A long time ago, when the first stars shone in the sky, the gods of chaos and order disputed for control of the world. To decide that, they didn't fight in great battles or anything but resorted to the roll of the dice. Well, many dice, and several times, but with time even that became boring, so they decided to create all sorts of creatures and place them into the world, so they could have their own adventures. Just like the dice, sometimes they had victories, and sometimes they suffered losses. They had moments of happiness and moments of sadness. There were war times and peace times.
Fate was like a generous mother at times, setting some people for greatness and glory, the mighty heroes of their age. Fate could also be mischievous and cruel, making the lives of other people a living hell. Such is the nature of this world, governed by the roll of dice in the great game of the gods. But one time, one adventurer in particular appeared. He wasn't on an epic quest to save the world. His actions were not going to fundamentally change anything, or lead to some breakthrough. He was just one more piece on the giant board, a common adventurer with a keen interest in one task, and one task only.
Killing goblins
This was all he lived for, his object of study and training, his missions on the guild, his daily routine, and the end goal of all his resources and efforts. Getting rid of those pests was what he did, and he did it very well. That's what he was known for, the only thing most people knew about him.
Goblin Slayer
Yet, right now the man wasn't doing what he usually did. If you a part of the adventurer's guild, or lived near the frontier town, you would be somewhat familiar with this odd image. A man using a cheap armor of leather and chainmail, with a peculiar steel helm. A small shield attached to his arm, a short sword on the hilt, just as cheap as everything else, and everything was covered in dirt, grime, and most certainly goblin blood. Despite being so uncanny among the other adventurer in shiny armor and fancy clothes, with their special weapons earned with hard work or a strike of luck, everyone was used to seeing the weird man around. If he wasn't here on the guild, he was on the farm where he lived, and if he wasn't there resting, he was slaying goblins. At times by his own, as he used to do for years, and at others with his party.
However, today he wasn't in any of those places. There were five goblin quests waiting for him on the desk, courtesy of Guild Girl, and his party, comprised of the green-haired High Elf Ranger, the old Dwarf Shaman, the towering Lizard Priest, and the adorable Priestess, all sat on a table, enjoying the delicious food served at the guild. Padfoot Waitress waltzed between the tables, carrying the orders of food and drink with the dexterity of an experienced worker, and the joy of a sunshine beam.
"Hai hai! Three beers, one orange juice, three large portions of ribs, two with cheese, and a big bowl of salad with toasted bread~" She said, placing the plates to their respective owners.
"Thank you, young miss. One mug of the strongest spirit you have in there, please." The bearded dwarf asked, with the beer still in his hand.
"Okay~ Coming right up!" She said, skipping back to the kitchen.
Meanwhile, the elf girl drank hers with a sour face.
"Come on, Knife Ears, don't let this spoil a good drink. You should be used to this by now." He told her, taking a bite of the meat.
"Hmm, it's not unusual for Goblin Slayer-dono to leave without a notice." Lizard Priest commented, stuffing his mouth with the meat covered in cheese.
"Yes, but usually it is for goblin quests. He didn't take any this time…" Priestess joined the chat, looking down at her mug of orange juice.
It wouldn't be the first time this happened. In fact, that was to be expected. If they blinked, the weird silver ranker would simply walk out and find his way into any uncovered goblin nests, and proceed to deliver their righteous punishment in the most methodical, efficient, and gruesome ways. But not two days ago, and apparently not today either, which caused the elf present to munch her salad with frustration.
"I swear, I can't take my eyes off him and he simply vanishes! That Orcbolg! I was planning this adventure for three weeks now, and I even postponed it so we could go with him on those stupid goblin quests!"
The reason why she was distraught this time was the cause of Goblin Slayer's absence. They haven't seen him, which made Priestess worried about him, as usual. Seeking to quench her anxiety, the young girl went to Guild Girl, who knew practically everything that happened in the guild, so she should know of his whereabouts.
Well, currently Goblin Slayer was on a quest along with the Spearman's party and should be back in about five days, much to everyone's surprise, It was very unlikely of him to leave for such a long time, but above that, why didn't he call them? As surprising as it may sound, there were no goblins on this quest. A retrieval mission of an artifact lost in some cursed castle, Guild Girl explained.
"Are you kidding me? Orcbolg went on a quest without goblins? And without me?!" She slammed her hand on the table, munching another veggie to vent her stress. "Why did he accept so fast anyway? Just because that Witch asked…?" She murmured the last part.
One last detail about this unexpected situation, it was the Witch who asked him to join the party on the spot, much to Spearman's frustration. Oh well, it wouldn't take much, five days could fly by really fast, especially if they took some quick quests on their own. They could always use the extra money, and Priestess could visit the Temple of Mother Earth, where she hasn't been in a while. It would be fine, what could possibly happen?
