Sword Maiden calmly walked down the streets of Water Town followed by her attendants, smiling and waving towards the greetings she had received. What was odd was but a couple weeks ago she had a vivid dream of things turning out much worse for her and her city had Goblin Slayer and his party not come to her aid almost two years ago.

"Thankfully it was only a dream and I was fortunate to have the opportunity to work with Goblin Slayer once again." A warm smile and slight blush crossed her face as she though back to their most recent quest.

The Lord, the king of the land, had summoned her and others like her including the newly ranked Hero to come and aid with a dark prophecy, the impact of an ill star that had fallen from the Heavens. The road to the capital had become dangerous due to the sighting of several goblin riders, so for her it only made sense to request the assistance of Goblin Slayer and his party. She met with them at the guild hall and was introduced to the two Half-Dragons they had recused from some human raiders and smiled as she heard the younger one refer to Goblin Slayer as her older brother.

"Who would have thought the king's sister would cause so much trouble. Stealing the young Priestess' belongings and ending up being captured by the goblins in their dungeon as a sacrifice." Sword Maiden suddenly frowned as she thought back to the visage of the goblins before her. "I am thankful that he along with my warrior priests were there…I don't know if I would have been able to face the goblins if I had been by myself."

"Is everything okay my lady?"

Sword Maiden was suddenly brought back to reality as she heard one of her attendants call out to her.

"My apologies, I was just in deep thought about the recent events at the capital."

"It was most fortunate that silver-ranked adventurer and his party were there, to think they would want you, our Archbishop, to go and deal with goblins. The nerve of those in charge, asking you to deal with such a demeaning task."

"Y, yes indeed, quite fortunate that he was there." Sword Maiden smiled once again as she thought about Goblin Slayer but soon a frown formed on her face. "There was something off about him though when we spoke. His form…his shadow seemed darker, almost as if he wasn't the same man I had met during the end of the year celebration. I could have sworn as we spoke there was another watching me with eyes filled with anger and…jealousy."

"I hope he is okay."

"My lady?"

"Oh, it's nothing really, just wondering how Goblin Slayer is fairing after his most recent quest."

"If you'd like, we can send him a letter, I'd be more than happy to take down your dictation."

"I…that would be a lovely idea." Sword Maiden did her best to hide the blush on her face.

"I should have it sent to the guild in Frontier Town yes?"

"That's correct. We best hurry back to the Temple of Law, though I've greatly enjoyed being able to be out and about in the fare town, I do still have many duties ahead of me."

"Yes Ma'am."

Little did the two realize that as they were speaking, they happened to pass by a couple of individuals leaning against the wall of the guild hall. One was a portly bearded man while the other was clean-shaved, his eyes hidden under the long brim of his hat as he took a drag on his pipe. He exhaled then soon stood and began to walk away towards the business district with the bearded man following behind.

"Did you hear?"

"Of course I heard, it was a smart plan to wait here in Water Town while the third wagon was being delivered." Elder Animal Tracker frowned though as he now had some kind of lead on this Goblin Slayer.

"So when do we move to kill him?" Animal Wrangler was worried about trying to move against that monstrous man.

"Keep your voice down you damn fool. We can't do anything until the last two wagons are delivered."

"I thought you only owed him four."

"I wasn't the one who screwed up."

"Right, it was because your brother…"

Before he could finish, Elder Animal Tracker quickly spun around and got hold of shirt collar pulling him forward then shoving him back, causing the heavy man to fall. This of course drew the attention of everyone as the lanky man in the hat glared at the man on the ground.

"Think very carefully about the next words that will come out of your mouth." Elder Animal Tracker clenched his fist as he continued to glare at this man.

"Un, understood."

Animal Wrangler quickly stood, dusted himself off, and rejoined Elder Animal Tracker in their discussion.

"I need to stay on good terms with the Necromancer, hence the reason for the extra wagon. You didn't see it did you?"

"See what?"

"Before we left, he sent out a couple of those Faceless Men of his."

"The…they're watching us?" Animal Wrangler began to nervously look around but could not spot anyone in those odd masks.

"They're not going to move about in those plague masks you damn idiot. From what he said, even the Faceless Men don't know who the others are, it could be any one of these men or women around, but it's clear he wants to keep a sharp eye on us."

"I…I see. So what then?"

"We deliver the last of his requested animals, then we move on this Goblin Slayer. I sure as hell don't plan on crossing that man."

"Why? Is it because you don't want to lose a valuable customer?"

