Hello people and welcome back to Goblin Slayer: The Team Year 2. The preparations to face the Vampire Queen continue, let's see what else the team has in store to take Her Majesty on, and what they'll say to their would-be army shall we?

Review response: Let me guess: Rhea Fighter and Wizard Boy really are a thing? Well, for starters, I don't know much about her, especially her personality or how she talks; I can guess what Wizard Boy is like, or at least how he would be around his elder sister, but Rhea Fighter is where I'm at a loss. The whole "slice of life" thing was a "might as well" thing since there wasn't much going on. Cow Girl getting on GS for not wanting to swim with them...well, truth-be-told, I can't see GS doing that, but also...if he were to do so, it would probably need ALOT of coaching from other people.

As for Goblin Slayer's "super shotgun"? All I can say is that it was a complete shoo-in...although enchanting it sounds like a damn good idea, same goes for Ranger's six-gun.

The vampire queen could probably get put down with a vat full of holy water, but...good luck pulling that off, even if I wasn't joking. It was however established that holy water improves miracles, like when Ranger drank some before getting purified, and Priestess doused her staff with it before using a miracle, so Priestess could be a vampire killer herself, as well as a demon killer; she already has the highest demon kill count in the team. Holy Light should work as well as sunlight by that logic. Oh jeez...killing the vampire queen could make the team at least Gold Ranked...

"Any idea when they'll be here?" Warrior asked as he and Wizard prepared their gear in their apartment.

"They'll get here when they get here." Wizard said simply.

"Any guesses where they went?" Warrior asked.

"You can ask when they get here." Wizard said with a smirk; their discussion was hard to take seriously.

"Right... Are you excited for that noble's party?" Warrior asked.

"You've no idea. I even have an idea for what to wear..." Wizard trailed off.

"Oh? May I ask?" Warrior asked.

"I could tell you, but I don't want to ruin the surprise..." Wizard teased.

"If you tell me, I'll still act surprised." Warrior said.

"I don't believe you." Wizard said simply as she made for the door only for Warrior to playfully pin her to the wall.

"You hurt me Wizard; you don't trust me after everything we've been through?" He teased.

"Nope...now, kiss me, or let go of me..." Wizard said and Warrior responded by locking lips with her, to which she responds by holding him against her form then he let's go of her when they're done. "Or both..."

"Both is always better..." Warrior groaned.

"Next two Privates! Go!" Ranger's father yelled and the two trainees in a double line before they ran the obstacle course as the last two finished. "Are you two killers?"

"Sir yes sir!" The two trainees yelled at the same time.

"Let me hear your war cries!" Ranger's father said before the two stopped running, yelled to the sky, then they continued until they crossed the finish line. "Next two Privates!"

"Well at least we get this thrilling show..." Warrior said casually..

"I thought sarcasm was my thing?" Wizard teased.

"Not anymore missy." Warrior teased back as one of the so-called Privates had an issue with an obstacle.

"Yeah that's right, don't put any effort into getting through this obstacle course. If the gods wanted you up there they'd have miracled your ass through it by now, wouldn't they?" Ranger's father asked.

"Sir yes sir!" The trainee said before trying again.

"Get your sorry ass up there Private! What the hell's the matter with you anyway? I'll bet if there was some pussy in it for you you could get up there, couldn't you?" Ranger's father asked.

"Sir yes sir...!" The trainee said before trying yet again.

"Well since there isn't, how's about you do it as tribute to the people who fought, killed, and died before you were born so that we could get a chance to do your part?" Ranger's dad asked.

"Sir yes sir!" The trainee said before finally getting it right then going to sit down.

"There we go! Next two Privates!" Ranger father yelled before Warrior, Wizard and her brother, the latter of whom was snickering at Ranger's father's banter, turned their heads to see Fighter coming with her baby.

"There's your grandfather..." Fighter said.

"And here's her uncle." Warrior said with a smile.

"And aunt right?" Fighter teased.

"Oh shut it..." Warrior groaned, and Fighter giggled.

"Where's her dad?" Wizard asked.

"He's at the cemetery, giving the War God some tribute, or collecting favors, don't know much and frankly, can't say much." Fighter said.

"Right..." Wizard's brother said as the last Privates finished their runs and Heavy Warrior took over.

"Hey, there's the little dove...and the big dove." Ranger's father said as he came to see the two ladies.

"Nice to see you too sir." Fighter teased.

"Hey, where were you?" Ranger's father asked.

"The pond at your house. We...got a new way to teleport." Fighter said.

"O...k...did you have a good time there?" Ranger's father asked.

"Yep, all three of us did." Fighter said while stroking the baby's face as she looked at the people around her.

"Hey! Let me see my granddaughter!" Ranger's mother said as she, and the former goblin captives showed up with potions. At this point, they were mostly over their trauma, and each resolved to help others have better lives by becoming acolytes. Some could even learned to use miracles, while others simply gave their superiors a helping hand.

"Here you go." Fighter said as she turned to see her mother-in-law who reached for the baby, who was curious about the older woman. After some hand interaction, Ranger's mother took the baby from her mother and held her the same way.

"Should we check to see if there's any good quests?" Warrior asked.

"Might as well." Wizard said simply as they, and her brother went inside to see Guild Girl and Inspector.

"How are the recruits?" The latter asked, and Warrior took a moment to think.

"They still have a ways to go, but they're getting there." He said.

"Alright." Inspector said before Warrior looked the quest board over.

"Anything good?" He asked.

"I have two goblin-slaying quests here for you." Guild Girl said as she held up a pair of papers.

"Alright, once the boss gets back, we're off." Wizard said.

"Goblins?" GS asked and the group looked to see him approaching from the side with Priestess.

"Yep...duty calls." Warrior said.

"Oh, I have your shotgun for you. It should make less noise now." Wizard said as she pulled it from her bag and handed it over.

"You enchanted it?" GS asked as he took the shotgun and looked it over.

"Yes, and...you really should me enchant the rest of your stuff one of these days. I know you have a system, but it never hurts to accept special help." Wizard said.

"Right." GS said.

"You seriously got some firearms for goblin-fighting? Isn't that alittle...extreme?" Apprentice Cleric asked.

"Ranger has his own too, only, it's not a shotgun." Warrior said.

"Right, it's a revolver." Ranger said as he walked in holding up his gun, and the two former rookies looked over his armor.

"Nice suit..." Rookie Warrior breathed out, and the whole team looked him over. Ranger's armor was still made of the same metal-leather hybrid with armor plates and bits of clothes on various places, but it's color was now vermilion, except for the plates and cloth pieces which were either pitch-black, silver, or brownish-red.

"I've got one too." Fighter said as she put her hand on her belt buckle, got covered in liquid metal that poured out of it, and the metal formed her own matching set, but hers lacked the vermilion color.

"Alchemy ladies and gentlemen. What's not to love?." Warrior said casually.

"Where did you learn to do that?" Guild Girl asked.

"It's a gift, as for where it came from...I'm sorry, I can't say.." Ranger said simply, and Inspector and Guild Girl looked at each other.

"Alright..." Guild Girl said.

"What about your gun?" Inspector asked.

"Some dwarves sold it to me. No idea how they came up with it though." Ranger said.

"Did you get any use out of it yet?" R.W. asked, and Ranger sighed.

"As a matter of fact, I have..." He trailed off, and everyone looked at him.

"Dare I ask?" R.W. asked.

"Well...I was up north, looking into some disturbances the Sword Maiden caught wind of, and it turns out there were some goblins that needed killing. To make matters worse...they took a girl from me." Ranger asked.

"What...?" A.C. breathed out.

"I was investigating up north, I had a girl with me, some goblins captured her, and tried to rape her as I showed up...and she looked like a younger version of her." Ranger said as he pointed at Fighter without looking at her.

"Holy shit..." R.W. whispered, and Fighter held Ranger's hand as everyone looked at each other as the intensity of the situation sank in.

"The goblins got what came to them though, and as for the girl...well, she's alright now; I got to her just in time to keep any real harm from being done." Ranger said.

"And good on you for it." Inspector said, then Ranger looked directly at her.

"I also found out about vampires causing trouble up there...and they killed alot of people, including a priestess of the Supreme." He said, and Inspector's eyes widened.

"No..." She whispered.

"The vampires who were committing the murders are dead now, so just like with the goblins, no more lives can be taken by them." Ranger said.

"Right..." Inspector trailed off.

"Hey, it's a messed up situation, but keeping it from getting more messed up? There's no injustice in that." Warrior said, and Inspector smiled.

"That is true." She said softly.

"On another note...that girl looking like Fighter...sheesh, could those goblins have been any more screwed...?" Wizard said.

"That's a damn good point. I take it those goblins were-" Ranger cuts Warrior off.

"Don't ask; what I did to them was anything but pretty." He said, and everyone stared at him.

"O.k..." Warrior breathed out.

"So where are we going?" GS asked.

"Well, the first quest involves a village overrun with goblins, but luckily it was evacuated before they showed up, and the people are waiting to return home." Guild Girl said.

