Happy April Fool's Day and welcome back to Goblin Slayer: The Team Year 2. The team sure have one hell of a fish to fry don't they? Not to mention that mystery guy who summoned it. Well...let's get to it shall we?
Review response: Yeah...the Evil Sect better bring their A-game if they're going to fight the team after the stunts they pulled.
I somehow didn't consider the idea of the townsfolk needing therapy, although...Fighter knocked their asses out out, so at least the damage was healed at least a bit, or at the very least was prevented from being worse. As for how it knew about her child...well, it demonstrated that it can read people's feelings, and by extension know what those feelings are towards.
Also...I'm pretty sure Doom Guy would be proud of her for killing the archdemon with it's own horn; that demonic asshole, as the rolling quip goes, sure learned what happens when you threaten Fighter's baby anyway you slice it. She's on her way to becoming a female Doom Slayer herself; she definitely Rip-and-Tear's like one...as if this wasn't enough of a tribute already...
Nevermind smearing goblin blood all over themselves, the team was brutalizing goblins left and right in just about every way you can think of, including ripping out their guts and leaving them to die as they tried to put their guts back inside their abdomens, so...if they kill that beast of a fish, it won't be too bad.
I'm sure Wizard's failures weren't funny to her...although, it's quite an early April Fools Day for her wasn't it?
"This...this is insane...dear Supreme in Heaven..." Wizard whispered while shaking.
"Nevermind doing enough damage, how are we supposed to fight that thing? We're literally out of our element." Warrior asked.
"Who knows...?" Fighter said with some uneasy breathing of her own.
"Let's just return to the Temple of Law..." Ranger said as they went through the portal he opened and Sword Maiden was still there waiting for them.
"Your Grace...what was that thing?" Warrior asked.
"I'll answer that." Cherub said after poofing in.
"Well, don't leave us in the dark-" Cherub barely let Wizard finish.
"A leviathan, and not just any leviathan; the oldest, largest, and most vicious." Cherub said seriously.
"How are we supposed to fight it?" Wizard asked.
"You're not, you're supposed to kill it, and don't tell me one comes before the other; assassins kill without fighting all the time." Cherub said.
"Still...how do we kill something without getting underwater and being at it's mercy?" Ranger asked.
"Get it above water then hit it as hard as you can. Duh." Cherub said.
"Wait, I have a lightning hammer-" Cherub cuts Warrior off.
"You better bring a ton of lightning with you; that leviathan is roughly five miles long." Cherub said.
"Five miles?!" The whole team exclaimed at once.
"You saw the thing with your own eyes. Is it really that hard to believe?" Cherub asked.
"Still, that's quite a number." Fighter said.
"Hey boss? Can you use that Army of One miracle again?" Wizard asked.
"Yes, but only once more this week, so it's only if I absolutely need it." Ranger said.
"Right. Wizard said.
"Well, here's hoping it doesn't really matter." Warrior said.
"If you're going to fight this thing, you're going to need some help; you all might be powerful, but this leviathan isn't just large, it's also incredibly durable; a normal sword or even a ballista would be useless. I've seen some ships that were sunk shooting ballistas, or even large guns called cannons at it, and the leviathan wasn't even phased by it." Cherub said.
"O.k...that's just great." Fighter said.
"Wait...what about my new sword?" Warrior asked.
"That might work." Cherub said.
"Then could you please show me how to replicate the effect?" Wizard pleaded.
"As long as you promise not to abuse it." Cherub said seriously.
"Yes." Wizard said honestly.
"Then hold still." Cherub said before flying towards her, and lightly poking her forehead, his fingertip glowed, and Wizard snapped her eyes open and sucked in a breath.
"Whoa...I know how to do it now..." Wizard said under her breath.
"What did you do?" Ranger asked.
"I gave her the knowledge of how to replicate the effect. What's it look like I did?" Cherub said with a raised eyebrow.
"Smart alec..." Ranger said dryly.
"You have a fish to fry. Get hopping." Cherub said before poofing away.
"Dammit!" Ranger yelled.
"What?" Fighter asked.
"He left before I could ask him about the man I saw." Ranger said.
"What man?" Wizard asked.
"I saw...some sort of phantom image of a man floating in mid-air, just before the leviathan attacked." Ranger said.
"We didn't see any man." Warrior said.
"Probably because you weren't looking, then again...he also spoke some sort of language I didn't know." Ranger said.
"Probably the language of the Demon Lord. The demons have their own language just like all races do, and those that learn it, can use unspeakably dark magic, including the power to control minds." Sword Maiden said.
"So...this man is controlling the leviathan and commanding it to attack ships?" Ranger asked with alarm.
"Most likely." Sword Maiden said.
"That's spooky..." Fighter said.
"Well, we'll deal with him later, first...we have a fish to fry." Warrior said
"Should...we get Goblin Slayer and company in on this?" Wizard asked.
"He's not going to want to fight a gigantic fish monster." Warrior said.
"We might get jumped by some of those hell goblins on the way, and he'll be on board for that any day." Fighter said.
"Good point." Warrior said.
"Then it's settled. Find him and his team, and stop that leviathan before any more lives are lost." Sword Maiden said seriously before Ranger opened a portal to the frontier, and the team went to the guild hall.
"Welcome back team." Guild Girl said warmly.
"Is Goblin Slayer here?" Ranger asked.
"He...should be around- oh, there he is." Guild Girl said as she spotted GS standing there as if waiting for someone...without his armor. Everyone knew what he looked like now, so there was no point hiding his face now.
"Goblin Slayer, do we have a quest for you." Warrior said.
"What is it?" GS asked.
"A leviathan." Warrior said.
"What's that?" GS asked.
"A giant fish monster that's tearing through ships to and from the oceanic city." Wizard said.
"No goblins?" GS asked.
"There might be; those hell rifts can appear anywhere remember?" Fighter said.
