Chapter 1: Hate
"How could this have happened? They were only goblins!" These words repeated again and again through the mind the former garrison commander as she lay tied to a wooden post in the middle of her castle's courtyard. Her once fierce knightly armor and fair skin now ravaged by blood, scrapes, and bruises.
All around the castle courtyard lay over three dozen mangled corpses of archers, soldiers, and a few horses. The horrible smell of death and overwhelming the commander. However, even these sights and smells didn't compare to the worst thing of all, goblins.
Dozens of the horrible green-monsters danced around, saliva and human blood dripping from their mouths in terrible satisfaction. Among the child-sized creatures stood at over a dozen hobgoblins, slightly larger than the average man with meaty arms and fat bells.
In the corner, another horrific scent overtook the commander, and she spotted over sixty-seven dead goblins, including four hobgoblins, two of whom fell to the commander's blade.
Despite her best efforts, the commander failed in her duty and allowed the castle to fall to goblins no less. Lowering her head in shame, the commander felt ready to break down, knowing she could never show her face to the others again. Yet that was the least of her problems now.
Sinister and monstrous laughter drew the commander's attention before her. Now trembling, the commander saw an almost nine-foot goblin champion loom over her, his jagged fangs protruding from a bloody mouth. The goblin champion opened his mouth wide enough to spit out the fractured remains of a human skull. With a defiant look, the commander spat at her captor.
"One-day goblin, the Iron Legion will-" Her speech broke down into a terrified yelp when the goblin champion grabbed at the commander's armor and ripped it clean off. With a few more strokes, the champion had all but stripped the commander naked.
The goblins cried out in lust and excitement when they saw her bare figure. Two made furious attempts at her, only to be smashed apart by the champion, who snarled at his minions. The prize would be his first.
Chuckling again, the champion began to remove his loincloth while the commander felt tears stroll down her cheeks.
"Goblins, they are creatures that do not create or spread any goodness. Evil men may exist, but goblins are evil incarnate. They cannot be reasoned with, taught goodness, or forced into submission. Therefore they must be slain to the last."
Just when the champion's loincloth dropped, a throwing hatchet struck his manhood.
"Gaaaaauhh!" The goblin champion's shrieks carried on for miles as his minions yelped in terror. All eyes shifted to another figure who stood upon the castle parapets, his grey armor matches by brown leather, a masked helmet with two broken horns on the side, and a red plume.
A short sword and round shield matched his terrifying demeanor as he stared at the goblins with a glowing red eye behind his helmet's face covering. The goblin champion roared while aiming his claws at the armored figure. Dozens of goblins and a few hobgoblins raced across the walkways towards him, only for a slew of arrows and magical rocks to rip through the small goblins' soft bodies.
On two other ends of the castle walls stood a High-elf archer and Dwarf Shauman.
"Cowardly monsters!" The green-haired elf cried. Each arrow she looses finding its mark through a goblin's body.
"I think I shall beat you this time, long ears!" The Dwarf Shauman laughed, his own magical rocks making quick work of the goblins beneath them.
Directly below Goblin Slayer came an angry hobgoblin, who threw a large rock his way. The armored warrior's shield, alongside a powerful blow, knocked it away, and Goblin Slayer leaped down. Savoring the wet cracking noise, Goblin slayer felt his sword embed itself deep into the hobgoblin's skull.
Goblin Slayer pulled his sword free without breaking stride, carrying blood with it as he cut down three more goblins with successive blows. Despite this, more goblins flooded the walkways towards him. Goblin Slayer fought off the small creatures with fast and crushing blows by his shield and sword. More and more fell, including another two hobgoblins.
Yet despite his prowess, the sheer number of goblins would soon overwhelm him. Or so it seemed. Two more figures revealed themselves, a seven-foot-tall lizard priest and a lizard skeleton warrior. Both came from behind the mobs of goblins and began hacking them apart with scythe-like blades.
Within a minute, the three stood together drenches in goblin blood. Lizard Priest decapitated a wounded hobgoblin who reached up towards him with a blade.