"And they will." Ranger said seriously.

"The second...oh..." Guild Girl trailed off.

"What?" Priestess asked.

"The cave you guys went to on your very first quest...it's reoccupied." Guild Girl said which made Ranger sigh.

"I was afraid you'd say that..." He said before Fighter took his hand.

"Dare I ask?" Wizard's brother asked.

"Long story..." His sister said.

"What's done is done, now we have some goblins that need killing." GS said as he walked out.

"Before we go, I have a favor to ask. What do you know about the vampire queen?" Ranger asked.

"Other than she lives up north, leads the vampires, and is supposedly the strongest of them by far? Not much." Guild Girl said.

"She's on the move up north, and according to Storm Mage...the vampire queen is a match for the Hero." Ranger said seriously which made several people gasp.

"The Hero? The same one who defeated the Demon Lord? How is that possible?" Inspector asked.

"Yeah, the Demon Lord is the most dangerous creature in existence. How could the hero beat him, but not the vampire queen?" Guild Girl asked seriously which made Ranger sigh.

"She...didn't win fairly." He said.

"What do you mean?" Guild Girl asked.

"I'm not supposed to reveal this so please keep it quiet." Ranger said which made the two ladies nod.

"O.k." Guild Girl said, and Ranger checked to see what the other people in the tavern were doing before getting closer.

"The Demon Lord drew power from sacrifices made in his name, and the Hero, and her two companions went around stopping those sacrifices, destroying his temples and killing his followers, so when he finally arrived, he couldn't draw from much power. To be fair, it was anything but a bad strategy, and I don't know if it was intentional or not, but like I said: it wasn't exactly a fair fight." He said seriously.

"And the vampire queen is at full power?" Inspector asked.

"Most likely, and don't get me started on her defenses." Ranger said.

"We can deal with that later. Let's go...!" GS said seriously.

"Alright!" Ranger snapped before turning back to the ladies. "My favor is that you should get as much info as you can, and maybe a plan to rally the strongest adventurers you can."

"We'll try." Guild Girl said.

"This is going to be a tough slog in a few days..." Ranger said, and with that, the team left.

"Oh, hey boss! I kept your horse like you said, and she's just like you left her." Warrior said as they went to the stables and there the horse was.

"My horse...!" Ranger said as he rushed to her and the horse neighed and let him pet her.

"Ever get the feeling someone missed you?" Warrior said casually as Ranger kept petting his horse.

"I missed you too." He said.

"It's good to see the people taking goblins seriously for once." Fighter said.

"No shit. A year ago people would've stayed put since...they're just goblins." Warrior said which made Wizard scoff.

"Well at least they have pros like us to get the job done. Here's hoping any girls they have are o.k...considering..." She trailed off.

"And this time...we're doing this right." Ranger said seriously as the rest snapped their heads to their leader, except for GS.

"No one blames you sir." Priestess said as she reached out to touch his shoulder.

"I do...when I burned that heap of goblins alive up north, listening to their dying screams and even the smell of their flesh cooking didn't make me turn away because of how much I hate myself for failing like that, it doesn't help the girl they nearly violated looks like Fighter..." Ranger said seriously.

"May I ask what you did at the shrine?" Fighter asked.

"I...asked for more miracles, but all I got was an addition two miracles to use a day. That's four total now." Ranger said.

"Well that's a plus." Wizard's brother said seriously.

"No new ones though, unless you count my armor and melting ability as a miracle." Ranger said.

"Wait, you mean like how Fighter made one appear from her belt? That's a pretty serious form of alchemy." Wizard said seriously.

"Apparently." Ranger said.

"Let's just go kick some goblin ass shall we?" Wizard asked.

"Hey that's my line..." Warrior said which made Wizard snicker as the team attached the cart to Ranger's horse and they were off.

"31 goblins, two shamans, and three hobs...it doesn't look like there are any women or children." Ranger said while using Life Sight.

"Alright..." GS said as he went into the cave.

"We should test our new gear on this quest you know." Wizard's brother said.

"Right." GS said as he prepared his shotgun.

"O.k...this is just disrespectful. We're not only putting these goblins down, we're also basically using them as target practice..." Warrior said.

"Couldn't happen to nicer creatures you have to admit." Fighter said.

"True." Warrior said.

"Holy Light..." Priestess said as her staff glowed with it's usual white light, causing it to function as a torch as she went in after GS with the team following her.

"O.k...seriously, what failure happened here?" Wizard's brother said seriously.

"Let's just say that I saved the hostages in a way I shouldn't have." Ranger groaned.

"I...don't like the sound of that..." Wizard's brother trailed off, then he recoiled as Ranger looked back at him.

"Nor should you." He said seriously, before they got to the three-way intersection they drew the goblins to the first time they were here.

"Should we clap?" Warrior asked as he readied his hands.

"No. Three hobs all at once in a space like this is too much." GS said.

"You know we're alot better than we were the first time we were here right?" Warrior asked as GS looked at Ranger.

"Where did you spot the goblins?" GS asked.

"Half are ahead, about ten are to the right, and the rest are down there, and the two hobs are with them." Ranger said.

"Alright...clap." GS said as he prepared his shotgun and Warrior started rapidly clapping, They then heard a wave of goblins charging at them, and lo and behold, they materialized from out of the darkness, only for Ranger and Fighter to shoot knives out of their gauntlets. When the goblins got close enough, Ranger stood back and watched Fighter used her arm and leg blades to shred them. As she dealt with ones on the side, GS waited for a hob to show up so GS could blow it's head. Eventually, a hob appeared, and as soon as it got close enough...GS pulled both triggers, unloaded two shells into the hob's face, and it fell down dead in it's tracks as the rest of the team, especially Wizard looked over the damage.

The shotgun made less noise than before, but it was still a shock to the team, but the goblins just stopped fighting to cover their ears. Warrior started smiling and resumed his clapping as the goblins screamed and thrashed around in a fit. A second hob showed up with a shaman on it's shoulders, and Wizard paralyzed the hob, but the shaman hit her with lightning. Thanks to her anti-magic jewelry, she was only staggered, much to the delight of the rest of her teammates, especially her brother, Warrior, and Priestess.

GS then kicked the shaman to side then stabbed the hob in the top of the head, as Ranger broke one of the shaman's arms and both legs as it screamed in pain.

"What the hell?!" Wizard's brother exclaimed as Ranger grabbed the shaman by its good arm and picked it up.

"Shamans are the ones who order a good deal of the atrocities goblins commit; none of them are more guilty, and I want to test something on this one..." Ranger said seriously.

"Let's keep going." GS said as he led the group down the cave, and Fighter noticed the tense look on her husband's face; it was clear he was battling the memories of their first quest...and the nightmare that came with it.

"Are you o.k.?" Fighter whispered.

"I will be, either on my own...or with you." Ranger said before giving her a quick kiss and the shaman kept groaning in pain as they continued. The entire time, no more goblins ambushed them, or were seen retreating from the group, but that changed nothing. Eventually, GS stopped the group, and they readied themselves.

"The rest of the goblins should be down there." GS said.

"Well, let's go get them." Wizard's brother said.

"Wait, I want to try something..." Ranger said, then he progressed by himself, spotted about 13 goblins, and threw out a large poof of dark red mist from his hand. The team then watched as the goblins started coughing violently, then growled, tensed up, then yelled furiously. The team looked at each other, then widened their eyes as the goblins began to tear into each other with their blades, claws, and even their teeth.

"What did you do...?" Wizard's brother asked.

"A rage spell. I never got a chance to use it until now..." Ranger said as he watched the goblins kill each other in a fit of berserk rage.

"Interesting..." GS said.

"Enjoying the witty irony of goblin-on-goblin violence?" Fighter asked casually.

"You might say that." GS said.

"The shaman back there is getting a different treatment-" Ranger stopped talking as a hob approached from the back of the cave. It wisely stayed away from the red cloud it's smaller brethren were exposed to...but that didn't save it. Ranger pulled out his teleportation crystal, and when the smoke cleared, the hob charged at the group, only for Ranger to open a portal in it's way. The hob tried to slow down, but it was too late; it went through the portal and smacked into the nearby wall which made the team laugh at it.

The hob then gathered its wits, then charged at the group again, but Ranger formed a harpoon, and launched it at the hob's leg and makes it stumble to the ground which made the team laugh even harder. The still-alive shaman in the back got a knife through it's hands from Fighter as it charged a lightning spell, before GS shot the hob in the chest with his shotgun as it tried standing up, then loaded two more shells. The team then took a good look around and quickly found out why no women were seen earlier: the goblins killed and ate them!

Bits of their bodies were seen on the side of the cave and it wasn't hard for the team to guess that they were killed either during or after being violated.

"Dear Supreme in Heaven..." Warrior breathed out, then Ranger started trembling and growling before he pointed at the shaman in the back.

"Paralyze that shitstain...!" He breathed out.

