It was hopeless.
After the Nevermore's crash, the wall of dirt and stone fell apart and began crushing the creature until it left nothing of it. Any other time it would seem like a good measure of its demise, but not tonight.
Almost everyone who was near the castle went to look and scrap through the remains thoroughly. Everyone pushed the crumbles away and made an effort to look around the area. However, Brawler's state of mind was at her worst. She dug and even destroyed some of the rocks with her fists to look further. A bold and desperate attempt that was fired by anger and despair. While some tried to calm her down, it was futile as no one dared to get close to her at the moment.
Priestess felt the same, albeit more docile from the outside. Nevertheless, she did her part, moving the dirt as fast as possible. How deeper would she go to find him? So much if it was necessary.
"Dammit! Those guys are crazy!" Spearman complained, tossing more crumbles out of his way. "I can understand of Goblin Slayer, but she!? Is that normal to pull off stuff like that!?"
"Shut it up, and keep digging!" Brawler scolded the adventurer. He didn't say another word and continued what she ordered him.
It didn't take them long enough until Dwarf Shaman finally got something. He could feel something hard as metal stumbling on his fingers. "Hey! I found Beard-cutter!" he called the group. Everyone went to help him out without missing the beat, but he wasn't the only one in the same minute. Priestess could see a piece of red clothing underneath all.
"She is here too!" She shouted. Brawler was the first to came and check on her.
"Come on, come on..." Brawler muttered. She dug more and more; it felt endless, but she didn't care. So much to be the older sister, Brawler felt a knot in her throat, almost out of breath the closer she got Grimm Slayer out of the dirt. Both slayers were being dragged out and lay on the much softer grass. They checked their condition, but at the brink of death as neither would wake up.
"I need everyone to clear out! I need space!" As he kneeled in front of Goblin Slayer, Paladin thrust his sword on the ground, his hands held the grip, and his forehead touched the pommel. He closed his eyes and began reciting a prayer. "O Goddess of rivers, lakes, and ocean... Through your calm waters that flow energy through the life of all living beings, bless us with your hand and cure the injured." Paladin's hand and sword began to shine. Goblin Slayer's body got engulfed in the same radiance as the young Huntsman.
Priestess kneeled in front of Grimm Slayer, joined hands, and began reciting her prayers with a soft voice. "O merciful Earth Mother... Lay your reverend hand, upon this person's wounds." The hooded girl started to emit a gentle light between her limbs and torso.
Everyone hoped as both healers had to be patient in casting the miracles and not letting interruptions affect their work. And Brawler wouldn't let her younger sister's hand go. But second, after second, no one could tell if they would make it. Neither wanted to believe it was a matter of fate nor chance.
After Paladin and Priestess finished up, there was still no movement.
"Hey, what's going!?" High Elf Archer asked as she, Elemental Fencer, Javelin Warrior, Knife Ranger, and the Stranger arrived after seeing the Grimm crashing. However, they quickly noticed the slayer's bodies on the ground. The sheer horror from their faces was enough to make them feel guilty. "Wait, don't tell..."
"We did everything we could, I..." Paladin stuttered. But Javelin Warrior approached and tried to console him by having her hand on his shoulder.
"It is not too late, right? Right!?" Valkyrie asked everyone present, but no one could say a word.
High Elf Archer saw the Stranger's bitter expression as he looked sideways. He clenched his fists while not letting anyone see his face. It was gloomy, and every single one of the adventurers and Huntsmen could do nothing but blame themselves. Should they have been more careful in the fight, none of this would happen.
"It is never too late," Priestess said, who looked more confident than the rest.
"What make you say that?" Elemental Fencer asked.
"I have faith because I know Goblin Slayer wouldn't give up that easily. Same for Grimm Slayer."
The group would think that Priestess' words were nothing but naivety or denial. Still, it was never the case regarding the armored guy. Grimm Slayer's allies wanted to believe positively as well.
And so, someone began coughing.
An uncontrollable cough echoed within a confined space. It was faint at first, but its volume increased. The group heard it much closer, and Paladin was the first to notice from where. He had a hunch, but it was clear as day when he looked at Goblin Slayer's helmet and leaned his ear near him. The young Huntsman waited for another cough. That would be enough. "Could it be?" Paladin mumbled. In an unexpected, creepy manner that made him jump a little, he saw Goblin Slayer's abrupt waking up like a living corpse. He was still sitting on the grass, but he coughed more until finally breathing correctly. "Is all goblins dead?" He asked the group. The continuous sighs of relief were followed by another cough from the hooded girl.
