Unlike Noble Fencer— who had come prepared to travel through sub-zero rocky terrain of the mountains— High Elf Archer was covering herself only what Goblin Slayer was able to create using what little tailoring supplies he had in his inventory. Needless to say, the black-leggings that she had on underneath her beige booty shorts were only doing so much for her. In order to keep warm the best she could, High Elf Archer had her arms wrapped around her lightly-armored chest with her brown cloak tightened over her— its hood covering her head, as her entire body shook with how cold she was.
Hearing the sounds of her unwanted companion's teeth chattering together, Noble Fencer gave the green-haired woman a side-eyed glance before darting her eyes forward. "So… Seeing how you didn't come fully prepared for this sort of weather, what exactly was your plan for getting through the "Mythril Forest"?"
Raising an eyebrow at Noble Fencer for several different reasons, High Elf Archer scoffed under her breath as a condescending smirk formed across her ice-cold lips. "F-First off, t-there's no s-s-such t-t-thing as t-t-t-the "M-Mythril Forest"— y-you just p-p-pulled t-t-that out of nowhere! T-T-The f-forest's c-c-called " Aurora's Somber"," High Elf Archer corrected smuggly through her chattering teeth, as she tucked her petite body up tighter in her cloak before finally addressing the annoyed looking teen's inquiry. "I w-was p-packing l-lightly f-f-for the j-journey… I-I w-was o-originally g-g-going t-t-t-to p-purchase a n-new set of a-armor w-when I g-got t-to M-Matterhorn… N-Never g-got the c-chance t-t-to d-d-do t-t-that."
Although High Elf Archer's persistent bratty attitude was getting on her nerves, Noble Fencer couldn't help but to feel more sorry for her rather than irked by her. So instead of giving High Elf Archer sass back to perpetuate the bickering, Noble Fencer decided to go the extra mile to ignore the other woman's sass, and to continue the conversation towards a better direction. "Well, you're in luck then Arthemis: the store we're heading to doesn't JUSTsell winter clothing and mountaineering gear, but they actually have an indoor sauna that'll most definitely warm you right up!" Noble Fencer informed with a knowing smile coming across her own playfully smug face, as she watched High Elf Archer's facial expression lighten up the moment she mentioned a sauna.
"A s-s-s-sauna?! W-What k-kind of s-s-shop h-has a-a-an indoor s-sauna?!" She asked with a flabbergasted look on her pale face, as all could imagine in the back of her head was de-robing herself before sitting down in an enclosed room filled to the brim with soothing steam.
Shrugging her fur-insulated cloak-covered shoulders with a small chuckle escaping her lips, Noble Fencer proceeded to cup her bands over her nose and mouth to blow hot air into her palms to warm herself up. "Heh! It's Matterhorn, Arthemis— everyone and their grandma there owns a sauna themselves. Hell, there's a sauna built into the shed outside of the tavern Goblin Slayer made— he's probably gonna let our "prisoners" warm up in it, before he lets them go home or whatever," Noble Fencer mused, as she raised her hands from her mouth to make air quotation marks with her gloved fingers— emphasizing the word " prisoners", as she didn't view them that way.
Unlike the optimistic teenager, High Elf Archer wasn't as confident as Noble Fencer was about the decision Goblin Slayer would have to make, and it showed when the green-haired woman's excited expression slowly turned into one of solemnity. "… I-It would be f-for t-the best if… If Orcblog c-could l-let them g-go h-home, y-yes," High Elf Archer said in a quiet, reluctant voice— her tone being immediately noticed by the golden-eye teenager with honey-colored twin-tails.
Blinking a few times in silence as she looked over her shoulder to see the way High Elf Archer was staring ahead at their path with a distracted and even despondent look in her emerald green eyes, Noble Fencer eventually broke the silence by letting out a soft chuckle. "Heh…You actually think that kid's capable of killing someone? Let alone, SIXpeople?!" Noble Fencer asked rhetorically.