"Gladly." Wizard said before she carried out his order; she hit the shaman with a paralysis spell just strong enough to immobilize it. Ranger casually walked over to the shaman who was looking at him in terror and trying in vain to crawl away. Ranger then grabbed it by the back of the neck, pinned it to he wall, looked at GS who was still standing there waiting and watching, then Ranger hit the shaman in the face with a poof of yellow smoke then stared it down as it started coughing.

When the shaman stopped coughing and made eye contact with Ranger...it's eyes widened.

"What's wrong...scared?" Ranger asked before he tossed it in the cage in the back. The shaman started screaming its lungs out in terror while thrashing around and when the paralysis spell wore off, it hit it's head on the wall once by accident, then several times on purpose. The team then looked at each other in astonishment before looking back at Ranger.

"O.k...making a shaman kill itself...that is new." Warrior said casually.

"How are you all so calm? Have you done this before?" Wizard's brother asked.

"No one's shedding tears for these pieces of shit. Just look at those butchered girls over there! That's normal for goblins." Warrior said.

"Speaking of which, hand that one over." Ranger said as he pointed at Fighter.

"Finally..." She breathed out before she casually tossed it over to him and he held it up by the top of its head.

"I hope you still have some fight left; your pain is just getting started..." Ranger said before punching it in the ribs, which made the shaman groan in pain. Ranger then rapidly punched it all over its back and the shaman groaned and yelled in pain even more, with the punishment continuing without restraint or slowing down. Ranger then slammed the shaman into the ground hard enough to make its arm break with a audible crunching sound, which made Warrior flinch before smiling at it as Ranger continued punching it in the face and GS turned to leave.

"That makes 36..." He said as Ranger kept savagely beating the shaman into the ground. The whole team watched as the shaman received its due mauling from their leader, which ended with Ranger stomping on it's back over and over. When he finally stopped, the shaman was actually crying from the pain. Ranger then raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms.

"Tears? Please...how many tears did those girls shed while you and your brothers were having fun with them? I hope you got a good deal out of it...because it's not happening again!" He said before kicking the shaman onto it's back. "It's because of that devilish tendency that you're dealing with this misery right now." Ranger then knelt down, looked at his team who were looking at Ranger like the same apathy or anger as before; they wanted him to continue. Even Priestess had no sympathy for the shaman her leader was mauling.

Ranger then formed a dagger, then stabbed the shaman between the legs, who yelled in pain as Ranger removed the blade and walked away as the shaman bled out.

"Was that necessary? I don't feel sorry for it, but...that last part hurt me just watching..." Warrior asked while covering his groin with his hands, and Ranger said nothing as he kept walking, and the team followed him out, and spotted GS outside waiting for them in the cart.

After loading the few jewels, rocks and iron ore they mined after they went back into the cave a second time, Ranger borrowed Fighter's strength-boosting necklace, morphed his gauntlets, and smashed the cave entrance so no goblins would use it again. When they drove the cart back to town, they sold the materials for some quick coin, stopped by to get the reward for the quest, then rode off to the abandoned village to kill the rest of the goblins. On the way there, Fighter noticed Ranger's face was still as tense as before; despite the events in the cave happening hours prior...the memories of his failure were gnawing on his inner peace like a pack of dogs on a bone.

From the looks of it, his efforts to fight off the memories were completely in vain...

When they finally neared the abandoned village, they left the cart out of sight, then slowly and steadily approached the outskirts, making sure to stay low, and make as little noise as possible. Ranger then shared a look with Wizard, who nodded and used Life Sight, and looked over the village.

"I count 52, plus a shaman, and a few wolves." She said.

"Get some of your phantom wolves in there." Ranger said.

"Put them to sleep first; it would be harder to get the survivors if they wake up and ran." GS said.

"It will also make them unafraid of their fates, and they deserve no less." Ranger said seriously.

"We're here to kill them; whether they're afraid or not is none of our concern." GS said as simply as ever.

"Right..." Ranger said and nodded at Wizard, who put the Sleep spell she learned from Witch to use. When she was done, the spell kept the goblins from waking up; it was well-known they sleep during the day, and even though it was nearly twilight, it was still better safe than sorry. Ranger cursed the idea of letting the goblins off so lightly, but in spite of himself...GS was right; he was always right when it came to goblins, and Ranger questioning his expertise, let alone challenging it, was hopeless.

"O.k...they should be out cold while we work." Wizard said as she finished the spell, then her brother summoned a pack of phantom wolves and they all charged into the village and the team watched as they mauled every goblin on one side of the village. None of the goblins woke up, even as pieces of their still-living bodies were torn off of them in various ways. The team watched with a mix of amazement and horror as the wolves ripped into their prey without restraint, or mercy.

"Damn...talk about a waking nightmare." Warrior said casually.

"Let's go." GS said, and while the wolves feasted on the goblins, the team followed GS to the other side and got to work. Some goblins were stabbed with their own weapons by either GS himself, or the others; even Priestess tried it out, and Wizard's brother followed the others' lead. Not only did he not have a weapon of his own, but saw that the others didn't use their weapons despite having several. Of course, he wasn't strong enough to stomp their heads in like Fighter, or Ranger, or even snap their necks, even if he could drum up the nerve to do so.

Some more goblins came out of a hole in the ground to see what all the noise was...but the team expected that. Priestess used Holy Light, and the rest of the team sprung out of hiding places to unload a storm of arrows, bolts, and bullets into the surprised goblins. When the massacre was over, Priestess shined her light into the hole to see what materials were down there. When none were seen, Ranger went down to have a closer look, and the moment he came out, the team put the goblin corpses into the hole and Wizard put a fireball into the hole.

"Ashes to ashes assholes." She breathed out.

"Alright, now where are the previous occupants?" Fighter asked.

"It doesn't matter, the goblins are dead; they'll come back." GS said as he returned to the cart with the team following.

"Scratch two sets of goblins." Warrior said as he slammed the flier for the second quest on the desk.

"Nice going...as usual." Guild Girl said as she handed over their coin.

"Anything else?" GS asked.

"Not involving goblins no." Guild Girl said before GS walked away.

"Subtle as ever..." Ranger deadpanned.

"So...any plans for later?" Guild Girl asked.

"Well, there's going to be a party in Water Town. We don't know who else can go, but we were asked to be there." Fighter said.

"Who's the host?" Guild Girl asked.

"Some fencer lady who had a close call with goblins, but thanks to my team and Goblin Slayer, she's alright, although...she did rethink her place as an adventurer. But be that as it may...she strongly agrees with the adventurer training program; she even spoke to the King himself about it." Ranger said, and Guild Girl's eyes widened.

"The King himself? Wow..." She breathed out.

"The Sword Maiden even has her as part of her inner circle so-to-speak. I never met her, at least, not up-close, but I do want to hear her thoughts on what we've done in person." Ranger said.

"Oh, well, have fun." Guild Girl said.

"I might even have a duel, just to see what she's made of, or show off myself." Ranger said.

"Don't get too rough with her now." Fighter teased before Ranger looked at her with an eyebrow raised.

"Really now? You had to go there?" He deadpanned.

"Oh shut it. Anyway, you know what we didn't try? Seeing how the goblins would react to our new helmets." Fighter said.

"They'd probably shit themselves even harder." Warrior said simply.

"Speaking of fear...why are we now using fear tactics?" Priestess asked.

"For starters, fear tends to make your foes fight with less motivation, which makes their performance suffer, and like Goblin Slayer said, goblins are naturally cowards. Besides, instilling fear tends to please the War God...if it's done right." Ranger said.

"Fair treatment in combat right?" Fighter asked.

"Precisely. What better way to do that then by scarring the hell out of a pack of worthless goblins?" Ranger asked.

"Right. What about that rage spell?" Warrior asked.

"Same logic." Ranger said simply.

"O...k..." Warrior trailed off, then Ranger looked at Guild Girl.

"Anyway, did you do as I asked?" Ranger asked.

"Yes but...no luck." Guild Girl said.

"No matter. If you can get ahold of anyone of high caliber, tell them I'm looking for them, and that the castle she runs probably has treasure galore, if not things to sell for a healthy sum." Ranger said.

"Alright, I'll try, but I can't promise anything." Guild Girl said.

"Good on you." Ranger said.

"See you later." Warrior said as the group left the tavern.

"Is the Abbot still there?" Ranger asked.

"He should be." Priestess said.

"Then let's stop by." Ranger said before pulling out his crystal.

"Wait...let's let him see our daughter..." Fighter said, then they went to look for Ranger's mother, who was at the temple and letting people look at the baby.

"Here come the proud parents now." Ranger's mother said to some of the acolytes who all backed up.

"Hello mother...and daughter." Ranger said softly as Fighter knelt to her daughter's level and let her play with Fighter's fingers.

"None of you are going to believe this, but some of these girls are inspired to have families of their own, if they find the right man that is." Ranger's mother said.

"What?" Ranger asked.

"Yes, once they saw your daughter...some said they want to see their own baby look at them like she did." His mother said.

"You know what will have to happen first mother..." Ranger said seriously.

