Hello people, and welcome back to Goblin Slayer: The Team Year 2. I'll bet a chunk of you are curious about how the elf queen fits into this aren't you? Well...read and see for yourselves.
Normally I would wait for a review, but since this is a special day for me...I'll make an exception...
In front of a fortress that showed no small amount of demonic corruption, row upon row of elf troops, all wearing black and purple armor and carrying spears and shields formed a pair of columns. Between each column, an elf wearing the uniform of an elf general walked to meet an approaching caravan. The troops in the caravan formed a pair of lines on each side...and the elf queen herself, poised and regally-dressed as ever left the middle of the caravan and was escorted by more troops.
"Your Majesty. How gracious of you to join our establishment." Elf General said with a bow.
"You can drop the charade "general"; we both know I'm here as a hostage, to keep the rest of my people from moving to the humans' and dwarves' aid." Elf Queen said.
"Then I need not explain too much Your Majesty; all they need do is stay their hands, and I'll keep you out of harm's way. Otherwise..." Elf General then motioned his hand to a cage in the distance that was full of goblins. "You'll get to see first-hand why goblins should be feared around the world. These creatures are utterly heartless afterall..."
"Show me to my chambers." Elf Queen said without an ounce of fear in her voice.
"As you wish, Your Majesty." Elf General said with a bow as they entered the fortress.
"I cannot believe you still have that dagger, after all this time." Fighter said as the team took their cart through a gateway to the elves' capitol...in the woods, which only H.E. Druid knew the layout of. Plus they had to keep the portal gem as secret as possible, so they took a portal to the halfway mark, and carted the rest of the way.
"I couldn't get rid of it; you gave it to me yourself...and not I can truly honor the Sword Maiden with the sword made from it." Priestess said softly as she looked her new sword.
"And with my hammer being blessed, you and I could be the next Sword Maiden, and Storm Mage...minus a few things." Warrior said as Fighter chuckled and hugged Priestess.
"I'm sure the Sword Maiden had the same love with her team as you have with us. I know I love you." Fighter said.
"And I love you too." Warrior said as he took the smiling Priestess' hand, then they looked at Wizard.
"Hey, I gave her a necklace that lets her heal lost limbs; I love her more than both of you." She said smugly.
"You're a real bitch sometimes you know that?" Fighter said dryly.
"And you all still love me..." Wizard said still smugly.
"Yes...yes we do." Warrior said as he gave her a quick kiss.
"You two are hopeless..." Wizard's brother said.
"And I love you too." Wizard said.
"Enough already." Her brother snapped.
"Alright, alright...enough is enough." Warrior said.
"You're awfully quiet Long Ears, are you alright?" Dwarf Shaman asked.
"I'm worried sick about my sister and my people. What do you think?" H.E. Druid snapped.
"Sorry..." Dwarf Shaman said.
"Whatever's going on with her, they picked the wrong one to kidnap...ironically." Dwarf Rifleman said.
"Damn straight...!" H.E. Druid growled while clenching her fists, as if it wasn't already obvious enough she was taking this personally.
"I am certain this will be an appropriate test of our new abilities, especially yourself Sir Goblin Slayer...and you of course Lady Goblin Slayer." Lizard Priest said.
"Don't call me that please." Cow Girl said dryly.
"My apologies." Lizard Priest said and Dwarf Shaman sighed.
"May I ask what all of you plan to do when this is over?" He asked, but no one answered; they were too busy thinking. "Well...does anyone have any regrets? Any wishes on how they want to be remembered?"
"I used to have one regret, but not anymore..." Ranger said and looked at Fighter briefly who silently encouraged him with the softness on her face. "On my first quest...I killed some girls captured by the goblins."
"You what?!" H.E. Druid exclaimed.
"Why would you do that?!" Dwarf Shaman asked.
"I didn't believe they could be healed, but I've been proven wrong countless times since then, and I've never been happier to be wrong before, or since." Ranger said seriously.
"Well, we know how to repair the damage for good, so no chance of that happening again boss." Wizard said.
"And thank Heaven for it. Kinda wish I knew about the tricks you used years ago." D.R. said.
"Let me guess: because of all the violations you've seen?" Warrior asked.
"You've no idea, and not just because of the goblins; I've actually been to places where some troops believed that overpowering a woman is a way to show how much a manly man you are, and that, my friends, is what's known as being stunningly...and I mean, stunningly full of shit." D.R. said and got a few laughs.
"That's funny because it's true, not because of what you said." Warrior said.
"Why wait to tell us after all this time?" Cow Girl asked.
"Because...because I met the girls I killed again." Ranger said.
"We went to a relic known as an Ether Gazer, which lets someone talk to the souls of the dead, like those five girls he killed...or my father." Fighter said.
"Your father?" Warrior asked.
"Yes, to show him his grandchild." Fighter said.
"That's lovely." Cow Girl said.
"He also said that he knew the Cambion personally; he actually asked for my father's help, was refused, and left on a sour note. He actually had the nerve to express his desire for my father's death..." Fighter said.
"He has alot to answer for that Cambion..." Dwarf Shaman said.
"And he will..." Ranger whispered harshly.
"Umm, I couldn't help but notice no one else mentioned their own regrets, or what they want to be remembered for." Rhea Fighter said.
"I just want to be remembered for making a difference..." Priestess said seriously yet softly.
"Me too." Warrior said.
"Me three." Wizard said seriously, and no one got on her despite how comical it would normally be.
"I met an elder dragon; were I to die soon, or later...I would regret nothing, and I'm certain my comrades will remember me well." Lizard Priest said.
"You are not wrong Scaly. As for myself...well, I am quite old; I'd either die on the battlefield myself, or in the presence of my friends and family, and it would make no difference to me." Dwarf Shaman said.
"Don't sell yourself too short. You might be a giant pain sometimes...but you're still part of this team." H.E. Druid said and Warrior snickered.
"You sounded like the boss for a second." He said.
"Don't get used to it..." H.E. Druid said before sighing. "As for myself...well, my regrets depend on whether or not we get my sister back."
