The Frontier

Original Posting date: 2/8/2021


"Hey!" The cheery voice of the young girl called out as she waved to her friend as he sat on the fence. He returned a wave as he sat there, his hair drooping over his eyes.

She had known him her entire life, and by extension they were friends. Whether it was because he enjoyed her company or because she was the only other child here was unknown to her, but she enjoyed the time spent with her companion.

She ran up to him, her rosy eyes twinkled with glee as she got closer.

"Guess what? I'm going to town tomorrow! I'm gonna help on Uncle's farm!"

Despite her excitement, her friend did not share the same sentiment, his foot tapping on one of the beams.

"Neat, huh? I'm going all by myself!" She put her hands together, a wide smile on her face. "You've never been to town, have you?"

The tapping only got faster, his little frame tensing up as she continued to gush of her venture, but she did not notice over her own enthusiasm.

"My mother even gave me some money to spend!" She looked up to him now, her eyes glistening with delight. "Maybe I could get you something!"

"I don't want anything!" He shouted at her, jumping down from the fence, finally voicing his discontent.

She did not remember what they had said, but she remembered she had yelled back, and he only responded louder than her.

This back forth continued, even as the tears welled up in both of their eyes.

Then his sister came and took him back to their home, and her mother took her back to her own.

Only an hour later, she would be put into the cart that her uncle had brought by, and he had not even stopped by to say goodbye.

She had wondered if he would still be angry with her for bragging about this when she got back.

She wondered if he would accept her apology when she returned.

If only she had asked him to come with.

The sound of the rooster's caw from afar could be heard, rousing her from her slumber. As she shuffled in her bed, she could hear someone already up and about, working in the nearby area.

With a groan, she buried her face deeper into the pillow, wistfully speaking to herself. "I'm still sleepy…"

Light glared through the closed shutter of the window of her room, nearly blinding her upon opening her eyes. With another pout, she wrapped her blanket even tighter around herself, curling up while the cold spring air settled in her bones.

After a while longer, she finally managed to drag herself out of the pallet, the blanket firmly wrapped around her bare body.

Need to get dressed. She sluggishly moved towards the drawer, navigating around the mess that found itself on the floor of her dwelling.

Dropping the blanket, she began with her undergarments, donning a long grey sleeve shirt before fitting her legs into the worn overalls she had received two years ago. Slipping on the shoddy footwear, she made her way to the kitchen.

Sitting at the table in the room, she saw a pot with a thin soup in it. Putting the back of her hand to the pot, it was clear that its warmth was nearly gone.

Pouring a ladle's worth into a bowl, she set the bowl next to a basket that had rye bread in it. Breaking the loaf up into smaller bits, she dipped the chunks into the soup. Only halfway through the meal did she offer up her thanks to the gods above.

As she finished up what could be considered a meal, she slowly meandered around the immediate area, before spotting out her uncle. He was hunched over, his attention focused on the crates he was filling.

"Good morning, Uncle."

"Ah! G'morning!" A smile quickly made its way onto his face as he looked over his shoulder. He stopped what he was doing to fully turn towards her.

He didn't even mention I overslept. She gently pursed her lip.

"I'm almost done with loading up these crates." His left hand gestured to the open box. "I got a few deliveries in—"

No thanks." She did not let him finish the sentence, for she knew what he was going to ask. Gently shaking her head, she somehow managed to add a smile while she told him. "I don't need to go to… to town."

"I see." Her elder frowned, brows scrunching up. "Then can you let the cows out when I leave? We need them to graze out in these open fields."

She rubbed her arm and broke eye contact, simply nodding. It was the least she could do.

"Thanks." Her uncle finished closing the crate and gave her a pat on the back before leaving.

Once he had left, she trudged over to the barn where the cows had been resting. Picking up the crook that had been leaning against the wall, the cows took immediate notice and began to follow her.

The cool of early morning had now gone as the sun reached its zenith, the warmth radiating from high above.

As she walked around, she occasionally gave the cows an encouraging beckon, or so she thought. Her voice was always seemed to be barely above a whisper.

I had that nightmare again. She found herself wallowing into her thoughts as she led the cows from patch to patch. It's been about five years now... since I came to my uncle's farm. She stopped by the edge of the fence, the cows grazing peacefully behind her.

The road was long empty, and she could not help but find herself spiraling deeper into her mind.

