Hello people, and welcome back to Goblin Slayer: The Team Year 2. O.k...the time for people bathing in the steam is over; it's back to the water boiling...and goblins being thrown into it. Shall we?
Review Response: Come on, you didn't think the Cambion would stay down forever did you? Also, he doesn't have that relic...yet.
Technically the Supreme God himself/herself...whatever, is the one who resurrected the people at the vampire queen's fortress, not the Sword Maiden.
Now...here's where a confession comes in: I don't know too much about Lizard Priest's home, so most of this is headcannon, and luckily...there's a game I have called Brute Force that has lizardmen in it, and...I'm pretty sure they're similar to Lizard Priest's people at least alittle bit, and Lizard Priest did say some things about his homeland, so...bear with me here.
"Home..." Lizard Priest said as he looked around.
"Nice place...weather sucks though." Wizard said.
"And so does the environment; there's mud everywhere..." Rhea Fighter said as she scrapped her muddy foot on some moss.
"We should investigate the tree village. There's no mud up there." GS said as he went to look for a way up.
"Quite right Sir Goblin Slayer, although I suggest I lead the group here. I am native to this place afterall." Lizard Priest said.
"Hard to argue with that." Wizard's brother said as they followed Lizard Priest to a wooden ramp that spiraled around a tree that led up to the huts and panels connecting them in the canopy.
"Where is everyone?" Priestess asked as Lizard Priest looked around with everyone else looking around with less haste, but more curiosity.
"Captured probably..." GS said grimly.
"No..." Lizard Priest whispered.
"Well...we can use this place as a base for now, and our first order of business should be to find out where they are. Sweetheart? Do you sense anything?" Ranger asked as Fighter opened her chakras after some brief mediation.
"Yes...there's a group of lizard people moving away from this village in that direction. It must be them." Fighter said as she pointed behind him.
"Then we must go see to them!" Lizard Priest said.
"Warrior, you and me should go with him and Goblin Slayer." Wizard said.
"Right." Warrior said.
"What about us?" Cow Girl asked.
"The rest of us should get this place up and running as much as we can. There's no way we've seen the worst of it." Dwarf Rifleman said.
"When you get back, we want some answers." Fighter said.
"I will give as many as I need to Lady Fighter, but please, let us go now." Lizard Priest said as he led the four-person team in the direction Fighter pointed them in.
"I'll get some alchemy going." Wizard's brother said.
"We'll keep a lookout." Dwarf Rifleman said as he and H.E. Druid looked around.
"What about me?" Cow Girl asked.
"You're with us." H.E. Druid said.
"See anything else, let us know." Ranger said.
"Of course." Fighter said before giving her husband a quick kiss.
Lizard Priest led the group through a winding pathway through a swamp...and it wasn't a smooth trip.
"Damn bugs!" Wizard exclaimed as she swatted several away.
"Should I use my hammer to zap them?" Warrior asked.
"No, it'll make too much noise. We're supposed to do this quietly." GS said.
"Right..." Warrior said before they found a hut on tall poles, with a ramp.
"This was not here before..." Lizard Priest said seriously as GS checked it out.
"This was made recently; the wood is remarkably fresh." GS said.
"It also doesn't look like the same architecture from the tree village." Warrior said.
"No it doesn't...could these outcasts be deviants as well?" Wizard asked.
"We won't know unless we somehow get answers out of one." GS said.
"Then we should waste no more time in finding my people." Lizard Priest said as he led the team through the swamps again, checking the ground for footprints, and eventually they heard a gunshot over a ridge, then saw a handful of lizard men holding rifles with several lizard people with their hands up with a few holding one with an injured leg. "There they are..."
"How are we going to save the people, and kill those assholes at the same time?" Warrior asked.
"There are only three of them. Can you use an illusion on only those three?" GS asked.
"I believe so, but I've never done so on three people in three different spots, especially not with that many people in the way." Wizard said.
"Can't we just shot them and capture the last?" Warrior asked as he morphed his crossbow.
"Maybe, but we'll have to move fast." GS said.
"We can do that." Warrior said as he took aim just as the group of people were about to move.
"Now!" GS said as Warrior fired at the closest one..and hit him in the back of the head, as GS charged in as Wizard made the other two woozy, as Lizard Priest and Warrior charged after GS who sliced into one rifleman's neck, and Lizard Priest knocked the other out with a single blow to the side of the head.
"Are you alright?" Warrior asked.
"Humans? You brought humans with you to our homeland?" One of the lizardmen asked.
"They are trusted friends of mine. Are you from the tree village we discovered was empty?" Lizard Priest asked.
"No, that one was empty for at least a day." The lizardman said.
"How did this happen?" Warrior asked.
"Outcasts are everywhere! One of our warriors was captured as we fled out home. His actions, saved many lives." Another lizardman said.
"We'll find him if we can, for now, if you know a safe place to go, head there and wait for this to blow over." GS said.
"We are in your debt great warriors." A lizardman said as they left.
"The boss is not going to believe this..." Warrior said.
Guild Girl groaned a bit as she woke up in Summoner's arms, and looked at his face; he looked so peaceful, unlike how he normally looks with his understandable yet heart-jerking sorrow and anger casting a shadow on the happiness he expressed, especially the happiness she was proud to have given him. He then woke up himself, and she smiled brightly at him.
"Good morning..." She said softly as she held his hand.
"Good morning baby." Summoner whispered as she kissed him a few times. "You know how to wake a man up."
"I'll wake you like that anytime." Guild Girl said before kissing him again as he wrapped his arms around her then held her close as they felt each other's hearts and lungs pick up the pace, especially when he ran his hands up and down her body, and took his sweet time doing it.
"You feel so good..." Summoner whispered as he slowly ran down her lower back, then her sides, and up her thighs and buttocks, making her suck in a trembling breath.
"Have you done this before?" Guild Girl asked.
"Not in person no...but the Sword Maiden..." Summoner trailed off as he stopped stroking her and she looked right at him.
"What about her?" Guild Girl asked as Summoner sighed.
"She shared some wisdom with me, based on her experiences with my brother." Summoner said.
"O.k...I know she was sleeping with him but...to share her "wisdom"? I did not see that coming." Guild Girl said.
"I actually told her not to give me any details about their...well, their trysts, but she did let me know what "tricks" there were, but she stressed that knowing them, and actually doing them are two different things." Summoner said.
"I can imagine how and why, plus..." Guild Girl trailed off.
"Don't worry, I'm not ready for...going all the way either. Didn't I tell you I'm willing to stop if you want?" Summoner asked as he touched her face as she nodded and smiled brightly. "You are so cute..." She then giggled and kissed him sweetly. He then held her close after she broke their kiss before she snuggled into him.
"Remind me how many summons you have." Guild Girl said.
"There are hundreds under my command. Looking for a reminder why you should feel safe with me?" Summoner asked.
"Yes I was...as if I needed more than this." Guild Girl said softly as she shifted against him. Summoner then continued casually caressing her silky skin until he felt her deflate. "When you told that Rhea Scout to bring his master here and kill you himself..."
"Yes I meant it, but...like how my elementals can vanish into thin air, I can as well, and no, I'm not going to." Summoner said.
"How do you do it?" Guild Girl asked.
"Limbo. The world between Heaven, Hell, and Earth." Summoner said.
"Oh...I see. Can you tell me a bit more about your adventuring career?" Guild Girl asked.
"Most of it just involved me hunting demons, sometimes I did it alone, other times with help. Some quests were successful, others weren't, but for the record the quests I failed...I got done the next time. Although...one time, I was cheated out of a good reward." Summoner said.
"What?" Guild Girl asked.
"Yes. I spent a good hour or so tracking down a demon leader who captured a handful of kids, then I fought him using a handful of summons, and I drew some power from them so I could hold my own as well. I took him and his lackeys out, and saved all the kids. But when I got back, I got no reward- O.k. let me take that back, I got less than half of what I was promised, and the guild worker said that it was used to pay the families of those kids. On one hand, that is a good point, but on the other hand...that was a tough mission! I was by myself, I was in one of the most intense fights I've ever been in, at least at the time, and I could've used that money to improve my game, and there's no way the guild couldn't afford to pay me." Summoner said.
