Despite the fact that she had been presented with undeniable proof that the black armored adventurer was a being that was not to be taken lightly, the immortal archer still allowed her irritation to show as she was forced to listen to not only the unnatural sound of his breathing, but also the chattering of her companions.

Though in the case of the latter, her annoyance stemmed from the fact that they seemed to possess the ability to ignore Vader's breathing while she did not.

"So Goblin Slayer, how did you enjoy being part of our party? Makes killing goblins a whole lot easier huh"?

In truth, she wasn't sure which annoyed her more.

The Dwarf's continued ability to maintain an upbeat attitude despite the less than pleasant experience they had just shared .

Or Goblin Slayer's continued inability to give more sastisfying responses.

"All the goblins were killed. And that's all that matters".

Releasing an indignant huff from her corner of the moving carriage, Elf Archer found herself smirking as the youngest member of their merry band proceeded to chastise her fellow human for his attitude.

'G...Goblin Slayer, we talked about this. Killing goblins is good and all, but what's more important is that no one was seriously hurt while doing so".

Chuckling at the indiginant expression that was currently being worn by the blonde cleric, the pointed ear archer found herself shaking her head in slight annoyance as Vader decided to abandon his somewhat silent brooding.

"Considering that the quest has been completed, I suspect that our so called...handlers will not overly concern themselves over how we accomplished this".

Frowning at the man's cynical nature, if only because it caused Priestess to adopt a more depressed expression, the green haired immortal opened her mouth to berate the magic using warrior.

Only to have her bearded companion beat her to it.

"Oh now I wouldn't say that. I think that there may be one or 2 pretty young lasses that would prefer a certain silver ranked adventurer to come home unscathed. Wouldn't you agree Goblin Slayer"?

Shooting a mild glare at the grinning Dwarf Shaman, Elf Archer was once again prevented from making her opinion known thanks to the interruption of her repitllian teammate.

"I full heartedly agree. While the female members of my tribe gladly welcome home those who have survived their forays into the wild, I have always noticed that their feelings of joy are increased by the lack of any serious injury".

Having noticed the same thing amongst her own people, the green haired immortal shook her head in bemusement as Goblin Slayer once again lived up to his name.

"As long as one's injuries don't get in the way of killing Goblins, then it shouldn't really matter".

Pleased to see that she was not the only one to groan at this answer, though she noticed that both Dwarf Shaman and Lizard Priest's expressions were more amused than irritated, Elf Archer found herself raising an eyebrow in amazement as Vader decided to voice his support for the Goblin obsessed human in his usual curt manner.

"You are correct".

Rolling her eyes at man's attitude, the green haired immortal watched with interest as the black armored warrior seemed to stiffen as her bearded party member took charge of the conversation.

"You have an experience with such things Vader? From what we saw in the underground, I think its safe to say that you don't strike us as the type to easily suffer an injury".

Shivering as the temperature of the wagon dropped to almost winter like conditions, Elf Archer wisely held her tonge as the black armored warrior gave his reply.

"Once that was not the case, Dwarf. And while I cannot deny that my...experiences have molded me into what I am today, I assure you that I would have preffered a less pain filled jounrye to achieve my current range of abilities".

Frowning as she tried to understand what he could have meant by this, the green haired immortal was prevented from giving voice to her curiosity thanks to the concerned sounding tone of Priestess.

"Is that why you wear that armor? Because you would otherwise be in pain"?

If she hadn't been concentrating her attention on the black armored adventurer, she would have missed the way he stiffened at this question.

...

In all the years since Sidious confined him to the best sympbol of his conversion to the Dark Side of the Force, Vader had never before heard anyone every ask him about why he wore this shoddily designed armor.

Oh he could always sense their curiosity. But he could also sense their fear of giving voice to it since they more or less rightfully suspected that they wouldn't live long to regret voicing their curiosity.

However, unlike the parasitic courtiers, or toadying sociopaths that fawned over the monster he had been forced to call master, he could sense no trace of mockery, or disgust in the girl when she asked her question.

Which was why he reluctantly decided to answer her.

"I wear this suit not as an escape from the pain of my injuries, but to ensure that I do not succumb to death after INCURING THEM".

Feeling as if he had said enough, Vader once more fell back into usual brooding silence. Only to be once again broken out of it by the indignant, and annoyingly perceptive tone of his more irritating companion.

"You mean to tell me that instead of seeking treatment for your life threatening injuries, you chose to torture yourself by wearing some shoddily designed piece of armor. I know mortals have some issues when it comes to common sense, but that strikes me as being particularly foolish".

Doing his best to smother the desire to throttle the pointy eared archer, the fallen Jedi was prevented from giving in to his temper thanks to the hesitant sounding voice of the youngest member of their party.

"If...if your truly in pain Vader, I...I can maybe help you be rid of it".

...

Gonna stop here for now. Apologises for the cliff hanger, but I am once again experiencing the case of writers block, and a lack of enthusiasm/inspiration for this story.

Hopefully, I will be able to rekindle it by reading the latest Goblin Slayer volume, playing various questing games, and of course, watching GS abridged XD.

Want to thank you all for your continued support for this story.

Will try to get back into it, but doubt next chapter will be anytime soon.

Reviews yes, flamers no.

Til next time.