"Thanks."

Priestess sighed as she finished wrapping Goblin Slayer's injured side and set his broken arm within a sling. Thankfully the rest of the party members, save Wolf, managed to get away with minor injuries, with Lizard Priest, Rookie Mage and herself already recovering from their prior injuries. The ride back to town was quiet, everyone could see the smoke from the smoldering buildings, but it was beginning to thin. Inside the town, the soldiers proceeded to remove the goblin corpses, townspeople were tending to damages to property and the adventurers celebrated their victories. The moment the wagon was back at the guild hall, the party disembarked only to be approached by the panic-stricken Mayor and furious Guild Manager.

"Where did you disappear to in the middle of the chaos?"

"What of the goblins? What of Beast Master?"

The party walked past the two men, both were shocked by their actions, but one look at them also told them that they had continued fighting all through the night. Goblin Slayer, supported by Priestess and High Elf Archer gave them a simple response as they entered the inn, thankfully undamaged during the previous night's attack.

"Tomorrow. Just know the goblins have been dealt with."

The Mayor and Guild Manager didn't even raise a fuss as the dire wolf followed behind the injured warriors. The stairs creaked under the weight of the wolf, but no one in the inn dared stop these warriors, especially Goblin Slayer whose armor was still stained with blood. The rookie adventurers had gone to their own room, thanking the party once again before departing. Back in the men's sleeping quarters, Priestess proceeded to turn down the bed for Goblin Slayer.

"I think given your condition it would be best if you removed the armor Goblin Sla…"

The party turned to find Goblin Slayer slumped in the corner of the room, there was initial concern that he had collapsed from his injuries, but soon they heard the sound of his light snoring. Incredibly, Wolf was also fast asleep right beside Goblin Slayer, the dire wolf's head resting upon Goblin Slayer's lap.

"A boy and his dog, although I've never see a pairing such as Beardcutter and Wolf before."

"They must have been completely exhausted."

"Given all the damage Orcbolg and Wolf endured I'm not surprised."

"I believe it would be wise if we too were to rest up, once were are refreshed we can tend to Milord Goblin Slayer and Wolf's injuries."

Goblin Slayer opened his eyes, his body still racked with pain, and took in the sight around him. Both High Elf Archer and Priestess lay asleep on his bed, to his left was the Dwarf Shaman asleep with his jug of fire wine beside him, a small smile on his face and close by the bed was Lizard Priest sleeping upon a pile of blankets given how his tail would get in the way of the bed. He tried to move, but soon realized that Wolf was sleeping upon his lap, his movements stirred the dire wolf who looked back at Goblin Slayer. Goblin Slayer gave the dire wolf a gentle pat upon its head before slowly standing up, Wolf looked up though still laying on the floor.

"Rest…I will return soon."

Wolf laid its head down still watching the armored warrior who quietly exited out the door. Once gone, Wolf gave a yawn, checking around to see the rest of its pack sleeping comfortably, then closed its eyes and fell back to sleep.

Goblin Slayer descended down the stairs, the tavern was empty, and as he exited the inn saw the night sky and the bright green and red moon high above. Instinctively he walked around Mountain Pass, checking the damage from the attack and seeing if there was any goblin activity. Around the town, armed guards made their rounds, initially cautious on the armored adventurer, but as soon as they saw the guild tag, allowed him to continue his investigation.

"You look pretty beat up, did those stupid little beasts get the jump on you?" This first guard was rather heavy set as he leaned against his spear to support his tired body.

"No."

"I would hope not, I mean to think that there were some adventurers who were killed by the goblins, the Guild must really be lowering its standards if those weaklings were allowed to join then get killed off by the weakest of all monsters." The second guard was a younger, fit individual who spit to the side before turning back to Goblin Slayer.

"That was my thought too. These little things are too stupid to be any real threat, hell the only reason they were able to do what they did was because they were following that damn Beast Master."

"Right and look at how the Beast Master failed so miserably, a human who thinks like a goblin is just as stupid, his only saving grace was the fact that he wasn't a real goblin."

"He was a goblin."