"Hmp, they managed to take this fortress, but fell for that track? Shameful." Lizard Priest hissed in his deep voice. Three goblin shamen attempted to conjure magic back in the courtyard, only to find arrows stuck in their bodies. The other goblins prepared to rush upstairs when they heard chanting.
"Great Earth Mother, I beseech thee. Grant me the power of your Holy Light." Coming up beside High Elf Archer stood a girl with fair skin and long blonde hair. Priestess held a sounding staff up and unleashed the Earth Mother's blinding light across the courtyard, consuming the sight of all those within it.
"Now!" High Elf Archer cried.
Six siege ladders set themselves against the walls and carried with them two-dozen men in hooded gambesons. These soldiers' padded gambesons each sported an emerald-green and yellow sigil in the chest. Within moments, they took position and began unleashing arrows into the goblins below. They didn't share High Elf Archer's accuracy or speed but did claim many goblins.
Several arrows tore the goblin champion's skin, and he let out another roar. Two more goblin champions rushed from the castle interior and tried to hurl boulders at the archers.
"Earth Mother, I call upon thee to protect my companions!" Drawing on more divine power, Priestess drew up a protective barrier around them that managed to hold off the incoming rocks.
Just as Goblin Slayer planned, the courtyard now lay in utter chaos with dozens of goblins running about to avoid the storm of arrows and rocks which came upon them. The commander frantically tried to break free amid the fighting. A massive crash sent pieces of gate flying after the head of a battering ram impacted it.
"Form ranks!" A booming but familiar voice cried. The commander's heart soared when she saw a fully armored Knight rush in at the head of several dozen soldiers. Each soldier wore a green and yellow brigandine jacket over a chainmail hauberk with sallet helmets over their heads.
Holding up kite shields and spears, the soldiers formed a phalanx wall. Each shield carried the same sigil as their armor, a sword embedded into roots with two castle towers flanking it. A dozen or so sergeants in full armor painted the same colors backed up the soldiers with two-handed broadswords.
The lead Knight's armor had portions of his helmet and plates painted with the same color. He stood taller than his soldiers, almost six-foot-eight with a twohanded longsword. However, he wasn't alone, either.
Soon three more Knights joined him, one with an arming sword and dagger, one with a polearm, and one a flail.
"Warden, Stone, Holden, Mercy!" The commander cried out with tears in her eyes.
"Attack!" The Warden roared. His phalanx moved forward like a steamroller, slayer every goblin in their path. Against a solid wall of shields and heavily-armored soldiers, the goblins, though more numerous, found themselves helpless. Their ability to move and even breathe became almost impossible. Desperation set in, and many cried out for mercy but received none.
By now, Goblin slayer and Lizard Priest joined the Knights below. The remaining hobgoblins tried desperately to free their smaller brethren, but Goblin Slayer furiously cut them down, showing a balance of skill and strength as he did so.
The Warden and his Knights performed no less admirably. Their weapons growing filthy with the blood and insides of hobgoblins. Mercy danced around one, cutting him repeatedly with her blades until she brought him to his knees and decapitated the monster.
Stone parried a hobgoblin's hammer using his heater shield, then returned to send its head flying with his own flail. The head struck another hobgoblin's back just before he found his sword hurled upwards by Holden's polearm.
"Ad mortem, inimīcus!" The lawbringer cried while sweeping the goblin's legs and embedding his ax deep into its head.
Goblin Slayer rushed beside the Warden and fought back to back with him. Their swords grew wetter and wetter with another four Hobgoblins slain.
"Look out!" Priestess cried. Goblin Slayer moved away just in time to avoid his hatchet from earlier as it flew past him. Both men looked up to see the three Goblin Champions approaching them.
"The leader is mine." Goblin Slayer spoke in his subdued and cold voice. His speech was enough to send chills even down Mercy's spine, but the Warden nodded.
"Holden, with me!"
"With pleasure!" The Lawbringer growled. Despite the champions' immense size, both Knights had enough strength to parry the massive weapons and even strike back.