"Give me a moment first." GS said.
"For what?" Ranger asked.
"My armor is being worked on." GS said simply.
"O.k...you really need to let me work on it; it could save you time, effort, and money in the long run, and that smith you hired can serve people other than you." Wizard said.
"Maybe." GS said.
"If you had earlier, we would be on our way by now!" Wizard exclaimed.
"Maybe." GS said.
"Oh for crying out loud..." Wizard said under her breath.
"Give it a rest baby." Warrior said as he put a hand on her shoulder and she eased up a bit.
"Sir Ranger! It is good to see you and your friends again." Lizard Priest said as he came down the stairs before his two companions.
"And what's this leviathan I heard about doing on this world?" High Elf Archer asked seriously.
"What do you mean?" Ranger asked.
"According to legend, the leviathans are abyssal creatures spawned from the deepest, darkest pit of Hell. What are they doing here?" H.E. Archer asked.
"Your guess is probably better than mine, but it needs to be stopped regardless." Ranger said.
"Well, count us in. How about you Beard-Cutter?" Dwarf Shaman asked.
"I guess." GS said.
"Well, let's go get Priestess and break the news to her." Fighter said.
"But before we go...do any of you know where the oceanic city is?" Ranger asked.
"Unfortunately no." Lizard Priest said, then Dwarf Shaman shook his head.
"I'm lost too." H.E. Archer said, then Ranger went to Guild Girl.
"Yes?" She asked.
"Do you know where the oceanic city is?" Ranger asked then Guild Girl sifted through a collection of maps.
"Here it is." She said before handing it over.
"This checks out." Ranger said.
"May I ask?" Guild Girl asked.
"A leviathan." Ranger said and her eyes widened.
"But...I thought those were a myth." Guild Girl said with disbelief.
"They're real alright; we saw one with our own eyes." Ranger said seriously.
"And it's destroying ships left and right along the oceanic city's coast." Fighter said.
"No..." Guild Girl whispered.
"Don't worry, we're going to stop it. I don't know how, but we'll think of something." Ranger said.
"I wish you the best of luck..." Guild Girl said seriously as Ranger and GS' teams left.
"Unfortunately I need a visualization of where I'm supposed to be, and this map doesn't do much. How's my horse?" Ranger asked Warrior.
"I looked after her as if I raised her myself boss." Warrior said.
"It's true; I even gave him a hand." Wizard said.
"In that case, we're going to need a ride." Ranger said.
"And maybe when this is over we could pay a visit to that collection of beach houses Wizard made a gateway to?" H.E. Archer asked.
"A beach would be a pleasant place to get some rest." Lizard Priest said.
"I thought your people didn't stick to beaches Scaly?" Dwarf Shaman asked.
"We don't, but as cold-blooded creatures, we do enjoy the difference in climate if the time is right." Lizard Priest said.
"Well, I for one would love to get some sun." H.E. Archer said softly.
"What about you Sir Goblin Slayer?" Lizard Priest asked.
"Maybe." GS said.
"Oh come on, you have to learn to enjoy yourself outside of killing goblins Orcbolg." H.E. Archer said cheekily.
"Right." GS said before going to get his stuff when an apprentice smith signaled him.
"And he's off..." Warrior said dryly.
"Well, let's set up my horse and wait for him and Priestess to show up." Ranger said.
"I'll get my brother and Rhea Fighter." Wizard said.
"And I'll go get Priestess." Fighter said as she ran to the temple as the rest set up the horse and cart for the trip.
"I knew we should have joined the vampire queen against the Hero the first time." Warlock said to the silver-haired man as they both overlooked the excavation, done by slaves...
"And if you had found the husk of the Demon Lord's pet like you were supposed to a year ago, we would have been able to!" The man exclaimed.
"To think she'd fall to a pack of little girls and a brat..." Warlock said.
"That "pack of little girls and a brat" are clearly strong enough to pull off feats worthy of a Platinum Rank adventurer. You would be wise to remember that. I am amazed the Demon Lord puts up with all of you. He would shred your souls and scatter the pieces across the world if he knew what I knew." The man said.
"Well, he's not here is he?" Warlock said smugly before the man gripped his hand.
"Care is well-advised, Warlock. Do not forget it was by my doing you returned from the grave. You owe me more than you owe your mother." The man said sharply as the man's hand rapidly decayed then was restored when the man let go. "Now, from what I've heard, there will be a festival celebrating this Ranger person's victory over Her late Majesty, this will be a golden opportunity."
"We should hit them then and there!" Warlock said.
"No. The leviathan will handle him and his team." The man said.
"What if they kill the beast?" Warlock asked.
"What if they do? I always had a feeling they would be a match for it, but as far as I'm concerned, it's a win-win." The man said.
"Oh?" Warlock said.
"Think about it. If it kills them, then we have nothing to worry about by default. If it doesn't, we'll get a sense of what we're dealing with. Either way...it will be a victory." The man said.
"What if the Sword Maiden intervenes again?" Warlock asked.
"She will not. The last time she did, she burned out her powers; only the intervention of others protected her from the goblin assault. But even if she regains her full power, it will not be before I obtain the husk from the Pope." The man said.
"Excellent! I can taste our victory already." Warlock said with glee.
"Do not get too confident. We have not obtained our victory until we have obtained our victory. Come, we have ruins to restore..." The man said.
Meanwhile, the hybrid team was riding to the oceanic city which was going to take an average of three hours, and who knows what happen in that time?
"It just occurred to me that this oceanic city will be a place we set up new assets, like we did in Water Town." Wizard said.
"That's a good point." Priestess said seriously.
"We'll see what happens. Although...a gateway could be called for." Ranger said.
"Me and Wizard might even move there, if things are well enough. Sheesh, look at us, we go from high-tier adventurers to potential tycoons...how?" Warrior said.
