Hello people and welcome back to Goblin Slayer: The Team Year 2. It's the moment you've all been waiting for: the siege of the vampire queen's fortress, and if you thought the goblin legion in the first act was insane, just wait...
Review response: Super Saiyan? No. More like Ultra Instinct, as I established before, but...there's actually more to it than what I said. I'll show more in a bit. Like I said: those are just concepts that those two series based their own concepts on; the concepts themselves are at least somewhat realistic, this is just that.
As for Purgatory? The War God sent him dreams before, and let's face it: seeing how serious someone's punishment is first-hand tends to make someone more relieved in a crude sense of the word, although thick chance of Ranger throwing his more cruel tactics out the window entirely. As it was said in Naruto: When a man learns to feel love, he must also bare the risk of feeling hate. Hence why Red Lanterns and Violet Lanterns can be eerily similar.
Yeah, having lesser demons breathing down your neck is a pretty clear sign that something is wrong.
"Welcome back team." Guild Girl said.
"Did you get the word out?" Ranger asked urgently.
"Yes, and quite a few people want to hear what's happening from you." Guild Girl said as she motioned to the various Silver Ranks assembled, including Heavy Warrior, Spearman, Female Knight, and Witch, as well as a few new faces.
"Well, look who's back from the dead. Enjoy your time at the Sword Maiden's feet while we were still busting our asses?" Spearman said as Ranger approached with the team a few steps behind him.
"First off, speak about Her Grace with respect or not at all. Secondly, I was looking after my pregnant wife, and our new daughter. Last, I asked all of you here because of the vampire queen, in case you don't know." Ranger said.
"You mean the same one who took on the Hero and walked away?" Female Knight asked.
"Wait...she survived a fight with the Hero? Then what are we going to do?"Another adventurer asked fearfully, and several others start squabbling in agreement.
"Let the man talk!" Heavy warrior yelled and everyone shut up. "Now, you do have a plan for how to handle a siege on a fortress run by the queen of the bloodsuckers right?"
"Of course. We cannot defeat her directly, but if we scatter our efforts, give her several things to focus on, then the strongest of us hits her in the heart." Ranger said.
"And by "strongest of us" you mean?" Female Knight asked.
"Myself and a few others." Abbot said as he walked in.
"Father? Wasn't expecting to see you here." Warrior said.
"Rest assured people, the Sword Maiden herself will see to it that victory is ours. Not directly mind you, but nevertheless, she will have her hands in this." Abbot said.
"How gracious. The archbishop of the Supreme God granting us boons. This will be quite a show." Witch said.
"So...where do we start?" Heavy Warrior asked.
"For starters, over the past several days, we've been going around recruiting help, and improving our own equipment as usual, but we also have some things for all of you." Ranger said.
"Um, sir? I'm not sure how much use I can be; I'm low on holy water." Priestess said.
"Fear not my child, I have more at my disposal than any of us could use." Abbot said.
"Fetch that water Father, we're going to need every last drop." Fighter said seriously.
"Not a problem. And the Hero will be involved as well. Not now, but at the right time." Abbot said.
"I hope so, because I think she's going to be the crutch in this siege, even if she doesn't deal the killing blow." Ranger said.
"Where's Goblin Slayer?" Wizard asked and her brother barged in, and he was wearing his armored robe that resembled Storm Mage's, and he had his own flanged mace for melee fighting
"Found him!" He said and GS walked in.
"You wanted to see me?" GS asked.
"Yep, how would you like to take on some vampires?" Warrior asked.
"And possibly goblins as well; I did fight some in that territory before." Ranger said.
"I'm in." GS said which amazed the team.
"You feeling alright?" Fighter asked then High Elf Archer showed up.
"Orcbolg's fine. Yours truly can be quite persuasive in case you forgot." She said.
"What did you do this time?" Wizard asked as if annoyed.
"We merely had Sir Goblin Slayer acknowledge that even minor tasks can involve goblin-slaying, and if what we heard is true, there's at least a chance of that very thing to happen." Lizard Priest said as he and Dwarf Shaman walked in.
"I've acknowledged that before." GS said before H.E. Archer leaned on him.
"But you still haven't gotten it through that rock-hard helmet have you? Afterall, even an ogre isn't as troublesome as goblins right?" She said.
"I'm amazed you recall that Long Ears." Dwarf Shaman said.
"Don't start that, I remember things from my childhood." H.E. Archer deadpanned.
"Well, this is all well and good, but how exactly are we supposed to get to the vampire queen's castle if it's all the way up north?" Spearman said before Ranger showed his teleport crystal.