"Yeesh..." Guild Girl said.
"Now, luckily I could sell some items I got my hands on earlier, but still, money does make the world go round." Summoner said.
"True, but at least you were o.k. Wait, you were o.k. right?" Guild Girl asked.
"Of course. I'm here holding you aren't I?" Summoner asked as they smiled at each other with her chuckling.
"So...can you tell me some of the...tricks, she taught you?" Guild Girl asked.
"Are you sure you want to know? Some are...pretty involved." Summoner said.
"I'm sure..." Guild Girl said.
"Well...for starters, being in water helps...alot. But on a more "realistic" note, one of the more advanced moves is the woman pressing and rubbing her breasts against the man, all over his body. Turns out Her Grace was...pretty busy with my brother in Heaven." Summoner said as Guild Girl blushed like mad. "I told you some were pretty involved."
"I believed you but...wow...that is involved." Guild Girl said.
"I don't expect you to do any of them, especially not now, but...curiosity is curiosity." Summoner said honestly as Guild Girl calmed down.
"Right...now, I know you feel my breasts now, would...you like me to go further?" Guild Girl asked with minor nervousness in her voice.
"A better question, is are you o.k. with doing so? Although for the record...these breasts feel amazing..." Summoner said as he slid his hand up her belly and groped one of her breasts and gave it a squeeze as she shook a bit. "Sheesh...you are one sensitive lady..."
"I just...need to get used to this. I love how you treat me, but it's still pretty intense." Guild Girl said softly as her heart and lungs worked harder as he kept squeezing then touched her face.
"I'll go no further than you are comfortable with baby." Summoner said softly before she kissed him...then shifted her body up and down, rubbing his chest with her breasts as he closed his eyes and focused. "That feels great..."
"Would you like more?" Guild Girl asked with her nervousness replaced with pride, and saw him nod before she rubbed his abdomen with her breasts as well before moving back up to his middle, then up and down again before stopping. "I think that's enough."
"So do I, but...dear Love Goddess that was sweet..." Summoner breathed out as Guild Girl giggled.
"And the Sword Maiden did this with your brother...I must wonder what it was like for him considering...well..." Guild Girl trailed off.
"Her Grace had an absolutely incredible figure, but believe it or not...I was never jealous of my brother, especially now." Summoner said and that got her attention.
"But...my body-" Summoner cuts her off.
"It doesn't have to be like hers; not many women are like her...in any way." Summoner said before she laid back down on him.
"Summoner...I was told she actually needed Storm Mage's affections...can you tell why that is?" Guild Girl asked and Summoner actually cringed.
"Promise you won't tell anyone else, not even Inspector..." Summoner said seriously as Guild Girl thought for a while.
"O.k..." She whispered.
"She...she was captured by goblins, and it went about as far south as it could get..." Summoner said as Guild girl had a growing look of horror and grief on her face.
"No...! Please tell me that's not true..." Guild Girl said with a trembling voice.
"I wish I could..." Summoner said before she buried her face into his shoulder and wept her eyes out as he held her tightly.
"That poor woman...!" Guild Girl said while weeping.
"I know..." Summoner whispered harshly.
"How long ago...?" Guild Girl asked.
"Probably since before she fought the Demon Lord. My brother did her a bigger solid than anyone ever has; he even killed the same goblins who sullied her, while he was injured nonetheless." Summoner said.
"So...first she gets violated by a pack of goblins, and even gets blinded and probably took beatings, or was cut up in some unspeakable way...now this? She gets murdered on top of everything, with her lover by her side just to add insult to injury?! When does this nightmare end...?" Guild Girl said with despair in her voice.
"She's a nephilim now remember? My brother is still with her even in death, and she's helped not just me, but Ranger and Goblin Slayer's teams who-knows-how-often, and there's no way she didn't tell them about her story, and that they didn't keep her in mind when they tore the goblins the biggest new one in the world." Summoner said as Guild Girl giggled, then sniffled and got a grip.
"Bless that man...your brother is now with her in Heaven giving her everything she should have had years ago." Guild Girl said as she dried her eyes.
"Yes...and I'm sure the contrast between the man he is now, and the man he used to be, makes this even sweeter for her...just like how the love made between them is a sweet contrast to-" Summoner stopped cold not daring to finish his thought.
"What kind of man was he?" Guild Girl asked.
"A criminal basically. He's robbed people, cheated people...murdered people, all so he could bury the guilt of abandoning his family during a demon attack. As you can probably guess, it was quite a while before I forgave him...but after saving her, the Sword Maiden officially pardoned his crimes, and let him into her heart, and eventually...her body." Summoner said.
"I don't even want to think about how many men would want nothing to do with a woman who was...played with by goblins..." Guild Girl said somberly.
"He apparently didn't give half a damn, and truth-be-told...his greed didn't just extend towards wealth and power...but women as well. Yes, you heard me correctly; before he became an adventurer, or demon hunter for that matter, Storm Mage was a notorious womanizer, and quite possibly slept with dozens of women, including an entire harem's worth of priestesses of the Love Goddess. So frankly...he was the last person who had a right to judge her for being...tainted or whatever b.s. people would throw her way. Sorry...I know that's insensitive but..." Summoner trailed off.
"It's alright." Guild Girl said before sighing. "This is one of he heaviest topics I've ever discussed."
"Sorry...now, for all it's worth, you...are never going through what she went through. My elementals are monitoring the entire town, including the outside of this house, and if I myself am not around, one of my elementals will be." Summoner said firmly as he held her face with both hands.
"I believe you...and I believe in you." Guild Girl whispered before giving him their best kiss so far; she simply put her lips on his and they laid there holding each other and focusing on he warmth and softness of each other's lips and skin before she rested her head on his shoulder. "When we go outside...I want to check on Ranger and Fighter's baby..."
"Why are you so interested in her anyway? I mean, I get that she's a baby and that fact speaks for itself-" Guild Girl cuts him off.
"She's not just a baby...Ranger actually gave me credit for her birth. I was even there when she was born." She said with a small crack in her voice.
"What?" Summoner asked.
"Ranger actually told me that he thinks I helped him and Fighter get together, and doesn't care how small my role was." Guild Girl said before sighing.
"I suppose that makes sense..." Summoner said thoughtfully.
"I'll never forget the time he first showed up...and the team all got together. He and Priestess showed up together, then Warrior engaged them and asked them to come along, and...I never said anything, but I caught a glimpse of him looking Fighter over; their engagement didn't surprised me at all. I was happy for them of course, but not surprised." Guild Girl said.
"Well...Fighter is a pretty attractive woman, not to mention a hard-hitter...and a dream to talk to- Sorry, please continue..." Summoner said seriously.
"When they got back from their first quest...Ranger temporarily quit being an adventurers, and I found out later that...well, she helped heal whatever trauma he experienced. If that was normal for those two, no wonder he loves her so deeply. I often wondered if I could have love like that, especially after the Sword Maiden gave them her blessing." Guild Girl said.
"Why that detail in particular?" Summoner asked.
"Because of what she said, and I'll never forget it. "Let the love these two share be an example to all that the Supreme God's light still shines on the world." Guild Girl said.
"Wow...no wonder you wanted love like theirs...as for us-" Guild Girl puts her finger on Summoner's lips.
"It doesn't have to be exactly like theirs; I'm not an adventurer, nor do I intend to become one, but...the love those two share, for them to know the other cares for them, to the point where they literally fight through Hell for each other, on Earth, or in the depths..." She trailed off.
"I have unironically fought through Hell, and not just for you, but the home I have, and have had before, I am a demon hunter afterall. As for them fighting together...well, you may not be an adventurer, but I do like the idea of my woman seeing me as her guardian angel." Summoner said as Guild Girl chuckled.