"It's called being ambitious." H.E. Archer teased.
"You don't say..." Warrior said dryly.
"Depending on what this oceanic city is like, that's not a bad idea." Priestess said.
"So, anything new?" Ranger asked
"Actually, I actually looked into illusion magic a bit more in my spare time, and...holy shit..." Wizard said.
"What did you discover Lady Wizard?" Lizard Priest asked.
"Well, usually it's done to play tricks on people, either inside, or outside of battle, but when it's used in battle, it either gives a...pretty obvious edge over your enemy. Afterall, how do you beat someone when you can't even trust your senses?" Wizard asked.
"Good point. Just the idea is pretty scary." Dwarf Shaman said.
"Now, the lesser spells can be broken simply by the target's awareness of the fact they're under the spell, but the higher-lever ones? Totally different story." Wizard said.
"Dare I ask?" Fighter said.
"Well...in extreme cases they can cause so much psychological trauma that it physically damages their brain." Wizard said.
"Yikes!" Fighter exclaimed and several others got pale as well.
"Not only that, but people caught in a high-level illusion spell are actually aware of the fact they're under the effects of one...but can't do anything about it." Wizard said.
"Sounds like something to use against the goblins." Ranger said.
"I agree." GS said.
"Typical..." H.E. Archer said.
"Hey, I used my fair share of illusion magic. A Rage and Fear spell respectively." Ranger said.
"Please don't remind us." Wizard's brother said.
"Anyway, illusion magic can be used benevolently, like all magic types, like showing someone memories, like the event recallers, or in the best cases, healing minds with some sort of powerful knowledge." Wizard said.
"Oh?" Fighter said.
"Say you go through something...really bad, and you can't deal with it, then you learn how to deal with it. Well, thanks to illusion magic, you can share your newfound wisdom with others, and boom, they're equipped to deal with whatever you went through." Wizard said.
"Sounds good on paper, but does it work?" Ranger asked.
"I'm not sure, but I'd kill a legion of goblins by myself to learn if that's doable." Wizard said.
"At this rate, you might be able to." Fighter said with a smile, which was returned.
"I for one would love to see that." Warrior said.
"As would I Lady Wizard." Lizard Priest said.
"O.k. o.k...I get the point." Wizard said while flushed.
"Regardless, illusion magic is fairly controversial, hence why we haven't spoken about it out in the open all this time. Even healing minds with it is probably going to divide opinions." Wizard's brother said.
"But...using magic to heal minds-" Wizard cuts H.E. Archer off.
"People don't like having their minds messed with, period. To some people, magic isn't natural, and by default, isn't trustworthy, especially if it's used intimately." Wizard said.
"And what could be more intimate than messing with people's heads...?" Warrior said.
"Right, some people get disturbed by the thought; if it were to actually be used on them...they'd probably go berserk." Wizard said.
"This...illusion magic that damages the brain sounds like it's own slice of Purgatory, and the idea of healing PTSD sounds like a complete shoo-in for a holy person to have." Ranger said thoughtfully.
"Indeed, each end of that spectrum is intriguing, but I pray to every god in existence that the former knowledge does not fall into the wrong hands." Lizard Priest said.
"So do I." Priestess said softly. The poor girl must be shaking like a leaf inside; even Ranger was a bit disturbed by the thought of someone being traumatized that badly, especially for someone's sadistic game.
"Also...Summoner stopped by and taught me a thing or two about that World Spawn thingie he summoned at the vampire queen's fortress." Wizard's brother said.
"Me too." Wizard said.
"And?" Fighter asked.
"According to him, the World Spawn is, without contest, the most powerful creature that can be summoned with arcane means alone." Wizard's brother said.
"It also uses fire, water, earth, air, and sometimes ice and lightning, not to mention it's as big as a tree, at least, and does not lose speed because of it's bulk; it's actually about twice as fast as a horse at top speed, maybe even three times." Wizard said.
"Holy shit on a stick! And you both learned how to make one?" Warrior exclaimed.
"Not yet, but once we do...the Evil Sect had better watch it." Wizard's brother said with pride.
"Don't get cocky. We had to band together, use high-end abilities, sharp tactics, or all three at the same time to conquer our foes so far, and that's not likely to change anything some. Brute force approaches might be attractive, but that alone is going to get you only so far." Ranger said.
"Yeah, yeah, we hear you. but think of the perks, especially if the two of us draw power from the World Spawns; we'd be our own armies!" Wizard's brother said.
"That would be a sight to behold alright." H.E. Archer said as she leaned back.
"See? Long Ears gets the message." Dwarf Shaman said.
"Very funny." H.E. Archer said.
"I was also given the miracle of Purge while you were away." Priestess said.
"Purge? That sounds like what the Abbot used during the time we watched him fight off those demons when we met him." Warrior said.
"You remember that?" Fighter teased.
"It's hard not to! That fight blows my mind to this day." Warrior said.
"Although...Restoration is the only one I have yet to acquire.
"Isn't Restoration what the Sword Maiden used during our fight with the vampire queen?" Wizard asked.
"Yes, but I doubt I can make it that powerful." Priestess said.
"You don't have to." Ranger said.
"Right...just the fact that you can save our skins with it is good enough." Fighter said as she rubbed the younger girl's arm as they side-hugged.
About an hour later, the team stopped at a clearing, Ranger gave the horse some fruits and veggies, and some water from a large bag, as the team set up to have their own lunch. Warrior and Lizard Priest looked around for firewood so they can cook some things, Fighter and Priestess kept an eye peeled for any hell rifts, H.E. Archer and Dwarf Shaman actually cooperated well enough during their camp's set-up that no one got a headache from their ramblings. Ranger then joined the set-up when his horse was satisfied. GS then helped him bring some food with Fighter and Priestess joining as well.
"Oh...sweet nectar!" Lizard Priest said as he ate some cheese-covered meat and slammed his tail into he ground.
