The Frontier's Most Honourable

A Goblin Slayer/For Honor crossover

Summary: a mysterious new adventurer arrives at the Guild. He comes from a land that has seen near constant warfare; he is a member of an ancient order of warriors, their origins lost to history, devoted to seeking justice and defending the weak. He is the Warden.

…

Chapter 1: A New Player

"Here you are, and good luck!" Guild Girl said to the trio of adventurers in a cheery voice who walked away with eager grins. The contract was to take down an ogre troubling a nearby village. The Adventurer's Guild was near full to the brim with many other hopeful adventurers; all were eager to make a name for themselves, for money, glory and to cement their names in history. Guild Girl kept a beaming smile as she dealt with other adventurers as they entered the halls of the Guild.

Many were friends and co-workers. A few were admirers and would-be suitors (mostly one-sided). But among the ranks there was one adventurer who seemed more machine than man. One with an intense focus and professionalism in his career and had earned his Silver rank in the last few years for his work.

This man was known by the epithet the Goblin Slayer. It was a name that was ridiculed and scorned at worst, and best treated with apathy and disdain. To the few who interacted with the man, he was distant and indifferent, although he could be quite blunt to the point of being tactless. Hardly anyone had seen his face due to the fact that he always wore his helmet despite his daily appearances at the Guild. The fact he never showed his face to anyone was subject of much speculation and even disrespect from those who were more vocal in their disdain for Goblin Slayer.

Another primary reason Goblin Slayer was called by such a title was he chiefly hunted one thing: goblins.

Most adventurers did not bother with goblins, seeing them as weak prey not even worth the effort or reward, whereas Goblin Slayer was the only one to take the initiative and actively hunted them down in their caves and holes. No-one knew the reason why Goblin Slayer chose to hunt only goblins and believed it was a waste of time when he could go for much bigger game.

But to Guild Girl, Goblin Slayer was special; all too often she had handed out goblin contracts to porcelain rank adventurers, or those desperate for some work, only for them to never return. Actually, that was not entirely true; male adventurers who took goblin contracts were often killed outright, female adventurers got it much worse. What goblins did to women was nothing short of barbarism, showing just how vicious and cruel they were. To most other races, goblins were just dumb animals who were only worth a few coppers. Villagers who had come to the Guild with desperate pleas for adventurers to protect them from goblins were often passed over by the veterans as most of them did not want to take them because of such low rewards offered for them.

It was a vicious and senseless cycle of death, cruelty and brutality in Guild Girl's mind. But what could she do? Even if she told her superiors of the real danger goblins presented, they would be dismissive of it and they might even relieve of her duties. So, Guild Girl had very little choice but to keep quiet, although she tried to warn rookie adventurers of the danger, but to no avail. Goblin Slayer was the only one to make the attempt, but he was just one man.

As she shuffled some papers for a request, the sounds footsteps mingled with the clanking of metal on metal alerted Guild Girl. She looked up and spoke, "Hello there. How may I…?" She faltered as she saw the sight before her.

At a glance, it was a knight standing at nearly 6'5, maybe even more, but the armour he wore made him seem bigger. The armour itself looked simple but very well-made and functional and clearly saw much use. Holding in his left gauntleted hand was a longsword about as tall Guild Girl was; it was in a standard cruciform style and like the man's armour, it had seen much use but still looked sharp and functional.

Guild Girl must've been gawping as the knight spoke in a calm but brusque voice. "Is this the Adventurers' Guild?" he asked briskly.

Guild Girl nodded slowly and the knight gave a hum and said, "Good. I am told this is where I can be given mercenary contracts."

"Oh! You're looking to join as an adventurer?" Guild Girl asked getting over her surprise.

"I believe that I am," the knight replied dryly.

"I see. Very well, there are some forms for you to fill out. Once you're done bring them back here and we can get you started," Guild Girl told the man brightly as she brought out the relevant forms along with a quill and pot of writing ink.

"Thank you," the knight replied as he took the offered items and headed over to one of the nearby tables. Nearly everyone was gawping at the sight of the man as he sat down at one of the nearby tables, dipped the end of the quill in the inkpot before tapping out the excess and began to fill out the forms.

