Disclaimer: I do NOT own Goblin Slayer.
Author's note: First of all, I noticed that Water Town is on the lake in the canon. Well, just to make things clear, here it's on the coastline. Just saying. And I added Goblin Slayer's reaction to his first kiss into the previous chapter, so you can check that out.
And ffffffffffrick me sideways, we reached 1 000 followers! I have no fricking idea what I am doing here, but apparently it's working.
I would like to give special thanks to No-Named-Dude who is my new beta-reader. Thanks dude!
Also I would like to thank all who reviewed the last chapter, and here are the replied to those reviews!
frankjoeson, Fading Light, Donbasos, Droopy Reader, ErrorDataExpunged, Guest, Guest: Thanks for the review!
emoryjmorrill: Gore? Well... Kinda? I mean, I do not intend to have graphic rape scenes since I can't stomach to write that, but as for blood, guts and as such, yeah. That will appear.
holyscythe: Soon. High Elf Ranger will confess very soon, especially thanks to this chapter.
Poor Goblin Slayer, having girls thrown at him left and right... Yeah no. Fuck that guy. He is living the dream!
Read the author notes at the end, and you will find out when the sexy times are gonna happen.
Darius Crawford: Good to be back.
54 godamora: Who would have guessed right?
MegaMechaSloth: Well, aren't you in luck, because this chapter contains moe of his wisdom.
Zealot24: I am trying to post more chapters, but it's hard as of late.
TheGreatBubbaJ: Well, anything is better than nothing. Right?
LeozinPS:I know, cliche AF, but hey. It's a fanfic.
Xerzo LotCN: It's about to go downhill even more when Priestess and HEA will confess.
khornesbezerker: No need to worry.I hate unfinished things so I will finish this fic no matter what happens.
Isaac LB: I mean, if Goblin Slayer had a really soft mattress, 5 girls naked girls around him, I would think yeah, he would drill a hole into the mattress.
Kerlongsj Evert Orlejov: Thanks for the praise mate.
Well, I think we all would question ourselves when we would find out tons of girls are interested in us, even when we are not so special.
Ow, you think he has time to think it outin Water Town? WRONG! DEAD ASS WRONG! IT IS EVEN WORSE!
16 chapters it took to get back to Water Town... Damn. That's a lot. Well, thankfully, Sword Maiden doesn't need a lot of time to let everyone know what she wants.
Hey, I am sure everything will be alright. Stay safe, thanks for the lengthy review and take care.
Guest: Seems like a lot of people are surprised wit hSword Maiden and her forwrd attitude.
Ow, I already know how Goblin Slayer will weasel his way out of making any girl cry. And I hope you all will enjoy it, because the moment will come very soon.
Akuma-Heika: No problem!
daniel2610994: The mermaid stuff is made up by me. I thought I oculd sprinkle some variety into Goblin Slayer's harem and develop some of the girls more, so I made her a mermaid.
Evowizard25: Thanks for the praise, and yeah Sword Maiden is not beating around the bush. She'll let you know what she wants.
Mewtwo-TheLoneShadow: That's Sword Maiden for you!
unfadingtrack3: Sorry. It's hard to write as of late. but, here is the new chapter!
Thanks to every single follower and reviewer one more time, and now, let's get into another Goblin Slayer chapter!
Chapter 17: To kill them all
The sun was beginning to disappear behind the sea horizon in Water Town, and while most people took this as a sign to go to sleep, in the Temple of Law, one man had begun waking up from his long, well deserved sleep.
As Goblin Slayer began opening his eyes, he noticed he was still laying on his stomach from the time Sword Maiden had given him his massage. As he turned around and sat up on the bed, he saw that Sword Maiden had still not come back yet. As soon as he got up, his nose picked up an atrocious smell. At first, he had no clue what was causing the unpleasant aroma, but after he sniffed his under arms, he got his answer. Gods, having an enhanced smell truly was a curse. The filth in goblin nests will be unbearable to smell with this nose.
"I recall this place has hot springs." Goblin Slayer thought. He could wash in the sea. The idea was quite inviting to be honest since he had never actually bathed in the sea, but hot springs sounded much better to his tired body.
And so, he stood up, walked towards the armor stand, and suited up for the short journey towards the hot springs. He took his new sword too, just in case.
Goblin Slayer walked through the Temple of Law compound, all the while thinking about which goblin quest they should take while they were here. Seems like something easier should suffice, since they were here for only a short while. Plus, Sword Maiden should be alright as long as he slices at least a few goblins. Thinking of Sword Maiden… what the fuck was he supposed to do with her? Though she did not confess, he was fairly certain this was another girl that had fallen for him.
Goblin Slayer was aware of how she saw him. How she suffers every day, with the only thing calming her down being him. The fact he would be out somewhere doing his job. Can you even let a girl like her down gently? She was currently by far the most vulnerable girl of the three. Scratch that, most vulnerable girl in the kingdom. There are a lot of unfortunate goblin victims, but so far, Sword Maiden is the only blind one that didn't took her life immediatelly afterwards.
"When did I even became appealing to girls?" Goblin Slayer asked himself.
Never mind that. He was already in front of the hot springs, time to let his mind rest even more. Before him stood a nun, looking after the entrance into the hot springs.
"May I take a bath here?" Goblin Slayer asked.
The nun, who looked to be in her thirties, checked his armor with her hazel eyes and smiled. "You must be the man our archbishop talks about. Goblin Slayer, am I right?"
"Yeah." Goblin Slayer replied.
The nun smiled. "You are in luck. There are only two males inside, so if you don't mind company, you may enter." the nun said, before stepping aside and gesturing towards the doorknob.