Good question. How about asking the man himself? The guild doors swung open and in came the man in cheap armor, followed by the hero of the frontier and the beautiful sorceress.
"Goblin Slayer-san!"
Priestess, who was kind of in a gloomy mood, went straight up to her cheerful self, rushing to the man in cheap armor, ignoring the other one who was covered in soot. But upon getting near him, she took a step back as his armor was stinking more than usual. Pinching her nose, she began the arduous process of extracting meaningful information from the man.
"So, what was the quest about, how did it go, why are you back so early, and what is that smell…?"
Goblin Slayer remained silent for a minute or two, probably processing the multiple questions in his mind. His party, along with Guild Girl, waited in anticipation.
"Recovering an artifact, it went well, we got the artifact… sewer water."
Plain and simple. As expected from Goblin Slayer.
Priestess sighed in defeat. This was another routine.
"Goblin Slayer-san, we can't know what happened without any details. You have to tell those things properly so everyone understands."
The man looked at her, seemingly in deep thinking, then his head moved up, looking at the party.
"It was… interesting. We found a system of catacombs under the castle and a wizard… thing. The wizard thing had the relic, and it controlled an army of skeletons, like what Lizard Priest does. Those are easier to deal with than goblins."
Well, that was a hell of an improvement.
"And how did you defeat the wizard?" The young girl asked him, eager and happy that he was sharing his adventure somewhat eloquently.
"I'll tell you how! That big idiot blew up the entire thing!" Spearman butted in, grabbing Goblin Slayer by the chest plate. "What kind fo weirdo does that?!"
"Why am I not surprised…? Oi, Orcbolg! What have a told you about using explosions?" High Elf Ranger joined Spearman in berating the quiet man.
"It wasn't a goblin quest."
"That serves to any quest, idiot! You can't just go around and solve your problems with explosions!"
"... I see."
"Well, how did you make an explosion this time, Beard Cutter?" Asked the Dwarf.
"Swamp gas." He answered shortly, catching the attention of the tall lizard man.
"Oh, so these catacombs had swamp emanations among them? Do you have any idea where it came from, Goblin Slayer-dono?"
"... I read one time that when lots of plants and bodies rot in wet places, they can create swamp gas. The tunnels were full of it because the wizard… thing, had lots of dead bodies walking around."
"Wait wait, walking dead? Then the wizard thing you're talking about was actually a…" High Elf Ranger's face paled as she realized the implications, and Witch confirmed her suspicions.
"Yes, the… wizard thing was… actually… a lich." Everyone's eyes widened in surprise.
"Oh, so that's what it is called. Lich… It would be a problem if a goblin shaman learned how to be a lich. I would have to think of a way of disposing of the bodies permanently…" Ignoring the immediate turn back to goblins, Witch gave them a few extra details.
"It was… a new… ly formed Lich. It… didn't have much… power yet."
"A lich. My people are not strange to commune with our old ancestors, but the way they perform this kind of magic is vile and corrupted. You did a great service by stopping it before it could grow more powerful." Lizard Priest said, placing his hands together.
"Tch, don't even remind me…" Spearman began to rant. "First we entered the castle and looked for the relic for hours, but nothing happened. Witch even tried a location spell, but nothing came out. Then this huge weirdo began to feel the walls or something and we found the entrance to the catacombs. Then we spend who knows how many more hours walking in some nasty sludge, found the center of the whole drainage system, and right there is the lich. But before I jumped there to give that idiot the fight of his unlife, this weird said he had a plan."
High Elf Ranger pinched the bridge of her nose, for she could already see where this was going.
"We encountered some undead in the way, which gave Witch the suspicion of what we would find in here, so this idiot here asked how to kill a lich. She explained you have to destroy the thing they use to become a lich-"
"The… phylactery."
"That thing! Then he asked if it could be destroyed with fire. She said she wasn't sure as it could be something resistant to fire, but they could try. She had a spell to cast fire and everything, but then he said we had to gather all the undead in one place. So we began to run. In the sewers! Damn stinky sewers! We gathered them all, and by that time the lich already knew we were there, so I got ready to fight. But then he pulled me back, she cast a spell to make a dagger of his catch on fire, and he threw the thing at the lich. Of course, he had a protection spell, but she used her Counterspell to break it."
"I cast… Shield, and… then everything… blew up… spectacularly. The lich was… heavily wounded, so looking… for the phylactery was… easy. We… destroyed the goblet… and the lost… relic revealed… itself." Witch concluded the explanation.