"That and I don't want to end up as one of those test subjects. We haven't seen what he has, those things…they're beyond what describes a monster." Elder Animal Tracker started to sweat at the thought of those things being unleashed or worst being turned into one of those abominations. "Regardless, we know where to start when the time is right."

xxxx

Goblin Slayer stood by his usual table as he waited patiently for the rest of his party and the new quests to go out. It had been now more than two months dealing with this curse, everyday he could see the darkness spreading further and further. There were times were the pain was excruciating, but he had trained himself to deal with it, other times it was mild but there was always the pain. So focused on his thought was he, that he failed to see a large man in armor walk into the guild hall; this figure looked around until he caught sight of Goblin Slayer.

"I do not approve of that buxom temptress being around you beloved. Did you notice how she practically threw herself at you? She acted as if she was desperate for your approval, I can't imagine anyone being so flirtatious. Beloved?"

"How much longer do I have? No solution has presented itself as of yet. Should I tell them now, that way they are prepared for the worst."

"Beloved, what troubles you?" Lich Queen smiled as she placed her hands upon his.

Though visible to Goblin Slayer, her form was unseen by the others around them.

"Time. I feel mine is running short."

"Yes…that would be problematic." Lich Queen frowned as she looked toward her beloved. "I…I am sorry."

Goblin Slayer then looked up to face Lich Queen, though her eyes were black save the bright red pupils, he could see a saddened expression on her face.

"We're there a way to end your suffering I would gladly do so, but…would it really be so bad to spend the rest of our time with me? Your soul and mine would be together forever so you would never be alone…and neither would I."

Before he was able to answer, he finally noticed the large man walk around him to stand on the opposite side of the table. Heavy Warrior had a stern look about his face as he nodded toward Goblin Slayer.

"Do you need something." The dispassionate response from Goblin Slayer did not help the situation.

"Goblin Slayer…how long have we known one another?"

"Hmm…since we began, seven years correct?"

"Seven years…and yet only in the last two years have we actually acted like comrades."

"Is that so?"

"Yes. Goblin Slayer, over these last two years I've come to realize that you are a capable and trustworthy comrade." Heavy Warrior sighed as he thought about his village which had been saved from the goblins. "They told me it was a young adventurer who came and slew the goblins, he came and saved the village before I even knew about it."

"Something wrong?"

"Yes, but now that I'm here it seems harder to ask. Goblin Slayer…I'd like your assistance with something."

"Is it goblins?"

"It'd be easier if it were, but no. What do you know about curses?"

"Not as much as I would like." Goblin Slayer stared at Heavy Warrior as he wondered where the adventurer was going with this question.

"As you probably have seen, I've been out of the guild for a while. Me and my party have…been dealing with something unpleasant?"

"Is that so? I've been out quite often so I hadn't noticed."

"I see. Listen, I need the advice of someone who's been working with wolves for some time. Could I ask for your aid…please?" Heavy Warrior bowed his head toward Goblin Slayer.

Some of the other guild patrons had seen this, Spearman and Witch included, and were shocked to see Heavy Warrior bow his head towards another.

"I can't promise I'll be able to help, but I'll do what I can."

"That's all I ask." Heavy Warrior had a light smile about his face. "Let me buy you a beer and I'll discuss what I need, or at least what I can say out loud."

"Very well."

Goblin Slayer followed behind Heavy Warrior towards the tavern where he was greeted by Half-Dragon Mother and Daughter.

"Good morning Goblin Slayer." Half-Dragon Mother had a bright smile on her face.

"Big Brother, good morning!" Half-Dragon Daughter was quick to run up and hug her brother, ever the bright smile on her face.

Goblin Slayer nodded his head toward them and gently patted his "little sister" atop her head much to the surprise of Heavy Warrior.

"You…you're a big brother? When did this happen, who are these new people?" Heavy Warrior, being out so long, was surprised by the sight of these two dragons.

"We helped them after a goblin quest. Half-Dragon Mother and Priest are now living together as her family. The rest of my party was invited to join as well as her surrogate brother and sisters."

Heavy Warrior was indeed surprised by all this change, while and the rest of his party were out trying to find a cure, Goblin Slayer had gone and found himself a family.

"Come to think of it, I thought I had also seen Spearman and his partner being rather close. Did he finally realize that he had a perfectly fine woman by his side this whole time?"

"Good morning Milord Goblin Slayer."

"Hey Orcbolg, did you come to join us?"

"Not today. I've been asked to assist Heavy Warrior with a matter."

"Oh it's very good to see you again." Priestess was quick to stand and bow her head to Heavy Warrior. "I haven't seen your party around for a while now, is everything alright?"