It would be better if my uncle didn't have anything to do with me. Her mind maliciously told spoke to her as she leaned onto the shepherd's crook, shuffling uncomfortably in the spot she stood in. I wish I wasn't a bother to him… if I could only take care of myself.

I must be a disappointment. She looked up, her eyes readjusting as she saw a caravan of young men and women walking along the road.

She must have been standing there for longer than she thought. She quickly noticed that many of them looked at her as they passed.

This made her grow red in the face, and she shied away from the attention. She was just doing her job, nothing out of the ordinary.

Her eyes slowly darted back up while her head tilted down. She could see people of all backgrounds, some with friends, family, or like her, alone.

She saw one with a sword on his hip and a determined look on his face.

Just like him. She mournfully thought. He was going to be an adventurer when he came of age… or lied about it… he was going to explore ruins and fight all sorts of monsters. Save princesses and maybe save the world…

She could feel the tears prick at the edges of her eyes.

I might have joined him if he would have me… She closed her eyes as a tear trickled down her face. Or I might not be here at all… like him.

No! She shook her head as she refocused herself. I am making myself useful!

Then, as if the gods wished to spite her optimism, she found herself off balance, the source of her woe: a rather odd stone in her path.

Nearly losing her balance completely, the crook she had been walking with flew out of her hand and it seemed that it would hit the adventurer that was closest to her.

Looking up, all she could see was the blur of silver as the individual caught the staff with relative ease.

"I'm sorry!" Barely audible, her apology came out of her mouth while she bowed towards the stranger prepared for a verbal assault, but none came as the individual gently presented the crook back to her.

Looking up at the person who caught it, she could not see their face, for they wore a shiny helmet and somewhat worn armor, probably from a faraway land. She soon realized that she had been staring at them for too long. Her face quickly becoming flush again, she quickly swiped it back from the adventurer, turning away from this stranger. "…Thanks"

"You're welcome."

The voice that sounded lost in thought politely stated, striking a chord buried deeply in the recesses of her mind. Her embarrassment had now disappeared completely, and an indescribable feeling welled up within her, the familiarity shaking her to her very core. She found herself trembling lightly as her eyes were wide open she stood frozen in the moment.

It can't be… Slowly, she turned back towards the fence, uncertain of what she would see.

No one was there now, looking down the road that led to and from town, she could not see a single person. She looked up at the sky and saw that the sun had moved a good distance from its spot.

There's no way… The pink-haired girl thought silently, holding the crook close to herself. Maybe I imagined that…

It was very possible, after all, he did want to be an adventurer.

She turned back to the cows, trying to resolve herself to her task once again, only now noticing that they were now scattered about the field.

Oh, uncles gonna have my head! She began to run around as she regrouped the cows, that encounter now moved to the back of her mind.

… …

"We need more registration forms here!"

"On it!"

"You! We need three bags of gold, from the safe!"

"Right away!"

"Make sure you write down how many potions you sold, they'll be balancing the books this evening."

"Yes ma'am! On it!"

"Can you warm up a pot of tea?"

"One moment!"

"Where's that map I asked for?!"

"On the shelf… I'll bring it over!"

"This paperwork is wrong! A wyrm is a dragon but a worm is a vile dirt-dweller!" Her supervisor called out, nearly causing her to drop everything she was carrying.

"I'm sorry I'll fix it right away!"

As she handed out the items requested by her seniors, she could not remember if she had ever been this busy during her training in the capital.

But to mistake a wyrm and a worm. She could feel her face flush with embarrassment as she looked over the paperwork. I could've gotten someone killed!

She quickly rectified her mistake, actually seeing that a worm was a danger rating higher than a wyrm. As she handed her superior the quest, she glanced over it and handed it off to another before finding a stack of papers shoved into her arms.

"Oh, and I need these goblin slaying quests prepared for posting!"

"I'll get it done!" She felt her world swirling at the amount of work tasked to her. So… many!

A hand on her shoulder snapped her out of her work-induced trance.

"How are you holding up?" The golden-haired receptionist with the most seniority looked to her, bright blue eyes filled with concern for the wellbeing of her coworker.

"Fine." The gold-eyed junior sighed as she took a seat at the desk next to her.

She looked in the monster manual provided to the staff for the entry.

Goblins… they are not even a danger rating one… She began to fill out form after form.

