"I don't suppose there is any way I can convince you not to go?"
Within the farm house, Cow Girl, her Uncle and Goblin Slayer were finishing their breakfast though the atmosphere was far from cheerful.
"Uncle, I've already been over it with him and the others. Even if I can help lighten the burden with the small things like driving the wagon or preparing meals, I am going to accompany them." Cow Girl dipped her bread into her stew before taking another bite a serious look on her face. "I'll make arrangements in town before I leave to make sure you get some extra hands out here to help."
"I'm not worried about having to do all the work by myself, I'm worried about losing my daugh…my…"
"You're worried about losing your daughter." Cow Girl reached over the table and squeezed her Uncle's hand. "You've been looking over me for more than ten years. Even though I say Uncle, I do see you as my second father."
Her Uncle was surprised by this comment as he was unsure of how to respond yet the smile on her face was enough for him.
"And it is because of that, that I ask you trust me. I've nearly lost this guy so many times in such a short time, and now with a potential battle that could be far worse than the threat of the demon lord…I can't just sit by this time and wait."
"It will be dangerous…not like the time of the Goblin Lord." Goblin Slayer wanted his friend to stay here on the farm and avoid direct battle. "It would be best if…"
"I know it will not be an easy journey, nor do I plan to force myself on the front lines with you. Back when the village was destroyed, I thought I had lost you and then you came back. Even if you have changed in your demeanor or speech, you're still the same person I knew all those years ago." Cow Girl had a warm smile and her face as she reached over to place her hand on his. "You're not going to leave me behind this time."
Goblin Slayer was at a loss, he stared back at his friend, not since her refusal to leave had he seen her act in such a defiant manner.
"Besides, when Snow has her littler, I'll want you and Wolf to be there to see the new additions."
"You've…gotten much stronger." Goblin Slayer nodded his head as he finished his food and stood. "We'll need to leave soon."
"I've got my supplies loaded in the wagon, just the essentials." Cow Girl smiled as she too stood and took their bowls towards the sink in the kitchen. "I'm going to check on Snow and Wolf outside."
Once Cow Girl had left, her Uncle stopped Goblin Slayer from leaving as he held out his hand.
"Just a moment. I know that you and I have not always seen everything eye to eye, but I have come to respect you after your defense of this farm." Uncle frowned as he breathed out a heavy sigh before looking Goblin Slayer in the face. "She is all that I have left so…keep her safe. Make sure that not only she comes back…but you as well. She'd be so upset if something happened to you."
"I'll do my best sir."
Goblin Slayer gave a final nod before exiting the kitchen to follow his friend outside and check on the dire wolves. Uncle lingered behind in the kitchen for a few moments before exiting as well to say his final goodbyes.
"Why couldn't she have fallen for someone else? Someone more peaceful."
xxxx
"Okay. Let's get the rest of the supplies loaded up on the wagons." Spearman grunted as he loaded up a crate onto one of the wagons.
"Yes sir." Rookie Warrior went about loading up a crate on the nearby wagon, then went to load another.
Outside the still damaged Guild were three wagons with a horse attached to the front. Within the wagons were a variety of supplies from weapons to potions, all donated by the town to ensure the adventurers would be able to check the neighboring villages by doing so they would ensure the protection of Frontier Town. After working well together over the last few months, Spearman, Heavy Warrior, Rookie warrior and their party members agreed they would also take up the challenge of investigating the
"We'll need to be careful with this one, the alchemist provided quite a few vials of acid for me to use." Half-Demon Thief commented as she carefully packed the crate with straw to keep the glass from rattling around.
"Couldn't you have chosen another type of weapon, I'd even take Orcbolg's tear gas or pepper bomb, whatever he calls it."
"Oh I have those too, Goblin Slayer was nice enough to teach me how to create them."
"I swear, Orcbolg has been teaching you all the worst type of habits."
"I don't know Long-Ears, though his methods can be a bit crude at times, Beardcutter has used these various techniques to help us out of many dire situations."
While the High Elf Archer and Dwarf Shaman continued their friendly bickering, Lizard Priest and his family conversed while they also helped in loading up the supplies.
