Hello people and welcome back to Goblin Slayer: The Team Year 2. Well...let's see what kind of hell Ranger's going to raze. Knowing him, and what he did to the vampire queen...it's probably going to be a case of him going Doomguy on everyone's ass.
Review Response: Hey, at least Elder Revenant and company avenged the man, and...it's not likely the team can resurrect him. Goblin Slayer, and the rest of the team training Cow Girl is a decent idea, and is a complete shoo-in for Cow Girl to have more moments with GS, I mean...look at Ranger and Fighter.
Speaking of whom: it's pretty poetic for Ranger to follow in his wife's footsteps like that isn't it? As for her "personal hell"? Well...like Wizard established, illusion magic is a planet-sized bitch sometimes.
I forgot about GS' sister completely...oh well, it's not too late for him to see her again; they're still in the ruins...
Sword Maiden finished putting on the ponytail she used to have back in the day, was about to get undressed for when Storm Mage returned, and kept his promise to give her his liberating touch; she even drank some sterility potion for the occasion...before cringing so hard she was amazed she didn't suffer muscle cramps as she fell back into the bed. Immeasurable fury, grief, and mind-shattering confusion and turmoil flooded her entire being out of nowhere. It was like an out-of-body experience, and a complete-body experience at once, but...the pain didn't belong to her, otherwise she would probably have died from brain damage by now. Then it hit her: she was feeling the combined suffering of both Ranger and Fighter at once, and her current ordeal was her divine awareness kicking in and letting her know what happened. She tried and failed for the better part of an hour to get her random and violent shaking spells under control, and when she finally did...Storm Mage came in.
"Your Grace? I'm sorry I couldn't return earlier." Storm Mage said before noticing her on the bed sideways. "Uh, Your Grace?"
"Storm Mage..." Sword Maiden said with a broken tone to her voice that Storm Mage was alarmed by and rushed to her side.
"What? What's wrong?" He asked with concern.
"Pain...wrath...grief...horror...all of it..." Sword Maiden said as she kept shaking.
"What about it? What happened to you?" Storm Mage asked as he removed his armor and got in bed with her and positioned her so her head was on the pillow.
"It's not me...it's Ranger, and Fighter. Both are in their own personal level of hell." Sword Maiden said with nothing but sympathy and heartache in her voice.
"What can we do?" Storm Mage asked.
"Nothing...they're both on their own, but I can tell...Fighter is being healed as we speak, and Ranger? He's going to unleash his rage on a great number of his foes..." Sword Maiden said with her heartache replaced with concern.
Ranger meanwhile was still shaking with rage and grief over seeing his wife mentally broken, and not being there to help her.
"How could they...? My dear, sweet Fighter..." Ranger whispered as he stayed on his knees and his tears kept flowing. The team could believe what happened to Fighter either; she never looked more pitiful. And Ranger...he looked like a man defeated, but at least his case made sense; he loved Fighter with his entire being, and he was probably weeping on everyone's behalf.
"Boss...Wizard and Priestess can heal her. We should go back and wait for her to recov-" Ranger cuts Warrior off.
"To hell with that...! I'm going to avenge her, even if I have to bring this place down a second time to do it!" He growled as he stood up.
"O.k. we did come here to check it out, and it needs to be cleared out, but we don't know what else is down there. Priestess and Wiz-" Ranger cuts H.E. Archer off.
"I don't need them!" Ranger yelled as he snapped his flushed, tear-stained face to the rest and most flinch. "I can clear this place out by myself if I have to. I might even try it."
"Are you crazy? There could be a legion of demons down there for all you know!" Wizard's brother exclaimed.
"They'll need ten legions to save them...!" Ranger growled as he morphed a pair of greatswords. "I took down the vampire queen and still had enough strength left in me to slaughter hundreds of empowered goblins without Holy Light there to weaken them. I killed an archdemon before I came here and didn't get injured once, even though it fought dishonestly. I may not be Platinum Ranked, yet, but I am still the only one here who has a chance to become Platinum Ranked. All of you can remain Silver for all the damns I give..."
"Please Sir Ranger, there is no reason to get personal with us, or with the goblins or demons for that mat-" Ranger cuts Lizard Priest off.
"They made this personal! I've seen them butcher and violate countless people, I even put some girls out of their misery in my first quest and paid for it ever since, but this? This time they've gone too far. Every single beast that dares call this place home, will pay every price imaginable, for what they did to my wife...!" Ranger yelled, and With that, he rushed down a hallway into the unknown.
"Boss!" Warrior yelled and Lizard Priest stopped him.
"Let him go. If we want to help him, we should do so without directly interfering." Lizard Priest said.
"He's right young Warrior; that man is too beside himself with anger to let us help him, and honestly...I can't blame him." Dwarf Shaman said.
"I love Fighter too; she's the sister I never had, and I know how the boss feels about her first-hand, but I have faith that Wizard and Priestess can help her. Then again...the boss has always been more passionate than most." Warrior said thoughtfully.
"Personally, I agree with Ranger." Rhea Fighter said and got some looks from the group. "Fighter's a martial artist. Same as me, and her mind was shattered, and that...is a fate worse than death. If Ranger cares about her even half as much as he says he does, his rage is 110% justified."
