Hello people, and welcome back to Goblin Slayer: The Team. I promised you last time that there's going to be some goblin ass-kicking and like I've hopefully proven, I'm a man of my word, and I've got buckets of goblin blood that need dumping, so...get it while it's hot!
The 9-person team spotted 2 goblin guards, one of which was falling asleep, and the other was chastising it's comrade to stay awake, and they got a freaking wolf with them. Ranger pulled his crossbow, but High Elf Archer stopped him, then notched an arrow.
"If you miss this is going to be much more difficult." Dwarf Shaman asked urgently
"Quiet you..." H.E. Archer said, then she loosed her arrow and it flew to the right all of a sudden
"Where the hell are you aiming?" the Dwarf asked, then H.E. Archer took out another arrow, and loosed it as well...right at the wolf, while the 1st arrow tore through the sides of both the 2 goblins' heads at the same time, which completely floored Ranger; her bow was as strong as his crossbow!
"How did you do that?" Warrior asked stunned by her killing 3 foes with 2 shots
"We High Elves have our ways..." she said with pride before the team went down with Goblin Slayer, otherwise known as "Orcbolg" to H.E. Archer and "Beard-Cutter" to the Dwarf, leading them to the entrance.
"Let's go." GS said as they marched on, and when they reached the entrance, he took out a knife and stabbed one of the corpses
"What are you doing? My arrow killed them!" H.E. Archer exclaimed
"They're highly sensitive to smells." GS explained "Especially the scents of women, children...and elves."
"Not to mention steel and leather." Ranger noted as he and Warrior coated their armors in the blood, helping each other get the tough places to reach. Fighter and Wizard would put blood on, but for starters, they have better outfits that neither wanted to ruin, but also because Wizard discovered how to use the smell of blood in combination with her Reflect spell, which acted as an improvised trap for the smell to cover them, not to mention whenever the 2 men in their team were covered in blood, they stuck to their sides like glue. But even if they didn't, Fighter's necklace made her strong enough to rip off a hob's head with almost no trouble and her boots gave her speed to match; throwing a pack of horny goblins off of her back was child's play. Wizard even learned to give Fighter's belt a permanent reflection enchantment whenever something came at her too fast, like a strike or projectile.
"Ugh!" H.E. Archer exclaimed as she recoiled "No way! You keep that filth away from me!"
"You get used to it..." Priestess said as GS came up behind H.E. Archer
They group then walked into the ruins with Goblin Slayer leading with a torch and Fighter had a 2nd; they would use Priestess' improved Holy Light miracle, but they didn't know how big the ruins were and even though she could use 5 miracles instead of 3 now, and still had a bit of the holy water the Abbot gave her, they weren't going to take chances; they didn't before, they're not going to now.
"Interesting designs." Lizard Priest said as he looked at the pictures on the walls of the twisting hallway they were going down "I believe this used to be a shrine once."
"It looks like some kind of battle took place here during the Age of the Gods." Priestess said
"Or at least it was honored here." Wizard said
"This could've been used as a fortress." Priestess continued her thought "Whatever the case, it was built by humans."
"And after it was abandoned, the goblins made it their home." Lizard Priest said "What a terrible jest."
"Speaking of terrible..." Dwarf Shaman said
"Oh this is so disgusting!" High Elf Archer exclaimed
"Goblins are a disgusting species, so it's quite fitting." Ranger said
"You're not helping!" H.E. Archer snapped "And speaking of helping, how can you walk around with a crossbow that crude?"
"It may be "crude", but it's also easy to use." Ranger said "On our 1st goblin slaying quest, I shot down no less than 5 before the rest could reach us, by myself; no one else had a ranged weapon."
"Yeah whatever." H.E. Archer said "Great, I'm going to need a new set of clothes, and these are priceless!"
"Um, it does wash out with water." Priestess said reassuringly 'Mostly..."
"And I can clean out the rest with my magic." Wizard said
"I'm not going to forget about this when we get back!" H.E. Archer snapped to Goblin Slayer
"Understood." He said simply before they kept marching
"I'm used to living underground, but this feels wrong somehow." Dwarf Shaman said
"It must be the goblin's presence." Ranger said "Like I said, they're a disgusting species, but that also makes them being there daunting for those not used to it."