"With this." Ranger said.
"A teleportation crystal, how lucky can you get?" One of the adventurers asked.
"And we'll have three demon hunters joining us later on, but before we go, you should all get whatever you need together, and we'll do the same." Ranger said.
"We're coming too!" Apprentice Cleric said as she and Rookie Warrior showed up. She had her own flanged mace and a foldable shield like Warrior's, and Rookie Warrior had the same greatsword Ranger gave him a year ago. Both had scale armor, but he had a gambeson over his with a temperature regulation enchantment on it, and she had hers blended into her robe. The really interesting thing is that Rookie Warrior had a one-handed axe on his belt, and it looked like it had a frost enchantment.
"You sure you can handle this?" Wizard asked?
"Sure they can, me and Rhea Fighter can stick with them, along with the Heavy here." Her brother said.
"Don't forget me now." Female Knight said playfully.
"Who can forget you...?" Wizard's brother asked.
"Well troops, we have some vampires to put down. So...what's the bounty?" Spearman asked.
"Whatever you can find in the fortress, plus at least 100 silver for each of you." Ranger said.
"Boss?" Wizard exclaimed.
"We can afford it; our two guns cost much more and we still have more than two thirds of our funds left." Ranger said.
"Well, regardless, we're going to need to stop by our old home to stock up." Wizard said as they left.
When they got there, Ranger stocked up the 20 bullets Wizard and her brother were able to replicate, and went upstairs and memories came back as Fighter checked up on him.
"Remember that room?" He said as he pointed to it. "You came back to see me shaving there, after those two jokers hit on you..."
"The first time I let my hair down, for you..." Fighter said softly as she hung on his arm.
"After our first kiss." Ranger whispered before turning to her. "If someone had told me two years ago that I would get married and have a daughter a few months after starting my adventuring career, I would've called them crazy...but still, if I had to, I'd do it all again."
"Things changed quickly don't they?" Fighter said.
"Quickly, and intensely." Ranger said as he held her soft, beautiful hands and stared at them. "Incredible...I've seen you slaughter hobs by the handful, yet you touch our daughter with so little force, that wet paper could withstand it. How?"
"Simple: I love our daughter...and the man who gave her to me." Fighter said while locking their fingers and lunging upwards to kiss him.
"I'll give you as many as you want." Ranger teased and Fighter giggled at him for it. "Although, I hope I don't have to wear another monkey suit too often."
"I happen to think you looked dashing." Fighter teased.
"As long as you think I look dashing outside of a suit, I could give a shit." Ranger teased back.
"You are such a perv..." Fighter said while shaking her head.
"But I'm your perv." Ranger said while he lets go of her hands and pokes one of her breasts and she pokes her chest in return.
"Let's just ready to put down some vampires." Fighter said before turning serious again. "This is going to be the hardest fight we've been part of afterall."
"Well...it's sometimes do or die." Ranger said.
"Here's hoping it's do and not die." Fighter said.
"If things get too nasty, I'll get as many of us out of there with this crystal. Here's hoping our Cherub friend is doing his parts..." Ranger said.
"Did someone doubt me?" Cherub said as he poofed into the room with a playfully sour look in the face.
"Yeah, me. Got a problem with it?" Ranger sassed.
"You have a vampire queen to slay, get to it mister; the Hero is still in the spirit realm facing down some spawn of Hecatoncheir, but she'll be there when Her Majesty gets too involved." Cherub said.
"Good to know." Fighter said before Cherub poofed away. "Way to piss off our angelic friend."
"Eh, he'll get over it." Ranger said casually which made Fighter giggle, especially when Ranger spotted a flask of the same sterility potion he and Fighter used to "safely" make love back in the day, and it was almost half full...which meant that it was used before...
"Now that's the spirit Warrior..." Fighter joked which made Ranger laugh with her.
"Come on, we have some prepping to do..." Ranger said when he got a grip.
The next hour or so was spent doing just that. Ranger and Fighter teleported back home and Ranger was given the miracles of Pestilence, which made the ones caught in the area he targets to die from a crippling sickness which lingers in the area until the last victim dies and no other targets are in the immediate area. Might not be all that useful since his foes are mostly undead, but it might come in handy later on. Another miracle is Implode, which sucks in any targets and launches them away at the end. The most exciting part is the miracle of Army of One, the most powerful miracle the War God can bestow, was finally given to Ranger. Unfortunately it could only used twice in a week, so saying it was a last resort would be an understatement.
