Hello my good people and welcome to the sequel to Goblin Slayer: The Team. I gave it a sarcastic eternity to give my adoring fans time to give me input on a possible sequel, and after a good deal of planning...here you go. You may recall that the first story I wrote was a what-if scenario, which for the record is what should be the real deal if it were up to me, with all due respect to the original creator...anyway, the 1st act of this involved the original team Priestess had been part of having a 5th member: the Ranger, who eventually becomes their leader and leads them all to become Silver Ranked beasts they deserved to be. Now...Goblin Slayer WILL make an appearance later on, but the 1st quarter or so will focus on some of Ranger's missions, with some of his teammates and other people thrown into the mix here and there. I also intend to throw in references to what happened in the 1st act...so, there's that. There will also be goblin blood to shed as Ranger goes, especially later on, so like with the 1st act...I WILL include Goblin Slayer later on so...please, cut me some slack. Now...let's get this adventure rolling shall we?
Over the course of the year since their wedding, life in Water Town was a nice, but unusual change of pace from the perspective of the newlyweds. Ranger found work around town in various places: he was asked about his time as an adventurer by some people both inside and outside the guild, trained some aspiring adventurers with some methods he grew up with, but never too long, mixed with sharing some of his experiences fighting monsters, especially goblins. He remembered the time Sword Maiden was torn up over people not being likely to believe her plight since she helped defeat the Demon Lord, yet a type of monster as pitiful as goblins petrified her. He never betrayed her secret for obvious reasons, but he was practically obligated to at least make her secret easier to believe on the off-chance it came out. She wasn't just the Archbishop, she was a personal friend of the team's, and he looked after his friends, especially since she's the one who blessed his and Fighter's marriage. On top of that...goblins were abominations that needed to be addressed seriously, and the number of people not taking them seriously was disturbing beyond words, and Ranger had to at least strike a blow.
In addition to his services to the guild in the city, he did various odd jobs around his neighborhood, from delivering supplies, to sending messages, to even learning a thing or two about how to cook the city's cuisine simply because he felt like it. He even tried some recipes alongside his wife. Speaking of whom...he spent every waking moment at her side while she was carrying his child, unless he was needed elsewhere; she even shooed him away once or twice; bless his heart for not wanting his pregnant wife to be left alone, even when she was antsy or had those infamous cravings pregnant women tended to get. Some things he would always be willing to do, like massage her when she needed one, stand by her side when she went out to get some air, especially when she encountered people who either greeted them, asked about the baby, or even asked to feel her abdomen to see how it was coming along.
Obviously they asked her consent before touching her, sometimes she gave it, sometimes she would rather not. She tried not to take it personally...but she was a bit concerned about what her pregnancy would do to her body in the long run, but Ranger assured her that whatever happened to her not only could be undone given enough time...but he would not stop loving her if she were somehow crippled, even if it were permanent Supreme forbid. Her body was significantly stronger than an average woman's so she should be fine, but as the child's father, and her husband, he was obligated to help her along in any way he could, and he felt that way too.
Storm Mage also stayed in Water Town to keep an eye on any demon activity; some demons even had the nerve to track Ranger and Fighter, only for Storm Mage to get involved and stop them dead in their tracks. His Silver Rank spoke for itself; Assassin, Werewolf, and Storm Mage's brother Summoner, were all Bronze Ranks, and they kept the town demon-free without much issue. Storm Mage eventually drew the Sword Maiden's eye and was given her blessing as an official Agent of the Supreme...which made him even more of a nightmare for whatever demons prowled the town. He even asked Her Grace why demons would prowl a town sacred to the Supreme God, and her reasoning was that finding a way to cripple the church would make it easier for he Demon Lord to rise again, which has to be extremely tempting for any demons seeking glory or credit in their ranks. The demons that monitored Ranger, Fighter, and their child made Storm Mage monitor the family closer than almost every other part of Water Town.