"No...I think we're walking in a spiral." H.E. Archer said
"I wonder what's in the center...?" Priestess said somberly
"Well whatever it is, it better watch it's ass." Warrior said with vigor
"Wait! Stop!" H.E. Archer said which made the team stop and Ranger pull his crossbow
"What's wrong? An alarm?" GS asked
"I think so." H.E. Archer said "I only spotted it because the marks are new."
"Conniving monsters! These ruins could be full of traps!" Dwarf Shaman said
"That's strange..." GS said
"What's the matter?" Priestess asked
"There are no totems." Gs asked as he turned to her
"In other words: No goblin shamans. Which means no spellcasters or leaders." Warrior said
"No mere leaders anyway." Fighter said
"Correct miss Fighter." Lizard Priest
"Ordinary goblins shouldn't be able to set traps like this." GS said "So we should assume they have an extraordinary leader."
"Oh boy..." Warrior whined
"I have heard tales of the mighty nests you and your companions have destroyed sir Goblin Slayer." Lizard Priest said "What are your preferred methods?"
"Smoke them out, and kill them one by one." GS said "Set them on fire, drown them in a river, there are many options, but those won't work now."
"I can use fire, but no water, at least not yet." Wizard noted
"Are there other tracks?" GS said ignoring Wizard
"Hard to tell in here; the rock floor is too smooth." H.E. Archer said
"Let;s see..." Dwarf Shaman said as he looked at the floor himself "Their hideout is down the left hallway."
"How can you tell?" Priestess asked
"The subtle wear on the stone." Dwarf Shaman explained "It looks like they travel from the left side to the right, and then back again, or they head from their hideout to the entrance."
"What do you suggest Sir Goblin Slayer?" Lizard Priest said
"We go this way." GS said as he pointed to the right
"Let me guess: We're making sure they don't jump on us from behind?" Fighter asked
"Yes, but also because we'd be too late." GS said
"For?" Wizard asked as they followed GS down the right hallway, then find a door with an odor so strong that Wizard threw up against the wall, and turned away from it as everyone else covered their noses "What the fuck is that smell?" She said before coughing
"Breathe through your nose; you'll get used to it." GS said simply before busting down the door with a kick
"What is this place?" H.E. Archer asked
"A goblin waste heap." GS said as he walked forward
"As in-" Fighter shut her mouth the moment GS stepped forward to reveal the cause of a chain rattling: an elf girl was chained to the wall with no clothes on, and cuts on various parts of her body; her visage was one of silent rage through her long dark blonde hair "Dear Supreme..." Fighter whispered with her eyes watering
"Behold the true tax the goblins place on the world." Ranger with with disgust
"Please..." The girl said with a cracked voice that tugged their heartstrings "You have to..."
"She's still alive!" Priestess called
"Heal her..." Ranger said with a shaky voice but GS stopped Priestess "What are you doing?!
"You must kill..." The girl continued
"I understand." GS said ready to pounce; Ranger believed he was going to mercy kill the girl, which reminded him of his failure all over again
"NO!" Ranger yelled, but it was too late; GS charged forward
"You must kill...this monster!" The girl yelled as a goblin sprung out only to get it's head split open by the Goblin Slayer's blade
"That's 3." GS said "What were you expecting Ranger? I'm only here to slay goblins."
"Yes, but-" GS cut him off
"You made your own choice in that den." he said "I simply told you what the choices were."
"Kill them all..." The chained-up girl said with anger in her voice as Ranger and Priestess rushed to her aid "Every last one of them...!
"I will." GS said as he swung his blade at the ground to remove the blood
"We all will." Ranger said barely holding himself together "We will stop at nothing to see those worthless rats put in their graves." He then ran his hand through her hair "Your ordeal will be avenged. And if it's any consolation, I hope this makes whatever light shines on you in the future look that much more colorful." He wanted to kiss the poor girl's forehead but knew that was a bad idea given the emotional tension in the room, then he nodded at Priestess who used a Healing miracle on the elf, and she regained her former beauty, which Ranger had to admit matched her angelic voice despite how broken she sounded, and silently hoped was a step forward in the right direction that had nowhere to go but up. Fighter then stepped forward, held his hand which he didn't return at first, but then sucked in a breathe in spite of the horrid smell, and squeezed her hand back
"My love..." Fighter whispered
"Let's just get out of here before I lose my cool entirely." Ranger said sharply, which Fighter was somewhat hurt by, but she felt the same way about this; how many times must this be seen!?