Since the Temple of Law had only one big room with hot springs, there was no distinction between female and male parts. However, it was not like men and women could bath in the same place in the Temple of Law. No, such heresy cannot be accepted on religious grounds. It is because only women live in the Temple of Law, so there is no need for two hot spring rooms. The guards of the Temple of Law, or as locals say Mother's Guards, live in town.
As Goblin Slayer was reaching for the doorknob that lead into the changing room, he heard the two voices the nun spoke of in the hot springs.
"Aaaaaaahh! I can't believe we didn't try this when we were here last time, Scaly!"
"Indeed, my friend." Lizard Priest answered in a moan.
Goblin Slayer sighed. Well, at least these two were not girls to mess with his head, so that's a plus. He took his armor off, took a towel from the basket, and walked into the hot springs. Heading towards to pool area, he pushed the drapes in the doorway to the side, before walking into a giant room filled with dozens of pools of warm water. The light-yellow walls with white tiles and silver chandelier gave this place a truly heavenly look, with the steam resembling clouds in the skies. In one of the bigger pools in the middle of the room, both Lizard Priest and Dwarf Shaman sat in the warm water. Poor lizardman had to lie on his back in the water though, otherwise, he would not be submerged much at all. It was the opposite with Dwarf Shaman however, as his head was barely sticking out of the water. And as both heard the drapes being pulled aside, they looked towards the entrance.
"Ooooh, Beard Cutter! Never imagined you as a fan of hot springs!" Dwarf Shaman said in his hoarse voice.
"I just need to clean myself." Goblin Slayer clarified.
"Still, never imagined I would see ya here." Dwarf Shaman said as Goblin Slayer wrapped in a towel approached the duo in the hot spring.
"Neither did I." Goblin Slayer said, dropping the towel on the ground next to the other two towels already there. As soon as the towel around Goblin Slayer's waist dropped on the tiled floor, dwarf's and lizard's eyes opened wide.
"How's the water?" Goblin Slayer asked.
Both Lizard Priest and Dwarf Shaman quickly shook their heads and looked at Goblin Slayer's face. "What?" they both asked, not really paying attention to his question.
Goblin Slayer sighed and just immersed himself into the warm water, leaning against the side of the hot spring pool. And what an experience it was. This was nothing like the time where they warm up water at the farm just to splash yourself in the evening, or the cold streams in the forests. Goblin Slayer immediately felt how his head was becoming light and relaxed with the thoughts about his recent predicaments disappearing. His body followed suit in this relaxation. Maybe it was the combination of the massage and hot springs, or maybe just this, but his muscles immediately began to loosen up. A quiet groan of satisfaction escaped his lips.
"It is great, isn't it, sir Goblin Slayer." Lizard Shaman smiled.
"Yeah." Goblin Slayer replied as he closed his eyes and leaned his head back to face towards the ceiling above.
Meanwhile, Dwarf Shaman was still figuring out what the hell he had seen between Goblin Slayer's legs. The fuck was that thing? "Well, good luck with that thing girls. You are gonna need it, along with a lot of willpower and lubrication. Hell, even the experienced whores at the brothels would likely have trouble with that thing!" Dwarf Shaman thought.
"Sir Goblin Slayer. I have been in the town while you were asleep to look at the quests, and I believe we have an incredibly unique situation here." Lizard Priest said.
Oh yeah. He was here to kill goblins. How in the name of all the gods could he have forgotten that?! How could he, THE GOBLIN SLAYER forget that he was here for goblin slaying?! HE ALWAYS THINKS ABOUT GOBLINS FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!
.
.
.
"Not anymore it seems." Goblin Slayer thought.
"Sir Goblin Slayer?" Lizard Priest repeated, trying to grab the attention of the thinking man.
"Yeah?" he asked.
Lizard Priest looked confused for a moment. It was not usual for Goblin Slayer to space out. In fact, Lizard Priest does not recall a moment where he had seen Goblin Slayer space out. "Don't you want to hear what I found out, sir Goblin Slayer?" Lizard Priest asked, still laying in the water.
"Yeah. Please tell me." Goblin Slayer said. Maybe the hot steam in the hot springs was getting to his head.
"There were dozens of goblin quests from the villages around the town, but one goblin quest was posted by the mayor of Water Town himself when I walked into the Guild. When I approached the mayor's quest request on the board, in the section with clues, there was nothing. According to the description, there are no clues left by goblins after the kidnappings right here, in Water Town." Lizard Priest said.
"I see…" Goblin Slayer said quietly, his monotone voice slowly fading as the relaxation in the springs was even getting to his voice.
"We already talked about it a little Beard Cutter, and we think maybe someone went back into the sewers and is making another goblin army." Dwarf Shaman said, sighing out loud at the end as he too enjoyed the warm water.
"Not possible." Goblin Slayer said.
Dwarf Shaman raised a bushy eyebrow, while Lizard Priest raised his non-existent one. "Why?" both asked.
"Sword Maiden still has the swamp lizard in the sewers. She would have known if something was happening down there." Goblin Slayer said.
"Then… where would they hide if not in the city sewers? There was a sighting of a goblin kidnapping a woman yesterday in Water Town. But as I said, no clues were left behind." Lizard Priest said. The sighting of kidnappings was the only 'clue' there was on the mayor's quest request. Sightings of goblins in the city, but when adventurers came to the place of the kidnappings to investigate the next morning, not a clue was left. No blood, tattered clothes, scratches on the ground, or the buildings around. Nothing.