"Do you ever get sick of that stuff?" Rhea Fighter asked amused.
"Not at all..." Lizard Priest said in bliss.
"We also had ice cream made every now and then, and...it is all the rage; the stall we have set up almost every afternoon is practically exploding with people each time we open it." Wizard's brother said.
"Especially since we practically give it away; we make so much coin that we barely know what to do with it, so we sell the stuff for chump change basically." Warrior said.
"Aren't you guys generous?" Fighter said.
"You are clearly doing the gods' work, giving such away such a delicacy." Lizard Priest said seriously.
"It's a shame we rarely get to talk about these things so freely." Priestess said somberly.
"Well, to be fair, we don't get many chances, what with the country needing to be supported and business coming between us, not to mention...things just don't come to mind." Wizard said.
"Still, the five of us are practically family; we were with each other since the beginning, and I would love to see us remain this close." Priestess said and Fighter put her hand on her shoulder.
"Hey...we're here now, and we're not drifting apart anytime soon. Even if life comes between us, we're still the team you know... o.k?" Fighter said.
"O.k..." Priestess said with a small smile as Fighter hugged her surrogate little sister.
"Aren't you guys adorable?" H.E. Archer said seriously.
"Give them their moment Long Ears; you can practically feel how close they are from here." Dwarf Shaman said.
"The only person I feel close to me is you, though I could probably feel you being close from the other side of the field." H.E. Archer said.
"Knock it off you two." Ranger said seriously.
"Is something wrong boss?" Warrior asked and Ranger sighed.
"Well, before I say my problem, I do agree with my wife; we are the team that aided Goblin Slayer's campaign, and look what we have to show for it. We're this close to Gold, or in my case, quite possibly a Platinum Rank-" H.E. Archer cuts him off with an exclamation.
"Why didn't you tell us this before?" She asked.
"I didn't get the chance to." Ranger said simply.
"Still, congratulations Sir Ranger. You will be the 11th Platinum Rank in history." Lizard Priest said with reverence.
"So I've heard. I cannot believe I was Porcelain Ranked just over a year ago..." Ranger said.
"We all were, and thanks to you, our great and honorable leader...here we are." Warrior said and Ranger couldn't help but smile.
"Anyway...part of why I agreed to ask Goblin Slayer along is that he's a master of improvisation, and we're probably going to need it." Ranger said.
"Can you treat it like a goblin?" GS asked and several people groaned.
"How can you treat a colossal fish monster like a goblin?" Warrior asked.
"I don't know." GS said.
"You can't!" Warrior, Wizard, her brother, Fighter, and H.E. Archer all said at once.
"Oh..." GS said.
"You're hopeless..." Fighter said.
"Anyway, apparently people actually shot the monster with ballistas, and even cannons, and it wasn't even tickled." Ranger said.
"Eh, considering what you did to the vampire queen's home, it's probably going to get "tickled" all over the sea." Warrior said half-jokingly.
"I can't just pull the Army of One miracle out of my ass." Ranger said seriously.
"Can't you just pray for another- Ranger cut Priestess off.
"No, Army of One isn't some trick card I can slip into one sleeve and pull out the other; it's practically a world-ender." Ranger said.
"Good Ranger...if you need to use the power you were given, then use it. There is no shame in using this kind to power when you need it in the moment, even if you might need it later." Dwarf Shaman said.
"I'm not using it unless there's no other option, end of story. If you want me to use it, exhaust every other option first." Ranger said.
"It is his power Sir Mage, therefore it is his responsibility to use it as he sees fit, and be willing to both face the consequences and reap the rewards that come his way." Lizard Priest said.
"Alright alright." Dwarf Shaman said.
"Another option could be our chakras." Fighter said.
"Oh yeah, that's right! Our chakras opening might make you and me an Army of On- I mean Two." Rhea Fighter said.
"O.k. I've got to learn to do that someday..." Warrior said.
"Hey, once I upgrade your suit fully, you'll probably be Hero-level normally." Wizard said.
"That, plus the chakras would be even more beastly." Warrior said.
"Don't get greedy now." Fighter said with a small chuckle, then several hell rifts opened behind them and Priestess put some holy water on her staff as the teams braced for a fight, and Lizard Priest summoned a Dragontooth warrior to fight with them. Next thing they knew, dozens of hell goblins poured out of them and charged the team, and Warrior morphed a crossbow, and opened fire as Fighter and H.E. Archer shot arrows at the goblins. GS, Lizard Priest and the summoned warrior crave through the goblins while they were getting shot at. Dwarf Shaman slung rocks at the goblins to boot, Priestess shined holy light on them to weaken them after pouring holy water on her staff, and Ranger himself pulled his pistol and blew the goblins' brains out one by one. He eventually ran out of bullets and put it away so it could remake it's ammo, then morphed his blades, and joined the slaughterfest by punching and kicking the goblins to a paste, as a hell shroud appeared, and four hell goblin champions appeared and...they looked familiar...
"Wait...those are the same ones the Revenant killed at the farm a year ago!" H.E. Archer exclaimed as a larger portal appeared and a goblin paladin showed up.
"Oh shit, somebody upgraded." Warrior said in awe as Ranger pulled his gun, opened fire, and the bullets bounced off the paladin's armor, and it got mad and yelled at the "sky", and the champions each surged with hell energy, and Priestess evened the odds with an Empower miracle, and Fighter and Warrior de-morphed their weapons, Warrior pulled his sword as Fighter popped her arm and leg blades and they joined the massacre. Wizard and her brother summoned elementals and familiars to help out as the champions got involved. The paladin pulled a pair of large, serrated swords and shredded the familiars with grace that rivaled Ranger's, whom had to engage the paladin up-close with a greatsword, since he was the only one strong enough to do so. The champions were occupied by a stone elemental, one for each of them, but they two struggling sides actually got smart and hit opponents their teammates were occupied with. Rhea Fighter was trying to open her chakras, but the noise was making it hard to open the chakra blocked by fear, and without it...the rest won't follow.