Lizard Priest threw down 3 teeth, which let him summon a skeletal version of a lizardman
"A miracle from my ancestors." He said "The Dragontooth warrior."
"Send this with him." Priestess said as she handed the Priest a note "It should explain everything." With that, the Dragontooth warrior carried the newly-clothed captive out of the cursed ruins and rushed to return her home where she could hopefully recover from the horrors she endured and set the example that no one was too far gone Ranger preached
"Make haste!" Lizard Priest said "MY conjured messenger should deliver her safely to the elves in the forest."
"Heaven holds a special place for that poor girl." Warrior said which made Wizard tear up and hide her face from the group
"What the hell is going on?!" High Elf Archer cried as she sat by the wall burying her face in her hand "Can you imagine what she's been through?"
"Whatever it was, it was payment for all her sins in her life...and others." Ranger said still on edge as he leaned on the wall in front of her as Priestess sat next to her
"I found something?" Goblin Slayer said as he came back holding a wet parchment
"Another scroll?" Wizard asked
"A map of the ruins." GS said "It was in this rucksack; the elf must've been using it. There's a large chamber to the left, they're likely using it as their main camp."
"So, you didn't believe me?" Dwarf Shaman said
"I did." GS said "But the more information we have, the better."
"Very true." Ranger said before GS threw the rucksack to H.E. Archer
"You take this ranger." GS said before getting weird looks from both her and Ranger "Of course her. Let's go."
"Hey! Give her a second!" Priestess snapped
"It's fine." H.E. Archer said "We have to move quickly, and stop them."
"That's right." GS said "The goblins must be put to death."
When they entered the next chamber, High Elf Archer put an arrow right an unaware goblin's head then they all walked up a series of stairs, all the whole looking around for ambushes, then Ranger put a bolt in another goblin's head, then one ran off before Goblin Slayer pounced on it from above and killed it.
"How many spells do we have?" GS asked
"I only used Heal, so I can use 4 more miracles." Priestess said
"I can use 3, but a Dragontooth warrior requires catalysts, I can only use that particular miracle once more." Lizard Priest said
"I can still use all 9 of my spells." Wizard said "But I have about 3 magic-restoring potions."
"And his old dwarf can cast about 4 or 5." Dwarf Shaman said "But moving the earth speaks for itself."
"Right." Wizard said with some humility "And my potions are for anyone to use."
"Would you like some water?" Priestess asked H.E. Archer as she handed her a water pouch
"Yes, thank you." H.E. Archer said as she drank up
"Show some moderation." GS said "Only a sip; a full belly with slow your movements."
"She needs something to drink!" Priestess snapped "Can't you be alittle more-" GS cut her off
"There's no need to act tough!" GS said aggressively "If you're up to this, come. If not, go back. It's that simple."
"Don't be ridiculous." H.E. Archer said "I'm a ranger, just like him. If I leave you, he'll have to do so, and last I checked, he wasn't scouting and looking for traps for even a tenth as long as I have." She wasn't wrong; Ranger was 19 and she was over 2,000!
"We'll make due with the 8 of us." GS said simply
"There's no way I'm going back!" H.E. Archer snapped while standing and looking away "Not after what they did to that elf! My home isn't far from here, what if they had-" Ranger cut her off while standing himself
"But they didn't!" he said "Your home is in danger yes, and what happened to that elf is absolutely hellish, but all that means is that these goblins dug their own graves, now let's fill them." With that, his original team stood up with him with determination in their faces
"Then let's move." GS said he walked off with the team following
"Keep your wits about you Long Ears." Dwarf Shaman said "You should know that dwarves consider goblins their mortal enemies as well. We'll make them pay for what they did to her; I won't leave here until they're all dead." Ranger heard the whole thing; elves and dwarves might be rivals, but there's no denying that that elf girl went through a punishment that fits no crime.
The next chamber was a high-up one with no ceiling that let in a massive ray of sun that made the whole room shine gold; it was breath-taking for most of the time
"Something wrong?" Goblin Slayer asked as High Elf Archer looked over the railing and gasped
"It's just as it looks." she said "There are many."
