"It's the same old, same old story, when it comes to Goblins. A village is attacked by Goblins... men are killed... women are kidnapped... and resources are stolen. Most times, newbie Adventures would target Goblins for their first quest, because most newbies heavily assume that Goblins are the weakest species, due to their smaller size and feeble minds. But that knowledge couldn't be further from the dark truth. Most Adventurers that have no real kind of adventuring experience would blindly charge into a Goblin's nest without any kind of plan-only to be overrun by Goblins and the entire party would soon be butchered. If there are any females in the Adventure party, then there's a high chance that the Goblins would keep them alive, long enough to make them as the Goblin's personal slaves, breeding stocks, meat shields, bait, and or target practice. I know. All of that pisses me off, too. And when the female victims somehow get rescued by other parties and taken away from the Goblin's nest... the damage had already been done. What I mean is, the physical, emotional and psychological trauma that is being caused by Goblins would make the victims fearful of them and would make the victims slowly slip away from reality. Never wanting to leave home, again. There's nothing special about Adventuring. This shit happens every day of our lives."
Two Days After the Goblin Nest Raid
Black Swordsman lied on top of his bed within his small apartment dorm. Staring at the roof and thinking about what's happened, recently. Outside of Black Swordsman's apartment dorm, the sky was very cloudy and gray. People lived their normal lives in the town that Black Swordsman was staying in.
'I wonder, how the others are doing?' Black Swordsman then thought of his companions such as Priestess, Wizard and Fighter. 'I know that Wizard is in the hospital-and that her family is there to assist her. I don't know what Fighter and Priestess are doing, though... And Warrior.' Warrior was the least of his worries, because he was slaughtered and amputated by Goblins. 'I can't even imagine what his family is going through. They must be grieving for his loss, right now.' Black Swordsman then thought of the moment he first met Warrior. 'And that guy, Goblin Slayer... he looked very intimidating. I wonder, if he was there from the start... could there have been no casualties?' Black Swordsmen then thought of Goblin Slayer.
Knock. Knock.
"Hm?" Black Swordsman's heard the sound of knocks, then sat his back up. "Who's there?" There was silence for a moment.
"It's Fighter."
Black Swordsman gasped when he recognized Fighter's voice.
"Remember when... we took that Goblin Raid quest the other day? And that-"
Black Swordsman then rushed to the front door and quickly grabbed the doorknob and twisted it. Causing the door to open fully. "Fighter!" Black Swordsman chanted.
"Hi." Fighter replied in a sad tone.
Black Swordsman silently gasped in shock, when he noticed something different about Fighter. Fighter had worn the same clothing she wore during the Goblin Raid and her body language seemed... depressed. Her eyes were red, and her hands were clasped together. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine." Fighter said, in a sad tone. "Is it alright, if I come in?" She asked, while avoiding eye contact with Black Swordsman.
"Um, sure." Black Swordsman opened his door wide enough to let Fighter inside of his dorm.
Fighter slowly walked in with her eyes locked on the floor. And after Black Swordsman closed the door, Fighter had taken a deep breath and turned her body toward Black Swordsman. "I came..." Fighter gulped for a moment. "I came here, because I wanted to talk to you about... something..."
"Something? Really?"
Fighter nodded, then inhaled some air in, slowly. Then exhaled. "For the past two days-since we completed that mission together in the nest..." Fighter hesitated a bit as she remembered looking at the outside of the Goblin Nest. "I've done a lot of thinking..."
"Okay? And... what have you been thinking about?" Black Swordsman asked.
"Mmph." Fighter then glanced at Black Swordsman with a serious look. "My future."
"Your future? Does that mean-"
"Yes." Fighter then lowered her head in disappointment and sorrow. "It means, I quit being an Adventurer."
Black Swordsman gasped.
Suddenly, outside of Black Swordsman's dorm... thunder had begun to roar to the point where everyone in town begun to hear it. Everyone outside in the streets begun quickly move indoors as the weather had gotten a bit windy.
Both Black Swordsman and Fighter ignored the roaring thunder outside and kept staring at each other. "But, why?" Black Swordsman asked.
"Because, I realized something. When we left the Goblin nest and rescued those girls. Something hit me-like an arrow from the heavens had struck my brain. Mentally." Fighter muttered.
"Oh?" Black Swordsman raised an eyebrow.
"Before we entered that nest... I never realized how cruel and scary reality can be." Fighter said, then raised left index finger. "First, I witnessed my childhood friend, Warrior get slaughtered by goblins right in front of me." Fighter said as she then thought back of when Warrior had been butchered by goblins.
Black Swordsman sighed in disappointment. "I know. That was horrible and I wish I could've done something about it."
"He was my friend. And even though he acted goofy, I still cared a lot about him." Fighter said as she complimented and reminisced about Warrior. "Yesterday, I had to tell Warrior's mother the news of what happened in the nest."
Black Swordsman's eyes had grown big a bit. "You did?"
Fighter nodded.
