Book 9- Insomniac Goblin Slayer in the Demon Castle-V

Extract from Ken Burns- The Ceramicus Wars.

In the summer of 7983 a column of zombies was seen marching on Borderlands City, once there a great trumpet was blared and the gates opened. Not to unleash the defending armies on the zombie horde but to give them sacks of volcanic ash. The column was a workforce from the demon lands who did underwater work on the nearby docks and their payment was rich volcanic ash to use on their grave beds, they then turned away and started their journey back to the Demon Lands.

And with them a column of pilgrims and traders make their way towards Crystal Sand City, the Capital of Kobra Kahn's domain, which was on the same trade route as the zombie horde's journey home. The reason for this is that zombies have recently earned a reputation as a safer, cheaper and faster travel column that those lead by living beings.

Such unconventional sights had become so common that people did not even react anymore to the presence of zombies in Order aligned lands, in fact only the day before a black rock dragon flew over High King's Capitol and where in years passed that would have been a sign of a demon raid, now it was a sign to gather in the square for the latest package delivery. The dragon in question, like the zombie horde, was not in an unconventional profession for those of its kind and was working as a mailman between the two realms.

The narrator said as Ashokan Farewell blares over the screen.

In the summer of 7983 High King secretly enters a sports decathlon for young knights and manages to win 7 out of the 8 events, showing to the world that he was in top shape and that he had many decades of good health before him. Less than 6 months from then he would die of a fever from wounds sustained at the Battle of Muddy Waters.

Far off to the west, Eight-Peaks By the Sea where celebrating the wedding of High Water Princess to Admiral Rogue Trader, formerly the leader of the biggest smuggling fleet in the West, while they announcement the nuptials of High Water Prince to Champion Assassin as his bride while the mother of the twins, the ever capable High Water Queen was helping her husband Master Slayer oversee the weddings while also planning the 25th anniversary of the Slayer Orders.

In 7983 Slayer Keep had gone through 8 Kings and Queens and thanks to their new system each power shift was handled without a drop of blood being spilled, a previously thought about impossible achievement.

At the dawn of the year the new Slayer Queen, Noble Fighter, writes to the first Slayer King Ceramicus-Goblin Slayer, who is still held captive by the Demon King and because of this unfinished parley to ransom him for almost 25 years there has been peace between the two sides. A peace that seemed a pipe dream before, now a long reality and soon to be just a fading memory of better times.

In the beginning of the year Goblin Slayer leads a group of demons, who are tentatively his jailors, to pick herbs and flowers from the first bloom of spring in order to collect them for tea, spices, herbs and dye. At one point everyone succumbs to sleepiness from the spring atmosphere with only Goblin Slayer awake and yet he chooses to not escape and even watches over them, chasing away a few two-faced feral wolves who come too close to a group.

By 7983 the peace had lasted for so long that many could hardly remembered a time where there was war between the Chaos and the Order aligned nations. For over two decades the youths of the demons had been tutored by Goblin Slayer in boxing and grappling, affectionately calling the in his late 40's Goblin Slayer 'The Old Man', despite the fact that a human's average life of 75 years was not even long enough for a demon's adolescence.

In 7983 a whole generation of humans grew up knowing only peace with demon kind and close to where the two factions met interactions where mostly peaceful, the sight of humans in demons lands and demons in human lands had become a banality.

The Armadillo Hot Springs in the Demon Lands celebrates its 5th year of successful human visits, while in the heart of the High Kingdom Slayer Keep has it's 2.456th organized visitor group of Demon Tourists be given commemorative plates for their visit, while putting the order in for hundreds more confident that many more demon tourists would come for the rest of the year and the decade as had been the case for over 20 years now.

Come a year from now and there would never be another exchange of tourist for almost two centuries until the rise of Princess Suya.

In 7983 all seemed well in the world, with a healthy High King, a stable peace and cornerstone anniversaries coming up. All of that would be lost in les that a year later and war and misery would return, but it would not be a war like anything that was before and the foes that they would face would test the heroes of the Order Alliance like never before.

Episode 1- The Spark that light's the flame.

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High King had been many times to the Demon Lands by now, both as a foe during his early years as kind and as a visiting monarch after his High Marshall and perhaps only friend had been captured and a strange unheard of 20 year peace settled between Chaos and Order.

And now another time he visits, this time to mark the 20 years of peace with this Field of Cloth and Gold.