"I most certainly do..." She said before kissing him again. "Back to the team...I can tell Ranger's wisdom rubbed off on them; Warrior in particular seemed not too well-versed on what the goblins were like, but I can tell that mistake wasn't made twice."
"My brother was wise to introduce him to the War God. Can't imagine what he's done since getting his hands on the War God's blessing, aside from severing the vampire queen's head of course." Summoner said.
"We can ask him next time he shows up. But for now...I want to see that baby of his." Guild Girl said as she sat up.
"Alright..." Summoner said as they got out of bed to get their clothes...then Summoner lightly spanked Guild Girl which made her flinch and look at him. "Sorry, couldn't resist."
"Could you at least warn me next time? You know I have bad experiences with that..." Guild Girl whined.
"Sorry...but for the record, so do I..which makes me look even worse..." Summoner groaned before Guild Girl took the hand he spanked her with.
"At least you're honest with me." She said.
"How can I not be? But to wrap this up...I'll bet no one touched you like this while you were naked." Summoner said seriously.
"No...I was not, until now." Guild Girl said before putting his hand back on her butt as she pressed her breasts into his chest.
"Heaven help any man that tries..." Summoner said seriously before kissing her...than his hands went up her back, and one held the back of her head as they deepened their kiss and she let out a small moan.
"I love you..." Guild Girl whispered against his lips.
"And I love you." Summoner said before kissing her again."Now, let's go see that baby..."
Lizard Priest led his group back to the tree village and the rest of the team was set up pretty nice.
"We have a surprise for you." Fighter said as they showed up, then Ranger stood from the chair he was in...then morphed blades on his fingers, each one about a foot long.
"Yikes!" Warrior and Wizard exclaimed at the same time as Ranger flexed his fingers and moved his arms around.
"Yikes indeed..." Lizard Priest said.
"I also used the miracle of Smith to absorb more material while you were away, and not just once either. So my armor is even more useful." Ranger said as he de-morphed his claws and morphed his light armor...into a suit that had bits of his heavy armor. "Especially this version, my medium suit."
"O.k...we get it, you did some brainstorming while we were gone. Although...it took you long enough to come up with those two things." Wizard teased.
"Hee hee..." Ranger deadpanned.
"And he's not alone." Dwarf Rifleman said as he pulled a small horn. "The good Sir Wizard here made me this so I can either signal the rest of the team, or piss off any goblins in the area.
"Heads up everyone! We've got company!" Rhea Fighter yelled and they peered over the edge and saw a pack of lizardmen charging at the tree village.
"Outcasts!" Lizard Priest exclaimed before summoning twin sickle swords.
"I take it they're not as friendly as those elf soldiers?" Cow Girl asked.
"They're basically outlaws, so don't feel too bad for them. They're not as twisted as goblins, but even more dangerous. So stay alert." Ranger said as Cow Girl steeled herself and pulled her shotgun as H.E. Druid, Ranger himself, Dwarf Rifleman, Warrior, and Fighter all took pot shots at the outcasts with their guns, bows, and crossbows while the wizard siblings summoned elementals and familiars for the upcoming battle. Some birds familiars flew down and distracted the outcasts with barrages of weak but irritating energy bolts, which made them easy pickings for the shooters. The ice elementals Wizard summoned either put ice spiked through their brains and heart, or froze them solid, and even shredded them by blowing themselves up after getting taken out.
"How many do you have so far Your Highness?" D.R asked as he shot down two outcasts.
"It's not a contest my good man." H.E. Druid said softly yet serious before letting loose three arrows that all pierced two outcasts, one in the face, and the other in the chest twice. GS then pulled his sawed-off and shot down two outcasts that climbed up as Lizard Priest engaged the ones who attacked the shooters.
"You all keep shooting!" Ranger ordered as he morphed his guns into his new claws, then started shredding the outcasts. He stabbed them in the sides, up the chin into their brains, shredded the backs of their necks, lacerated their hamstrings, then tore their throats out, and even jammed his claws into one of them, and slammed them into the other with enough force to send them over the edge, absorbing their blood all the while. Fighter was so distracted by her husband's display of brutality that Warrior had to shake her.
"Hey! Keep shooting!" He exclaimed as the kept firing at the outcasts. Meanwhile, GS and Cow Girl put their shotguns to work by blowing the outcasts' insides out when they got too close, as Ranger and Lizard Priest kept shredding them. Eventually...Lizard Priest got one of his arms severed and Ranger avenged him by digging his claws into the outcast who did it, lifted him over his head...and ripped him in half before knocking two outcasts over the edge as he threw the two halves at them. He then collected Lizard Priest and his severed arm and dragged him to Priestess who immediately stopped the bleeding with a healing miracles as the dozen remaining outcasts retreated...before Dwarf Rifleman shot them down one by one when they were out of H.E. Druid's range.
"If you run, you only die tired..." D.R. said smugly as H.E. Druid giggled but then they turned to see Lizard Priest getting his arm re-attached by Wizard and Priestess.
"O.k...try moving it." Wizard said as Lizard Priest struggled to move his arm, then it moved around slowly but steadily. "Don't tax yourself now. The fight's over, and you lost quite a bit of blood."
"Still, I owe you quite a lot Lady Mage." Lizard Priest said before she smiled and gave him a life potion.
"This attack was too strong to be a coincidence; they came here in force." GS said.
"But...we just arrived now. How they know we were here so early?" Fighter asked.
"And why were they so numerous?" Cow Girl asked.
"Maybe they have a seer of some sort?" Ranger said which got the team's attention.
"Or someone was spying on us..." D.R. said.
"Either way, it is clear these outcasts are a problem that will not go away. We will need to take the fight to them, starting with rescuing a warrior those people we saved informed us about." Lizard Priest said.
"Alright...now, we're going to have to split up again. What are our options?" Ranger asked.
"Well...there's that warrior the good priest here mentioned, there's also two concentrations of lizard people in both that direction, and that one. There may be more then that, but there's too much going for me to focus on them." Fighter said before Sword Maiden appeared.
"Sword Maiden?" Wizard said confused.
"One of those concentrations is a large tree village, with a floor village underneath it, and both parts are infested with outcasts, and the other is a slave ring used by the Evil Sect." Sword Maiden said and Ranger sighed.
"Keeping slaves is low, even for the Evil Sect." He said.
"The Cambion used slaves to unearth a gateway to the Astral Plane, but the Hero and company just now found and sealed it up again, as if it weren't already useless to the Cambion. There is also a holy artifact in this area that is of interest to him, although...I am not familiar with it, which is quite ironic." Sword Maiden said.
"Maybe there's something stopping you?" Warrior said.
"Possibly." Sword Maiden said.
"Me and Warrior should check on that relic." Wizard said.
"Me and Goblin Slayer will go see to those slaves." Ranger said.
"Why me?" GS asked.
"First off, there could be more than outcasts there, in other words: there could very well be goblins there, or at least hell rifts may spawn goblins, and I've had more than my fair share of them up north." Ranger said.
"Right." GS said.
"Then that just leaves that mass of outcasts for the rest of us to deal with." Rhea Fighter said.
"That reminds me..." Fighter said as she tossed over her strength-boosting necklace to her. "You need that more than I do."
"Thanks, but what about you?" Rhea Fighter asked.
"May I enchant that pendant of yours?" Wizard asked and Ranger nodded to Fighter.
"I suppose...although it's a bit cheap to have this pendant be used in battle when it's supposed to be a token of love." Fighter said somberly.
"Hey...if it means you get better in battle, then I'm sure the Love Goddess and War God will both be pleased here, and even if you lost that pendant, I'd love you nonetheless." Ranger said softly as he stroked her cheek, got a smile out of her, then gave her a brief but sweet kiss not caring who saw; by now, their love was a secret to absolutely no one.
"O.k...what enchantment would you like?" Wizard asked.
"Well, what do you have?" Fighter asked.
