Something I've been toying with, and working on, for a while now.
Guardsman
Guild Girl looked at the piece of paper in her hand and frowned.
Normally, messages for Adventurers were sent to the last Guild House that they were known to frequent, but occasionally it proved necessary to forward them on to their homes, if they had one. Usually this was the case if they were marked urgent, but there were times when, well, there were times when it was best for everyone if they didn't visit the Guild too often.
Such was the case with the Ruby ranked Adventurer known as Guardsman. Oh, he was always polite to her, and always provided detailed reports after completing a quest without the more colourful embellishments that the likes of Spearman was prone to. But he had a rather nasty habit of starting fights with other Adventurers, especially Elf's or really any one who used magic. Were it not for his tendency to cause trouble, he probably would have been promoted to Silver long ago.
Still, his strange clothing and certainly unique weapon made him well known around the Frontier, and at times Quests would arrive specially asking for his services. And on such occasions, it was necessary to find a suitable messenger to deliver the details to the old stone watchtower in the forest that he called home.
The only question was, who to send?
"Any goblins?" a familiar voice asked, and Guild Girl looked up, suddenly realising that a solution had presented itself.
"Goblin Slayer, Sir!" she beamed excitedly, "As a matter of fact, yes there is."
The tall Adventurer held out his hand for the details, but Guild Girl held it back.
"Before I give you the quest, I have a favour to ask." she did her best to sound hopeful, "There's another job that needs doing, and it's on the way to the goblin nest..."
"Yes?" Goblin Slayer asked, impassively.
"Just deliver a letter." Guild Girl gave her best innocent smile, "To Guardsman."
Goblin Slayers had actually pulled back, his posture changing.
"Guardsman." his voice, usually a flat monotone, suddenly took on an edge.
"Come now, Goblin Slayer." Guild Girl chastised him, "That was two years ago!"
"Something wrong?" a new voice entered the conversation uninvited, "No goblins to slay?"
"Guardsman." Goblin Slayer muttered again, and the smile on Spearmans face froze.
While the notoriously boastful Adventurer may have enjoyed poking fun at Goblin Slayer, in his cheep looking armour and dented helmet, there was always an undercurrent of genuine respect bordering on admiration for all the good work he'd done taking of thankless, underpaying jobs. More than a few Porcelain ranked Adventurers had survived their first Quest because they'd taken the time to seek Goblin Slayers advice, and that didn't even take into account all the villages and farms he'd saved, all the kidnapped young women he'd returned home.
But Guardsman... he was something else entirely.
"Give it to someone else." Spearman actually glared at Guild Girl, his normal flirtatious tone noticeable by its absence, "He has an Elf and a Lizardman in his party now. Or are you looking to start something?"
"Oh!" the young woman blinked, suddenly realising what she'd almost done.
"It's OK." Goblin Slayer reached out for the letter.
"Only if you're sure." Guild Girl reluctantly handed it over, along with the details of the Goblin nest, "Please, be careful."
Goblin Slayer simply nodded his head, turned and left without further comment.
"Guardsman..." Spearman muttered under his breath, as if the word was the worst possible curse imaginable, "He should have been expelled from the Guild after what happened with Wood Elf Wizard!"
"That was a misunderstanding!" Guild Girl insisted, trying to sound more sure then she actually was, "He was cleared of any malicious intent."
"By the Guild, which has every reason to keep him on the books." the Adventurer shook his head, then slammed a piece of paper down onto the desk, "One dead Troll. Quest complete."
Goblin Slayer strode out of the Guild Hall and into the street, examining the details of the Quest he'd pick up: goblins attacking small village and surrounding farms. Five confirmed dead, two young women missing, presumed captured. Nest believed to be located in abandoned mine in forest. It seemed on the surface to be fairly typical, the kind of job he used to take all the time back when he was working solo. But he was the nominal head of a party now, and he had to take them into consideration, especially as he'd agreed to deliver a message to Guardsman on the way. Truth was, it wouldn't take him more than an hour out of his way, and he could easily make that up if he avoided rest breaks.
"Orcbolg!" An excited voice called out to him from further down the street, and he looked up to see the rest of his party standing by the town gates, High Elf Archer waving her hand, "Did you find us a quest?"
