A/N: "Today is the day we visit the sword maiden."
Ghost: "Why would she call Void and Slayer?"
A/N: "Why else? Goblins! Now on the the chapter!"
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Void's perspective
It was late at night when me and Slayer entered the guild. On our way inside, the Guild girl gave us a short bow from her desk as we made our way over to the rest of our party. They were discussing the defeat of the Demon king which reminded me of the old times back in the Last city after defeating Crota and Oryx, when the civilians were talking about that for weeks. We made it over to the table where the Elf finally took notice of us.
Elf: "Oh Orkbolg, Void, the hero's quest was successful!"
Slayer: "That doesn't matter."
Void: "Slayer I know why we're here and all, but give the girl some credit."
Slayer ignored me and walked to the head of the table.
Slayer: "We have a quest, so are you coming or not?"
Elf: "Uh seriously."
Priestess: "This is something I have suspected for a while, but now I'm completely convinced. You're going to drive me crazy with every move you make."
Void: "You and me both little light."
Priestess: "So now listen up, we've been over this before, it's not a discussion unless everyone else has a say."
Slayer: "But I am giving you a say."
Priestess: "No you're not, whatever we choose the outcome is the same."
Void: "She has a point."
Slayer sighs as the Elf speaks up.
Elf: "Say if we said no, you just go by yourself right?"
Slayer: "Of course."
Elf: "So she's right, this isn't a discussion."
Dwarf: "The fact that he's even asking us at least means he's getting better."
Lizardmen: "Indeed, this is a sign of progress."
The Priestess got up and stood before him.
Priestess: "Well still I've decided, I'm going with you."
Lizardmen: "You don't know how many goblins you will face, the more spell casters you have the higher your success will be."
Dwarf: "Well our traveling expenses seem to be in order, so we might as well come."
Elf: "Now after this quest, you'll go on another adventure with us! How does that sound?"
Slayer: "Sure. Void?"
Void: "I was going to go with you anyway."
Elf: "Hey I wasn't finished! Now you can't do any more water torture."
Priestess: "Or setting them on fire."
Elf: "Or poisoning them."
Slayer: "No poison."
Elf/ Princess: "Absolutely not!"
Slayer: "Very well."
Elf: "That goes for you two Void."
Void: "Fine by me, as long as I can use my shotgun then I'm fine."
Elf: "Well then I'm glad you agree."
She gave me a cute smile before everyone left....
Void: (Wait did I think it was cute!)
I shook off that thought before leaving with Slayer to prepare for the quest.
Timeskip
We were in the wagon on the way to the town where the letter was sent from. We were all doing our own things before the Lizardmen looked out of the cart.
Lizardmen: "We're close, you can see it from here."
I and the Priestess looked out as well at the city standing alone in the middle of the lake.
Priestess: "So that's Watertown."
Void: "Pretty sight for sure, don't really get a lot of those back home. Reminds me of a Golden age city called Venice."
The Priestess then looked into my helmet, I guess she's trying to figure out my expression, which was a solemn one from remembering my home. I sat back as the cart made its way over the bridge connecting the city to the rest of the land and hopped out. We then started to head to where the letter had been sent for us to meet the client.
Elf: "Just as I remember it. The waterways are a means of transportation that keep the town well supplied with goods and food."
Priestess: "What kind of food do people here like to eat?"
Dwarf: "Many things really, they have a wide variety of ingredients to choose from, but clam liver stew with wine and fried fish are local favorites."
Void: "Damn what I wouldn't go for some ramen right now, it's been ages."
Slayer: "The wheat here is also very course, so it makes a great batter."
Lizardmen: "You seem quite knowledgeable of this area Sir Goblin Slayer."
Slayer: "Someone told me about it when I mentioned I was coming here."
Priestess: "Do you mean your friend from the farm?"
Slayer: "Yes."
Void: "Yeah she got really excited about it too, we need to bring some bread back for them when we leave."
Slayer: "Alright."
We kept looking around the town before we stopped in front of a large cathedral. The Priestess got really excited when we stood before it.