"Hmm...well, most of them are covered by your armor, but the ones that aren't are regeneration, like Priestess' necklace, there's also magic resistance, or focus- actually your chakra-opening covers that. Wait...I've got it! A life enchantment like the life potions! Priestess, hand that necklace over this minute!" Wizard exclaimed as Priestess handed her ruby necklace over as Fighter handed her amethyst pendant over as well, and Wizard vocalized a bit as she closed her eyes and both gemstones glowed their own color then white, the same color as their life potions, then they turned back to their original colors as the two women took their necklaces back.
"Yet another thing we have in common." Priestess said softly as Fighter smiled before the two pseudo sisters hugged.
"We will have quite a few grand tales to share with those even recallers won't we?" Warrior asked.
"Hey, at least that means we'll have to worry less about what the others are missing, and more on what we'll get done." Fighter said.
"The lovely lady's got a point." D.R. said.
"Wait! What kind of illnesses can we expect in this area?" H.E. Druid asked.
"Oh shit! How did we not think of that?" Wizard's brother exclaimed.
"You once used blood to give your equipment special properties did you not?" Lizard Priest asked.
"Yeah? So?" Wizard asked.
"My people are largely immune to the diseases in these lands; you may use the blood that I lost to enhance your armor and obtain the same resistance." Lizard Priest said.
"O.k...if you really are good with it." Wizard said.
"Yes I am Lady Wizard." Lizard Priest as she took the blood he lost, morphed a vial or two, and mixed in some life potion, then the potion turned into blood, and Wizard poured some onto each of their outfits and it spread evenly along their outfits and was absorbed into them. "Alright...that should do it."
"Here's hoping this was worth all that effort." Wizard's brother said seriously.
"Let us go. Time is of the essence." Lizard Priest said as he stood up and Ranger gave his portal gem to Priestess.
"Good luck all of you." He said as the teams divided.
Summoner and Guild Girl paid a visit to the temple to see Ranger's mother, who was with Ranger's father holding their grandchild and some of the girls were there taking turns looking the baby over, and caring for her in various ways, while Bard and Songstress were playing a harp and vocalizing respectively.
"Ah, Summoner...and company." Ranger's mother said knowingly.
"Yeah yeah, get it out of your system..." Summoner groaned as Guild Girl giggled.
"I take it you came to see our granddaughter?" Ranger's dad asked.
"Yep, and it looks like she's a real hit." Summoner said.
"Boy, you don't know the half of it; we heard of how my son's team healed some girls captured by those damn goblins, and the results were actually replicated here...these girls have never looked better." Ranger's dad said.
"Glad to hear it, and with the goblins nearly being wiped out...we can finally move on from here, so long as Ranger and Goblin Slayer's teams stay on the case." Guild Girl said.
"Here's hoping." Ranger's mom said as an acolyte came by with the baby. "Satisfied?"
"Very much so." The girl said as she handed over the baby.
"Are you alright?" Guild Girl asked.
"Never felt better." The girl said with a smile.
"May I ask what that...cleansing was like?" Summoner asked.
"It was the single best thing that ever happened to me, and...the Sword Maiden herself showed up to each of us in a dream to share how her...ordeal compares to where she is now. The contrast could cut through a diamond several times over." The girl said seriously.
"I heard about her ordeal...I'm amazed my heart didn't get crushed literally..." Guild Girl said somberly as Summoner took her hand.
"Dare I ask?" Ranger's dad asked.
"Trust me...you don't want to know." Summoner said seriously.
"Alright..." Ranger's dad said.
"Wasn't your brother her guardian?" Ranger's mom asked.
"And then some." Summoner said as the older pair looked at him knowingly.
"He was a lucky man..." Ranger's dad said seriously.
"But also an unlucky one..." Summoner said bitterly as he crossed his arms, then Ranger's dad put his hand on his shoulder.
"Our son is going to make Cambion pay; he's Platinum Ranked for crying out loud." He said as Summoner sighed and eased up.
"Right..." He whispered.
"Can you tell us a bit about your brother?" Ranger's mom asked.
"Alright...I'm a bit sick of telling this story, but whatever. Storm Mage was a pretty unsavory character before Her Grace redeemed him. He stole from people, cheated people, slept around who-knows-how-often, yes you heard me correctly. He even assassinated people for money." Summoner said.
"Yeesh...and the Sword Maiden had this guy protect her?" Ranger's dad asked.
"To be fair, he's killed more goblins in one sitting than most people do in their whole lives, some of which were about to sink their teeth into her-" Summoner stopped talking before he gave her secret away.
"Wait...she knows what the goblins do doesn't she?" Ranger's mom asked and Summoner cringed.
"Yes...which is precisely why she loved him so fiercely. Hell, she loved anyone who gave her fears a middle finger that big, especially since...well, since Storm Mage was so popular with the ladies-" Ranger's dad cut him off.
"Yeah yeah yeah, we get the message." He said.
"Just how strong was Storm Mage?" Guild Girl asked.
"Honey...he vaporized dozens if not hundreds of goblins at the farm a year ago,and he stunned a goblin champion with heavy armor, and even anti-magic enchantment with one bolt, and finished it off with a second." Summoner said.
"Yikes...no wonder he was so good at killing demons." Guild Girl said.
"I also fought him myself about six years ago." Summoner said which got everyone's attention.
"You tried to kill your own brother?" Ranger's mom asked in horror.
"No...well, I tried at first, but...regardless of how many screwed up things he did...he's still my brother, so I used an ice elemental to freeze him solid, gave him to the guard and washed my hands of him from that day forward, until I ran into him on a demon hunt, and he made my chances of surviving go from slim to certain." Summoner said.
"O.k...as honorable as it is that he turned over a new leaf...why did you use an ice elemental against someone who used lightning? That's like trying to evaporate the ocean with a torch." Ranger's dad said.
"First off, that was the only option I had, second...the reason he saved me is because he suffered from some...pretty interesting nightmares, if you can call them interesting. Lastly...my victory wasn't free; Storm Mage actually landed some pretty nasty hits, and he wasn't even trying to kill me. I can't imagine how much pain he put those goblins through..." Summoner said.
"Getting hit by lightning hurts that badly?" Guild Girl asked.
"Oh yes! Only burns hurt worse. Every time he hit me, the part of my body he hit tensed up as hard as it could, and there was nothing I could do about it." Summoner said.
"Like muscle cramps..." Ranger's dad said.
"Muscles cramps...all over my body!" Summoner said seriously.
"And he put goblins through that kind of hell...sucks to be them." Ranger's dad said with a smile while crossing his arms.
"You know goblins tried to take that baby she's holding?" Summoner asked as they all looked at the baby in horror.
"Why didn't they?" Ranger's mom asked seriously.
"They were stopped by Goblin Slayer's farm girl "friend", and I use that term lightly; I'm pretty sure they...well..." Summoner trailed off.
"Good on her..." Ranger's mom said as she took the baby back and held her close.
"I'm sure Ranger and Fighter thought the exact same thing; she deserves a promotion for that alone." Guild Girl said seriously.
"Ranger actually made her protection an official quest as well. Not very orthodox, but who cares? Protecting a baby during a siege, and killing a heap of goblins that came out of nowhere is nothing to laugh at." Summoner said.
"No kidding, and even if it wasn't during a siege...when a Platinum Rank gives you a quest, you damn well better do what they say." Ranger's dad said.
"Especially when they're this respected. May I have the baby?" Guild Girl asked and was handed the baby who looked at her curiously. "Hello."
"Hello." The baby said which earned her a giggle from Guild Girl as the baby reached for her, and grabbed Guild Girl's finger.
Ranger led GS through a swamp they actually had to swim through, since he was the one who had Life Sight, and so far all he saw were some fish in the deeper part of the swamp, and some stray crocodiles and even an anaconda or two they avoided easily; no sense fighting them if it wasn't needed, even if they could kill the predators with their eyes closed, on land or in the water.
"It's a shame I rarely ever stop to harvest supplies from the environment, whether it's plants, or minerals." Ranger said thoughtfully.