Storm Mage had to admit that the Sword Maiden was as majestic as Ranger described her; he even had to suck in a breathe when he first heard her voice and saw her face. Sword Maiden even got back in touch with her original self and tied her hair into a ponytail similar to the one Fighter used to have, unless Her Grace had to look like the Archbishop at the right time. She sometimes even had her hair braided like Fighter's as tribute to the two spouses she blessed. Even when Her Grace explained that goblins dug their revolting fingers into her...Storm Mage's resolve to serve her only strengthened. Whether or not they could be together was anyone's guess, and he was hardly chaste himself; she was violated by goblins, he was involved in at least one orgy with Priestesses of the Love Goddess. Two different ends of the stick, but as far as he was concerned, it was a distinction without a difference, at least on that one side of the story. He found her being away to be with this Goblin Slayer person somewhat of an annoyance as a result..., even though she had others things to do as well.
But he had a task to do, and he doubted her status as Archbishop allowed her to be involved with anyone to the fullest anyhow, so his only option was to swallow his feelings and stick to his demon hunting, and maybe even consult with the Love Goddess over where things could go for him in regards to his love life's destination. He had a thing for Witch in the past, but she's clearly more interested in Spearman despite his flaws, Sword Maiden is more interested in Goblin Slayer...who as Storm Mage saw first hand, has not only Guild Girl and Cow Girl, both of whom were quite lovely in their own right pursuing him.
Regardless...he knew firsthand that getting one's hopes up only to have them dashed was mental suicide, and...he could just do what Ranger and Fighter did, and take his time with Her Grace, show that he gives a damn about her, maybe even throw in some amusement, and if any goblins dare show their faces in the sewers again, he could wipe them out for her. Besides, Goblin Slayer couldn't be everywhere at once, and even if Storm Mage wasn't jealous of him...goblins elsewhere needed to be wiped out as well; heading to one place to eliminate the goblins there when Goblin Slayer could be saving the lives and mental health of those on the frontier, especially in rapid succession, was a pretty good point.
He actually ran his willingness to keep an eye peeled for goblins at one point, which was met with a simple "thank you", but her discomfort with the very subject was still there in the back of her mind, not that he could blame her. He only heard the stories and witnessed the goblins at the battle at the farm use captured girls as an act of psychological warfare, but...if even half of what she told him about her ordeal was true, then he envied her strength; a lesser woman would've gone mad, or even killed herself by now.
She may no longer be chaste, but she was still more pure than he could ever be; he's been under the influence of greed itself for years, which led him to not only throw away his virginity in an orgy, but also steal from countless people, even if they were corrupt themselves, try to live in as much luxury as he could, which included eating off gold plates, and even slaughter countless people for money like a common assassin before betraying his employers when he found out who they really were and took their possessions as well. It was part of why he became a demon hunter aside from his family ordeals with demons, and now...here he was, kneeling before the Archbishop herself, pouring his heart out to her over a period of months whenever the precious little time allowed it, looking to repair the damage he caused, and faintly hoping they could be more than just lady and servant...but only the Fates could tell...
His 3 demon hunting companions made trips to Water Town to give Storm Mage a hand if needed, and they even shared some information on the War God with Ranger when he asked, and they all shared that they love fighting the good fight, but had to exercise the discipline required to keep a level head in the chaos of battle, even and especially when they add to the chaos themselves. That applies even more to the fact that they had to turn off their bloodlust, no matter how extreme it got when the battle was over. Assassin even hinted that she enjoys fighting demons even more than she enjoys mating with Werewolf, since apparently...werewolves unironically tend to mate like beasts. A little strong on the "too much information" zone, but it was sort of fitting since it makes her position with the War God cleared, and...well, the Love Goddess, who happens to be his divine spouse condones sexual relations between people who have a spiritual, or emotional bond like Ranger has with Fighter.
Regardless, the 3 condoned that Ranger should pursue the War God's path since Ranger had done countless things to earn his favor, from helping fellow warriors train, to learning various forms of combat, especially from such a young age, massacring the Demon Lord's lackeys, to acknowledging the War God and Love Goddess' marriage and paying tribute to it with his own. Ranger and Fighter even looked into the Love Goddess' teachings and found that Storm Mage's info was solid: the Love Goddess does teach about passion between people in just about every form: friendship, sexuality, family bonds, love between people who treat each other like family, like Fighter and Warrior...it all fits. Even her miracles involve drawing power from bonds of love, even between people you don't know.
