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Chapter Text

The Stranded Barbarian

AN: Alright, so this is my first fanfiction on this site and it's about a concept I found intriguing. Having Conan in the Goblin Slayer universe opens up quite a few possibilities and character interaction. I can only hope I get it right. Here's a bit of a prologue. I hope you enjoy it.

And just to mention, this Conan is based more on Robert E. Howard's work and from some other things that add to it so don't go asking questions like 'Where is Subotai?' or 'What about the Riddle of Steel?' Normally I wouldn't point this out but it happened before.

Prologue

It was midday, the Sun was high up in the sky with no clouds to cover its yellow rays. No sound could be heard other than those of small waves hitting the sandy beach that stretched for miles. No person, animal, or structure could be seen for a very long distance in the area.

But in a certain spot on the beach, something recently appeared. On that spot lay a man face-first in the sand, completely unconscious with the waves touching his legs, a single wreckage of a boat beside him that was rendered in two halves.

The man himself could be described as very tall, bronze-skinned, and incredibly muscular, his hair a long black mane. He was dressed in nothing but a brown loincloth and fur boots, on his hip was a sheathed long sword. To many, he would look like a typical barbarian. However, around him, you could see some remains of chainmail scattered, no doubt what he used for armor, and some small patches still adorned his muscular physique.

The sprawled figure started to steer, his fingers began to twitch and his eyelids slowly started to open showing his blue eyes.

The man slowly started to get up, first using his hands to push himself up before his legs acted and stood on the sand. The man now stood straight up. He started to groan and rubbed his head with his hand, trying to rid himself of the slight dizziness.

A few moments later, he took a look at his surroundings and noticed the destroyed boat beside him. Once again he rubbed his head as if trying to remember what happened to him. Then slowly, but surely, the memories started to come back.

He remembered walking in a town that was located next to the Western sea, looking for an inn to spend the night in. But then he ran into some sailors who noticed him and called out to him to come to them. They explained that they were planning to sail across the Western sea to pick up something from a faraway island and they planned on hiring the man to go with them, needing some help while they were sailing. It's usually peaceful but pirates were known to show up from time to time.

They explained that they have heard of the man's exploits and that his skills and accomplishments were legendary, so having him aboard for special protection would be perfect. They even paid him a very decent amount of gold.

The man agreed and after a few hours, they set sail to the faraway island. While on the way, the man spent some time with the crew, getting to know them and even shared stories with them. They took a liking to him pretty quickly and vice versa.

The voyage went along smoothly and without any notable complications for quite some time, easing the worries of the crew for a while.

But some time later they were attacked by pirates. The crew and the man fought back with all their might. The battle was savage and bloody, and quite a few of the crew were killed and many were injured, but the pirates suffered greater losses thanks to the man who the crew hired, seeing the stories didn't exaggerate his skills and might, and the pirates were forced to retreat.

However, it seemed that luck was not on their side as not long after that they were within a heavy storm. The crew tried their best to preserve the ship but too many of them died or were wounded to do even a decent job in maintaining some sort of stability on the rocking waves. Even the bronze-skinned man, who could easily do the work of three men, was not able to help enough to preserve the ship. Heavy damage was done and the ship started to sink.

Many tried to save themselves by escaping on boats, but very few actually made it. The raven-haired man and the captain were barely able to take one boat and the storm separated them from the rest of the survivors.

Due to the storm, the boat started rocking heavily against the violent waves, the two men trying to keep themselves steady. The captain eventually fell off the boat causing the muscled man to try and help him by jumping into the water but the heavy rocking caused him to stumble back in before he could, and hit the side of the boat with his head, knocking the man out.

The man came back from the trip down memory lane and sighed. He once again cast a look at the destroyed boat before getting a somewhat sorrowful look in his eyes. He wasn't particularly close to the captain but he did make a pleasant company. And the people in his crew were good men as well, not deserving to die at the sea the way they did. It wasn't the first time he experienced such a loss, but it didn't make the sorrow disappear.

After a minute of silence, he composed himself. He shouldn't linger on his sadness for too long. He needed to assess the situation he was in. He looked at the sea behind him as if contemplating from whence he came and if he could come back. He was thrown who knows where while he was far out into the sea, very far away from his homeland. He could be on an uncharted island or even a different continent. His armor was torn to shreds, the cause of both the fight and the struggle with the sea, and he didn't have his gold with him when they tried to escape so he had no money. Luckily, he still had his sword, which would help his survivability immensely.

He then looked at the forest in front of him, deciding that would be the best place to explore. He was stranded at an unknown place with no food or water or money, only his hunting skills, and a sword. And considering that he hadn't eaten in a while, it would be just the right time to put these skills to good use.

He stretched, discarded the useless remains of his armor off of him, and walked forward, ready to face whatever challenges lay ahead of him. The odds may have seemed against him, but they were often set against him and he was always able to overcome them, sometimes even to his own surprise.

Whatever this place was, it better be ready for Conan the Cimmerian.

AN: And that's the first chapter. I hope you enjoyed it and I look forward to the feedback.

Chapter Text

The Stranded Barbarian

AN: And here is the second installment of the fic. Came quicker than I thought it would. In this chapter, Conan will get more familiar with the land he is in and what he could expect for the future.

1 Things That Creep In The Night

Conan was sitting cross-legged on the grassy ground in front of a fire he started and secured with rocks so it doesn't cause wildfire on accident. He was currently chewing on a piece of cooked meat. It was already dark and he recently finished hunting a few rabbits. So far, nothing was different about the wildlife here from what he was used to so it made hunting easier.

He left the beach a long time ago and got into the forest in which he was walking for hours on end. Wherever he was he was certainly far from civilization. He didn't come across any clear path that could lead him out of the forest so he settled for hunting for food.

After cutting off some branches and sharping the ends into makeshift spears he set out for his hunt. After a while, he found some rabbits and quickly speared them. He only wished he could have found some more before dark fell. He soon started the fire and cooked the rabbits.

And here he was, eating the said rabbits and still with no answers on where he is. He hoped that at least tomorrow he would come across at least some sort of civilization. He needed a ship out of this place, not wanting to stay longer than necessary.

But then he stopped mid-bite, his ears picking up the rustling of some bushes behind him. Not noticeable by many, but Conan's great senses were able to pick it up. He slowly went for the hilt of his blade, preparing for the seeming surprise attack by whatever was located in those bushes.

The barbarian's fast reflexes kicked in, his head swiftly moving to the side as an arrow whizzed past him. The barbarian quickly rose to his feet and turned toward the bush, his trusty sword at his side, his face narrowed in a glare, ready to take on whoever was attacking him.

The arrow showed that it was clearly not an animal, but a person, and he was more than prepared to fight whoever was foolish enough to try and ambush him.

