It had been about a week since the Goblin Slayer and his party had fought off those mysterious Goblins with their advanced weaponry and had something fly by their heads. They gave chase, but could not catch up to it, nor be able to spot it anywhere. In the end, they were returned to the Guild after having completed the assigned mission. After that, things seemed to have gotten...strange, in the eyes of the Goblin Slayer...stranger than normal for him at least.
As of this week, any missions or quests regarding sightings or situations of Goblins have started to be taken off the board, leaving only the minimum of average everyday missions that any moderately ranked adventurer would jump in on the opportunity to do. 'Couse, it didn't help that this seemed to have the reclusive silver-ranked warrior looking like he was unnerved by this change of circumstances. The rest of his team was watching staring at the board of missions, completely still as a statue and unresponsive, it was even hard to tell if he was breathing or not. The fact that he couldn't comprehend that there were little to no missions of Goblins whatsoever, had left the rest of them concerned.
"He's been looking at that board for hours." said the High Elf Archer while she and the Dwarf Shaman shared a drink. The Priestess was the one who was most concerned for the Slayer.
"Well, Beardcutter is always up for the next goblin-slaying mission. But since there doesn't seem to be any more today, he's unable to comprehend what it means."
The Priestess was the next to speak "I wish there were something we could do for him. To pull him out of this."
"Well, we have been discussing getting him to do another mission. Now, he'll have to agree with us on this."
"I don't think now would be the best time to ask him of that if he's this deep in thought."
"I believe Sir Goblin Slayer is doing more than comprehending the lack of goblin-based." The Lizard Priest spoke. "He is contemplating what it all means. Having...suspicions on his mind."
"For what reason?" asked the Dwarf, to which the Lizardman replied, "...I do not know."
And then the Archer got up from her seat and began to head over to the Slayer "No use just keeping him there. I'm gonna talk to him."
"Uh, I do not really think-" the Priestess tried to say while getting up from her seat, but the Archer had already gone towards the Goblin Slayer, who was still staring at the board.
"Find anything to try and replace that piqued interest of yours?" She asked.
"They've all been taken off." The Slayer replied in his low tone
"No kidding." the Elf said back, rolling her eyes in the process. Then she got straight to the point. "Look, we once agreed that if there were no missions based on Goblins, you would have to go on another kind of mission with us. And look, there's a hunt for perks available."
"I see."
Pouting at how tough of a nut he was to crack, the Archer thought about what to say in order to get him to go. And then, that's when it hit her.
"You know...these perk hunts often have many things people can find useful. Like certain ancient scrolls that could be used in the rarest of battles against hordes of goblins? It pays to be prepared, you know."
And not soon after he hear her say that did the Goblin Slayer turn to the Guild Girl and quickly say "We'll take it."
The High Elf was proud of herself for getting the Slayer to go on another mission other than slaying Goblins. Soon, the party was on a Wagon, heading to their newly acquired quest.
"I'm just going to say it, it feels refreshing to go on another type of mission that doesn't have to deal with Goblins." Her saying that, the other members were looking at her in unamused expressions...except for Goblin Slayer, who was looking to staring off into space again.
"You know, if you hadn't been complaining this whole time, you could have just gone on a mission by yourself." said the Dwarf Shaman.
"Like hell, I would." She replied harshly. "As if I would leave my team behind. And I didn't want to miss the opportunity to bring Orcbolg along."
"And here I thought you were no longer able to stand him. Hehe, you're stubborn in what you want to accomplish, aren't you, little one?"
"Little?!"
As those two continued to bicker, the Priestess set her eyes on Goblin Slayer again. This kind of mission was obviously doing nothing to change his mode as he was as motionless as he was at the Guild. This made her feel concerned for her since he was quiet but never this quiet. If only there was something to talk to him about.
"Slayer..." she began with. "This mission...I know it's not the same, but you may find it interesting. Since you said that you wanted to go through all kinds of adventures as a child. I know this isn't the type of mission you're used to, given how it...doesn't involve Goblins...but I believe it's one that you would favor."
"That's not what's bothering me." He said suddenly, which caught the Priestess and the others off guard. "Every mission that was taken off the board was about Goblins. That wouldn't have happened if the Goblins were no longer a threat.