"And… where did all this soot come from, Spearman-san?" Priestess asked.
"Oh, this?" He looked at Goblin Slayer with a death glare.
"I had to confirm if the swamp gas was really inflammable. Spearman walked into the small room right when I was testing it." Goblin Slayer added coldly in his usual tone, much to the other adventurer's anger.
And speaking of anger…
"Aaah! I can't believe you didn't call us for such a cool adventure! And you found the most ridiculous way to finish it!" High Elf Ranger groaned in frustration.
"I found it… pretty… funny." Said the sorceress, blowing smoke from her pipe with a smile adorning her face. "Besides, it was… I who requested… him alone."
"Is that so? But why Goblin Slayer-san?" Priestess inquired the woman.
"He asked me… for a favor, so… before completing… it, I needed… a few items from… this quest. He has very… creative solutions." She then looked at him and gestured to the upper rooms in the guild. "Shall we?"
Goblin Slayer nodded and everyone followed the two figures going upstairs and into one of the rooms, where they remained for about five hours. When they came back, Witch offered him a piece of gold, but he refused. Instead, he thanked her for her help and moved back to his party, holding a scroll in one hand.
"I'm going to Water Town."
"Goblin Slayer-san, how many times do I have to explain? It's not a choice when you say it like that…"
"Do you have business with the high priestess once again, Beard Cutter?"
"Hmm. I needed this before I could do it." He said, showing the scroll.
It had lots of intricate drawings, along with a weird language none of them could even begin to understand.
"You're not going to do anything weird with that spell again, will you?" High Elf Ranger questioned him with a suspicious look.
"It's not a teleportation spell." He answered.
"That's not what I asked!"
"Well, considering your modus operandi, I imagine this is not part of a quest, Goblin Slayer-dono."
"Correct. You don't need to come if you don't want to."
"Well, in that case, we'll get ourselves a few quests. Just don't make anything stupid, you hear me?" He nodded at the elf, then walked to the counter where Guild Girl was already picking the quest papers for him.
"Goblins?"
"Five requests of exterminations, but don't worry, I'll ask Heavy Swordman and his party to take care of the more urgent ones. You can go." She said with a warm smile, to which he responded with a simple "Thank you."
He walked up to the door, then stopped and looked at the blond girl next to him.
"Are you coming?"
She opened a wide smile.
"Yes! I'll get ready."
The night fell when they arrived at Water Town, crossing the gates of the great city in the back of the wagon. The Priestess slept on an improvised pillow while the man took a power nap, sitting against the wood, out of habit. After paying the conductor, the silent mand and the sleepy blondie headed to the Temple of Law, where the Archbishop awaited them. Before heading out to the quest with Witch and Spearman, he had sent a letter warning of his arrival, but she probably didn't expect him to come so soon. In her personal opinion, he could never come too soon.
Against protocols, Goblin Slayer marched into the main hall of the temple, ignoring the guards who tried to stop him. Apparently, the archbishop has explicitly instructed them to never barge this man, in particular, so he literally made his way in, hastily followed by an embarrassed Priestess who couldn't believe he was still so flippant about being in a sacred place like this. The hall was empty, just like most of the temple safe for the guards and the nuns. The silver moonlight invaded the room through the tall glass windows, making a beautiful light curtain.
From a passage emerged a gorgeous woman, draped in fine white robes outlined in blue and decorated with gold. She was lacking the ling white habit that covered her long golden hair, but the black sash was still covering her eyes. She quickly made her way to the two adventurers, almost skipping while at it, and tossed herself at the man's arms with careless abandon. As she expected, he didn't fail to catch her, and she didn't seem to mind the extra smell in his armor either, for she sounded just as enamored as the other times they have met, if not more.
"You came, as you said you would."
"Hmm."
"You said from five days to a week. It was pretty fast, do you want to rest."
"I'm not tired."
"I see… then, do you want to shower?"
"Do you bother with smells when sleeping?"
"Not much. But I would prefer if you let me wash you."
"Will this help you sleep?"
"Most certainly."
"Understood. Lead the way."
Meanwhile, Priestess watched the exchange with an open hanging mouth and a strong blush crossing her cheeks. How could she say those things without a hint of shame? Was this the true meaning of being a grown-up and mature woman?
"You can come and wash yourself too, my sweet child." Said the taller blonde, breaking the poor girl from her inner thoughts of comparing herself to the archbishop.
