Hello people, and welcome back to Goblin Slayer: The Team. Now...I re-watched the 3rd episode and...boy was I underwhelmed; on one hand, not alot happens, so I had to flesh this one out alot, but on the other, it means I can go through this quicker, so...sit back and enjoy this breadcrumb of a chapter.
Review response: If the Supreme God is a woman, then the most braindead obvious way to make that clear is to call her the Supreme Goddess, so...wtf? As for my writing style...yeah you do have a point with some of the paragraphs being too damn big; I do admit I got carried away, both with the size and how they were handled, and this chapter is going to focus on a specific day, and mention what was going on in detail, so that's no longer as issue. Like I said at the start, this is my 1st writing so expecting perfection is unreasonable, and although I'm a tad disappointed in myself for making that error in the 1st place...I'm a grown man and I've given depression, or at least melancholy, a giant middle finger more than once; I can handle this. But in of a few, but not all of my mistakes, some are accidental, like my grammar being flawed on occasion, which I DO go over and correct every now and then in case anyone didn't notice, but me simply saying what they do without giving examples? Well, it's obviously not perfect, but if I don't have any examples, I by default can't put it down. All that being said, my #1 hope aside from patching a hole in the audience's heart that that ungodly 1st episode left, is that people realize that I give more than 1 damn about my work, and that they know I do appreciate the support, ideas, etc, as long as it's civilized of course. Now...as for Ranger saving the girls and explaining why? Well, all I can say is: can you smell the character development?
Minor spoiler/warning: Things are going to get "steamy" in this chapter, and it's getting the same treatment as the rest of the romantic content, so if you're not fond of that kind of thing for whatever reason, then you might want to skip this chapter, or at least the 5th scene...
Just after dawn, Ranger was roused from sleep, but after seeing what time it was, he swooshed a mouth-cleaning solution in his mouth, spat it out in a bucket, then went back to sleep. When he woke up about an hour later, he greeted by Fighter, his love and life, with her hair down, and on both knees next to his bed as if waiting for him to wake, then smiled brightly when he woke.
"Good morning handsome." She said softly
"Good morning love." Ranger said still a tad sleepy; yesterday's shenanigans took more than a bit out of him than he thought, but seeing her, and then getting a kiss from her woke him fully, then he wrapped both arms around her and deepened the kiss, then she pulled back a bit. and let him sit up, giving her another look at his sculpted torso. He wasn't just lean, he was getting bulkier too, and she was feeling a bit left out that he never saw her body without her robe on, even though she caught him looking her over apparently trying to imagine what she'd look like nude. All those thoughts, and the sight of his torso, turned her passion into hunger and she kissed him again, and this time with vigor instead of softness, and apparently she wasn't the only one aroused, because Ranger then stuck his tongue into her mouth with she then started lashing with her own tongue with a small moan. They then pulled back and came together about 2 or 3 times before their hunger was stated and Ranger came back down to Earth first.
"As...breathtaking as that was..." Ranger said groggily "We do have a special day ahead of us." Fighter then nodded; she knew what he meant
That "special day" turned out to be Wizard's birthday; she was turning 17, and as fortune would have it, a dwarven caravan arrived last night, and that morning, they began hawking goods of all kinds, from exotic cuisine, to materials, to trinkets, to fabrics, to weapons and armor. The team made a quick stop at the tavern to see if any quest struck their fancy, but none did, although not slaying goblins on Wizard's birthday was a blessing in disguise, if you could call it a "disguise". Guild Girl then wished Wizard a happy birthday as the team left, then Ranger and Warrior left the girls to do some shopping, which involved Fighter getting a new outfit for herself: a light brown robe and belt, with dark grey pants, both of which were less baggy, but were easier to put on, especially the robe which could be opened from the front. Her 2 other girl friends approved as well, and she silently hoped Ranger would as well; she noticed her new outfit emphasized her figure a bit more without revealing any skin, although she did keep the scarf. replaced her boots with a set of smaller shoes and noticed a set of metal leg guards with some sort of slots on them, when she asked about them, and she was told that the slots were for a set of retractable blades, which she wanted right away; on her 1st quest she nearly had her foot crushed by a hob, but if she had these, then the hob probably would've crippled it's own hand.