"What are you implying, Sir Goblin Slayer?" asked the Lizard Priest.
"It just doesn't make any sense." The Slayer answered. "Missions like that just don't get canceled unless the enemy is no longer a threat. Goblins, stick around, mark their territory, slowly inching forward until the level of their threat becomes too major. Like how they nearly invaded the farm some time ago. Had the adventurers of the Guild not been roused to fight, I could only imagine the devastation that would have occurred."
The rest of the party members had to admit that he had a point. It was a fight they won't soon forget.
"And all of a sudden, every mission, every quest, taken off the board, meaning the threat is no longer present, the Goblins are no longer present...I do not fully know what it means. They seem to have just vanished, and I can't fully accept that. It leaves me concerned."
There was a bit of a silence after he said all that. The team knew that if something Goblin Slayer was concerned, then they should take into consideration that there might be a dire threat emerging. But of course, there was the one person in the team who wasn't afraid to say what was on her mind about this.
"You just sound paranoid, Orcbolg." said the Elf Archer. The Slayer didn't really pay any mind to that comment as he looked outside of the carriage. The Priestess decided to have a look herself, and that's when they both saw something out of the ordinary. Just outside the thick woods, was a figure wearing a uniform that consisted of red armor with gold engravings and filigree, shoulder plates, and armored gloves, as well as black trousers, knee guards, and long boots. The armor was also emblazoned with an unknown symbol in the center of his chest and consisted of thick plates that covered all of his upper body. His legs are covered with armored boots that match his armor. It also had a hood that concealed most of his head, as well as a chrome plate that covered his face. The only thing that wasn't covered were his long...pointy ears...and those sure as hell didn't belong to an elf.
The moment the Priestess gazed upon him, his head turned towards the wagon and she could swear that through that faceplate, he was looking at her, right in the eyes. It made her gasp.
"Stop the wagon!" The Goblin Slayer suddenly shouted, having the driver come to a sudden stop and everyone in the wagon had nearly fallen on top of each other, confused by what happened. The High Elf Archer nearly became livid, but no one had time to try and question the Slayer, as he jumped out and went after the armored figure. He seemed to have disappeared the moment after, stepping inside the woods as the Slayer gave chase with the rest of his team barely behind him.
"Hey! Slow down!" The Archer called out, barely able to catch up to the Slayer before she grabbed him by the shoulder and got him to stop before turning him around and having him face her. "Can you just talk to me and tell me what the hell this is all about?!"
"That figure I saw wore armor similar to that of the Goblins we faced two weeks ago." The Slayer explained. "If he is affiliated with them in any way, I need to know how and why."
The others had started wanting to question if the Slayer was at all sane at this point. It's one thing to know an enemy inside and out that he'll call for help when an attack from them is imminent, but it's another when an obsession is taken too far into paranoia that they start to see things. But maybe the Slayer was in the right state of mind as the sound of swords slashing could be heard not too far away. This led to the Slayer continuing to run to where the sound could be heard, with the Archer groaning as she and the others went after him. That is when they reached a clearing and came to see the red-armored figure downed, holding a bloody gash on the side of his torso. That wasn't the weirdest part; the weirdest part was the ones who attacked him.
As of right now, the party was looking at a team of five Goblins, but unlike any Goblins they'd seen. They were bigger, about the size of the lizardman, had yellow skin, and faces more humanoid in appearance; they were well armored and had weapons they'd never seen before. Two of them had Swords that looked...energized, with a blue hue. Some kind of magic perhaps? And two more carried hand-held cannons that were coursing with the same kind of energy. And the weirdest part was the fifth one, while shorter than the others, was riding some kind of mechanical glider high above their heads, holding spheres in its hands and not looking the least bit friendly. Overall they were very different from the Goblins they've faced and this could be a huge problem.
The party was shocked by the very sight of it, but to see the goblins advance upon them snapped them out of it. The Slayer wasted no time advancing himself, trying to take on one of the sword-wielding Goblins. However, as their blades clashed once, twice, a third swing from the Goblin's sword cut through the Slayer's sword like a hot knife through butter, and then kicked the Silver-ranked back with surprising strength, having him slam against a tree which was enough to knock him out. This once again surprised the party, but they didn't have time to take it all in as the Goblins were about to attack. The Priestess almost immediately cast a miracle of protection, creating a barrier that barely formed just in time to stop their blades, but the impact nearly made her lose concentration.
