Roaming in the shadows brought either comfort or alarm for the group of Goblin Slayer, Dagger Scout, and Grimm Slayer.
After separating from the rest of the party to investigate one side of the temple, half of the group found themselves in a dining room. It seemed odd that this temple had one and no kitchen. Perhaps it was used for special celebrations, but now, the room had become a wrenched place for those wicked creatures as rotten human remains were on the large table, and most of the chairs were destroyed. There were also four dead goblins on top of the table. They looked like they tried to pierce with their rusty swords or spears. They attempted to kill someone under the table but died before getting the chance. What killed those goblins wasn't a surprise.
"Dude, my Bro really used most of his ammo on them," Dagger Scout commented. He and Grimm Slayer could easily deduce that Duelist fired his gun while crawling underneath the table. Goblin's blood dripped through the holes until the floor created small red ponds. It was a gruesome sight, but doubtful that anybody would feel bad for those fiends.
"He crawled and was surrounded," Goblin Slayer said, taking a closer look at the floor while putting the clues together. He illuminated with his torch and clicked his tongue before continuing his assumption. "I can't say if it was foolish or clever of him."
"What do you mean?" the hooded girl asked.
"He was luring them," the armored guy explained while crouching and inspecting under the table. "There aren't many goblins dead here. Only three." He continued inspecting one corpse to see the front. Goblin Slayer used his small, round shield to push the dead goblin aside and show its fatal wounds. "He used a gun, didn't he?" He pointed at the holes between the table and the creature's stomach and head.
"Kinda obvious," Dagger Scout responded. "My Bro tends to use them sparingly since he doesn't have time to reload in the middle of a fight. But how things look right now, I feel that he was a little too trigger-happy than usual."
"Is that so?"
"You bet."
Naturally, Grimm Slayer was also curious about the state of this bloody scene. She looked at the other bodies and the holes in the table, and she noticed six shots. As far as she could tell, how those little green imps died successively wasn't normal. Her rifle only held one pellet at a time before reloading, and regular pistols did the same.
"What kind of gun your leader used," the hooded girl asked.
"Ah, you have keen eyes," the jovial guy complimented her with a proud smile. "Bro has a special one: He can shoot six times rather than once like the standard models. Weaponry and magic from Atlas can be pretty interesting, don't you agree?"
"They sure do," she said. Grimm Slayer was already amazed by the wonders created by that cold, isolated kingdom. "But this seems, I don't know, a little bit too much?"
"What do you mean?" Goblin Slayer asked, turning to her.
"There are more than fourteen shots on the table, and those goblins only got four gunshot wounds on their bodies."
She wasn't exaggerating. They began comparing the holes in the table to see if they were aligned with those exact numbers. As she said, the lost leader shot more times than he should have handled unless he reloaded quickly in the middle of the fight.
"Does he carry another pistol?" Grimm Slayer asked.
"I don't think so," the screwy Huntsman replied. "He only carries his personal one, and only under emergencies. It is the same deal when fighting Grimm. He knows his priorities." Dagger Scout focused back on the gruesome scene and grimaced for the first time, unusually worried. "But with how things apparently went on, this is not his style. He thinks everything very carefully before throwing himself into action. Something is fishy after what we saw back at the entrance."
"Yeah, this place is really giving me the creeps."
The air began to feel dense and foul. The stench got worse the longer the group stayed in this room. Their skins crawled, and their throats felt sore. They wished to know the complete picture of everything that happened, but for now, they had to continue through this repugnant place.
"We must be cautious," the armored guy said, still holding the torch in his left hand. He marched toward the door leading to the next section of the temple. "Let's keep moving."
There weren't any disagreements. There was much more to uncover, and luckily for them, Duelist should still be alive as things began unfolding with every step they took through this place.
It was the last place of the temple after advancing through narrow halls. There were no more doors, only one path. They knew it was the perfect spot for a pincer attack. Nonetheless, they had already anticipated such a possible outcome since they had taken positions to watch for both sides. Goblin Slayer warned them to only move forward when a confrontation becomes inevitable.
Grimm Slayer couldn't stop thinking about how the other group was doing. She didn't worry much since Priestess was with them to cover everyone's backs. Everyone knew their respective roles in combat, so it was safe to believe they were being blessed from any significant danger they might encounter until they could regroup with the rest.