"There are a lot of buildings in the city. Lots of cellars. Lots of caves around the beaches. A lot of hot spring caves under the city. There are plenty of other places where goblins could hide. And wherever it is, someone is coordinating goblins again. Goblins are not smart enough to not leave clues. Even the most intelligent ones." Goblin Slayer gave a lecture as he was sinking more into the warm calming water.
Dwarf Shaman chuckled. "You truly are the master when it comes to goblins and their way of thinking. ", admiring how quickly he came to conclusions.
"So, where should we start tomorrow? I assume we will take the goblin quest in the city posted by the mayor." Lizard Priest asked.
"Yeah. And we will start with the city sewers, to check if the swamp lizard is alright. Then we will head to the beach caves and even when we will just scout the place, be ready to encounter someone coordinating goblins." Goblin Slayer warned his teammates.
"Aaaaaah, yes. That's a good idea." Dwarf Shaman said, to which Lizard Priest nodded in agreement. When it comes to goblin quests, not a single member of their party dares to talk Goblin Slayer out of goblin slaying. Or even 'correct' his plans. "Now, since we are all males here, let us talk about women." Dwarf Shaman smirked deviously. Goblin Slayer turned to look at Dwarf Shaman.
"Like what?" Goblin Slayer asked.
"Well. For starters, you seem to be attracting a lot of attention from girls lately." Dwarf Shaman said, splashing water over his face.
"I noticed." Goblin Slayer replied.
"If you don't mind me asking, sir Goblin Slayer. What do you plan to do on your date with lady Guild Girl? And how does a date with females look?" Lizard Priest asked, curious. Human interactions were such a mystery to the middle-aged lizardman, as human culture differed greatly from theirs. For example, dates and such were absent in their lands. As a male lizardman, you fight, prove yourself, and wait for your mates to come. If you are weak, well too bad, no mating for you.
Goblin Slayer looked back to the yellow ceiling of the hot springs. "I don't have a clue…" he quietly said.
Dwarf Shaman chuckled. "Just take her on a walk around the town during the evening, sit somewhere, talk to her, give her a flower, and take her back home. That should suffice." the dwarf said.
Lizardman raised the non-existent eyebrow once more. "Is that all, sir Dwarf Shaman?" And Goblin Slayer had to agree. This sounded like a pretty boring event.
"Well, usually girls would expect more from the man trying to impress them. However, it is Beard Cutter who we are talking about here. I don't think she has high expectations of the date, if any at all." Dwarf Shaman shrugged his shoulders in the end. "Just talk to her. That is the most important aspect of any date." Dwarf Shaman gave sincere advice to the hopeless man.
"Talking…" Goblin Slayer whispered.
"From what I observed, I suspect that is not your strong suit either, sir Goblin Slayer." Lizard Priest turned to Goblin Slayer.
"I can talk just fine, I just choose not to." Goblin Slayer replied, splashing his face with hot water.
"Then… why are you so quiet all the time?" Lizard Priest asked.
"Are you shy, Beard Cutter?" Dwarf Shaman asked with a sly grin.
"When I talk, I often hurt people's feelings. Rather than talking and making someone's day miserable, I'd rather stay quiet." Goblin Slayer began washing his hair in the hot steaming water.
Dwarf Shaman chuckled. Even the fact he was quiet had a reason. "I wonder what's going on inside your head, Beard Cutter. Are you nervous for the first time in your life? Or are you looking forward to what's to come?" Dwarf Shaman thought as he watched Goblin Slayer wash his hair.
Dwarf Shaman could see it. He can see Goblin Slayer one day putting down a sword and living a normal life. The fact they were slowly cracking the shell Goblin Slayer had created must be apparent to everyone in his party by now. He accepted a date for crying out loud! That is not something old Goblin Slayer would do. Maybe it was time to slowly change his perspective on life.
"Beard Cutter?" Dwarf Shaman asked, his voice being gentle for a change.
"Yeah?" Goblin Slayer looked at the dwarf.
"Can I give you a bit of advice? My father said these words to me, and I think if a man wants to have a happy life, they should follow them. There is not a word about goblins, nevertheless, you may find these words helpful." Dwarf Shaman said. Goblin Slayer stared at the dwarf for a few seconds before he finally nodded.
Find a girl you'll marry
Raise a house you'll maintain
Plant a tree you'll water
Father a son you'll teach
And above all, love everything you have built.
Goblin Slayer kept looking at the dwarf. The lack of goblins in the saying did not help persuade him much. But… Goblin Slayer already knows that what would make him happy is exactly what Dwarf Shaman said. Create a family, and a home you'll be responsible for. That is the path to happiness. But his duty laid elsewhere. And his duty will not end until every single one of those green turds is eating dirt.
"I thank you for the advice, my friend." Goblin Slayer replied. Friend. The words were foreign to his lips. But… he could get used to saying the word again.
Dwarf Shaman smiled back. "Anytime, Beard Cutter." Dwarf Shaman smiled deviously again. "Now that we talked about Beard Cutter's love life… it's your turn Scaly!" Dwarf Shaman turned to the submerged lizard who's cheeks reddened immediately.
High Elf Ranger sat at the beach on the island of The Temple of Law. The Temple of Law itself was kind of an interesting building. The whole temple was on a small island off the coast of Water Town, connected by a white marble bridge, though the distance between the coasts was fairly small. One could easily swim between the Temple of Law island and the coast of Water Town. However, only the back of the island had a beach. Other parts of the island had steep cliffs on which the temple was built.
High Elf Ranger leaned back and looked up at the stars. A cloudless night enveloped the world, and the stars shined bright with several colorful veils of mist in the night skies, among the two moons. High Elf Ranger closed her eyes, listening to the waves washing over the beach.