"You're not mad that we're coming with you are you papa?"
"Not mad, surprised, but never mad. I am very fortunate to have your company on this difficult journey ahead of us." Lizard Priest smiled as he reached down pat his daughter's head after putting the supplies into the wagon.
"This quest you're going to take maybe be quite dangerous, so I intend to make sure that you come back safely." Half-Dragon Mother at first had a slight frown on her face then smiled as she stared up at her love. "These few months with you have been the most enjoyable for me and my daughter, and we intend to make sure they remain that way."
"Who am I to argue with the wisdom of the mighty dragon."
"That's not the only reason though for our coming with you." Half-Dragon Mother had a slight smile on her face as she looked toward her daughter. "She already has my permission but she still needs yours."
"My permission?"
"Well you won't know unless you ask your papa." Half-Dragon Mother smiled as gentled patted her daughter's back.
"I…you and mama told me I had to become stronger, so I want to learn from both you and mama, then I will become an adventurer." Half-Dragon Daughter though nervous looked up to her father with a stern look on her face.
"You wish to learn from me?" Lizard Priest though surprised had a large smile on his face. "It would be an honor to be a teacher to a future powerful dragon."
Half-Dragon Daughter could not contain her excitement when she and her parents heard laughter coming from within the first wagon, only to see Dwarf Shaman and High Elf Archer finishing the loading of the supplies.
"If you like, your grandpa here will be more than happy to teach you some useful magic as well."
"Ha! The only thing she'll learn from you is how to get fat. Stick with this elf and I'll teach you the skill of an archer."
"Bah, what can an anvil teach this young girl?"
While the two continued their bickering much to the laughter Lizard Priest and the others, Guild Girl spoke with her Manager and Inspector.
"Are you sure you all will be okay without me here to help?" Guild Girl had a bit of a frown as she looked back toward the Guild already under repair.
"We will have things well in hand here, repair work is already underway and we have plenty of fine adventurers to ensure no further attempt are made by those Faceless Men." Inspector had a light smile on her face as she watched the wagons being loaded.
"I'm more worried about you, I don't think it's wise for you to accompany them on this journey." Her Manager had frowned as he recalled the lost lives in yesterday's attack.
"I shall be traveling with very best and bravest adventurers we are fortunate enough to have so I'm not worried. I must also make sure to keep an accurate record of the brave deeds of our adventurers, even if this isn't an official quest, I'm sure that many if not all of them will be eligible for promotion once this adventure is over."
"Not to mention you'd get some more time to spend with your favorite adventurer." Inspector had a wily smile cross her face.
"I…I have no idea what you're talking about." Guild Girl was quick to turn her head away as a blush crossed her face.
Soon enough, Goblin Slayer, Cow Girl, Snow and Wolf could be seen approaching the guild. Guild Girl had gone to speak with the Guild Manager about securing aid for the farm and made sure to offer a bag of gold given to her by Goblin Slayer, meanwhile Goblin Slayer had gone to speak with the other silver adventurers.
"Never expected you to be the one to suggest this quest Goblin Slayer." Spearman had a smirk on his face as he rested his spear against his right shoulder. "Though if I know you it's more about the monster goblins they had employed right?"
"That is one reason, the other is the tactics they use, the destruction they bring is like that of a goblin." Goblin Slayer found himself clenching his fist as he recalled the destruction of his village then looked towards his comrades. "If we were to ignore this threat, somewhere out there a nameless village, which no one will remember, that may be lost. I won't allow it."
There was a pause from the others but soon enough there was a smile on each of their faces, when Female Knight drew her sword and placed it in the center of the group.
"Then let us see this quest through there is much I want to do when this battle is over." Female Knight smirked as she looked over toward Heavy Warrior.
"You sure do try hard to make me blush." Heavy Warrior drew out his sword and placed it near hers. "For those we cherish."
"For the peace of this town." Spearman smiled as he added his spear.
"And for peace…of the country." Witch smiled as she placed her staff near Spearman's spear.
"For the fine feast we'll have when this battle is over." Dwarf Shaman snicked as he took out his hand ax and added it the groups.