"If you don't require it, don't grab it." GS said simply.
"Still, if I don't make use of it, someone else could. I just hope Wizard, Warrior and company did so themselves-" Ranger shut up and stopped GS as well. "Wait...I spotted a convoy of outcasts going towards a mass of bodies in that direction."
"Any goblins, or captives?" GS asked.
"Can't tell. Let's get closer." Ranger said as they snuck over a hill to get a clear look...and they saw a massive palisade wall with towers...as well as some metal reinforcements added to the walls. "O.k...whoever made that fortress clearly doesn't want guests."
"We should find an alternate way in." GS said.
"My thoughts exactly. Normally I'd set the place on fire with Immolation...but I can't tell if there's any captives there." Ranger said.
"It's probably for the best; they would probably execute the prisoners as soon as they knew something was wrong." GS said.
"Then let's go around then." Ranger said as the two snuck around and eventually saw an opening in a hill. "That must be where they keep their secret projects..."
"Then let's see what they are." GS said as they approached the entrance. "See anyone?"
"Yes, but they're deeper in, and from the looks of their moments, there's a series of underground tunnels and chambers down there." Ranger said.
"If I were a goblin, I would definitely hide down there." GS said.
"I don't see any goblins...but then they might be further down, beyond range." Ranger said as he morphed his mask, and claws, as the two ventured down into the tunnels. GS then stealth-killed an outcast by plunging his sword into his head. "Good thing that helmet gives you the same extra sight I have."
"I doubt it gives as much range, but I can still see them around corners just fine." GS said as they kept going, jamming their blades into the necks of dozens of outcasts along the way, and hiding the bodies. Ranger once threw blades at some outcasts as GS charged the last one, stabbed him through the heart, then threw his own knife at another outcast, and hit him in the neck. Another time, Ranger jammed his claws into the back of an outcast's brain...then GS snapped the neck of another foe who wasn't an outcast...
"What the hell are the Evil Sect's thugs doing here?" Ranger asked as GS checked the body.
"I've seen this armor before...these are the Evil Sect's soldiers." GS said before dropping the body.
"Soldiers. Ha! Terrorist is a far more fitting word..." Ranger spat.
"It would actually; they do nothing that you'd expect from conventional soldiers, aside from following orders." GS said as they kept going, and eventually entered a large chamber with a furnace, large, human-sized glass vats, alchemical devices, and desks and shelves full of books, notes, and even spell scrolls.
"What the fuck is this place?" Ranger asked as he looked over the notes as GS looked over the scrolls, put them in his bag and looked at the vats and some notes.
"They're looking into how to make the goblins more of a threat to their foes. Domesticate them so to speak, and they're looking into other creatures as well." GS said.
"Goblin Slayer...you do not know the half of it..." Ranger said in horror as GS came to look at some notes her was reading. "They're actually creating clones of captured women so the goblins can breed to their hearts' content!"
"We cannot let that continue. If they unleash them-" Ranger cuts GS off by slamming the notes into the table.
"Let's just kill the goblins, burn this damn place to the ground and bury every asshole who dared turn this place into a slice of hell." He snapped.
"Right. Where to?" GS asked as Ranger got a grip and used Life Sight.
"There's a whole mass of goblins beneath our feet...and they're going apeshit!" Ranger exclaimed before GS pulled his sword, then they held footsteps and got to cover...then a black-robed figure entered the room, looked around and went to organize his noted.
"What happened here-" Ranger silenced him by knocking him into a desk and picking him up by the collar.
"How many captives do you have here?" He asked.
"Look around and see for yourself." The figure said before Ranger slammed his head into the desk.
"I asked you to tell me smartass." Ranger said dryly.
"And I answer-" Ranger slammed his head into the desk again.
"We can do this all day if you want..." He said simply before slamming his head into the desk three more times.
"Stop! Stop...! There was a single captive...but capturing more pets for the goblins was too much of a chore-" Ranger shut him up by kicking him in the side.
"Pets are they?" Ranger growled.
"I mean captives! Captives! Now please, have mercy..." The man said.
"Continue...!" Ranger snapped.
"We made clones of that girl we captured, and it was much more efficient. At least here, the goblins can live their lives without hurting anyone important." The man said.
"Are you insane? Those clones live lives composed of nothing but them being tortured, killed, eaten, raped, or any combination of those things, on top of wishing for nothing but an end to their pain, or a constant and intense fear of that kind of pain. Goblin Slayer here is right: the goblins don't need to be preserved, they need to be slain..." Ranger said before tearing the man's throat out with his claws and dropping the bloody chunk of flesh like it was trash and absorbed the blood.
"So they're breeding goblins here..." GS said as Ranger looked out the door. "We should take whatever information we need, and destroy the rest."
"Right..." Ranger whispered as they took the notes on what the cloning process accomplished, what the goblins did with the clones despite them looking the same, and even the details on how the clones were made since it was a forbidden practice, dumped them all into a pile before Ranger kept some scrolls for himself since...well, one never knew when it might be needed, like when GS killed an ogre with one. "I'll take care of the outcasts, you kill those damn goblins."
"Right." GS said as he morphed his shield and sword.
"Also...I only recommend avoiding explosives since...well, you might cause a cave-in, and I don't like digging people out of holes." Ranger said.
"Right." GS said.
"Also...good slaying." Ranger said before turning his medium armor, into light armor and morphing his claws again as they split up...after Ranger ignites the room with Immolation and closed the metal door behind them.
Wizard and Warrior were traveling through their own fair share of a swamp, and even picked off some outcasts at a small outpost with his crossbow and her using illusion magic to leave the ones still alive vulnerable, before her husband shoots them too.
"Nice shooting." Wizard said before kissing him quickly but deeply.
Thanks baby." Warrior said before they went inside and looked around. "Nothing serious, might as well burn it down."
"Yeah..might as well." Wizard said before they retreated, she hits it with a firebolt and they watch the place burn down in less than a minute.
"Blue, controlled bonfires...gotta love em." Warrior said before kissing his wife yet again with the fire behind them.
"Look at us...we just ended some lives, burned down an outpost, we're in the middle of a swamp...and we're kissing over it. What is wrong with us?" Wizard asked.
"Everything that should be wrong with us..." Warrior said as Wizard smiled.
"Apparently." She whispered before kissing him longer. "O.k...let's go before I gateway us to our home and I let you fuck my brains out..."
"Might do that afterwards though." Warrior said seriously before they kept going...and spotted some outcasts coming to check out the blaze. "Oh fuck, get down..." They then hid behind some rocks as the outcasts bunched up...then Wizard blew them to pieces with a single charged fireball, and Warrior used his crossbow to shoot down the few survivors. "O.k...that was bittersweet."
"Bitter because it wasn't stealthy and sweet because we dealt with some outcasts that needed to be dealt with?" Wizard asked.
"I thought I was supposed to be the one who thought like the boss?" Warrior asked before Wizard shook her head while smiling smugly. "You're going the right way for a spanking."
"What's stopping you?" Wizard teased before turning around...then Warrior gripped her butt. "You said spanking not groping..."
"Deal with it honey..." Warrior said smugly before getting spanked himself.
"Deal with that...honey." Wizard said before they kept going, and eventually got to a lake with a hut, dock, and boat in front of it. "You think that boat will hold two heavily armored people?"
"Maybe...wait, can't you enhance it?" Warrior asked and Wizard looked right at him.
"Why did I not think of that in the first place?" She asked dryly before using Transmute on the most ruined/moldy/dirty parts of the dock, and used her alchemy to turn the boat into a metal boat that was in pristine condition and they hopped in, and Warrior grabbed a paddle as they went to the small island in the middle of the lake. "Wait...I should use Life Sight..." The moment she did her heart sank. "Oh fuck...turn back!" Warrior then back-paddled back to shore.
"What is it?" Warrior asked nervously.
"There's something under the water...something big." Wizard said.
"Another leviathan?" Warrior asked.
"No, it...hold on...it's a crocodile! A freaking huge crocodile!" Wizard yelled.