Priestess didn't want any new clothes, but instead on her hands on some fingerless gloves, and a bag of apples for Ranger's horse; she noticed they were running low, then she told the 2 other girls that she'd be right back, then went to the temple to check on the girls they saved. They all looked like hell, but like Ranger said, there was hope they would recover. She even saw one of the girls shuffle over to a shrine, put her hands together and pray. Priestess then left the building before her emotions got the best of her; she was praying for them non-stop since that mission, but this was too much to see, especially since this was Wizard's birthday and the last thing she wanted was for them to worry about her on what was supposed to be a special day.
Wizard's case was the best case saved for last; she got some earrings, a necklace, a bag of some of the foods being sold, enough for the whole team if shared right, asked for a few patterns to be painted on her hat, which made it resemble Witch's hat, only smaller, and with some subtle differences, she also got a new black cloak with a yellow rim, and a bright red and purple dress, with some green specks all over the front, which wowed the entire group when they went home to see it on her put it all on. She then put some enchantments on the earrings to make them help keep her mind clear, her necklace to make breathing easier, which speaks for itself and her staff was left the way it was; it wasn't just her weapon, it was her graduation gift from the academy, and she didn't know how to make it any better past it's sentimentality, but maybe Ranger could help her figure it out, now that she thought about it. The entire trip cost them a roughly a quarter to a third of their funds, but it was well worth it, and Wizard promised to continue to make it worth it in the future.
Meanwhile, the 2 guys went the blacksmith to get Warrior and one-handed warhammer, and swap out his longsword and short sword for a single hand-and-a-half sword to get rid of the redundancy; hand-and-a-half swords could be used like either type of sword, for the price of 1, hence the name. They also added some plating to the shoulders to make a heart stab more difficult, and planned to ask Wizard to make it more flexible after her birthday; they didn't want to put pressure on her birthday. Warrior even got himself a helmet that left the nose and mouth open, but not the cheeks, and left enough room for the eyes to not cut off his side vision, was was vital in goblin fights, it also had chailmail that covered his neck, and of course, he thought it looked badass. Ranger took a look at the crossbows, but they each had to be cranked back with a winch which was out of the question; Ranger's crossbow was designed to be simple, but easy to load and fire at the cost of a shorter reach and damage, but that didn't matter if you have alot of targets and knew how to shoot right, and crossbows hit hard enough as it was. He also replaced his twin swords with a pair of what looked to be a pair of xiphos/scimitar hybrids, as they could not only swing better, but also thrust, chop and slice better than what he had, even though they were a bit shorter.
The 2 then went to the training grounds to test Warrior's new hammer and sword on some straw dummies, and it got stuck a few times but they could sharpen/harden it later. Warrior even unscrewed the pommel and threw it at the mat as a gag.
"Really?" Ranger deadpanned which made Warrior bust his sides laughing
"Sorry boss, I couldn't resist." Warrior said as he screwed the pommel back on. Ranger then had Warrior throw the hammer a few times, as well as train his shield bash with both the flat side, and the edge. He even tried dual-wielding the hammer and sword in both hands, going back-and-forth between which hand has which weapon. "So, any idea what the girls are doing?"
"My guess?" Ranger said "Getting some new outfits to try on, seeing the sights, or...just sharing some stories, or any mix of the 3."
"Makes sense." Warrior said "And I can see that you and Fighter are doing well, but don't worry, the last thing I'd do is judge you." He then takes a moment to let things sink in "She practically worships you, you know."
"And I her." Ranger whispered
"Now, normally I'd tell you that I'd tear you a new one if you broke her heart, but heh, if you love her half as much as she loves you, that's not necessary." Warrior said "Besides, we both know how I'd fair if I fought you to the death. Heaven forbid it comes to that by the way."
"Don't sell yourself too short my good sir." Ranger said "Need I remind you that you've beaten me a few times during our matches, even though I'm wearing lamellar armor, which is superior to what you have?"