"Not a problem." GS said simply
"Please let me torch them!" Wizard said
"No, too much noise; the ones further ahead will hear you, find the flames and run away." GS said which Wizard groaned at in disappointment
"Sir Goblin Slayer, do you have a plan?" Lizard Priest asked
"I do..." GS said "Stupor and Silence. With those 2 magics, the goblins will fall asleep before any sort alarm can be raised, and then...the 5 of us will slay them up close, one at a time..."
After Dwarf Shaman and Priestess used their respective spells as the goblins woke up by nightfall, which ironically put them back to sleep, Wizard stayed with Priestess to watch her and the Dwarf's backs, while Goblin Slayer, Lizard Priest, High Elf Archer, Ranger, Warrior and Fighter went in to finish the job, which was a literal bloodbath...
GS started using the goblin's own weapons to kill them instead of his own, which H.E. Archer copied when her knives got too bloody, Lizard Priest use 2 sickle swords he summoned to slice them open, Warrior smashed their heads in with his hammer, and even switched hands every once in a while to keep his arms from tiring, while Fighter and Ranger...they each simply broke their necks to save energy; stomping them takes too much strength, which they needed to conserve as much as possible. Ranger would do what GS did but...he wanted to feel their spines break to get satisfaction for what they did to that elf girl, and like GS said, against his better nature...he enjoyed breaking their necks.
As they were finishing the job, Dwarf Shaman, Priestess and Wizard all came down to inspect the damage
"Can't say I'm fond of them being killed with their own weapons, but it's kinda fitting." Wizard said as she stabbed one with the spearhead on the bottom of her staff she added
"It's already dead." Priestess said
"I know, I'm just having some fun." Wizard said with a small smile which confirmed GS' speech even further, then the ground shook several times with a few seconds between shakes which they thought was a small earthquake, but the frequency snuffed their beliefs
"Brace yourselves!" Ranger called out "This isn't over!" and on-que, the whole team was greeted by a minor breeze, then a massive, hulking monster showed up with H.E. Archer gasping "What the hell is that thing?"
"An ogre!" H.E. Archer answered
"I thought those dirty goblins were awfully quiet." It said "They don't even make good foot soldiers! You people seem more prepared than that elf from before, but you're wrong if you think you can step foot in my fortress and live!"
"Oh, so you're not a goblin?" GS asked
"Are you being serious?" H.E. Archer in astonishment "He's an ogre! You've heard of them!"
"No." GS said simply
"You bastard!" The ogre said "You mock me! I who have been granted an army by one of the Demon Lord's generals!
"I know there are powerful monsters in the world, but I'm afraid I've never heart of you." GS said while bracing for a fight then the ogre roars and tries to slam it's club into him, only to miss, but shatter the ground where it hits
"Then I'll show you my power, so that you may die knowing it!" The ogre said while creating a fireball in it's hand that grew to envelop half the room
"He's casting a fireball!" Dwarf Shaman called out
"Scatter!" H.E. Archer called out
"No! Protection!" Ranger yelled and with that, Priestess put some holy water on her staff and cast Protection which blocked the fireball with the team behind her, and some even put their hands on her for support, and eventually the fireball lost it's power
"You saved us." GS said as he also put a hand on Priestess, who smiled at her team
"We can handle him!" H.E. Archer said
"Foolish little archer!" The ogre taunted "You'll suffer far more than the other elf ever dreamed of!"
"Yeah I'm pretty sure no one ever dreams of suffering that!" Warrior yelled
"Create a warrior." GS said to Lizard Priest "We need more numbers."
"Yes Sir Goblin Slayer!" Lizard Priest said as he made another Dragontooth warrior and meanwhile, Dwarf Shaman throw out some pebbles which hovered in mid-air and grow in size
"Face me little dwarf!" Then an arrow hit it in the eye from H.E. Archer who was overhead running around the area
"You damn cave-dwellers are too slow!" she yelled
"We have our own way of fighting. Observe Long Ears! Stone Blast!" With that, the rocks launched at the ogre en masse, which stunned it more more, and Wizard who climbed up the stairs in the confusion charged up a fireball of her own and hit the ogre in the face which knocked it into the wall behind it, and made H.E. Archer run the opposite direction
"You insect!" The Ogre bellowed "You call that a fireball?"