"I'm running out of arrows!" H.E. Archer yelled, then Wizard's brother bashed a goblin that snuck up on her with his flanged mace.
"Give some to me, I'll get you more with this." He said as the elf gave the last of her arrows to him, and he put his mace on them. "Dwarf. Give me some rocks."
"Alright." Dwarf Shaman said as he made some rocks, shattered them into smaller ones, and handed them over.
"Transmute." Wizard's brother said as the stones turned into copies of the arrows.
"Well that ever not be useful?" H.E. Archer asked.
"Not likely." Wizard's brother said with pride as the elf got back to shooting, and Wizard's brother bashed more goblins down as he morphed his armor just as a goblin tried to spear him. "Surprise bitch!" He then bashed it's brains in as a squirrel familiar he summoned showed up carrying some arrows and bolts shot at the goblins and returned them to their owners.
Meanwhile, GS chopped down one hell goblin after another, then climbed up one of the distracted champions, and blew it's brains out with his shotgun, and once he did, it was the beginning of the end for the champions. The elemental it was fighting grabbed another champion, and it, and the elemental that champion was fighting pinned it down and beat it to death, then turned to another champion, clobbered it, and the last one actually absorbed power from the three fallen champions, and destroyed each elemental with one punch for each of them.
"Hey! That's not fair! Oh who am I kidding? I can do that too." Wizard said as she absorbed power from the elementals' husks, braced her glaive, and charged into the crowd of goblins with her armor morphed and plowed through each one like they were made of rubber, and clashed with the champion over and over as Ranger engaged the paladin in a frenzy of blows, jumps, flips, and swings.
"How many of these damned things are coming?" Warrior yelled as he craved through the hell goblins by the dozen.
"Just keep swinging that blade!" Fighter yelled as she shredded, clobbered, and stomped the hell goblins.
Wizard ducked an axe swing from the champion that wound up killing several of it's own allies who tried to jump on her from behind, then Wizard stabbed the champion's shin, moved back before she could get grabbed, cut into it's forearm halfway, stabbed it repeatedly in the gut, through it's armor, if you can even call it that, focused her energy into the glaive, then stabbed it in the chest, which caused a small explosion in it's chest and sprayed some blood out of it's wounds, but not much else as it fell down. Then she turned to the enraged goblins looking to avenge their fallen brother, only to be swept away by her spinning her glaive like a fan blade, swinging from side-to-side, diagonally, or both, if they weren't just plain stabbed and flung into another goblin.
Ranger meanwhile was struggling to keep himself alive for one of the few times in recent memory; a goblin paladin was hard with a whole team fighting a non-empowered one at the farm a year ago. He eventually backed up, made his greatsword slightly larger than he was, jumped up, and threw it at the goblin paladin, who took a direct hit, but was still kicking. He then harpooned it, came down with a morphed gauntlet, punched it square in the face which knocked it down, then the paladin landed a kick which made Ranger fly back a dozen feet and roll across the ground, then Ranger threw several morphed one-handed scythes at it as a distraction, then pulled his gun, shot it several times, with one bullet hitting an eye which actually regenerated, but it didn't matter. Ranger then recalled his thrown weapons, morphed them into a pair of dual swords he heated up, then swung at the paladin which made waves of heat fly at it to distract it some more, and the paladin eventually has enough and charges at Ranger...but that's what he was hoping for. He threw a Fear spell at it, hitting it right in the face, and it coughed several times, then started to freak out and swing wildly at the air.
"Wizard! Now!" Ranger yelled and Wizard prepared a magic trap as Ranger cut down the goblins trying to stop here, and when Wizard finished, she throw it in the paladin's direction and when the paladin stepped on it...it sank into the ground, and got crushed between the walls.
"Great Lord of Justice. Lend me the strength to cleanse the corrupt and aid the pure in this struggle between them. Purge!" Priestess prayed and a burst of holy energy washed over the team, vaporized the goblins, removed the hell shroud, and partially closed the portals then she collapsed to her knees.
"Priestess!" Fighter yelled as she rushed over to her. "Are you alright?"
"I will be..." Priestess said as she tried catching her breath and Fighter held her upright.
"Well, how are we going to get those rifts closed?" H.E. Archer asked then Cherub poofed in and cleared his throat.
"Wings, reality control powers, holy magic, these things mean anything to you?" He asked.
"Where were you in the start?" H.E. Archer asked.
"I may be powerful, but I'm not an adventurer; you people need the experience more than you need me to save your bacon." Cherub said dryly then launched a burst of holy magic at the rifts, closing them. "There. Now you can be on your way. Next time you better not give me as much lip..." He then poofed away.
"Nice to see him in as nice a mood as ever. Says the girl who's the same way a good chunk of the time..." Wizard said and got some funny looks. "Hey I'm allowed to make fun of myself."
The team got back in the cart and hit the road again, and as twilight neared it's end, they saw the oceanic city. It was a melting pot of different cultures, mostly dwarven and human, with an enclave of elven mages who kept to themselves thrown into the mix. Their presence was fairly controversial; some people believed they were conspiring with the Evil Sect in secret, but others believed they were keeping an eye on them. Either way, they were causing no problems directly for the people; Wizard could sense nothing magical going on in town, and she was attuned to arcane forces more than anyone. They then got their hands on some temporary housing for their mission first-thing in the morning, but Ranger and Fighter of course had no intention of staying there; they had a baby to look after, and a way to portal back there, which they did once the rest of their team got settled; they could check in with everyone noteworthy in the morning. Ranger then checked on their baby who was sound asleep before joining his wife in bed after they shed their outfits, and then snuggled up to each other in bed.