The speech Dwarf Shaman had given her earlier were still stuck in her elven ears. And thinking about his words, she knew he was telling the truth (but she would never tell him that). The worst enemy of elves wasn't dwarves, but patience. It was quite easy to give up on everything when thousands of years of nothing good happened to you. So, then you just willingly step into the world of constant short-term pleasures. And why not? You are an elf. No diseases, you are strong enough to defend yourself if a customer goes rogue, and you were nearly impossible to impregnate, even by humans.
Can her adventuring end up in such a way? Giving up when there is nothing new to see? Maybe in like 20,000 years, she would really give up on everything. But that thought… it scared her. She did not want to wind up like that.
Then there was Orcbolg. She hated him. The things he made her feel were so foreign and so scary, that she would rather be in the Elven Forest, being the o so noble princess, that everyone makes her out to be. And yet, here she was, sitting on the beach. She continued to think about him for a while, and why exactly she hates/likes him.
Love just didn't make much sense, unfortunately. And as another saying goes, opposites attract. The fact he was a weirdo, was always her go to choice of defense on why she didn't like him, even though she knew she was lying to herself. However, as she was looking towards the horizon, she realized that him being a weirdo wasn't the main reason why she was fighting against these feelings.
She was immortal. He was not. One human can ruin another's elf entire life. An Elf can fall madly in love with a human, and then, she may never forget him. No matter how many other partners an elf may find, if a human is THE ONE, there is no going back. You may give up on life and… well… we know how that ends for elves.
"Why do you have to be a human, Orcbolg…" High Elf Ranger curled up on the sandy beach.
"What are you doing here?" someone from behind asked.
The voice she knew very well spooked her. She widened her eyes, jumped up, and swiftly turned to him. "What are YOU doing here, Orcbolg?!" she yelled out.
"I saw you when I walked around the Temple of Law." Goblin Slayer in his armor calmly answered. "You seemed down. So, I came here to… I don't know exactly. I just felt like I should come here." Goblin Slayer continued, making a noticeable change of voice in the word FELT.
High Elf Ranger sighed out. This guy… "Well, I am alright. You can leave."
Goblin Slayer ignored her, looking at the sea horizon, with black skies and stars everywhere. It seems like the calming effect that an evening sea emanated had affected Goblin Slayer too. "No. I don't think I will." Goblin Slayer said, and instead of leaving, sat on the sandy beach looking at the sea.
High Elf Ranger wanted to be angry at him. But… how could she? The elf in a brown cape that fluttered in the gentle breeze, saw how he was thinking about something. He seemed to be doing that a lot lately. Instead of getting angry, she sighed, took the knee, and sat beside him on the beach. "What are you thinking about, Orcbolg?" She asked, this time without yelling.
"The future." Goblin Slayer simply said.
High Elf Ranger raised an eyebrow with quiet laugh. "Not goblins?"
"Have been thinking about them until I saw you here." he answered receiving a giggle from High Elf Ranger. But then High Elf Ranger began to ponder about the subject more intently. Who would willingly think about goblins all the time? Those cannot be happy thoughts. In this peaceful atmosphere, High Elf Ranger decided to ask the question which was on her mind for as long as she knew him.
"Orcbolg, why do you hate goblins so much?" she asked, gently as the wind moved with the two bangs of her hair.
Goblin Slayer remained silent, with only the washing of waves being heard for several seconds. "You are the first person to ever ask me that question." he replied.
This caused her eyebrow to raise again. "What? No one ever asked you that?" High Elf Ranger replied. Come on, at least one person had to have asked him that over the course of his life. Killing Goblins was all he did, and the only question worth asking him.
"People see a quiet weirdo killing goblins. They think I am insane. Why would they ask a madman anything?" Goblin Slayer replied his voice still monotone.
Saddened, High Elf Ranger looked down at the sand below, not being able to keep looking at him, not that he cared since his gaze was still on the horizon. "But you are not insane. Not completely at least" she said. She felt kind of bad because, in the beginning, she thought about him just the way he stated. A madman. A retard. An idiot not worth talking too.
"Not many people think that." he replied. Normally, she would think this was a form of self-loathing, since he seemed more like just stating the reality of the situation.
"Well, I know you are not completely insane. But my question still stands. Why are you the way you are?" High Elf Ranger asked. "What did goblins do to you?" she gently asked genuinely curious, while turning her head back to him. He continued to look onwards towards the sea.
She nearly lost her calm demeanor when she was waiting several seconds for an answer. When she was ready to yell again, Goblin Slayer spoke.
"I was 5 when my father and mother died to a plague. All that remained at home was me and my older sister. She was the greatest woman I ever knew. Kind, gentle, caring, clever, beautiful. You name a good trait, and she had it. She took care of me after our parents died and even though I grieved the loss of my parents, thanks to my sister, I had a great childhood. We lived happily in a small house in the country, where I played with a girl nextdoor, as my sister brought home coin by picking flowers in the plains and forests nearby, and selling them to other villagers." Goblin Slayer paused for a moment, High Elf Ranger having her ears on the highest alert.
"Five years later, goblins attacked our village. My sister hid me under the floor boards, telling me to not make a sound no matter what happened. Naturally, I obliged. After all, she was always right." Goblin Slayer said, however, his monotone voice began fading. Her sensitive elven ears picked it up, even though human ears couldn't.