"Yes." he stopped just short of them, "And... No."
The four other Adventurers looked at him with confused expressions on their faces.
"I don't understand." Priestess looked up to him, clutching her sounding rod.
"There's a nest of goblins." her mentor held up the official Quest form in one hand, then the letter for Guardsman in the other, "And a message to deliver on the way."
"Then what's the problem, Beard Cutter?" Dwarf Shaman laughed.
"Guardsman." Goblin Slayer lowered his head slightly.
"Oh..." High Elf Archer's face, and ears, fell.
"I have heard this name." Lizard Priest grumbled like distant thunder, "His... reputation, precedes him."
"Who is he?" Priestess asked, innocently.
"Adventure." Goblin Slayer grunted, "Ruby ranked."
"He's a murder, is what he is!" the Elvish ranger snapped, trying to grab the letter from her taller teammates hand, "I say we burn it!"
"No." Goblin Slayer remained unreadable behind his mask.
"Beard Cutter?" Dwarf Shaman asked, visibly confused, "I would have thought that you of all people would..."
"It's not about what he did," Goblin Slayer remained impassive, even as High Elf Archer continued to try and grab the letter from his raised hand, "but the people who need his help."
High Elf Archer froze mid-swipe, a suddenly thoughtful expression in her face, which was mirrored by that of Dwarf Shaman and Lizard Priest. As was so often the case, their stoic and resolved defacto leader had hit the nail on the head, as the old saying went. Part of the Adventures creed was that each job taken, each quest completed, meant a life, even a whole village or town, saved. To intentionally and willingly interfere with another Adventures quest was, well, it was almost unthinkable. Only a Non-Prayer would stoop so low as to e danger innocents in such a way, and they had already fallen from the grace of the Gods and Goddesses of Law and Order.
Dwarf Shaman uttered a long string of oaths and curses in his own language, while Lizard Priest said a silent pray, asking for peace and wisdom. High Elf Archer fumed like a child who wasn't getting her way, actually stamping her feet in exasperation.
"FINE!" she snarled, "You can deliver his damn letter if you want, but it's going to cost you! Next time, I pick the quest, and you can bet your life I won't be looking for goblins!"
"Yes." Goblin Slayer nodded, having long ago accepted that there would always be more goblins.
The party made their way along a narrow forest path, the silence only broken by their footsteps and the rattle of their equipment. As was the norm, Goblin Slayer was in the lead, followed by High Elf Archer. Lizard Priest then followed, his impressive strength and stamina allowing him to carry much of their equipment and supplies, while Dwarf Shaman brought up the rear. Priestess usually did her best to keep place with Goblin Slayer, but found herself falling behind, eventually ending up with High Elf Archer.
"This adventurer, Guardsman." she asked, softly, knowing full well that Goblin Slayers highly trained ears would pick up her words regardless, "I've never heard of him before..."
"There was an... Incident, involving another adventurer known as Wood Elf Wizard." the Ranger explained, her usually cheerful voice tepid, "Guardsman almost killed him, but a healer was able to save his life, even if he had to retire from the Guild. It's hard to cast spells with only one arm."
"That's horrible!" the younger woman gasped, "What did the Guild do?"
"He was officially censured: a letter of reprimand placed in his records." Lizard Priest offered, "He will most likely never progress past Ruby to Silver."
"From what I have heard, several Adventures protested, saying he should have been expelled from the Guild." High Elf Archer shook her head, "If not for..."
The party lapsed back into an uneasy silence.
"Tell her." Goblin Slayer spoke without even looking back.
Priestess looked concerned for a moment, but High Elf Archer placed a hand on her shoulder and shook her head.
"Guardsman was always... Unique." she explained, "He was found, battered and bleeding, in the wake of a Dark Sorcerer's attempt to open a portal to another realm, in order to summon a Dark Champion. No one seems to know exactly what happened, but admittedly the spell didn't work as he ended up with Guardsman instead. Even at the point of death, he still managed to draw a blade and kill the Sorcerer. The Adventures who had taken the quest to keep him alive long enough to get him to a healer, and summoned a High Cleric to examine him. He was found to be free of any evil taint, and once he recovered, his weapons and armour were returned to him, and he eventually joined the Guild."