"For the grand adventure ahead of us!" High Elf Archer could not help but smile brilliantly as she added her bow to the group.
"For friends and family." Lizard Priest placed his swordclaw amongst the others.
Goblin Slayer was silent from a moment then drew out his sword and added to the others.
"To the death of the one controlling them."
"Not the most optimistic declaration but with the combined might, not even the demon lord can stop us." High Elf Archer smiled once again as her ears flapped in her happiness.
Those around them could not help but smile and share in their confidence, this group was ready to embark on this most difficult of quests.
xxxx
"To hell with you, vile monster!"
Hero gave a yell as he sword cur through the body of the three-headed and three-armed monster with her holy sword; she and her party had encountered the monstrous creature and two more like it attacking Mountain Pass. Earlier in the day, they had noticed what looked like two men in blacks observing the town from the alleyways, eventually they caught them attempting to add some odd green liquid into one of the nearby wells. Fortunately, Hero's firebolt destroyed the man's hand and vial before he had a chance to pour the contents down. The two men turned to see the trio of women and not taking any chances quickly broke the vials within their mask and after downing the vile liquid began to transform, but then three of the Abominations broke through one of the wooden walls protecting the town. People and adventurers were immediately shaken by the sight of the monsters and quickly went to work attacking the creatures.
One of the Faceless Men body seemed to warp, his hands becoming claws, curved horns growing from atop his head, the flesh on its back peeling from its body taking on the appearance of wings and what appeared to be stone now covering its body. The other man also transformed as the fingers on his hands fused into one massive claw and then two more similar claws shot out from its sides, the lower half of his body warped into what could only be described as a giant abdomen like that of a spider.
The battle was long as the monsters were quite durable much like the hellhounds they had to face while on the way to Frontier Town some time ago. The creatures that had once been human the Spider and Gargoyle, that was the best way to describe what, had much more intelligence as they mocked the adventurers but finally, they had been slain.
"What sorcery was that? Those men transformed into monsters." Sword Saint sheathed her sword and wiped the sweat from her brow.
"Most unusual. This one has stone covering its body but it's flesh and blood underneath." Sage bent down to inspect the gargoyle-like body of the once human.
"What about this one, it can produce web like a spider, it almost resembles an Arachne but…far uglier." Hero too examined the other monstrous body near her. "Their hides are very durable, like those monsters we had to fight in the astral plane or even in hell."
Hero then thought back to the other monsters and remembered the other adventurers who rushed out to aid them. With the five creatures attacking at once three of the town's guards were killed right away by the Abominations and eight more of the lower level adventurers had been lost as well. All of this was strange to the three young women, these men trying to pour something into the well, transforming into monsters themselves and these odd flesh golems crashing through the walls.
"These men were controlling the flesh golems, they meant to attack this town but what was that liquid they were about to add to water?" Hero frowned as she looked over the dead monsters then back to the fallen people around them.
"Something terrible has befallen the land." Sage had a stern expression on her face as she looked toward her friends.
Soon enough the girls could hear the fluttering of wings over head and saw a white dove flying towards the guild office. Even in the middle of the chaos the guild manager was quick to look over the message attached to the dove's leg, the expression on his face went form concern to shock. Hero and her party rushed over to look over the message and just like the guild manager were shocked by what they were reading.
"Necromancer…men in black robes…poisoning the wells…targeting the villages and the capital." Hero eyes widened with every sentence she read.
"Then the King is calling for aid, we have to get to the capital!" Sword Saint was angry that this man was trying to destroy the country with this poison.
"But what of the villages, if we push straight through to the capital many lives will be lost." Sage was worried about the loss of life as what they had seen with just a couple of the monsters her in Mountain Pass.
"Our duty is to the world…" Hero tightened her grip around her sword then recalled how Goblin Slayer would continue his work to save those villages in need and smiled. "…but the people of the villages are part of that world. We'll move through as many villages as possible to save the people as we make our way to the capital."