Fighter checked on their baby of course, but didn't say good-bye; with the Supreme has her witness, their daughter would not grow up without her parents. She then went outside to he gardens in the back, which were built to resemble the pond at Ranger's home, for obvious reasons. She then meditated on her seven chakras, then on the energy of the natural world around her, and felt her spiritual power mixing with her body's power...and eventually the power of nature itself was being thrown into the mix, and she felt herself getting stronger...much stronger; it became harder and harder to keep herself from trying to flex her muscles, but she stuck to the first rule of meditation: never pay attention to anything outside of your mind until you get where you're going. Her power stopped increasing and when it did, the strain also stopped increasing, and she even felt her senses get sharper.
The world became clearer and more colorful, she heard insects crawling on the ground, she could smell the plants, water, and dirt in the garden, and taste them in the air. She even noticed that she could feel the area around her without even physically touching them; that means she could theoretically see things behind her without needing her eyes! She couldn't wait to test her new power on the vampires and the rest of the undead, and especially when she got a chance to teach Ranger this power, if she could. Speaking of whom, she went inside to see where he was, and followed the same scent she associated with him; the same one she inhaled every morning she woke up in his warm and powerful embrace. When she found him, he was kneeling before a statue of the War God he got his hands on, without a shirt, and holding out his hand covered in blood, and a knife in his other hand; this must be a blood sacrifice of something. The moment she showed up, he snapped his head to her.
"How did you know I was here?" Fighter asked.
"I was told." Ranger said as he stood up and looked her over. "I sense a change in you..."
"I don't know if I mastered it, but I got my hands on a...pretty serious power boost just now." Fighter said with excitement. "I feel damn near unstoppable like this!"
"I'm glad I'm not a vampire then." Ranger said half-jokingly.
"You were close once." Fighter teased before walking up to him and pressing her lips to his. "Remember when we bathed together, after you got back form the north?"
"Oh yes..." Ranger whispered against her lips before latching onto her mouth again.
"I asked if you really got yourself cured." Fighter whispered before kissing him several times.
"If I didn't...well, would you object to me taking blood from you?" Ranger asked.
"Only if you don't take too much." Fighter said seriously. "But I'd be happy knowing my blood was keeping you alive."
"As if you didn't give me enough of a reason to live..." Ranger said before giving her a kiss with actual love in the motions as they held each other close while they poured out their hearts to each other, and when they finally let go...Ranger made a scythe. "There's going to be quite a lot of undead to deal with. Sure could use the Revenant right about now..."
"His sacrifice is yet another reason to come out of this in one piece." Fighter said as she held the scythe with him. "You know...I used to be a bit worried about you."
"Because I wanted to be a fearmonger to the goblins? Don't worry, I promised you I wouldn't stop being the man you fell in love with, and when I make a promise..." Ranger started.
"...You keep it..." Fighter whispered as she looked up at him. "You really are still the man I love."
"Lucky me." Ranger teased which made Fighter giggle, then he put his hand on her lower belly. "I also intend to keep the promise to give you as many children as you want."
"As if I didn't have enough reason to stay with you." Fighter said softly.
"How much stronger do you think this...state you're in makes you? Vampires are roughly six times stronger and faster than I am." Ranger asked.
"I think I can match that in this state, although...I don't know for how long." Fighter said.
"Well...let's not rely on it, especially since Priestess can just empower us, especially with holy water in her inventory." Ranger said.
"Can you imagine the two power boosts staked on top of each other?" Fighter asked.
"Ohhh, I would hate to go up against that. I can't even imagine fighting against a whole team of people with that going for them. That would be a nightmare..." Ranger said.
"But since you're strong and dazzling wife is the one who has this power..." Fighter teased as she pulled him down for a kiss.
"...We are set." Ranger said with a smirk before kissing her again.
"I failed to mention...my senses are also sharper." Fighter said as if a bit overwhelmed.
"Then you should enter this state next time we make love." Ranger said with interest.
"You would probably kill me. Although...that would be a pretty interesting way to go." Fighter said thoughtfully.
"Let's just stop right there..." Ranger said seriously.
"Right...I'm pretty sure this will do just fine." Fighter said.
"In that case..." Ranger said before pulling her down and pressing his lips to hers...again.
Meanwhile, Warrior and Wizard were getting their potions, holy water vials, summon stones, bolts, and bombs ready for action. They even had the enchanted helmets used for their swim merged into their normal headgear, especially the masks, which had an effect on their voices similar to Goblin Slayer's helmet, which was...pretty intimidating; no wonder Goblin Slayer never took off his helmet.
"I'm assuming that killing the vampire queen is going to net us a Gold Rank." Warrior said while holding Wizard close on their bed
"Now that's something to work for." Wizard said seriously, although...the tone she used made him breath hard. "Wow...I felt that."
