻̤̝͉̖̿̈́̑̑̏͂ỉ̶͖̯̜̲͇̊̿̃̑͜͠s̴̢̪̰̱̠͔̃͑̏̎̄͝ ̸͎͔̖̪̤͎̇͂̒͂̍͝ã̴̦̥̪̜͍̻̈́̂̍͛̕ ̵̨̖͔̜̰͖̈́͑̔͒̅͘d̷̢͖̥̯̤͎̈́̈̑̆̄̓ę̸̠̤͓͕̲́̍̎̆̍͊à̵̧͙̮͍͖͔̓̅͒͐͆ḏ̷̡̯̹̖̮́̑͋̎͗̚ ̷̝̹̠̺̜̄̾͛̅͊͜͝g̶̞͙͍̜̠̗̓̿̍̇̋̂ȯ̸̯̠̥͈̟̞̈́̊̓̈́̚b̵̛̫̝͍̪̟̜̊̃̋͆͝l̷͎̮̠̫̪̉͌̆̉̕͘ͅi̸̡̢̭̝̦̪͒̆̈́̽̀̄ñ̶͎̬̳̰͖͋͐̐͒̆͜.̵̨̧͈͚͇̅̐͋̈̄͝ͅ
''You might find one if you try hard enough.'' Goblin slayer says while bringing the club down on another child's head with a wet pop following after.
''But to me...'' Another, killed in the blink of an eye and the stroke of an arm. ''The only good goblin is a dead one.'' the last swing, killing the crying goblin as it leap at him in a last attempt to save itself.
''That's twenty one...''
He walked out of the small room and came to a stop in front of the priestess.
He waited for her to stop sobbing before speaking. ''Go to the nearby village and tell them to bring a cart for the survivors.'' Goblin slayer instructs. She slowly nodded while wiping the tears from her eyes, softly putting the traumatized party member down she muttered a quick apology as she pulled herself away from the girls grip before quickly marching out of the nest to get help.
A peaceful moment of silence past before a light footstep alerted Goblin slayer to something.
''Twenty two.'' Goblin slayer says before throwing the club in his hand behind him, striking the last goblin in the head as it tried to sneak up on him.
/NHE/
It's an all to common story…
A village is attacked by Goblins. Some maidens are kidnapped...
Some newbie adventurers decide they're going to get rid of those goblins for there first quest...
But the goblins prove to much, and the whole party is slaughtered…
Or maybe one makes it out and saves the girls too…
During their captivity those girls were forced to serve the goblins needs, and in despair they enter the temple.
That last surviving adventurer slowly slips away from the world and never leaves home again.
There's nothing exceptional about this story…
Ỉ̸̠̮̳̬͈̭͛̃̒̎͆t̸̢͕͓͖͉͊̇͐̈́̇̌͜ ̷͇̹̝̦͔̥͋̃̂̀̄͘h̸͓̯̦̭̣̜̎̍͛̾͆͗â̸̡̟͓̻̫̟̊͊́̒̆p̸̧̛͍͚̻͕͎̂̈̚͘͠ṗ̵̡̧̤͖̙͎̎̋̈͝͠e̸̢̮̳̮̩̱̅͆̔́̈́͘ņ̷͓̻͚̝̬̑͌̆͆̿̈́s̶̡͎͔̹̖̤̄̾̋̆̚͠ ̶͍̲̻̲̞̩͛̾̿̈̉̚á̸̧͓̱͚̞͇͊́̉͗̌l̴̫̼̜̰͇͌̈́͑̈́̋͜͠ļ̸̛̫̘̼͔̳̄͋̄̾̃ ̴̨̭͓̙̼̞̃̀͂̂͛͌t̸̢͇͙̤̙̐̍̑̄̕͜͠ḥ̶̣̪̪͙͓͋̏̍̐̇̏e̸̪͔̠̙̜͒̋͋̽̎͜͝ ̵̳̻̱̘̥͇̉̋̈́̌͗͂t̶͇͇̦̲̺͖̓͐̒́̾͘į̸̺̬̰̱͙̂̃̈͆͗͘m̸̰̼͈̗̜͖̀́͑̀̔́e̶̢͎̻̯̣̜͂́́̅̐͠.̷̠̫͕̲̮͙̋̌̾̄̕͝
I̸̺̥̲̺̺͓̅̂̇̃͠͠ș̵̳̱̫̬̯̓̐̌̅̃͝n̴̲͎̭̻̗̐̔̐̀̽͜͝'̷̨͔̮̜̝̦͒̏͑́̚̚ẗ̷̨̬̫͇͙̣͗̀͑̈͝ ̴̧̩͓͓̫̫̌͑͗̃͆͂t̸̻̤͙̝̩̙̂̒̀̈́̓͝h̸̰̠̻̘͖̥̎̎̆̈́̊̚ḁ̵̜̩̪͍͂͋̓̾̈́̂ͅţ̸̥̲̙̙͓̿̃̈́̒͝͠ ̷̠͔̲̅̈́̀͛̂͘͜ͅͅr̷̢̘̲̞͖̦̔̀̐͂̔͠i̸̧͖͔̘̥̗̔̽̅̈́̅͝ǧ̸̱̤̱͖̞͕͗̆̀̎͘h̸̨͕̠̥̮̼̊̌̎̓̆̚t̶̢̧̲̞͇͚̔̌͌͌̄̽ ̶̨͎̼͖̹̯̋͋̓͂̍̀S̶͕̟̰̦͈͐̓̈̀͑͜͠l̶̨͈̟͔̜̥̽̽͌̋̐̓ȃ̴̹̹̟͈̭̬̋͑̓̑͝ỹ̷̢͇͔͕͎̹̾̽̒̚͠e̶̲̲̫̫̙͊͊̓͒̆́͜ṙ̶̡̧̧̡̝̙̃̐̀͘͝?̷͕̯͖̱͚̌͆̆͒̿̕͜
''H-hello!'' Glancing back at Priestess, Goblin slayer looked down at her. ''U-um...I bought that armour that you told me to get. Chain mail.'' Priestess says, fidgeting slightly as she lifted up her new robes to show the steel chain mail underneath.
''Good.'' Goblin slayer answers before turning back to the guild girl to finish signing the contract.
''So um…'' Priestess starts as she waits for Goblin Slayer to finish his paper work. ''Are we slaying…?''
''Goblins.'' Goblin Slayer finishes for her as he slides the paper over to guild girl. ''Are you coming?'' Goblin slayer asks.
''Of course.'' Priestess returns with a smile.
''Good. Let's go.''
Well here this is.
This chapter's short since I didn't want to add the start in, it would just be a carbon copy since nothing would change.
Chapter 2 will focus on backstory, specifically on the voice in Goblin Slayers head and how it came to be and what it is.
Till next time.