But what came out of the bush surprised him. It was several small ugly green-skinned creatures, with long noses, pointed ears, and warts on their faces, dressed in nothing but loincloths. Conan gained a slight look of surprise. Those things definitely weren't human, but even the monstrous look they weren't very intimidating. What were they? Imps? Goblins? He also saw that they were armed but their weapons weren't anything to brag about. Small clubs and blades, very light weapons clearly made for their size and build since they obviously couldn't use regular-sized weapons. One of them also carried a small bow, indicating he was the one who tried to shoot Conan from behind.

They pointed their weapons at him as if threatening him. Conan just let out a small smirk; this was like children trying to act tough in front of an adult man. And Conan was even less convinced considering they tried to take him out by shooting him from behind.

Conan then pointed his blade towards them. "I don't know what you are, but I swear to Crom, unless you leave me alone you'll be slaughtered without mercy. If you have any kind of intelligence then you would leave while your heads are still attached to your little bodies."

The small creatures either didn't understand him or outright ignored his threat as they tried charging at him. Conan let out a scoff, these creatures were obviously too stupid for their own good. The way they ran towards him showed that they were not really fast either.

The moment the first one came in range a flash of glistening light could be seen and the creature found itself without a head. That caused the other creatures to freeze in place, surprised that they couldn't see the huge man move at all.

The man stood there, smirking at their confused expressions. He then lifted up the blade so they could see the blood on it. "Feeling any regrets about your decision?" he mockingly asked.

Before any of them could make any sort of response, Conan once again swung his blade with the speed and ferocity of a panther and cleaved another one in half. Another followed soon after, causing the others to try and run away.

But Conan wouldn't let them as he quickly caught up to any fleeing creature and quickly killed them with his sword. The one with the bow tried shooting at him but Conan just caught the arrow in his hand and sliced his head off before he could fire any more arrows.

Not even a minute of slaughter and Conan was surrounded by small green corpses, the scent of blood not bothering due to his constant exposure to it, and he flicked the blood off his blade.

He went to scout around the area to see if there were any more of them, and despite it being dark he could still tell when other creatures are around due to his experience, but he found none. When he returned he picked up the dead creatures and threw them into the fire, not wanting to deal with the decaying corpses of these little monsters. He could handle it but still, the smell would be an annoyance.

He sat a bit away from the fire, not wanting to deal with the annoying smell, and the night air actually being pretty pleasant and wondered what on earth these creatures were and will he encounter more on his journey. But if he does he wasn't worried. They incredibly easy to deal with, the children in Cimmeria would have given him a greater challenge.

After a while sleep slowly started to overtake him and he lay on the ground with his blade next to him. And in sleep, he dreamt of his homeland and awaited the arrival of the next sunrise.

Conan awoke with a groan and quickly got to his feet. He stretched his mighty limbs with the grace of a tiger and went further into the woods.

After an hour of walking through the thick woods, he finally arrived outside. He was now in a clear meadow of small grass that stretched a good distance. Not too far from his location, he saw a road. After a quick walk to the road, he saw tracks of what seemed to be a carriage, taking it as a sign that he was nearing some sort of civilization.

He then walked in the direction the carriage tracks went, hoping that the place it was going to was near.

After half an hour of walking, he was able to see some houses in the distance and put more speed into his walking to arrive faster. He even saw a wooden board that said 'Farmer village'. Conan raised an eyebrow at the strange name but shrugged.

As he walked he saw that the houses were mostly farmhouses. He guessed that's the reason for the name. And there weren't many of them, only about half a dozen or so, and they were located some distance from each other. So far nothing was unlike in his home.

However, there appeared to be no inns anywhere so he would have to visit at least one of the houses so he could get some food and rest.

He arrived at the house nearest to the edge of the village. He saw a man dressed in simple clothes of brown pants and a white shirt. He was decently built with brown hair and beard.

Conan slowly approached the man not noticing his arrival, and called out. "Hello there."

That caused the farmer to stop what he was doing and look towards the source of the gruff voice that called out to him. He turned around and saw a well-muscled tall man dressed in nothing but a loincloth and boots, with a sword at his side. The appearance has the farmer somewhat intrigued. Was this man an adventurer? He didn't know if anyone in the village put out a contract. "Um, yes, can I help you?" asked the farmer.

"I'm but a simple traveler. I just need a place to stay for a while and perhaps something to eat," he said.

The farmer nodded, not being the one who would refuse to help a man in need. "I see. Very well, inside," said the farmer as he gestured towards his house. "You have some good timing, stranger; my wife is just about ready to make lunch. I think we'll have enough for one more."

Conan just nodded and the two of them went towards the house. The house was a simple one, made of wood, with two stories. They entered the front door. "Honey, we have a guest," exclaimed the farmer.

Then a beautiful woman with long brown hair and green eyes showed up. "Really? Who?" she asked. Then she got a good look at the guest her husband mentioned. "Darling, who is that?"

"Oh, he is just a traveler in need of food and a place to sleep," explained the farmer. "Speaking of which, we haven't introduced ourselves. I'm Farmer and this is my wife."

Conan once again raised an eyebrow at the introduction. What was with this place and the strange way of naming? "Those aren't names, those are titles. Are you not going to tell me your real names?"

The married couple looked at him strangely until Farmer came to a realization. "Ah, I see you are not familiar with the customs of this land," said Farmer with a small smile of amusement. "You see, in these parts people don't say their real names, it's something very personal, and revealing your name would usually be a sign of deep affection. People are usually called by their title or occupation, hence why I introduced us the way I did."

Conan was still baffled by this. He has been to many lands and visited many tribes with different cultures and beliefs but none of them had the customs where you didn't give someone your name unless you are trying to purposefully be rude.

Unfortunately, this also confirmed his suspicion of not being anywhere near any places he knew.

"It is a strange custom you have there. Where I come from knowing someone's real name is a common occurrence, so I'll introduce myself with my real name," said the barbarian. "My name is Conan of Cimmeria."

The two of them were not too surprised he gave them his real name since it appeared to be common from where he came from, but still, it was still a bit strange considering their own customs.

"You don't have anything else to go by?" asked the Wife as being one of the people used to addressing other people by their title.

"If you're speaking about titles and such then nothing I personally go by," Conan explained. "Though, other people have often called me a barbarian."

That caught the couple off guard. This man was actually called Barbarian? That caused them a bit of dilemma since they could either use the unusual route of calling him by his real name or call him Barbarian which was definitely something rude to call someone. So they either go against their customs or they act rude.

"Well, then how about you join us for lunch, um… Conan?" asked the Wife.

"I would appreciate it," he said with a small smile.

The meal was a simple one. A bowl of soup and some cooked meat. The family of two ate their food at a normal pace while Conan ate his food more quickly. He would have eaten it even quicker and messier but these people have shown him enough kindness without asking anything in return so he decided to at least act in a more civil manner.

"So tell me… Conan," started the Farmer. "Where do you come from? You told us you were from Cimmeria, but we never heard of such a place." That also caused his wife to listen with interest.

Conan stopped eating and looked at them. "I would honestly be surprised if you did, considering where this place is located," the Cimmerian said causing the two of them to look confused.