"Not to worry, we talked about that a bit; some of the girls took their own steps towards recovery. Now...I'm not going to give details, but at least a few managed to look at what the goblins did to them as torture and nothing else; having a child is a different story from being violated." His mother said.

"You talked about that in front of your grandchild? Have you lost your mind!?" Ranger exclaimed.

"Son, first off, I understand your concern, but your daughter lacks the presence of mind to question this topic, unless she was somehow given the mind of an adult?" His mother asked.

"Not likely..." Ranger said.

"Secondly, we weren't up-front about it; we only hinted at what they did to help heal, but I'll say now that if and when they do find someone, chances are...it'll be that much better for them. We even discussed how one's first time doesn't count if it's done...like that, although I can see why believing that is easier said than done. Heaven is still sweetest after you've taste Hell first." Ranger's mother said.

"Here's hoping." Warrior said.

"It's not impossible " Priestess said.

"Alright, now...do you want my granddaughter back." Ranger's mother asked.

"Yes please." Fighter said as she took the baby back and stroked her face which earned her a smile from her child, who was cooing all the while.

"Cute isn't she?" Wizard asked.

"Yeah..." Her brother breathed out, before Fighter picked up her daughter, with Ranger watching.

"Hey there, we just got back from helping the world. Did you miss us?" Fighter said softly, then she rose the baby to her face level and the baby reached out to touch her mother's face, which Ranger responded to by holding his wife close.

"You two never cease to make my heart flutter..." Ranger's mother said.

"Her Grace did say our love should be a beacon in the darkness." Ranger said.

"Well you haven't made a liar out of her." Ranger's mother said.

"Nor will we..." Ranger said before he took out his teleport crystal.

"What is that?" His mother asked.

"A gift from a friend..." Ranger said, and his mother stared at him.

"O...k..." She said, as her son opened a portal to the monastery, and her eyes widened.

"Look familiar?" Ranger asked.

"That's the monastery just down the road. That friend of yours gave you quite a gift." Ranger's mother said.

"And it's something I cannot and should not abuse of course. Shall we?" Ranger said.

"Wait...is that why we didn't teleport all over the place when we went after the goblins?" Wizard's brother asked.

"Yes. This crystal might be useful, but it needs to recharge, and it was done on purpose too. I could just open a portal to anywhere and everywhere I want, but power needs to be used with care." Ranger said.

"Great power comes with great responsibility." His mother said.

"Can we please put it to use now?" Wizard asked casually before the team then walks through the portal.

When the team went inside the monastery, Abbot was seen standing before the alter with the monks kneeling around it.

"Ah, the team has returned...with a new member!" Abbot said as he approached the team and seeing Fighter holding her baby.

"Hello Father Superior." Priestess said softly before hugging the old man.

"Hello to you as well my child." Abbot said while hugging her back, then looking at the baby again.

"Say hello sweetheart." Fighter said softly and the baby kept looking at Abbot, who kept smiling until the baby cooed.

"Is this the first of multiple?" Abbot asked.

"Possibly Father, but we're in no hurry." Ranger said.

"Naturally. How may I be of service?" Abbot asked while letting go of Priestess.

"Well...this might seem out of nowhere, but I'd like to know what you can say about the undead." Ranger said seriously.

"For what purpose might I ask?" Abbot asked.

"There's trouble with them up north, or at least, there's going to be...especially with the vampire queen." Ranger said which got the Abbot's attention right away and a few monks muttered to themselves.

"You meddled with the vampire queen's affairs? That must be the most dangerous position you've ever landed yourself in." Abbot said seriously.

"I noticed; even the Hero had a hard time with her, but nevertheless, she has to be dealt with, by her, and several others." Ranger said which made the old man sigh and hold his staff up.

"When the time comes, call for me and I will aid your assault on her fortress." Abbot said.

"Can you handle it Father?" Warrior asked seriously.

"Oh aye, I may no longer be an adventurer, but there's still a great deal of power in these bones of mine." Abbot said.

"As the demons who attacked you learned the hard way." Warrior said with a smirk.

"Now, to answer your question good Ranger: the vampire queen is not only stronger than all her minions combined, she is also faster than a normal man can track. A good number of her foes have died never seeing the face of their killer. She also has control over blood itself; I've even seen her flood her fortress with enough of it to drown an invading army. There's also the zombies she raises from the graves littering the fortress grounds." Abbot said.

"Zombies?" Wizard asked.

"Yes, dead bodies cursed to do the bidding of the one who rose them from their graves. The only way to get rid of them is to destroy their brains or sever their heads, and they can turn others into zombies by killing them." Abbot said.

"Just like the Revenant did with those goblins..." Ranger trailed off.

"Yes, may the Supreme see him through; even with his dark power, he was more heroic than most." Abbot said with a sigh.

"It's too bad he's dead...I mean, actually dead. We sure could use him right about now..." Fighter said.

"It matters not, we have the War God's favor through you Ranger. I can sense how deep his influence runs in you; the two of you are an extraordinary pair indeed...and I can tell your daughter will grow up to be an extraordinary woman." Abbot said.

"You said once we have the potential to become greater than the Hero right?" Ranger asked.

"I have indeed, and killing the vampire queen would be a major step towards showing the world just what that means. You might all become Gold Ranked for that act alone." Abbot said.

"I like the sound of that..." Wizard's brother said.

"Are holy arts the only weakness vampires have?" Fighter asked.

"No, vampires are also vulnerable to fire, or extreme heat, like your blades." Abbot said as Ranger formed a sword and heated the blade while holding it away from the others.

"Then the War God really does favor us..." Ranger trailed off.

"This will however be the hardest fight in recent history. You will need every ounce of aid you can get ahold of to defeat her. Not just from magic, brawn, the gods, or even strategy, but from everything." Abbot said.

"We've always done that Father, and with our daughter...we cannot afford to lose." Fighter said seriously as she looked at her now-sleeping baby.

"Then go, get as much rest as you can, and may the Supreme see you all through." Abbot said with a bow which the team all returned, then Ranger opened a portal back to their apartment in the frontier.

"You know he never asked about that crystal..." Fighter said.

"He probably knows; the Supreme tends to show him things he shouldn't know, I mean...look at the Sword Maiden." Wizard said.

"Speaking of whom, we should get home; it's going to get dark soon." Ranger said while looking at the sunset.

"Alright, see you tomorrow." Wizard said as the parents opened a portal back to Water Town.

"By the way..." Ranger said as he gave Wizard his gun, and some papers.

"What are these...?" Wizard asked.

"I'd like a silencing enchantment on the gun, and some work done on these." Ranger said as Wizard looked over the papers, and smiled.

"You got it boss." She said as the family went through the portal.

"Well...now we're home alone." Warrior said as he sat down.

"Uh, I'm here too remember?" Wizard's brother said.

"First off, he and I do sleep in the same bed, and need no permission to do so. Secondly, you don't have much reason to get on us with that Rhea martial artist as your girlfriend." Wizard said.

"She's not my girlfriend!" Her brother exclaimed.

"You say that now, but just wait." Warrior said seriously.

"Yeah whatever, just don't screw each other to death please..." Wizard's brother said before getting punched in the arm by his sister and exclaiming.

"That's what you get." Wizard said.

"Whatever...I'm going to look these plans over..." Her brother said as he went to his room with the papers.

"Well, shall we, my great and mighty dragon slayer?" Wizard asked with a smirk.

"That would be lovely..." Warrior said as he stood up, and followed Wizard to their room. Once the door closed...she yanked her lover towards her and mashed her lips against his. The pair then stood there with their bodies pressing into each other, and their lips shifting against each other over and over with wet sucking sounds filling the room. Warrior eventually started pawing at Wizard's voluptuous chest, and despite her amusement, she broke the kiss and grabbed Warrior's hands.

"Easy, there's plenty of treasure to spend." Wizard teased.

"I can tell..." Warrior said.

"Given how greedy you were just now...you could've fooled me." Wizard said.

"I fooled the smartest woman in town? I'll be damned..." Warrior said and Wizard softly pinching his cheek.

"Don't strawman me boy." She teased.

"Excuse me my good lady." Warrior said before pushing her onto the bed, getting on top of her and kissing her again while she wrapped her arms around him.

"We should get some sleep..." Wizard whispered.

"Right..." He said before removing his outfit and noticed her staring at his bulk.

"Did I say boy awhile ago?" Wizard teased.

"Yes...you did, a mistake I did not make." Warrior said, and Wizard raised an eyebrow.

"Heaven forbid you call me boy." She said seriously..

"And you get on me for strawmanning..." Warrior said before removing his pants.

"Just shut up and get me out of this dress before we ruin it too badly." Wizard said as she stood up and her companion helped her out of her dress.

"This dress must have a spell on it or something..." Warrior said.

"Let me guess: because it puts one on you?" Wizard deadpanned.

"Hey, you couldn't get enough of me after I said that." Warrior said casually.

"No...no I couldn't...and I still can't." Wizard said while smiling before turning to him and caressing his chest. The two got in bed while kissing again, and continued caressing each other's faces, and hair while they enjoyed their kiss. The two then broke away and fell asleep snuggling into each other's bare frames.