"Ironically, this is probably the first time I ever felt sorry for the goblins; he's proven he can think of ways to get the job done even when enraged. He's probably going to cook up some...pretty horrifying things for those little green bastards." Wizard's brother said as GS turned to leave. "Hey, where are you going?"
"Ranger is going to kill the remaining goblins and demons...plus, there's someone I want to see." GS said as he walked out.
Wizard was looking over the illusion curse put on Fighter, trying as hard as possible to ignore the disheartening look on her face; Priestess actually rushed out of the room crying her eyes out because of it, not that Wizard could blame her; Fighter and Priestess were like sisters, and Priestess always was the gentlest spirit in the team, and who knows what hell Ranger was going to raise on the poor SOBs that did Fighter this way.
"Come on..." Wizard said with impatience. For all she knew, Fighter's condition was getting worse, and the risk of her staying like this for good was too much to ignore.
"Can you do anything?" Priestess asked with concern and nervousness in her voice.
"I don't know. I can't even pinpoint what the curse is doing to her in detail, and until I do...I won't even know where to begin!" Wizard said with her own nerves being fried. "Wait...my book!" She then rushed to her bag and got out a grimoire and looked into illusion spells as Priestess went over to Fighter's bed and put holy water on her staff.
"Hear me O merciful Earth Mother. Lay your hand on this, your suffering child, and bless her with Healing." Priestess prayed with her eyes still watering and she felt the miracle do it's job, but Fighter still remained unresponsive. "Why didn't it work?!"
"I already tried healing her remember? You can repair the damage, but until the spell is broken...she's not going anywhere." Wizard said.
Ranger rushed through the hallways using Life Sight to see where any foes were, and every time he got into a room full of goblins or demons, he tore through them like wet paper. He dashed from one hob or Wrather or another, chopping them in half in his greatswords, shot the ones he spared in the head with his guns. Morphed his greatswords into throwing stars that shredded the smaller goblins or imps, and they even moved from one target to another, while embedding into their chests and spinning while embedded, which shredded their hearts and lungs, He even morphed arm and legs blades like his wife's, and shredded the rest of the goblins that got too close, screaming in rage all the while.
When he was done there, more goblins rushed in thanks to the noise, only to get their insides blown out by Ranger's guns, who hit them in their torsos rather than their heads; headshots were too good for them. The noise and piles of their dead and dying comrades were starting to wear of their morale Ranger noticed...good. This fight is even easier than it was before, plus...it was fitting for them.
He then rushed into the crowd of nervous goblins and tore their limbs off, impaled them with their own bones, tore off their heads and thrown them into the others, stomped their guts in, punched their jaws off, slammed them into the ground hard enough to crack the ground itself, ripped out their guts and left them to die, and even harpooned a fleeing shaman and held it there as it choked to death for the rest of the goblins to see, then it slung the corpse at them with enough force to kill two of them...then he shot the fleeing goblins in the legs or spines as they ran.
"Try running now you damn parasites. Now...where are the rest of you?" Ranger growled as he ran to the next area.
"So...who is it you want to see Beard-Cutter?" Dwarf Shaman asked as GS approached the Ether Gazer.
"My sister..." GS said softly, and lo and behold she appeared right in front of him.
"I missed you brother." She said softly and GS removed his helmet.
"I missed you too." GS said as he reached out his hand, with her holding it in return.
"I know what you did while I was gone, and I know why. I used to be worried about you, but I'm glad you found a new family. Also...I'm alright now, as are the rest of the goblins' victims with me. The Supreme God saw to it that all the pain we suffered in life was made up for. The Supreme is even saving a place for you." GS' sister said.
"Why?" GS asked.
"Why? Because there's lots of people still breathing and not suffering thanks to the goblins, and a good chunk of it is because of you." GS' sister said.
"If I was as strong then as I am now..." GS said with regret in his voice.
"You wouldn't be where you are, but even if it would be better off that way...it isn't that way. Don't waste your time on what could've, or even should've been. You're the Goblin Slayer, here and now. Now go back out there and keep saving lives, and get yourself a life worth living." GS' sister said.
"Alright..." GS said as he let go and she started fading.
"Whatever happens, just know I, and our mom and dad love you, and always have." GS' sister said before vanishing completely. GS then put his helmet back on.
"Damn..." Warrior whispered and Rhea Fighter sniffled a bit.
"I don't know how much more I can take..." She said.
"Me neither. First Fighter, now this? What next...?" Wizard's brother asked.
"Who the hell knows? But we should go take out some goblins in the other rooms." Warrior said.
"Right. Sir Ranger may not need our help, but nevertheless he should have it." Lizard Priest said.
"On top of that...we can't let him take too much of the credit can we?" H.E. Archer said.
The Hero's party was looking through a cave rumored to be home to a small army for the Evil Sect...then they found a trail of dead goblins, all of whom showed no signs of injury.
"O..k..this is new..." Hero said.
"Look. That blood..." Sage said as she looked it over.
"Don't touch it!" Hero exclaimed in disgust.
"I'm not, it's just...this blood is coagulated." Sage said.
"So?" Sword Saint asked and Sage looked at her.
"Blood only does that in corpses, and these goblins look like they died two seconds ago. So either they smeared the blood of a corpse on this one spot, which makes absolutely no sense, or...we're dealing with a revenant." Sage said.
"Revenant? I thought they were just rumors?" Hero asked.