He then decided to tell them the story of how he got here. How he was a man from a different continent that was hired by a captain to protect his crew while they were on a voyage to unknown lands, how they got attacked and then being hit by a storm which led to them trying to escape and Conan eventually landing on a beach a miles away from here.

Once they heard his story the two of them looked at Conan with sadness evident on their faces.

"We are very sorry to hear that," said the Wife with her voice cracking a bit. This man was probably the only survivor of that crew and now he was stuck in a land far away from his home.

"And no doubt you would want to find your way back," said Farmer. "But unfortunately, we don't know anyone who would undertake such voyage. All of our trades are from inland, not across the sea, and not many people would just go to unexplored lands for a place they never even heard of."

"Yes, I hold no illusions towards that," said Conan. "But that doesn't discourage me from trying. If there is someone who will be willing to bring me back then I'll find that person eventually, even if it takes me a while."

The two smiled at the man's word. He was nothing else if not determined.

"Very well, then. Until that day comes we can at least give you a place to sleep," said Farmer and turned to look at his wife. "What do you say, dear?"

The woman gave a smile. "Of course, it's the least we can do after what you've been through," she said. "Come with me. I'll show you the guest room. That's where you'll be sleeping."

Conan was lying on the bed in the room given to him by the kindly couple. He had to admit he wasn't used to this kind of generosity. Usually, people would want something in return, but these people just saw a man in need and were more than happy to aid him.

Conan didn't hold any naïve views on the world, knowing how dark and unfair it can be. However, that didn't mean he was also unaware that there were genuinely good people out there, like those two.

Conan even offered to help work in their fields or even do all the work himself as a way to repay them but they adamantly refused, saying that it didn't feel right for him to do so and they were just helping a man in need.

If Conan was being honest, if the world had more people like them then it would probably turn for the better.

But he put those thoughts aside for now and closed his eyes for a much-needed rest. He wanted to be energized to continue his search for a way back.

But before sleep could claim the blue-eyed barbarian he was shaken awake by a sound of some object crashing and that of a woman's scream. With the swiftness and grace of a panther, he sprang up from the bed after he recognized the voice belonged to the Wife that offered him the room.

He quickly descended from the second floor where the guest room was located and towards the source of the scream. He could hear familiar sounds of weapons piercing flesh and some sort of laughter, which didn't really sound human. He hurried his steps until he almost became a blur.

When he arrived at the kitchen he was met with a horrible sight. He saw those green-skinned creatures from before, no doubt a different group, at least over a dozen of them.

Then he saw the Farmer who had a spear stuck in his bleeding leg and one of those green imps had a knife lunged in his throat. The man was dead The woman was laying on the side of the room with two of those creatures over her, tearing off her clothes, their intentions obvious to the Cimmerian. Though now all of their attention were turned to him because of his sudden arrival.

Rage filled Conan. His face narrowed in glare that would freeze even the most experienced warriors, his mouth showing his gritting teeth. His Cimmerian blood was boiling, screaming at him to slaughter those pathetic vermin.

He let out a scream sounding like a roar of a tiger and with great speed, he started attacking those creatures, without any thought of mercy appearing in his mind. He slashed and stabbed, and no matter what those creatures tried, attacking back or trying to flee, none were able to react to Conan's great speed and savagery as his blade took them out one by one.

No creature made a sound other than guttural choking of blood as they were being slain by the bronze-skinned man. The two that were about to violate the woman tried to run as far as their little legs can carry them, but they didn't make it more than a few feet before Conan sliced one's head off before grabbing the head of the other one and crushing it in his iron-like grip, hardly bothered by the bloody remains in his hands.

There were others that ran out of the house until Conan let out a large grunt and ran after them, easily catching up to them and killing them one by one, they didn't make it far before the last one of the group lay dead on the grass.

With his rage subsiding Conan let out a small sigh. He turned back and ran towards the house to check up on the woman.

He quickly arrived at the house and saw her crying over her now-dead husband. Conan also looked remorseful; the cruel reality has once again taken a life of a good man. Conan approached them and crouched next to the woman. His mighty hand found its place on the woman's shoulder for comfort.

She didn't flinch at his touch, if anything she accepted it.

"Cursed creatures," Conan grunted out. "Damn them all to Hell."

The woman let out a few sobs before turning to Conan with red eyes from the tears "Did you take care of them?"

Conan then also faced the woman. "Yes, I have. None of those little demons made it out alive."

The woman then once again closed her eyes and hurled herself at Conan, wrapping her arms around him and crying into his muscular chest. Conan was caught off guard at first but he slowly wrapped his arms around the woman, allowing her to let out all the grief she had.

The next day people of the Farmer village held a funeral in the afternoon for one of their own. The Farmer knew everyone from that small village so everyone came. Even Conan was there to pay his respects.

The villagers came sometime last night when they thought they heard some sort of commotion at the house and saw the dead bodies of the green creatures, of which they had every single one disposed of.

The woman explained the situation to them, where Conan learned that the creatures were called goblins, and many were grateful to Conan for killing the goblins. They explained that goblin attacks were not uncommon and that those two were just the unlucky ones, however, they also end up much worse as the woman would also be taken as breeding stock for the goblins, but Conan stopped it and killed the goblins.

As the ceremony was done and everyone went home, Conan and the woman stayed at the grave. There was a pregnant silence that prevailed in that spot. Conan was the one who broke it.

"I'm sorry," he said in a soft tone. "If only I was a bit faster-"

"Please don't speak that way," the Wife interrupted him. "There is no point in discussing 'what if' scenarios. The attack came from nowhere and there was no way you could have reacted faster. Do not blame yourself for not doing the impossible."

"After the kindness you and your husband have shown me, I feel like I should at least do something to repay you, especially after what has happened."

She then put her hand on Conan's shoulder. "There is no reason for you to do so. If anything I should be the one to repay you in some way. You saved my life, Conan, from a fate dreaded by every woman."

Conan gave a sigh. Normally he would have nothing against being paid in some way, but considering the situation, it didn't seem right. Perhaps these people were already starting to rub off on him.

"Conan," she once again said, gaining his attention. "I don't care what people from where you came from are calling you. You are a hero in my eyes."

Conan then eyed her at the explanation she gave him and saw her genuine smile, despite the sadness she felt over the loss of her husband. "I'm hardly a hero. I'm still a man who enjoys the thrill of battle, killing my enemies, having alcohol in my belly, and the feeling of women's flesh in my bedroom. I'm not exactly a prime hero model."

The woman gave a little chuckle. "You know, you're not the only one who does," she said. "Many heroes also enjoy the things you enjoy and they aren't considered any less heroic. Even the biggest paragons have some personal desires." The woman then looked back at the grave. "Heroes aren't perfect despite what many may lead you to believe. We are all human, after all. We have our flaws. And I'm sure my husband would have considered you a hero as well," she explained as tears started welling up in her eyes despite the smile she was wearing.