Meanwhile, Fighter took the baby back to her room and Ranger went to go look for Bard and Songstress. Both were in their room with Bard combing Songstress' whitish-gold hair, careful not to scratch her long ears which he seemed to be enticed by since he occasionally strokes them and she didn't seem to mind. They did speak to each other in Elvish, which was both interesting and frustrating for Ranger; language barriers were a pain sometimes.

Ranger choose not to disturbed them, since they were likely preparing for bed themselves...and maybe some personal business was in their near future. When he went back, he saw Fighter breastfeeding their daughter, then put her in the crib when she was done, and stayed with the baby until she went to sleep. Then Fighter went to their room to see Ranger shirtless on their bed.

"Waiting for me? You're sweet..." Fighter teased.

"This is hardly new baby..." Ranger breathed out, and Fighter recalled the mood was in earlier that day, which was confirmed to have remained as soon as she noticed him refusing to look at her.

"What's wrong?" Fighter asked.

"Fighter...in that cave-" Fighter cuts him off.

"Like Warrior said, no one is shedding tears for those shamans." She said.

"It's not that, at least...not entirely." Ranger said, and Fighter walked over to him and sat on the bed while her husband was trying to keep it together.

"What is it baby?" She asked softly, and Ranger sighed.

"Remember when I was with that girl who looked like you and she was captured by goblins? Well...I couldn't get any sleep after that, not just because I missed you but...because I had a nightmare. Fighter...I dreamed it was you who got captured instead, and you had none of your equipment on you, and just like her...you were out cold." Ranger said and Fighter gasped as her eyes burned.

"Ranger..." She whispered.

"It was my vision in Hell all over again, only...this was more plausible. That's why I had to vent my rage on those shamans, as if the memory of me executing those girls wasn't bad enough..." Ranger said while shaking.

"Ranger..." Fighter said.

"What...?" Ranger asked, and Fighter took his hand.

"None of that is going to happen. I never go anywhere without my equipment, nor will I ever, and if I do get overwhelmed...well, I have you, and everyone else." She said.

"Fighter...if you were there, and I wasn't..." Ranger trailed off.

"But I wasn't there, and you saved that girl traveling with you. Remember what you keep saying about things like this to others?" Fighter said while caressing her husband's hand.

"Right...well, what's done is done." Ranger said as his wife removed her robe and pants while his eyes were closed; it wasn't a secret he could hear her movements. She then touched his face, and he saw her shapely, and robust yet plump body in all it's glory. Despite the enticing vision her body was, her enchanting smile had all of Ranger's undivided attention .

"Let's just get some sleep o.k.?" Fighter asked softly.

"O.k..." Ranger said before standing up, removing his own pants and laying down next to Fighter as she snuggled into his side.

"There, it's just like we were before. You...holding me, in a room with just us, and our love. No lives needing to be saved, no pain, no destruction, no goblins..." Fighter said softly, and Ranger shifted against her as they went to sleep in each other's tight embrace.

He awoke the next morning with her still snuggling into him and sleeping like the baby they had together. It was hinted that they'd have a second child, but...not before her body was ready, and even with all the medicine she was taking at regular intervals, and the raw power her body had naturally...it wasn't easy recovering from carrying a child. He couldn't help himself and stroked her enchanting hair, moved further down and Fighter shifted her body against his, and sighed with a dreamy look on her angelic face, which made him place a kiss on her forehead.

"Good morning..." Ranger said softly.

"Good morning my dear." Fighter said while Ranger continued stroking her silky, night-black hair.

"This hair of yours...is there any part of your body that isn't divine?" Ranger asked, and Fighter shifted against him.

"There's no part of your body that isn't divine, I can tell you that." She said, and Ranger tightened his embrace.

"I love you so much..." He whispered, and they shared a kiss that deepened over time, then they went back to bathing in the peace around them.

"Today's that noble girl's birthday." Fighter said.

"Well...I guess we had better go wish her a happy one." Ranger said.

"I'll bet you're anxious to meet her?" Fighter said as she finally opened her eyes to see her mate.

"Like you aren't? If what Warrior and Wizard said were anything to go by, she dodged a pretty sharp blade..." Ranger said.

"No kidding. But we should probably hear her side of the story. But regardless...if I wasn't pregnant at the time, it probably would've gone even smoother." Fighter said as they rolled onto Ranger's back and she looked down at him.

"Well...at least she made it, and is helping other continue to get stronger." Ranger said.

"Good on her for it..." Fighter said seriously before Ranger pulled her down to a kiss that turned into a chain of rapid kisses.

"Thank you..." Ranger said.

"For kissing you?" Fighter teased.

"For reminding me of myself last night..." Ranger said softly, and he kissed her again like her lips were covered in honey. He then ran his hands up and down her body as she added small moans to the sounds of wet smacking and gasping breathes coming from their hungry mouths. She then broke their kiss and simply laid down on top of him as they simply enjoyed each other's warmth, love, and power.

"Wow..." Fighter breathed out and they continued laying down, listening to and feeling each other's breath.

"I hope Wizard and company will be able to get that armor I designed up-and-running." Ranger said.

"So that's what those papers were for...you want us all to have this super armor don't you?" Fighter asked.

"Why the hell not? It helped me against those vampires, it can work for all of you. I even took a blow to the chest that would've killed me several times over if it wasn't for my armor." Ranger said.

"Thank the Supreme you had it. Do you think the War God will let you upgrade your weapons with a miracle?" Fighter said seriously.

"Quite possibly. My Cherub friend upgraded my armor with a miracle of his own." Ranger said.

"That melting power." Fighter breathed out.

"Right." Ranger said before thinking.

"What?" Fighter asked.

"You know...I could have a shrine to the War God set up somewhere around here, or at least take you to a statue or shrine of his to ask what he thinks of our union." Ranger said.

"A better feast for thought is why didn't we do this earlier?" Fighter asked seriously.

"Did you know of anything like that in Water Town? Plus you had a baby with you in the frontier, and there were goblins that needed killing." Ranger said which earned him a chuckle from his beloved.

"That's what Goblin Slayer said." Fighter said while Ranger stared and smiled at her.

"I don't know how you do it, but you have out-of-nowhere moments where you're too adorable for your own good." Ranger said.

"You thinking of taking advantage of that?" Fighter asked before Ranger flipped them over as she gasped.

"Does his answer your question?" Ranger said casually and Fighter giggled before Ranger claimed her mouth with his own and he puts one of his hands on her leg, slowly moved upwards making her break the kiss and gasp in pleasure. He reached her breast and fondled it while she moaned into their heated kiss. Eventually, she stopped him, flipped them over and looked down at him with her hair framing her face.

"You know I need these to feed our daughter right?" Fighter teased.

"Oh relax, you used the other one to feed her...this however..." Ranger said before groping her butt.

"I sit on." Fighter deadpanned.

"You still like it as much as I do." Ranger teased.

"Evidently." Fighter teased back before rubbing the tip of his hardened manhood.

"Careful..." Ranger breathed out.

"I'm not going to make a mess." Fighter said.

"Regardless...I really want to be inside you again..." Ranger groaned.

"I want you inside me too...but in due time my dear, in due time..." Fighter said softly as she let him go and some of their lust turned back into love as she kissed and lashed tongues with him as he fondled her round, fleshy buttocks slowly and thoroughly.

"This big, beautiful ass of yours..." Ranger breathed out, and Fighter sighed and shifted against Ranger's bulk as he fondled his favorite part of her body.

"You know...I think these treatments you give me are making it less painful to sit." Fighter said.

"Because I numb you so much?" Ranger teased which made Fighter pat his chest.

"I meant the same reason muscles and bones get stronger in training. It must be apples-to-apples." She said seriously.

"If you say so...I can't wait to see you in that dress we commissioned for that birthday." Ranger said.

"You're one to talk; I've seen the suit you have in mind myself, but I can't imagine you wearing it no matter how hard I try." Fighter said.

"Well, be patient." Ranger teased as he stroked her face.

"Easier said than done." Fighter said before Ranger gave her a quick but sweet kiss.

"We should get up soon..." Ranger said.

"Right..." Fighter whispered as her face fell.

"Hey...I could spend all day like this as well, but enough is enough." Ranger said seriously.

"Let's just get up before I get hungry again." Fighter said.

"Right..." Ranger whispered before Fighter got up, went to get their clothes, then tossed his to him as she got dressed herself.

"By the way, I got in contact with a guru while you were in the north." Fighter said.

"A what?" Ranger asked.

"A spiritual expert, according to rumor, this man can not only give some information about how far the spirit's influence goes, but can also make the intangible effects, tangible." Fighter said as she put her underwear and pants on.

"Any reason you want to go down that road?" Ranger asked as he put his own underwear and pants on.

"Simple: you have the War God's blessing, I don't, and I'm not falling behind you." Fighter said casually.

"Then keep up." Ranger said as he approached her and slammed his lips against hers as she pressed the rest of her body against him...and got her now-clothed butt gripped.