"No..." Warrior said "You do not." The 2 gave Warrior some more crossbow practice before heading home
When they arrived, they were greeted by Wizard leaving her room, and Warrior's jaw dropped seeing her new look
"Wow..." Warrior whispered
"You look like a completely different person." Ranger said equally as surprised by more controlled; he could only give Fighter a reaction as strong as Warrior's just was, little did she know...
"You're both sweet." Wizard said clearly in a good mood "We also bought some new foods to celebrate not only my birthday, but our recent successes. Ladies?" the other 2 came out of her room, Fighter still wearing her old outfit to keep her new one a secret...for now, and set the table for the team as Wizard noted the guys' new gear "You look nice as well."
"Thanks! Hey! She was talking to me! No, she was talking to me!" The 2 said at the same time which made the girls laugh at the guys' antics before they all sat down with Wizard in the middle for once; since it was her birthday, Ranger made her the leader for a minute, which she was a once-in-a-lifetime chance she was definitely not going to waste.
"This was, without a single doubt, the best birthday I've ever had, and I have all of you to thank for it." Wizard said "I've been thinking about putting some enchantments on the cart itself, and maybe even what your horse has boss, but until now, I never knew what I'd do with them. But the 1st thing I'm going to do tomorrow morning is go over the options and let you pick which one I use boss." Ranger nodded in agreement "Now, dig in." The team then tried each dish, some were good, some were awful, others were unusual, some even appealed to some members of the team, but not the others, so they got the entire dish to themselves. When they were done, they cleaned up and each went to their rooms for the night.
(5th scene right here...)
Later on, Ranger dropped off his armor, cloak and new swords, and went to see Fighter, saw her take out her new outfit...and change into it. Ranger's heart raced when she stripped; he could see that her muscles were larger, and probably denser thanks to the training and questing they've been doing, and even felt her muscles through her robe during some of their sparring, especially when they threw grappling into the mix, which was a whole new level of steamy in it's own right, but to actually see her semi-bare flesh was a treat and a half. She either didn't notice or didn't care that he was watching through her only-somewhat-closed door, but she made no attempt to hide what she was doing, and he drank in the entire scene. Her powerful muscles, her decently thick, yet creamy-looking skin, her ample breasts and round, supple buttocks both of which were hidden but still emphasized by her undergarments, and he probably knew how she felt when she caught him bare-chested earlier this morning, even though she didn't see him from the waist-down. Then she actually put her new robe, belt, and pants on and Ranger knew right away she must've thought this through when it came to showing her hypnotic figure; the outfit fit her like a glove, and then she innocently licked her luscious lips which aroused him even further, and when she went to look in the mirror, she called to him before she got to the mirror
"What do you think?" She said before Ranger walking in wearing his underclothes
"I answered that question after you showed me what you looked like with your hair down." Ranger teased
"You mean like this?" She said before yanking the band out of her hair and shaking her head, making her hair flail around
"With less majesty, but yes." Ranger said before approaching and touching her hair "Whenever I think you couldn't get any lovelier, I'm immediately proven wrong."
"I don't think I'll ever get tired of hearing that." Fighter whispered, the atmosphere was clearly getting to her "Am I correct in assuming you were watching me change?"
"Would you break my neck if I said "yes and you looked divine?" Ranger teased
"No...I would do this." Fighter said as she removed her belt and let her robe fall down "and ask you to touch me."