The two guards looked at Goblin Slayer as if he was crazy, Goblin Slayer remained motionless as he looked back at the guards who then broke out into a fit of laughter.

"That's a good one…a human goblin!"

"You adventurers are a riot. In all seriousness though, these goblins, both real and "human", are no real threat. This just proves that it was a fluke, a onetime thing that was doomed from the start, how any person could think that an army of goblins would conquer a town like this is hilarious. He would have been better off slinging his own shit at people than relying on goblins to do his bidding."

"Is that so?"

"Damn right it is! Now go on and get out of here, we can't spend the rest of the night laughing."

The two guards chuckled as they moved on, Goblin Slayer watched them until they rounded a corner and were now out of sight. He stood there for a moment, looking to his left and right before too continuing on his quest to inspect the town. As he walked about the town, the words of Beast Master rang in his head.

"No one cares about inferior monsters…this town has always been like this… adventurers won't get involved if the word "goblins" is thrown around…their weak and stupid creatures, there's no fun…people are selfish and cruel, they really are no different than goblins."

Halfway through his inspection his encountered three more guards whose conversation was almost identical to what he heard the other two mention. In a way, Beast Master was right, even after all that had happened only a day ago, no one seemed to give it a second thought. People did not see the threat that goblins posed, if he and his party had not been there, would the town have still be saved…would any of these people even be alive? Did his presence and advice even help repel this goblin attack?

"If you begin to doubt yourself, the others will be lost."

Goblin Slayer paused and turned to his right, near a tall tree stood a beautiful visage of a woman, she appeared to be older than the Sword Maiden but was still a striking beauty to any that would lay eyes upon her. This beauty was barefoot, a green gown, almost appearing to be made of leaves, covered her ample form, her long blonde hair gently swaying in the night breeze, a wreath of flowers adorned her head as her bright blue eyes took in the sight of the Goblin Slayer. Goblin Slayer looked at this woman and noticed a faint glow about her, he was unsure as to classify her as a human or possibly an elf, yet she lacked the long ears like the ranger in his group.

"Rest assured my Goblin Slayer, I am very real and am not a goblin." A bright smile crossed her face as she invited the strange man to join her under the tree.

Goblin Slayer was hesitant but soon walked forward, still bold in his stride, until he stood beneath the tree with this odd woman.

"You know, it is frowned upon for us to show favoritism to mortals, but I'd like to think of this as a way of saying thanks for you protecting my little one."

The woman placed her hand upon Goblin Slayer's chest, a bright light surrounded Goblin Slayer, and then as quickly as it appeared it vanished. Goblin Slayer no longer felt the fatigue he had earlier then examined his arm to find he could move it freely with no pain, checking his right side, he could see the wound had healed itself.

"Thank you." His voice flat and emotionless as normal, but he did make sure to nod his head in approval.

"In time, she too will be able to perform such powerful miracles, but she still has a long way to get there. I must say though, I do wish you would not always have her use her miracles for such dreadful things."

"If it helps keep others safe, then I would recommend she continue to use them against the goblins."

The strange woman frowned upon hearing Goblin Slayer's answer, but eventually sighed and smiled as she realized that this was as close to a compromise as she was going to get. She nodded her head in approval before gracefully sitting down upon the grass, then looked back toward Goblin Slayer and invited him to sit and join her. Goblin Slayer stood there silently before joining the woman on the grass, the two looking out at the town.

"There is no need to second guess yourself, had it not been for your thinking ahead, this town would have been lost. Your adventures with your party meant they could warn others in the tactics the goblins used and how best to be prepared for them. What the Beast Master said about this town is very true, but you are not the Beast Master."

"I could easily have become that man."

"If not for the guidance of your master, the Burglar, not to mention the proper support of your friend on the farm and that young one at the guild. Every person wonders about how things could have been different from the good to the bad, but there is no going back and changing that. It was a rough start for you, but look at all the good you've done, the lives you've saved and the companions, no friends, you've made. You know wolves, do you really believe that Wolf would have come to follow and protect you if he didn't fully trust you."

"All I did remove his bindings."