"About time you woke up..." Wizard said as Warrior came out of their room in only his pants.

"Hey, unlike you, I'm not a night owl." Warrior said.

"Hey yourself, I woke up not even ten minutes ago." Wizard said seriously.

"And you didn't invite me to the party..." Warrior deadpanned.

"Well these designs the boss left me are both complex and useful, so I'm going to work my butt off for him." Wizard said proudly.

"That's alot of work..." Warrior teased as he looked over Wizard's butt.

"Oh very funny." Wizard said.

"But seriously, aren't you still tired?" Warrior asked.

"I was just looking the designs over, I'll be back." Wizard said, and went to another room. Once there, and true to her word, she finished looking the designs over, and enchanting Ranger's gun to make less noise. She then joined the great and mighty dragon slayer in their room and laid back down next to him after shedding her dress.

"Welcome back." Warrior said before hovering over her, taking in her beauty, then kissing her softly as she wrapped her arms around him. He then moved down to suck on her nipples which makes her chuckle and tense up from the pleasure, which led to her groaning when he threw some rapid groping onto the mix.

"First you slay goblins, then a dragon...now you're going to slay me..." Wizard said in-between gasps as Warrior worked on her breasts.

"Consider this a reward-in-advance, for turning the rest of us into beasts." Warrior said as he stopped licking her nipples but kept fondling and squeezing her soft, fleshy breasts, then kept licking away as she rewarded him with moans. He then kept going, and Wizard's moans got more labored, and her body tensed up even more as Warrior kept sucking her nipples, and even lightly bit them both. When he pressed her breasts together, and sucked, licked, and bit them both at the same time, that was when Wizard's bliss reached it's peak, and she thrashed her head back and forth in response while groaning.

"Stop...Warrior stop! You're going to give me a heart attack..." Wizard groaned and lightly pushed him off of her as she caught her breathe. She then took another moment to compose herself as Warrior looked over her flushed face and nipples as Wizard sucked in the deepest breaths her lungs would allow. To his relief, pride, and credit, Wizard's face was elated thanked to his work, and she was calming down by the second.

"Someone enjoyed themselves..." Warrior teased.

"Damn right...you really know how to give a girl motivation." Wizard groaned.

"I only care about motivating you." Warrior teased.

"Well...quest complete." Wizard said before Warrior kissed her.

"Now get your thick squishy ass out there and make a few goblin nightmares come true." Warrior said.

"Charmed..." Wizard said before getting up, having her butt groped and raising an eyebrow at him.

"Come on, I even hinted at that happening." Warrior said while raising an eyebrow of his own, then Wizard smirked.

"Right..." She breathed out as she shook her head and left.

To the shock of everyone in the guild hall, a faint but still audible gunshot was heard as Warrior tested the revolver on a dummy and blew its chest open.

"No wonder Goblin Slayer and the boss likes these things. Guns rock!" Warrior yelled as he looked the gun over.

"Easy gunslinger, there's only a few bullets, and I need at least one to replicate." Wizard said seriously.

"Yeah, yeah I hear you." Warrior said as he gave the gun back.

"Alright, now give that suit a workout." Wizard said before Warrior put some boots on that gave off liquid metal that formed the same armor that Ranger had, without the red coloring. Warrior tried it out by picking up a summoned stone elemental, albeit with a decent amount of struggle, then tossing it over a dozen feet away. He then marveled at his armor before tensing himself up, and climbing up a wall and dropping down several meters while breaking the ground.

He then ran back and forth between one end of the field to the other with speed comparable to a horse, and he even took a hit from the stone elemental during a duel that knocked him to the ground, but he was perfectly fine thanks to the suit. He then dodged each blow from that point forward, pulled the stone elemental's foot out from under it, then tore out its core with one hand, before jumping off of it, rolling along the ground then pushing himself into the air with his hands and landing in a crouched position.

"Show off!" Wizard's brother yelled which made Warrior snicker.

"Well...the armor works like a charm." Wizard said before Guild Girl showed up.

"Hey, what's all the ruckus?" She asked.

"Just testing some new toys." Wizard said as she held up Ranger's gun then pointed to Warrior with her thumb who showed off the armor.

"Wow...you have one too?" Guild Girl asked.

"Yep. I'm a one-man army now!" Warrior said proudly.

"Not so fast hotshot; you've got quite a ways to go before you're able to rip a dragon apart." Wizard said.

"Still, I wish I had this beast of a suit earlier. Hey maybe we can call it beast armor?" Warrior asked.

"Not a chance." Wizard's brother said.

"Sorry, not going to catch on." Wizard said.

"Alright I get it..." Warrior groaned.

"Well, could you at least keep the noise down? Several people are asking about how much was going on out here." Guild Girl said.

"Relax, it's done and over." Wizard said.

"Alright, thanks." Guild Girl before going inside.

"Now, let's go see the boss and company." Warrior said, and with that, the three went to their apartment to use the gateway Wizard installed.

"Hey boss, I silenced your gun for you." Wizard said as she handed Ranger's revolver back to him.

"This armor worked like a champ as well." Warrior said with a smirk.

"Very good. I was going to ask you to give the mace a force enchantment, but it's better as a tribute to the War God." Ranger said.

"Master of the Mace right?" Wizard's brother asked.

"Right. The title speaks for itself." Ranger said.

"You better get something good out of it; modifying that mace was a pain in the ass." Wizard said.

"I hope so as well." Ranger said as Songstress came down to see the guests and waved.

"Hey, what's new?" Warrior asked which made her look about awkwardly. "Oh...right, language barrier..."

"Bard tends to translate for us." Ranger said then Bard showed up.

"Did someone call me?" He asked.

"Please talk to your friend for us." Ranger said and the pair spoke to each other in Elvish, which apparently involved what was being said in the conversation just recently, and Bard's tone indicated that he was telling her it was harmless informing and some minor banter between them.

"We should be o.k. now." Bard said.

"I take it you overheard us before?" Ranger asked.

"Yep." Bard said.

"Right...how's my child?" Ranger asked and Fighter came out with Priestess next to her.

"Asleep." Fighter said before looking outside.

"It looks like it's going to rain soon..." Priestess said.

"I'll bet Storm Mage is going to be happy." Warrior said before Priestess gets an idea.

"We should probably go check with the Sword Maiden." She said.

"Not a bad idea." Ranger said as the team left for the Temple of Law.

At the Temple of Law, Storm Mage went out to the gardens when a drizzle came down. He then looked up at the sky to observe the small sparks of lightning dancing around in the clouds...little did he know Her Grace was observing what he was doing from inside. Storm Mage then called down small traces of lightning onto himself and the crackling sound drowned out all others. His control was such that even the rain soaking the area was unaffected by the lightning; water did conduct electricity afterall.

When he was done, he went back inside with the towel he took with him and noticed the Sword Maiden while he was drying off.

"Yes Your Grace?" He asked.

"Nothing, I was just wondering how you would interact with the weather." Sword Maiden said.

"Part of me wishes we would be attacked so I can put the power I obtained to use." Storm Mage said seriously which made Sword Maiden deflate.

"You enjoy battle don't you?" She asked.

"The mark of the War God isn't given to just anyone." Storm Mage said.

"I am as aware as I was before. But...I still can't stand the idea of this place being assaulted." Sword Maiden said as she watched the rain come down even harder.

"Your Grace, like I said before, if this temple does get assaulted by goblins, I will stop them, even if I have to vaporize every goblin in existence, and the ones that survive will taste every once of fear you once felt." Storm Mage said.

"Thank you for your services, demon hunter." Sword Maiden said softly before sucking in a breath.

"Also...I communed with the Love Goddess a few days ago, and-" Sword Maiden cuts Storm Mage off.

"I can't. I'm sorry...but, I just can't." She said.

"Your Grace, what those abominations did to you is the complete opposite of how it's supposed to go, and I am no more chaste myself." Storm Mage said.

"Storm Mage...you willingly got rid of your chastity, mine was destroyed in a case where I had no say." Sword Maiden said seriously.

"With all due respect, that's a distinction without a difference. I may have gotten rid of it, but that makes my choice even more despicable." Storm Mage said and Sword Maiden looked right at him.

"How do I know you aren't just saying that? I deeply appreciate that you're trying to ease my mind, but..." She trailed off.

"I know you can sense the truth; lesser priests can do so without batting an eye." Storm Mage said softly.

"That only goes so far." Sword Maiden said while shaking.

"You stand here cursing that your first time was destroyed, I stand here cursing that I discarded mine like it was trash, when it's anything but. You are driven by compassion for the people, but I was driven by little more than greed for years on end. As far as I'm concerned, your case is not worse than mine..." Storm Mage said.

"Please...don't say anything else..." Sword Maiden whispered, and Storm Mage looked away and sighed.

"I'm sorry...I don't mean to sound like I'm trying to force you; that's the last thing I would do. But please, do us both a favor and give this a chance, and if I make your suffering worse, kick me out of Water Town, cast me into Hell's jaws, I don't care. I deserve whatever price is in store." He said as he turned to leave only for Sword Maiden to take his hand.