Sage and Sword Saint smiled as they stood ready to follow their leader on this battle to save the countryside from the threat of the Necromancer, in the morning their journey would begin.
xxxx
That same evening, another dove was finally reaching the end of its journey, from Water Town it had been flying for such a long time but now the Capital was in sight. It would reach the castle where the guards would receive the message and the capital would go on the defense and prepare for the worst…at least that's what the King had hoped. From atop one of the rooftops, a Faceless Man stood ready with bow and arrow and took aim for the bird in the sky, then with a small chuckle released the arrow. The arrow pierced through the dove's body and it plummeted to the ground hitting the street with a light thud, the archer chuckled once again as he made his way towards the edge of the rooftop and looked down below. From the shadows emerged a massive figure with appeared be a longcoat made up several pieces of leather and beside him were several men in black robes.
"Poor little bird, can't seem to fly anymore." Highway Man snicked as he looked at the bloodstained body of the bird. "Check the foot."
One of the Faceless Men nodded and went to check the dead bird's leg and retrieved the message that had been sent out by the king. The Faceless Man crumpled the message then stuffed the remains within his cloak before looking towards the Highway Man and nodding his head.
"Too bad. Guess you won't be warning any one now." The Highway Snicked once again as he picked up the carcass of the bird before tossing it into the nearby waterway. "Time to feed the fishes."
There was a small torrent of bubbles that moved towards the floating body of the bird when suddenly a yellowish tentacle shot out of the water snatching at the body of the bird before quickly dragging in beneath the surface.
"Is it time for us to release the elixir here within the Capital?" One of the Faceless Men looked toward the Highway man.
"Not yet, the Necromancer will give us a sign when we contaminate all the water in the Capital. In the meantime, continue to spread the fear. Enhance a few people here and there to show them what wonders await them; I shall continue to stalk the streets and feed upon those foolish enough to stay outside; finally have the Yeti move towards another district and prepare to freeze it. When the time comes this city, with more than 500,00 people, will soon devolve into hell on Earth."
xxxx
The young boy would spend his time practicing with his sword trying to imitate the adventurer who had come to save their village. Off to the side he could see his sister playing with her doll while his mother was in the house making dinner. More than half a year ago he, his sister and some of the other children had been captured by demons but a brave adventurer and his party came to their rescue along with a massive black direwolf.
"When I get bigger I'm going to become an adventurer just like him and then I'll find my own…"
The young boy paused as his ears above his head began to twitch, he could hear the sound of horse feet clopping and what sounded like the wheels of a wagon rolling along hitting the small rocks as the wagon moved along. He and his sister both heard the noise and rushed toward the entrance of the village and took in the scent, a smile crossed their faces as they picked up on a familiar scent amongst all the new ones. Soon enough, their mother and the other dog-faced padfoots had also rushed towards the entrance with wide eyes to see three horse drawn wagons approaching their village and along the side they saw a man in dirty leather armor with a large black direwolf walking with a bold stride.
"Wolf!" Both Padfoot Son and Daughter were over joyed to see the large direwolf once again.
They and the other kids rushed forward to go and pet Wolf who was as calm as ever around the young kids but to their surprise they now saw a large white direwolf nearby as well. Snow, falling back on her motherly instincts, was quick to move up toward the children and nuzzled up against the young children who in turn happily went to pet the two wolves. The wagons were brought to a halt outside the village where the rest of the passengers disembarked and met with the dog-faced padfoots.
"It is a pleasure to see you all again." Padfoot Mother took hold of Goblin Slayer hand and gently squeezed as a smile crossed her face. "We still owe you and your party much for all you did when you were last here."
"I see."
"Leave it to Orcbolg to be the one with the least amount to say. What he means is we're happy to see you and the little ones are doing well."
Cow Girl and Guild Girl were quite happy to finally meet the padfoot village where Goblin Slayer and his party had saved them from the threat of demons. The other adventurers were also mobbed by the padfoot villagers who were surprised to see so many new faces in their village. Half-Demon Thief was a bit apprehensive as she heard talk of demons attempting to use the villagers for some sort of ritual and felt it best to hide herself when the two young children approached her.
"Hello." Padfoot Daughter had a bright smile as she looked toward the young woman. "You have very pretty eyes."