"We can get her back, and if we don't...uh, last I checked, we're a pack of Silver and Gold Ranks, each one as tough as the last, and we've got a bloodthirsty, armed-to-the-teeth Platinum Rank who happens to have about as much of a hate boner for goblins as Goblin Slayer himself, and that is quite a feat." Warrior said.
"No kidding brother." Dwarf Rifleman said as H.E. Druid deflated and leaned her head on the rail.
"Hey honey? You never told us what you did to heal those girls' minds?" Warrior asked.
"Well...it's very complicated, but...basically I let them know that...oh just look at what happened with the Sword Maiden and Storm Mage and you'll get the point." Wizard said.
"You mean just because they were violated doesn't mean they can't find true love?" Ranger asked.
"That, plus...well, do the math. The goblins made them dirty, inside and out, we cleaned them up, inside and out, and now they're back to normal." Wizard said.
"Uh, I'm calling bullshit; there's no way it's that simple." D.R. said seriously.
"It's not, but like I said: that's just a basic way of putting it; if I said everything I did, we'd be at this all day." Wizard said.
"Whatever you say..." D.R. said still skeptical. The rest of the trip was spent in silence since they got of their feelings off their chest...at least mostly. "You know...I've heard of them, and even read about them, but never actually saw a druid transformation before...especially not with a before-and-after case."
"Like it? I sure do..." H.E. Druid said with minor sensuality in her voice.
"My good ma'am, you look like a different person; if you didn't have the same voice, I'd ask what you did with the other one." D.R. said seriously.
"I killed her, and ate her soul of course..." H.E. Druid said dryly which got her some weird looks.
"Keep talking like that, and people will mistake you for a demon hunter..." Fighter said.
"I was just playing along." H.E. Druid said.
"One might call it flirtation..." Wizard said.
"Very funny..." H.E. Druid said.
"So...about that warlock- D.R. cuts Ranger off.
"He's dead; a dagger to the lower gut tends to make a pretty serious mess of one's insides." He said.
"Overshare..." Rhea Fighter said.
"Sorry..." D.R. said.
"We're almost there!" H.E. Druid said as they neared a small clearing...but the other side looked torn up. "Oh no..."
"That cannot be good." Rhea Fighter said.
"It's not. That section of the forest had alot of homes in it...my people." H.E. Druid said as Ranger had the horse pick up the pace until they eventually got to another clearing with dead elf soldiers wearing purple and black armor, all with arrow wounds, as well as elves with with light armor and shield, as well as bows and short swords. H.E. Druid immediately jumped out, eyed the carnage and she dropped to her knees with complete disbelief on her face. "How? How did thi- The Evil Sect..."
"They actually caused a civil war...why?" D.R. asked.
"It must be to cause a distraction, or to simply weaken them...or something even more malevolent." Lizard Priest said.
"What the case may be, they just dug their own graves." Wizard said as H.E. Druid punched the ground hard enough to make a small hole in it.
"How right you are...!" She growled before getting up. "We have to find out where they went."
"We should check for survivors." GS said.
"Wait! Are you...?" An elf girl yelled as she came out of hiding.
"We came for the queen." Fighter said.
"My sister! Where did she go?" H.E. Druid asked as the girl looked her over.
"Y-Your Highness? Is that you?" She asked.
"Yes, I'm a Druid now. Long story, now answer me!" H.E. Druid exclaimed.
"They took her and countless others to that fortress on the cliffs. Your Highness...they're using her to keep us out of the humans' and dwarves affairs!" The girl said.
"To what end?" H.E. Druid asked.
"I do not know, but if I know the Evil Sect...it involves the Demon Lord himself, and...they mentioned having goblins there..." The girl said and the team went pale; the elf queen in a fortress full of goblins? That's like something out of a nightmare- no...Hell itself.
"Ranger...give me your portal gem; I know where that fortress is." H.E. Druid said as Ranger handed it over to her. "And I want to take point this time."
"By all means..." Ranger said.
"I can use the miracle of Restoration on this place if you'd like?" Priestess said to the elf girl.
"Not yet, we might need it later, and if so, you can use it tomorrow." Ranger said.
"Then let's go kick some goblin ass then." Warrior said as H.E. Druid opened a portal to the outskirts of the forest and there was the fortress.
"Yep, that's an Evil Sect place alright." Rhea Fighter said.
"You, look around for the other survivors and salvage what you can. This won't take long..." H.E. Druid said to the elf girl before she led the team entered the portal with a vengeance.
Back at the frontier, Summoner walked around in Limbo, observing the people and keeping an eye out for anything suspicious. For the better part of an hour, all he saw were random conversations and other miscellaneous interactions with the people, but he drowned those out lest he get too bored to continue; this was too important to take chances with. He was about to go back to the real world when he noticed a pulse of hell energy, and grappled up to the roof to see a hell rift opening. He then drank some holy water, and sparked a sword-whip, and lashed the rift closed. There was no way that was the only one...or the last one to be formed. He then ran around town turning the place inside out looking for them. When he approached the last and most developed one...a pack of Wrathers popped up.
"See me through brother..." Summoner whispered before pulling the other sword-whip, retracting the first back into a sword before severing the leg of one Wrather who charged him, slipped between the legs of a second, and dive-rolled away from two more before lashing two of them in the face, extending one sword-whip through the heart of another, and zapping the last one which made it fall off the building and break it's neck on the ground below. The two survivors were joined by a Glutton, and Summoner made two ice elementals appear, one jump into it's torso-mouth before giving it a nasty case of frostbite, and the other froze the two Wrathers solid before Summoner charged up his sword-whips and vaporized the Wrathers just as a swarm of imps appeared...only to get shocked themselves. Summoner then sealed the rift closed before calling it a day and re-entered the real world, before sitting down on a crate on the roof's edge. A mild flash appeared and the Sword Maiden appeared kneeling in front of him.
"Well done." She said softly as ever.
"You saw me?" Summoner asked.
"Of course I did. You told your brother to see you through, so I did as well." Sword Maiden said.
"Thanks Your Grace..." Summoner said.
"Technically, you and I are in-laws now. Me and Storm Mage may not be married in this world, but the Supreme God still acknowledged our bond in Heaven." Sword Maiden said.
"Indeed..." Summoner whispered.
"And that woman you are with? She is even more fortunate than I was to have you as a protector...and lover." Sword Maiden said with a smile.