"Did better than yours did, that's for damn sure." Wizard said smugly
"Daaaamn! Two burns at once!" Warrior said while Fighter laughed with him, then Lizard Priest and the Dragontooth warrior jumped at the ogre, only for it to block the attack
"Now Sir Goblin Slayer!" Lizard Priest called out, and GS, Warrior, and Ranger charged the ogre and hacked at it's feet, only for the wounds to close after they're opened
"Is this your best attack?" the ogre yelled as he swung his club and swatted Goblin Slayer across the room, with Ranger digging his swords into it's calf and hanging on for dear life, and Warrior continuing to slice the other foot's Achilles tendon with no luck, then Fighter threw a piece of debris at the ogre and missed twice, only for the 3rd to hit a testicle which made it yell in pair as Ranger and Warrior retreated to the others. As Priestess healed Goblin Slayer, the others kept he ogre busy with projectiles, including Ranger's crossbow which was frustratingly hard to get a clean shot at with the ogre's other eye, Wizard's fireballs and Dwarf Shaman's rock spells and Fighter continuing to throw rocks. Warrior noted to get a crossbow of his own now that he has space on his back. But then the ogre started wildly swing it's club around smashing up the upper level, but H.E. Archer landed on her feet and fled to cover, then the ogre smashed the ground with it's club, destroying the Dragontooth warrior in the process, and then it charged up another fireball and used it's spare hand to block the incoming attacks. Then he noticed Goblin Slayer getting back up.
"Oh, so the human shield can still stand?" The ogre said "Good, when I'm done with them, I'll take my time with you, then make spot of the females; they'll be my playthings, and maybe my food; I need someone to spawn more goblins for me." then he threw the fireball at Goblin Slayer who then used the scroll
"You're a fool..." GS said simply as the scroll flashed, the fireball was snuffed out, and the ogre was sliced apart starting with it's hand. When the flash was done, the place was full of water, and the ogre was cut in half at the wait, and has both hands were missing
"But...how?" it said as it spat up blood "What did you do?"
"This is a gate scroll." GS said holding up the now-burning blue scroll "I linked it to the bottom of the sea."
"Where the water is under so much pressure that anything hit by it would be crushed, or in this case, slicing to pieces." Ranger said
"Correct." Lizard Priest said "To think Sir Goblin Slayer would be wise enough to use a transfer scroll as a weapon."
"Weapon? More like trump card." Warrior said
"That explains why he was so tight-lipped about the scroll." Wizard said "Imagine in that power was used before, or taken by the goblins...actually don't."
"I was going to use that scroll to destroy a nest, but oh well." GS said as he climbed the ogre's severed torso "Now, what were you called again? Not that it matters."
"You're insane! You would use such power against mere goblins?" the ogre's last words were
"Yes." GS said as he braced to stab the ogre "Because goblins, are far more troublesome than you." with that, GS plunged his sword into the ogre's forehead and the mission was done.
The team left the ruins to find 2 elf troops with horses and carts to transport them; they came in response to receiving the elf girl the goblin's tore up and Priestess' note, then they asked if there were any more goblins, which there weren't, and stayed to look for any survivors. With that, the whole team slept in their respective carts, except for Ranger who resolved to sleep when they got to town, which happened before he knew it, then he practically passed out and his 4 teammates carried him to bed, after Fighter removed his armor, and asked someone to wash it for him then she removed his clothes except for his underwear, when put him to bed.
He awoke about 5 hours later, to take in that he was in bed, and went to look for his team after putting his clothes on, and when he found them outside the room, he calmed down.
"Welcome back from dreamland boss." Warrior said
"Where are we?"
"A town not far from those ruins." Wizard said "And...we have a surprise for you." Warrior then reaches behind a wall and pulled out a steel crossbow, or arbalest and tossed it over
"I told you that these things require a crank-" Wizard cut him off
"Which is precisely why I enchanted it to be easier to pull the string." she said and Ranger proved her right by pulling it back with ease "Told you."
"I got one one." Warrior said after grabbing a 2nd "Maybe I'll lead my own team someday."
"That...would be impressive." Fighter said "Come on, let's eat. These elves gave us one hell of a banquet." With that, the team ate up. Some of the food was similar to the rations High Elf Archer gave them, while others had the same effect as the dwarf food, but they liked more of the elven food than the dwarf food,
"You know, with all due respect to the dwarves...maybe they should stick to mining." Warrior said what the team was thinking
"True enough." Wizard said "The dwarves gave me a killer dress though."