"You know some sounds you make drive me nuts, and before you say anything, alot of men think that way." Warrior said.
"Right, especially if it comes from their women." Wizard said in the same tone.
"You keep that up I'm going to tear that dress off and have my way with you..." Warrior said.
"Tasteful." Wizard said sarcastically.
"Yeah, I didn't think that through..." Warrior said as if disappointed.
"Apparently. Although you're obviously not a goblin." Wizard said.
"Thanks be to all things holy." Warrior said seriously. "Although...it's a bit of a shame abstinence prior to battle is so important..."
"Tell you want, we win this thing, we take a whole day to ourselves." Wizard said huskily before kissing his cheek.
"If it means I get to fuck you again, I'd fight the vampire queen's fortress twice." Warrior boasted.
"Typical..." Wizard said.
"Hey, women like sex as much as men do...under the right conditions at least." Warrior said seriously.
"Smart word choice." Wizard said honestly.
"Here's hoping no one does what the boss did to that shaman." Warrior said while clutching his groin.
"Yeah...at least he won't have any kids." Wizard teased which made Warrior groan.
"Stop that." He said seriously.
"Alright, alright...although, when the time is right, we should probably have a family of our own. Not now obviously but..." Wizard trailed off.
"Right, well, I'm definitely taking as much care of you as Ranger is of Fighter." Warrior said firmly.
"There's that spark he instilled in you." Wizard said as she snuggled into him. "The spark I cannot help but adore."
"Apparently." Warrior said before kissing the magical girl next to him. "I love you."
"I know..." Wizard teased before they got up and sorted out the rest of their stuff before they started mauling each other...
Priestess resolved to stick with Goblin Slayer and his team, obviously including Lizard Priest, and the dwarf and high elf. None of them had enchanted gear, but that was about to change...Wizard's brother showed up with a necklace for each of them that regulated their body temperature, which was especially helpful for Lizard Priest since he was cold-blooded. H.E. Archer got a set of boots that enabled her to more through the air or across the ground more fluidly, which would hopefully let her shoot while moving. She insisted her bow remain unenchanted since it would feel less natural to shoot if it were to be enchanted. Dwarf Shaman got a belt buckle that made him lighter. H.E. Archer kept ripping on him for being heavy-set, but it was somewhat logical; his frame made him not only harder to move, but also made standing on weaker platforms or objects riskier.
Rhea Fighter was given the same strength-boosting ring Heavy Warrior had, only, she was given one for each hand, as well as the same kind of force-enchanted gauntlets Fighter uses, minus her arm and leg blades. She was also given the same boots H.E. Archer was given, only she had more use for them since she was fighting up-close and personal; she really needed to get a ranged weapon sooner or later...although the force enchantment could make the force of her blows hit foes at a distance, or she could just pick something up and throw it; it's hardly the first time that happened. The icing on the cake was a belt buckle that when turned on, made her invisible, but it wasn't perfect; if she took or threw too many hits, the invisibility would short out.
"...from what I've heard, zombies can only be killed by destroying their brains or removing their heads, anything else would just slow them down." Ranger said to some of the lower ranked adventurers. The Silver Ranks would obviously take point, but some lower ranks would be there as support, or at least be extra sets of eyes, ears, hand, or all three. "The queen apparently doesn't get involved in too much personally, but if we make enough noise, especially in multiple different places, she'll divide her efforts and we'll take down whatever she puts in our way."
"What about that blood she uses?" One of the lower ranks asked.
"Leave that to me; I have acquired new powers that should make short work of it." Ranger said. "Ultimately, we just keep the queen busy until the Hero gets there; the more damage we do before then, the easier the fight with the queen herself will be."
"And if the queen starts giving a shit and gets involved personally?" Spearman asked.
"Then we pray." Ranger said simply and several people start murmuring. "Look, I had a sense the Sword Maiden would get involved right from the start, and I even know how. I'm not allowed to give details for what should be obvious reasons, but...it is entirely possible for her to give us boons, like Witch said."
"Such as?" Heavy Warrior asked.
"No idea. She could use Holy Smite on a gigantic scale, she could empower all of us, she could call an army of angels for all I know. Look, the point is, she helped defeat the Demon Lord, she can help defeat the damn vampire queen." Ranger said with his patience going down the drain.
"So...these new powers, this War God of yours give them to you?" Spearman asked suspiciously.
"Of course he did. If I know him half as well as I should, then we wants the Vampire Queen dealt with more than all of us combined, especially since she's now on the war path." Ranger said seriously.