"But...my brother? With my summons, I am debatably more powerful...but surely he was a greater lover than me; I've been with women before, but not like he was with you." Summoner said seriously.
"I required his affections as you accurately stated before...that woman you graciously gave your kiss to has no such affliction, but with you as the general of an army of elementals...she will be fine." Sword Maiden said half-jokingly which made Summoner smirk.
"Now...I cannot believe I'm asking this but...are you...is my brother...well-" He then took a moment to compose himself. "Are you two still...making love?"
"We rarely ever leave the bed we have in Heaven unless it's to interact with anyone we love here, and we do nothing the Love Goddess would not smile upon. Are you concerned about your own prowess?" Sword Maiden asked.
"Well...I do know my fair share of the basics, but I can guess it's not just bells and whistles?" Summoner asked which made Sword Maiden giggle.
"No...it is not. I can show you what he does if you would like." She said.
"It's my brother, and...with all due respect, I'm not interested in seeing him shagging a woman, even one as lovely as yourself." Summoner said with difficulty.
"I was not going to show you the details, only give you the knowledge of what it's like for both participants." Sword Maiden said and Summoner gave it no small amount of thought.
"Alright...but only the knowledge; I don't want to see any details that I'd recognize on either of your bodies." Summoner said seriously.
"Of course not..." Sword Maiden said before putting her hand on his head and he gained a bit of knowledge of how it's supposed to go. From the two stripping each other's clothes off, to caressing and massaging of arms and especially legs, to the man weighing, squeezing, and rubbing the woman's bosoms, to her shifting against his solid muscles, to them sliding their hands up and down each other's sides and bellies, to him pinching, twisting, and even licking her nipples, to him reaching under her buttocks and giving it the same treatment as her breasts, and even reaching directly between her legs, playing with the supple flesh of her buttocks from directly underneath...to him running his fingers along her moist and swollen lips, or her gripping and stroking his manhood. The knowledge was pretty weak, but Summoner still felt a bit overwhelmed with all the possibilities.
"Did...he do all those things with you?" Summoner asked.
"That...and more. When you are alone with her, and from what I've seen, you will be...do not get ahead of yourself. I can tell she is a virgin, as are you, so please...do not get ahead of yourself; this is only the knowledge; experience must be added to solidify the impact. Also...a woman's first time, but be painful; I learned this the hardest possible way...but you are not a goblin, and you know what to expect now. Do you swear to have her pleasure come before your own?" Sword Maiden asked.
"Y-yes. Yes, I do." Summoner said nervously, and seriously.
"Good..." Sword Maiden whispered before she hugged him."Supreme be with you both..."
"You as well...sister." Summoner whispered before Sword Maiden released him and vanished. He then got off the roof, took a moment to compose himself...then went to the tavern to get some lunch.
"Welcome back Summoner!" Guild Girl said even more cheerily than normal; she was always cheery, but...well, they were dating. "I didn't expect you back so soon."
"I had a run-in with demons." Summoner said seriously and Guild Girl went pale.
"Did you stop them?" She asked.
"Yes...then I met the Sword Maiden's ghost." Summoner said.
"Well...let me finish this, and you can tell me all about it." Guild Girl said.
"No offense, but what happened between her and me is between her and me; I only came back to get some lunch." Summoner said honestly and Guild Girl looked alittle upset, which made him extend his hand, which brightened her mood and they held hands. "But I can still spend some time with my lovely girlfriend..."
"Yay me..." Guild Girl said softly which made Summoner smile and shake his head as she finished her paperwork, and Summoner got some pork chops, boiled potatoes and gravy, a slice of bread, and some pulped apples.
"Are you hungry?" Summoner asked.
"I've already eaten, but thanks." Guild Girl said as he sat down and wasted no time digging in. "Someone's hungry..."
"Demon hunting isn't as easy as I make it look..." Summoner said after swallowing, and before getting back in.
"Apparently. I rarely ever see someone eat like this..." Guild Girl said thoughtfully, which he noticed.
"Something wrong sweetheart?" Summoner asked and got a smile out of her; his endearing term apparently got to her.
"No, I just...well, I've heard cases of other girls cooking for their man, but I rarely ever cook for myself, let alone others nowadays. I don't even know why I'm mentioning that since everyone eats here, and you have even less excuse." Guild Girl said.
"If you really want to make something for me, I'll try it out. The only way I can see myself detesting it is if you...somehow have really poor, or at least uncommon taste, or put conscious effort into making it piss-poor." Summoner said and got yet another smile out of her. "Is anything serious going on around the guild itself?"
"Other than a promotion exam being overdue for that farm girl you helped out, at least if you ask me, some quests being too much for some rookies despite their training. They're not dead but...they were pretty shaken up..." Guild Girl said.
"Here's hoping they're o.k..." Summoner said.
"They should be. Also...when she does take her exam, I'd like you to observe for us." Guild Girl said hopefully.
"If I can, I'd be happy to." Summoner said with a smile.
"Great, and...thanks for looking after this town for us. Can you at least tell what something that happened?" Guild Girl asked.
"Well...I closed some hell rifts before they opened, so...a goblin invasion will have to find somewhere else to raid. Although, between you and me, I sort of hope they do invade so my elementals can put hem six feet under...but the more sane part of me is just glad it was stopped, plus I gave some demons what for thanks to my brothers power. Hehe...at this rate...I'll probably be the 12th Platinum Rank." Summoner said with pride.
"That would be impressive..." Guild Girl said as she snuggled into him a bit. "Remind me how you became a Gold Rank?"
"By defeating a demon general with a World Spawn." Summoner said simply yet proudly.
"Wow...no wonder you gave those other demons a hard time. Just like how your brother used to; I'm sure you honored him well..."" Guild Girl said genuinely impressed as he looked down at her, then looked around, saw they were alone, put his finger under her chin, and gave her a brief but sweet kiss which apparently took her breathe away based on how she inhaled and exhaled so deeply and sat there stunned. "You also gave me a good time, whenever we're together..."
"The Sword Maiden actually talked about us, and asked if I swear to put your...well, your pleasure before my own, and I did." Summoner said softly and she blushed.