"Where?" Ranger asked
"Surprise me." Fighter said with a smile before closing her eyes trusting Ranger, only to feel her bra be undone, then his hands swallow each of her breasts whole, which she gasped at, then her gasp gave way to soft, pleasured moans as Ranger weighed and kneaded the 2 globes of soft, priceless flesh. "Ranger..." she whispered
"Would you like me to stop?" Ranger asked
"No,I...I want to see you too." Fighter said before Ranger pulled back a bit to remove his shirt, then Fighter examined his reflection, then turned to run her hands over his iron-hard abs, pecs and arms, then looked him in the face and pulled him into a kiss, which he returned, all-the-while softly growling when her soft breasts pressed into his hard chest. Then they took it up a notch by kissing multiple times in quick succession, taking full advantage of each other's vulnerability, and feeling the warmth of each other's breathe and bodies before Fighter kissed down his neck, started licking and sucking like a vampire, then moaned when Ranger gripped both her ass checks and gave them the same treatment as her breasts. Then she closed her door, pulled down her pants, and went back to Ranger, who backed up to her bed before she pushed him down and picked up where she left off on his neck, and he continued kneading her ass. Then he was on top of her kissing and licking up and down her neck, with her holding the back of his head the whole time, silently telling him to keep going, before he started licking her nipples which made her whole body tense up from the pleasure and she started gasping from it. "Ranger...remove your pants too..." Ranger couldn't say no despite his pride in making her feel this much pleasure, then he took off his pants, then looked over her body as she looked over his legs, which were as powerful as the rest of him, and his aroused manhood pressed up against his lower abdomen in his underpants, he then got back on the bed, while running one of his hand up her thigh, feeling how thick her skin was and how dense the muscles underneath were, then he flipped her over, and caressed her back and buttocks...again, then he massaged both her legs, all the while hearing her give off husky chuckles, then he flipped her over onto her front, then she reached up for him to come down and kiss her, which was quite possibly the most adorable thing he's ever seen, and he gladly went down to meet her parted lips with his own. He then felt her abs tense up as he caressed them as well while sucking her breasts again, then noticed that their underwear was all that needed to be removed, but he thought about it for a good 3 seconds.
"This is as far as we should go..." Ranger said as if pained
"What?" Fighter said also pained
"As much as my body is screaming at me to make love to you fully...we're not ready to be parents yet, not by a longshot." Ranger said which floored Fighter; she clearly hadn't considered that
"You're right..." Fighter said softly and seriously "We still have goblins to kill, people to save...and a life to build.
"And we will." Ranger said while touching her cheek "and we will so so together." He then gave her the sweetest kiss he could muster, then stood up to put his clothes back on, and even hung up her new outfit for her "The only hard part about his, is that eventually I'll have to clean myself again..."
"We could still do this more often." Fighter teased before Ranger looked at her with a spark of lust
"You damned succubus..." Ranger said huskily before marching over and pressing his lips to hers again, then he left without a word, after letting the heat between them die down
The next morning, Ranger woke up and the 1st thing that came to mind was the lingering feeling of Fighter's flesh rubbing against his own; he wondered how long it would linger, but there was no question about how much he'd treasure the memory itself, and the thought continued to bounce around inside his head as he dressed, put on his armor, cloak, and weapons, but then he took a moment to snuff out the lust in his mind with some minor meditation before heading out to meet the team. When he saw Fighter come out, she was wearing a low ponytail this time, and from the face-splitting smile she gave him, he could tell she treasured their passionate encounter as much as he did if not more.
"Good morning love." Fighter said huskily as she hugged him tightly
"Good morning to you love." Ranger said and he hugged her waist "What's with the ponytail?"
"I just...wanted to try it out." Fighter said "How do I look?"
"Fighter...you could shave your head and I'd still revere you." Ranger said seriously
"Good to know." Fighter said "Although...thick chance of me shaving my head."
"That is also good to know." Ranger said before kissing her "I love you."
"And I love you, boss." Fighter said before joining their teammates, who were outside watching Wizard enchant the cart to make it, and whatever it carried roughly 50% lighter, which of course put less strain on the horse, especially if they increased the load later on.
"Oh, hey boss." Wizard said as the 2 "lovebirds" came outside "Sorry I didn't wait, but this lightening enchantment was a no-brainer, but your horse is definitely going to need your attention." They then went over the different enchantments, all of which were pretty tempting, from horseshoes that made the horse move faster, to a bridle that let the horse regenerate on the off-chance it was hurt, to a saddle that made the horse stronger to add to he cart's ease of movement; the obvious answer was putting all of them on at once, but that would take too long, and they had to get to the tavern ASAP before someone else took a goblin slaying quest and they had to save them, or at least prevent the saving from being needed, so Ranger choose the speed-boosting horseshoes to get the quests done faster. Ranger then looked over the rest of the team's gear and noticed Priestess had a thick gold and ruby ring on her ring middle finger which enabled a healing factor so she didn't have to waste a miracle on herself, and give a teammate a chance to save her if she was incapacitated somehow, she also had a silver emerald necklace that let's her body and gear benefit from enchantments. Warrior's armor was already enchanted to be lighter and more flexible, but his hammer was given the same treatment which let him throw it further and faster, and his sword had that glorious self-maintenance enchantment.