However, the numerous footprints across the corridor made her feel still unsettled. The blood that painted the ground had already dried up, so it wasn't recent that goblins passed through here before. Those were small, but the number of prints made them seem as if a stampede stormed all the way. It shouldn't be weird since goblins have occupied this temple for some time before coming here. Grimm Slayer looked at how far this trail went until the group reached another door.
It was the same: Goblin Slayer warned the others to draw their weapons as he was ready to open the door. They hadn't heard any noises, but one shouldn't lower one's guard at any point.
They barged into what seemed to be the temple's altar. The only window that let the light in was behind the ginormous marble statue of a blindfolded woman with a sword in the right hand and scales in the other. It was an impressive work that could be seen as the sculptor's masterpiece. In the past, that would awe anyone regardless of their beliefs. The rest of the room would be impressive if it didn't become a nest for repugnant fiends such as goblins, as the benches were all pushed around and acted more like cover for the archers. The pillars that sustained the ceiling's structure were decorated with human bones and blood. The table at the bottom of the altar was drenched in more blood than any other spot here. The unimaginable horrors here were best not to think about, as Grimm Slayer already got the idea.
"Oh man, this place is as nasty as before," Dagger Scout commented as he looked around. "And I still don't see my Bro."
"He might be already dead," Goblin Slayer bluntly said, not mincing the words that Grimm Slayer thought were insensitive to say.
Dagger Scout didn't seem to be bothered, however. "Yeah, right. If he was dead, it wouldn't be so quiet. I know him well, and he wouldn't go down without a fight." His smile dissipated, looking with concern at the bloody altar. "Although, it isn't always a good thing if you ask me."
"But you still have faith for him, right?" Grimm Slayer said.
Dagger Scout quickly smiled when looking back at his allies. "Right!" he said. "Me and my buds always have. Don't fret! We have the reflexes of a cat and the eyes of ha-Woah!"
True to the Huntsmen's words, his agility was unparalleled after he dodged an unexpected swing of an axe by bending backward until his left hand was on the ground and he looked like a three-legged table. His chest was unscathed, and he quickly crawled away before retaliating by throwing a needle-like knife at his attacker.
A brutish, fearsome goblin was hiding behind the pillar. The throwing knife hit the monster in the shoulder, but the armor protected it from noticeable harm. It wouldn't be enough, anyway.
"We got company!" Grimm Slayer drew her scythe while Goblin Slayer unsheathed his sword of strange length without uttering a word. He was ready for the ambush but couldn't tell when that might happen.
Another brute and five more goblins also appeared: two carrying spears behind the other pillars, three more behind the statue carrying bows and arrows. It wasn't a big group, and dealing with them shouldn't be much of a problem. The real problem is how scattered they are from each other.
"Seven goblins," the armored guy muttered and clicked his tongue before turning to Grimm Slayer. "I want you to handle the archers and the shaman," he instructed.
"Leave them to me," she responded.
"Oi, you and I will dance with those goblins in the meantime, huh?" Dagger Scout began twirling with knives in each hand and looking at his opponents. "I had worst dances, but nothing too unbearable for me." The short Huntsman let out a cocky smile and got a more offensive stance.
"GOOOOROBGRO!" The hobgoblin roared, signaling to the other goblins to attack. The goblins charged at the group with their weapons while arrows flew across the room. Everything went hectic in a second when Goblin Slayer and Dagger Scout tried to avoid arrows by dodging them. At the same time, Grimm Slayer rushed toward the statue, leaving a trace of rose petals. Petals that could easily blend with the blood on the floor and never notice the difference.
The hobgoblin fiercely swung its axe at them, but with slow, predictable movements, were easy to read that anyone could side-step. However, one shouldn't take things lightly, as that powerful strike shattered one of the benches the creature hit instead. Dagger Scout retaliated by cutting and stabbing the creature with a quick motion. His opponent guarded, but the Huntsman was fast on his feet by stepping around and flanking it on any blindspots the hobgoblin failed to notice.
"GROAAOB!" The brute was stabbed twice in the sides, but all the fat and flesh didn't reach far enough to be considered a deep wound. Dagger Scout tried to pull his weapons out of the opponent but got stuck. He could only twist the weapon further until it continued bleeding like a leaking barrel.