Within minutes, the knight returned to the front desk. "All done?" Guild Girl asked the new adventurer who nodded and handed over the forms for her to look over. To her surprise again, Guild Girl saw that the forms were filled out quite neatly with very little room for error. She then noticed the peculiar title he had chosen.

"Warden?" Guild Girl looked up at the knight in curiosity.

"My title refers to the order of knights I belonged to, each one called the rank of Warden," the knight explained. "The Wardens are an ancient order, their origins lost to time but dedicated to seeking justice and defending those who cannot defend themselves," he said patiently.

"I see," Guild Girl noted, making a mental note to try and look up these Wardens and see if they actually existed. "It all appears to be in order," she said with a smile as she looked over the rest of the forms. "I'll be right back with your tag, Mr Warden," she added before leaving the reception desk and returned a moment later with a porcelain tag.

"Here you are, Mr Warden, I'd like to present you your Porcelain rank tag." Warden took the tag hanging from its string. Although she couldn't see the man's face because of his helmet, Guild Girl could sense the confusion emanating from him.

"My pardon, I am wholly unfamiliar with the ranking system this Guild uses," Warden confessed. "May I ask how the ranking system works here?" he asked politely.

"Of course; the Adventurers' Guild is made of ten rankings. Porcelain is the tenth rank and thus the lowest and Platinum is the highest rank of the guild," Guild Girl answered.

"And how does one progress in the ranks?" Warden asked.

"Usually by completing quests and contracts, as well as undertaking rank reviews in which you can be promoted to a higher rank," Guild Girl explained.

Warden hummed in thought before saying, "What if one seeks to join the guild but is overqualified for the rank they initially receive?"

Guild Girl nodded in understanding; this wasn't the first time there had been someone who was overqualified, but that had its risks as there were those who cheated and scammed their way through the ranks so it was best to weed them out before they could cheat their way in.

"I am sorry, but only in truly rare circumstances does an adventurer rise to a higher rank than they initially given," she said to him kindly. "The Guild can't go by your word alone," she added.

"I see," the Warden said with some mild disappointment. "But I suppose it is for the best to prevents liars and cheats," he added in thought.

"That it is," Guild Girl said in agreement. Despite her initial thought of Warden being another stereotypical adventurer who would be a boisterous loudmouth, she saw that Warden was very much a professional and acted professionally.

Then one Guild Girl's most ardent suitors came up, full of bluster. "Hey, buddy! Why don't ya stop bothering Miss Guild Girl?" Spearman told Warden. "She doesn't need you harassing her!" he accused.

Warden turned his head to regard Spearman and spoke, "And you are?"

"Name's Spearman! Silver rank and Strongest of the Frontier!" the man boasted proudly. A few listeners-in sighed and shook their heads as they saw Spearman was causing a fuss where there was none.

"Quite the bold claim," Warden remarked dryly. "I suppose it is substantiated?" he asked mildly.

"You bet it is!" Spearman replied. "And besides, if Guild Girl says you gotta take a porcelain rank tag, then you gotta take it!" he spat.

"I am aware of that fact," Warden replied calmly. "And despite what you believe, 'Spearman,' I was not harassing Lady Guild Girl. Merely making some inquiries," he said.

"Yeah, well why don't you move along, pal!" Spearman retorted.

Then Spearman's partner, the beautiful and alluring Witch glided over to defuse the situation. "Now, now… boys. No need… to start… a ruckus," she said soothingly.

"I am not attempting to start anything," Warden replied to Witch respectfully. "Mr Spearman here is under the impression that I was harassing Lady Guild Girl," he explained. "And he's made a very bold claim about being the strongest here," he then said.

"Stronger than you'll ever be, buddy!"

Warden looked at Spearman, his expression hidden by his helmet before he said carefully, "One thing I was taught, and evidently no-one saw fit to teach you, is that as strong as you may become, there is always someone stronger than you."

"Is that a challenge?!" Spearman thundered angrily.

"Do you wish it to be?" Warden asked coolly.

Guild Girl made to say something but Spearman beat her to it. "Outside! The training ring! You and me! Right now!" he growled.

"Boys… this isn't… necessary," Witch said imploringly but it fell on deaf ears as Spearman stormed outside to the training ring.

Warden hummed in thought and Guild Girl said to him pleadingly, "You don't have to do this, Mr Warden. I can talk to Spearman and explain everything to him!"