While they washed, the Sword Maiden instructed some guards to take away Goblin Slayer's armor and give it a little scrub, but not so much that it would lose the characteristic smell of grime and goblin blood from it. She talked the Chief Nun into letting her enter the baths with the man, with the excuse of tending to his wounds and relieving stress. Knowing the blondie would not stop until she had her way, the old lady simply let her through, adverting her to keep her mind as clear as her body. Once again, the commentaries and implications failed to instill any shame in her, instead making Priestess blush like a tomato.
"Well, at least someone acts with chastity..."
Sword Maiden took her sweet time in washing up since Goblin Slayer was here. For the sake of appeasing the old lady, she retained a towel wrapped around her while she scrubbed his body, and kept herself neck deep while they soaked in the warm water. Honestly, just having him here was a blessing, and bathing together was a dream come true. Speaking of dreams…
After the long bath, they headed to her room, where Sword Maiden changed into her sleeping clothes. It was a light white robe, not too different from her usual attire, but much looser around her body, and quite see-through, making it look like she emitted a faint silver aura when illuminated by the moonlight. Sitting on the edge of the bed, her eyes looked in the general direction where he stood. The Priestess was following them all that time, going through all shades of red. Then, Sword Maiden asked the question which should have been the first one when they entered the main hall.
"What brings you here, my Goblin Slayer?" She asked him.
"Goblins." He answered shortly. The mere mention of the word made the archbishop flinch slightly.
"Yes, as expected. Do you suspect there's a nest nearby?" Her tone shifted from her gentle seductive voice to a more serious one. But her answer wasn't the one she expected. Although she couldn't see it, Goblin Slayer pointed at his head.
"In the mind. Yours, to be exact."
"Oh…" Yeah, you didn't hear that any day.
"G-Goblin Slayer-san, I don't think you can help on this kind of thing…" The Priestess was equally surprised as the mature version of her, but she kind of understood what he meant. She has seen many survivors come to the temple, victims of goblins, and it was the kind of thing that stuck deep with you. Knowing some of Sword Maiden's history, it was clear her scars went much deeper than the faint lines across her pale skin.
"No, I have a way." He said, picking the scroll he got from Witch and presenting it to Sword Maiden. "I've made you a promise. I'm going to fulfill it now. Please, go to sleep." Goblin Slayer gave the scroll for her to hold, then laid on the large bed next to her. Looking to the side, he saw Priestess looking at him with a perplexed face.
"if you want to come too, then lay on the bed."
Without understanding much, but not wanting to be left behind, she quickly jumped on the bed with them, doing her best to ignore the warm feeling in her cheeks. Sword Maiden was still pretty confused, for she couldn't even see what was written on this scroll if anything, but she wasn't about to start doubting the man that saved her life. Plus, she would be able to snuggle up with him all night long. Maybe this was what he meant about hunting the goblins in her dreams… Wait, does it mean he would sleep with her every night? She needed confirmation.
"For it to work, we have to be touching." Goblin Slayer said, and Sword Maiden immediately latched on to his arm, even wrapping one of his legs between her tights. She relished the warm feeling that came from his body, much different from the cold and hard steel and leather. On the other side, Priestess decided that holding his hand was the best she could do without passing out from embarrassment.
Goblin Slayer then produced a bluish crystal from his pocket, placing it over the circle.
"What is this, Goblin Slayer-san?" Asked the young girl, with a curious look.
"It's a catalyst crystal for this spell. I have no aptitude for magic, but this used with the scroll will work in the same way." He explained, rubbing the crystal between his thumb and finger, making it gain a faint glow.
"Oh, so this is what you needed from that quest with the Witch?" She concluded.
"Yes. Now, you can go ahead and…" He turned to his other side to tell Sword Maiden she could sleep, but she had already dozed off, nuzzling on his shoulder. "I see. Get ready."
"What are we doing, exactly?"
"Entering a dream."
She was running. Running aimlessly through the dark corridors of this god-forsaken dungeon. Her party got separated because of a trap and now she was alone, having to defend herself against them. Vile creatures, filthy green skins, capable only of death and destruction, and violating anything that could be considered sacred. And they were after her.
She ran forward, forcing her feet to move despite her aching chest begging her to stop. She knew what would happen if she ever stopped, although nothing has happened yet. She had this dream many times, this nightmare. She knew what was to come when they finally caught up to her. She would lose her strength and trip over something in the dark. Overpowered and outnumbered by them, the worst would come to pass, one more time. This recurring nightmare repeated more times than she could count, and she lost so many nights of sleep because of that. The absolute worst part in this was that the nightmare was real, and every time she woke up shivering as if it had just happened. She felt all dirty, so she would go to the bath to cleanse herself, again and again.