"Alright, keep your panties on! Why don't we just lure it here, and jump it? We took out dragons, how much different could this be?" Warrior asked.
"That's a good idea, but how are we going to get that thing all the way over here?" Wizard asked.
"Bait?" Warrior asked simply and Wizard got an epiphany.
"Damn...you're a genius! And I know just how to do it..." She said before grabbing a nearby stone and putting a rune on it.
"Umm, this is where you give me a reward..." Warrior teased and got a half-smirk from his wife.
"If this works...you can fuck as many of my brains out as you want." She said sensually before summoning a water elemental, pointed at the island, and it took off. About a minute later...the crocodile burst out of the water, barely missed the elemental, and followed it back to shore. "Take cover!" The pair hide behind a fallen tree, ignoring the bugs crawling around inside it, and the crocodile got on land...and it was easily the size of a dragon.
"Well...now or never." Warrior said as he morphed his mask, pulled his hammer, and threw it at the croc, hit it's side which stunned it just long enough for it to get impaled in the same spot. It then it rolled onto it's side before Warrior jumped off it's body as the last moment. The croc snapped it's jaws around at him, then he the hammer bash the top of it's head, sending it into the ground, then the croc snapped it's head up just as Warrior climbed on top of it, and when it was about to eat him...Wizard launched a fireball into the side of it's head, jerking it to the side and saving Warrior.
"You're a smart lizard...but let's see you outsmart this." Wizard said as she charged up a Paralyze spell, hit the croc and it snapped it's jaws around again...only much slower. Warrior finished the job by jamming his sword into it's brain, then Wizard launched a fireball down it's throat which blew up from he inside for good measure as Warrior got off of it...and landed while crouching with his sword held out to the side. "Badass landing for the win..." Warrior grinned at this, put his sword away, called his hammer back, and put it away as Wizard wrapped her arms around his neck and he held her hips.
"Did this work like you thought?" Warrior asked as Wizard removed his mask and stroked his face with her now-unarmored hand.
"I worked better than I thought...and you know what that means." She teased.
"I might..." Warrior said before kissing her.
"Now let's get that relic." Wizard said as they got back in he boat with the water elemental following at a distance.
Fighter, Rhea Fighter, Priestess, Lizard Priest, Dwarf Rifleman, H.E. Druid, Cow Girl, and Wizard's brother were marching through along an elevated pathway overlooking a wetland with Lizard Priest leading the way, with Fighter flanking him.
"Lady Fighter?" Lizard Priest asked.
"I don't sense anything noteworthy so far." Fighter said.
"Me neither..." Rhea Fighter said before Lizard Priest stopped them and they looked ahead to see a wide opening.
"O.k...this looks like a good place for an ambush." D.R said as he pulled his gun.
"It is; I'm sensing alot of activity around the rim- wait, false alarm; those people are going towards somewhere." Rhea Fighter said.
"Then let's follow them." H.E. Druid said as they followed their two Fighters and they eventually found a small wooden fort infested with outcasts.
"We should split up and hit them from different angles." D.R. said.
"Agreed." Lizard Priest said.
"I'll stay here and start the attack with familiars, and when all of you get in position, I'll summon them." Wizard's brother said.
"Sounds like a plan." Fighter said as she and Priestess went to one side, with D.R., Cow Girl, and H.E. Druid climbing skirting around to get to a higher position for sniping,and Rhea Fighter, and Lizard Priest, went around the other flank opposite to the first team. "Alright...time to get to work..." Wizard's brother then summoned a flock of birds that flew around and stunned several outcasts and made the others try to get rid of the birds off their friends' backs, while a pack of wolves engaged them from the front.
Fighter then jumped over the wall with Priestess blinding the outcasts with Holy Light, and Fighter got to work shredding the outcasts' throats, kicking them into the sturdiest structures she saw, throwing the outcasts into each other, picking them up and slamming them into the ground head-first, into each other, or throwing them off the building they were on. She even impaled the outcasts on the spikes meant to be traps for intruders, with one case involving her leaping over an outcast, grabbing his shoulders and jamming his back through a spike as Fighter herself fell off a ledge, landed feet-first and blocked, dodged, and countered one blade swing after another as Holy Light wore off, and Priestess took cover again.
Rhea Fighter and Lizard Priest engaged the outcasts from the other side while Fighter had their attention. Lizard Priest and his twin Dragoontooth summons severed heads left, right, and center, while Rhea Fighter flipped, jumped, and bounced around like a ball craving up the outcasts, taking full advantage of her small size, light weight, and superior mobility to hit blind spots, and pull unexpected maneuvers. All the while, their three shooters were taking down the outcasts too far for their melee fighters to engage, or just to save time or make things easier. After about ten minutes of intense carnage, the team was victorious.
"Scratch one fort full of assholes." D.R. said as the team regrouped inside.
"We should probably search around for anything useful." Rhea Fighter said.
"Agreed." Lizard Priest said as they all looked around, and only found the leftover arrows H.E. Druid shot, and some strange fruits. "Ah...these fruits are often celebrated among my people for their healing properties."
"Then why haven't you taken them with you before?" H.E. Druid asked.
"These fruits are not common, especially not during the season in which we were first adventuring with Sir Goblin Slayer." Lizard Priest said honestly.
"How good are these fruits?" Priestess asked.
"Good enough to heal burns, given enough time." Lizard Priest said...and Fighter had a flashback to when her husband caught fire.
"You alright?" Wizard's brother asked.
"I'll be fine..." Fighter said somberly as Priestess took her hand; one look was all it took for them to know they had the same thoughts.
About an hour later, after fighting through an entire marshland with outcasts swarming from all sides, and even popping out of the deeper waters and attacking them from behind, the group finally got to a hollowed tree with pulley lever that took them up to the inside of a hut in the middle of a tree village and looked around.
"Nice decorations..." Cow Girl said as she looked over the large table with tribal markings, the matching chairs, the crocodile skulls on the walls, and fireplace.
"You honor my people Lady Gob- I mean..." Lizard Priest trailed off
"Never mind..you can call me that." Cow Girl said.
"Very well...Lady Goblin Slayer." Lizard Priest said.
"We can admire as much as we want later. This place is also infested with outcasts. Now...we should get rid of as many as we can before leaving." Rhea Fighter said.
"No shit; that's why we're here." Dwarf Rifleman said as he locked and loaded.
"There's an outcast coming." Fighter said as H.E. Druid notched an arrow, looked at the top/third floor and shot an arrow, which hit the outcast in the throat, and he fell down to the bottom floor dead.
"Poor bastard." D.R. said dryly.
"It's a shame that so many of them turned to the Demon Lord." Priestess said somberly.
"Maybe that Nexus my sister mentioned is here." H.E. Druid said as the group went up several ramps to the top floor and snuck around outside between the ramps and bridges around and between the tree huts, stealth-killing the outcasts in the way, until they got to a tree that needed to cleared out the loud and hard way. Most of the time it went pretty smoothly, to the point where Priestess was more of a spectator than a supporter; she didn't even need to put up Protection, let alone heal or empower anyone. The group then split up, and went around clobbering, butchering, shooting, and blasting outcasts in every nook and cranny the village had to offer, which at one point, led them to find a relic sacred to Lizard Priest's people that was in the beginning stages of demonic corruption.
Eventually...Fighter entered a large chamber with a wooden cell in it and a bunch of outcasts guarding it. She then launched blades at the ones on the in-between levels while she fell, then shredded the outcasts on the ground floor. The cage then took several hits from the inside, Fighter put up her guard and a lizardman with similar armor to the outcasts, but with a different color scheme burst out and growled to the roof.
"A human? What are you doing here?" the lizardman asked.
"I'm here with a team that came to get rid of the outcasts...as you can see." Fighter said while dropping her guard and motioned around as the lizardman groaned.
"It is grueling that we meet over death human." the lizardman said.
"You're telling me..." Fighter trailed off.