"My...my pleasure? But we're not..." Guild Girl trailed off.
"We don't have to go that far; you're clearly not ready, and frankly...I'm not ready either. Nevertheless, if you want to go down that road, just let me know, and I'll do what you want me to do, and nothing you don't." Summoner said seriously as he took her hand, and she interlocked their fingers.
"You're a sweet man Summoner...and an awesome demon hunter." Guild Girl said as they both smiled brightly and kissed again.
"See you after hours..." Summoner whispered.
"Meet me at my house." Guild Girl said softly before he put his dishes away, and left her to get back to work still flushed from their minor date just now.
H.E. Druid led the team through the woods with Dwarf Rifleman the closest behind her with his rifle at the ready. She didn't say a word the whole time, not that anyone could blame her; she made her concern for her older sister pretty clear. Eventually, the got to the edge of the forest, and in the far distance...there was the fortress. It was on the edge of a cliff was a raging ocean around it, except for a single and large uphill pathway leading to it's walls. In front of it were patrols of elf soldiers in the field in front of it.
"I can't believe this... this was supposed to be a training ground for the warrior class, but now look what it's become..." H.E. Druid said somberly.
"Should we go through them, or sneak past them?" Cow Girl asked.
"Do you think you can handle a fight? You know you'll probably have to kill them." GS asked and got a sigh in response. "They will not care for your life, so you shouldn't care for theirs."
"I know, but..." Cow Girl trailed off and Ranger put his hand on her shoulder.
"It's easier said than done, but ask yourself: would it be you or them, especially when you objectively have more to leave for?" Ranger said and Cow Girl sighed.
"I guess me..." She said.
"It doesn't matter. Let's just grab the queen, and go." GS said.
"Hey we can't just waltz up to the front gate and ask "can we please have the queen back?". We're going to need a plan." Wizard's brother said.
"Hey Ranger, can't you just use Pestilence to-" Ranger cuts Rhea Fighter off.
"Out of the question. That miracle can't tell friend from foe; chances are, if and when everyone in that place dies...it will include everyone." He said seriously.
"Which means my sister too..." H.E. Druid said.
"Right. Hence why I said it's out of the question." Ranger said.
"It sounds to me like we should split up. Some of us try to sneak in, while the rest make a mess out here, or wait for a signal to attack." Dwarf Shaman said.
"Not a bad idea. Wait...how can we send a signal from inside the fortress?" Wizard asked before Cherub poofed in.
"Try this..." He said before spawning a piece of metal with a crystal center. "An ether beacon. Focus on it, and the rest will get whatever signal you associate with it."
"So...some of us stay here, the rest go inside, and if we find the queen, we use the beacon, and the rest know what to do?" Fighter asked.
"Yes. Now...I would advise that you leave your least stealthy people out here, especially if they excel at hitting buildings really hard." Cherub said.
"Not a problem. Fighter, you and me take one side, who wants the other?" H.E. Druid asked.
"I'll take her and hit the other side." Ranger said as he motions to Cow Girl who looked a tad nervous.
"Orcbolg, you wait here with the rest." H.E. Druid said.
"And don't worry, we'll leave some goblins for you, or at least we'll try to." Fighter said.
"Alright." GS said as Wizard's brother spawned some squirrel familiars that rushed to the sides.
"Where are they going?" Dwarf Rifleman asked.
"To check for side entrances of course." Wizard's brother said.
"Good luck all of you. Oh, and by the way, the Sword Maiden herself will look after you until further notice; the Hero and company need me more than you do." Cherub said.
"That's...that's great." Priestess said before Cherub poofed away before looking at her teammates. "Be careful please..." Fighter then hugged her.
"We'll be fine. Remember we're Gold, and Platinum Ranked now?" Fighter asked as Priestess returned the hug and snuggled into her.
"How can I forget?" Priestess asked as softly as ever.
"Uh...not to spoil the moment, but I'm just Porcelain ranked." Cow Girl said.
"For now, but with the training we did and the equipment you've been given? I'd make you Emerald Ranked myself if I could." Ranger said seriously.
"Good point..." Cow Girl said as the squirrels came back. "That was fast..."
"Anything?" H.E. Druid asked.
"Yep. There's an open window on either side of the fortress ideal for grappling into, if that's your thing that is." Wizard's brother said.
"Alright then." Ranger said as he morphed his lighter armor, and the rest did the same.
"Then let's go save us a queen." Cow Girl said as Fighter touched Ranger's face.
"Kick some ass for me..." Fighter said.
"Only if you do the same." Ranger said before she smirked and kissed him sweetly.
"Pardon my ignorance, but is a kiss before battle a good idea?" D.R. asked.
"A kiss? Maybe not. Sex? Definitely not..." Ranger said seriously.
"You'd know right?" D.R. teased.
"Very funny..." Fighter said dryly.
"Can we please go save my sister now?!" H.E. Druid snapped before Cow Girl, Ranger, and Fighter put their masks on.
"Right...!" Fighter said and off they went.
Meanwhile, Elf General was going through the fortress' dungeon looking over the people and monsters he captured. From goblins, to trolls, to a baby dragon, to a vampire that seemed to be half-starved. He eventually got to a reinforced cell, and went inside.
"The great and powerful Cambion...how nice of you to join me." Elf General said smugly.
"Flatter yourself while you can. I am only here because I was crippled." Cambion said.
"By a pack of humans barely out of their diapers, I am aware." Elf General said.
"That "pack of humans barely out of their diapers" killed the vampire queen, and saved a whole city with almost no help. If they come here, and they will...you will have your hands full." Cambion said.
"I'm not afraid of them-" Cambion cuts him off.
"You should be terrified! My powers should have returned by now, but they haven't, and taking power from the astral plane itself will do me little good now; the rest of the monsters there are too cowardly to come out and face me. Even the mighty Hecatonkheir is too afraid to face me...lest I consume him as well." Cambion said and the general scoffed.
"Well, rest assured my dear demonic comrade. Traps and other surprises aplenty wait those who try to free Her soon-to-be late Majesty." Elf General said.
"Pray they are enough..." Cambion snapped and got another scoff before the general turned to leave.
"It is not I who should pray..." He said before leaving.