"I know his type; he's a good man, but lets his emotions get the better of him," Warden replied. "if knocking him senseless will calm him down, then I am happy to do it," he said. "But for your sake, Lady Guild Girl, I won't damage him too much," he added before heading outside to the training ring.

Already adventurers were waiting outside while Spearman stood in the centre of the ring, armed with his signature weapon. People chattered excitedly about the new Porcelain rank adventurer Warden going up against the silver ranked Spearman.

Guild Girl took to standing outside the ring to watch with trepidation as Warden calmly walked into the ring, holding his sword by the blade in his left hand. Spearman spun his weapon a few times as a display of his skill and asked, "Ready to get your ass handed to ya?" His tone of voice was taunting as he grinned at the new adventurer.

Warden then took up his longsword in both hands, pressing the flat of the blade to his helmet, whether it be a prayer to the gods or a salute to his foe, no-one knew. Warden then shifted into an almost horse-like stance, his sword held close to his right hip the blade pointing outwards toward Spearman.

With a whoop and a holler, Spearman charged, spinning his weapon in an arc only for the tip to bounce off Warden's sword. Spearman stumbled back in surprise, clearly not expecting such a solid block for his lower ranked opponent. "Okay, you got some skill, I'll give ya that," he grudging complimented his opponent who did not say anything in response, merely switching his stance to a higher one with the blade of his sword resting on his forearm.

Spearman then jabbed with his spear, each thrust parried or deflected. "Ha! Staying on the defence, huh?" the silver ranked adventurer called out as he spun his weapon in lazy circles. "Afraid to fight for real?" he jibed.

Warden gave a grunt before surging forward with surprising speed given his heavy looking armour, swinging his sword in a series of quick strikes. As a testament to his skill, Spearman blocked them, but he seemed to strain as each blow seemed to almost stagger him. Suddenly, Warden got in close and hooked the quillon of his sword around Spearman's neck and using his momentum and Spearman's own weight, Warden threw the silver ranked adventurer to the side.

Spearman nearly fell face first onto the dirt, but did a tuck and roll and bounced up onto his feet, only to be met by Warden shoulder charging into his back. Adventurers got out of the way as Spearman was knocked out of the training ring. This time, Spearman hit the earth face first. Raising himself, Spearman spat out a mouthful of dust and rolled over onto his back only to widen his eyes in alarm as the tip of Warden's longsword was pointed right between his eyes.

"Do you wish to continue?" Warden asked calmly. Spearman slowly shook his head in silence as he stared up at the skilled warrior. "Good." Warden removed the tip of his blade from Spearman's face before turning to address the crowd. "Anyone else?" he asked and there was a collective shake of everyone's heads.

"Excellent. Glad we cleared that up," Warden said pleasantly before looking to Guild Girl who was staring at him in amazement. "So, you were saying?" he prompted.

"Well, I can certainly say that you're quite skilled in combat, Mr Warden," Guild Girl admitted. "But I'm afraid it's not up to me to make the decision to give you a higher rank alone," she said regretfully.

"I understand," Warden replied with a nod of his head. "In truth, to become a Warden such as I, you must earn the right. It is no different in this case," he said.

"Yes, I imagine it is," Guild Girl said with a smile.

"Hey! You gonna do anything about what he did to me?!" Spearman blustered angrily.

Guild Girl frowned angrily and replied, "Overuled! You challenged Mr Warden to a one-on-one duel to which dozens of witnesses can attest to! And Mr Warden beat you fair and square. You should consider yourself lucky Mr Warden didn't damage you too seriously!" she said coldly.

Spearman pouted like a child and muttered, "I was holding back anyway…" Witch sighed and shook her head at her companion's childish behaviour while shooting Warden an apologetic smile.

"So, what contracts are there for me to take?" Warden then asked Guild Girl who smiled graciously and led the knight back into the Guild Hall to take a look at the notice board.

"You'll find here there are quests available each and every day, but I'll warn you, it's first come first serve," Guild Girl informed Warden who nodded before perusing the number of quests available.

"Would I be allowed to take higher ranked quests?" came the question.

"Sorry, we can't let you do that by yourself. If you join up with a higher ranked adventurer you might be able to, but it's best to not to take higher ranked quests when you start off at a low rank," Guild Girl replied. "But…" she began to say before stopping herself.