"Oh, crap!" he yelped as the second brute was about to hack him with the axe, but the armored guy yanked his ally away in the nick of time. He fiercely bashed his shield against one hobgoblin while avoiding the axe swings from the other.
Dagger Scout noticed two goblins with spears trying to jump on them from behind. They wildly lunged their spears at him, but he dodged every attack by moving his hips sideways and shuffling his legs as he danced. One would think Dagger Scout wasn't taking the situation seriously. Still, underneath that carefree attitude, a sharp Hunstman abided by his time until he saw his golden opportunity.
He pulled one small knife from his boot after parrying the goblin's spear with a kick. He stabbed it in the eye as the other imp tried to get him from behind. That dumb creature didn't anticipate that it would end up accidentally executing its ally by thrusting its crude spear into its stomach.
"Mind if I borrow it from you? Thank you," he said while snatching the dead goblin's spear and using it against the other by piercing its throat. It gurgled and coughed blood for a few seconds until it stopped moving. Neither goblin fell to the ground as both spears left them standing while forming an X.
The scrawny Huntsman went to help the armored guy, who continued defending himself against two hobgoblins. It shouldn't be a problem for them, but the other goblins with bows and arrows complicated things.
Grimm Slayer was already on the task. From a safe position, she had three pellets to shoot at those archers, and with careful aim, she pulled the trigger. One of the archers' right eyes burst, possibly leaving a large hole in the back of its head by that projectile. She reloaded and focused on the second creature, but there was trouble for Goblin Slayer and Dagger Scout.
They did their best to fence the hobgoblins off, but one of them knocked the Huntsman down with a punch and tried to execute him with its axe. The armored guy couldn't be of help as he struggled by pushing his shield against the second hobgoblin. It was on his way, and there was no chance of reaching Dagger Scout in time.
The hooded girl focused on the brute with the axe and shot without aiming. She stunned the enemy momentarily when hitting its hand to let the lanky guy back off and retaliate. Dagger Scout pulled two more knives under his vest and stabbed both of the brute's feet. It screamed in agonizing pain for a few seconds before the Huntsman slashed the hobgoblin's thigh with a butcher's cleave.
"Thank you for the help!" he shouted, giving Grimm Slayer the thumbs-up. She waved her hand in response before reloading her musket. She was on her last pellet, and two more archers were on the statue. She couldn't possibly accomplish this by killing two birds with one stone. The only way was to get them up close and personal. The hooded girl left her cover and rushed toward the statue while more arrows were shot at her. She maneuvered in a zigzag while leaving a trace of rose petals.
The only inconvenience was getting up there without the necessary means. Without ladders or ropes, one option was left: to accelerate even further.
When she killed her first Nevermore before becoming a Huntress, she ran up the walls, using her momentum to bounce between the wall and a nearby pillar. Each jump gave her a higher altitude, and when she finally reached the statue's shoulder level, she made a long leap at the goblin standing on the right side. A swift slash was enough to slice the archer in half before it could even turn around.
Grimm Slayer flew after the kill, but she used the blade of her scythe to hook onto the statue's sword and hop at the other shoulder. It was a swift motion that kicked the goblin off the statue's shoulder and made it fall to the ground. A nasty death that broke every fragile bone in its body. One less meddlesome imp to worry about, but the girl still needed to deal with the remaining brutes.
She reloaded her last pellet into her weapon and aimed at either hobgoblin. Grimm Slayer took a deep breath and locked her eye on the vile creature fighting Dagger Scout. He did an excellent job weakening. He couldn't find the perfect opportunity to strike on any vital points to take it down immediately.
Soon, it was clear that was the intention:
Goblin Slayer wasn't trying to kill but to stir both creatures between him and the lanky Huntsman. At first glance, both men had stark personalities, yet they shared the same thought process when they had their backs against each other for a second before scattering.
Grimm Slayer couldn't figure it out initially due to the room's poor illumination. Still, she finally got the idea when she saw something attached behind the scout's belt: a long rope from the armored guy's satchel. Both men went around the hobgoblins with quick, evasive steps and defensive maneuvers without letting their opponents know until it was too late for them. Goblin Slayer used the hook attached at his end of the rope to stab the hip of one hobgoblin, unable to move its arms like its ally behind.