H.E. Druid and Fighter looked around their side to look for that window, and Fighter morphed some claws to scale the wall once they found it, then H.E. Druid shot an arrow and hit just under the window so she could grapple up there. Fighter reached the window first, and the ladies had to wait for some guards to pass before they went inside; they could probably fight them without trouble but as established...stealth was the watchword.
They then traveled down corridor after corridor, and searched one room after another, with Fighter leading the way since her chakra-opening let her sense the place out better, but found nothing of interest. Every room either had tools of some sort, was a rest spot for the troops, a brief room or two, or even a kitchen. The two ladies were tempted to trash each room, or at least take what they could, but they could take what they wanted later. Eventually, they got to a room that had two guards posted in front of it.
"Could she be in there?" H.E. Druid asked hopefully.
"No...but I think it's the leader's quarters. We might find something useful in there." Fighter whispered.
"First, we should get those guards out of here..." H.E. Druid whispered.
"I don't sense anyone else in the vicinity; we should just kill them." Fighter whispered, then H.E. Druid notched two arrows, and shot both guards through the faces...then Fighter dashed to keep them from hitting the ground lest their armor make too much noise.
"How did you move that fast?!" H.E Druid asked in exasperation.
"My armor makes me about ten times faster than normal remember?" Fighter asked.
"Well...good to know that includes short bursts." H.E. Druid said as they peeked inside and took the dead guards' bodies in with them; no sense leaving them for others to find. The rest itself had a fancy-looking bed, a desk full of books and papers, as well as a rack of weapons; someone's paranoid.
"Yep, definitely a room fit for a boss..." Fighter said dryly as H.E. Druid looked over the papers.
"Come here...and look at this..." She said as fighter came and looked over a book that mentioned the vampire queen. According to the legend, the vampire queen was a princess who was deeply in love with the leader of a band of mercenaries, and she eventually carried his child in her womb. When her father about out...he actually beat her in a drunken rage until she had a miscarriage. She was so distraught that she butchered him while he slept and ran away to find the man she loved. When she found him, he welcomed her with open arms, and they eventually became crusaders that took orders from the Pope himself. Eventually...they had another child, and her lover died shortly after seeing their infant child, and his dying wish was that she not give up and continue the life she wanted...but that was impossible. Years went by, and their child wasn't enough for her, so she turned to the Demon Lord and made a deal: eternal life, and the power to possess as much wealth, or as many lovers as she wanted, in exchange for the ultimate sacrifice: her child's life, and she's been a plague to humanity ever since.
"And now her head is a trophy...I never thought I'd feel sorry for her." Fighter said as H.E. Druid put the book away.
"That's only one of the things I found; I don't know who runs this place, but they're clearly interested in the Evil Sect, and other morbid affairs." She said before going through the papers some more...then found a letter. "To the Elf General...? It can't be...!"
"What? Who is that?" Fighter asked.
"Only the highest-ranking officer in the elven army. What's he doing working for the Evil Sect? Did he forget that they do nothing but stain this world red?!" H.E Druid asked.
"Well, when we see him, we can beat it out of him ourselves." Fighter said and they heard guards coming, and hid. A few seconds later, some guards rushed in, found the bodies...then some were shot down by H.E. Druid, or had their necks snapped by Fighter as they looked out the room and quickly went to another room to hide in. The next minute had them waiting for others to show up, then they killed those guards as well.
"We need to get going; if too many guards go missing, they'll know something is up and start hunting us down." H.E. Druid.
"Here's hoping the rest are having better luck..." Fighter said.
Ranger and Cow Girl used harpoons to grapple up to their window, and...they had even less luck than Fighter and H.E. Druid had; the place they were looking through was practically infested with guards. They not only dealt with more patrols, but some guards were standing around talking in the elvish tongue, which made fighting them easier since they were distracted, but harder to sneak past them for obvious reasons. The entire endeavor was reasonably patience-draining.
"O.k...I know we didn't practice sneaking, but that's where I come in; I don't expect you to do any killing, but this would go alot smoother if you watch our flank. If you have to fight them...well, just remember what we talked about." Ranger said as Cow Girl steeled herself.
"You won't be disappointed." She said firmly as Ranger launched some blades at the guards, and hit each one in the bottom of the skull, and caught their bodies before their armor made any serious noise. They spent the next minute or so sneaking from corridor to corridor, room to room, and waiting for patrols to pass, with Cow Girl following at a distance. Eventually, Cow Girl ran into a lone guard, and reflexively jammed her heavy sword through a weak spot in his armor and watched him die as he groaned out his last breath. Ranger then held and consoled the girl in the same room they hid the body in.
"The first kill is the worst...I know." He whispered as she shook from the mental recoil. She thought killing goblins would prepare her for this since her hands were hardly clean as a result; regardless of how vile goblins were, they were still living beings, and she was responsible for their deaths. But...these were elves, beings similar to humans in only a handful of ways, even if those ways were pretty obvious. The mental recoil was in full-swing as a result, and it took her the better part of a minute to get ahold of herself.
"Let's just...get the queen, level this place and go home...!" Cow Girl said. She clearly had enough, but wasn't about to quit on him.
"Right..." Ranger said as they kept going, and eventually got to a staircase leading into a lower level of the fortress...then followed a robed figure down a secret passage, and got to a balcony overlooking a room with dozens of the robed figures in a room lined with pillars and small entrances.
"Who are these people?!" Cow Girl whispered.
"Evil Sect Acolytes. The Hero told me alittle bit about them, but there's no telling why they're here-" Ranger shut up the moment an elf woman was brought in on a stone flab, with tentacles keeping her tied to it as she struggled to get free.
"Stop struggling wench. It'll only get worse for you." One of the acolytes said and Ranger's temper flared. They were going to sacrifice her! The moment the woman was put down and the head priest was about to touch her, Ranger morphed his guns.
"O.k. forget stealth!" Ranger said as he jumped down while opening fire into the crowd and it became total mayhem. The acolytes screamed in fear as they either watched each other get shot down and get splattered with each other's blood and shredded flesh, or pain as they had thumb-sized bullets tore through their bodies like a hot blade through butter. Cow Girl even pulled her rifle and shot the head priest in the shoulder as he was about to kill the woman. She then turned to see soldiers coming her way, then popped her shield as some tried to stab her, and she unloaded one shell after another into the troops, until the balcony broke and she fell down to the ground, breaking it beneath her, and knocking the wind out of her.