Goblins spotted on the outskirts of town. Goblins spotted wandering in the forest. Goblin footprints around the area. Goblins kidnapping travelers on the road. Goblins ambushing small caravans and taking prisoners.

And many more. Much worse. They steal livestock and crops all the time, but the guild is only involved when the town is either fed up with them or afraid that they'll show up in force.

Not even half a danger rating… and they are everywhere.

There is a common saying that every time a group of adventurers signs up, there's a nest ready for them to take on.

But how many of them will actually take the quest? She knew that most adventurers wanted quests that brought fame or wealth. Goblin slaying often does neither.

"Hey! Don't let it get you too down!"

"Huh?" She stopped writing as she felt two fingers push into her cheeks, attempting to coax her face into a smile.

"Your work helps set things right in the world."

With a puff, she looked back down at her work. If she wanted to hear how she was helping the world, she'd much prefer it from a cleric.

As if she realized this would not work, she spoke once again. "Have you eaten yet?"

"No, not yet." Her braids swayed as she shook her head. "It's been so busy…"

"If you've got the sneakiness just sneak bites between adventurers." A mischievous smile grew across her senior's face.

The newer of the two began to imagine her pulling a warm potato from the cabinet, attempting to scarf down as much as she could before she needed to work.

"There it is!" She used her fingers on her own cheeks to make a smile. "Oop, next person! Don't forget to smile!"

As her coworker moved away, she found her smile slowly fading away.

I'm not sure I could again… She had a small flashback of her time in the capital. She'd see aspiring adventurers come to their parties, and she was too friendly with them. Adventurers she considered friends never returning from their quests.

It's because I got too involved with them. It was a miracle she didn't spiral down a dark path or worse. She looked down at a mirror, pushing her cheeks up to a smile. I can't send them off with a scowl though…

But how much was enough? It was a part of the job, but nowhere in training did it tell her how much she needed to do to be 'professional'.

She suddenly felt the odd feeling of being watched. Looking up, an adventurer in what looked like heavy armor was standing right in front of her.

"…"

Before her stood what looked like a young man in armor, but being fully covered in steel did not make it easy to tell the features. On his back, was what looked like the pelt of an animal, rolled up tightly to carry all of his belongings.

"Er-ah where are you doing today?" She was caught off guard as the adventurer stood there silently.

Her face felt flush as the embarrassment began to pile upon her. It didn't help that she couldn't see the adventurers face. Were they weirded out? Were they confused? What were they thinking?

"Ahem." She coughed into her fist, the redness slowly fading from her cheeks. "What can I do for you?"

"Are you alright?"

The sincerity had caught her off guard, throwing her off her train of thought.

She looked over to her senior, who had her hands tied with a rather close-fisted merchant caravanner.

Alright, focus. She exhaled before putting up the best act of 'No, I am not bottling everything up and I do have everything under control'.

"Welcome to the Adventurers Guild! What can I help you with?"

Perfect! She boasted internally, perhaps this day would go well after all.

"If you are fine, I'd like to register."

"Right—" She swung her arm straight into the pile of goblin slaying quests she had just prepared. Gods please just smite me where I stand…

To her luck, she managed to prevent almost all of them from falling off the side of her counter.

"Goblins?"

The new member of the staff looked up and saw that he had a quest slip in his armored gauntlet.

"That…" It was like any quest you could find in any guildhall across the frontier. It was simple by the standards of the guild, porcelain.

"Goblins." The voice that came from the helmet seemed fixated on that word alone. A short glance later he looked back up. "I will take it."

"Uh… it'll be dangerous without a party." She looked through the monster manual. "It says here they can outnumber a party four to one!"

"Those odds don't matter to me."

She now drew blank, absolutely out of order as he was unperturbed by the danger. This was not bravado or some misplaced confidence in a young adventurer, rather faith in his own skills.

Still, it was her duty to try to avoid the unnecessary death of an adventurer.

"You can't—" She stopped speaking as soon as her hunger made itself evident. She immediately broke eye contact as she looked down at the desk in pure embarrassment.

"Is it not a goblin quest?"

His tone seemed as if he was not going to back down from it.

"Y-yes!" She hastily said, still looking down.

"Then I'll take it."

With a deep breath, she looked back up, deciding her efforts would be better focused on registering the aspiring adventurer. "Are you able to read and write?"