"But there's something wrong with the system isn't there?" Warden noted and Guild Girl reluctantly nodded. "Dare I ask how many low ranked adventurers you lose in a daily basis?" the knight asked dryly.

"More than I want to admit," Guild Girl said lamely.

"I see," Warden said sympathetically before perusing the board again before taking one request down. "I'll take this one," he told Guild Girl handing the paper to her. Guild Girl's eyes widened in alarm as she the request.

"Goblins? You want to kill goblins?" Her heart sinking in her chest, Guild Girl prayed to the Gods that this new adventurer would heed whatever warning and advice she would give to him and take a different quest instead.

"Did someone say goblins?" came a monotonous voice and walking up was none other than Goblin Slayer.

"Oh! Goblin Slayer!" Guild Girl breathed in relief. "Here for another quest?" she asked hopefully.

"if there are goblins, yes," came the simple response.

"Well, Mr Warden here was just about to take a goblin quest. Perhaps you could assist him?" Guild Girl asked hopefully.

Warden and Goblin Slayer looked at each other for a long tense moment before the former broke the silence, "I take it by your choice of title that you are an expert at killing goblins?" he asked respectfully.

Goblin Slayer nodded in response. "Excellent. I'd much prefer working with a professional than someone unprepared or by myself," Warden said pleasantly.

"What are your weapons of choice?" Goblin Slayer asked Warden who held up his longsword and said, "The longsword is my weapon of choice."

Goblin Slayer looked at Guild Girl and asked, "Where are the goblins?"

Guild Girl looked at the paper and replied, "They're located in a cave."

"Then your sword is too large for the job. You need something smaller," Goblin Slayer then informed Warden who nodded.

"What do you recommend?"

"A shortsword or a club, perhaps the club might be best," Goblin Slayer said to Warden.

"Not my preferred choice of weapon, but I shall defer to your experience, Sir Goblin Slayer," Warden said respectfully before he looked at Guild Girl and asked, "Is there an armoury or blacksmith nearby where I can procure a club?"

"Oh, yes, just up the street from here," Guild Girl said with a chipper smile, relieved that her prayers had been answered. Once again, Warden had surprised her by quickly agreeing to Goblin Slayer's suggestions; most other adventurers wouldn't take such direction so easily, wanting to take weapons that may be impractical for certain locations such as a goblin cave as such places were too small and narrow to carry a weapon like a longsword around. You'd end up hitting the cave walls swinging such a large weapon around in.

"Then we'll take this quest then, Lady Guild Girl," Warden then said. "Shall we?" he asked Goblin Slayer who nodded silently in response and the pair then left the Guild.

Relieved that a new adventurer wasn't going to die going on a goblin quest this time, Guild Girl hoped that Goblin Slayer's behaviour wouldn't out Warden off from working more with him and that there would be someone else willing to take goblin hunting quests this time.

Returning to the reception desk, Guild Girl then added Warden's name to the register of adventurers that were affiliated with the Adventurer's Guild.

TO BE CONTINUED…

A/N: There! First chapter of this is done and dusted! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and if anyone asks, I did take some inspiration from DaneNagai's Witcher/Goblin Slayer crossover The Goblin Contract, but I hopefully added my own spin to it with the Warden being challenged to a duel with Spearman. Of course, I did somewhat nerf Spearman, but my excuse for that is Spearman was holding back significantly against a porcelain ranked adventurer, but underestimated Warden's combat skills which have a lot of technique rather than the flashy stuff you often see in movies, TV, comic books and video games. Often times the flashy moves you see a fantasy hero perform have no real use in an actual fight; one such display is the spinning sword trick which admittedly looks really cool, but a simple thrust from a sword or better yet a spear quickly bypasses such a display almost instantly.

So, some of you will ask if other For Honor hero characters will show up; short answer is yes, there will be some other For Honor heroes showing up in the story at later stages. Which ones they'll be may depend on who you guys want to see. I already have a couple of heroes in mind who'll show up, but feel free to leave a suggestion in your review.

And apart from that, I haven't got too much more to say about this, so I'll leave this here and see you all in the next one.

Be kind to one another,

Angry lil' elf.