"They're real alright. They're usually friendly, or at least indifferent, but if you fight one, more often than not, it's a death sentence...unironically." Sage said.
"Oh well, I'm sure we can take him." Hero said as she walked on with her two companions following her...then a bone-rattling chill hit them all.
"Sheesh! One of these cultists a ice mage or something?" Sword Saint asked as they kept going, and found several Evil Sect acolytes with their heads missing, limbs severed, guts sliced open, or all three...then they saw the Death God himself taking souls out of Elder Revenant.
"I'd recognize those souls anywhere. There's nothing for you here, aside from getting to see the Death God." Elder Revenant said after the Death God vanished.
"That was the Death God?" Hero asked in awe.
"Yes, the harvester and ferryman of all souls. The rest of the treasure here is yours if you wish." Elder Revenant said as he walked past them.
"Uhhh...thanks?" Sword Saint said.
"Wait...did they have any captives?" Hero asked and the undead man stopped.
"Yes, but there isn't much left of them now." Elder Revenant said grimly.
"Did you kill them?" Sage asked.
"Of course not, but it's a miracle I was able to keep the Demon Lord from taking their souls." Elder Revenant said.
"The Demon Lord? Already?" Sage asked.
"Yes. He only appears once every ten year because that's how long it takes, but with their new leader causing a scene all over he country, the Demon Lord has a golden opportunity to return faster." Elder Revenant said.
"Then we better make sure that doesn't happen." Hero said.
"How right you are...but the rest of the abyss is another matter." Elder Revenant said.
"What do you mean?" Sage asked.
"There are worlds beyond Heaven, Hell, and Earth; I've traveled to nearly all of them. I've reaped souls, I've slain countless of those world's enemies...I've even ended some of those worlds." Elder Revenant said.
"You what?!" Hero exclaimed.
"Those worlds were dying; the people needed to be saved, and the only way I could, by taking their souls to the Supreme, lest those souls vanish into nothingness. As a revenant, souls concern me...flesh, does not." Elder Revenant said as he turned to leave.
"Can I help you in any way Your Grace?" Storm Mage asked as the two laid down in bed together.
"It's them who require your help, not me...not that you can do anything besides keep them in your prayers." Sword Maiden said.
"Point taken...but you didn't answer me." Storm Mage said.
"Just...hold me, and tell me something nice." Sword Maiden said as her protector scooped her up in his arms and thought.
"I remember you saying you had mixed feelings about the night...do you now?" Storm Mage asked and felt her shake her head. "Well, now it's my favorite time."
"It is?" Sword Maiden asked.
"Yes. Sure I can go around and do things during the day, but at night...I get to hold you, and I wouldn't trade that for anything." Storm Mage said as she held him back and approached his ear.
"Bathe with me...and give me the touch you promised me..." Sword Maiden whispered, and the two got up, he walked her out, and they went to the bathhouse together.
The moment they hit the water, they softly pressed their lips together and held each other as close as possible, with the warmth of each other's bodies and the water, and the contrast between the softness of her flesh, and the hardness of his clashing together deliciously, especially when they ran their hungry hands along each other's faces, hair, shoulders, sides, bellies, and then when they were satisfied for the time being, they simply sat there holding each other, and one of their hands interlocked.
"Tell me about the sky, fertility, and sea gods you pray to..." Sword Maiden said.
"Well...the sea god, is actually the Sea Goddess, and she's said to be the twin sister of the Sky Goddess, with the Fertility God being the son of the Love Goddess and War God. It's because of him that child-baring, and the rebirth of the world after warfare is possible. He even brings hope that war can lead to a new and brighter rebirth for the world itself, in addition to the hope that warfare can lead to new experiences, new ideals, new riches being made or found, you name it." Storm Mage said as her held his beloved maiden.
"The Fertility God sounds like a true servant of the Supreme..." She said in awe.
"You don't know the half of it. The Sea and Sky sisters speak for themselves. The sea and sky are as much a part of the world as the earth itself is, and lots of people know how much of a role the Earth Mother plays. And just like how Priestess gets power from her, and the Supreme God...I get my power from the Sky Goddess, and my weather control from the Sea Goddess, who in-turn, is said to be able to churn the weather." Storm Mage said.
"Oh?" Sword Maiden said.
"You know storms are stronger at sea? Well take a guess how that could work..." Storm Mage said half-jokingly and Sword Maiden smiled at this.
"That makes sense." She said with the same angelic voice that always calmed him, even when he was already calm.
"Sword Maiden...I remember Priestess telling me that when she first met you...when you still had your blindfold, you often spoke as if your words were weeping for you." Storm Mage said and her head dropped like a stone.
"Then I did a poor job hiding myself. There's a reason I never want to go back to what I used to be, and why I will always hold you in my heart for freeing me. Even more so for saving me in my time of greatest need." Sword Maiden said while shaking as her protector caressed her face.
"That's the worst time you will have with goblins with me at your side; they might get close to you again, but they will never touch you again." Storm Mage said firmly.
"I sometimes wonder what would have happened if you were with me, when the goblins first-" Storm Mage cut her off.
"I was nowhere near as powerful as I am now; I would've been torn apart, and you would have had to stack whatever they did to you, on top of your heartbreak. Besides, I was too greedy to be around you and think of you as a person, rather than another mate to claim for my bed. A mindset I'm proud to have shaken off by the way." Storm Mage said.