Ranger then noticed this, and morphed his greatsword and heavy armor, complete with a mask as the troops came down to attack them, only for his massive sword to block each of their hits since it doubled as a shield thanks to how thick and wide it was. He then wound up, and chopped down several of them in one swing, sending pieces of them flying to the side, then came back around to bash the rest across the floor, with their bones making an incredibly audible cracking sound. Logically, the remaining soldiers murmured in he elven tongue with terror in their voices; these troops wanted nothing to do with this man. Ranger then morphed his light armor and a pair of twin short swords.
"How often must I stand before a woman who needs my aid...?" Ranger asked as Cow Girl stood up.
"I can still fight." She said.
"Not this. Remember what I said earlier..." Ranger said as Cow Girl watched the priest she shot earlier hide behind the table; surly they wouldn't endanger the hostage right?
"Good point." Cow Girl said as she watched the 11th Platinum Rank weave through the troops' spear thrusts, sword swings, and shield bashes like a sewing needle. By the time they landed any hits, it was too late: Ranger was almost done killing them, with them not even looking at him as he thrusted his heated blades into their necks, or chests, and most of the hits they landed which were just glancing blows, with a few landed bashes and stabs to the sides, which did nothing but slow him down. Ranger then extended the whip form of one of his blades to stop the last one from retreating by tripping him, then morphing a pistol and shooting him in the face...then he collapsed from his wounds. "Are you alright?"
"My light armor...it has...a minor heal blessing on it." Ranger said as Cow Girl checked his wounds...and watched them close up.
"Incredible..." Cow Girl said before eyeballing the dead elves. "Shame about them though..."
"They brought this on themselves, and if I have to pick between them, and the woman who saved and loves my daughter...I'd choose the latter any day of the year." Ranger said firmly as Cow Girl sucked in a breath.
"I guess..." She whispered.
"Look...I know it is not easy, but-" Ranger shut up the moment the priest came out from behind the table and Ranger shot down several Wrathers the priest summoned...then a Luster was spawned and Cow Girl backed up the wall outside of it's tentacles' reach. She remembered that these things were debatably worse than goblins when it came to how they handled their victims. Ranger then shot at it's eyes, which made it angry and lash it's tentacles around, and Ranger just ducked and craved through them with his greatsword as Cow Girl shot it's eyes with her rifles. Ranger then sliced into it's mid-section several times. shot it's heart, then brought down the chandelier on top of it with his greatsword after grappling up to it, then landed in front of the priest as the Luster dissolved.
"Please! Don't kill me!" He screamed.
"Where...is...the queen?!" Ranger growled as he formed his twin swords and heated them.
"Mercy Ranger!" The priest screamed again as his eyes watered and Ranger put a sword on either side of his neck.
"Where is she!?" Ranger yelled.
"Please...spare me and I'll tell you everything...!" The priest said as Ranger finally relented and Cow Girl freed the captive.
"Why do you have her here?" Ranger asked.
"She...was meant to be a sacrifice, to speed up the Demon Lord's return. But now that you've freed her, the revolution is on-hold." the priest said with sorrow.
"Revolution? You mean damnation..." Ranger said.
"You still see through the eyes of a human Ranger. We have seen through the eyes of an ascended soul-" Ranger cuts him off with a sword to the throat.
"All lies. The Demon Lord knows the Supreme's vision and has the audacity to call it his own vision. Whatever you saw, was not done with...this." Ranger said before putting his sword away. "Now...where is the queen?"
"Through there." the priest said as he point to a panel lined with symbols. "That will take you to where she is being held. As for why she is here...I was never told." The priest said.
"We know why she is here...is there more you can say?" Ranger asked.
"Yes. This...the elven general who leads these troops, he hunts and captures certain creatures for sport...including dragons." the priest said.
"Does he have goblins here?" Cow Girl asked.
"Yes, lots of them; he actually has a plan to use them on the queen, perhaps to dishearten the populace. The ones who know the goblins' horrors that is." The priest said and saw Ranger getting angry again. "That's all I know good Ranger...that's all I know..." Ranger then calmed down.
"Thanks...now get out of here and pray I never see you again." He said as the priest got up slowly.
"I...thank you for your mercy...I will never serve the Demon Lord again-" Ranger cuts him off.
"Just leave this place before I have a change of heart." He said as the priest left the room.
"Are you alright miss?" Cow Girl asked the woman who was tied down.
"Please...just let me go..." She whispered.
"That's why we're here." Ranger said softly.
"Free the queen as well. The general is...that man is an animal...!" The woman said with difficulty.
"Were you hurt?" Cow Girl asked with concern.
"Not too badly, but...the general enslaved my little sister; he brainwashed her into thinking she loves him, and he took her innocence who knows how often...then fed her to a dragon!" The woman said before weeping into Cow Girl's shoulder as Ranger turned away and trembled with rage.
"Then he's sealed his own fate..." Ranger whispered before looking at the gateway panel, then he opened a portal to the frontier.
"What...how did you do that?" The woman asked.
"Please do not ask questions, just go through that portal. It will lead you to a temple where you can be helped. Tell her the Ranger sent you." Ranger said before the woman got up, covered herself as much as she could and walked to the portal.
"Thank you both..." She whispered as she went through, then Ranger slammed his greatsword on the chandelier with a yell as Cow Girl flinched.
"Sorry...I had to let that out..." Ranger said as he de-morphed his greatsword.
"Well, let's just get the queen and go." Cow Girl said as they entered the gateway, and were wrapped to a spire in the middle of the fortress with a door behind them, and Ranger used Life Sight.
"She's in there...watch the stairs." Ranger said as he went through the door...and there she was: The elf queen. It was like meeting the Sword Maiden all over again; while the elf queen had curves that weren't even half as well-developed as that Sword Maiden, she was still lovely beyond words. Her hair was just as long, and had the same light green hair as her younger sister, he could barely see her face in the window's reflection, but it was enough to tell she would be hard to look away from. Her outfit was solid green, and form-fitting as befitting of a queen living in the forest. She even worse a headdress with assorted flowers, grasses, and even some sticks in it to seal the deal.