Priestess: "This is the temple of law! It's just how I imagined it! Goblin Slayer, Void, look at it, it's amazing!"
Slayer: "Is it?"
She pouted at his response before I patted her shoulder.
Void: "In my opinion, it really is beautiful."
Priestess: "At least someone recognizes it."
Elf: "So this is where we're meeting?"
Slayer: "Yes our client should be inside."
He started to walk up the steps as me and the rest followed him.
Priestess: "Is the person who sent the quest a priestess of the Supreme god?"
Slayer: "No, the Archbishop."
The Priestess fumbled with her staff when hearing this.
Priestess: "Really the Archbishop?"
We presided inside and walked through halls with large paintings adorning the walls and ceiling. Eventually we entered a large chamber with a woman praying before a large stature. Upon hearing our footsteps she turned around to face us.
Sword maiden: "Hello? Oh my visitors."
Slayer: "I'm here for the goblins."
The Priestess started to freak out over his tone.
Priestess: "I'm sorry, excuse him, thank you very much for seeing us."
Void: "Yeah sorry for his tone ma'am, he's a bit daft at times."
Slayer: "What?"
Void: "Just forget it."
Sword maiden: "So we have a brave warrior and a sweet priestess." *She then looks directly at me despite the blindfold covering her eyes.* "And a Guardian no less."
I was shocked that she knew what I was before she turned to face the others without a single thought.
Void: (How the hell does she know what I am! This is just a coincidence right!?)
Sword maiden: "And you might be?"
Lizardmen: "Fellow adventurers that have had the honor to fight beside them."
Sword maiden: "Well met adventurers, I welcome you with the bottom of my heart."
Slayer: "So where are the goblins."
We all sat in a circle as she began to explain.
Sword maiden: "It happened about a month ago. We sent one of the acolyte girls out for a late night errand, her corpse was found in an alleyway the next morning, the reports say her body was sliced up as though she was still alive."
Slayer: "Still alive? So it happened right there."
Sword Maiden: "Hm."
Slayer: "Did the goblins eat part of her or was she only murdered."
The Elf put a hand on Slayer's shoulder.
Elf: "Just let her talk."
Slayer: "Right, continue."
Sword maiden: "That attack was just the beginning. I had our city guard extend their patrols and the crime rate increased, women assaulted, children kidnapped and apparently the work of cut throats and thieves. But one such attack was interrupted by an adventurer and to our shock the corpse was that of a goblin."
Dwarf: "Goblins and more than a few by the sounds of it."
Priestess: "How could that many get into the city? Surely they would have been stopped at the main gate?"
Void: "Possibly they could have tunneled up or used the waterways."
Elf: "Seems like a lot of casualties if they were just passing through."
Lizardmen: "There was an old settlement below this one correct? They could have settled there."
Slayer: "That's what I would do. Their not bright but their not stupid."
Elf: "There you go again thinking like a goblin."
Void: "To defeat one's enemy you must know how they think, how they fight, only then can you truly defeat them at their own game."
Sword maiden: "As you concluded, we thought they were living under the city and made a quest for the Watertown adventurers, but."
Priestess: "What happened to them?"
The sword maiden shook her head and the Priestess understood.
Sword maiden: "Then I heard of the balet of the brave and honorable Goblin Slayer and of the Warrior of the night who travels with him. The heroes of the frontier."
Slayer: "What balet?"
Void: "Wait, I have a song?"
Elf: "You don't know? You two have been immortalized in song. Meeting you in person was pretty disappointing at first."
Slayer: "That's not my problem."
Void: "Well at least they got the warrior of night right, it's close enough to Nightstaker, but still I never thought I'd have a song made out of my accomplishments?"
Lizardmen: "Come now, the legends of great hero's live on by the bards that sing them."
Slayer: "Why does it matter?"
Void: "Slayer let me put it simply so you can understand, the more people hear about us, the more jobs we get. Which means the more goblins we get to crush under our boots."
Dwarf: "I was going to say something similar, but without the last part."
Sword maiden: "So I beg of you, will you please save Watertown from these goblins."
Slayer: "The town may already be lost, but I'll kill some goblins."