They didn't say anything else from that point and stood there for a few more minutes before going back towards the woman's home with Conan staying there for one more night.

When morning came Conan was already ready to go. He was pointed in a certain direction where a town with the Adventurer's Guild was located. From what he understood there are people there called adventurers and maybe they could assist him. And even if they can't the place is also a good source of information and Conan could join the Guild if he wanted to make some money.

Conan was now standing outside the house; all set for his little adventure. The woman has arrived outside with a bag in her hands.

She approached Conan and offered him the bag. "Here are some provisions you'll probably need for your journey."

Conan took the bag and put it on his shoulder. "Thank you for that."

"I truly hope you find what you're looking for," she said. Conan nodded and turned away to leave. "And may I have at least one request?"

That caused the Cimmerian to turn back and look at her. "Very well. What is it?"

"When you do complete your quest," she began. "Will you at least make sure to pay one last visit here?"

Conan looked at her for a moment before grinning, knowing that the request wasn't because she desired for him to lay with her, but to have a friend visit her one last time. "I will."

That brought a smile to the woman's lovely face. "Thank you. And may the gods be with you on your journey. Farewell."

"And farewell to you," Conan said before turning away and walking.

The woman stood there and waved at him until he was out of sight and she went back into her house, hoping to see her hero at least once more before he finishes his quest. Until then she would pray for his success.

AN: And that's a wrap. I used the explanation for people not using their real names from another story I've read called Deathtrooper, a Goblin Slayer/Star Wars story. I just thought it made sense.

I hope you enjoyed the chapter. In the next one, Conan will meet more of the Goblin Slayer cast. See you then.

Chapter Text

The Stranded Barbarian

2 A new direction

Conan continued his way to the city where this Adventurer's Guild was located. At the very least they could have him join so he could earn money, and with the kind of requests they get, he would surely enjoy it.

He at least hoped he could find some good inn and buy himself some ale. It's been a while since he tasted it.

As he walked through the woods he was cautious of any goblin ambushes that might occur. From the information he was given, plus his previous experience, there is a possibility of goblins attacking unsuspecting humans while they travel. It's not as common as goblins attacking them in their establishments but it's still possible.

Even after a few days of not being attacked, he didn't let his guard down. The Goblins weren't physically much of a threat to him, but their small frames would make it easier for them to plan a sneak attack, which is something Conan experienced himself not too long after being stranded on this land, but he was able to avoid it thanks to his great senses. The rest was pretty easy.

The rest of the trip was uneventful except Conan having to hunt his breakfast but he was pretty used to doing that already, with all the times he had to survive in the wilderness in many lands.

As he was following the trail, he finally came out of the forest into a clearing. He stopped and saw what was definitely some sort of town some distance away. It wasn't the biggest one he has seen but a pretty sizable one.

With his destination clear in sight he hurried his step for a bit. Having to spend your time sleeping on the dirt can be annoying no matter how much you have done it. The town didn't have any walls blocking the way in or any watchtowers so it seemed simple enough.

At the entrance of the city, a guard greeted him.

"Hello, stranger. What brings you here?"

"I'm looking for the Adventurer's Guild. And an inn if you know any good ones," Conan answered.

The guard gave a laugh. "Well, you certainly look the part for the Guild. I'm sure you'll get far in rankings," the guard said. Conan wondered what he meant by 'rankings'. He hasn't been to many guilds back home so he wasn't familiar with how they operated. It was obviously some sort of position that you hold in the guild. For your performance, perhaps? Conan couldn't ponder for too long as the guard continued, "As for an inn, I do in fact know a good one, probably the best one in this place. It isn't too far from the Guild, actually. You could check it out on your way to the Guild."

"Could you show me the way?" Conan asked to which the guard nodded and proceeded to give Conan directions. Conan gave the man a smile. "Thank you, guardsman," said Conan as he walked past the guard into the town.

"No problem," said the guard as he watched Conan going away.

Then Conan suddenly stopped and turned back to look at the guard. "However," he began. "If the inn doesn't turn out to be the way you described, then I know who to look for." He finished the statement with a grin on his face getting the guard to laugh. Conan then continued looking for the Guild. He may want a good drink but it would be smart to attend to business first.

As Conan passed through the streets of the city he noticed something about the people around him. No one was batting an eye in his direction. It wasn't out of some sort of vanity that he noticed this, and he knew people of this land haven't heard of him before, but usually, people that look like him are not something you see in the more urban areas, especially considering how he is currently dressed.

Yet still, not a single person here seemed to think he is out of place and just continued with their daily activities, like he is someone who would be commonly seen in these parts.

Conan walked for a few more minutes before finally arriving at his destination. He looked up to see the building that the guard described to him. A seemingly simple three-story building with a sign above the front door that said 'Adventurer's Guild'. Nothing particularly grandiose about it.

Conan then entered the building and he was met with a sight of a beautiful woman standing across him behind a table. She had hair coloured a darker shade of gold that was tied into a braid and golden eyes. He got the hair but he never really saw that eye colour. She was wearing what he presumed to be some sort of standard uniform for workers here. He had to admit that despite it completely covering her it didn't really hide her curves.

Then he looked to his left and saw a hall that was filled with at least two dozen other people who he assumed were adventurers. Many of them were dressed in armour and were carrying weapons but others wore robes and carried staffs. Mages probably? Besides that, he also noticed that there also wasn't a shortage of beautiful women here.

The edges of Conan's mouth moved upwards into a smile. He may be stuck in here for a while but with women like these, he would gladly stay a little while longer.

He then approached the desk causing the woman to notice him. The woman gave him a beaming smile and greeted him. "Hello, sir. Welcome to the Adventurer's Guild." If Conan was honest that was one of the warmest welcomes anyone has given him. Those that were genuine at least. "What can I do for you?"

"I'm actually looking for information. But I need a way to earn money first and I think this might be the right place for me," explained Conan.

"Oh, you're here to join the Guild!" the girl beamed when she heard that and immediately went to grab something from below the desk. She pulled out a sheet of paper and a quill. "I'll need you to fill out this paper and give your signature at the bottom corner. After that, you'll officially be an adventurer."

Conan actually got a look of surprise on his face. Really? That's it? That's all you need to do if you want to officially be an adventurer? Signing a paper? No special initiations or tests that you need to do beforehand?

Conan paraphrased his thoughts into a single question. "That's it?"

The girl nodded. "Mhmm, that's correct. After that, you'll be an official member of the Adventurer's Guild."

Conan looked at her for a moment before shrugging. He took out the quill and started filling out the paper. He was requested to state his name, some skill he possessed, his preferred fighting style and… his class?

He turned back to the woman. "What exactly does this 'class' section require?"

"Oh, that is for showing what class of an adventurer you are. For example, a paladin, a wizard, a rogue, a warrior. Like that," she elaborated.

Conan then thought about it. What would he classify as? He had skills in more or less all fields, except for a wizard, of course. He knew how to sneak, he knew how to fight like a knight, he knew how to fight hand-to-hand etc. He didn't really know what classification would describe him.