By sharp contrast, the War God's miracles involve raw destruction, like the miracle of Immolation which creates a flame at the target's location that cannot be extinguished by normal means, and will consume everything around it, even water and other flames, until the caster tells it to stop. Others gave the caster themselves power to cause destruction, like the infamous Army of One miracle give the caster Platinum level strength, speed, defenses, and magical power for as long as the caster can keep up the mental strain, but as a result, the War God only gave this miracle to his most loyal and competent worshipers. Considering that Ranger both heard of, and even got to witness the Hero's power first-hand when she and Sword Maiden teamed up to defeat a beast known as the Hecatoncheir when Sword Maiden graced him with a vision of the battle...it was quite a sensation just thinking about receiving the Army of One miracle.
Even without any miracles aside from Smith and eventually Immolation, Ranger found the War God's teachings/secrets about discipline to be priceless; he even learned the Art of Silent Wrath, or tranquil fury for those less in-the-know. It's a combination of a berserker's frenzy, and a zen practitioner's calm, the result was the ability to transfer all of one's power and speed into a single blow with near-pinpoint accuracy, which means that Ranger's already aggressive and brutal yet fluid and subtle style...was able to do that description even greater justice. On top of that, he recalled several times where he lost his temper over something, even and especially if it was hellish, like the time he beat the living hell out of a goblin after catching it red-handed violating a woman...after he shot a shaman between the legs with a crossbow.
The secret to tranquil fury was that one had to let go of how satisfying it was to get revenge, which is yet another form of lust to avoid, i.e. bloodlust. As difficult as it was to do, it was also fitting to get let your actions speak for themselves, especially since wrath tends to lead someone to sacrifice defense for offense, offense that goes to waste if one loses their life in battle. It was written by a priest of the War God that one only has power over their own mind, and nothing else, and one's power over the world around them is tied directly to their power over their mind, especially in a battle.
Ranger even learned some magic types that only servants of the War God are supposed to know, which included forming weapons out of liquefied metal like how Revenant did with his scythes...may he rest in peace. Assassin even showed off her knife-throwing skills being linked to her ability to teleport her knives back into her sheathes, and she helped Ranger train his tranquil fury skill by using yet another trick used by servants of the War God: pressure point striking. There are parts of the body where, if they're struck hard enough, will cause either pain, difficulty moving, or in extreme cases, subtle attacks on one's health itself. Assassin simply danced around Ranger weaving in and out of his moves which frustrated him at first, then he meditated on how he should keep control of his mind and stop expecting things to go well in extreme situations.
Assassin eventually took it up a notch by hitting Ranger in weak spots while his eyes were closed, which broke his self-control entirely and charge at Assassin and she kept weaving around his uncoordinated attacks and kept hitting him until he stopped attacking her...then he finally let go of his expectations and desire for control and started attacking her with the same level of coordination as she used. Granted all this training took the better part of a month thanks to how many interruptions there were, what with his wife carrying his child and his friends stopping by every now and then. He even caught both Cow Girl and Guild Girl watching him, but he assured them he'd be fine and not to ask too many questions since business between servants of the War God was sacred and was kept secret for a reason.
As for his old teammates...true to her word, Wizard formed a portal between the frontier and Water Town, and they dropped by several times a week unless work kept them busy. Ranger's parents even moved to the frontier, including his mother, who now worked at the temple giving potions to those who needed them, and Ranger's father trained new adventurers like how Ranger was trained, with Warrior giving a hand, mostly with demonstrations and sparring, with the occasional renovation here and there. Wizard also got her younger brother involved, and the 2 helped train some adventurers in magic's use, and Wizard's brother was completely floored with the Gold Rank spells his sister was able to use in addition to what they learned at the academy. Warrior took a nearly instant disliking to Wizard's brother thanks to how harsh he was to the trainees, but Wizard got him in-line; it seemed that Ranger rubbed off on her as well. Wizard's brother got involved in enchanting, alchemy, trapping, and especially summoning like his sister did; his favorite spells, aside from fire magic, was summoning spirit animals to fight for him, from bears to rip things open, to wolves to swarm foes, to birds to fly around and shoot magic bolts at foes, to mice and squirrels to scout with. Even Warrior who had to seriously get used to his future brother-in-law had to admit he was going to be a strong asset to the guild.