While they were going over all that, Fighter was caressing the horse's face, much to it's approval. Ranger had taught the whole team how to handle a horse, but it took a special liking to Fighter, probably because it knew she was it's rider's mate. When Wizard was done with the enchanting, she went back inside to fetch her staff, on which she tried her new Transmute spell to turn the wood of the shaft into solid steel, which fit her new outfit perfectly. The spells in that book the old Abbot gave her were a pain in the ass to learn, but they were worth every second she spent learning them, even if she was isolated for most of her time studying them. When the team reached the tavern, they spotted a team of people they never saw before: one was an elf archer, another was an old dwarf, and the last was one of the fabled Lizardmen, but then they went to the front desk.
"Welcome back, team. How was-" Guild Girl shut up when she saw Fighter and Warrior "Nice gear you two." The 2 then stepped aside to reveal the new Wizard "Wizard?! Is that you?"
"In the living flesh." Wizard said as she noticed some others staring at her
"You must've had one good birthday." Guild Girl said "I'm happy for you."
"As pleasant as this is, we're looking for Goblin Slayer." Ranger said abit urgently
"Oh, he went upstairs with a 3-person team just before you showed up." Guild Girl said "If you wait, I'm sure he'll come down soon."
"Alright then." Ranger said as the team sat down at a table, then a pair of rookies showed up to talk to Ranger
"Hey Ranger?" the boy said "We would like some help with a quest."
"Normally we would, but we're waiting for someone to finish a meeting." Ranger said
"Yes, the brooding one who never removes his helmet." The girl with the boy said with irritation in her voice
"We know that, but there's something off about him." The boy said
"He's just focused on his life's goal, that is all." Ranger said
"But...he's a Silver Rank that only kills goblins, the weakest-" the boy said before Ranger cut him off
"And for good reason." he said losing his patience "They might be small and frail, but they're also sadistic beyond words."
"I've heard he drags Porcelain Ranks along to use as goblin bait!" the girl said disturbed
"That's the stinkiest load of donkey shit I've ever sniffed." Ranger snapped which made his whole team roar with laughter one by one, as well as a few other people who must've heard him.
"Now...now.." That Witch Ranger saw the other day said as she showed up behind the boy "You're not spreading rumors, are you?"
"We're just trying to warn them about him." The boy said
"How noble..." Witch said "You go on...I'll take it from here, o.k? Do forgive them. May I sit?"
"Of course." Ranger said simply. Warrior was taken with the Witch, probably because of her husky voice and speech pattern and the fact that her well-developed breasts were nearly spilling out of her dress, but Ranger himself...he nearly got his hands on Fighter's virginity after going through who-knows-how-much hell; he was set. Priestess was abit nervous around her, Wizard was interested in her because of her being a fellow magic-user, of a Silver Rank nonetheless, and Fighter sat there impressed and relieved that hers was the only body Ranger was interested in.
"Now...I hear the 5 of you are with the helmed one." Witch noted as she crossed her legs
"We are indeed." Ranger said simply "Although we do things ourselves as well."
"Such as?" Witch said
"We took an investigation quest, which my Wizard friend got a Gold Ranked adventurer's spellbook from, we went to wipe out some goblins in a cabin which was purged by a Revenant, and most recently, we helped Goblin Slayer destroy a whole fort full of goblins." Ranger said "Normally I would've suggested we clear it out and let it be put to use later, but there must've been hundreds in there, and who knows if the cycle would repeat."
"And...between all of us." Warrior said nervously, but hen perked up "It was pretty fun to watch it burn down."