"I watched it happen from beginning to end through a crack in the wooden floor. I was paralyzed. I couldn't move. I could not make a sound even if I wanted to. I couldn't even turn my head away from what was happening. I saw how they defiled her. I saw every single drop of blood. Every scratch. I heard how she screamed, how she begged for them to stop. I heard, how she called for help, with me, in the floor, not able to do anything." Goblin Slayer looked down. "And when they finally stopped, two poisoned wooden spears ran through her stomach. Her face landed on the crack. She saw me, and as she bled to death, she said to me her last words." Goblin Slayer paused. "Live."
High Elf Ranger was a crying mess by now. High Elf Ranger has a sister too, and she could not even begin to imagine watching her go through what Goblin Slayer described. The fact she could hear the small cracks in Goblin Slayer's voice as he described to her what exactly he had seen, caused even more tears to cascade down her face. She kept wiping her tears that refused to stop flowing.
"Three days I waited underneath the floor, eating dirt to stay alive, with my sister's dead eye watching me, clinging onto life. Then, finally, the goblins stopped defiling my sister's body and left the village. I crawled out, saw peasants dead everywhere, and huts burning high. Hands, legs, and heads separated from their bodies were all over the village. Guts hanging from houses. The smell of death was all over the place, with not a single survivor, except me. Nearing death myself, I buried my sister in a blanket behind our destroyed house with the little bouts of strength I had left. As I was stumbling out of the village, hanging near the entrance, on a tree were two people I liked. They were being scavenged by the crows, pulling their guts out." Goblin Slayer paused again in his storytelling.
"I walked and walked until I couldn't. Then I stood up again and walked some more, hoping someone would find me. That's when I met Burglar, my master. He took me in and trained me. And after five more years, I came to Twilight Town, with only one goal. To kill them all." Goblin Slayer finished his storytelling, deciding to end the tale quickly. The training with Burglar is a talk that could go for hours.
The quiet evening stopped as High Elf Ranger was sobbing from the story she heard. No wonder he wants to kill them all. When she saw that one defiled elf in one of the nests, she wanted nothing more than kill them all too.
Goblin Slayer looked at the sobbing elf, causing something to stir within him. No one cried for him. Well, he never told anyone what exactly had happened to him, so that shouldn't be a surprise. But, it did kinda warm his cold heart, if just a little bit.
"I am so s-s-sorry." High Elf Ranger sobbed as she tried to stop the tears flowing from her eyes, wiping it with her hands.
"What for?" Goblin Slayer asked.
"F-for w-what happ-p-pened to y-you. And for being s-so mean t-to y-you. I-I ccan't imagine-" High Elf Ranger couldn't even finish her sentence.
"It's alright. You weren't mean." Goblin Slayer reassured her.
"I was. I- y-yell at you all the time." High Elf Ranger began calming down slowly.
"You yell at everybody." Goblin Slayer said.
High Elf Ranger looked at Goblin Slayer. He still wore his armor, so she couldn't see his face. She wondered is he shed a tear during his talk. "Maybe I yell at everybody. But you… I should have known better." High Elf Ranger said sincerely.
"I never thought you would have ever cried for me." Goblin Slayer said.
"I never thought of something like that happening to someone." High Elf Ranger responded, wiping her remaining tears away. As she was wiping her wet pale face, she yawned. Crying had really tired her out.
"You should go to sleep. Tomorrow morning, we are gonna scout the sewers and caves in town for goblins." Goblin Slayer said.
"Already?" High Elf Ranger asked.
"The sooner I kill goblins for Sword Maiden, the sooner we can return." Goblin Slayer responded.
"Right…" High Elf Ranger lowered her head. High Elf Ranger had to admit, she was a little jealous of Sword Maiden. The way Goblin Slayer answered her call when she needed his help… would he do the same for her? With a sad smile, she stood up, looked one last time at the sea, and walked away.
"Good night." Goblin Slayer said, surprising a leaving High Elf Ranger.
"Good night." High Elf Ranger turned around and wished Goblin Slayer a good night with a smile. It seems like he was going to stay on the beach for a while. Not that it surprised her since Goblin Slayer was now part vampire. As she walked up the marble stairs with torches lit on the sides, her brown cape fluttered in the wind behind her. And the only thing on her mind was the story Goblin Slayer told her. She only hopes her dreams will not feature any images Goblin Slayer described.
Sword Maiden was walking back to the Temple of Law from the city center. She helped set up some of the religious places in town, but there was still much work to be done. Beside her, the two platinum ranked adventurers she met in the town walked with her, with a small glass bottle with purple/turquoise liquid, in Sage's hand, and Sword Saint's armor in Hero's hands. The three girls were walking on the white bridge, lit by torches that connected the island and the town center.
"So, you said the man from those bard songs is going to attend the festival here?" Hero asked with enthusiasm.
"Uhm." Sword Maiden nodded.
"Ooooooo! I can't wait to meet him! The famed Goblin Slayer! He must be like super strong to get a song!" Hero clasped her hands as she was laughing, the armor in her hands shuffling.
Sword Maiden giggled at Hero's enthusiasm. The bard about Goblin Slayer could be heard several times on the Water Town square. One could say he was more popular than even Hero among bards. And to be honest, she was not surprised. A mysterious man with only one noble goal. One duty. Dismissing love, friendship, and fame for that one goal. Songs like that tend to write themselves.
But what surprised her in these bards, is the fact that Goblin Slayer was Gold rank. And the fact he had 'defeated a foe where an army would struggle for a single blow'. „Just who has he defeated?" she thought. The answer came as soon as she left the company of Hero's party, and politely asked the bard for the origins of the song. Sword Maiden was disgusted, when she heard about the vampire who used her own body to breed goblins. But, knowing her beloved with a new golden tag took care of that, once more put her at ease.