"I see your point. Also...I drank some potion before you arrived." Sword Maiden said seriously.
"Are you sure about this? Once we start, there's no stopping until it's over." Storm Mage said.
"Yes...I enjoy you touching me more than anything, but I want all of you..." Sword Maiden breathed out as she kissed him deeply and with a spark of lust in her movement. After nearly ten seconds, she broke the kiss.
"Sword Maiden..." Storm Mage said softly.
"Touch me...touch me...kiss me...make love to me...give everything you have...stop my nightmares dead in their tracks, for good." Sword Maiden said with a soft, yet demanding tone.
"Of course..." Storm Mage whispered before kissing her himself as he ran his hands up and down her belly, then squeezed, fondled, and rubbed her heavy breasts with the warm water softening them even more than usual as she moaned into their kiss and she poked her tongue through his lips as they broke the kiss with a really audible exhale as they pressed their lips back together with their tongues connecting. She let out another series of moans as her protector worked her divine bosoms with his ironically greedy hands. She then broke the kiss, pushed him back into the shallow part of the bath, licked and kissed up and down his neck as he squeezed, fondled, and rubbed her perfectly round and plump butt.
She then looked into his eyes with her eyes and mouth half-open. She was truly free now; her apprehension was replaced with desire, and he was the only one she had in mind. She then came back down to kiss him as softly as she did the first time, then his hands went from her butt, to the back of her head, as one stroked her long, silky hair. She meanwhile, held his face and ran her hands along the edges of his muscles. She said she was comforted by how strong he was, and these muscles proved how capable he was, despite how gentle he was with her soft form. She then rolled off him and laid down flat with her knees bent and her legs spread.
"I'm ready..." Sword Maiden whispered as Storm Mage got between her legs than kissed her forehead.
"Just remember who you're with, and how pleasant my touch has been so far." He said and watched her relax.
"I remember..." She whispered before he stroked her womanhood to get her going, and after she moaned a bit, he pushed into her and she cringed a bit, making him hold still, then kiss her forehead again for a longer time. "I still remember..."
"Let me know when to move." Storm Mage said softly as he kept his word and held still until she spoke again...
"You can move now." Sword Maiden said and she groaned again as her protector moved in and out. "How is this for you?"
"I'm concerned about your pleasure, but mine? Nothing to it; this is heavenly..." Storm Mage said with a deeper tone to his voice, and she must've been relieved, because she moaned a bit more, which encouraged him to pick up speed...which made her moan even more. Eventually, he was thrusting into her tightening womanhood two or three times a second and looking down at her face that was twisted in sexual bliss he was responsible for, and her gaping mouth unleashed sounds caused by the same bliss. Her protector and lover continued stuffing his manhood into her sacred place until she finally let out an orgasmic moan and he groaned himself a few seconds later before collapsing onto her, then rolling so she'd be on top as they laid there, in the warm water, bathing in the afterglow.
"To think that Ranger gave Fighter this kind of pleasure within these very walls..." Sword Maiden said dreamily as Storm Mage stroked her blissful face.
"I actually discussed some things he did to her in here...hard to believe I taught him nothing he knew." He said and Sword Maiden laughed at this.
"If he pleased her and much as you pleased me, and more than once...Fighter truly is the most fortunate woman I know." She said before coming down to give Storm Mage the deepest and sweetest kiss she could manage. "He cherishes her as much as I cherish you...my beloved protector."
"Your protector cherishes his lady as well." Storm Mage said against her lips before kissing her himself. "We should dry off and go to bed."
"Will you keep touching me there?" Sword Maiden asked.
"As much as you want; I have yet to massage your glorious legs." Storm Mage said.
"Please do..." Sword Maiden said before she got off him, they grabbed towels, dried off, got dressed, and went to bed.
"I've got it! I'll stop illusion magic, with illusion magic." Wizard said as she put her book away then rushed to the bed Fighter was on and focused on her mind. "Fighter...I know you can hear me. I don't know what you're seeing, but this is just a nightmare. None of this is real..." Fighter then relaxed a bit.
"I think she can hear you!" Priestess exclaimed with relief in her voice as she held Fighter's hand that stopped shaking once she held it. "We're here for you..."
"You're Fighter. Daughter of a martial arts master, a Silver Rank, and a demon killer. Don't let the Evil Sect win. Fight back against it!" Wizard said firmly and she felt Fighter's resolve stiffen before Wizard let go of her. "It's not good enough. She might have her will restored, but she's too weak. Back to the drawing board for me..." She then grabbed her book and kept ready. "Don't bother with a miracle; the damage is repaired, but that doesn't mean she's in the clear."
"May I ask what you did?" Priestess asked.
"Simple: I turned the illusion into my own, at least for a moment, then used it to get through to her." Wizard said as she kept reading.
"That doesn't sound simple at all." Priestess said.
"It's simple on paper, not so much in execution. It also doesn't help that illusion magic isn't my forte; if it was I probably would've broken the curse by now." Wizard said.
"At least we know we can." Priestess said before squeezing Fighter's hand. "Just hold on...we're going to get you out of this..."