Shocked to hear the blond teenager's dismissal of what Goblin Slayer was capable of— despite him being only ten years-old— High Elf Archer let out an amused sigh as a smile slowly crept over her trembling and icy lips. "D-Did y-you n-not s-see w-what h-he did t-to them— w-what h-he was a-able t-t-to d-do, e-even w-without M-Melusine?!" She asked with an almost astonished voice, as she couldn't believe what she had just heard.
Keeping to her words, Noble Fencer casually nodded in response to High Elf Archer's question before preparing her rebuttal. "Absolutely, I did— he's certainly one-in-million, that can be said. But no, the reason why I don't think he'll kill any of those adventurers isn't because I think he's incapable of doing so— far be it, if he really wanted them dead, then it would have already been done," Noble Fencer mused with relaxed smirk across her face, as she and High Elf Archer continued to walk along the snow-dusted path with evergreen trees surrounding them on both sides of the road. "What I meant to say is that Goblin Slayer's a very creative kid, and a kind hearted one at that. He won't have to kill any of them, because I think he'll come up with a better alternative than that."
Knitting her brows together as she found what Noble Fencer said to have made sense, High Elf Archer couldn't help but to feel a bit more hopeful after hearing the teenager's confident explanation. "… You know, for a moment there I was thinking you were going to say something cheesy and worthless, like "Oh he would never kill anyone", or "I can feel it in my heart"— because believe me, he's not a pacifist by any stretch of the imagination," High Elf Archer admitted, before she and Noble Fencer shared a laugh together as the lights of Matterhorn became visible just over the horizon— the pine needles of the trees surrounding them bordering the window of just how close they were to their destination.
And while High Elf Archer and Noble Fencer continued to pass the time by engaging in conversations about themselves and of him, Goblin Slayer was pacing out in the cold with just his leather armor and black-feathered collar to keep him warm— the sky's purple hues foretelling of the inevitable twilight that would be falling over the snowy wonderland. Staring down at the footsteps his leather boots had indented into the thick blanket of snow under him, Goblin Slayer felt his brain pulsating and his heart pounding inside of his small chest while contemplating on what would be his best approach to the complex situation that was laid out before him.
' What am I even supposed to do?! I can't just go in there and kill them— that would be wrong, wouldn't it? But then again, are they even going to accept reason, when I maimed them?! More than likely, they've already made several plans on how to kill me, so… So what then?! Do I just… Leave them here, and let nature take its- n-no, absolutely not! That would be just as bad as killing them— if not even worse! ' Goblin Slayer thought stressfully to himself— his moral dilemma causing him a great amount of stress, as he came to a stop before pressing his back up against the wooden shed-door. Closing his eyelids and feeling his strained eyes burn softly, Goblin Slayer took a deep breath of the cold mountain air before slowly sighing. "… There's… There's not a doubt in my mind that they've been conspiring against me this whole time— plotting against me, waiting until my guard's down to strike me when I least suspect it."
Nodding her head with an empathetic look in her brown eyes, Fairy Knight stood calmly like a stoic stature several feet away from the entrance to the shed where the six adventurers were being kept in shackles of BB's own creation. "Yes… Chances are that's exactly the situation we're faced with. I would be wary of Dark Mage and the Female Mage— well experienced magi are one of the most powerful threats one could ever go up against," Fairy Knight advised, before quickly adding onto her caution by saying, "And of course, the Black Assassin and Wood Elf Archer are formidable, as are the Shark Berserker as well as the… You should just assume that they're all going to attack you, Master… Here, bring this inside with you."
Opening his eyelids upon first hearing the sound of metal latches being popped open one-by-one, Goblin Slayer was momentarily taken aback when he saw that Fairy Knight was offering him her entire forearm module where her arm-blade would extend out of, and past her hand. "… You're giving me an "Arondight"? Can I… Can I even use it, without you being inside my soul— or whatever it is that you do?" Goblin Slayer asked with an intrigued and slightly intimidated look in his dusty-rose colored eyes, as he carefully picked up the surprisingly light-weight weapon module from his servant's gloved hands.