Maybe he should just pick one and leave it at that but which one would be good? After a bit of thought, he decided to just write down 'warrior' and gave a signature at the end. He didn't have one due to him not really having to sign things all that much so he just wrote his name.

The golden-haired girl checked the paper and nodded. She then reached once again for something below the table. She took out what seemed to be some sort of necklace holding a silvery piece of metal with the label 'Adventurer's Guild' on it.

"This is your Adventurer tag. You'll carry it to signify you are a member of the guild and what your rank is," the woman explained.

"My rank?"

"Oh, right. I guess I should explain," said the girl and cleared her throat. "Every adventurer here has a rank that signifies his status in the guild and they are shown with the tags you have. The lowest rank is Porcelain hence the porcelain tag, which is a tag every new adventurer starts with. There ten in total, and from worst to best are Porcelain, Obsidian, Steel, Sapphire, Emerald, Ruby, Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum. Since you are just now registered you get a Porcelain."

"And I assume I would get higher in rank with field performance."

The girl nodded. "That is correct, sir. The better performance, the higher you get in rank."

Conan then looked at the tag for a moment before shrugging and taking it. He knew he would get higher in no time. He was sure he could prove himself quickly. But if he was honest with himself he still didn't know just how good the warriors of this land were. Sure he defeated men who could be considered the best fighters on his continent and many other monsters no ordinary man would be able to, but he still didn't see what these lands had to offer. And he was pretty sure those Goblins he fought are far from a prime example of the dangers he would face here.

Conan then put the tag around his neck. "I'll make sure not to disappoint."

"Is there a request you want to do now?"

Conan shook his head. He could do something but after all the walking and hunting for food, he figured he could take a break. "Not yet. I think I'm going to relax for a while. I had an exhausting trip."

"Very well then. I hope you enjoy yourself here," she said. "And I suggest you socialize. Adventurers can also form a group and getting to know them would certainly be beneficial."

"I'll keep that in mind," said Conan and gave her a smile. "By the way, what should I call you?"

"You can call me Guild Girl," she said.

Conan almost sighed. Of course, even she would be called by her title instead of a regular name. "Well, where I come from using our real names is a polite way of introducing. So, my name is Conan."

Guild Girl blinked at that, obviously not used to such an introduction. But she didn't ponder on it for long. She guessed that's just how his culture operated. "Alright then… Sir Conan. I hope we speak later."

Conan gave her a nod and walked towards other adventurers. He wondered to who he should talk first as he looked across the room.

He didn't have to ponder long as he heard someone calling him. "Hey, you there!" Conan turned towards the place where the voice came from. At one of the tables, he saw a man with strawberry blonde hair and eyes dressed in blue armour with yellow highlights and a spear at his side. That man was currently gesturing at him to come.

He approached the man and noticed another person that was next to him. She was a beautiful woman with purple hair, yet another unusual trait he noticed, dressed in revealing black robes. She also had a huge pointed hat, which Conan found to look a bit funny, and was smoking a pipe.

"So, you're the new recruit, eh?" asked the man, which Conan guessed was named Spearman with all the titles thrown around.

"I am? You must have some great deduction abilities to have figured that one out," Conan joked causing the purple-haired woman to laugh and the man to grunt.

"Yeah, very funny," exclaimed Spearman with some frustration.

The woman then turned her gaze towards Conan. "So, why have… you joined… the Guild?" she asked with a somewhat seductive tone.

Conan then raised an eyebrow at the way the woman spoke. Was it some sort of speaking disability or was it from the pipe? Though Conan doubted the latter considering he could tell when people are intoxicated and this woman definitely wasn't. And in his opinion, the way she talked seemed to fit her.

"I need to make some money so I came here. Seemed like a fun way to earn a healthy profit," explained Conan not seemingly affected by the woman's charm.

"Oh, so you think this is some sort of fun," said the Spearman. "You must be really confident in your skills if you think this line of work will be fun. Though, honestly, many newbies think like that before they come disappointed. If they come back at all."

"Oh really?" Conan asked not at all intimidated by the man's speech. "And what rank might you be?"

"Silver. So is my partner here. What's it to you?"

"Heh, if you are silver rank then I'll be silver rank sooner than expected," Conan taunted with a smirk.

That stirred up some anger within the Spearman and he rose up from his chair.

That caused the woman to let out a small gasp. "Oh, my."

Spearman got in front of Conan, and only now noticed the height difference between them. Conan was a head taller than he was but he didn't let it intimidate him. He faced things that were far bigger. "You think you're some hot stuff, mister? Heh, I bet you'll get killed on your first goblin mission."

Conan let out a chuckle. "And I bet you only got that rank for only doing goblin missions," Conan taunted back.

That actually caused a vein to pop out of Spearman's forehead. The taunt hit him more than the barbarian realised. Just saying that he got where he was from just killing weak goblins was already insult enough but there actually was someone who became silver ranked just from doing goblin missions and he wasn't particularly fond of that person.

"Now listen here," Spearman pretty much yelled at this point. Even gaining attention from some of the adventurers "If you think yo-"

He couldn't finish the sentence before Conan's fist landed straight on his face and sending him flying from the table.

This caused the people who were watching to look shocked. Even the purple-haired woman looked legitimately shocked at what occurred. Anyone else in the Guild that wasn't paying attention was now looking at the scene.

Spearman was lying on the ground; his table was located in a more isolated part so no other tables were broken, and his hand was nursing his bleeding nose. He then glared at Conan who just stood there smirking.

Spearman got up and readied his spear for a fight. "Now you've gone too far."

Conan's hand found itself on his sword's hilt. "If you didn't see that punch coming then I must say you won't stand much of a chance."

Spearman wiped some blood off his nose. "You just caught me off guard. Won't happen again."

"That's enough, you two!" exclaimed a voice next to them.

It belonged to a beautiful young woman with long blond hair wearing form-fitting plate armour and a sheathed sword strapped to her side. Right now she had a stern expression as she faced them.

"Fights within the Guild Hall are not allowed. If you want to fight take it outside," she exclaimed as she pointed toward a door with her thumb.

"This is hardly a fight. I'm just putting certain someone in his place," said Conan causing Spearman to glare at him further.

Then the purple haired woman stepped in front of Conan. "Now, now... there is… no need… to cause… a ruckus in… here. I'm pretty… sure we can… talk like… the civilized… people we are," she said with a seductive smile aimed at Conan.

Conan gave a chuckle at that. "I have been called many things in my homeland, but 'civilized' wasn't one of them."

"Enough," the blonde-haired woman spoke in an authoritative tone. "You're not fighting inside and that's final."

Spearman scoffed. "Fine then," he said before once again glaring at Conan. "You're lucky she came in. I could have taken you blindfolded."

"It's usually loudmouths like you that get done in first," Conan remarked.

"Come now… no reason… to start… insulting… each other," said the purple-haired woman. "Why don't… you come… sit with us?" she asked gesturing towards a seat next to her.