Ranger meanwhile we marching through a hallway to a chamber full of sleeping goblins, he then harpooned up to the ceiling, scooped the place out, and saw hundreds of them fast asleep. He then had an idea: he prepared a Fear...and a Rage curse, charged it up as much as possible, then cast it all over at least a third of the goblins, did it two more times, and got all but a few lucky ones...then watched the goblins, some still unconscious, scream, stab, bite, and claw each other to death, and the ones who wake up find their brothers slaughtering each other in a mist of red and yellow smoke, then scream in terror and pain as they get swarmed and torn asunder by a bunch of their brethren.
"Come on...Hell cannot be that much better." Ranger said dryly before he pulled his gun and shot down the rest of the terrified and grieving goblins, and left the ones still alive from being savaged to die from their injuries. He then dropped down to the floor, absorbed the red and yellow smoke, shot down the few survivors and strolled through the room, kicking and stepping over the corpses in his way. A lone goblin tried to throw a spear at him only to get it's brains casually blown out. He then heard a horde of goblins coming to check out the ruckus, then Ranger morphed a second pistol and shot them to pieces by the dozen. Any that managed to get close had their skulls caved in by the raging Silver Rank's guns, got their ribs stomped in, got kicked to the side/into each other, or got a foot blade it their guts, only for Ranger to twist and remove their entrails.
A Goblin Paladin and five armored hobs showed up, Ranger's bullets and thrown stars bounced off their armor, so he morphed his gauntlets, as the hobs charged him, only for Ranger to absorb the weapons and armor of the dead goblins, form two spears in mid-air, impale two hobs, re-absorb the metal, make his gauntlets, punch the axe of one hob to pieces, before punching the hob to the ground, leaving it reeling in pain, as the other hobs tried to grab him, only for Ranger to roll to the side, harpoon one hob, jump over it, and yanked it to the ground, then tricked the other hob into splitting it's head open, then Ranger let the hob grab him, made his armor bulkier, which hyper-extended the hob's fingers, then Ranger climbed it, morphed his guns, and put two bullets in the hob's head at once as the last hob threw his sword at Ranger who jumped over it, grabbed it in mid-air, threw it back, and damaged it's armor. Ranger then harpooned it, yanked himself towards it, kicked it in the gut with both feet hard enough to make it projectile vomit, then he morphed his arms blades, and rapidly stabbed it in the gut and chest. Good thing he still had his mask on...
"So...you have some skill..." The paladin said casually.
"And you're next." Ranger growled through his mask, then the paladin laughed before pulling a metal rod that spawns a double axe blade out of red energy, and a shield made of the same energy.
"We will see..." the paladin said as Ranger morphed a pair of greatswords, heated them, and charged at the paladin.
Cow Girl and Summoner were walking back to town with him still consoling her as the poor girl leaned on him, weeping quietly...
"My home is gone...not again..." She whispered.
"I know..." Summoner said as he kept her close.
"And my uncle...how could they...?" Cow Girl asked.
"Don't know, but at least it won't happen to anyone else." Summoner said.
"Thank Heaven." Cow Girl said as she dried her eyes. "Can I stay with you...at least, until Goblin Slayer and company return?"
"If you must, although...I should warn you, the fortress I run is full of demon hunters, so...don't be surprised if you see anything creepy." Summoner said.
"It can't be worse than what I just saw..." Cow Girl said with her eyes watering again.
"Fair enough." Summoner whispered as they neared the town, then she hugged him fully.
"Sorry, I don't want anyone to see me like this." Cow Girl said as her escort embraced her fully. It was impossible to ignore her figure, but now was the worst time for that. Even if she wasn't spoken for, she is clearly in no mood for being...that like.
"For all it's worth, you are quite possibly the most beautiful woman I know." Summoner said seriously.
"Thank you..." Cow Girl whispered as she kept holding him. She then kissed his cheek, he kissed hers, then he flinched away from her before he could kiss her lips.
"What am I doing...?!" Summoner asked with disgust.
"It's not entirely your fault." Cow Girl said.
"Still...here I am, getting touchy with a woman who's in an emotionally vulnerable state of mind. I'm better than this...!" Summoner said seriously.
"Summoner! Please...let's just put this behind us. Things are too messed up as it is." Cow Girl said.
"Right..." Summoner said before walking her back to town, into the tavern.
"Welcome ba- Are you alright?" Guild Girl asked when she saw Cow Girl's sorrow-ridden face.
"The farm's gone. It...it was so bad...!" Cow Girl said as she eyes watered again.
"Oh dear..." Guild Girl said with horror and concern.
"They didn't even take it over; they just tore it apart!" Cow Girl exclaimed.
"I'm so sorry..." Inspector said.
"At least the goblins and demons responsible won't do it again-" Cow Girl cut Summoner off.
"They killed my uncle!" She screamed which staggered the three people in her company.
"Listen...why don't we get you something to eat? I have to talk to these two ladies about something." Summoner said.
"O.k..." Cow Girl whispered as they got her a sandwich, then Summoner went back to the desk.
"That was kind of you." Inspector said.
"Now...I didn't want to ask this in front of her...have you gotten reports of similar attacks?" Summoner asked.
"Yes, but most ended with the goblins, demons, or both being routed by Gold and Silver Rank teams. I never thought it would happen this close." Guild Girl said with worry.
"I myself actually stopped some attacks myself; damned things were no match for my elementals." Summoner boasted.