"How did Warrior's mom take it?"
"She wasn't happy at all. She fell onto her knees and broke down into tears." Fighter had explained.
'That is very sad.' Black Swordsman thought.
"I even ran away after I told her." Fighter added.
"You, what?"
"When I saw Warrior's mother cry in front of me... I knew that there was a chance that I might break down and cry, also. But before I could let the tears stream down my face, I just... ran away the opposite way." Fighter told Black Swordsman.
"What?"
"I thought that if I had ran, that I wouldn't be sad about Warrior's death and that I could just forget about it. But I was wrong. I cried as as I ran." Fighter admitted to Black Swordsman.
'I guess bonds can't be erased that easily.' Black Swordsman thought.
Fighter then raised her left middle finger after her index. "And there's another thing that I could stop thinking about."
"Hm?"
"All of those victims... I could not stop thinking about all of those innocent women that were raped by goblins and lying unconscious in that nest." Fighter's eyes watered.
Black Swordsman froze in place. "You mean those women?" Black Swordsman then thought of what Fighter was thinking of.
"Yes." Fighter nodded. "All those women were taken from their homes and used as playthings. When the goblins attacked me, tore my clothes and grabbed me..." Fighter looked down at her body and placed her arms over her chest. "I realized how close I was in being one of their victims. And if I did... I don't know if I would ever recover..."
Black Swordsman gasped, then thought of the time when Fighter was nearly raped by goblins. Hearing Fighter talk about it made Black Swordsman worry. "B-but, you're okay, now! Your virginity-I mean, your... "innocents" are still intact. And the goblins that tried to take it away are all dead. So, there's nothing to worry about."
"I know. But the point I'm getting at is..." Fighter pressed her right hand on her chest. "I have a life to live, too! And honestly, I don't want to spend the rest of my life fighting disgusting monsters, anymore!"
"But, there's a reason we fight all those disgusting monsters! So, that we can protect the ones we love. From them." Black Swordsman told Fighter.
"I know, but still... I need to think about my own life. And if I'm not careful, then, I could end up being in the same position as those broken girls." Fighter said in a sad tone.
"Fighter, don't say that!" Black Swordsman said as he placed his hands on Fighter's shoulders.
"But, it's true! If it weren't for you, then... then..." Fighter had bit her bottom lip and tried to hold back the tears as best she could for a moment. "I could've been one of those raped girls lying naked on the cold hard ground!"
"Fighter, stop!" Black Swordsman said.
"If you hadn't saved me, I would've been sadly raped over by those disgusting monsters-and no one would've realized that I was gone! The disgusting goblins could've used me to as a plaything or killed me anytime they wanted to!" Fighter screamed.
"Fighter!" Black Swordsman yelled.
"What!" Fighter yelled back. Then, in the next second, Fighter felt her upper body be pulled closer toward Black Swordsman and that her mouth had been shushed with a kiss caused by Black Swordsman. Black Swordsman had pressed his lips onto hers. Causing Fighter to silently gasp in shock and surprise when she felt Black Swordsman's lips pressed against hers. Not too hard, but enough to make Fighter stop crying. Her eyes had widened, and the stream of tears had gotten thinner.
After a minute of silence, the kiss had been broken when Black Swordsman gently took a step away from her.
Fighter's cheeks showed a light shade of pink as she stared at Black Swordsman.
"Better now?" Black Swordsman asked with a calm look on his face.
Fighter blinked for a second. "Thanks. I needed that." Fighter wiped away the tears from her face and stared.
Black Swordsman smiled.
"I appreciate the kiss. But, I'm still leaving the Guild. No matter what you say." Fighter told Black Swordsman, then turned her attention toward the front door. She walked toward the front door and her right hand reached for the doorknob."
"W-wait!" Black Swordsman begged as he stretched his left hand toward her backside.
Fighter stopped when she heard Black Swordman's call. Her hand hat yet to reach the front doorknob.
Black Swordsman had thought of his other two living companions, Wizard and Priestess. "What about Priestess and Wizard? Do they-"
"I told them my thoughts and feelings, before I came here. They already know and-they are okay with my decision to leave." Fighter said as she slightly shifted her head to the left. "I just wanted to save you for last." Fighter then grabbed the doorknob and twisted it to the left. Causing the door to open.
"Will... will I ever see you again?" Black Swordsman asked, feeling a bit sad.
Fighter's body paused when she heard Black Swordsman's question. "Maybe... I don't know." Fighter than walked out of Black Swordsman's dorm with a single tear streaming down her face. As she walked down the hallway, she tried to wipe it away, again.
Black Swordsman stood in place for an entire minute after Fighter had exited his dorm room. Seeing Fighter walk out of his life really disappointed him. Deep down within his heart, Black Swordman understands that Fighter is afraid to risk her life in battle. But he's much more afraid that he might not see Fighter, again. "Tch!" Black Swordsman then walked over to and sat back right on his bed and sighed. "This is the worst day ever." Black Swordsman muttered to himself.