Now, Wizard and Warrior weren't married, but they were still in a committed relationship; Ranger even caught the two making out against a wall in their old apartment and jokingly told them to get a room, only to be reminded of the time he was in bed with Fighter at that elven village after they fought the ogre a year ago. Wizard was even able to break down some of the magic she studied and taught Ranger the Life Sight, and Repair spells. In return, Ranger showed her the idea of turning one's weapon into liquid and store it in their outfit, which turns out to be a form of alchemy, which is the only school of magic she has yet to perfect. She even learned some illusion magic, with included inducing different emotions, especially rage and terror in her foes. Yes illusion magic can be used in positive ways, like curing PTSD, but that was just as controversial as using negative emotion magic; emotions are extremely personal and reaching into someone to control their feelings is easier to abuse than it had a right to be. Wizard is one of the few people that was confirmed to be trustworthy with that kind of power. Ranger was more interested in that kind of magic, but swore that he would only use it in emergencies, or if his foes really deserve to feel certain ways; he would gladly make a horde of goblins blind with rage or fear and tear each other apart; it was a cowardly trick used on cowardly creatures.
When Ranger and Warrior were alone once while the ladies were having a baby shower for Fighter, Ranger asked how things were between Warrior and Wizard, and...they were having about as much luck as he had with Fighter; Ranger not only caught Warrior making out with Wizard...but Warrior was also fondling and squeezing her breasts. Ranger had seen Wizard naked when she was used for the Resurrection miracle that restored his body after he caught fire that one time underneath Water Town, and according to Warrior, while Fighter was still more muscular, Wizard was still swollen in all the right places. It's a well-known fact that different body types appeal to different people, and Wizard's clearly appealed to Warrior: slender but strong, soft and supple but still decently lean, and Ranger could see that Warrior bulked up quite a bit over the months, and just like Wizard, Warrior grew his hair out and each one had matching ponytails and bangs similar to his own, but that wasn't tribute; it was pure coincidence. She even joked to Warrior once about putting a spell on him, but Warrior said she already did a long time ago...Ranger had to admit that was a smooth-as-honey line indeed.
Priestess stuck with Goblin Slayer like she said she would, and it seemed her presence alone was enough to keep demonic forces at bay, probably out of fear; she did help defeat a demon general afterall. She also healed and empowered the trainees if they needed it during training, when she wasn't doing so with Goblin Slayer's own team composed of High Elf Archer, Dwarf Shaman, and Lizard Priest of course. The 4 of them were nearly inseparable, especially on quests. She was practically a younger version of the Sword Maiden, and not just because of their similar looks; the two were like mother and daughter nowadays, and even had similar powers. Her Grace even called Priestess to the Tempe of Law during one of her visits and helped turn the Temple into a conduit for the Supreme's power, although the most that could accomplish at this point was to make Storm Mage's demon hunts easier. Who knows? I may eventually become strong enough to blast the Demon Lord back into Hell with history's most powerful Holy Smite miracle someday, but that's a wildly hopeful goal if there ever was one. Ranger also debated whether or not to give Priestess the War God's blessing to add to her power but, not only is she already strong enough in her own right...she's too gentle-spirited to be an agent of the War God.
As for the other adventurers: Heavy Warrior and Female Knight were in an out-in-the-open relationship now, and even included Rookie Warrior and Apprentice Cleric, who were both Sapphire Ranks now, due in no small part to Warrior and Wizard's training regime, and the equipment they had in store for them. A regime that was making the town's economic heart pound like a drum by the way; coin was flowing into the guild's pockets and by default, into the pockets of adventurers by the dozen, which in turn led to them buying more equipment, which was given to Wizard to enchant, who turned to Warrior to train in their use. Even some veterans asked for help once in a while. Ranger's father put his knowledge of how each weapon worked to use as well, especially by showing Warrior how to use non-enchanted ones, who then taught others how to use the enchanted ones. Ranger's mom even gave out potions if she couldn't outright sell them; blasphemous or not, asking for coin in return for items was a necessity. Coin made the world go round as the saying went.