Priestess: "Can you at least be a little bit more tactful!"
Slayer: "It's the truth."
Priestess: "That's why you need to be more sensitive."
Slayer grumbled and Lizardmen suggested we head to the sewers, the Sword maiden also explained why the city guard also didn't respond to this problem. She gave us a map and we set off, though I did catch part of the conversation between the Priestess and the Sword maiden before I left the room.
Sword maiden: "Miss?"
Priestess: "Yes Archbishop?"
Sword maiden: "Perhaps it is not my place to ask this, but are you not afraid of what you might encounter down there?"
Priestess: "Yes but together I'm sure we can handle it."
Sword maiden: "Well then may the law guild you and your friends."
Still having thoughts about her choice of words back in that chamber, we made our way into the sewers and soon came across many goblins and got to work.
Timeskip
Lizardmen: "I believe that is the last of this group."
Elf: "No this is."
She let an arrow fly and killed the last goblin.
Dwarf: "To believe this many goblins live under the city, it's enough to make my skin crawl."
Void: "Yeah they are like cockroaches."
The Elf then walked over to the goblin she killed and retrieved her arrow. The Dwarf raised an eyebrow when she did so.
Elf: "What? I'm not going to be like Orkbolg, this is going to be a long fight and I don't want to resort to using goblin arrows, they're horrible and Void's can only be used by his bow."
Void: "Ya you couldn't use them even if you tried."
She gave me a sly smirk as if taking that as a challenge and we began to return to searching the sewers.
Dwarf: "This is the fifth time we've been attacked today, who knows how many are crawling down here."
Void: "I'll restate from earlier, cockroaches."
Elf: "Honestly I think we're going to be down here forever."
Slayer: "Don't worry these walls are made of stone, they're unlikely to ambush us."
Priestess: "I can't stand the thought of another ambush."
Slayer: "Sorry."
Dwarf: "At least we don't have to mask our scent down here."
Elf: "Now don't remind me of those unpleasant memories."
Void: "Well you and I remember those very differently."
I chuckled a bit before she smacked me upside the head. She had a pouty face before she stopped walking.
Void: "You good?"
Elf: "Yeah but I hear something, like water down there."
She pointed down the tunnel we were walking through and the party progressed until we came across what looked like it was raining from the ceiling.
Priestess: "Hold on is that rain?"
Elf: "We're underground, how could it be raining?"
Dwarf: "Well the most realistic reason is that it must be raining on the surface and making its way down here from the canals and sewers. Your thoughts?"
Slayer: "It would be bad if our light source was extinguished, Void's radar isn't that accurate so we are fighting in the dark."
I looked around before a faint sound began to echo through the cave and a few blips on my tracker began to appear.
Elf: "We're about to have company."
Void: "And a lot of it, be on guard."
We ran out to a small stone bridge that stretched over an underground canal and readied our weapons. The Dwarf tossed Slayer the covered lantern which he clipped to his belt. Then out of the darkness a ship appeared with a full crew of goblins.
Void: "When did they learn to use ships!"
The leader let out a battle cry and the goblin archers let a volley lose in our direction. The Priestess used a protection and it began to block the arrows.
Priestess: "I can't hold this for long."
Elf: "What's the plan?"
Slayer: "What else." *He threw his short sword and it pierced through the leaders head.* "All goblins must die and that's one."
Elf: "Hey leave the long distance to me, showoff."
Void: "Hey Dwarf how many spells do you have left!"
Dwarf: "Loads of em."
Slayer: "Then use the tunnel, dig a hole."
Dwarf: "Where under a town you know!"
Slayer: "Not up! Down, drain the water."
Dwarf: "If we do that the sewers could overflow!"
Slayer: "It's not water torture."
Elf: "Think of something else!"
Priestess: "I'm going to lose the shield!"
Slayer: "Fine, I'll throw this once the shield goes down then put another up to solidify our defense."
Priestess: "Alright."
The shield burst into shards and Slayer through the capsule and when it hit a goblin in the face it smashed out a red powder causing all the goblins to scream in pain and have teary eyes.