Shame she couldn't notice his new golden tag. If only she saw… Well, the plus side was, that even without eyesight, she enjoyed his reactions to her when she began playing with him. Usually, she just teases everyone with words, but what she did with him… she blushed just thinking about how she began seducing him with such boldness.
Sage was walking beside her, her head limply going from right to left. Sage released an extensive yawn. "Let's just find Sword Saint and go to sleep." Sage tiredly said.
"Come on, Sage! It's Goblin Slayer! I want to meet him!" Hero loudly pleaded.
Sword Maiden had to giggle. The most popular person in the world was dying to meet Goblin Slayer. What a world they live in. "You've become quite popular, my beloved."
The two platinum adventurers continued to bicker, with Sage taking a long time to answer to Hero. The trio of girls walked through the guarded gate into Temple of Law grounds. It took a while to get through the torch-lit, white marble temple. Sword Maiden and Sage in their robes and Hero in her signature armor reached the white doors to the beach at the back of the temple.
The girls walked down the stairs with torches at the sides leading to the shoreline. However, halfway through, Sage stopped them. "Someone's on the beach." she said, a serious voice exchanging her tired one. Hero looked at the sandy shore, trying to find someone in the night.
Sword Maiden on the other hand tapped her sword staff on the ground, and a faint yellow circle of light under the staff enlarged, scanning the surrounding area. As soon as the light ran over the visitor, she conjured a faint smile. "Do not worry, Goblin Slayer is the man on the beach."
"OOOOO! Can you believe that?! Let's meet him! Let's meet him!" Hero jumped around with enthusiasm causing the armor of Sword Saint in her arms to clang.
Sage yawned again smacking afterward. "I don't think we should meet this man."
Sword Maiden giggled. "Goblin Slayer is harmless."
"See? See? Let's go and meet him!" Hero said.
"Hero… you are too gullible." Sage remarked.
"Come on! I just want to meet him! We may never see him again!" Hero pleaded with her friend.
"We are here to give the potion to Sword Saint. Not to make friends." Sage answered.
"And who says we can't do both?" Hero responded.
A tired Sage sighed out loudly, looking at Sword Maiden for support. Sword Maiden simply smiled at the small mage and put her soft hand on Sage's shoulder. "I trust this man with what is left of my own life. If you won't like him, I will ask him to leave. Just… give him a chance." Sword Maiden said, hoping Goblin Slayer could start making a different impression on the two than what the rest of the world thinks of him.
Sage again, sighed. "Fine…"
Meanwhile, along the shoreline, Goblin Slayer thought about his encounter with High Elf Ranger on the beach two hours ago. The one person he would never imagine shedding a tear for him was bawling when he told her what happened in his life. The world must be turning upside down…
Though one would imagine looking at the sea, thinking for two hours a boring endeavor, it did have its moments. For example, two times he saw a mermaid jumping out of the sea in the distance. The first time he ever saw one. Nonetheless, he now understood the appeal these sea-girls get. The elegant form when jumping out of the water, the slender figure, long hair with full breasts. It was a spectacular sight even from such a distance. From so far off and in the night, he only registered her silhouette. Though the second time she jumped, he noticed the mermaid had her head turned to his direction. Maybe that was why she hadn't jumped out of the water since.
Suddenly, a line of light ran on the ground towards him, and through him. When he looked from where the light was coming from near the torches on the white stairs, Sword Maiden and two women stood. It would seem that he stayed longer than he should have. But then, one of the girls started running down the stairs, laughing in the distance. Along with her sweet laughs, a clinging of metal accompanied her.
Goblin Slayer watch as this enthusiastic girl ran towards him, and the closer she got, the more he became aware of who it was. He was not really interested in anything else besides goblins, but the sword on her back even Goblin Slayer knew about. The gigantic titanium blade with blue light glow, golden cross guard in the shape of leaves with a blue round sapphire in the middle. Only one person possessed such a blade. "Hero…" he thought.
But as she got closer and closer, Goblin Slayer's eyes widened slightly. He not only knew the sword, but the girl as well! She was the annoying brat that followed him everywhere when he was setting up defenses against goblins in one of the villages all them years ago. He looked to the skies. "Gods, I hope she doesn't recognize me." he liked things quiet, and this girl was the opposite of that. Even worse, this one had a persistent nature like no other person. Unfortunately for him, the dice roll was not in his favor in this regard.
She stopped a few meters before him, looking at him with widened eyes. She dropped Sword Saints armor and pointed at Goblin Slayer. "Hey! I know you!" she immediately yelled out.
Goblin Slayer internally cried. Remember how he wanted this to be a peaceful trip? QUIET trip? Yeah, if she was the same as she was five years ago, then quiet is not something he would receive.
"Hi." Goblin Slayer said, getting up from his spot, dusting his armor from any sand. "I have to go now." Goblin Slayer said, with a monotone voice, trying to walk past Hero. Buuuuuut, Hero captured his hand, spun him around back to where Goblin Slayer got up from.
"You are not going anywhere! I waited so long to meet you again!" Hero's eyes turned to stars as she clasped her hands together with enthusiasm. "You are the man who saved our village!"
"You must've mistaken me for someone else." Goblin Slayer replied. This is the first time in years he lied, but he felt strongly, that this was worth lying over.
As Goblin Slayer again tried to walk away, Hero jumped in front of him, holding his shoulders, stopping him from going further. "No way! I remember this armor! You came to slay goblins to our village!"