"It's fitting the Evil Sect would have an assassin come for me. They never were very subtle..." The elf queen said as Ranger approached.
"I am their enemy Your Majesty, and I'm here with your younger sister." He said.
"My sister?" The elf queen asked before turning around.
"Yes. We received a message asking for her to come get you with the people she trusts the most, which includes the legendary Goblin Slayer." Ranger said as the elf queen looked him over.
"As well as the 11th Platinum Rank...who happens to serve the War God. My luck really has turned..." She said softly.
"Yes, now we must leave." Ranger said.
"No. Not while the general is still here...if you really are a Platinum Rank, then destroy that." The elf queen said as she pointed at a floating orb that was beating like a heart with red and black energy flowing in and out of it.
"What is a Hell Battery doing here?" Ranger asked.
"It's not a Hell Battery, it's a Hell Nexus. An anchor between this world and Hell; a way for the Demon Lord to have domain here from the depths of Hell itself." The elf queen said.
"Is that what's making these elves so violent? So treasonous?" Ranger asked.
"No, they were like this long before that Nexus was formed; the general himself put it there. And it gets worse: how much do you know of the Lizard people's homeland?" The elf queen asked.
"Almost nothing..." Ranger said.
"Well...that Nexus is not alone; there is also one in the swamplands they call home. The outcasts there, who were originally just glorified scavengers waiting for nature to kill them...became an organized force, and began terrorizing the locals. Entire villages were wiped out in a matter of days." The elf queen said somberly.
"I doubt the Demon Lord won't remake them." Ranger said.
"Perhaps...but you will at least give the world a chance to recover, and prepare for the next time. As for the Nexus here...the grounds will be crawling with soldiers." The elf queen said.
"Don't worry Your Majesty. There's a reason I was given a Platinum Rank." Ranger said and got a smile out of the queen.
"Of that...I have no doubt." She said as Ranger took out his beacon and several faint flashes of red light came out of it. "What are you doing?"
"Calling for back-up..." Ranger said as he spotted some blue lights in the distance that turned out to be fireballs that were blocked by a forcefield, then Cow Girl came in.
"I hate to interrupt, but we have a serious-" She stopped talking the moment she saw the forcefield from the window. "-problem..."
"We noticed. Now, stay with her, and if the other two show up, well, you know what to do." Ranger said as he ran out the door leaving the two ladies behind.
"For what's it's worth, I'm honored to meet you Your Majesty." Cow Girl said with reverence.
"I wish it were under better circumstances, but I am glad you meet you as well." The elf queen said seriously.
Fighter and H.E. Druid were tearing through dozens of elf troops with Fighter on-point, with her chakras opened, and H.E. Druid taking shoots with her bow, and clobbering the ones who got close. Each of the ladies got hit several times, but Fighter's armor held firm, and H.E. Druid had a decent regeneration ability thanks to her alteration. They eventually got into the courtyard...only to be swarmed by more soldiers, then a trolls came out, along with dozens of goblins and it became a free-for-all. Fighter and H.E. Druid killed the soldiers who came for her, but Fighter pulled H.E. Druid back then jumped up on the roof with her.
"Let me guess: we let them fight it out, then finish them off?" H.E. Druid asked and got a nod. "Fighter, you conniving, diabolical, puppy..."
"Eh, it's a gift..." Fighter said smugly as they watched the massacre. The troll smashed aside scores of troops, as they threw spears at it and tried to hack at it with their swords. The goblins jumped on the troops while their backs were turned and plunged knives into their necks or speared them in other weak spots in their armors while they were distracted. All-in-all: the troops didn't look like they were having fun.
"I never thought I'd say this, but I hope the goblins win this fight..." H.E. Druid said awkwardly.
"Wow...I never thought I'd hear those words." Fighter said seriously as the gate was blown up...and GS walked through the smoldering ruins. At this, Fighter morphed her bow, then she and H.E Druid picked off the soldiers closest to GS as he went straight for the goblins...who were daunted by his armor as soon as they saw him. GS himself showed no signs of hesitation as he put his usual talent for dismemberment on display with his heavier equipment being his tools.
He sent a bunch flying with a bash of his larger shield, he kicked some so had they were splattered all over the ones behind them, he swung his sword so fast that the goblins hit didn't bleed as first before falling apart, since the hits were so clean. GS even morphed a bomb launcher to fire freeze, explosive, shrapnel, and even toxic bombs into the crowd in the back. The goblins were trying to get through his armor, but found no weak spots, and GS was more then strong enough to throw them off, especially when it came to slamming them or throwing them into each other.
The trolls meanwhile had Lizard Priest to deal with, who could do little more then dodge the troll's wide swings, and slice up it's arms...even though it's arms healed. Warrior then leaped into the air and cut the troll vertically in half.
"Well done Sir Warrior." Lizard Priest said as Warrior chuckled, then they joined GS in killing the goblins alongside some wolf familiars.
"Can you handle things here?" Fighter asked.
"I think so. Why?" H.E. Druid asked.
"I'm going to find my husband." Fighter said.
"Then I'm going to find my sister." H.E. Druid said firmly as they ran along the rooftops and watched Dwarf Shaman and the Wizard Siblings crush some goblins themselves with their rock throwing and fireballs respectively.
Ranger meanwhile, jumped out of the spire and landed in the courtyard where the Hell Nexus was, then noticed some troops leaving the area as if in a hurry.
"Oh well, this will be all the easier..." Ranger said to himself as he looked over the Nexus...and started drawing blanks. "O.k...maybe not..." A flash happened behind him, which could only mean one thing.
"This Nexus is powered by the energy of Hell itself, and Hell is a place of torment. So...the people's suffering is what's powering it. Follow those trails, deal with the prisoners who are suffering, and it will weaken enough for you to destroy it." Sword Maiden said.
"How do I do all that? I cannot heal people's bodies, let alone their minds." Ranger asked.
"Would you repeat your mistake if need be?" Sword Maiden asked and Ranger turned away.
"I have shed too much innocent blood as it is..." He whispered and Sword Maiden hugged him from behind.