Seeing how her master technically never had to put on an Arondight module over his forearm before by himself, Fairy Knight smiled softly as she took a few steps forward before assisting him with latching it around his right forearm. "You should be able to use its most basic function, which is to make the metal blade come in-and-out of it— but that's really all you're going to need it for. My Arondights can break through any weapon, and any spell with their blades alone— that should be more than enough for you to defend yourself, if the situation calls for it," Fairy Knight explained calmly, before taking a step back once she had gotten the weapon secured around her master's small forearm— watching with pridefully with a stoic expression, as she watched Goblin Slayer quickly figure out how to use the Arondight module.
Retracting the decorated platinum-like blade back into the cold-steel blue module that extended just past his elbow, Goblin Slayer did his best to appear grateful as he lowered the Arondight down beside his thigh. "Thank you, Dame Knight— if only this was to be used against goblins and other monsters, and not against… Misinformed people, whose hearts were in the right place," Goblin Slayer mused solemnly, and made eye contact with Fairy Knight before turning his back to her— so as to face toward the wooden door before him. "…I… I-I don't want to do this, Melusine… I… I feel like I'm going to throw up…"
Understanding her master's internal pain and disgust as what he would more than likely have to do, Fairy Knight gave Goblin Slayer an apologetic look with her saddened brown eyes as she let out a soft sigh. "I… I know. I'm sorry Master— it has to be this way. If… If I am to fall, I… I need to know that you can protect yourself— that you can watch over yourself, when and if that day comes before I can see you live out the rest of your life," she said, before a heavy blanket of silence fell upon them— the two of them remaining still, as the icy winds of the northern temperatures blew unforgivingly against their faces. "… Now go— this is a time sensitive issue."
Taking one last look over his shoulder to wordlessly make eye contact with his protective servant, Goblin Slayer held her gaze for what felt like several long minutes before finally looking away and proceeding to open the door to let himself into the well-illuminated shed. In place of the usual gardening equipment and general tools that one would find in a large shed, there sat the six adventurers with their wrists chained behind their back and connected to the sturdy wall itself— each of them on their knees, their ankles also tied with only their underwear on to ensure that they had no equipment to accessible to them.
Even though their injuries had been patched to the best of his party's abilities, there was no gratitude in any of their eyes— only hatred, fear, and anger towards him. It was then after their initial response of glaring at him did the six adventurers begin to realize the weapon that he had attached around his forearm— some of their fear beginning to intensify, while Armored Paladin and Shark Berserker merely became more hardened and stone-faced upon coming to their own conclusions. "So… You've finally made the decision to slaughter us with our hands tied behind our back? I knew my suspicions were right about you— you truly are a monster worthy of being slain yourself," Armored Paladin said bravely without any fear in his voice— the extremely muscular pale-skinned man with a graying bearded face staring at him boldly, as nothing but the isolated shed and the steam escaping from the active sauna and into their chamber kept him and his companions from freezing to death.
Although Goblin Slayer wanted to lay down his arms and beg for the vindictive adventurers to listen to his pleas, he remembered the warning that Fairy Knight had given him while she was walking alongside him out of the copied tavern— about how dangerous it was show any weakness, when one was to attempting to have leverage in high-stress negotiations. So instead of hoping that they would believe him, Goblin Slayer's mind was slowly formulating an ingenious plan that called for him to answer Armored Paladin's accusation by ejecting the blade out of Arondight— causing the other four adventures to flinch, upon seeing the nearly meter-long blade sticking out past Goblin Slayer's small wrist.
"… Maybe I am, maybe I'm not. That all depends on how cooperative you and your companions are willing to be," Goblin Slayer said in the coldest voice he could muster— once again finding himself needing to take a page out of Fairy Knight's stone-hearted demeanor. "I'm not here to argue with any of you: know that all of this is your fault, and could have been avoided entirely had you used your words instead of your need to enact violence," Goblin Slayer said with his eyelids narrowed— some of his actual frustration leaking into his voice, causing him to sound more intimidating than he usual did, even for a child.
Sticking to his own values, Armored Paladin let out a gruff breath through his slated nostrils before speaking to his captor. "I will not fall for your deception, and I shall not try to deceive you either. Allow me to be frank with you then, "Crimson Child": I am the one who ordered your assassination, my companions were following my orders like the good soldiers they are. Absolve them of my guilt, and do with me what you see fit." Armored Paladin said sternly, with an authoritative manner of speaking— so well in fact, that the part of Goblin Slayer that was still a little boy felt immediately intimidated by the older man's voice.