"Woah! These guys aren't kidding around!" The archer managed to get out as they stood back while the goblins relentlessly attacked the barrier, making the Priestess stagger in her hold.
"I can't hold this for long!" she said as the Goblins holding cannons fired some kind of stream at the barrier, that was slowly getting it to break. while the Lizard Priest quickly summoned both a Dragontooth Warrior and Swordclaw. With them, does he move through the barrier and engage the goblins in hand-to-hand combat. He took one of the sword Goblins, swiftly the glowing blade the cretin had while his Dragontooth handled the second with its own weapon. And so far, it was evenly matched, until the goblin that was hovering over their heads decided to drop the spheres it was holding. Turns out they were bombs, and the explosions were enough to destroy the skeletal warrior that the Priest had conjured and break apart the barrier that the Priest held for as long as she could before collapsing. It was time for the Shaman and Archer to jump into the fight, as they avoided what seemed like metal projectiles shot from the range weapons the goblins held. Then they finished the cannon Goblins quickly, the Dwarf using a stone blast on the goblin's face, and the Archer shooting an arrow into the goblin's head with keen accuracy.
As this happened, the Goblin Slayer had regained consciousness and could the battle insuring. Getting back on his feet, he joined in and counted the two dead before grabbing what looked like a mace-like weapon on one of their backs. Since he lost his sword, it would be good enough to use for now as he re-engaged in battle with one of the sword goblins. The mace held off better than his short sword did, likely due to being made similarly. With it, was he able to take down the goblin, smashing its skull to paste while the Lizard Priest finished off his enemy.
"That's four." He counted before the party looked up to see the one hovering on the glider. "Only one left."
The last Goblin tried to make it out of this situation alive by attempting to throw another set of bombs. But, that is when something was thrown and stabbed right through the glider, which caused it to malfunction...before exploding completely. The party shielded themselves from any falling debris or...goblin guts before looking to see what did that. It turned out to be a sword, which came from the red-armored figure, who used the last bit of strength to finish the fight before collapsing in front of the adventurers.
"That makes five. But first..." The Slayer had walked towards the figure and flipped onto his back. They could see the deep cut on his side, dry blood staining his armor, and the chrome plate still covering his face. "This is the one I was chasing."
Kneeling to get a closer look, the Priestess then took hold of the faceplate and carefully removed it. However, upon doing so, that is when the party was caught off guard to see that this figure was, in fact, a goblin, one of the same goblins that they had just faced with the humanoid features and yellow skin, as well as the fangs but the main difference, was that there were red markings tattooed on his forehead, coming out in the shape of runes unknown to anyone present at the moment.
It was quite a shock, but they snapped out of it the moment the Goblin Slayer drew another blade and tried to shove it in the face of the newly discovered goblin. But, the Priestess and the archer held him back before he could finish the job.
"No, wait! Don't!" The Priestess yelled, making the Slayer face her and say "One good reason. Fast."
"You said you wanted to know what this man had to do with the Goblins!"
"And he IS a goblin. There's my answer!"
"But the other goblins tried to kill him. They are not his allies."
But then the Archer protested, saying "That doesn't exactly make him our ally either."
"He has to know something that has to do with the Goblins and why any activity had suddenly gone down to nothing." The Priestess said, and after a bit of thinking, the Slayer backed off, realizing that she may have a point and would want to know himself.
"...Heal him." He told the Priestess before turning to the Archer. "When he wakes up...keep your bow pointed at him."
The elf gave him a nod while the Priestess began performing the miracle of healing.
For days, has this Goblin been on the run from his own kind. He made the armor he wore and crafted the weapons he wielded. But he had to have known that those he ran from would eventually catch up to him the moment he was out in the open. Catching the attention of a few adventurers, one of whom didn't seem to think twice before chasing after him. And this led to him taking a deep cut to his side and losing some blood. Falling to the ground, he could see the adventurers who chased him before slowly drifting to unconsciousness, and using the last of his strength to take out the flyer. By the time he passed out, a certain feeling passed over his wound and it allowed him to feel all better as he could feel himself soon wake up again. However, that was when he found himself looking at the sharp tip of an arrow, with the sound of a bow's string stretching following that. Looking, he could see that he was being held at arrow point by the high elf archer.