"He says that he's only doing so until..." Dwarf Shaman added, "Well, he talks, at length, about someone he calls the 'God Emperor', who he worships. He says he will one day come and..."
"Kill pretty much everyone." High Elf Archer took the story back up, "If you believe what he says, then this God Emperor of his hates pretty much anyone who isn't human: Elves, Lizardmen, Beast Folk... don't seem to have much of a problem with Dwarfs or Rheas, although he calls them funny names."
"He also hates anyone who can perform magic, regardless of their race, and isn't too fond of Clerics, either." Dwarf Shaman warned, "That's what led to his fight with Wood Elf Wizard, if the stories are to be believed."
"They are." Goblin Slayer offered without even looking back over his shoulder, "I was there."
"The Guild only puts up with him because...well, his weapons and armour..." High Elf Archer sort the right words, "They defy understanding. He is the only one who knows how they work, so they allow him to continue to be a part of the Guild, and in exchange, he stays away from people."
"We're there." Goblin Slayer held up his hand and nodded towards where a track led off the main road, "Wait here."
Priestess looked at the crude sign nailed to a tree at the side of the road: humans only beyond this point.
The sound of creaking wood made a lie of the calm expression on High Elf Archers face as she gripped her bow so tightly her knuckles turned white. Lizardman Priests lips curled enough for his sharp fangs to appear, and even the normally jovial Dwarf Shaman had lost his smile.
"Wait here." Goblin Slayer advised.
"I will go with you." Priestess took a step forward.
"No." Her mentor shook his head.
"Listen to Orcbolg." High Elf Archer advised, "As Dwarf Shaman said, Guardsman is no friend to clerics..."
"Somebody needs to go with Goblin Slayer." Priestess insisted, "Somebody needs to watch his back."
"She's right." Dwarf Shaman admitted, regretfully, "I'm the only other one who could go, but I couldn't be trusted to mind my tongue."
"So I go." Priestess repeated in a tone most unlike her usual meek self.
"Very well." Goblin Slayer nodded, "Say nothing. Stay close."
The path led through a the forest to a small clearing, in the middle of which sat an old windmill that had obviously seen better days. A piece of wood, which looked like it had once been part of a packing crate, had been placed above the door, upon which was painted a double-headed eagle. Priestess did not recognise the sigil, but it was obviously important to whoever had painted it, given the care and attention that had obviously been put into the work.
Beneath it, someone had carefully etched a phrase she likewise did not recognise: Only In Death Does Duty End.
Hesitating momentarily, Goblin Slayer knocked on the door.
The sound of movement came from within, and then the door flung open, revealing a tall man with a scared face and greying hair. In his hand he held a strange artifact, obviously a weapon of some kind, by the way he held it, but Priestess had never seen anything like it before. It was boxy, made of some kind of dull, polished metal, with a sword like grip at one end, and a tube at the other. He was dressed in a pair of trousers and matching tunic, made out of a tan coloured material, with a leather belt, complete with several pouches and a short, sword like weapon.
"Oh. It's you." the man obviously recognised Goblin Slayer as he lowered his weapon, at least a little.
"I have a letter." the silver ranked adventurer held up the envelope, "A job offer."
"As the Emperor protects, so must we." Guardsman took the letter and read the contents, his brow furling, "Very well: inform the Guild that I will accept this mission, in the Emperors name."
He turned and reentered the old mill, leaving the door open enough for Priestess to see the spartan living room: the furniture was of good quality, but obviously chosen for function over form, and the only decoration was a torn and scorched banner of some kind, upon which she could just make out the word Cadia. Uttering what was obviously some kind of prayer to himself, Guardsman donned some kind of sage green armour, made up of a chest plate and pauldrons, as well as sturdy looking boots with metal greave. Finally, he grabbed a helmet made from the same metal, and a larger version of weapon he'd brandished, which he swung over his shoulder by a leather strap. Then he made his way to a small shrine he had set up in one corner of the room, knelt down and started to pray.
Goblin Slayer quietly closed the door.
"He seems... lonely." Priestess observed.
"He has his mission." Was all her mentor offered, "And we have goblins to kill."
The End