Wizard's brother eventually got in on the action not wanting to be upstaged by his sister, and he studied her spells alongside some aspiring mages, and even some warriors of all types to be hybrids. Even some martial artists who wanted to be mages as well joined in, including a Rhea Fighter whom it was hinted that Wizard's brother had a thing for. It was almost too good to be true; goblins even tunneled up into he middle of town, attacked the training grounds, injured several adventurers who had to put their new skills and weapons to work, and Ranger's mom had to give them all Wizard's life potions to heal/cure their ailments. Luckily no one died, but the damage to the people's minds was already done: if goblins could tunnel into the middle of town...what else could they do?
Wizard and Warrior's equipment didn't change that much either, aside from the fact that Warrior was able to use an item that uses space magic to store an entire arsenal of enchanted weapons, which includes a glaive similar to the one Wizard uses, a pair of throwable axes, each with a spike and hook on them, like a halberd, which thanks to alchemy, can be liquefied and turned into a polearm version. Wizard still has her trusty glaive, and hired Spearman to continue her training in her spare time, and Warrior got in on the action too. Both of them put in heavy work when the goblins invaded the town too. Wizard used husks of her summoned elementals to enhance items as well, especially her and Warrior's armor. Warrior also put his lightning hammer to use every time he needed some magic to use in ranged combat.
Ranger and Fighter still had their original gear, especially his twin swords which he sacrificed to the War God, and got a replacement set of swords with leaf-shaped blades that must've been 3.5 ft long. Perfectly designed for stabbing, slicing, and chopping into hard materials, especially since these had their dragon and demon blood replaced with blood from the War God himself...which made them not only nearly unbreakable and self-maintaining, but also sharp enough to carve through stone with ease. The blades were also able to be charged with heat to not only make them anti-cold, but also makes them burn through their target as well as cut through it, not to mention the glow is both beautiful and...pretty intimidating; he almost felt sorry for anyone he'd hit with them. He still had his metal crossbow Wizard transmuted for him and it was still as functional as ever. He believed he could eventually liquefy the swords and crossbow and make other weapons with them, but he'd cross that bridge when he came to it.
Wizard even tried to use alchemy on them...but her efforts were flatout rejected by the blades; the War God did not take kindly to his work being used for the sake of greed, even if it's this petty. Wizard could however try to give Fighter's arm and leg blades a similar enchantment, although...no promises. Wizard was even able to turn Ranger's armor into a mix of a form-fitting leather-like material with the metal mixed right into it, which made it deceptively flexible, as well as durable as it should be, some cloth pieces and armor plates attached to it to not only add to the aesthetic, but also the function. Fighter was given something similar, but of course, they would have to wait until she gave birth to try it out.
When she finally gave birth, it was luckily in the middle of a visit...so the ladies stayed with her to help set things up for the delivery, and Ranger rushed to get the doctor they were checking in with. Ranger himself had to leave the manor they were living in to get some air; he had faith she could handle the pain, but hearing her screams wore on his heart overtime, especially since it took several hours for her labor to end. Thank holiness he nearly mastered discipline thanks to the demon hunters He was just about to come back inside when Cow Girl came out to get him instead. When he returned...Fighter, his love and life, was holding their newborn daughter in her arms, one who would have at least one other sibling if it was possible. Priestess was even kind enough to use a Healing miracle on Fighter to help with the strain of childbirth, and even bless the baby on the Sword Maiden's behalf.
Through it all however, Ranger never stopped looking at his new daughter, and recalled what Fighter had to endure since he's known her, from the countless goblins they butchered, to the two men who hit on Fighter that one time, to the other horrors they went through in Hell. Then he realized that if he and Fighter could handle all that darkness, then their daughter would be able to as well, given enough training, and of course there's his parents who would check up on their new granddaughter whenever possible, the friends she'll make as she grows up, and the team Ranger was surrounded by, along with the gods watching over this moment that were no doubt celebrating.
Imagine their surprise when Storm Mage showed up a few days later and said the Sword Maiden wanted to see them, and the delight in the Sword Maiden's face when she held the child; one would think she was the mother herself. It was clear she was taking this all very personally. She flatout said that she sees the love between Ranger and Fighter as evidence of the Supreme's presence on Earth being as firm as it should be, and what could be more just than the marriage between two strong and benevolent adventurers who served the country and maybe the world in more ways than one? She condoned Ranger's desire to follow the War God specifically so he can disperse justice to the world's enemies, especially goblins and the Evil Sect if and when it came to that. Her Grace even asked Storm Mage's Bard friend, and the elven Songstress he works with and apparently is infatuated with to help watch over the baby. This could be especially helpful for the baby's naptime; who better to do a lullaby or two than a pair who does this for a living? Some children of the neighbors even stopped by to check on the baby, with supervision of course.