"I know Ranger...which is why I am here. I can weaken it for you. Afterall...what little purity you have left must be preserved." Sword Maiden said softly before firing a beam of holy energy into the Nexus which makes the tendrils of energy around it lash out at the environment itself. She then put up a Protection barrier around them to keep the hell energy from killing Ranger as it tore the fortress itself apart. Eventually, he Nexus stopped sparking, and the energy retreated into the orb itself. "I believe that should do. I will leave you to finish it." She then vanished as Ranger morphed a greatsword...then felt footsteps shake the ground...and there was an elf man in the heaviest armor he ever saw.
"Ah, the infamous Ranger. Champion of the War God, the 11th Platinum Rank, ally to the Goblin Slayer, and the slayer of the vampire queen. I am truly honored to have you in my establishment." Elf General said.
"The honor is all yours. Now who are you?" Ranger asked.
"I...am the head of the greatest army in the elf nation, although, since you tore through them like they were mere goblin children...I suppose that means less than it normally would." Elf General said.
"You...you fed that girl to a dragon didn't you!?" Ranger asked.
"Her sister is not the only one who wept over it! That girl...she was the most pure creature I've ever met; I actually envied her you know." Elf General said like he was serious.
"What? You threatened to have the queen violated by goblins!" Ranger snapped.
"I was bluffing. As for why you're here...I'll have you know I had your Cambion friend in a cell, and I know of your skirmish with him." Elf General said, and this got Ranger's attention.
"What...?" He asked.
"This...Nexus...the Cambion wants to absorb a good chunk of it's power for himself, but while I have him imprisoned, he is harmless." Elf General said.
"Do not believe him..." Sword Maiden said as she re-appeared. "That Cambion is trapped here yes, but he did brainwash that girl into thinking she loved him, and they did sleep together more than once...but her innocence meant nothing to him; he merely wanted it for himself-"
"And who are you to judge me for it? The Sword Maiden...I know what the goblins did to you, and about how you let a criminal bed you more than once to make up for it. Well...when I'm done-" Ranger cuts him off by throwing his heated greatsword into the Nexus.
"You are done..." Ranger snapped.
"No! What have you done!" Elf Generald yelled as the Nexus began to overload, which blew up the area around them and heavily damaged the general's armor. While Sword Maiden's Protection barrier took most of the blast,Ranger was still knocked to the ground. When the blast ended, Sword Maiden vanished just as Ranger looked at her, then he looked at the general who was just as shaken as he was.
As he got up, walked towards the general, who was crawling away from him as Ranger showed no signs of relenting. When he got close enough, Ranger heated his swords, and jammed them into the general's lungs, and spine through his back as his dying scream became a gasp as his lungs deflated. Dozens of goblins ran out of an entrance screaming in fear as a small dragon came out behind them, and Ranger's heart sank; that general really did have a dragon to feed that girl to. Tears could wait through, that dragon will pay in blood for what it did; it may be killing goblins and may even be an infant, but Ranger was too disgusted to care. Besides, it would grow up to be a threat to others, and was a threat now, so even if he wasn't disgusted...it was going to die. But just as he morphed his guns...Cow Girl showed up, with her gun drawn and shot at the dragon, as Fighter and H.E. Druid showed up and shot the goblins mostly, then Warrior showed up, and charged the dragon, chopped down several goblins with one swing, then cut the dragon's throat open, and stabbed it in the spine, before stabbing it through the heart.
"Big or small, no dragon is a match for me." Warrior boasted before snapping to attention when some goblins tried sneaking up on him and he sliced through them too. Ranger then morphed his guns and shot down the last few.
"Sister!" H.E. Druid exclaimed as she jumped down and rushed to hug the queen...who was flabbergasted.
"S-sister? Wait...are you-" H.E. Druid cuts the queen off.
"Yes...I'm a Druid now. It's a long story, but I encounter a former Druid who had a pretty easy time persuading me to do it. Do you mind?" She asked.
"No...in fact, you look lovely." The elf queen said and the two sisters kept hugging.
"I hate to break it up ladies, but we're not done here!" Dwarf Rifleman said as he and Dwarf Shaman showed up and some soldiers showed up, then Ranger opened fire as the troops actually put up a forcefield and absorbed the shots. Then Wizard used a drain on them all, which did almost nothing but instantly charged a fireball for her to slam into them...but their shields held fast. These were clearly no ordinary soldiers.
H.E. Druid stayed between her sister and the troops the whole time for obvious reasons, and she pulled a dagger to deflect the attacks of a spearman who attacked them. She then disarmed him, and jammed the spear into his neck, before throwing the spear at another one, who took the hit with his breastplate still intact...then...more troops showed tried opening a portal, but his portal gem was damaged!
"Let's go!" Fighter yelled as they rushed to the exit with Dwarf Rifleman and Ranger covering them with their guns as they made their way out. Ranger jumped over a few spearmen, shot them down from behind, then dived through some more and shot them too.
"We're wasting time! if the queen dies, this will have been for nothing." Ranger said.
"Then let's go then!" D.R. yelled before they all got through the exit...except for Dwarf Shaman.
"Sir Mage!" Lizard Priest yelled.
"Go!" Dwarf Shaman yelled as he formed a rock wall between them and the troops...before getting several thrown spears through the chest, much to the team's horror.
"No..." H.E. Druid whispered.
"Implosion!" Ranger yelled and the fortress, and the troops got sucked into a void, after Ranger used a chain to yank Dwarf Shaman's body to them Priestess then tried to heal him...but it was too late.
"Stop...there's nothing we can do for him." Wizard said seriously as Priestess deflated, got up, and hugged Ranger and Fighter.
Raise your hands, how many of you saw that coming? Now how many of your wanted the Elf General to bite the dust badly? Now...how many of you are glad that the vampire queen's origins have been revealed? Anyway, nice to see the elf queen and her younger sister are reunited eh? I actually got a minor Anna and Elsa vibe from them when I wrote in their little moment there. Also...I'm sorry Goblin Slayer only got some minor screentime, but at east Cow Girl is getting her time to shine. So...the queen said Lizard Priest's people are in the shit, so Rate, Review, and Share until that problem is addressed. Stay tuned...
P.S. Happy Birthday to me...