From every Order and Chaos aligned faction a great city of tents has been installed, foods of the highest quality had been provided, great thespians from all over the world gathered to mark this anniversary and the signing of the first ever official peace treaty between the two factions.

"The only remaining issue are the rebels on the moon." The massive Demon King Midnight said from next to High King as the two Monarch's made their way across the field of cloth and gold their escorts trailing behind them.

"Am I correct in suggesting that the only reason that is so is that you hesitate to send troops away from out common borders and towards that front?" High King asked.

"You may, that is why I suggest a joint expedition, we send equal amounts of troops and then split the land on the moon fifty-fifty." Midnight suggested.

"Those are agreeable terms." High King said and the two monarch looked into each other's eyes and remained silent at that. Their escorts tensing up thinking that a brawl between them might ensue and readied to defend their respective lieges.

Then both Kings shared a chuckle.

"So this is how we end our reigns, not with a sword in hand but with peace, a treaty and a common enemy." High King said.

"Indeed, I feel that soon I will abdicate and name my son as Demon King. After signing tomorrow's peace I doubt that there is any greater glory than I can achieve in my lifetime so I will quit while I am ahead. What about you?" Midnight asked.

"Oh, the adventurer in me does not have such a far reaching vision. I will take one day at a time. For now I will enjoy the festivities. Now then, take me to our common friend." High King said and Midnight gestured to where Goblin Slayer's room was, after 20 years of him staying in the Demon Castle they could not bear to call it a cell when it was anything but.

Xxxxxxxxx Nighttime xxxxxxxxx

Darkness had fallen and High King and Goblin Slayer had both snuck out and where now in a dark field near the Demon Castle as they shared some wine they stole from the cellar. Now they could both forget that they were the two most powerful kings in the world and be what they truly where in their hearts, and adventurer and a hunter.

Only that and nothing more

"Do you remember what I said about king's not being able to die in their sleep?" High King asked

"Yes."

"Well it will not be long for me now my time is near. I can feel it in my bones and honestly I am no longer so hostile to it. I can feel my youth fading and my body becoming old and weak. Dying in combat does not sound like such a bad prospect...in fact it's the only way for a warrior like myself to end...while I still am the warrior I was in the past... I don't know how or when, but I know it's near, here." High King said and gave Goblin Slayer a bag,

In it was the royal crown, scepter and the seal along with a will.

"Why are you giving me this?" Goblin Slayer asked.

"Because my heir is Golden Princess and that brat of hers. I have lived long enough to be able to know what' coming. That woman and her wretched spawn are both greedy and vain, they will not let anyone have a seat at the table. She'll alienate everyone and start a war and when you win it those items will help solidify your rule." High King replied.

"I hated being the Slayer King, I don't want to be the King of Kings."

"Then don't...burn kingship into he ground, rip it to pieces and replaced it with your way... 8...8 kings and queens you have had...and not single war between them...if that is not proof that your way is better than the gods must be crazy for making such lies..."

"As you wish my lord." Goblin Slayer said and at that High King gave out a chuckle, sometimes he wondered what he did to be blessed with such a High Marshall, one who never caused him trouble or disobeyed him.

"You know, I should have visited you more often, not just here, but whenever I could. You are the only man I would call a true friend." Said the third son that was never meant to be a king to the peasant born that was never meant to be a hero or a leader or armies.

"I should have also...invited you to come slay goblins with me...maybe...maybe even come to court when there was no goblin threat," Goblin Slayer said and High King smiled.

"Look at us, reminiscing about our youthful folly...where did the years go?... When did we become the old men of yesteryear?...The hour is late now." High King said in bittersweet lament.

"Stay a bit more... sit here a while longer let's enjoy the wine." Goblin Slayer offered and that made High King smile, it was proof that time really did pass and the era really did change, for if even slaying addicted Goblin Slayer could mellow down and choose to take it easy then there was hope for us all.

"But of course I will, Goblin Slayer. We have witnessed and done incredible deeds, after all that toil and hardship, I believe we deserve a bit of a rest." High King said.

"That...we do...that...we"

Goblin Slayer agreed and they clinched their cups. Come tomorrow and the hardship and toil would return, come tomorrow and the times of peace would start to end. But tomorrow was not there yet.

For now it was still the time of wine and not of blood.

For now.

"Will you go straight to the Capitol?"

"No, there is a small pirate alliance raiding the southern delta. We'll take a detour there and take care of the pirates before going back home, shouldn't take long." High King replied.

"Where are they?"

"Some shithole called Muddy Waters."

For now.

For now.