"Oh... by the gods..." She wouldn't stop coughing until she started spitting some dirt that caught in her mouth. "Bleh! Gross...! Huh? W-W-Wait!" A crowd of hugs from her own party and Priestess, High Elf Archer, and Valkyrie joined while leaving the poor girl in red without space. Damn my own cuteness! She thought while trying to breathe underneath all. The rest could do nothing but chuckle at the moment.
"Easy there, if that fall didn't kill her, you all will do it instead," the Stranger said, oddly happy.
Grimm Slayer recognized that voice, however. She pushed the people a little, and much to her joy, she turned a burst of petals to escape from the trap of hugs. She rushed towards the Huntsman with tattered clothes as her voice turned high-pitch like a little girl in a sugar rush while yelling those words: "Uncle!"
"Uncle?" All the Adventurers, especially High Elf Archer and Dwarf Shaman, asked while looking at each other with confusion. But, they could do nothing as they saw Grimm Slayer clinging on the Stranger's arm with an excited face, almost hanging like a monkey.
"Whoa! Easy there, pipsqueak!" he said with both mildly worry and relief. "You are not a little girl anymore. You are gonna tear my arm off if you keep doing that."
"Sorry, but did you miss me?"
"Heh, like always," he smiled while patting the hooded girl in the head. The group still tried to process what was going on. While the Huntsmen weren't much surprised as they were already familiar with the Stranger.
"Huh, excuse me? I know you are happy with your little reunion and all, but mind to explain what's going on?" High Elf Archer asked, hoping things to clear up.
Grimm Slayer got off from the Stranger's arm and cleaned up her act before speaking. "Oops, sorry," she said embarrassingly. "Everyone, this my uncle, Scythe Rouge." The group looked shocked at seeing the Stranger being related to the hooded girl, but they quickly began to pick up the facts.
"Well, I can certainly see the resemblance," Dwarf Shaman commented, inspecting with one eye.
"So, what brought you here, uncle?"
"He was the one who gave us the Raid Quest," Lizard Priest interjected.
"Are you serious!?" Fencer frowned, turning back at Rouge.
"Hey, I don't see a problem with that! Just doing a job like any other Huntsman," he replied with a shrug.
"It seems... we are done... right?" Witch said, calm as she began smoking.
"I guess it is time to come back," Priestess said, satisfied.
"Just one thing I want to confirm," Goblin Slayer asked. Everyone in the group turned at him while giving curious expressions. "Aren't any goblins left?"
"Oh brother..." Fencer sighed. She looked more exasperated than the rest. But, nevertheless, everyone laughed and victoriously smiled. The night looked more lively than ever, and Grimm Slayer looked at the sky with the satisfaction of a job well done.
Indeed, the Frontier felt much more extensive than Remnant than ever.
On that same night, a large boat slowly approached by an empty shore until it landed. Various planks were being put on the soil, acting as ramps. Then, people in black attires, red shades, and weird hats began to disembark one after another while carrying wooden crates. They performed well organized without wasting precious time. Few of the men in black started assembling wagons from the pieces they had on the boat. Once those strange people were done building the wagons, they began putting the crates on the transportation.
Naturally, such a system wasn't absent of mistakes; one of the men in black stumbled when getting off the boat, accidentally dropping the crate to the ground.
"Hey! Watch the merchandise, would you!?" A man in sophisticated white attire, bowl hat, red hair, and a cane at hand scolded the sloppy person. "Shesh, so much for hired help these days." He pulled a cigar from his pocket and put it in his mouth. Another man lit a match and offered the fire for the sophisticated one. He began smoking while gazing at the vast, clean pasture at the horizon. Not a single source of light he could find far from where he was. That whole nature felt equally dull and disgusting the more he looked around.
From behind, another person playfully walked towards him. She was short of stature, her hair and eyes were divided between pink and brown, and she carried a parasol with one hand. Her demeanor gave an air of graceful sadism that made some of the men in black wary as she passed. This undistinguished lady pulled the sophisticated man's sleeve with hopes he would pay attention to her.
"What is it now?" He asked. She began making gestures as if she was carrying a bowl with one hand and a spoon with the other. Her little act of charades simulated as she was eating something. "Ice créme? Maybe later, we have to find a town first before I can get you some. Though, I doubt any of these primitives would even know what an ice créme even is." The night was still young. Those two shady people scoffed before stepping on land and hopping on one of those wagons.
As far they were concerned, they arrived at the land of opportunities.
Surprise for the new chapter in a short time. It is my way to say sorry for the wait. However, I want to tell everyone that I'm planning to make corrections to previous chapters. Don't expect any big changes, but I wanted to make it look better down the road. Then again, I want to thank everyone for reading this. I hope you enjoyed it.