"What do you mean?" One of the lower ranks asked.
"She kept the people in line out of fear of her getting revenge, but now they're getting bolder; one of the lords, or jarls, up north actually refused to give her a child, and she killed dozens of his people out of spite, and since I got rid of her minions dishing out the carnage, she's likely to get more proactive." Ranger said.
"You mean she's going to wipe out the people herself?" Rookie Warrior asked.
"I don't think so; she may be the strongest by far, but like the Hero, she can't be everywhere at once, so she's likely at her fortress shelling out orders, and even then, she can only get things done at night. On top of that, there's no way the north doesn't have at least some defenses against vampires, otherwise we would've been at this with twice the urgency." Ranger said.
"All this because you stuck your nose in her business." One of the adventurers said and Ranger banged the table so hard the whole thing shook.
"I was sent there by the Sword Maiden herself!" Ranger snapped. "She knew full-well I could handle whatever was going on, as she loves this country even more than I do. Regardless, the vampire queen needs to be stopped. I'm not proud of stirring the pot, but with every god in Heaven as my witness, it's going to be resolved. If any of you don't want to get involved, then don't. If any of you are against the Sword Maiden's judgement, then leave now and pray I never see you again."
No one moved.
"Come now, there's no need to get personal. We should focus on giving this vampire queen what's coming to her." Witch said.
"Right, at the very least we can give her a hell of a headache." Heavy Warrior said with a smile.
"Make that two." Female Knight said.
"Remember how much of a thrill it was to take out that many goblins a year ago people? Well now we get to do the same thing to a pack of vampires, and we get to see the Hero in action!" Heavy Warrior said to the other who all cheered and raised their weapons.
"You ready for this yourself Beard-Cutter? Dwarf Shaman asked.
"Yes." Goblin Slayer said simply.
After they made their game plan, Ranger and Fighter went home to get the rest of their gear, Wizard and her brother had their armored cloaks and masks, and Warrior had his own suit and mask on, now all that was left was for Ranger and Fighter to slap their own masks on, then they watched the lower ranks get some siege equipment ready while Wizard and her brother prepared a portal in the middle of town, and the team, plus the Silver Ranks jumped in.
When they reached the other side, they all looked at the fortress on the same cliff that Ranger saw it for the first time.
"So...that's where the vampire queen lives eh?" Spearman asked as he looked it over.
"Yep, that's where Her soon-to-be-later Majesty hides out." Ranger said as some siege equipment was sent through the portal and Abbot himself came through with it.
"You ready for this Father?" Warrior asked.
"No, I will stay here to protect these people as they prepare the ammunition. I will join when this area is clear enough." Abbot said.
"We'll stay here to lend a spell or two." Witch said as Goblin Slayer's team came through the portal.
"Sheesh! It's cold here!" High Elf Archer exclaimed.
"Thanks be to that young mage for gifting us with these warming necklaces." Lizard Priest said.
"Still, I feel sorry for the poor whelps who have to brave these frigid wastes with their own devices." Dwarf Shaman said.
"As if you'd need a warming necklace with your girth." H.E. Archer snapped.
"Knock it off." Ranger said.
"Maybe we should haul him into one of the catapults and save some trouble." H.E. Archer said.
"I said knock it off!" Ranger snapped. "If you two clowns are going to be at it at a time like this, then stay here as well."
"There is no need to be hasty Sir Ranger. I apologize on my companions' behalf." Lizard Priest said.
"Alright..." Ranger sighed.
"So...where are the goblins?" Goblin Slayer asked.
"Don't know yet, when Wizard gets here-" Her appearing with her brother, Warrior, Fighter and Priestess cut him off. "Speak of the devil..."
"Good news boss. We were able to tune the scroll you made to show everything in that fortress, alive or undead, to our entire team." Wizard said.
"Alright...let's have a look-see." Ranger said as Wizard laid out the scroll, it caught purple fire and then a dim flash was given off, and just like that...the fortress was littered with small purple lights that keep moving, then Goblin Slayer started counting while the lower ranks got to work on the siege equipment and some more Silver Ranks joined the party, and Wizard's brother looked at a cartography device.
"...37...40...51..." GS said.
"Dear Supreme! How many fucking vampires are in this place?!" Warrior exclaimed.
"...52...65...71." GS continued.
"Done yet?" Wizard asked as if annoyed.
"71 vampires in the center." GS said.
"And the sides?" Warrior said then slapped his hands over his mouth.
"8...15...19...26..." GS started.
"You had to ask didn't you...?" Wizard asked.