Sword Maiden meanwhile was waiting in her chamber sitting on her bed looking out the window at the twin moons waiting for her protector to return, then she heard the door open...
"Sword Maiden? I'm back." Storm Mage said as he came in and Sword Maiden stood up while still looking at the moons.
"Come here..." She breathed out as he walked towards her, stood by her, took her hand before she slowly moved towards him and pressed her lips to his with zero force, as he embraced her back and ran his hands through her hair as they stood there basking in each other's warmth, she then reluctantly broke the kiss. "Remove your armor..." He backed up and snapped each major buckle keeping his armor attached, leaving only his undersuit on his body, then he went to hold her again then she stopped him.
"Your Grace?" Storm Mage said puzzled before Sword Maiden shed her dress, leaving her completely bare-skinned before her guardian and lover, before laying down straight as if waiting.
"I'm ready..." She whispered before Storm Mage shed his undersuit and joined her on the bed, touched her face and lightly kissed her as he laid down on top of her, pressing his iron muscles into her supple flesh.. She moaned as soon as she felt him do so, and chuckled when he adjusted his manhood to lay down against her body instead of poking her.
"I'm a man; I have a muscle that flexes by itself, o.k.?" Storm Mage said half-jokingly as Sword Maiden chuckled more.
"I know, but it's still amusing." Sword Maiden said trying to get a grip.
"You're hopeless." Storm Mage said.
"Thanks to you...hope is all I know. Hope...and love..." Sword Maiden said softly before pulling him back down to kiss him again, and he gave her multiple kisses in secession while stroking her face. "Touch me..." He then gripped one of her breasts and gave it slow but strong, and through squeezes which made her groan with pleasure. He then broke the kiss to hear her groan more clearly, then he kissed up and down her neck until he reached her spare breast and sucked and licked her nipple which made her tense up and hold his head.
"Oh yes...! Yes! Keep going...!" She gasped as he licked her nipples fervently before switching to the other and squeezed the one he finished licking until she actually squirted out some milk from each breast... which he licked up."How is it...?"
"It might not have any serious taste...but it doesn't have to." Storm Mage said softly as he kept squeezing her breasts, then he kissed her again before she stuck her tongue into his mouth and held his head as he stopped squeezing her breasts to give her a break, then he wrapped his arms around her as she gave space between her and her hair that was pressed against the bed. This was her own personal heaven. Her, in a space she can call her own being loved by one of the most powerful men she's ever met, who proved he could protect and save her from even her greatest nightmares. A man who knew her body inside and out and was doing nothing but use their bodies as instruments of divine bliss, instead of hellish perversion. The contrast was so strong, she was amazed the world wasn't destroyed by it.
"Keep touching me. I want this night to be the same as it was in the bath..." Sword Maiden said.
"Of course..." Storm Mage said before stroking her belly and sides, making her giggle from the ticklishness. Then he kept kissing her neck as she gasped and held his head again. He eventually got off of her and massaged her legs, especially her outer...and inner thighs making her gasp and moan even more. The blissful and relaxed look on her face was all the motivation he needed. "You should see herself Sword Maiden..."
"I am certain the look on my face reflects the bliss I feel, thanks to you..." Sword Maiden said softly.
"There is plenty more bliss to come...my cherished Sword Maiden." Storm Mage said before going down to her feet and squeezing them gently and Sword Maiden simply gave off a throaty chuckle; the feet were sensitive of course, but he made no effort to tickle her, although that was probably unavoidable in the end. "Flip over..." Sword Maiden did just that, and he brushed the hair off her back and his eyes feasted on the sight of her long hair splayed out a bit like wings, then he got back to massaging her legs, and eventually her wide, round, and supremely fleshy buttocks. She started chuckling and moaning as soon as he pressed his hands into her cheeks and fondled them from each angle. "Was this worth the wait?"
"I would wait twice as long for this..." Sword Maiden groaned.
"Would you like me to stroke you between the legs again, or...should I actually connect to you?" Storm Mage asked and Sword Maiden started thinking.
"Did you already take some potion?" She asked.
"No. Until I know for sure you're ready, I won't even consider taking a drink." Storm Mage said seriously.
"Then...why ask if you can connect to me?" Sword Maiden asked.
"I'm willing to put myself inside you for a moment or two, just to give you a chance to get used to it, but that's all." Storm Mage said.
"Then do it...connect us, before I change my mind..." Sword Maiden said seriously but nervously before Storm Mage rose her lower body off the bed, and pushed into her moist womanhood slowly and she groaned a bit and breathed heavily.
"Your Grace?" Storm Mage asked with concern.
"Don't move! I'll be fine...like before, I need to face this..." Sword Maiden said while shaking and breathing hard.
"O.k...if you say so..." Storm Mage said as he held perfectly still and watched her get a grip slowly but steadily. "Remember who you're with..."
"I cannot forget." Sword Maiden said softly as she focused on the pleasure she felt earlier. "Please remove yourself now." Storm Mage pulled out of her right away, let her slouch down to the bed and laid down next to her as she hugged him close and started weeping quietly. "I'm so sorry..."
"You have nothing to apologize for. I said I'm here for you, and I meant every word." Storm Mage said softly as he held the crying woman as close as he could.
"I want this. I want to experience proper love-making more than anything, but...how can I?" Sword Maiden asked with anger and despair in her voice.
"You can get through this, and I'll help you through this for years if I must." Storm Mage said firmly.
"Really?" Sword Maiden asked.
"Yes..." Storm Mage said before kissing her forehead and drying her tears with his thumb. "That's how love works."
"Thank you so much..." Sword Maiden said before tearing up a second time while kissing him and holding his hand as they snuggled into each other and he pulled the blankets over them. "I think I'll get through this eventually, but until then...don't stop touching my body. I love it as much as you do." To prove her point, she took the hand she has holding and put it on her butt, and he fondled her flesh and listened to her chuckle before she kissed his neck.