"I have no faith that my situation could get any worse, and I really do appreciate your services. As for your... request, I will think about it." She said softly.

"Thank you Your Grace...may I hold you?" Storm Mage asked.

"Please..." Sword Maiden whispered before leaning her staff against the wall and letting him hug her. At first, Sword Maiden simply allowed Storm Mage to envelop her body in his embrace while sucking in one deep breath after another. Eventually, she returned the embrace and leaned her head on his shoulder as he ran one hand over her hair.

"I've seen how you look at that baby; one who didn't know better might say you want her yourself." Storm Mage said which made Sword Maiden push back but not enough to break the hug.

"Part of me does, but...how could I?" Sword Maiden said.

"I heard the team mention how they saved victims of the goblins who either wound up becoming acolytes or even mothers of actual children. The Love Goddess gets the last laugh in cases like this in more ways than one." Storm Mage said.

"Do you think she will in my case?" Sword Maiden asked.

"If you allow it, but I know you can, and my blade, and my lightning are always available should you fail to combat your fears." Storm Mage whispered.

"Are you willing to stay here forever if need be?" Sword Maiden asked.

"I am the city's official demon hunter, and your enforcer so...I don't have much of a choice." Storm Mage said casually, and Sword Maiden smiled.

"Right..." She said, and Storm Mage pulled back and returned her smile.

"Do you feel better?" He asked.

"Yes...thank you." Sword Maiden said softly.

"Of course..." Storm Mage whispered, and they continued staring each other in the face. Despite the storm raging outside...there was no such thing in the space they were in. Neither of them could prevent themselves from admiring each other's charms, or relishing how warm their bodies were. Sword Maiden then finally looked away and deflated.

"I...I should get back to the main chamber." She said before finally letting go of him.

"Let's go then." Storm Mage said as he followed her to the main chamber.

When they got there, they saw the team was waiting for them.

"Hello team." Sword Maiden said as she walked in with Storm Mage a few steps behind her.

"Hello Your Grace." Ranger said as she gave him a brief hug, followed by Priestess who held on a bit longer, and Fighter who wasn't holding her baby for once.

"Where's your baby?" Sword Maiden asked.

"At home Your Grace. She's sound asleep and I didn't want to risk the storm waking her." Fighter said.

"No fear of that, I gathered as much power as I could from it. The lightning shouldn't wake anyone if they were asleep outside, let alone an infant." Storm Mage said.

"Good to know. Anyway, we came because we'd like to know when this party is exactly." Fighter said.

"Twilight actually, so you should have plenty of time to prepare." Sword Maiden said.

"You aren't coming?" Warrior asked.

"I wish I could, but I must remain here to see some things through." Sword Maiden said.

"May I ask what?" Priestess asked, and Sword Maiden smiled and touched her face.

"Nothing too serious young Priestess. Just go and enjoy yourselves, all of you." She said.

"If you insist Your Grace." Ranger said as he opened a portal back to their manor and went through as Sword Maiden deflated.

"Your Grace?" Storm Mage asked.

"I cannot face all those people in the state I'm in now; I need time to think..." Sword Maiden said.

"If you need help-" She cuts Storm Mage off.

"No...you've done enough; the rest is up to me alone. Please go check on the town for any demonic activity." Sword Maiden said as she walked away.

"As you wish Your Grace." Storm Mage said as he went for the exit.

The next couple of hours were spent with Warrior showing what his suit was made of in a two-on-one duel with him versus Ranger and Fighter, either with them in a free-for-all, or with one fighting the other two at once, in every combination, and all three of them had similar luck. Granted Ranger didn't heat his blades or morph too many weapons, but...that was to be expected; this wasn't a fight to the death. After they each took one of Wizard's famous life potions, they each washed off with the pouring rain helping out, and went inside to dry off and change into their respective suits and dresses for the birthday bash.

Ranger and Warrior each had their own suits complete with jackets, slacks, and of course, distinguished patterns of color and fuzz; they looked like true nobles themselves.

"That armor isn't good enough...vampires are roughly twice as fast as a horses, and have strength to match, and their queen is probably much worse." Ranger said seriously while the two were alone.

"At least we can have Priestess empower us or weaken her, and Wizard is working on a way to throw curses into the mix when it comes to our tactics." Warrior said.

"She already has Paralyze; doesn't that count?" Ranger asked.

"Maybe, and there's also your Rage and Fear spells..." Warrior trailed off.

"Second thoughts much?" Ranger asked.

"Very funny..." Warrior deadpanned.

"And her brother?" Ranger asked.

"He's taking a page out of her book every day; he hasn't mastered anything yet or even got good enough in the more advanced stuff yet, hence why he barely did anything when we wiped out those goblins, but still, he's on his way." Warrior said.

"We also didn't give him much of a chance to do anything." Ranger said.

"Yeah, there is that...oh well, he'll get them next time." Warrior said.

"I only hope we get a chance halfway; you know what he'll see..." Ranger said seriously.

"He'll just have to deal with it..." Warrior said before Wizard's brother walked in.

"You two better not be talking about me." He said.

"Not in a negative way; we were discussing your progress." Ranger said.

"Well, you hogged all the goblins to yourselves, so showing off wasn't going to happen now was it?" Wizard's brother asked.

"We established that right before you walked in." Warrior said.

"Right, well I have to say, it's quite refreshing to be part of the same team as my sister, after all this time too..." Wizard's brother said.

"And with the boss here?" Warrior asked.

"I suppose you follow him for a reason." Wizard's brother said.

"Boy you don't know the half of it." Wizard said as she came in...and she a complete vision. She wore a glittering blue dress, purple eyeshadow, pink lipstick, and emerald earrings. It was the time they celebrated her birthday shortly after forming their team all over again; Wizard not only boasted a solid grasp on the arcane arts, but once again was metaphorically enchanting.

"Damn Wizard, what princess did you save and borrow her looks from?" Ranger asked as he got up, and Wizard smirked.

"You're one to talk boss; your wife is going to eat you up." Wizard said as Ranger walked by her.

"Not If I eat her up first..." Ranger said, and Wizard shook her head before she looked at the other two men who kept gawking at her.

"Cat got your tongues? Wizard asked.

"Why exactly are you going like that?" Her brother asked.

"Why not? I'm allowed to show off." Wizard said and Warrior just kept looking her over, which she noticed but kept quiet.

"Even like this?" Her bother asked.

"Just go see what's what out there o.k?" Wizard deadpanned.

"Right..." Her brother said before leaving the two alone.

"Wizard...if you go like that, every man in the area will glue their eyeballs to you." Warrior said which made his sapphire-encrusted girlfriend smile and approach him.

"As long as the great and mighty dragon slayer is with me, I'll be fine, plus I can handle ruffians as well as Fighter can." Wizard said proudly.

"No fear of either case...and did you have to put on lipstick? I really want to kiss you." Warrior said before Wizard Transmuted the lipstick off and pulled him into a deep kiss.

"Happy?" Wizard teased.

"Very..." Warrior breathed out before he puts his lips back on hers several times and even squeezes one of her breasts which makes her moan and then stop him.

"Wait...I really don't want this dress ruined." Wizard said.

"Relax, you can repair it can't you?" Warrior asked.

"It's not my power, it's the principle; it's kind of cheap going in a dress I had to fix." Wizard said seriously.

"Oh...didn't think of that..." Warrior said.

"Well, at least I only have one head to think with." Wizard teased.

"Oh shut it." Warrior said.

"You'll have to make me..." Wizard said sensually, then Warrior kissed her yet again.

Back at their manor, Ranger used Life Sight to find his wife, who was still in their room brushing her hair, and when he got to her...she was barely recognizable. She had her hair down of course, and she had a bright green dress, with white patterns, and the same emerald earrings Wizard had, and she even had some green eyeshadow. She noticed Ranger staring at her then she stopped brushing her hair and starred at the man she married.

"Holy...someone went all the way." Fighter said.

"Too much? I can still change into something else." Ranger said.

"Don't even think about it! You look incredible." Fighter said seriously.

"As do you..my love and life." Ranger said softly as he walked up behind her and put his hands on her collarbone. Fighter then sucked in a breathe and leaned into him as the peace and intimacy sunk in. Ranger simply kept his hands on the top of Fighter's ribcage, and gazed at the effect his presence and touch had on her.

"Ranger..." Fighter whispered.

"Nervous?" Ranger asked.

"Not even close. This already reminds me of our wedding..." Fighter said.

"Ah, yes...I doubt this will surpass our wedding, but it will surely come close, unless some idiotic force gets in the way." Ranger said.

"Don't even joke about that." Fighter said seriously.

"May whatever force dares come between us..." Ranger trailed off.

"Look upon the strength of our bond...and shatter against it..." Fighter said while shaking.

"Fighter...please don't cry." Ranger said.

"I won't...but quoting the Sword Maiden like that is...fitting, and not fitting at the same time." Fighter said.

"Sorry, but I also recalled our wedding." Ranger said as he crouched down to her level.