Spearman looked at her as he held his bleeding nose. "You can't be serious."

The woman turned to her partner. "We just… started on… the wrong foot. I'm sure… it would be… better if… we got along," she said before turning back to Conan. "What do… you say… handsome?" she asked giving Conan a teasing smirk.

Conan just gave her a grin. "Alright then," he said as he took a seat.

"By the… way, you should… really get your… nose checked," the woman said to her partner.

"Can't you just heal it?"

The woman just smiled. "No need… to unnecessarily… use magic. Plus, do you… really want to… become dependent… on me?" she asked, gesturing towards herself while putting her hand on her bountiful chest.

The Spearman just groaned and walked away to find someone to tend to his nose, but not before giving Conan one last glare which seemingly didn't bother him at all.

"You should keep your lover on a leash. He might end up pissing off the wrong person," Conan said.

"He isn't… my lover," the woman said with a barely noticeable sad tone in her voice. "Our relationship… is strictly… professional. And in his… defence… you are the… one who… taunted him."

"Then he really is a blind fool. And don't blame me, he thought I wouldn't be able to handle myself and I'm pretty sure I got my point across pretty efficiently," Conan explained. He knew there were other ways he could have proved himself, like doing some missions or even officially challenging him, but this outcome brought the most amusement to the barbarian?

The woman chuckled. "Well, that… you certainly… did," she said. "Though… maybe he… could use… a lesson. He is… usually quite… boastful." She then cast a glance at Guild Girl. "Especially… towards her."

Conan looked back at the girl in question who was now greeting another adventurer. Even he had to admit that she was a beautiful woman but he didn't think he would be able to keep things professional with this beautiful sorceress by his side.

"But enough… about that," she said bringing Conan's attention back to her. "Let's talk… about you. What brings… you to… the Adventurer's… Guild?"

Before he went into details one of the waitresses came to his table and asked if they wanted something to order. Conan ordered some ale, which he could afford with the money the villagers gave him as thanks. Then Conan proceeded to explain everything. How he was stranded in this land that was unknown to him, his two encounters with goblins and what he was planning to do while he is here.

The woman, who is known as the Witch from what she told him, actually gained a serious look on her face. "I see," she said before inhaling and exhaling some smoke from her pipe. Goblin attacks on villages weren't uncommon but she still felt sorry about those people. They were lucky Conan was there before any more damage could be done. "That is… quite a predicament… you found yourself… in. I'm honestly… not sure… who would… be able… to help you. Our country… has very few… shipping routes. Not many… would voyage… into unknown... just on a… stranger's request, and from… what you've… told me… you don't even… have a general… direction on where… to go. To be honest… there is a… very low… chance of you… actually finding… someone who… would be… able, much less… willing to… help you."

Conan groaned and took a swig of his ale, nearly emptying half of it. "So I'm back where I began," he muttered out a complaint with slight frustration present in his voice. "Do you at least know someone who might help me?"

The Witch shook her head. "Forgive... me, but I… don't."

Conan sighed. Sure, this wasn't the first time he was stranded somewhere but at least he could find a way home afterwards. But in this land, he and everything he knew was completely useless. In previous situations when he asked about people usually gave him some directions, but here he seemingly couldn't get even that.

Conan took another swig of his drink which was now nearly empty. He weighed his options. He could commandeer a boat, it wouldn't be the first time he did so, and use it to get back. But considering he was explained about lack of long voyaging in this land they most likely didn't have many ships built for it and those that by some chance were would be under heavy guard. And even then he absolutely had no idea where to go and lack of experience from whatever crew would be on that ship might get them killed.

Another option was earning enough money to actually pay for such a voyage. But that could take a long time considering how expensive those were in his homeland and here they would definitely be even more so. He might as well have grey hairs when he actually earns enough.

He then thought if he could earn a favour of some high ranking nobleman he might be able to use that favour to afford it, but even the chances were very nil. Either for their willingness, since he has experience of nobles betraying his trust, and the chances of getting any favours from them are very slim.

All in all, it seemed Conan was stuck here for a long time unless something miraculous happens. With that thought, he took another drink but blinked when he felt there was barely anything left in his tankard.

He noticed the waitress from before and called out to her. "Girl, give me another one!" That caught the waitress off guard before she looked at who was calling for her and nodded at Conan.

The Witch saw the frustrated look on Conan's face. "Will you… be alright?" she asked concerned.

"Well, from what you told me," he began as the waitress came with his ale. "I might as well settle in. Unless you have some sort of magic to teleport me back."

"I'm sorry, but… I don't have… any spell... that could… do that. Especially in… your situation," the Witch explained. She didn't like to be the bearer of bad news but there was no point in lying to him.

Conan took a gulp from his new ale, actually emptying half of it. "I figured," he said. Though he honestly found the woman's company pleasant. She was seductive but serious and truthful when needed, a combination he liked in women. And it was refreshing to talk to a mage that wasn't trying to kill him by either sending monsters or throwing scorpions at him.

"I'm sorry… I'm not… much of… help. I would… gladly help… you if… I could," she said with a softer tone indicating the sadness for Conan's situation. She could only imagine being stranded in an unknown land with no way back.

"Don't. Believe me, pity is the last thing I need," he said and emptied his tankard once again. Then he looked at her with a small smile. "And drop the sad expression. It doesn't fit a face as beautiful as yours."

That actually did cause her to smile and even blush. She received compliments before but usually, the men were extremely flustered or barely had words to say. Or they were Spearman. But Conan here was different. He noticed her beauty and didn't shy away from it, even when she was seductive. All of which was possible thanks to Conan's experience with women from Zamora.

She inhaled and exhaled some smoke from her pipe. "Why… thank you," she said. "But… are you… sure you'll… be alright? You… shouldn't just… drown your… sorrows… away with… alcohol."

Conan gave her a dismissive wave before replying. "I try not to ponder too much on the negative. Life is too short for that," he explained. "Besides, if ale won't help then I'll find someone to warm my bed tonight. That also usually helps."

The Witch chuckled at his bluntness. "Funny how… here you… are talking… with me… and just… saying you'll… find another… woman to bed."

Conan gave her a shrug. "Why lie about it? Besides," he started and got a bit closer to the woman. "who says I would be with someone else?" he asked suggestively.

"Oh my," she exclaimed softly and put her hand on her chest. "Are you… making advances… on poor old… me?"

Conan just smirked in amusement. "I can tell that you can handle yourself. You are anything but poor. And you said that the man with you wasn't your lover and that he wasn't interested. I hardly see any harm in it."

The Witch was about to respond but she gave it a thought. No matter how many times she tried to get her teammate's attention he never seemed to notice her in any romantic way, always fighting and showing off for Guild Girl's attention. Perhaps she could once in a while find some sort of relief.

"And… what did… you have… in mind… exactly?"

AN: And that's the end of this chapter. I hope I at least made the character interaction believable. I know some people could argue that the Witch wouldn't consider sleeping with Conan, but a person can only take being ignored so far.