Slayer: "We're jumping!"
Void: "Here comes the pain train!"
I, Slayer and the Lizardmen jumped from the bridge onto the small ship and began to slaughter the goblins one by one.
Slayer: "There wearing armor! It's easier to knock them off the ship!"
Lizardmen: "Excellent idea!" *He then used his tail to knock 5 goblins into the canal.*
Slayer: "16! With these numbers we may be in trouble!"
I slashed three goblins heads off before turning to two that were going to attack me but got taken out by a single arrow. I gave her a thumbs up before returning to kicking and slashing at the goblins.
Dwarf: "Beardcutter, Scally, Void! Get back here!"
I noticed the massive stone forming over the ship and the three of us ran to the ships bow and leaped as it collided.
Dwarf: "Stone burst!"
We landed the side in time to see the remaining goblins being swept away and drowning.
Elf: "Another battle over, what next?"
Priestess: "Honestly I could go for a break right now."
Slayer: "No time, we need to keep moving."
Lizardmen: "I agree that skirmish was anything but quiet, it was sure to alert more goblins."
Void: "Just set them up so I can knock them down."
Slayer: "Wait a goblin?"
Then suddenly a goblin was sent flying from the water and everything seemed to move in slow motion as a massive white crocodile ate it whole and returned to the canal.
Slayer: "That's not a goblin."
Elf: "Thank you for clearing that up!"
Void: "Who cares, just run!"
We all began to run away from the tank sized croc.
Elf: "I wasn't expecting a swamp dragon!"
Void: "It's actually an alligator but ya!"
Dwarf: "Hey Scally isn't that thing a relative of yours! Talk to it!
Lizardmen: "It pains me to say that I have not talked with my family since I left home!"
We came across a ledge and jumped down as the alligator tried to eat us. In mid flight Slayer grabbed onto the Priestess and the Lizardmen the Dwarf.
Lizardmen: "Even if I did I assure you that is no relative of mine!"
Dwarf: "Well this is one way to get around."
Void: "Less talking, more running!"
Elf: "I say we use the dwarf as bait, it'll definitely get food poisoning!"
Dwarf: "Oh you just try it!"
Elf: "We have goblin ships up ahead!"
Priestess: "So what do we do!"
Slayer: "I have a plan!"
Elf: "I don't know what crazy idea you have in your head this time, but remember the rules!"
Void: "Seriously! I thought we threw those out when we started to get chased by a 30 foot reptile!"
Slayer: "We'll go with your idea!"
We then proceeded up a flight of stairs to an overlook of the canal, the Priestess casted holy light on the Alligator's tail and what resulted was a bunch of dead goblins and the destruction of their small fleet.
Elf: "Oh I see, you had her cast holy light on the swamp dragon's tail and that lured the goblins right to it."
Slayer: "I was told I couldn't use water, fire, or poison, my options were limited."
Void: "Ya but sometimes I forget how stupid these things are."
Slayer: "They associate light with adventurers because we travel by it."
Elf: "Really, well you're just a big lure to them Void."
Void: "That's how I like it. Though we're not sure when they figured it out, it's commonly known for them now."
Slayer: "There kind are nothing but scavengers, they never think of building anything on their own. If they were shown a ship, I wouldn't take them long to figure out how to use it."
Slayer began to walk down a hallway and we followed behind him.
Elf: "Well look at you Mr. Knowledgeable."
Slayer: "I've studied them, that's why I don't leave any behind."
Void: "So they don't get any new ideas."
Slayer: "Exactly."
Dwarf: "Do you think someone showed them how to use the ships intentionally?"
Slayer: "Yes."
Priestess: "But isn't it just likely a goblin shaman just figured it out?"
Void: "It's possible, but if their population increased naturally, then they should have known about the alligator. They are smart enough that they would have avoided using them, their cowards with a sense of self preservation."
Lizardmen: "So what are you saying?"
Slayer: "He's saying that the population here isn't natural and that someone or something orchestrated this whole infestation."
So we finally made our way back to the surface, but deep below in the ruins and tunnels below the city sat a very large green monster, and it was ready to begin its plan.