"Judging from this map, I'd say this place is divided into seven parts: the maze of walls and towers in front of us, the fortress itself, the cliffs we're on right now, those mountains surrounding the place, the caves at their bases, the graveyards at the forest over there, and...some sort of empty space behind the fortress." Wizard's brother said.
"Empty space?" Fighter asked.
"Yeah, you'd think it would be used or at least noted by the vampires but...they're not even touching the place." Wizard's brother said.
"Well, they must have a reason for it." High Elf Archer said.
"Whatever it is, it can't be a good one.." Fighter said.
"I occur Lady Fighter. If the vampire queen is involved than we must treat it with utmost care." Lizard Priest said.
"We should focus on the vampires first, whatever foul sorcery she's brewing in that place can be dealt with at a better time. Maybe when the Hero gets here." Dwarf Shaman said.
"You're right." Lizard Priest said before turning to GS. "Sir Goblin Slayer? Do you see any life in the caves?"
"Yes...there are dozens of goblins that must be ready to come out if anything goes wrong for the vampire queen." GS said. "I'm going there to slay them."
"And so are we." H.E. Archer said. "Can't let you have all the credit can we?"
"I guess not." GS said.
"We'll take the graveyards." Heavy Warrior said as his team approached. "Those zombies won't know what hit them."
"They're zombies, they barely know where their own feet touch the ground." Female Knight said cheekily.
"Your point being?" Heavy Warrior asked rhetorically.
"Relax, with our new tricks, we should be golden." Rookie Warrior said.
"You mean my new tricks; you just got a fancy new set of toys." Apprentice Cleric said.
"Whatever, let's just do this." Rookie Warrior said.
"Be careful too." Abbot said to the two Sapphire Ranks. "Zombies might not be as strong as vampires, but that doesn't mean they should be taken lightly."
"The old man's got a point." Heavy Warrior said before they walked off to the graveyards.
"What about us boss?" Warrior asked and Ranger thought a bit.
"We're going to sneak through the maze and take out any vampires we find." Ranger said then looked at Priestess. "Priestess, we need your holy arts more than everyone else."
"Alright sir." Priestess said.
"Goblin Slayer, you have any potions or bombs with you?" Wizard asked.
"Yes." GS said.
"You didn't take any fire or poison bombs did you?" H.E. Archer asked sharply.
"Of course not, only freeze, flash, or explosive bombs." GS said.
"Good." H.E. Archer said.
"Lady Wizard, may I have one of those summon stones?" Lizard Priest asked.
"Be my guest." Wizard said as she forked one over to him.
"My thanks." Lizard Priest said.
"Well...let's get going before any scouts show up." Warrior said as the last two teams went to their destinations.
Heavy Warrior led the way through the woods to the graveyard, for the better part of 5 minutes, and when they got there, they saw several zombies walking around.
"Anyone have a plan?" Rookie Warrior asked.
"No need; let's just take them out in the open so we run into as few surprises as possible." Heavy Warrior said as he went out to face the zombies. "Hey! Anyone hungry?" The zombies then groaned, walked towards him, and the moment they were in range, H.W. severed, or bisected their heads, mostly with a single swing, but sometimes one-by-one. It never ceased to amazed the two Sapphire Ranks how he swings that gigantic sword with so much ease.
"Well, we're not going to kill any zombies standing here." Female Knight said as she joined the massacre.
"You want to join them?" R.W. asked his partner.
"No, I'm staying here in case we're needed. You?" Apprentice Cleric said.
"You kidding? Someone has to stay and watch your ass." R.W. said with a smirk.
"Aren't you a gentleman...?" A.C. said before they heard furious yelling and the sounds of steel cutting through flesh in the distance.
"Sounds like we've got company." Female Knight said as the two Silver Ranks went to see what the noise was after mowing down the zombies in the area, and when they reached the source of the ruckus...they saw a single man wearing a bear skin over chainmail, wielding an axe and steel-reinforced shield chopping down one zombie after another with an enraged look in the face.
"A berserker? Here of all places." Female Knight said as the two watched the massacre, and when it was done, the two went down to see him.
"What...in the Chief God's name..are you doing here?" Berserker asked as he came down from his battle frenzy.
"We're here to help weaken the vampire queen so our friends can take her down." Heavy Warrior said as the two Sapphire Ranks behind him approach.
"Ha! No one can kill the vampire queen. You'll join all the rest who tried in Heaven's mead hall." Berserker said.
"I wouldn't be too sure of that." Female Knight said with confidence.
"And what would you possibly have that no one else did lass?" Berserker asked.