"I'll bet." Witch said as she noticed him and Priestess staring at her chest "You're imagining something naughty are you?"
"Uh, no ma'am! Not at all!" Warrior said as the 2 snapped back to how they were which Witch chuckled at
"Now, this spellbook I heard about." Witch said as she turned to Wizard, taking in her new look "What did you learn so far?"
"Well, there's a fire spell I knew beforehand." Wizard started "Then there's Reflect, Transmute, Heal, Repair, and Life Sight, all of which I have yet to perfect, but I'm working on them. I also know how to charge my fire spell, and even enchant things by heart."
"Enchanting is a rare and incredibly useful ability." Witch said "I can also feel the enchantments on all your gear; she must've been busy."
"Yes I was." Wizard said as Witch ignited her pipe with a purple spark
"You don't think I'm wasting a spell do you?" She asked
"It's your magic; use it as you please." Wizard said seriously before Witch smoked her pipe a single time
"Oh...happy belated birthday dear." Witch said sweetly
"Thank you very much." Wizard said before Witch turned back to Ranger
"Now...you said you encountered a Revenant?" She asked, to which Ranger nodded "Those guys can be quite daunting can't they?"
"You don't know the half of it." Fighter said "We saw a goblin stab his arm several times, and he didn't even care!"
"They say Revenants are little more than unfeeling, unkillable, monsters in human form." Witch said "But luckily they're quite pleasant as long as you let them do their thing."
"You've encountered one before?" Wizard asked
"Oh yes." Witch said "Back when I was Emerald Ranked. I was fighting a band of outlaws when he showed up, then he removed the souls of both dead and living. I was pretty unsettled by the sight at first. He was quite handsome for a dead man, if I say so myself."
"But...he was dead." Warrior said "Well...undead anyway."
"Of course I wasn't going to pursue a romance with him." Witch said "It is quite possible to be pleased by something yet not want it, that goes especially for love."
"Hard to argue with that." Ranger said
"Now...that Goblin Slayer fellow." Witch said recrossing her legs "He seems like a handful, rather dense too. Must be hard traveling with a man like that."
"It takes getting used to." Ranger said which the team nodded to "But it's quite rewarding."
"Then there's the fact, that he's a bit crazy." Witch said before smoking a 2nd time. "He's good of course; his only interest is in slaying goblins, but he's been honing his blades for years now. You know? There's no denying that he helps to make the world a safer place, as do the rest of you. Much more so then those of lesser skill who go after greater prey. However that being said, it wouldn't to hunt something different every once in a while." She then smoked a 3rd time "The world is full of monsters, take at the capital; it's overrun these days. Demons..."
"Yeah we noticed." Warrior chimed in "That investigation quest involved a former Gold Rank saving our asses from a horde of them."
"Oh? You must be honored." Witch said genuinely impressed "Few people become Gold Rank for a reason."
"No kidding." Warrior said "That old man ripped through all those demons like they were paper, then restored the monastery they were fighting in, and he didn't even break a sweat." Witch gave off a small chuckle at this
"Anyway, you're Goblin Slayer friend asked a strange favor of me earlier. One involving a certain scroll..."
"Scrolls!" Wizard exclaimed before faceplaming "Why did I think of that earlier?"
"Oh? I'm glad I gave you some inspiration dear." Witch said "Anyway, he doesn't want me to give any details. I'm sorry."
"He must have his reasons." Ranger reasoned
"As for that aspiring Cleric and Rookie Warrior that talked to you, why not let them join you?"
"Because...with all due respect to all involved, it's not that simple." Ranger said
"Why not?" Witch asked
"Because we're not just a team, we're practically family." Ranger said "And I can tell that they shouldn't get involved in what we do; they're not the right type for it."
"Fair enough." Witch said while standing and bowing slightly to the team "I'm happy we could talk. I am. But I must join my partner now." She said as she walked away, Goblin Slayer came downstairs to get his pay from Guild Girl and when she mentioned his meeting was over, Priestess rushed over to him.
"Goblin Slayer!" Priestess called "What did they want? Is it a quest?"