"Right..." Fighter whispered before Ranger put his hand on her face, and they shared a smile.

"Shall we get going?" Ranger asked.

"Ranger...I lied. I am a bit nervous." Fighter said softly.

"Relax, if something serious were to happen, we'd be informed, plus we've got several things to give the vampire queen a hard time." Ranger said.

"No...no more about that. Just hold me, please..." Fighter said.

"O.k..." Ranger whispered before pulling her onto her feet, and holding her close.

"Talk to me..." Fighter said.

"About what?" Ranger asked.

"Anything positive." Fighter whispered and Ranger took a moment to think.

"You know winter is just around the corner?" Ranger asked.

"What?" Fighter asked.

"Winter..." Ranger said which made Fighter snuggle into his chest.

"What about it?" Fighter asked.

"I used to hate it; the days aren't long enough and then there's the infamous cold, but now...we have each other's heat, and the long nights? They'll be all ours..." Ranger trailed off.

"There was a winter while I was pregnant remember?" Fighter asked.

"But you were pregnant, with our lovely daughter...but now that she's out of the womb..." Ranger trailed off before putting a hand on her lower abdomen.

"We can take full advantage?" Fighter asked casually.

"We don't need to take full advantage; we don't need to make love every time we're in bed, we've held off our fair share of times, with no shame as well." Ranger said seriously.

"I remember...I also remember your reaction to when I finally gave birth..." Fighter said.

"I don't think I've wept that much since the time at the pond..." Ranger said.

"Tears that prove your devotion as a father." Fighter said softly as she gave her husband a soft, sweet, and lengthy kiss.

"I remember the first time you kissed me like that...when I was shaving, you came back from returning a bow." Ranger teased.

"And those two jokers hit on me, but...I'm a one-man girl, unfortunately for them." Fighter said proudly.

"I still wish I was there to see it..." Ranger said.

"Even though we used a recaller to show you?" Fighter asked.

"It's not the same baby..." Ranger said seriously.

"Oh well...I still got to go home and have my first kiss with a real man afterwards, and you were definitely there to see that." Fighter said.

"Yes...I was..." Ranger said, and Fighter sighed.

"Damn you were a sight back then." She breathed out.

"I still am right?" Ranger teased which made the woman he was holding chuckle.

"Of course you are; I married you didn't I? And no, it's not for this sculpted body of yours; don't even start that." Fighter said seriously.

"I wasn't going to..." Ranger said.

"Good, now...before I rip that nice suit off of you, let's get back to the others." Fighter said while backing up, taking the hand Ranger offered her and left the room to join her other three teammates then headed outside. To their amazement...the rain stopped dead in it's tracks; even the droplets in mid-air flew back into the sky, then the clouds dispersed and the sun shined through. It was one of the most insane and awe-inspiring sights the team had ever seen. It must've been the Storm Mage; they had seen him change the weather with miracles before...but they could ask him later, for now, they had a noble to give their wishes to.

"Has anyone seen Priestess or Goblin Slayer?" Wizard asked as they looked around the place.

"No, but they should be here soon." Fighter said then they were approached from behind.

"Sooner than you think." H.E. Archer said, and the team turned and saw her in an Elven dress with Priestess next to her in her usual outfit, and Dwarf Shaman was behind her in a golden-bronze robe.

"We haven't seen all of you since the good Fighter here gave birth. How have you been?" He asked.

"Training, looking after our child, interacting with Her Grace, and now this for the most part." Fighter said.

"We also have a quest we'd like your help with." Ranger said seriously.

"Goblins?" H.E. Archer asked.

"I almost wish..." Ranger said.

"Then what is it?" H.E. Archer said before Ranger moved closer.

"The vampire queen." He said.

"What? Of all the messes you had to get yourself into..!" H.E. Archer exclaimed.

"Hey, Her Grace asked me to look into things going on in the north, and lo and behold, she was behind it." Ranger said.

"Take me too! Vampires are vulnerable to holy arts like demons are." Priestess said seriously.

"Which is why you and Goblin Slayer should come as well." Ranger said.

"If Beard-Cutter is coming, then me, Long Ears, and Scaly will come as well." Dwarf Shaman said.

"You sure Scaly can handle the cold?" Warrior asked.

"He did before young Beard-Cutter, he can do it again." Dwarf Shaman said.

"Not sure how Orcbolg will handle vampires though." H.E. Archer said.

"Most of the people I'm bringing just need to distract her and divide her attention, and her powers. But we'll discuss that later..." Ranger said, then Wizard pointed away.

"Hey, there's Goblin Slayer right now...wait a minute..." She said as she looked over the woman he was talking to.

"That's the same noble fencer we were sent to aid, only...she let her hair down for some reason." Warrior said.

"You know her?" Ranger asked.

"Quite well, we even took down a goblin paladin with her team helping us out. She actually wants to meet you." Warrior said, and with that, Ranger's team took him to meet her.

"There you two are!" Noble Fencer exclaimed.

"Yep, we're here, and this...is the Ranger we mentioned." Wizard said, and Noble Fencer looked Ranger over.

"So you're the famous Ranger? The same crazy bastard who got these two involved in what would've otherwise been a suicide mission?" Noble Fencer asked.

"I am, and you are?" Ranger said.

"The birthday girl of course, why would you come here without knowing who I am?" Noble Fencer asked.

"Good point. I've heard you've been getting involved in the adventurer recruitment and training organization throughout the country, with the King himself no less." Ranger said.

"How could I not? My team and I were going to starve the goblins out, but not only did it take far too long, but when these two showed up...although it was a hard knocks lesson, they got us to see how stupid that was. Throw in a goblin paladin and...yeesh." Noble Fencer said.

"Yeah, one time, it took all of us just to kill one paladin." Fighter said.

"You mean the goblin massacre at that farm? I've heard. It must've been a real bloodbath." Noble Fencer said.

"It was, but we had a revenant there to help us." GS said simply.

"A what?" Noble Fencer asked.

"A revenant, a servant of the Death God who helps him carry souls to the afterlife." Wizard said.

"Creepy..." Noble Fencer said.

"But he gave his last breathe to save us, and gave us a taste of what a Platinum Rank is made of." Ranger said.

"Platinum?!" Noble Fencer exclaimed.

"Yep, technically he was stated to be Platinum level, not ranked, but still." Ranger said.

"Shall we have a moment of silence for the man?" Wizard's brother asked seriously and everyone stopped talking. "I'll take that as a yes..."

"Yes...you should." Wizard said with a smile, then Noble Fencer spotted Fighter's ring.

"Wait, you two are married I take it?" Noble Fencer asked.

"Yep, we have a baby daughter at home as well, so...unfortunately we can't stay long." Fighter said.

"Oh well, it was really nice to meet the two of you, and I'd really like to hear more stories in the future." Noble Fencer said.

"Not a problem." Ranger said with a smile, then the music picked up and Bard starts a song that mentions fighting against suffering like it was a flesh-and-blood monster, then to everyone's surprise...Storm Mage appeared and showed that he could sing as well by joining in.

Elsewhere, the man Herbalist Girl mentioned was going through some arcane objects, and eventually looked into the eyes of an iron skull.

"I see...Her Majesty is going to have some trouble soon, and more than a fair amount of it...I have a mission for you..." The man said before turning to a woman with blood red streaks in her black hair and a skin-tight outfit that looked like it was made of hardened flesh.

Hoo boy...another long-ass chapter. In case you don't know, that scene with Ranger's dad training some people is a Full Metal Jacket references, RIP Gunny R. Lee Ermey...anyway...Ranger got to torture some goblins, in the same place they had their first quest...yay, and FYI, that "what's wrong...scared?" line is a Scarecrow reference.

But wait...Storm Mage is starting to put the moves on Sword Maiden, and...if you ask me, while I do respect why some people ship her with Goblin Slayer, I don't. From where I'm standing, her feelings for him are a heat-of-the-moment deal, and a pretty extreme case to boot. Plus...considering Storm Mage's past, he deserves to be with Her Grace more than GS does, especially since he has Cow Girl, again, again from where I'm standing.

You disagree? I won't judge, and I would like the same courtesy please. And no, that whole "Storm Mage stopping the weather" thing is not a Weathering With You reference; that was pure coincidence. Also...Noble Fencer has joined the party and considering that Ranger's team has their noses in anything goblin-related, it not only makes sense for them to be involved in her quest...but the case of her supposedly getting violated? Just like Fighter's case, Noble Fencer's case can go straight to hell where it belongs, and I'm not ashamed of changing that part of the story one bit, and no one can change my mind.

I also think that the team getting super-powered suits is either an unintentional reference to Doom Guy, Iron Man, or both. Eh, whatever, power suits are a dime-a-dozen in fiction and for good reason. Now, sorry this took so long, but I haven't been feeling well; I'm not sick, but I've been a bit beside myself, but I'm getting better, so the next part will not take a century to come out lol. So what will that man and woman I left off with have in store for the team? Find out later, but please...Rate, Review, and Share, spread the hope I'm trying to spread myself, and stayed tuned of course.