"By yourself? That's impressive." Inspector said.
"That's summoning for you. Serves us demon hunters quite well. But I can't take all the credit; a chunk of the attacks were stopped by crusaders sent by the Pope himself." Summoner said seriously.
"The Pope? Sheesh..." Guild Girl said.
"I know. I was thinking about joining those crusaders myself; I'm certainly high enough rank to do so, but then...who would lead those demon hunters at the fortress?" Summoner asked.
"Right. Well, nice going helping that girl there." Inspector said warmly.
"Didn't have much choice, and no, I didn't just help her because of a pretty face. Although it's kinda hard not to be since...look at her. Cannot believe I almost kissed her..." Summoner said seriously.
"You what?" Guild Girl asked in disbelief.
"Not my proudest moment, but I nearly kissed her while she was weeping over her uncle. There's no way I'm taking advantage of her like that; that's just sick in the head. Anyway, I'm taking her to the fortress until Goblin Slayer returns, so if he gets here, please let him know we're waiting for him. He knows where it is." Summoner said.
"Will do." Guild Girl said.
"Hey, do you have anyone who follows the Supreme God at the fortress?" Inspector asked.
"Actually, the Abbot stops by every now and then." Summoner said.
"Does he now? I don't know why I didn't ask him to teach me earlier." Inspector said.
"Teach you what? You already know enough." Guild Girl asked.
"Given how dire things were getting in the last year, it's only fitting I get my hands on at least some sort of protection." Inspector said.
"Don't tell me you want to become a crusader." Summoner said.
"No no no no no! Nothing that serious! I'm just saying that we should all keep up with the times." Inspector said honestly.
"You got a point there." Summoner said as Guild Girl yawned out of nowhere. "Sleepy?"
"Getting there." Guild Girl said with a small giggle.
"Well, we're going to hit the road soon so...see you later." Summoner said as he walked over to Cow Girl.
"Bye bye." Inspector said.
"Bye bye? What are you, six?" Guild Girl teased.
"Oh shut it..." Inspector said.
Ranger clashed blades with the goblin paladin for the better part of a minute with each of them getting nowhere, mostly thanks to the paladin's shield; Ranger tried throwing scythes, stars, axes, and even chunks of the ground at the paladin, but the shield held firm. Even Ranger's guns did no serious damage. The paladin meanwhile threw his axe at Ranger, and the axe slipped by, or out of his hand as he tried to grab it, then the axe returned to the paladin, and Ranger had to duck under it to avoid getting cleaved in two. Then he rolled a flash-bang under it's shield, harpooned the wall, yanked himself away from the paladin and the bomb went off, making the paladin yell and cover it's ears.
Ranger meanwhile spammed his guns at the paladin while it was distracted, and noticed some weak points, and shot them as the paladin either started bleeding from those places, or at least got staggered. Then Ranger rushed it snatched the axe, plunged it into the paladin's mid-section, tore off it's helmet, grabbed one of it's fists as it tried to punch him...and started crushing it's hand as it snarled in pain.
"If you paladins are supposed to be the equivalent of Platinum Ranks, you little green wretches need to raise your standards...badly." Ranger spat out, then the paladin twisted it's fist out of Ranger's gauntlet, tried punching him again, then Ranger jumped off to the side, ripped it's arms off, making the paladin yell in pain as Ranger beats it's face in with the arm, then finished it off by punching it several times in the face with his gauntlet. He then walked off as Cherub poofed in.
"Ranger, this rampage is only going to accomplish so much." Cherub said as Ranger kept walking. "Fighter-" Ranger stops walking and cuts him off.
"I'm not going to talk about her! Return to Heaven and leave me be." He said.
"She is being healed as we speak." Cherub said.
"If you want to help, go help her...like I couldn't." Ranger said while shaking.
"What happened to her isn't your fault. For crying out loud, stop and think about this. You really think this is going to help her? You're just endangering yourself, and risking that she carries on without you. She made a point of saying that she doesn't want you to carry on without her, why is your case any different?" Cherub asked.
"I am Platinum tier...like I always wanted to be. I'm going to put these monsters down, and you...will not get in my way again." Ranger said as Cherub poofed away with a disappointed look in the face and Ranger kept going.
GS and company went through one chamber after another, taking note of how much damage was done to the goblins and demons in each room.
"He did all this...by himself?" H.E. Archer asked in disbelief.
"He killed the vampire queen, and tore her fortress apart; this doesn't surprise me at all." Warrior said.
"Speak for yourself. I've never been this happy to be on his side." Wizard's brother said.
"Same here...this sends a pretty clear signal that Fighter is a not-safe zone for anyone looking to cause mischief." Rhea Fighter said.
"Heaven help anyone who manages to kill her." H.E. Archer said seriously.
"He also has the portal gem we need to return home." GS said.
"You want to get out of here as soon as you can huh?" Warrior asked.
"As to I Sir Warrior. Too much has happened in this ruins for my comfort." Lizard Priest said.
"I concur Scaly. I'm going to need a huge feast to drown out the sorrows found here." Dwarf Shaman said.
"For once, I'm on board that line of thought." H.E. Archer said before the team found a secret passage uncovered by a hole in the wall.
"That hole must've happened during the fighting." Lizard Priest said before he made it bigger and they found a treasure trove of items, including a suit of armor that resembled GS', but more intimidating.