"Oh, thank you."
"We didn't get to see you the last time, are you a new adventurer?" Padfoot Son was also curious about this woman with the knives around her person. "Are you also an adventurer? Are you a dark elf?"
"Uh…no I…I'm part demon." Half-Demon Thief finally admitted though it was with a heavy heart.
There was an immediate gasp from many of the padfoot villagers upon hearing this and there were some parents who pulled their children close to them as all eyes fell upon Half-Demon Thief, her party and colleagues were quick to show concern as they worried she would be attacked. Half-Demon Thief too frowned as she though perhaps it might be best if she were to remain with the wagons away from the villagers when a dispassionate voice spoke out.
"She is a member of my party."
Goblin Slayer turned toward Half-Demon Thief who was surprised to hear him speak up on her behalf then felt something brush up against her and turning to either side was Wolf and Snow rubbing up against her as they could sense her concern.
"At least I have my party and friends." Half-Demon Thief smiled then felt something take hold of her hand and looked down to see Padfoot Daughter smiling back at her.
"I'm surprised to see a beautiful lady like you is a demon. You're much nicer than the ones who came to the village." Padfoot Daughter smiled as she pulled on the young woman's hand and brought her into the village.
"Thank you, you're very kind." Half-Demon Thief smiled then looked to the side to see the young boy take her other hand.
"So you're an adventurer too? Are you a scout or some kind of knife fighter?" Padfoot Son had a big smile as he was curious about her weapons and appearance.
"I'm actually a trained thief and assassin."
"Assassin! That's so cool! Is that why you wear such dark clothing? Can you use special abilities to help you sneak up on people?" Padfoot Son was staring at the young woman with bright eyes curious about so many things.
"Uh well…I can use Stealth and…"
Any initial hesitation was quickly gone as some of the other children were also eager to speak with the other adventurers. They were intrigued by how massive Heavy Warrior was as some mistook him for a giant while other marveled at the beauty of Female Knight and Witch, some of the mothers joking suggest they marry their sons.
"It is quite a welcome change to see so many new faces in the village. Ever since you and your party came to aid us it has been quite a peaceful existence." Padfoot Elder chuckled as he spoke with Goblin Slayer but was quick to sense something important in the air. "I doubt though paying us a friendly visit was the only reason for you all being here?"
"There are those looking to poison wells and we are here to search for them."
There was a look of shock on the faces of the adults; people looking to poison the wells and possibly her in the village, could they be padfoots?
"Milord Goblin Slayer is quite correct in the threat, but there is much we must clarify."
Padfoot Elder quickly led the adventurers toward the meeting hall in the center of the village, the young warriors charged with defense of the village also accompanied them while the rest of the villagers went about finishing up their chores and preparing a meal for their guests. Cow Girl, Guild Girl, and Half Dragon Mother chose to remain outside the hall to speak with the others and offer what assistance they could while Half Dragon Daughter, Snow and Wolf played with the children.
"There are reports coming in of some mysterious plague sweeping the land. A strange miasma that is killing some while raising monster from the depths of hell itself. Are these people who you seek responsible somehow related to these odd stories?" Padfoot Elder had a worried look on his as he remembered hearing strange tales from the few travelers who had passed through more than two weeks ago.
"Indeed, only this plague is not the work of a strange miasma but men poisoning the water with a strange liquid." Lizard Priest then thought back to the monsters they had unleashed in the forest near the village. "These monsters may appear to be from the depths of hell as you described, but they in fact are under the control of a man and his subordinates…the Necromancer."
"This poison, they refer to it as the Elixir of Life, once someone drinks it, they turn into monsters themselves. Creature with great strength and durability." Heavy Warrior recalled as the man transformed into a beast before their eyes. "The men were wearing black cloaks and white plague masks on their faces and tried to contaminate the water in our own Frontier Town."
"Men in black cloaks and white masks you say, we have not seen anyone matching that description near the village. Our warriors still maintain a guard around the village in case there is any danger that may come to threaten us. Still, I thank you for coming here to check that things are well." Padfoot Elder smiled and nodded his head in appreciation. "I would invite you all to stay with us tonight to rest yourselves before you depart."