"Until this is over, your pack is my own; may we fight and die together." the lizardman said.
"Fight, die, and live." Fighter said as the lizardman took a pair of sickle swords off the outcasts as the rest of the team arrived.
"Among my tribe, I am one of the greatest warriors. I am certain I can be of aid to you." Lizard Warrior said.
"Hail great warrior. It is good to see you alive and well." Lizard Priest said.
"Well...the outcasts are all dead, and we rescued a lizardman who looks ready to kick ass and take heads. I'd say mission accomplished." D.R. said.
"I...would not. My clan must...be avenged...!" Lizard Warrior growled.
"Ah, might as well. We get to kill more outcasts, and get to see what a lizard warrior can do." Wizard's brother said.
"Alright...we might also get to see this Hell Nexus as well." Fighter said.
Goblin Slayer meanwhile was sneaking around through some tunnels, and picked off several goblins sentries, before throwing a flash-bang bomb into a chamber, and stunned every goblin in the area before rushing in and leaving no head attached before sneaking into another chamber, and just flooding it with poison gas, which didn't harm him thanks to his helmet. The third chamber was on alert, but GS fired his shotgun into a crowd, which shredded five and deafened the rest which made him charge into the crowd and sever their heads as well, before throwing a knife into the heart of a single survivor, then took his knife back and snuck into the fourth chamber.
This one was the largest of the chamber thus far, and required him to hurl several freeze bombs into the place before rushing in and butchering the ones that weren't frozen to the core, but were suffering from the intense cold. He then smashed a door way, found some goblin children and babies...before throwing a frag bomb into it and blew them to bits.
"That makes 57 so far..." GS said as he walked to the path to the fifth chamber...and found twice that number, plus several hobs, and a shaman that looked to be working on something. GS then threw the rest of his bombs into the area, killing half of them, and stunning the rest before rushing it, and shooting two of the hobs in the face with his shotgun, before reloading, and shooting two more hobs. One hob tried to charge him, then GS ducked under it, stabbed it between the legs, then stabbed it in the top of the head while it laid there reeling in agony.
"Well...the infamous Goblin Slayer. You have some nerve flaunting that title around." The shaman said before turning around. "Do you know who I am?"
"Another worthless goblin..." GS said as he prepared to charge.
"I am the greatest mage among my people, servant of the God of Wisdom and their newest lord! You will taste no more victory here...Goblin Slayer." Goblin Mage snarled as he prepared a purple fireball in his hand.
"You will taste nothing but my blade when I kill you." GS said as the goblin mage threw the fireball, GS dodged it, then another, and another, and another until one fireball landed, launched GS back to the other side of the area...and got back up.
"What?!" Goblin Mage exclaimed.
"I barely felt that believe it or not." GS said as he grabbed an axe off one of the dead goblins, and threw it at the mage, who deflected it with his magic, and ducked and side-stepped several swings from GS, but just barely; the mage had a look of terror on his face as he dodged GS' quick and calculated sword swings. The mage was clearly not holding back on his speed, but neither was GS, and it was only a matter of time before GS got in a lucky hit. Eventually, the mage tripped over the leg of a dead hob, and GS pinned him under his boot. "But you...will feel this alot!" The goblin mage then turned the hob to stone, picked it up, and hit GS in the back with it, sending him flying forward and the hob landed right on top of him.
"You were saying?" Goblin Mage asked smugly before GS struggled to get up much to the mage's annoyance.
"Like you said yourself...I'm the Goblin Slayer...and I told you...you would taste my sword...!" GS said as he finally got up and pointed his sword at the mage.
"You really think I don't stand apart from the others? Who do you think gave the Evil Sect the idea of cloning females? How do you think these outcasts were organized as well as they were? How do you think these tunnels got here? How do you think I became a lord? How do you think I got this powerf-" GS cuts the mage off by throwing his sword at him, only for his sword to be deflected, and then GS blew his legs off with his shotgun.
"I don't care what you've done, or why." GS said as he put his shotgun away, grabbed his sword and knelt next to the mage and aimed his sword at his face. "Like I said...you're just another worthless goblin!" He then jammed his sword into the mage's teeth and out of the back his head, removed the sword and walked out. "That makes 139..."
Ranger meanwhile, was sneaking through the upper levels of the fortress, sneaking through the hallways...and found almost no guards, not even with Life Sight. Eventually...he heard chatter, and got closer to listen in.
"Let's see what these rifle thingies can do..." A terrorist said.
"I already told you-" The first cuts the second off.
"I want to see for myself." He said before Ranger morphed his guns and shot the terrorist in the head, and destroyed the rifle with two shots before dropping in.
"They do something like that." Ranger said simply before all hell breaks loose. The terrorists charge him with various melee weapons...then Ranger grapples towards one of them with his harpoon, kicks him to the ground, and splits his head open with his claws before morphing his medium armor and sword before blocking and countering several strikes by severing arms, legs, and heads, impaling the terrorists through the heart with his heated blades. Ranger even absorbed their weapons when he was done...only for more terrorists to appear and he got back to work chopping them down.
"You'll regret interfering with the Evil Sec-" Ranger cuts the terrorist off by severing his head.
"Yeah yeah, tell someone who cares..." He said dryly before flipping over one terrorist, jumping off the shoulders of another, grabbing a chandelier and slamming it on top of a group of terrorists, then one grabs him from behind, get Ranger's spiked elbows in each kidney, before Ranger slams the back of his head into his face, turns and kicks the terrorist into another before ducking under and axe swing, picking the swinger up and slamming him into the ground head-first. "And...faceplant!"
"Sharp-tongued bast-" Ranger cuts the terrorist off. with a stab to the throat.
"Oh shut up." He said dryly before tripping and spin-kicking the last one into a wall before walking up to him, grabbing his collar and picking him up halfway. "Where are the rest of your goods?"
"Between your mommy's legs!" The terrorist snapped.
"Wrong answer..." Ranger growled before putting a gun at his groin.
"O.k. o.k. you win! Th-there's an outpost j-just behind the fortress. W-w-w-we keep everything in there. Everything!" The terrorist stammered.
"Thanks." Ranger said before bashing the terrorist across the face and putting a bullet in his chest before sneaking across the fortress again, and found the outpost that was mentioned...and a stockpile of weapons. "Easy pickings..." Ranger then absorbed the guns, powder, and others weapons into his armor...before spotting some outcasts arriving with captives. "No you don't..." Ranger then followed the outcasts to a group of cages where lizard people were being held. "Psst. Hey...I'm going to get you all out of here. Just stay quiet, and let me deal with the guards. I will come back for you..." The lizard people perked up when they heard him and some nodded before Ranger followed the guards into the fortress, and climbed up a wall with his claws...before jamming them into a terrorist's head, and slowing the body's fall.
The next minute or so was spent with Ranger sneaking around assassinating the guards by quickly stabbing their necks...and making a mess of their bodies in case anyone found them, they'd be too shocked to think clearly for a moment, and his tactic worked; one guard found a body and panicked, only for Ranger to jump out from behind cover and break his neck. He spotted one remaining survivor, knocked him into a wall, slammed his head into it, and threw him to the ground before picking him up and putting his claws in his face.
"Other than slave work, what's going on here?" Ranger asked.
"You're not going to kill me...you're not going to kill me...!" The terrorist said while clearly delirious and Ranger put his claws directly on his face.
"Did you not see what I did to your friends? Now rethink your answer before you join them..." He said.
"There's a sacrifice, to the Demon Lord, but you're not going to stop it; they're ready for you this time!" The terrorist said before Ranger headbashed him to the ground and morphed a gun.
"We'll see..." Ranger said before shooting him in the face, not caring about the noise and kept his word by breaking the locks on the captives' cells. "Now, retreat to the swamps, I'll stay and keep them busy!"
"We are in your debt." One of the better-dressed ones said as they left, then some terrorists poured into the room Ranger just cleared.