"Exactly my boy, would any other adventurers have even given it a moment's thought as you had?"

Goblin Slayer was silent as he thought about what this strange woman was saying. Suddenly he felt a weight upon his left shoulder and turned to find this woman now leaning against him, her head upon his shoulder, eyes closed and a smile upon her face.

"You could always settle down and start a family of your own. There are several beauties who've had their eye on you for some time now. You've been fighting for more than six years now, maybe it's time to rest and enjoy yourself. I know your sister would say that you've done more than enough."

"I can't."

The woman sat up to look at Goblin Slayer, no longer smiling, a look of worry and concern written across her face as she studied him.

"Though I have my com…friends with me, I am far from being considered a normal person. This life I've chosen is a bloody one…I don't want to promise any of them something I can't keep. I am aware that it is an impossible goal I've set for myself, but until I'm dead or the goblins are finally dealt with, I will continue down this path. I will protect those who need it. This way I am sure that no other person has to endure the suffering my family went through."

The strange woman looked at him with the same concerned face, but soon smiled as she nodded her head in approval of his answer.

"It is for that reason why those who are with you, both here and those waiting for your return, will continue to follow you, to the ends of the earth if need be. Even we can't see what the future holds, but I can at least see that if you hold true to the morals you've set for yourself, your friends will be there to help you be successful."

Goblin Slayer nodded his head before he noticed the bright light of the rising sun, he stood shielding his eyes from the brightness then turned to offer a hand to help this strange woman stand but found that she had disappeared. He looked around to his left and right before turning and walking back to the inn to check on the rest of his party members. He walked into his room to find Priestess using her Heal miracle on Wolf, the dire wolf now fully healed himself stood and shook its body before turning toward Goblin Slayer with tail wagging.

"Goblin Slayer! Where did you go? Why isn't your arm in that sling?"

"Orcbolg where were you, we were worried sick!"

"I didn't want to wake any of you…sorry."

"Forget that Beardcutter, where did you go off to?"

"I decided to walk around the town to check for any goblin activity."

"Surely with all we've done these past few days, there would be no further actions from the goblins Milord Goblin Slayer."

"I'm always checking."

"But your injuries Goblin Slayer, like Wolf you shouldn't be up around."

"My injuries have been healed."

"What…by who?"

"I met a woman near a large tree. She healed me."

Immediately both High Elf Archer and Priestess gasped as there was a slight flush crossed their faces, while Dwarf Shaman smiled all the while stroking his bead.

"Wh, who was this woman?"

"Yeah Orcbolg, where did this wo, woman get to and what did you two do?"

"We spoke under a tree. She healed me as a form of thanks for watching over you and asked that I not always have you use your miracles for dealing with goblins."

Priestess was at a loss for words, this woman who had healed him knew about her and her use of miracles…could it be?

"So…you two just spoke Beardcutter? Is that all? You're not with holding any good details are you?"

"Dwarf be quite for a moment! So Orcbolg, you two just spoke and nothing more? You're telling us the truth yes?"

"That's all we did."

"Earth Mother…you met the Earth Mother?!"

All eyes fell upon Priestess who was in a state of shock then looked back to Goblin Slayer who remained motionless.

"I don't know. She never identified herself. Regardless, let's gather our things and get ready to depart, our work here is finished."

As always, Goblin Slayer's no-nonsense attitude was difficult to deal with at times, but he at least told them the truth of the matter. The others sighed as they went to work gathering their materials, it had been a long few days here, but with the battle over they could rest easy knowing that their reward awaited them back in Water Town and they had a couple days off when they returned home. With everything gathered, they made their way down and out of the inn where they were immediately greeted by the Mayor and Guild Manager.

"Goblin Slayer, is it really over? Has the Beast Master been defeated?"

"Or did you let him go? Was he too much for you and your party?"

High Elf Archer growled angrily at Guild Manager, this arrogant man was humiliating them, but was held back Dwarf Shaman and Lizard Priest who too shared in her frustration. Priestess stood by Wolf but was only looking at Goblin Slayer to see how he would react.