"I learned how to."

"Then please fill out this adventurer sheet."

She pushed to him the piece of parchment with the six boxes.

As he filled out that form, she looked around for the final item needed for registration.

Now, where did I put those tags?

"Looking for this?" Her coworker passed one across the desk.

With a thankful bow, she took it and waited for the sheet to be returned to her.

"Done." He stated as he handed her the sheet.

Looking at it, he could see that his name was in a script unknown to her, but everything else was written in common.

It's not uncommon for adventurers to write their names in their native script. She thought as she wrote down everything. The level tag is just copied from the adventure sheet.

She mentally repeated everything that was written down.

Male. Fifteen years old. Scarlet eyes. White hair. Lean body type. One in fighter and one in ranger.

"There we go!" She looked up at the helmet and tried to visualize a face but to no success. "This tag is important, so please don't lose it."

He took the tag from her and stared at it for a moment. "I understand."

Quickly stowing it away, he moved towards the area where the guild shop was.

"What's with him?" The next adventurer commented as he walked up to the counter, his eyes still focused on the new adventurer as he walked out of sight. "He comes here all geared up already and acts like a real prick."

Looking at the next adventurer, his hair was a shade between blond and ginger, and a spear at his side.

"Um… Welcome to the Adventurer's Guild! How can I help you today?"

"Oh, I wanna register too."

"Of course." She began to get out the paperwork, her mind still on the boy who had just registered. When he asked if I was alright, was it because he was worried that I hadn't eaten?

If there was any season he hated the most, it had to be spring.

Sure it was good for his pockets, but he despised all the greenhorns that would come into his shop, and have the audacity to either attempt to underpay the already cheap prices, or waltzing in as if they would have something as grand as a legendary sword.

He'd seen it all. Rheas buying armor that was too big, or barbarian like individual who thought their muscles were stronger than the steel her worked.

Having been a smith for this guild for a while now, he would've thought he'd be used to it by now, but every spring, a new horde of adventurers come here, having heard tales of grandeur and fortune, and thinking that they are like them.

That they can be a hero and change the world.

Like this young greenhorn that stood in front of his counter now. The porcelain tag that hung proudly around his neck was still fresh with the enchanted ink of the front desk.

Not even a hello and he was already asking for a sword of legend or magical items.

"Let's talk about your budget first, then we'll see what I can sell you."

"That's probably a good idea." The boy rubbed the back of his head. "I want the best I can get with this!"

The brown-haired runt dropped a rather large pouch of coin on the table.

Picking it up, he emptied the purse, to see many gold coins, and among them a load more of silver and copper pieces.

"Would a sword do for you?" He walked to the back, pulling a sheathed sword. Putting it on the counter, the boy looking it over.

"It'll do." The satisfaction on this boy's face was clear.

"No shield or helmet?" The smith looked up as he handed the sword to the buyer.

"No helmet." The brown-eyed boy looked up at him. "How would people know me then?"

"Fair enough." The man stroked his beard. Sell your face and your reputation grows quicker. "Take a shield then."

"I've never used one before…" There was hesitance was in the young man's voice.

"Doesn't matter, could be the difference between life and death." He stated, head nodding towards the shields.

After a moment of attaching the sword to his belt, he walked over to them, causing a grin to spread on his face.

An adventurer that heeds the advice of his elders might have some hope. He grunted as he turned back to work. Many come here with worn equipment or run out without listening to a word I say, but then again, I'm not the one hired to fight the monsters

The greenhorn seemed to be looking more at the design rather than the practicality, but it mattered not to the smith. When the gods deem your time up, they'll take you whether you're in leather or enchanted mail.

Suddenly a man strode in with purpose. Halting at the doorway for a moment, his helmet turned from left to right, before locking on the adventurer's general kits.

This armored man continued his stride as he walked towards his destination. He knew all of the regulars, and this was not one of them, and he could see the porcelain tag hanging from the belt loop.

A newbie huh? His eyes scanned the armor, most of it looking of steel. He even walked with a sword and dagger at his hip, clearly accustomed to the weight of his blade.

He watched silently as the greenhorn he spoke to try to recruit him to his party, to no success. After that, the boy came to his counter, a round shield and a dungeoneers kit in hand.

Now closer, he could see that the armor was not steel, but a steel alloy. The helmet, right gauntlet, and right pauldron were made of a different metal entirely. Underneath the armor was leather, looking of some quality.