"… You are in no position to make demands from me, Sir Knight," Goblin Slayer said respectfully, while establishing boundaries to ensure that the six of them knew that he, and he alone, had all the power in their predicament. "In an ideal world, I would give you your equipment back and tell you to be on your merry way back to Matterhorn… But we both know that the moment I free even one of you, you're all going to attempt to have some sort of… Retribution against me? And for what? Because I defended myself? Because you all lost to a literal child?" Goblin Slayer asked rhetorically— his voice getting more and more upset, as it soon dawned to him just how undeserving he was of their wraith. "You know what…? Maybe I really should just end you all right here, right now— who's to say that you won't try this again with another child? A child who'll be defenseless against you monsters?"
With that having been thrown back in their faces, the emotional weight behind Goblin Slayer's words cut deeper into the adventurers than any sort of weapon would have. Out of the six of them, it was the tall and muscular anthropomorphic shark body-builder who seemed the most outraged by the insinuation made on her behalf. "N-Nah, that's bullshit kid! I-I didn't even TRYto hurt you— if anything, my plan was to capture you to question you! It's this religious DICKHEADwho told everyone else to have you killed, not me!" Shark Berserker protested with a shaken look in her blue eyes, as her jaw-length, messy dark blue-hair swayed each time she vigorously shook her head.
Remaining strong in spite of his companion having just turned on him after referring to her as "loyal", Armored Knight kept his piercing eyes locked onto Goblin Slayer as he began to speak toward her. "Zarshya, I don't expect you to understand the values of those who are on land. But know that I am a paladin of Supreme God's heavenly army here on Zemuria. His Will is of my mine, and I-"
"-No, FUCK YOUJerry, and FUCKthe " Supreme God"! If your phony-ass deity had any power to begin with, then he would have been able to save us from your dumbass!" Shark Berserker spat back disrespectfully, this time crossing the line that the religious man saw as too far.
Whipping his head over his bulky shoulder to meet her narrowed glare, Armored Paladin bared his teeth at the eight-foot tall anthropomorphic shark woman with righteous fury in his green eyes. "You wretched beast! If my wrists weren't shackled, I would chop you up and serve you on a silver platter for your blatant heresy!" Armored Man shouted angrily— startling not only Goblin Slayer, but everyone else who wasn't Shark Berserker.
"Shut your ass up, "Fish Bait"! You know what?! Fuck it— I knew there was a reason why always hated you!" Shark Berserker shouted with an enraged tone in her tomboyish voice, before turning her attention back up at Goblin Slayer's confused and uneasy eyes. "Hey kid! Unlock my shackles! Do that, and I'll fuckin' eat that dickwad so you don't gotta get your hands dirty! I'll even take you up on your offer— no tricks or strings attached!" The large-breasted shark offered with an insistent look in her blue eyes, as she smiled widely to reveal her rows and rows of sharp teeth— teeth that she wanted more than anything to use to rip the man beside her into bloodied ribbons.
' Well… At least I've got ONEperson telling me that they'll leave me alone, but… But wouldn't letting them go be just as bad as killing that guy myself? Hell, that's assuming that this isn't a trick, and she won't lunge for me with those teeth the moment she gets an opportunity to, ' Goblin Slayer thought to himself, making his decision before letting out a quiet sigh as he stared down at the angrily-pleading eyes of the muscular shark woman. "I'm sorry, but no— I can't take that risk. Besides, there's no need for this to end in bloodshed; you can better than that," Goblin Slayer said respectfully, which caused Shark Beserker to become stunned at his response.
"Risk?! Me?! Kid, I already told you; I wasn't gonna hurt you! Tch! Risk… You want to talk about risk?! Carl the " Assassin" and Vorgi'e the " Wood Elf Archer" are almost out of their shackles— Jerry over here was just trying to distract you so he could buy them time to free themselves!" Shark Berserker revealed with spite in her voice— cementing her disloyalty to her companions, and causing Goblin Slayer to whip his head over toward the two aforementioned party members' location.