"I…one of my members is ill at the moment. If you'll excuse us." Heavy Warrior was quick to brush off the conversation as he moved away from the others.

"Do you want our help with the matter Goblin Slayer?" Half-Demon Thief was curious as to what could be bothering Heavy Warrior.

"No. He asked for my assistance." Goblin Slayer then followed behind the warrior to a more secluded part of the tavern.

"I'm curious as to what business Beardcutter has with our warrior friend there. Come to think of it, like the lass said, it's been quite some time since we've seen his whole party here."

"Well whatever it is, it would seem that he doesn't want us to get involved." Priestess had a slight frown as she felt Goblin Slayer was moving away from them once again.

"It would seem that way, too bad we're not a part of the warrior's group…fortunately we're part of Goblin Slayer's though." High Elf Archer smirked as she looked over toward the corner to see the two of them order their drinks.

"Once you get the details, I'll help keep us out of sight so we can see what Goblin Slayer is up to." Half-Demon Thief smirked as well as she continued to eat her food.

"Wait…we're going to spy on them?" Priestess had a slight frown upon her face.

"Not spy, just observe from a distance. You want to make sure that Goblin Slayer is alright, yes?" Half-Demon Thief's grew as she watched her friend nervously fidget in place.

"Yes, but…I don't feel right spying on him though."

"We shall only intervene if absolutely necessary. This is Milord Goblin Slayer's task of course."

"What's this Scaly, you wish to eavesdrop as well?"

"I am only concerned for the well-being of my friend Sir Mage…though my curiosity is rather high with the secrecy of all of this."

xxxx

"Thank you for not involving the others Goblin Slayer. This is a rather…delicate matter. The less people who know of this, the better."

"Give me the details of the quest."

"Straight to the point as ever. As I mentioned earlier, one of my party is ill and I'd like your help is hopefully finding a cure."

"Why not as the Priestess, she knows the miracle of heal and purify?"

"We've…tried those already with our own druid and I doubt your party member will be able to change much. No, what I need right now, is someone with expertise…particularly wolves. Speaking of which, where are your two dire wolves?"

"At home, I was going to retrieve them if another goblin quest was assigned."

"Thank you for this, I will pay back in whatever way I can…even if that means I owe you a goblin quest." Heavy Warrior had a light smile on his face. "Down to business, there's a clearing quite a ways from here to the east of the town, come around sundown and my party will be there to meet you, bring your dire wolves."

"Hmm. Very well."

"Also, do you happen to know what night this is?"

"Does that matter?"

"Thankfully tonight is the night of the two full moons…the night of the red moon are the most difficult." The was a far away look in Heavy Warrior's eye as a thought crossed his mind. "Anyway, thanks again for meeting with me, I have a couple errands to run so I'll see you tonight. Please don't breathe a word of this to the others."

Goblin Slayer nodded his head as he watched the large man leave the tavern after paying for their drinks. Goblin Slayer lingered at his seat for a moment before he too stood and exited the guild hall, deciding to go and gather Wolf and Snow. High Elf Archer having heard everything frowned as she mulled the information, then whispered to the others what she heard.

Upon gathering his two wolves, Goblin Slayer decided it would be best to go and wait at the location until dusk. Though it was late in the afternoon, Goblin Slayer found the clearing Heavy Warrior spoke of and patiently waited with his dire wolves who happily ran about the field together. It was nearly dusk when he heard the sound of a wagon approaching, he turned to see Heavy Warrior atop the wagon, behind it was a large metal cage being dragged along. Both dire wolves calmly walked toward Goblin Slayer and waited beside him though they remained tense. Heavy Warrior brought the wagon to a halt and disembarked before being followed by the rest of his party. The three younger members had weak smiles on their faces as they nodded toward Goblin Slayer, but Female Knight had a frown as she looked around the area before turning her attention toward the sky.

"Thank you for coming." Heavy Warrior held out his hand toward Goblin Slayer.

Goblin Slayer nodded as he took hold of Heavy Warrior's hand and gave it a firm shake. He then noticed the rest of Heavy Warrior's party were cautiously looking around the area for any signs of people, thankfully they found no one in eye sight. Off near the tree line, the remainder of Goblin Slayer's party were hidden by Thief's Stealth ability who too waited patiently.

"I can't believe you brought Goblin Slayer." Female Knight grunted as she looked around uncomfortably.

"He's helped us before during that time you were sick and out on the training grounds. We both know he's a damn capable silver and he's probably the most tight-lipped adventurer we've ever seen. He won't go talking about this, he can keep a secret."