See you in the next chapter

Chapter Text

The Stranded Barbarian

3 A Chance Meeting

In a place away from civilization was an old temple, damaged from age and decay, cracks and foliage adorning its once-mighty walls, the oval-shaped roof on it had so many holes on it that it hardly served its purpose, a few pillars surrounding the temple's circular exterior was toppled down and any paint that could be on it dried up long ago. It was also very big, more than a usual temple. Hundreds of people could easily be comfortable in it with plenty of room to spare.

All of these characteristics made it perfect for a group of goblins to make the temple their settlement. The group was led by a Goblin Shaman who was, while sitting on a stone table and discussing with other goblins, planning on their next pillaging of a village.

People usually underestimated goblins. Sure they weren't really as smart as humans or as strong, but that doesn't mean they aren't dangerous. Many villages can attest to that since they were attacked by hordes of goblins and got many men and children killed and women kidnapped.

He remembered how he got to where he is. He was just a little babe when a group of adventurers came to his nest and killed all the adult goblins. When they saw several little children goblins they felt pity and let them live.

Fools. The moment they turned away the children attacked them in rage, killing two adventurers but the last one was able to retaliate before they could kill him. In rage after what happened the adventurer started killing the children as well. The shaman would have also been killed if, much to the surprise of both the shaman and the adventurer, he shot out a fireball from his hand straight into the adventurer's face.

The fool writhed in agony for a minute before collapsing on the floor dead, with the skull completely visible and ashen from the fire.

That moment changed the Shaman's life for the better. He was taken in by another group of goblins and taken under the wing of another shaman who heard what he did and wanted to teach him magic. Turns out he was a prodigy when it came to magic, memorizing, and learning quickly.

It wasn't long until he got to lead his own group of goblins. They already attacked several villages but had to abandon the old base once it was compromised by other adventurers, forcing them to flee. This group seemed stronger and more equipped than the one who attacked shaman's old nest which made him realize that the group from back then were more than likely just rookie adventurers. Realizing he was outclassed he escaped with his goblins.

Then his group found this old temple. He had no idea what it was for or who built it. They just knew it was abandoned and big enough to fit a city worth of goblins. Some of the pillars that were toppled had some sort of statues on top of them, though Shaman couldn't figure out what they were exactly or what purpose they served.

When they looked inside it wasn't in much better shape than the outside. It was dusty, adorned with ruined tapestry, some stone chairs arranged in several rows no doubt for the worshipers, either in passable shape or ruined, paintings on the walls which either depicted people or some monsters and something which looked like an altar at the end but it was ruined so much it was barely recognizable. Some paintings depicted events which the shaman assumed were of conflict though with how some walls crumbled and many parts ruined it was hard to tell.

The first floor was pretty spacious with hardly anything on it. There was a room in it with a circular staircase that led to the second floor, which was pretty much the attic. Several rooms were there which the Shaman thought was a bonus since it would make living arrangements easier.

With everything set, the Shaman grinned in anticipation. With this excellent new base, they would be more than ready to attack the next village. The upper floor was perfect for women they were going to kidnap and children that would be born.

They just now needed to decide at what time they should head out and attack.

Whatever they were discussing was interrupted when they heard a few groans coming from the side. They turned towards the source and saw that two goblins were apparently goofing around and one ended up slamming head into a wall.

The Shaman groaned. This was exactly why people underestimated them. It honestly got to his nerves sometimes.

They let out a few guttural sounds which were the way they communicated. It was primitive and hardly understood by humans but it served them well enough.

The Shaman went to scold the two who were beginning to argue but something else caught his eye. The place where one of them slammed his head seemed to cave in a bit. He pushed the two of them aside and put his hand on the place. He pushed slightly and the brick that made the wall started to move until it completely fell out on the other side of the wall.

The Shaman then turned around and ordered a few goblins to do the same thing. They pushed against the wall and slammed their weapons until it collapsed with a rumbling sound that echoed throughout the temple.

The wall was revealed to hide some sort of staircase that led down… somewhere. The darkness obscuring whatever was down there.

Though the Shaman was curious about what was there and ordered some of the goblins to stand guard while he took some of them with him to investigate.

He used a spell that made his shaman staff emit light. He went down the stairs with half a dozen goblins with him, with his staff as a source of light. They descended for several minutes before the stairs ended. They found themselves in what seemed to be another spacious area. The Shaman tried to shine brighter but couldn't get much more than the stone floor beneath them.

Then, to their surprise, several torches started lighting up. The torches were placed on walls on the edges of the room revealing it to be circular in shape. The illuminated room now seemed to be more like a cave, since the walls weren't shaped by brick and the rough floor wasn't tiled.

In the center of the room was a slope that had a stone box on top of it. The group looked around to see if anything else was there but found nothing besides the torches.

The Shaman ordered one of the goblins to go to that stone box and look at what's inside, not revealing he was also sending him as a test to see if there were any traps.

The goblin walked to the slope with no apparent trouble on the way. He walked up and examined the box. He called out to the rest of them to see what he found.

The Shaman and others quickly walked up to the box and the shaman noticed on the way a stone lid that was next to the box. When he got close he saw that the box was taller than he was so he called for two of them to help him see.

When he was lifted up he saw an opening that was most certainly covered by that stone lid from before. When he saw what's inside it caught him off guard.

In the box, which he now assumed was a kind of grave, was a human. At least that's what it seemed to be. He was dressed in green robes, his feet and hands covered by bandages, and only his head visible. The head was definitely the most interesting part since it didn't resemble a head that should be on a living human, yet it also didn't resemble any monster. It barely had flesh on it, so little it actually outlined his skull. But surprisingly his eyeballs were still intact and didn't seem to rot away like they should on a corpse.

The man had too little flesh on his head for a normal human to be alive, but he also wasn't a lich or something similar since those just had skulls with nothing else. What was he exactly?

Then the shaman suddenly gasped catching the other goblins off guard.

Outside the cave-like room, the guards that were put there were suddenly frightened by the screams that came from downstairs and a loud hissing sound that echoed up.

The Witch woke up with a slight groan, her eyes fluttering open as she felt something hard and warm wrapped around her. She then saw a roof that didn't belong to her usual room.

She then focused on this source of warmth and saw a bronze-skinned muscular arm wrapped around her back with the hand on her waist. Her gaze went to the source of the warmth and saw that she was pressed against someone else, seeing the already familiar mane of black hair and the sleeping handsome face of the man who she met yesterday.

She then started recalling the events that happened before this. After he told her of his situation they ordered themselves a few drinks, Conan more than her since she wasn't really a drinker. Then a lot of the things were a blur. Her memories flashed to suddenly being in a different room, Conan's lips on top of her own, his tongue on her neck, breasts, and shoulders. The sounds of grunts and moans coming from the two of them, her being pressed against the wall as Conan entered her, sounds of flesh pounding against flesh, rise of perspiration, and the feeling of great pleasure.