"O.k...I want to take that with us." Warrior said in awe.
"Not so fast...let's see what this armor is, or does." Wizard's brother said as he looked it over, touched it, and analyzed it with his magic. "Well, it's made of some kind of iron-steel hybird, which is kinda strange since steel is basically enhanced iron. Aside from that...there's an enchantment on it I've never seen before; I don't even know if it's an enchantment, or if it's just how the armor works."
"What do you mean?" Rhea Fighter asked.
"I can't know unless it's put to use in some way..." Wizard's brother said.
"I'll try it. Not now of course." Warrior said.
"Damn right not now. For all we know, the armor could suck the blood out of you." Wizard's brother said seriously as Rhea Fighter looked at a sword handle.
"What about this-" Rhea Fighter stopped talking once the handle spawned a sword blade made of silver light with an axe blade at the tip.
"O.k...that's a keeper." Warrior said as he took the light sword, craved into the wall, and the blade burned through it much to the team's awe. "Goblin Slayer...take this, now." He then tossed it over, and GS caught it.
"This could come in handy." GS said before looking at the armor. "That armor is useless until we know what it can do."
"I will carry it for us, but we must find Sir Ranger in order to leave." Lizard Priest said.
"O.k...to hell with the controversy. I'm going to use an illusion spell of my own." Wizard said firmly as she walked over to Fighter and read from her book as she put her hand on Fighter's forehead, not daring to look her in the face. "I solemnly vow, by the Lords and Ladies of the Arcane, my goal in this rite is to peer into the unknown, and make it known. Let the void between our minds be torn asunder, and be remade as one. I order this to be done out of logical intrigue, and ethical stability." As she read those words, a stream of lavender energy surged between the heads of the two women, and Wizard twitched a bit before the streams were suddenly severed out of nowhere and Fighter finally closed her eyes.
"What happened?" Priestess asked.
"It's done...the curse is broken. Now, we wait for her to wake up." Wizard said as she sucked in a few deep breaths.
"How long will that take?" Priestess asked.
"Minutes, hours, days, weeks or months...who knows?" Wizard said.
"Well, I'll going to stay here until she wakes." Priestess said firmly.
"Might as well; the boss has the only way for us to get back." Wizard said then Cherub poofed in.
"She'll wake in about three hours, but until then, take this portal back to the ruins. Ranger needs your help." He said.
"Why?" Priestess asked.
"He's rampaging through the ruins, cutting down every goblin and demon in sight, and it's all for revenge." Cherub said.
"No..." Priestess said in horror.
"Yes. I tried telling him he was endangering himself by doing so, but he didn't listen, even when I mentioned Fighter was torn up over not wanting him to live without her...his sympathy was no where to be found." Cherub said and Wizard sighed.
"Figures..." She said before Cherub opened a portal and the two girls went through it after Priestess looked at Fighter who was sleeping like a baby.
Summoner hired a carriage to carry him and Cow Girl to the fortress. She didn't say a damn word the whole time, and Summoner couldn't blame her; what was there to talk about? Even if she wasn't emotionally devastated, he couldn't think of a thing to talk about that wasn't casual. About an hour later, they reached the fortress that was practically exploding with activity. Demon hunters galore were training, working on the fortress itself, eating, drinking, and bantering, some were brewing potions and enchanting items, and a whole bunch of other things. Summoner then led the girl to a spare bed.
"You can stay in any of these rooms until Goblin Slayer comes back. I'll come by to check on you if you'd like?" Summoner said.
"No thanks...I'd like to be alone for a while." Cow Girl said.
"Alright, I'll let everyone know." Summoner said as he left her be.
Once he left, she looked around the place, saw that it was nothing unusual. Bed? Check. Nightstand? Check. Bookshelf? Check. Lack of occult objects you'd expect from demon hunters? Huge check. She then stripped herself naked, got in bed and noted that it was somewhat better then her old bed, which was a bit of comfort she was pleasantly surprised by, but it didn't fill the void. She was a farmhand, not an adventurer, let alone a damn demon hunter! It made her feel pretty safe knowing that she was in the middle of a fortress full of them, and you don't hunt demons without being a badass, or a very good team player...but she still felt like a fish out of water. Her homesickness finally got the better of her and she started weeping while facing the wall.
"Goblin Slayer...please come back..." Cow Girl whispered.
Ranger was walking through the ruins looking for more goblins and demons to slaughter, when Priestess and Wizard came through a portal.
"What are you doing here?!" He asked.
"Fighter's curse is broken. She'll awake up in about three hours." Wizard said and Ranger thought for a moment. "We can go home now."
"Forget it." Ranger said simply.
"What?" Wizard asked.
"I'm not leaving until I kill the maggot that did that to her." Ranger said.
"But sir, getting revenge isn't going to help either of you." Priestess said.
"Are you saying I should just let this slide?" Ranger asked.
"I'm saying that if you keep this up, you might cause more damage than you repair." Priestess said.
"There's no damage to repair in the first place, and causing damage is the point here." Ranger said.
"Sir...Mother Superior once said that hating someone is like drinking poison, and expecting the other person to suffer." Priestess said.