Frankly, it was tiring, and Sword Maiden has always prayed to her god that it would deliver her from this suffering, but she supposed the gods didn't grant this kind of miracle. Even then, just being free of this cyclical torment would be enough. She knew it wouldn't erase the past, nor make her forget it, but being able to sleep properly would be amazing, and not waking up feeling disgusted within your own skin was everything she wanted.
Unfortunately, the powers above had rolled the dice, and this was her fate, her burden to carry. She was on the last of her energies now, gasping for her as her legs couldn't carry her any further. She tripped, probably on a dry bone or something, and her staff fell from her hand, sliding into the darkness. All sound died out except for the sound of cackling and small, hasty footsteps. They were after her, they could probably smell her sweat, if not her fear. An arrow flew through the dark, grazing her leg. She winced in pain, but this was nothing compared to what was to come. She could see the dull glow of their yellow eyes, and the glistening drool dripping from their mouths. There was no source of light, but somehow she could see it all. She could see the claws, the ugly, twisted grins. She could smell that stench, and she could feel the animalistic lust coming from those heinous creatures.
She wanted to run away, she wanted to defend herself, she wanted to fight back, but she knew there was no escape. This nightmare was her prison, her very personal, custom-made hell, and there was no place to hide or run to. How does one flee from their own mind? She shook from head to toe, and every cell in her body screamed at her to do something, but fear is a powerful emotion. Once it takes hold of you, it can take an insurmountable amount of willpower and courage to overcome it, and Sword Maiden didn't have them in the needed quantities. They were taken from her that day too. The green creatures lunged at her defenseless body, eager to defile her again, and she shouted at the top of her lungs, just like every other time before this, but then something different happened.
The sound of footsteps began to echo through the dark hallway. It wasn't the wet pitter patter from those creatures of chaos, it was the steady march of leather boots, followed by a distinct cling of chain mail. It sounded loud and clear, but also quiet, almost imperceptible. The goblins were still rushing to attack her, tear her robes and do what they always did, but she could hear it still, the footsteps. Sword Maiden turned around, only seeing dark. She has been stuck like that too thanks to them, but somehow she could see it, a figure amidst the veil of shadows.
The first goblin finally reached her and jumped to sink his claws on her fair, smooth skin, and she braced for the pain that would follow, but it never came. The sound of a gurgle of pain and something hitting the floor followed. Another goblin came and the same happened. One more time, and another, and another. By now Sword Maiden should be held down by the little devils and full of cuts, but she was still intact. More goblins came and they also fell with pained grunts and cries, but now she could see why. Arrows came flying above her head and found their targets with uncanny precision. Then it appeared.
A faint red dot illuminated the darkness, increasing in brightness and intensity, burning like a flame. He came all the way into this dark dungeon for her. The man used cheap armor, with leather and chain mail. A round shield was trapped to his arm, and the other hand carried a sword of a weird length. His steel helm, now so clear to her, didn't allow for any mistakes. He was the Goblin Slayer, and he was here to kill those goblins for her. Yes, specifically for her.
His march turned into a sprint and as he passed by her, she turned to see the onslaught taking place. Before she knew it, there was a lit torch being used to burn a goblin's eyeball. Daggers were thrown, and clubs were stolen and used. There were pepper bombs, oil, burning, punching, bones breaking, shield bashes, and his sword kept swinging, getting more and more covered in fat and goblin blood, somehow not losing its edge. She was at a loss of words, for she didn't know there was something more brutal and violent in this world than being attacked by a bunch of goblins. It was frightening, even if she wasn't on the receiving end of such violence.
Sword Maiden understood it when she saw the goblins running away, only to be slaughtered anyway. They were also governed by fear.
And the one thing they feared was him.
-/-
Sword Maiden woke up with the gentle breeze of the sea and the warm light of the sun hitting her skin. It was nice but paled in comparison to the warmth that came from him. She nuzzled some more against him, clinging on to him for dear life. The blondie stirred some more before finally waking up, and she smiled upon realizing he was still here, on the bed with her. And Priestess was there too, sound asleep.
She moved a bit, climbing on top of him and admiring his features.
"Are you awake?" She asked gently, not to wake the young girl next to them.
"Hmm. Did you sleep well?"
Her smile widened up and it felt like she would cry with happiness, but she contained the tears.
"Wonderfully."
"Good."
She inched closer fo his face. Right now she could only see a blurry white figure, but if she focused enough, she could see it, his face. Her delicate fingers gently traced his face, and she conjured the last fragments of her dreams before they totally slipped away, to form the face she saw there. Not that she was too worried about it.
Sword Maiden was sure she would see him in her dreams every night from now on, and she would ask him to remove his helm again and press her soft pink lips on his again.
"Thank you, my dear Goblin Slayer~"