"O.k..forget stealth..." Ranger said before throwing a Rage spell into the room...and watched the terrorists chop, shoot, strangle, and beat each other senseless, while Ranger shoots the ones who don't die quickly enough. He was more focused on speed than anything; that sacrifice to the Demon Lord was nothing to laugh at. Besides...he had nothing personal against these terrorists, especially not like the goblins; sure the Evil Sect's goons were probably no better, but with the goblins...it was the definition of personal. Ranger then shot down the last few who weren't effected by the Rage spell, and captured one. "Where's the sacrifice chamber?"
"I'm not telling you shit." The terrorist snapped.
"Yes you are...you just don't know it yet." Ranger said before pinning him to a wall, and starting choking him. He then let the terrorist breathe, and repeated the process until...
"Alright alright! Let me go and I'll show you..." The terrorist side before Ranger put him in front, and put a gun to his back.
"Lead the way...and don't even think about leading me into a trap; you know what's going to happen if you do..." Ranger said as he followed the terrorist through a tunnel lined with torches and it seemed to be carved with actual intent. Eventually, they got to a dark chamber lined with the same torches...it was like the elven fortress all over again: a naked woman tied up in tentacles, with dozens of acolytes, and a head priest who was getting ready to impale her with a knife.
"The hell you are..." Ranger then blew the terrorist's chest out with several bullets, tossed him into the room full of stunned acolytes and watched as they were horrified at the sight of the terrorist's mangled corpse before them. The head priest was about to kill the woman before Ranger shot the knife out of his hands, then they turned to face Ranger himself who walked in and pointed a greatsword at them while holding a gun in his other hand. "Anyone want to avenge him?" The acolytes did nothing but retreat and shake in terror before Ranger shouted and smashed the ground with his greatsword hard enough to launch several acolytes into the walls or even each other hard enough to break bones and cause blood splatters before setting himself on fire with Immolation and burned through the few survivors with his heavy sword.
"Please get me out of here!" The woman yelled as she tried to get free herself. Ranger then walked over to the woman, completely ignoring the priest, turning his greatsword into a short sword, and tried to cut through the tentacles...but it does nothing. He then turned to the terrified priest.
"How do I free her?" Ranger asked.
"You can't cut them with a regular sword." The priest said.
"That's not what I want to hear." Ranger growled.
"I'm not lying! Only my dagger could cut them, and you ruined it." The priest said.
"Then where can I find a replacement? Tell me now!" Ranger snapped after grabbing the priest and putting a blade at his throat.
"There's a way to fix it; I have a tome of spells that teaches how to repair items." The priest said.
"Do it." Ranger said before letting him go and the priest fixed the dagger and even freed the girl himself...before a small Hell Rift opened, and an arm came through it with a knife and cut the priest's throat, which stunned both Ranger, and the captive who covered herself...before Ranger made a cloak and wrapped her in it.
"Thanks..." She whispered and another Hell Rift opened in the middle of the room...
"Useless piece of shit..." A voice said before Rhea Scout appeared in armor that vaguely resembled GS' new armor.
"You?!" Ranger exclaimed.
"Back from the dead. No thanks to our mutual Cambion friend." R.S. said smugly.
"You mean that killer of the pure-" R.S. cuts Ranger off.
"Pure? Hardly..." He said.
"Remember who you speak of asshole...especially around the 11th Platinum Rank, whom you really don't want to fight." Ranger growled as he tightened his fists.
"Yeah yeah, I've seen you fight the vampire queen, save the northern capital, and a whole bunch of other things, I know you're tough. But guess what? I don't recall a single time you were around when I was training my ass off with the Cambion himself; I could probably take out that ogre you beat at the Temple of Law by myself without hiding behind my teammates." R.S. said.
"That...would be a first." Ranger said dryly as ever before R.S. huffed in amusement.
"I told you I trained with the Cambion, you know, the same guy who fought your whole team and kicked their asses? Where were you by the way? You could've saved them alot of pain..." R.S. said and Ranger's eyes sharpened, and his teeth showed before he morphed a pair of guns and opened fire...then R.S. morphed a helmet and his armor deflected his bullets at the area around him instead, then R.S. de-morphed the helmet and smiled smugly.
"What?" Ranger asked in awe.
"Like I tried to tell you, I'm different from what I was when I first met you. I really should thank you, Goblin Slayer...and that guild wench for kicking me out-" Ranger then charged at R.S. mid-sentence with his greatsword and smashed the ground in front of him, which sent him flying back, in time to see Ranger charging again, then R.S. entered another Hell Rift, reappeared underneath Ranger, gave him an uppercut to the jaw, then kicked him in the chest hard enough to send him rolling across the ground, as R.S. rushed alongside him and put a dagger at Ranger's throat. "Tell me...what bothers you more? That someone who hates you came back from the grave, or that I'm now a better ranger than you?" Ranger then grabbed his arm, elbowed him in the face, grabbed him, and R.S. yanked Ranger to the ground as they tried choking each other.
"You're still running around doing the same thing you did before but with more power; you're just another thug." Ranger said.
"I've gotten better than I've ever been!" R.S. snapped.
"Under the Cambion's boot!" Ranger said before picking R.S. up and hurling him across the room into the wall...which R.S. formed a Hell Rift on, and reappeared behind Ranger, who puts his up his greatsword just in time to stop R.S.' daggers from piercing his face. Ranger then morphed his mask for good measure, before flicking R.S. away, who formed yet another Hell Rift and reappeared next to Ranger, who moved out of the way of a dagger just enough to avoid having his spine pierced, but not enough to avoid losing blood, which R.S. showed on his dagger while snickering.
"You went for my spine...and missed. You don't have much reason to be cocky." Ranger said dryly before R.S. groaned.
"I won't miss again...trust me." He said.
"It won't matter...trust me." Ranger said before morphing his heavy armor and gauntlets...then harpoons R.S. as he went through a Hell Rift, then yanked him back into the real world and hurled him across the room into the wall...then R.S. morphed a shotgun and unloaded into Ranger, who was staggered but unharmed thanks to his armor. R.S. then went through a Hell Rift, reappeared behind Ranger, kicked him to the ground, put the shotgun barrel at the back of his head...then the woman slammed a bench on R.S.' head which enabled Ranger to take the shotgun, grab R.S. and pick him up before pointing his own shotgun at his head. "Any last words?"
"The Cambion won't stop until you're all dead!" R.S. said with a choked voice before Ranger pulled the trigger...and nothing happened.
"Lucky you..." Ranger said dryly before throwing R.S. into the air, and he entered a Hell Rift before Ranger could bash him away with the shotgun's stock.
"Where is he now?" The woman asked.
"He's not likely to come back; he took a rather serious beating...and not just because of me." Ranger said as the woman smiled a bit.
"Well, I had alot of aggression to take out, and...I did owe you one." She said.
"It's not often a non-adventurer saves a Platinum Rank's life." Ranger said.
"Platinum? That explains alot... Also, I used to be an adventurer, but I settled down with my team's second-in-command so to speak, and now we have our own house and family to take care of." The woman said.
"And now you're in the middle of nowhere with a new shotgun if you want it?" Ranger said as he handed it over.
"Might as well..." the woman said as she took it, then magically turned her cloak into a leather suit.
"A mage with a shotgun...that's not common either." Ranger said.
"I'm technically a rogue, but I know a few spells." the woman said.
"Rank? Well...former rank?" Ranger asked.
"Sapphire." Rogue said.
"Well...unless you have a way back home, my team can watch your ass until we get back home. We actually have gateway magic on our side." Ranger said.
"Good to know. Lead the way great Platinum Rank." Rogue said dramatically.
I think that's quite enough of this chapter; I've been at this for way too damn long, and I have another project to work on. But we're not done yet, Rhea Scout is on the loose, Wizard and Warrior have an item to get, and the new Lizard Warrior has a score to settle, not to mention that damn Hell Nexus. Well, I guess you'll just have to Rate, Review, and Share while you wait, so...stay tuned.
P.S. that moment Ranger smashed that dude's head against the desk over and over cracked me up while writing it.