"Did anyone else have divine intervention from multiple fronts as well as information on what the vampire queen can and can't do on their side?" Female Knight asked.
"Don't know, but bounty and glory upon you should you succeed." Berserker said.
"Excuse me but, are you an adventurer?" R.W. asked.
"Aye, Ruby Ranked I am." Berserker said. "Alas my partner met his end at the hands of these godless corpses."
"Oh, I'm sorry." R.W. said.
"Don't be, he'll feast, boast, and no doubt make an endless amount of love with the warrior maidens whose eyes he catches in Heaven's mead hall." Berserker said.
"Well...good for him, I guess." A.C. said.
"This can't be all the zombies here." Female Knight said.
"Nay, these are but the scrappers. The real songs will be sung of the ones who send the draugrs back to Hell." Berserker said.
"Draugrs?" R.W. asked.
"Aye, the corpses of cursed heroes turned into servants of the Demon Lord. That ought to rattle the vampire queens cage." Berserker said.
"Sounds like a good challenge to me." Heavy Warrior said.
"Then let's waste no more time and kill the damned beasts!" Berserker said as he led the way.
Goblin Slayer meanwhile led his team through some woods of their own and an owl flew through the trees and caught their attention.
"Goblins!" High Elf Archer said and the team snapped their heads to look at dozens coming their way. She climbed a tree as her three teammates charged them and when she got high enough to see them clearly, she took pot shots at them while the others mowed down the little bastards.
GS himself weaved around the goblins like a sewing needle with Lizard Priest tearing through the ones he distracts either with his brute strength, or with the sickle swords he summons. Dwarf Shaman stays back and sprays storms of pebbles at them to either distract them, or just piss them off. He eventually hurls a large rock at them and it rolls over at least 15 of them.
"That's hardly fair!" H.E. Archer yelled.
"It's not my fault you didn't want a better bow Long Ears." Dwarf Shaman said.
"I don't need anything fancy to put these things down!" H.E. Archer said as she put an arrow through a goblin's head. "It wouldn't be as satisfying either."
"Tell that to the Ranger and his ilk." Dwarf Shaman said as he took out his sling and launched more stones at the goblins.
"31...37...42!" GS growled as he kept craving through his prey, and that was certainly the right word. Even without Lizard Priest there to maul the goblins at his side, this was more of a massacre than a battle. Each time a goblin got within ranger, it either had it's head caved in with GS's boot, lost it's head thanks to his sword, was sent flying into another with a shield bash, or was even cut into 3 pieces by Lizard Priest attacking the same goblin as GS.
"I see our thoughts are similar when it comes to which goblin to strike down Sir Goblin Slayer." Lizard Priest said.
"Yeah." GS said as he looked around for more goblins to kill, but there weren't any, then he noticed some survivors and threw an explosive bomb at them and they screamed before being blown to pieces. "That makes 61..."
"That was quite a warm-up eh Orcbolg?" H.E. Archer said.
"There's no way that was all of them. Let's keep moving." GS said as he kept going towards the caves and saw 3 goblins guarding the entrance, and H.E. Archer's ears pricked.
"There's a woman in there, and from the look of things, she's fighting them!" She said as she put an arrow through the 3 guards as her teammates rushed in front of her. When they got inside the cave, they saw a woman punching and kicking the goblins carrying her to the center of a pit where dozens more goblins were laughing as she screamed in terror.
"Let me go you little bastards!" The woman shrieked. "You can all go to hell!"
"I couldn't agree more..." GS growled as he threw a flash bomb into the center and every goblin screamed and covered their eyes. While they were distracted, the team made their move and slaughtered every goblin in the area. They didn't see the faces of their killers but the ones who had time to hear the sounds of their brethren having their bones broken, their flesh torn and smell and feel themselves being bathed in the blood of the fallen screamed in terror and ran in every distraction bumping into each other, tripping over their own feet and making themselves even easier targets for the angry Silver Ranks begging for their deaths. GS finished the job was throwing a freeze bomb at the last batch of goblins who regained their sight only to see the place full of their dead brothers, and then got frostbitten half way and the unfrozen parts of their bodies succumbed to hypothermia in seconds.
The woman meanwhile crawled away into a corner and watched the massacre. She didn't see the flash and...her clothes were perfectly intact for some reason. She backed away and screamed when High Elf Archer dropped down to see to her.
"We're here to get you out of here. You're alright." H.E. Archer said.
"Alright...? Alright?! These things kept me in a cage for hours! They butchered...they burned...they violated countless people and made me watch!" The woman exclaimed with tears running down her face.