"Jeez, if that was literal, that ogre would've been dead as soon as he saw you." Warrior said which made Wizard smile
"Oh man, why can't it be that easy." Fighter piled on, then Ranger took another bite and gagged "What?! Food poisoning?"
"No...I...I just recalled that elf girl we saved." Ranger said killing the mood "I'm sorry, I tried everything to keep myself together." The whole team nodded in understanding "I...I should get more sleep; I'm still a bit drowsy." With that, he went back to bed
"I'm...not hungry anymore so, meeting dismissed?" Wizard asked to which the others went back to bed, and Wizard wrapped up the leftovers to eat later.
When Ranger got back to his room, he nearly ripped off his shirt and kicked a desk over; thankfully it had nothing on it to clean up. then Fighter rushed in
"Ranger?" she said, taking in the sight of the overturned desk, and ignoring his muscled form for once
"How many times has Goblin Slayer seen cases like this and not done anything?" Ranger growled "Yes he kills goblins to prevent them from happening to others, and I'm proud that we're carrying on the crusade at his side, but this shouldn't even be necessary!"
"Ranger." Fighter said softly "Like you said, there's a chance she can take her life back, or at the very least get special treatment in Heaven like Warrior said."
"Maybe so, but-" Fighter cut him off
"But nothing. That girl is probably going to write songs about us, maybe not literally, but you get the point." She then walked up to him, touched his face and made him look at her "You prove your leadership more and more every day, as if you ever needed to." With that Ranger hugged her tightly, and after a few seconds, undid her low ponytail "Did you like my new ponytail?"
"Very much so." Ranger whispered before looking at her smiling face then kissed her "But not as much as I love the beautiful woman who had it." Then he looked down at her chest
"Search going well?" Fighter teased
"I just-" she put a finger on his lips to silence him
"You want to be skin-on-skin." She said as she undid her robe and stood before him in her bra "So do I." she then closed the door entirely and exposed her breasts, which he examined with his eyes before kissing her again, and squeezing her left breast, which made her moan pleasantly. She than started lashing tongues with him, and he sat down on the bed, and they looked at each other through their eyelashes, then Ranger latched onto her right breast and licked the nipple slowly but strongly, which made Fighter give off more moans as she caressed his mighty muscles, stroked his hair and then pulled her chest away from him to look him in the face, which held no lust; only love, which made her pull his head into her chest and hold him there as he continued to hug her back
"Fighter..." Ranger whispered softly "Stay with me..."
"In the team, or in this bed?" She asked
"Both..." Ranger said, then Fighter stood up, went to get her robe, then set up the desk, took her pants off and put both on it, then when Ranger removed his own pants, she took both his clothes and added them to the pile, then they left their shoes and socks the foot of the bed, got under the blankets and she laid down on top of him, pressing her breasts into his pecs, then he caressed her hair, back, and eventually, her round butt, which made her chuckle
"You just can't keep your hands off me can you?" She teased
"I do love you, but I also want you." Ranger said huskily "This body of yours is absolutely priceless."
"Says the man who looks like the statue of the War God made flesh." She teased
"What's that myth about the War God and the Beauty Goddess being involved?" he teased back, and with that, she kissed him and lashed tongues with him again as he began squeezing with more vigor. Eventually she pulled back.
"If you keep this up, I won't be able to sit down." She said seriously
"Right..." Ranger said as he finally had enough, then they went to sleep. A while later, Warrior and Wizard peeked in to see Fighter sleeping next to Ranger, but didn't dare wake them up; what those 2 did together is none of their business and they respected their privacy.
O.k...I know I promised a bit more, but there wasn't much to work with, and I promise to make up for it later on. Also...that bit where Wizard's weaker fireball doing damage while the ogre's planet-sized fireball did jack squat? THAT'S how you throw shade people. Seriously, she needs some ice for the lack of chill, and the ogre needs ice for his burn; his metaphorical one smartasses. I also couldn't help but notice I made a unscrew the pommel to "end them rightly" joke on Wizard's birthday, and now I made a "over 2000!" joke, as in "over 9000!" before a Ares and Aphrodite reference. I wonder what whacky bullshit I'll think of next. Want to find out? Then wait for the next chapter, rate, review, and share in the meantime, and stay tuned.