"I don't slay goblins." Gods, that was the most painful lie he had ever told. It felt like spears were run through his heart, betraying his very being, but it was worth a shot. He betrayed himself just for a CHANCE to get away from this enthusiastic young lady…
"No way! Sword Maiden told us that you are Goblin Slayer! You are totally the guy!" Hero said.
Goblin Slayer sighed out. Damnit, he cursed while he looked at Sword Maiden with the other girl, who was slowly walking down the stairs. "Fine. I am Goblin Slayer."
"Hey, hey, hey! Do you remember me?!" Hero enthusiastically asked the quiet man.
This girl… she had way too much energy for him to deal with. "You are hard to forget." Goblin Slayer said.
"Haha! I am sooooo glad you remember me! I thought about you a lot during my journeys!" Suddenly Hero's cheeks blushed a rosy pink before turning around. "I-I-I mean. Y-y-you i-i-i-inspired me t-t-to save people. S-s-so t-t-that's why." She poked her fingers together. In a second, she turned around again, her blush gone and her excited behavior back. "You need to join us on some adventure! I can't wait to learn more things from you! How long are you staying here!" she asked, moving in close to Goblin Slayer's helmet.
"Till I slay some goblins." Goblin Slayer answered, his voice calm, but on the inside, he was starting to get irritated. "Gods put too much energy into their heroine and forgot to add a turn off button." he thought.
"You are here on a quest!? That's great! Can I join you? I know things about goblins, I can help!" Hero excitedly grabbed Goblin Slayer's hands, clasping it together.
"No." Goblin Slayer simply responded.
Hero's eyes became watery upon the straightforward rejection. "Why?" she whined.
"I…"
.
.
.
"Shit. I don't have a good reason to not bring someone to slay goblins." Goblin Slayer thought.
"My beloved, I see you are already on good terms with Hero." Sword Maiden now came into view, a few meters behind Hero and Goblin Slayer.
"Hello. I am Sage. A pleasure to meet you." Sage said tiredly beside Sword Maiden.
"Pleasure to-" Goblin Slayer began.
"Sage! Goblin Slayer is the man who saved my village! Can you believe that?!" Hero jumped from Goblin Slayer to Sage to share the exciting news. Sage widened her eyes.
Sword Maiden conjured another charming smile. "Ara, ara, my beloved. I see you are a hero to a lot of ladies."
"You… saved Hero?" Sage asked, bewildered.
"Five ye-" he began.
"He totally did! When goblins attacked, Goblin Slayer killed around 50 goblins with traps and his sword alone! If not for him, I wouldn't be here!" Hero again jumped into Goblin Slayer's talk.
Goblin Slayer sighed. Why was he even here with this cheerful girl? Though, as annoying as she is, he had to give Hero one thing. She didn't change mentally, but boy did she changed physically. She had the shape of a grown woman, dressed in female armor that just amplified her female features.
"Wait! He is residing in the Temple until the festival?! That's great!" Goblin Slayer came back from his thoughts about Hero. Seems like Sword Maiden told Hero of his current visit.
Goblin Slayer looked at the Sage who was watching him with curious eyes as Sword Maiden and Hero talked about Goblin Slayer's stay. He expected the Strongest Mage to be bigger. She was very small, covered in white/light blue robes. In one hand the famed magic staff, and in the other… A Doppura potion? The glowing turquoise/purple potion that was sold in the black market to turn half-humans half-animals into humans? Lamias, Centaurs, Mermaids, Padfoot's, and as such?
As soon as Sage noticed Goblin Slayer was looking at her, or more specifically, the unique concoction in her hands from under his helmet, she quickly hid the potion in her robes.
"Something isn't right here." Goblin Slayer concluded.
Goblin Slayer's mind entered the detective mode. Why would girls like them need this stuff? Then, he remembered the armor Hero dropped when she saw him. Looking back at the armor, he noticed it was light-weight armor with a long sword. An armor, Doppura potion, and late at night going to a beach…
When he looked at the sea, everything became clear. Two eyes were above the sea level near the shores, watching his exchange with the girls who came here. As soon as the mermaid noticed him, she dived back into the sea. Maybe he came to conclusions a little too fast, but he now had a fairly good idea on what was going on here. So, either they were helping some mermaid turn into a swordsman, or….
"I see…" Goblin Slayer whispered when he noticed the third-party member wasn't here. "I'm gonna return to the temple. Good night." Goblin Slayer told the three females before him, knowing full well, he was not supposed to be here at this moment. As soon as he took the first step, Hero was already protesting.
"What?! Why?! I just met you again!" Hero stopped her talk with Sword Maiden.
"I think I may have overstayed my welcome here, on this beach." Goblin Slayer stopped walking. Hero could only tilt her head in confusion. "What do you mean?" Hero asked.
"You figured it out, didn't you?" Sage said with squinted eyes, suspiciously.
"Yeah. Though don't worry, I have no intention of spreading your teammates secret." Goblin Slayer said. "Even if I did, no one would believe me anyway." he added as Sword Maiden smiled. That was just like her beloved… observant as always. It took a few seconds for Hero to register what exactly had happened. But when she did, her wide smile faded.
Suddenly, Hero's cheerful attitude changed. With a serious face she said. "Promise me you will not tell anyone."
Goblin Slayer sighed. This is getting tiresome... "I promise." Goblin Slayer replied.
And after a short pause the smallest person of the group sternly said. "I hope you deliver on your promises."
A silence filled the beach of The Temple of Law, as Goblin Slayer, Sage and Hero, who mere moments ago was a cheerful lively girl, stood still in an intense staring contest. The forgotten archbishop decided to make herself known.