"Easy." She said. "We just need to ask you a few questions."
But then, out of nowhere, he grabbed her and, much to her surprise, soon had her own bow and arrow pointed at her neck.
"I have nothing to say to you." He growled.
However, this caused the three other warriors of the party to point their own weapons at him. The Slayer, the Dwarf, and the Lizardman, all had a blade of sorts pointed right at the Goblin's throat, and they weren't exactly looking at him too kindly either. But before any more blood could be drawn, the Priestess intervened once again and held up her arms in defense.
"Hold on! Everyone, stand down!" she said. "We're not here to threaten him. We just need answers out of him."
It was then that the Goblin felt an aura around her. The same kind of magic that healed him, she was responsible for it. Facing her, the Goblin got up close and she saw as he towered over him, given that he was taller than the Goblin Slayer but shorter than the Lizard Priest.
"You had saved me from Death. I thank you."
She was not really expecting to hear that from him, but she mustered out a nervous and little confused "Um...your welcome?"
"Goblins." said the renowned Slayer of the specific species, pointing a blade at the Mysterious Goblin in front of him "You are one, but unlike any I have seen before. Just what are you and what do you have to do with the others"
The Goblin didn't seem so fazed. In fact, he glared at the Slayer, examining him from head to toe, showing that he knows exactly who he was.
"I know you...all of my kind knows you...Kinslayer...Genocider...Bane of my kind."
Not having the most patient of moods right now, the Slayer held up one of the swords the other goblins had and pointed it him.
"Answer the question!" He growled, but the Goblin was undeterred.
Shaking his head, he simply replied "You don't have the faintest idea what's going on."
"Enlighten us then." The Lizard Priest replied, arms crossed and looking down at the Goblin. He was also the one holding both blades the Goblin had on his person, disarming him.
Realizing that he was in no position to negotiate, nor fight his way out of this, the Goblin growled a heavy sigh before facing them.
"There's a war coming…and I don't wanna be a part of it."
The party members looked at each other, having a bit of concern growing up for what that meant. But then, the Goblin continued.
"I am part of a race known as the High Goblins." He said, making the Archer lower her bow.
"'High Goblins'? I've never heard of them."
"No one has. That's the entire point. We were nearly wiped out from existence centuries ago." The Goblin went on. "We were an ancient race of highly intelligent and evolved Goblins, who had our own societies and cultures before the humans destroyed almost destroyed us." The Priestess listened with interest and shock, never hearing anything about this until now. "My kind has waited decades to rise up, and exact our revenge against humanity...I don't want any part of it."
That was a shock. A Goblin not wishing for chaos and destruction? What's next, a friendly dragon?
"Preparations have already been made for your kind imminent destruction..." He said while glaring towards the Slayer, who stayed still, fighting the urge to shove a knife in this guy's face. "...But I've already taken care of that. And I would like to keep it that way. To ensure this war never happens, I must keep moving."
To hear that the Goblins were preparing for war may explain why based missions were being pulled, why sightings were going down and why they seemed to disappearing altogether. This could be bad, far worse than the attack on the farm or any other time the Goblins have torn apart towns and villages. They may as well be planning the extinction of humanity.
"Now that I've answered your questions, I need to get going." said the Goblin. "The High Goblins will track me down to the ends of the Earth if they must, and that's exactly where I'll go if necessary."
But as he turned, the adventurers still blocked his path, adding more to his frustration.
"This just brings up more questions." said the Archer. "We're not letting you go until we find out exactly what we're up against."
"The more I stick around, the more danger you put yourselves in." He growled.
But the Slayer then said "You have no choice. Anything involving Goblins is my business. And I will not stop until all Goblins are dead."
Knowing that he doesn't have a choice but to tag along with the party, the Goblin did a low growl before facing the Slayer and said "You won't last ten hours with me riding with you." before he took back his weapons from the Lizard Priest, and his faceplate from the Priestess. With that, he began to follow the party back to town.
"Um. Mr...Goblin?" the Priestess said to him. "I'm sorry. I'm not sure what to call you."
After a brief moment of silence, the Goblin faced her and said "Call me...Deserter."