"I…I suppose. He was nice enough to help me with some advice back during the Fall Festival." Female Knight smiled weakly toward Heavy Warrior then turned her attention back to Goblin Slayer. "How much do you know?"

"I was asked to come and help if I could. I've been told that one of your party is ill and my expertise with wolves was required, though I am not an expert in wolves."

"I've missed your no-nonsense dialogue. These last two months have been…quite trying. As you probably guessed, I am the one who is ill…cursed in fact."

"I see. What troubles you?"

"It, it will be easier for you to understand when the moons are out." Female Knight grunted as she suddenly gripped either side of her arms.

"Are you alright?" Druid Girl quickly rushed to her friend's side.

"I…I can feel the burning pain. There's not much time." Female Knight quickly started to remove her armor.

Druid Girl was quick to aid her, while the other male members turned their attention away from Female Knight, a slight blush present on their faces. Goblin Slayer was puzzled as to her actions, but one look on Heavy Warrior's face could show how uncomfortable he was seeing this.

"Is it required for her to remove her armor?"

"The first time it happened, she practically torn her armor off before charging off into the woods. The sight of it completely caught us off guard and it wasn't until morning that we found her, nude and covered in blood." Heavy Warrior grimaced as he recalled the sigh the first time and his immediate need to cover her up with his cloak.

"Blood, was she injured in an attack?"

"No…it was not her blood, but the blood of a wild animal, a large boar, she had evidently killed it with her bare hands."

"Hmm." Goblin Slayer was still unsure of the situation, but wondered just how much strength would be required to slay a boar bare-handed.

Once out of her armor, Female Knight was now in just a thin layer of clothing plus her undergarments, the young boys still averting their eyes of her ample frame. Shen found herself growling and as she looked toward the sky once again noticed the sun quickly setting.

"It…it will be dark soon. Get…get the cage ready!"

"Yes ma'am." Half-Elf Light Warrior quickly rushed to unlock the cage.

Female Knight was helped into the cage by Heavy Warrior, all the while she continued to growl and her breathing was quite ragged. Once in the cage, the door was quickly shut and locked as everyone backed away watching as Female Knight dropped to the floor and curled up into a fetal position from the pain. Wolf and Snow's ears began twitching and both moved from a sitting position to standing, their bodies tensed as they both moved in front of Goblin Slayer and started with a low growl.

"Wolf. Snow." Goblin Slayer calmly placed his hand atop their heads to calm them, yet they continued to growl.

"They can probably got the scent coming from her and can sense something is not quite right." Heavy Warrior looked towards the two massive wolves and then back toward the metal cage. "Though expensive, the cage was a good investment as it has kept us all safe."

Goblin Slayer continued to observe his comrade in the cage when he finally noticed the sun was down and off in the distance, he could clearly see the two full moons slowly rising. Suddenly there was a scream, as Female Knight suddenly stood and gripped the bars of the cage while staring off at the full moons.

"Here it comes again…by the gods how I hate the see her suffer like this." Heavy Warrior grunted as he backed further away from the cage.

Female Knights face contorted with rage as her body began to change before everyone' eyes. For the younger one they could only look on with horror while Heavy Warrior looked toward her with sympathy, but Goblin Slayer calmly watched what was happening. The sounds of fabric tearing could be heard as her body began to alter, limbs began to elongate, and muscles started to bulge. Female Knight's face began to morph in an almost painful fashion as her mouth and nose seemed to extend forward like a dog's muzzle.

As the clothing around her body began to become far to constricting, she torn at the fabric with her large hands, which now bore long clawed fingertips. White fur could now be seen covering her body though her long blonde hair remained. Even with the white fur covering her form, a female shape could still be discerned. Though the transformation may have only been going on for a few minutes, for those watching this horror unfold it felt as though it had been going on for hours. With a final deafening roar, Female Knight was no longer there inside the cage, as a massive creature resembling a wolf stood on it hind legs, gripping the bars of the cage with its almost human hands and shaking furiously as it tried to break free.

"It's done. The cage is still holding." Heavy Warrior breathed a sigh of relief as he wiped the sweat from his brow.

The massive white wolf with the long, blonde flowing mane through its head back and howled toward the night sky before growling once again. The creature looked around the area studying the figures before it, when its nose picked up on the scents of new creatures; with wide blue eyes it looked toward the armored man and the two dire wolves before snarling at them. The two dire wolves themselves continued to stand in front of Goblin Slayer while growling themselves at this large wolf.

"It's not a goblin. A wolf? No, it stands on its hind legs like a human." Goblin Slayer inquisitively studying the creature in the cage as it continued to snarl at him.