"Oh, he does keep his promises. I can vouche for that." Sword Maiden said with a gentle smile directed at Goblin Slayer, catching the attention of the other people. Seeing no reason to stay here, Goblin Slayer was ready to finally leave but then, another voice stopped him from going further.
"Please… I beg you. Do not tell anyone of my nature I-I-." the shaky voice stopped.
Goblin Slayer turned to the sea to finally see the mermaid that was teasing him earlier that night. She was now washed ashore, and he could see her whole.
In the moonlight, the mermaid's beauty was unmatched. The first thing that would hit any person's eyes was the golden fishtail of the mermaid. The golden fish scales glowed in the moonlight, possibly enhanced by the slimy surface of her fish scales. What fascinated Goblin Slayer most was the transition from fish scales to the human body. Around the place where human thighs start, the fish-scales were slowly fading away, revealing the tanned skin of Sword Saint.
Her pose answered one of the questions on how Mermaids function. From what he could see, it looked like they have the usual human female reproductive organ, because Sword Saint was covering the place under her bellybutton with one hand, and her bare full breasts with the other. Under her breasts, Goblin Slayer saw two gills on each side of the lower ribs. Another set of gills was on her neck. Other details he notices is a thin light-yellow membrane between her fingers, and that her ears protruded outside, having some golden scales on them. She had jade-colored eyes and long wet black hair that stuck to her body.
"Please…" she begged even more, with a desperate face.
"I won't tell anyone. I promise on everything I hold dear." Goblin Slayer tried to reassure her, but it seemed like she was too vulnerable in her mermaid form. Nobody seemed to take his word seriously for some reason, even when he has nothing to gain from sharing such a secret. "You have nothing to be ashamed of." Goblin Slayer tried to reassure Sword Saint, as her two teammates rushed to her side. Seeing this as a good opportunity to disappear, Goblin Slayer walked off, as Hero and Sage began helping Sword Saint out of the sea. As he passed Sword Maiden, she smiled at him, before she too walked up to Sword Saint and began tending to her.
Meanwhile, in what looked like sewers, a small cloaked figure was kneeling before Dark Elf, reporting his new findings in and about Water Town.
"My lord, Goblin Slayer is in Water Town. I saw him leaving the stables with his party towards the Temple of Law." the small hooded figure quietly informed the dark elf.
"You have to be fucking kidding me! HE is here?!" yelled the elf.
But, instead of throwing a tantrum, the dark elf began laughing. The quiet chuckle soon turned into maniacal laughter that was heard throughout the underground walls, overpowering the screams for help of the women in the sewers. The burst of maniacal laughter brought a small smirk towards the small hooded figure as well.
"Well, this should be fucking easy then. Go into the town, and assassinate that motherfucker! He doesn't know you are here, does he?" Dark Elf asked, still chuckling with how the fates intertwined.
"No. He never saw me, nor his party members." the cloaked figure replied.
Dark Elf chuckled again. "So, he brought those bitches with him?" and Dark Elf began laughing hysterically again. "I can't WAIT to BREAK THEIR SPIRITS ALONG WITH THAT GOBLIN WHORE IN THE TEMPLE OF LAW!" he laughed and laughed and laughed until he finally had to stop to take a breath.
"Anyway, if you want, you can go to the breeding cells to enjoy your time before you go to sleep." Dark Elf said with a vicious smile.
The cloaked figure chuckled. "Maybe another time."
Dark Elf scoffed. "Whatever. I'll go enjoy myself in the meantime. You know your mission." Dark Elf said, before heading into the direction of the women's screams. "You can take whatever you want from this chest in the meantime." Dark Elf said as he passed a wooden chest near the exit of the room.
"Thank you." the cloaked figure said and went towards the large chest. When the cloaked figure opened the chest, a lot of items came into view. Most of the content of the chest consisted of various kinds of magic filled jewelry. There was the golden necklace with an emerald that was supposed to be used on a vampire to increase their goblin numbers even more. Various rings, gold and silver coins, with various gemstones in the rings. There were even sole gems like rubies. Among the jewelry and gemstones, there laid Dark Elves' old elven green bow, made from rare trees in Elven Forest, alongside magical arrows. A wooden flute from another rare wood, this time the color was completely black. All in all, the content of the chest could be summed up as Elven riches.
Since the bow and flute would be extremely difficult to sell and could get him into a lot of trouble, he picked the sole ruby gemstone. Selling a simple gemstone raises nearly no questions. The cloaked figure put the gemstone into his cloak and walked out of the sewers.
"Hihihi. Time to sell this thing and prepare a plan to assassinate Goblin Slayer!" he laughed, as the women's pleas for help slowly faded with every step he took.
KINDA IMPORTANT NOTES
Author's note: Now first off, i would like to inform you I made a pretty structured layout for the next chapters, and I have an annoucment for those who can't wait for the lemons to start rolling in. I purposely evaded writing Female Paladin/Heavy Swordsman lemon, because I want the first written lemon be with GS in action. The chapter 22 should have the first lemon in the story. I hope you don't consider it a spoiler, but I felt like I should clarify that, since I promised there will be some, and as of now, I am just blueballing you.
Another thing. I am considering writing a crossover fic of High School DxD/Testeament of The New Sister Devil. I also wrote first few words of the Pokemon sequel fic and I even have My Hero Academia and Game of Thrones fics started. Sooooo, you can let me know in the reviews how many of you would be interested in what. I may start a poll on those things. We will see.
That's all from me. One last thanks a lot to every single one of those 1 000 people who follow me! Leave a review and see ya in the next chapter!