"I will never stop pleasing you Sword Maiden, nor will I stop being grateful for the chance to touch this divine body of yours..." Storm Mage said with softness and lust in his voice as he lifted her chin to kiss her lips.
In the morning, Ranger and Fighter woke up to each other's smiles again.
"One more day...just one more day, and we get our new ranks." Ranger said as his throat woke up with him.
"First, we have a fish to fry." Fighter said with confidence.
"Careful, you keep talking like that, I'm going to hammer you into the mattress." Ranger softly growled out.
"I wonder why that sounds familiar?" Fighter teased.
"You heard it before after we gave the queen's head to the king." Ranger said.
"Wow...that sounded like a line from a novel." Fighter said seriously.
"Might as well be. Now...let's get back to the oceanic city and fry that fish." Ranger said
"What about our baby?" Fighter asked.
"Already done. Me and Songstress handled her while you were asleep. Despite the language barrier..." Ranger said.
"Let me guess: you gave each other signals instead of talking?" Fighter asked.
"Give the girl a prize." Ranger said before Fighter stole a kiss. "Smartass." He then lightly gripped her butt.
"Literally." Fighter teased before Ranger opened a portal to the apartment building the teams were at, and helped them get ready.
When they were ready, they went to the guild hall and saw the place bustling with adventurers looking for quests to do, with the most impressive grouping a man, who from the looks of his gold-plated armor was a paladin, and he had one young man, and two women with him. The man must be the paladin's apprentice, and the women were both rogues from the look of their light armor and blades. Ranger actually recognized one of them as a ranger herself, which got his attention right away, but they had information to acquire.
"Ah, new people?" The man at the desk asked.
"We're hunting a sea monster." Ranger said seriously.
"A sea monster? There's no shortage of those in the ocean here." the guild man said.
"What about a leviathan?" Fighter asked and she was laughed at by a few people.
"Leviathans are a myth!" One of them said.
"No they're not, we saw one with our own eyes. One burst out of the water and destroyed several ships by itself, with one attack." Fighter said seriously and the laughter died down.
"Wait...it destroyed some ships? No wonder no ships were seen recently..." the guild man said with a face that expressed realization. "You must talk to the sea monster hunters at the docks. Maybe they can help you out."
"Thanks for the info." Wizard said with annoyance on behalf of the teams.
"Bunch of morons." High Elf Archer said under her breath.
"Ease up Long Ears. They thought leviathans were a myth, and only the lack of any ships swayed their minds." Dwarf Shaman said.
"No kidding, but why would they think a pack of Silver Ranks came here on a wild goose chase?" H.E. Archer asked.
"It doesn't matter, they helped us in the end, and they learned their lesson quickly. Thank the Supreme." Ranger said.
"So, where are these monster hunters?" Priestess asked.
"Those docks look enormous; it might be some time before we find them." Lizard Priest said.
"Actually, not at all." A female Rhea said with a confident, and even sultry look in the face as she stood there with a hand on her hip and smile on her face as the team turned to see her. "I happen to work for them."
"And what exactly do you do? Stand around and motivate the men?" H.E. Archer asked.
"Most of us are women believe it or not; you can count the amount of men we have with the fingers on one hand, and no, polyamory is not a thing in our group." Rhea Hunter said.
"Poly- what?" H.E. Archer asked.
"That means having more than one person involved in a relationship." Wizard's brother said.
"Oh...wow..." H.E. Archer said.
"Anyway, can you help us find a-" Rhea Hunter cut Ranger off.
"Talk to my boss will you? This way." She said before leading the team to a ship at the end of the pier, the had all sorts of weapons on it, from cannons, to ballistas, to massive harpoons, to a catapult, to a serrated spearhead on the bow. Definitely a ship belonging to monster hunters. "Hey boss! Look who I found." A dark-skinned, large-muscled woman with a two-handed axe and a skimpy outfit that showed off her bulk stood up from a crowd of women who all looked like they meant business. She was Amazon Warrior; the same one who was there at the goblin siege at the farm a year ago.
"Hey! I remember you. Fancy meeting Goblin Slayer and his cronies here." A.W. said with her usual laid-back attitude.
"We're not his cronies first of all, and secondly...since when do you lead a crew of sea monster hunters?" Wizard asked.
"Oh, about two months ago actually, and we got some sweet deals out of it as well. We even took down some pirate gangs and took their booty. Right girls?" A.W. said to the women who all laughed. "So what brings you to these parts, aside from monster hunting?"
"That's all we came here for." Ranger said.
"Oh...well, you came to the right place. Let's set sail girls." A.W. said as they packed up and got on-board.
As they got ready to set sail, the Rhea hunter climbed to the crow's nest as the rest got ready. Two men got the sail itself ready, some dwarf women got a series of propeller blades ready at the stern, and some samurai-looking man took the helm and stirred them out to sea.
"So, what's new?" Amazon Warrior asked Ranger at the side of the ship.
"We killed the vampire queen and tore down her fortress for one thing." Ranger said.
"No shit? How hard was it?" A.W. asked.
"It was...without question, the hardest fight we were part of. Even the goblin legion didn't give this much of a hard time." Ranger said.
"Sorry I missed it; could've bailed you out." A.W. said while nudging him playfully.
"I doubt it; even the Hero couldn't beat her alone, plus we had to get the Sword Maiden to help us." Ranger said seriously.
"Whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa! You lost me at "the Hero couldn't beat her alone" and you make me call bullshit at "the Sword Maiden helped us"!" A.W. said.
"As a servant of the War God, and an advocate of the Supreme God, I speak nothing but the truth." Ranger said seriously.
"You...turned into quite a figure these last few months haven't you...? A.W. asked in awe.
"You don't know the half of it." Fighter said as she came up behind them.