Naturally, holding both massive brutes for long wouldn't be enough, so they acted fast before the rope loosened and the enemies could escape their biddings. The Adventurer pierced the shoulders while the Huntsman aimed for the legs with their blades. The creatures wailed on top of their lungs as they bled out. Even with all the excruciating pain they went through, that wasn't enough to kill them.
"Now!" Grimm Slayer shouted, signaling to the hooded girl already waiting from the statue, aiming at the creatures. She had a clear vision of the hobgoblin's head. She pulled the trigger, and her gun went off in a second. The pellet flew in the blink of an eye, penetrating the hobgoblin's forehead and exiting the other's nose.
One shot, two kills.
"Damn! That's some sniping skills!" Dagger Scout shouted in awe after seeing the brutes falling sideways and gurgling for a few seconds until they went quiet.
Goblin Slayer pulled an old knife and began stabbing the goblin corpses. It felt unnecessary from the Huntsmen's perspective since their wounds seemed already fatal, especially the ones the hooded girl killed. It was probably just him being cautious.
Grimm Slayer looked down, trying to find something she could use to climb down from the statue. She would end up like that dead goblin below her if she made one wrong move. The hooded girl slowly reached for the visible spots to cling on. She was already on the ground within seconds and rushed towards her companions. She felt relief that they were unscathed.
"Phew! That was some show you put here!" Dagger Scout proclaimed admirably while clapping. "I never imagined we would have too much trouble, but glad that we survived this."
"Yeah, now I wonder how the others are doing," Grimm Slayer said while kicking one goblin's corpse. No matter how many she killed, it still disturbed her of such sight.
"They're all right, no doubts!" The scrawny Huntsman's smile shifted slightly as he looked at his surroundings. "However, there's no sign of my Bro, and this is the last room of this temple."
"You don't believe...?"
"Nah, nah, nah...I don't think so," he responded to the hooded girl's concerns. "He is more formidable than any of us. Duelist wouldn't go down to a bunch of goblins without-"
Dagger Scout got interrupted after hearing a loud noise nearby. Did they miss another of those fiends? Goblin Slayer and the rest got their guard ready and heard footsteps approaching. They could still see a figure hiding behind one of the pillars in the darkness.
"You stay behind me," Goblin Slayer whispered before advancing towards the pillar. He held his round shield and strange sword, firmly gripping the moment to stab and decapitate whatever was hiding in the shadows.
Everyone held their breath and tried not to make other noises to alert their target. They were close, but Grimm Slayer and Dagger Scout scattered to surround the figure behind the pillar and cut any opportunities to escape. Their weapons were ready to strike, finally next to the pillar.
They swiftly swung, but much to their surprise, there was nothing by air.
"What the...?" Grimm Slayer commented after seeing her scythe hitting the pillar. "Did we see things, or was it the wrong one?"
"No," Goblin Slayer said confidently. "It was the right one. To lure us." He quickly turned around and swung his sword at was behind him. There was a clicking noise next to his ear, but he stopped his swing before he could fully enact his counter. He could see the figure much more evident in the darkness.
There was a man in black, worn-out clothes, bruises and blood on his face, pointing at Goblin Slayer's face with a strange-looking gun. He was no goblin, but the Adventurer had his blade close to this man's neck. Thankfully, both of them restrained themselves from harming the other after taking a good look.
"Whoa! Is that...?"
"Yep, that's my Bro!" Dagger Scout said excitedly to Grimm Slayer. They put their weapons away and were at ease. Goblin Slayer and the other man did the same despite the tense air never dissipating.
The hooded girl saw the man known as Duelist with shock, as she noticed that his right arm was missing. Did goblins do that to him? He shouldn't be okay. How did he survive the goblins alone for so long? She was about to ask, but the man turned to her and Dagger Scout with tired eyes and gasped, "What...took you so long?"
Without warning, he sighed and passed out. Goblin Slayer quickly caught him before the man in black would hit the floor. Everyone was alarmed by Duelist's state, asking themselves what happened to him.
Hi everyone. Sorry for taking me so long for this chapter. I hope you enjoyed it.