When Fighter recovered from the strain of childbirth in full, she and Ranger got back into training together, and Fighter was relieved to no longer have to haul around another person inside her belly. She did lose some flexibility and strength, but she was back in action in no time, especially with Ranger there to massage her, carry her if needed, but didn't even consider groping her unless she said it was o.k.; her body was still a tad raw from her pregnancy, and it would take time to ween herself off of it. His respect for her never ceased to touch her heart; just the knowledge that he was there for her sped up her recovery, and he proved it even more whenever he held her, kissed her, and whispered reminders of his promises to her in her ear. He also put his new and improved cooking skills to use and fed her all the fish she could stomach, with some other things added to the mix as well; fish might be healthy but it gets old after a while. It was good for them to be able to train together again, although she was still a tad sore between the legs and had an issue getting up after stretching, it was nothing a life potion couldn't fix. Thanks to Priestess for healing her, even if it wasn't perfect.
Fighter tried her new suit on and it fit her like a glove; it emphasized her figure while still leaving a good deal to the imagination, it could withstand quite a bit of punishment that she barely felt when Ranger kicked her without his armor on to give her a chance to get used to it, and didn't slow her down when she tried her more advanced moves. Her arm and leg blades were taken to a statue of the War God to be blessed after a blood sacrifice from Ranger himself, and they were given the same heat enchantment and Fighter put them to use by shearing straight through a stone pillar with a hook-punch and a roundhouse kick followed by an axe kick one after the other. She also tried her hand at pressure point training, but didn't dare test that on her husband, so she was given a special dummy by Assassin to get a feel for where on a foe's body to hit for maximum impact. She was even able to learn which pressure points to hit if she wanted the opposite effect, like if someone had a headache she could get rid of, but using this skill in combat is less risky since in that case, you actually want your foe to go down. But of course, she would only use this skill in serious fights; using a potentially lethal skill normally was downright uncivilized.
A dwarven caravan even appeared about a month after Fighter gave birth, and Ranger offered to demonstrate a new technology: a revolver. It worked by having a special level called a hammer strike a special powder inside a metal case in each chamber in the revolving cylinder to expel the slug of the case at a speed so high the slug couldn't be seen, let alone dodged unless the user's aim was off, or the target was too far away. The recoil and ear-splitting sound were something that would take serious getting used to, but Ranger could definitely see it coming in handy if things got too nasty, especially since the ammo, and the gun itself were the priciest things Ranger ever saw: 500 gold for the gun, and 100 silver for each bullet, and that's including a discount for helping to test the weapon. With his new gun, swords, and armor, and old crossbow, he believed he'd be ready for anything.
Little did he know...he'd put his new toy to use sooner than he thought...
In the eyes of a ranger, the unsuspecting stranger, had better know the truth of wrong from right.
'Cause the eyes of a ranger are upon you. Any wrong you do, he's gonna see. When you're in Texas, look behind you, cause that's...where the rangers...gonna be...
For those of you that don't know...Chuck Norris himself is behind those lines, and according to what I read, he sang that himself on the show Walker: Texas Ranger, and...well, it has "Ranger" in the lyrics so I thought it would be an appropriate tribute. To those of you who say this is just one big information dump, I do apologize for that, but what am I supposed to do? go through a year's worth of material before getting to the good stuff? I really don't want to do that thank you very much. Anyway, guns are now a thing in the Goblin Slayer universe, and let's face it: guns aren't too farfetched all-things-considered: they were made by dwarves, who are famous for being crafty, they're not easy to make and pricey as such, are rare as well, can and will become necessary, and above all, are going to be treated as a weapon, not a plot device, so if any of you want something like a minigun, it will not be without good reason. Anyway, I hope you're all ready for what comes next in my take on Goblin Slayer. Rate, review, and share, the whole spiel and stay tuned for what comes next.