"That's not going to happen again." Dwarf Shaman said. "These abominations got exactly what they deserved."
"No...they will never get as much as they deserve...! I curse every god who saw to them being created..." The woman said bitterly.
"Let's go." GS said as he made for the entrance.
"We can't just leave her here!" H.E. Archer exclaimed.
"She's in no mood for company, not even ours. Let's go." GS said.
"Sir Goblin Slayer is right." Lizard Priest said as he turned to the woman. "May this ordeal make your future and past look brighter."
"There is nothing bright about this...nothing bright at all..." The woman said while shaking.
"No there isn't, but that doesn't mean it should stay that way. You can leave now, and we're going to keep looking for more goblins to put down, and now the gods will see to the dead ones here being punished." H.E. Archer said softly.
"Put them all down...and make it hurt." The woman growled
"That's what we do." GS said with his infamous red eye glowing.
Meanwhile, Ranger's team moved through a path made by a series of walls, staying out of the open like it was made of lava, and they got past a quarter of it with almost no trouble. They had a close call or two where a vampire guard nearly spotted them, but that was the worst of it.
"What the-?" Fighter exclaimed as the path to the next section from the one they were in was cut off by a wall that suddenly popped out of the ground gradually.
"Talk about a cold day in hell..." Wizard said. "Firestream!" a torrent of fire spewed out of her glaive and melted the ice.
"Silence." Priestess prayed and the area became much quieter; vampires had hearing that rivaled that of a goblin's, and stealth right now, was the watchword. Eventually, the ice melted and the team could progress...only for a series of spikes launch out of the wall. "Protection!" Priestess puts up a barrier that the spikes bounced off of it. Then the team rushes to the other side.
"Everyone hold hands now!" Ranger ordered, and they all locked arms, and Ranger morphed a harpoon-and-chain and grappled up the wall and Warrior put a crossbow bolt through a guard's heart when they reached the top.
"Well, stealth is officially dead." Warrior said.
"Not necessarily, look." Fighter said and the team looked around...no reinforcements.
"So, what do we do now?" Priestess asked.
"Only thing we can do: assassinate any guards we find. The more we deal with now, the fewer will come back to haunt us later." Ranger said.
"Well, we could climb one of these towers and take pot shots at the guards we spot." Wizard said.
"Worth a shot." Ranger said as he teleported the team to the top of a tower, they killed the two guards there and looked around for any guards to shot, and Ranger, Fighter, and Warrior each used their power shot enchantments to shot vampires that were far enough away, and until they ran out of targets, they took down no less than 11. Eventually, they heard a whooshing sound overhead.
"What...was that?" Wizard said then they saw a mass of light through the walls and with a crash, the tower came down as the team screamed. Whatever they saw just broke the tower's base with it's body mass! They could do nothing except ride the tower down, activate their armors and pray. "Levitate!" Wizard then floated herself and her team to the ground and they rolled along the ground to a stop, and they wound up in a courtyard, and dozens of enslaved soldiers came out to fight them. "Firestorm!" Wizard then launched fireballs in all directions which blew them all to pieces.
"O.k...now stealth is dead." Warrior said.
"Just drop it already." Fighter snapped then she and the others got knocked on their asses and Ranger got picked up and slammed into a wall which knocked the wind out of him, but he saw that it was a massive bat-like creature with arms and legs. It then picked up both Fighter and Priestess and pinned Wizard and Warrior beneath one of it's feet.
"Hey!" It turned to see who called it, and lo and behold...the Hero and her two companions were standing on the wall. "Unless you want to get pulverized, I suggest you let those people go!"
"It's not likely it'll listen to you." Sage deadpanned.
"Not now..." Hero snapped before drawing her sword. "Well, can't say we didn't warn you!"
"You warned it." Sword Saint said.
"Whatever!" Hero yelled before jumping up. "The Hero has arrived!" The bat-creature barely had time to react before it got sliced down the middle by an invisible force.
Dun dun duuuuun...look who finally made an appearance. Anyway, hope you got your fill of goblin blood for this chapter. I said Goblin Slayer would get his time in the spotlight and I just kept my promise. However...I'm just getting started here, both with him, and the siege. You may have noticed the new Berserker OC I threw into the mix, well...I'm just going to say it right now: don't get used to him, I have no major plans for him. Also...Rookie Warrior's ice axe is a reference to Kratos' axe in the newest God of War game, although...it didn't get any use so far, but don't worry, it will. I don't know how yet, but it will get use. So...be sure to Rate, Review, and Share, and hope you're looking forward to seeing how this siege pans out so...stay tuned.