In contrast, Goblin Slayer moved fast to avoid the champion's enormous hammer that ripped-up chucks of the courtyard with each blow. The silver-ranked adventurer didn't feel bits of dirt across his armor; instead, he moved too close for the weapon to reach him and slashed horizontally.
"Gauahh!" The champion's blood splattered across Goblin Slayer as it flew from his wrist. The green monster stumbled backward in pain, no longer able to hold his weapon. Snarling in a rage, the champion lashed out with his free hand only to have Goblin Slayer move inside and slice deep into the goblin's legs' muscle and bone.
The goblin champion could no longer stand and wailed in agony. His once-mighty stature collapsed in a final desperate attempt to strike Goblin Slayer. However, the armored warrior positioned himself just right and stabbed through the champion's throat.
Blood oozed out more and more with each inch his sword dug into the monster's neck. In his last moments, the goblin looked into his slayer's face and saw the red-eye behind his helmet. The glow terrified him, but Goblin Slayer didn't let him remain afraid. Instead, he pulled his sword out and took the head with it.
Nearby, Holden managed to sweep his champion's legs just like Goblin Slayer did, and then embedded his halberd into its head. At the same time, the Warden cut deep enough into his champion's hands to slice them off. After that, lopping its head off was a simple manner.
Stone raced towards the commander, who still sobbed.
"I'm sorry, I-"
"Shhh, it's alright. You're safe now." Stone cut his fellow knight free and covered her in a blanket while also cradling her.
Dwarf Shaman and High Elf Archer joined Lizard Priest in the courtyard as they helped the Iron Legion soldiers finish off any remaining goblins.
High Elf Archer covered her mouth in disgust after the overwhelming stench of dead goblins nearly overwhelmed her.
"Damn monsters. They smell even worse when they're dead."
"Ha! This is nothing, long ears. Visit a Dwarf war camp." Dwarf Shaman laughed, much to High Elf Archer's chagrin.
"Yet another impressive victory this week. We should celebrate properly upon returning." Lizard Priest growled in his sage tone.
"With cheese?" High Elf Archer asked, noticing her companion's tail wag faster.
Priestess, however, slowly approached Goblin Slayer. The armored warrior kept his eyes fixed on the goblin bodies, carefully surveying them.
"Goblin Slayer." She said softly.
"There are more than usual." His cold voice carried subtle concern, though he hid it well. Priestess tightened her grip on the staff while looking around. He wasn't wrong.
"Do you think there are any more in the castle?"
Goblin Slayer shook his head and pointed to an Iron Legion sergeant who walked with a squad of soldiers from the castle interior covered in goblin blood.
"...Goblin Slayer, I-" Priestess was cut off after the Warden approached with Holden and Mercy. All three knights wore helmets covering their faces, but she could tell they were disturbed by everything that transpired.
"...I knew goblins could be violent. But I never imagined-" The Warden started, his bold voice shaken. Mercy similarly tightened her blades' grip while looking at her naked companion as Stone tried to comfort her.
"One can only underestimate goblins once." Goblin Slayer warned. His words made even a hulking figure like Holden shiver. An Iron Legion soldier approached holding five sacks of money.
"As promised." The Warden said as each member of Goblin Slayer's party received their payment.
"Ahhh! You pay well!" Dwarf Shaman almost shouted when he saw how much was in the bag. Priestess was less surprised. The Iron Legion had considerable income given the amount of land they owned.
"If this is the last quest we had. Should we return?" Lizard Priest asked for the group, each watched Goblin Slayer carefully as they waited for his answer. The armored warrior slowly nodded while placing his reward away.
Goblin Slayer was about to depart when he felt the Warden's strong hand on his shoulder.
"You may not be a knight, but you are, without a doubt, one of the most dedicated warriors I've ever seen. The Iron Legion could use a man like you. I could make you a Lieutenant right from the start."
"No." Goblin Slayer spoke calmly but to the point. Priestess and the others quickly followed him out of the castle, looking back to see the Iron Legion's banners once again waving over the parapets.
The Warden took a deep breath and felt Mercy take his hand.
"We may need someone like him, the way things are going." The Warden admitted.
"Perhaps, but I have the feeling he'll be where he's needed."