"Yes. Slaying goblins." GS said
"Then let's go." She said
"No." GS said "I'm going alone."
"What? Why?" Ranger asked
"You've been doing this long enough." GS said "You should rest."
"We spent all of yesterday celebrating my birthday!" Wizard said
"Then...happy birthday." GS said
"I meant that we've rested enough!" Wizard said in astonishment
"Yeah!" Warrior chimed in "We've been working our asses off trying to get stronger, and it's for this very reason!"
"I see." GS said "Then come along." and with that, they left the tavern, with the 3 strangers following at a distance
On the way to the goblin-infested fortress, the now 9-person team stopped to make camp in the middle of a plain, and before heading to bed, the team got to know each other's backstories and abilities. The High Elf Archer was damn good with a bow, and turned out to be a fellow ranger herself which got Ranger's attention right away; Rangers were trained to stick together for a reason, but she became an adventurer to see the world. Lizard Priest wanted to "Root out herecy and become a dragon" whatever that meant, he could also summon a skeletal dragon to help fight, turn dragon teeth into swords, which was insane, and also multiply his strength if need be. Dwarf Shaman was just in it for the food and could control the earth in various ways.
They also shared foods, Lizard Priest sharing roasted swamp creature meat, High Elf Archer sharing from elven field rations, Dwarf Shaman sharing some firewine, which was the single strongest beverage any of them tasted, the team each shared some of the food they had on Wizard's birthday which Dwarf Shaman of course recognized as dwarven food and noted that they got some of the best and worst the dwarves had to offer, which led H.E. Archer to throw shade at the dwarf, who returned the favor until Wizard snapped at them to put a sock in it. Then Ranger shared some spare apples, and Goblin Slayer shared some cheese, which Lizard Priest never heard of, but once he had a taste...he flipped out over it and even dramatically called it "nectar of the gods".
They wrapped up their camping trip by discussing what GS's scroll was about, but GS remained tight-lipped. Lizard Priest was kind enough to explain that scrolls tend to contain rare and powerful magic that even a child could use; no wonder GS wanted it to be a secret. Dwarf Shaman explained that people usually sold them to researchers for some quick coin, but Wizard wanted to collect as many as possible; maybe she could buy some herself and maybe be of even more use to her team, and the 3 newcomers maybe. After that, they discussed where goblins came from, from ranged from guessing they came from underground, to the myth that jealous turns people into goblins, or as GS said, they came from the green moon over their heads. He also mentioned his late older sister, and when Ranger asked who his farm girl friend was, GS answered that she was a childhood friend of his, and the only family he had left. The softness in his voice made it clear to Ranger that he probably cared about her the same way Ranger cared about Fighter, or at least the same way Fighter cared about Warrior. In either case, that was GS's business, not his, and with that, Ranger grabbed some sleeping bags from the cart and rolled them out for the team, and Ranger slept in the cart with the least fancy bag; the others needed the extra stuffing to combat the elements but he slept in the cart; he wasn't exposed anywhere near as much.
The next morning, the 9-person team approached their destination: the entrance to a series of underground ruins overrun by goblin filth, soon to be hit by a storm of magic, steel, and blood...
Now, I doubt I need to say this, but Episode 3 was pretty low-key, so this one being low-key, albeit less low-key what with Wizard having her birthday, Ranger stimulating Fighter's brains out, some boasting to that bombshell of a Witch, and getting 3 new characters to interact with our team. I'll bet you're all looking forward to seeing how that works right? Well, I'll do what I can, for the people! But on a serious note: I'm only assuming that Wizard is 17 and her birthday was that day; I have no idea how old she really is, let alone when her birthday is, but the idea speaks for itself. Now...should I have Warrior get involved with either Wizard of Priestess? I'm thinking Wizard has a higher chance for reasons I doubt need explaining but, I'm not promising anything. Now, as this chapter proved, not every chapter will have several parts, although it's funny that the 1st chapter had 3 parts, chapter 2 had 2, and chapter 3 has 1. Anyway, please remember to rate, review, and share and be prepared for more blood, violence, and ass-kicking in chapter 4. Stay tuned.