"Hate might lead you to suffer...but not more than seeing my wife..." Ranger didn't dare finish that sentence. "No, the one who did this is going to die...and to hell with him!" He then walked off and stopped once he saw a lone figure just outside the ruins sitting down, then he charged outside to face them with a greatsword out, then put his blade at his throat.
"It took you long enough to get here." The man said casually, not bothering to look at Ranger.
"Wait...I remember your voice. You're the one who summoned that leviathan!" Ranger growled.
"I merely called it; I don't know how it got out of the abyss, but it's commendable that you put it down." Cambion said.
"You're awfully calm for someone who broke my wife's mind, released the hell goblins, and endangered the archbishop." Ranger said.
"Believe it or not, I had no hand in your wife being cursed, or the hell rifts, and I have nothing but sympathy for Her Grace; I've done quite a few diabolical things, but I never once condoned...intimate maulings." Cambion said still not looking at the blade at his throat.
"Why should I believe you? I know you have demon blood in your veins. A better question is why shouldn't I spill it?" Ranger asked.
"Simple: you can't..." Cambion said before he grabbed the blade with two fingers, stood up still not caring about Ranger's anger, and when Ranger tried thrusting forward...his blade didn't move an inch, then Cambion glanced at him, smirked, and snapped the blade in two, shocking the three people before him, then dropped the blade to the ground. "Now...before this gets even more out-of-hand, I suggest you go home, take your friends, and the other half of your sword with you, and leave me to my work. But before you go...a Warlock I revived is the one who cursed your wife. Also...I will warn you, this one time. Continue to hound me, and I will spare neither you, your homes, or your daughter..." With that, Cambion vanished in a burst of fire that spelled out a message.
"I believe in fairness, especially with these circumstances, and I want you to know that unlike the rest of the Evil Sect, I have a goal in mind, one that I believe you will condone in the end. To prove to you, and myself that my words hold truth, I will give you a month to prepare. What you do with that month, and what happens after that month, is in your hands." Wizard read, then Ranger finally calmed down, absorbed his broken sword and then GS' team showed up.
"Boss! Are you alri- Wizard? Priestess? How's Fighter?" Warrior asked he ran up to the ladies.
"She's fine. Her curse is lifted, she'll be awake in about three hours, and...we just ran into the Evil Sect's leader." Wizard said.
"And?" Warrior asked.
"He's given us a month to prepare for...what he has in mind." Ranger said with his voice finally even again.
"Well that's just peachy." H.E. Archer said sarcastically.
"Also, what is with that armor?" Wizard asked as she pointed to he armor Lizard Priest was holding.
"We were hoping you and your kin could find out for us Lady Wizard." Lizard Priest said.
"We'll find out later..." Ranger said before opening a portal to the frontier, they stored the armor away, then went to the tavern.
"Oh, welcome back teams." Guild Girl said casually.
"The ruins are cleared...at last." Wizard's brother said.
"Well, here's your reward." Guild Girl said before handing over a sack of silver. "Oh, Summoner came by with that farm girl and...I've got terrible news."
"What? Priestess asked and Guild Girl sucked in a breath.
"Remember that farm you saved from a goblin legion a year ago? It's been destroyed." She said.
"What...?" GS asked with concern.
"And the man who ran the place died in the attack." Guild Girl said, and GS lowered his head.
"Are she and Summoner alright at least?" He asked.
"Yes, they're at the demon hunter fortress not far from here. You should go soon; she looked terrible, and probably misses you." Guild Girl said and GS immediately left.
"Goblin Slayer..." Priestess said under her breath as she chased him.
"Thanks for the information." Ranger said.
"I wish I had better information to give..." Guild Girl said as the team left, then she put her head down and sobbed a bit herself.
Ranger and company rigged his horse and cart together, put the new armor in it, and rode out of town, catching GS and Priestess on the road.
"Maybe the demon hunters will have an idea of what to do with the armor." Rhea Fighter said.
"One can hope." Warrior said, and about 30 minutes later, they reached the fortress, went inside, and looked around for Summoner.
"Ah, there you are!" He said as the team went inside.
"Where is she?" GS asked, not wasting any time.
"Right this way." Summoner said as he led GS down the hall and knocked on the door. "Excuse me? Goblin Slayer is here. I'll leave you two alone..." He then left as Cow Girl opened the door halfway with her blanket covering her body, then she pulled him inside and wrapped her arms around his still-armored body so tightly, her blanket had no chance of falling, not that she cared if it did.
"Where were you...?" Cow Girl whispered as GS returned the hug.
"I'm sorry." He said.
Well, at least things are wrapping up nicely. All I can say for Ranger's rampage is: Rip and Tear motherfuckers, rip and tear. For those of you that don't know: that light blade Goblin Slayer got his hands on is a reference to the Crucible in the Doom reboot, specifically in Doom: Eternal; I know it's like a lightsaber, but please take my word for it. Now...I have a few questions: should that armor they found be like the Berserker Armor Guts uses, or something else? Also...how much do you want to bet that the rhea that gave Cambion information in his first appearance, is the Rhea Scout? You know the one who took a promotion exam, and flipped out over getting caught being shady, then...apparently tried to assassinate Guild Girl and Goblin Slayer to cause chaos while the Dark Elf tried to summon an eldritch abomination? What if that same rhea works for Cambion now? Please let me know with a Rate, Review, and/or Share, yes I know that only makes some sense, but stay tuned anyway...pleeeeease.