"And you missy, are quite a lucky girl to marry this beast of a man right here." A.W. said.
"She killed a rampaging archdemon yesterday as well." Ranger said.
"And the hits just keep coming! If you two keep this up my brain's going to pop out the top of my head!" A.W. exclaimed and the pair laughed at the bulky woman's antics.
"Well, brace for one more: the monster we're hunting is a leviathan that's wrecking ships." Ranger said.
"A mythical creature! Motherf- Boy, how many shocks do you have bouncing around that castle-sized mind of yours?" A.W. asked.
"Don't know where to start counting..." Ranger said half-jokingly.
"Well...me and my crew will make fishsticks out of it before too long." A.W. said.
"Think you can handle a fish five miles long?" Fighter asked and A.W. laughed at her.
"Girl...my crew fought off an entire school of sharks that tried taking bites out of this ship, one by one, and we didn't lose a single person. We also killed a trio of krakens that tried and failed to bring down this ship, one after another, and we still didn't lose anyone. I myself killed one by jumping into it's mouth, crushing it's brain, then swam out of it's mouth back to the surface. We will be a-okay." A.W. said.
"So...who's that samurai?" Ranger asked.
"Believe it or not...that's my man." A.W. said with a smirk.
"No kidding." Fighter said.
"Nope. He might be short, no-nonsense, and sometimes downright gruff, but he's one hell of a fighter." A.W. said.
"That's what happens when you grow up in a society that demands the perfect warrior." Ranger said.
"Not only that, but if you ask me, he's a class-A adventurer, Bronze Rank too. I've seen him refuse payments before, and not just little ones either. Granted we didn't need the money; we had too much as it was, but still." A.W. said.
"Ships! Off the Starboard bow!" Rhea Hunter yelled and the people who weren't busy rushed to look at it and there were two ships at a distance.
"Pirates!" Samurai called as he looked through a telescope.
"Brace for com-" A.W. cut herself off when the ship violently shook a bit.
"What...was that...?" High Elf Archer asked with fear in her voice.
"Nothing good." Warrior said as a shadow loomed underneath the ship.
"Dear Supreme in Heaven! It's the leviathan isn't it?" Rhea Fighter asked terrified.
"Yes...and that was just the tail." Ranger said seriously.
"You said it was five miles long? Then...that means-" A.W. stopped talking once the pirate ships got ensnared by tentacles.
"It has tentacles!?" Rhea Fighter exclaimed and a few seconds later, the ships got snapped in two. "A giant fish, with tentacles!"
"Not for long. Arm the weapons and get this ship mobile!" A.W. yelled. " The crew then armed as many cannons, ballistas, and normal weapons as possible as Samurai got the ship to max speed to the pirate ships to see what they could salvage, and they kept an eye out for the monster. "Get those supplies on-board!" The crew then threw nets out to get the floating items into their ship, then the leviathan poked it's head out of the water before crashing back down and made the ship move involuntarily forward just the nets came in and every got knocked off-balanced. Wizard then used Levitation to make things stop moving so much, then put as much as they could back in it's place...and one of the dwarves had the same idea and helped her out.
"Anyone have a plan?" Rhea Fighter asked.
"Don't get killed." A.W. said.
"Yeah, that's a good plan..." Warrior said as the leviathan came out of the surface at distance and swam towards the ship.
"Out there!" one of the crew called, then Priestes used Empower on the ship and the cannons and ballistas shot at it, and made it dive under before it hit the ship, then swam under it.
"I...think I'm going to need a bigger bow..." H.E. Archer said nervously.
"Sir Goblin Slayer! Do you have any ideas?" Lizard Priest asked.
"No. That thing isn't a goblin, and we can't treat it like one." GS said.
"Aren't you helpful...?" H.E. Archer said before the leviathan burst out of the water right in front of the ship.
"OH SHIT!" One of the crew yelled as the leviathan sank it's teeth into the bow, only for Samurai to pull a lever, and make the spearhead shot forward, impale the beast, and pulled the lever back and ripped out a chunk of it's face as it backed off and roared in pain as it swam away.
"OHHH! That's gotta hurt!" Warrior said while cringing.
"That's a weak spot! Everyone! Hit that wound hard!" A.W. yelled and several tentacles came out of the water, and slammed into the ship, and the team was on it right away. They cut into and through each tentacle until the ship was freed, and the tentacles were absolutely shredded; the leviathan was probably too pissed off to care about itself and just wanted them dead, so they had to remove it's ability to grab the ship. Luckily, thanks to Empower, there wasn't much damage done to the ship, nevermind the iron-cladding.
"How much of a beating can this thing take!?" Wizard asked.
"How much can a five mile long sea monster take?" Fighter asked rhetorically.
"Smartass." Ranger teased.
"Don't even." Fighter snapped before the leviathan burst out of the water beneath the ship, heavily damaging it and throwing it into the air, and Ranger thought quickly, and opened a portal.
"Everyone through the portal!" Ranger yelled and the crew didn't even question it and just ran through the portal but the team wasn't so lucky. The ship hit the water and knocked them all to the ground and some were knocked out as they hit their heads. Then the leviathan came out again...and swallowed the whole ship...
Well shit...the team's fish food...or are they? I'm pretty you all know where this is going, but there's no way I'm telling myself, so Rate, Review, and Share until then. Also...Amazon Warrior made an appearance, as the leader of a team of monster hunters, with a Samurai on her team like Carlos asked about, and yes I intend to flesh the two out, not much, but still. I do do requests people. Please keep that in mind; I'm a man of my word afterall. I couldn't help but notice that...in hindsight, Fighter and Priestess have some pretty nice "sisterly" moments in this story; I get that's vaguely canon, but still. And no, illusion magic and genjutsu from Naruto being similar is just a coincidence. In any case...next time, the team fillets a fish, so stay tuned.