"It would be quite rude of us to turn down such an invitation." Dwarf Shaman chuckled as he stroked his beard.
"You just want food and drink." High Elf Archer was quick to tease her comrade.
"It will also give us an opportunity to look over the village to make sure there are no signs of these Faceless Men." Heavy Warrior added as well while he scratched the bottom of his chin.
That evening there was a small celebration to welcome back Goblin Slayer and his comrades, the padfoots marveled at the sight of Half Dragon Mother breathing fire for them into the night sky, Half Dragon Daughter would fly around the sky and managed to briefly pick up Padfoot Daughter and Son a couple feet off the ground before setting them back down. Even the other adventurers got into the act as Heavy Warrior supervised the kids how tried to lift up his claymore, Half-Demon Thief showed off her skills with her daggers as she took aim at targets the children had painted for her on one of the nearby wooden posts.
While this was going on Goblin Slayer was walking around the outside of the walls with Spearman and Wolf to accompany him. Wolf paused as his ears twitched, he carefully went about smelling the area and began to growl as a familiar scent was picked up. Goblin Slayer and Spearman stopped as they looked toward Wolf then turned their attention back toward the forest where he was looking.
"What do you think Goblin Slayer? Is this our Faceless Men or their monsters?"
"Not sure. Let's inform the others."
From within the woods two of the Faceless Men watched as the two adventurers walked back into the village accompanied by the large wolf. Though they had not expected to see adventurers in this particular village but were more than prepared for this with the creations their master had given them. They would wait for the guard presence to settle down before they would bless this village with the Miracle of Life. It was nearly midnight when they finally left the forest, the two of them moved through the darkness but were forced to stop as an arrow struck the ground before them. The men looked ahead and their they saw the force waiting for them. Atop the rooftop of the closest house were High Elf Archer with bow and arrow ready, Half-Demon Thief with a dagger in her left hand and one of her poison-tipped throwing knives in her right hand and Scout Boy with a short sword at his side and a bow and arrow in hand like the high elf. Standing by the entrance was Priestess, Druid Girl, Dwarf Shaman, Apprentice Cleric and Witch ready to offer support with their magic abilities from afar. In front of them were the frontline warriors Female Knight, Heavy Warrior, Spearman, Half-Elf Light Warrior, Rookie Warrior, Fighter, Lizard Priest and Goblin Slayer at his side was Wolf and Snow.
"What…why are there so many adventurers here?" One of the Faceless men was at a loss for the sheer number of adversaries to battle.
"If you do not wish to die, surrender now and tell us where your master is!" High Elf Archer anxiously waited to release her arrow.
"You fools! How dare you besmirch the name of our Master! We are here to deliver upon this village the Miracle of Life and you would be so heartless as to stand in our way." The other Faceless Man clenched his fists, deeply angered these people would stand in his way.
"Miracle of Life my ass! You are not about to dump that poison down these fine people's wells!" Spearman found he could stomach the lies these men were spewing. "I don't know what's more pathetic the lies you shout or the fact that you've been deceived into believing them."
"Those of small intellect can comprehend our Master's genius. It seems that the only option left for us is to destroy this village rather share our wonderful gift with them." The first Faceless Man brought a hand up to his mask and broke the vial within before tilting his head back to drink the contents.
"Come forth our beautiful creations!" The second Faceless Man gave a quick shout to summon the beast in the forest before he too drank his own elixir.
The adventurers watched as the men began to change, their bodies warp into monstrous forms but from the forest came forth three of the Hellhounds and two of the Abominations. For those who had not seen the transformation, it was quite a shock to see these humans become such monsters and, in their eyes, they could still see recognition and hate for the adventurers.
"These people were kind enough to give us quite the meal, not a single one of these monsters is going to enter this village." Heavy Warrior tightened his grip on his claymore as he looked over the approaching monsters.
"Agreed." The response came from the adventurers who all stood ready to defend this village.
"Let's go!" Goblin Slayer rushed forward with sword and mace drawn with Wolf and Snow running along either side of him.