Just like that, Goblin Slayer's senses became in-tuned with his surroundings— time seeming to slow down, as something within him alerted him of what was about to transpire. Had it not been for the gift of precognition that he was still learning to become better at listening to, Goblin Slayer wouldn't have had time to react when Shark Berserker lunged at him the moment she broke free from shackles when she saw him looking away from her. In that moment, Goblin Slayer's reflexes scream at him to side-step out of the way, and for him to plunge the tip of his Arondight straight through her exposed chest— with only her tight sports-bra to protect her heart from his deadly weapon. However, within that slowed moment of time, it was there that Goblin Slayer realized that she wasn't lunging at him with her jaw open, her hands outstretched for his neck, or anything that would indicate that she was trying to hurt him at all— it was just like how she said, about her having no intentions of ever harming him.
Using his lightning fast reflexes, Goblin Slayer commanded his Arondight to retract its blade before choosing to get tackled straight through the door of the shed— not without knocking the wind out of Shark Berserker's hybrid lungs, by delivering a abdomen crushing punch with Arondight's bulky module that made the eight-foot tall woman immediately lose her balance and breath. Not unscathed from the anthropomorphic shark woman's "Hail Mary", Goblin Slayer had the air knocked out of him as well, but yet was able to protect himself with a reinforcement spell that he had casted on himself before ever stepping foot into the shed as a precaution.
Laying flat on his back with his face smothered in between her thinly-covered breasts, Goblin Slayer could taste the salt water in his mouth from the perspiration that had soaked Shark Berserker's dark navy-blue sports bra— her rock-hard six-pack crushing down on his pelvis, due to their size difference making her torso alone enough to lay down on most of his body. Goblin Slayer didn't know what prompted him to stick his tongue out to lick in between Shark Berserker's sweaty bra— all he knew it that the intrusive thoughts had won, and that he had caused the muscular woman to let out a confused yelp the moment she felt his warm tongue licking up between her barely covered cleavage.
Revitalized by the excitement he got from that act alone, Goblin Slayer not only surprised Shark Berserker when he suddenly got up onto his feet with her heavy body grappled over his shoulders, but his act of reinforced strength alone was enough to cause her five party members to stare in shock at what the ten year-old was about to do. Lifting her flailing body up over the top of his head— stretching his arms up as high as they would go— Goblin Slayer had a sudden epiphany as he grabbed the back of her finned neck with one hand, while using his other hand to tightly grasp her muscular ass cheek. ' I get it… It's all so clear to me now… All I have to do is beat the absolute shit out of these six people so badly that they'll be too scared to ever cross me again…! Maybe violence WASthe answer this whole time! '
Filled with determination and already beginning to mentally map out how he would dispose of them after they were within a few inches of their lives, Goblin Slayer's veins were pumped full of adrenaline and mana as he body slammed all six-hundred pounds of Shark Berserker's muscular body against a nearby tree— splintering it from the bottom-up, as he watched as her unconscious body plopped down on the snow. "Okay… THE NEGOTIATIONS ARE OVER! PREPARED TO GET YOUR ASSES KICKED!" Goblin Slayer shouted with Fairy Knight watching him with a surprised look in her brown eyes, as he whipped around before dashing straight toward the terrified adventurers— the servant watching proudly from the sidelines, as her master proceeded to beat the ever loving shit out of them.
"You did good Master— you did good," Fairy Knight said in a soft voice— smiling fondly at Goblin Slayer, as he kneed Armored Paladin's mouth hard enough to shatter his front teeth in one hit, before proceeding to backhand smack Black Assassin with the back of Arondight's chassis hard enough to break his jaw in several fractures. Listening to the sound of bones breaking and pleads of mercy that were ignored by the rampaging ten year-old, Fairy Knight let out a content sigh— becoming at peace with her master's progress, even as he stomped down hard enough on Female Mage's ankle to break it, all while he simultaneously knocked Dark Mage's and Wood Elf Archer's heads down together with both hands.