"How much debt did you get yourself into to get this?" The smith sarcastically stated while he looked at the new adventurer.

"None." He stated, reaching into a pouch on his side. "Here."

Placing onto the counter was an aged pouch with an embroidered flower on it. Less than a handful of gold coins spilled out as it leaned on its side.

"Made off with your mothers' purse? Perhaps your sisters?" He bit into the coin. It's real.

The helmet turned to him before he spoke once more. "Yes. I did."

"Well." He was intrigued by the boy's blunt honesty. "You need anything else?"

"Do you have a lantern and a few daggers for throwing?"

"Yup." He walked to a box, bringing out a small bundle of daggers and a lantern, with it a flask of oil to burn. Swiping away at least a third of the coins from the table, he could see the face of the greenhorn behind him.

He thinks this is a ripoff. He grunted. "Is that all?"

"Potions?" The helmet looked back up.

"Next time, get them from the receptionist." Pulling out one antidote and healing, he looked up at the adventurer. "How many?'

"Two of each." His helmet turned and pointed. "And that pouch."

"Good choice." He grunted as he the pouch on the counter. He had finished it today, and it would protect the contents like the potions from shattering. Such quality doesn't come cheap. "I see you're already planning ahead."

The man did not respond, silently looking down the counter again, only a single coin remaining.

"Is that all?"

"Yes." He put the coin back into the purse. "That is all."

He walked through the bust town, his slightly smaller targe on his left arm, and the rest of his gear on his back.

People parted as he walked, his heavily armed looks visibly concerning townsfolk, and drawing in the eyes of aspiring adventurers.

I've registered as an adventurer. He felt the porcelain tag dangle at his waist.

I've accepted a quest. He thought the quest map in its protective casing.

I've bought my equipment. The tools he had were to be used for this endeavor.

I am a warrior now.

The sounds of leather squeezing could be heard as his fists clenched even tighter. The aura around him seemed to radiate the very essence of malice.

I WILL SLAY GOBLINS.


Ok here are some answers to the questions asked!

Satuskezero: Thanks! I am making some headway on the next chapter of 'Of Katanrs and Goblins'. It is slow going moreso than I'd like to admit. It will be done by the end of the month though, although id prefer to have it done sooner rather than later!

B123: Yes, our favorite slayer will keep many of his canon aspects, but think of it as 'The Way of Mandalore Lite', where there are freedoms allotted. And for Jedi, if I do include them, they will most likely be a sect of the Supreme God. In terms of magic, I've already have an idea for it, which will be showcased in the next chapter.

I've also put thought into GS and the Heroines first meeting, which will certainly be a fun write when a get to it!

Alerx09: Due to the fantasy nature, there might be things that act similar to the blasters and vambraces, but nothing like that on a technological level.

Austin: The Armorer will reappear at some point, but for the time being I have no set plans yet. It would be humorous to write the girl's interactions with them, but that's yet to be decided.

Maybe I'll get around to doing some oneshots when this academic semester is over, but I don't intend on rushing out any major works for a couple of months, rather focusing on the ones I am currently dedicating myself to.

Fourtyfourb: There will be elements of romance, but I haven't decided on a solid pairing yet. Most of the GS girls are great fits for our slayer.

Vanessa Masters: The final lessons have yet to be disclosed yet!

For Crossovers like I said before, its new turf for me, and I am doing mostly Goblin Slayer because there doesn't seem to be a lot of fics out there for it, so I figured I'd reenter the writing hobby with GS.

Hang Tuah: Dwarves, in general, might not. I've put thought into it and although GS universe shares many similarities with DND, there are some unknown variables like the average lifespans of dwarves and elves, and so its my job to fill in those gaps. (Best examples are the Dwarf Shaman and High Elf Archer, who are 106 and 2000 years of age respectively and both are considered 'young' members of their races)

IMO, dwarves can live up to 10,000+ years of age and elves can live up to 50,000+ years of age, but don't due to the violent nature of the world.

Back on topic, since the ability to properly make Mandalorian Iron is a well-guarded secret, dwarves younger than 500 might mistake it for Adamantine, whereas the older dwarves will recognize it for what it is.

With that done now, I hope you all enjoy your day and hope that you enjoyed the chapter!

-Moonlight Talon of the Night