"Not a normal wolf beloved, a werewolf. Evidently, this human must have been bitten by such a creature and is now cursed to turn into one herself."

"I see…a werewolf." Goblin Slayer then took notice of his two dire wolves continuously growling so once again he placed his hands atop their heads. "Easy. Calm yourselves."

Both Wolf and Snow stopped their growling as they looked toward the man in the armor, they then moved back to a sitting position though their bodies remained tense as they look at the werewolf.

"Yes, a werewolf. The wolf that bit her in the winter must have been a werewolf and over the last two months we've been either trying to find the wolf or a cure for her." Heavy Warrior sighed as he thought back to the last two months.

"I see beloved, they're looking for the werewolf who bit her, if they kill it, it should break the curse. As far as a cure…I do know of one sure fire cure, and that is to use silver to kill her."

"So you've been looking for the wolf to undo the curse?" Goblin Slayer wished to verify this new information with Heavy Warrior.

"Yes, but the man who took it away has vanished. If we couldn't find the wolf, we wanted to find a cure…one that did not involve killing her."

"With silver correct?"

"Yes, I see that you're quite informed." Heavy Warrior had a light smile knowing that his comrade was already well-versed in werewolf mythology.

"Only as of recent." Goblin Slayer slowly walked toward the cage, carefully judging how far the werewolf could reached with the swipe of its claws.

"Be careful." Scout Boy was quick to caution.

"I've already judged what is a safe distance." Goblin Slayer continued to study the creature, though all observations were based on what compared to the goblins and what he knew of regular wolves. "Longer limbs than a goblin champion, though the muscle mass does not seem as thick. Ferocity is like that of a cornered animal. Change in limbs would indicate that it is more agile then a human or goblin."

"Are you having fun beloved, I see that your mind is already trying to make sense of what you're seeing. You know, you need only ask me for any information, I have been around for quite a long time now. I am more than ready to be of use to you in whatever capacity."

"Hmm." Goblin Slayer pondered what was told to him before taking the Lich Queen up on her offer. "Silver is needed to kill the creature, though I imagine that any weapon made of silver would be effective against any living thing. Why specifically silver?"

"Something about it being effective at detecting and purifying evil. Vampires, demons, and werewolves are often seen as chaotic evil, even gold has its roots in evil, but silver is incorruptible."

"Would silver be effective against my curse?"

"Beloved you wound me, and after all I've done for you. I tease beloved, but no, silver will not work on what you are suffering through. I am beyond a mere demon, so silver would not be of any use to you, and no I am not just telling you that to keep you from banishing me. Or am I? I am teasing of course beloved." Lich Queen giggled, though her laughter did not carry any sinister connotation to it.

"Have you thought of something?" Heavy Warrior noticed Goblin Slayer in deep thought despite the werewolf snarling at him mere feet away.

"A thought has crossed my mind, but nothing concrete yet." Goblin Slayer was dispassionate in his response as he turned toward Heavy Warrior while his dire wolves calmly stood by his side.

"That's also the reason I asked for your assistance, you managed to tame these two dire wolves so I was hopeful you'd be able to help me tames this beast

"I did not tame them."

"You…you didn't tame them, but just now they responded to your commands." Half-Elf Light Warrior was confused as he felt just as uncomfortable being around them as the werewolf.

"It's not a command, but calm instruction. They are still wild animals and could fall back on instinct at any moment. They have placed their trust in me and I in them, a sense of respect." Goblin Slayer looked toward the two dire wolves who looked back toward him. "If I were to fight them, they would fight back."

"A sense of trust…I wonder if the same could be true for her. Is there a way to create that trust with the werewolf?" Heavy Warrior placed his hand upon his chin as he pondered the idea of possibly finding a way to work with the werewolf.

Wolf, Snow and the female werewolf suddenly picked up on the new scents carried in the air, for the two dire wolves it caused them to happily wag their tails but for the werewolf she could went into a rage and roared once again.

"What…what's wrong?" Heavy Warrior backed away from the cage as his partner angrily pulled on the bars.

"We're not alone." Goblin Slayer reached for his mace as he looked around the area.

Author's Note: The reveal of the werewolf is here, though I feel I could have done better with the transformation portion. I'm not completely up to speed on how to describe it in such detail, more basing it off what I would expect to see if I saw someone transform. The werewolf section will lead to the true arc of the story (and no, not more time travel). Elder Animal Tracker's revenge will be brutal against the man who crossed him…and those close to him.

Apologies for the light spoilers from LN 8 at the beginning, wanted to keep tying this original story back into the cannon stuff as much as possible.