"Beast Master was killed by his warg, and his companion was killed by her own magic."

"So then we really didn't need your help then?"

This time it was Wolf who growled angrily at this man taking a couple steps forward making both Mayor and Guild Manager back away. Goblin Slayer held out his left hand and gently tapped Wolf on the back, the dire wolf moved into a sitting position and looked up at the armored warrior.

"You're free to believe what want. Be sure that those that died are given a decent burial…you owe them that much."

Goblin Slayer and Wolf walked past the two men, making their way to the wagon they commandeered last night. While the two men were left speechless, the rest of his party followed behind their leader, not giving these two deplorable men a moment of their time. Goblin Slayer and his party proceeded to load up the cart when they heard a young voice call out to them.

"Goblin Slayer sir!"

The Party turned to see Young Warrior and his party there with bright smiling faces.

"Before you leave, we wanted to thank you for everything. I…I don't think I can devote me life to just hunting goblins like you, but I now know the true danger they can pose, especially in a horde. So you can bet I'll keep pushing myself until I too reach the rank of silver."

"Thank you for rescuing me."

"Indeed, thank you all for what you've done."

The three young adventurers bowed their heads in respect before running off back to the guild, Goblin Slayer's party was overjoyed to be thanked by the young ones, completely removing the foul feeling they had from their conversation with the Guild Manager. Only Goblin Slayer's reaction was hidden away behind his helmet, but Priestess imagined that he too was smiling at the gratitude from the others. Once on board, Dwarf Shaman and Priestess riding at the front, the wagon got under way, leaving the town of Mountain Pass making its way to Water Town to meet up with Sword Maiden.

"I tell you all, that damn fool was one step away from me using Stone Blast on him!"

"In the time it takes you cast a spell I could have easily put a couple arrows in him."

"Perhaps I should have summoned a Dragon Tooth Warrior to haunt him."

"I'm surprised by that Scaly, usually you're the more mature of us?"

"What do you mean by that, need I remind you that I am 2000 years old?"

"Like I was saying Scaly, you're usually the mature of us."

Priestess giggled at the comments then looked back to see Goblin Slayer sitting in the back with his arms crossed, Wolf close by him as usual.

"What about you Orcbolg, surely that pompous ass was getting to you too right?"

"None of what he was saying mattered." Goblin Slayer was stoic as ever as he looked out the back of the wagon at the passing scenery then looked back to his party and added his final comment in his usual manner. "He wasn't worth the effort."

"Now that sounds more like you Orcbolg."

Goblin Slayer was silent once again as he looked toward Wolf who returned the gaze before moving its head under his hand, the rest of his party was busy talking with one another or interested in the changing scenery.

"Thank you."

Everyone turned toward Goblin Slayer, not sure if they heard what they thought they heard.

"Thank you for all you've done to help me this over this year."

The others smiled as they looked at Goblin Slayer, clearly this quest had Goblin Slayer thinking about himself and his relationship with Beast Master. The battle was over and the group could take solace in the knowledge that so long as they had each other to rely on, none of them would have to worry about going down a darker path than what was laid before them. From the edge of the woods, the woman who had spoken with Goblin Slayer smiled as she watched them travel off, she herself praying for their success in future quests before vanishing from sight. Priestess thought she had seen this woman as the wagon rolled on, but when she looked back could not find her among the trees.

"O Earth Mother, continue to watch us and guide us." Priestess smiled as she returned to conversing with her party members, knowing that even if she couldn't see the Earth Mother, she at least knew that she was making sure observe them at all times.

Author's Note: This should now conclude the Beast Master Arc, so now comes the hard part of thinking of the next parts for the Goblin Slayer Party. I have some ideas either centering around Dwarf Shaman or Lizard Priest, the introduction of a new Party member or members depending on how the story plays out, an adventure involving Heavy Warrior and Female Knight requiring Goblin Slayer's help, and possibly the introduction of another dire wolf, a female one at that. These possible ideas (nothing definite yet) will not all be in the same story, I'd plan to introduce parts of each in smaller arcs. Thanks for your patience and support, see you guys soon.