With her memories of last night pretty much restored, she let out a blush. She felt sore, especially in the pelvic area. She couldn't believe how last night felt so good. Despite her seductive nature, she didn't really have some experience with men. That certainly wasn't the case for Conan. He was able to easily find her weak spots and almost immediately make her wet and the pleasure she felt nearly made her pass out. And she was pretty sure she tired out before he did.

Now it Conan's turn to wake up. He slowly opened his eyes to adjust to the morning light, feeling the already familiar presence of a woman lying next to him. He looked around the room and saw that they had their passionate night in a room he rented at the inn.

He remembered inviting the woman for drinks after their conversation in the Guild. He visited the inn the guard from the gates told him about. At first, she questioned why since they could easily drink at the guild but Conan explained it would give them more privacy later. The inn itself didn't seem like anything special, Conan actually saw better-looking ones while this looked pretty regular.

However, it all changed when he ordered drinks. While the inn didn't look special their drinks were great. They tasted incredible and they were also pretty strong. Even if you weren't a drinker after having some you would want more.

The Witch told him she didn't usually drink, she was more of a smoke person, but after some convincing from Conan, she gave it a try. Her lack of experience with alcohol showed as she was already getting a bit dizzy from only a couple of gulps from her tankard.

After a bit of talking and laughter, Conan rented a room. It wasn't long before clothes started littering the floor and the two started to enjoy a night of passion. The woman may have lacked experience but that didn't mean she was a slouch in bed. In fact, it was of the better lays he had in a while.

Right now his gaze went towards the woman next to him, looking pretty content from their experience if her smile was any indication.

"Are you alright? I hope I wasn't too rough on you," said Conan. He had previous experiences where he could go a bit too strong and he got complaints from his lovers about not being able to walk straight for a while.

"Oh, I'm… just fine," she replied as she sat up. "It was a… very pleasant… experience. I must… thank you."

Conan gave her a chuckle. She honestly wasn't the first one who had such a reaction, with the person lacking experience in sex and he being the one who introduced them to the new pleasure of flesh. Princess Yasmela of Khoraja could attest to that.

"So, will you now return to your companion in the guild?" Conan asked.

The Witch didn't give him an answer immediately, as if pondering if she should actually do that. Her companion was extremely capable and he could do very well without her. No to mention he sure liked to brag about his abilities.

But could she really just abandon him because she found herself having a night of pleasure? Or was Conan proposing that he be her companion instead? Sure he was a low-ranking member and it would be strange for a silver rank to join with him so suddenly, not that she had any prejudices against that, but based on the punch he gave to Spearman, not an easy feat considering many things she saw fail to catch him off guard, he already seemed silver rank material.

"Do you… want me all… to yourself?" she asked with a slight tease present in her while also looking for a possible motive behind his question.

"Why bother trying to get the attention of another if he isn't interested? Or is he in some sort of desperate need of you and your abilities?"

The Witch shook her head. "No, he… isn't. But we were… teammates for… a long time. It would be... strange to just… leave him because... I found… a man. It isn't… just because… you like someone… that you… join in a… group. His is… still a… friend."

Conan shrugged. "It's your choice to make. I just made a suggestion," he said. "But if you don't want to abandon your comrade, I understand." Conan understood the meaning of comradery. He had many throughout his life and abandoning them isn't something he would be willing to do. If the woman wasn't with Spearman just because she likes him he isn't going to force her to leave.

The Witch gave him a genuine smile, not like one of her usual seductive ones, happy to see him so understanding. She honestly expected him to try even further to convince her to join him but much to her surprise he didn't. She honestly started respecting him more.

"Well then," she began. "Shall we… go to… the Guild? You still… need to… do some quests… if you want… to rise… in rank."

"Might as well," Conan said while getting up from his bed. He then started to put on his clothes, or what little he had and turned back to the Witch who also started dressing. "Do you have any suggestions on what kind of quest?"

"Well… I think that… you should… probably do… some goblin quests… for a… start. Just so… you could… familiarize yourself… with the… process," she suggested. She knew from his stories he can easily handle goblins and from the way he caught Spearman off guard he was more than capable but she wanted to play it safe for a while. It wouldn't be very appropriate to just give him a challenging quest right off the bat. Plus she was very worried that he would be lost too soon if she did.

Conan noticed her real intentions from the start, but he didn't voice upon them. He honestly found it flattering that she would be worried about him. And she wouldn't be the first woman to do so. He remembered several instances where he was in a life-threatening situation and was saved by some woman who cared for him. Many would actually tease him about needing to be saved by a woman but it never bothered him since he knew better.

Once they got ready they immediately went from the inn to the Guild Hall. When they entered they were greeted with the smiling face of Guild Girl.

Conan then approached her desk, "Are there any goblin quests I could do?"

That caught Guild Girl off guard causing her face to gain a look of surprise. Usually, it is just beginners that ask for goblin quests just because they thought it was easy, and more experienced adventurers would consider it a waste of time. And from what she saw from this man suggested that while he was new he definitely wouldn't be considered a beginner.

She then got back her smile. "Alright then," she said before looking through some papers. She was happy knowing there is at least someone else not taking goblin quests just because they thought it would be easy money.

After a bit of searching, she pulled out some papers. "Alright, here we have a report on goblins terrorizing a village southwest of here," she said as she handed Conan the paper. "Most details are written in the paper, including the payment you will receive if you finish this request."

Conan took the paper and read it. It appeared that about a week ago the village was attacked by goblins and they requested help only yesterday. And the payment seemed pretty good. A hefty amount of silver and copper. Though he didn't really know the address due to his unfamiliarity with the land so he would probably have to ask for directions. Or maybe find a carriage, but he wasn't sure if he would have enough money to pay for the trip.

He finished reading and was about to put the paper away before he heard someone behind him speak in a monotone voice.

"Are there any goblin requests?" the voice was muffled from what Conan assumed was a helmet. Beside him, the Witch looked at the newcomers and smiled.

Guild Girl's expression then got brighter as she turned towards the person who asked the question, but got down a bit as she remembered something. "Oh, sorry, but no. The last request was taken by this gentleman, here," Guild Girl said as she gestured towards Conan.

"Huh, guess you'll have to go on a real quest after all," Conan heard a female voice behind him speak.

Conan turned around to see who was behind him and when he got a good look at the group he jumped back in surprise. The group consisted of five people, a man dressed head-to-toe in armor, a short man with a white beard, a green-haired girl with pointed ears, a blonde-haired woman dressed in white robes and, who is actually the one who caught Conan off guard, was a man with a head of green lizard dressed in some sort of strange priest garb and a feathered headdress.

"By Crom!" Conan exclaimed as his hand found a way to his sword also causing the others to go in an alarmed state.

"Hey, buddy, what's your problem?" exclaimed the pointy-eared woman.

Conan let out a growl, getting his sword out and getting the new adventurers on guard. Even the Witch looked at him in shock. "My problem? Unless you are blind I'm sure you'd see a man-lizard behind you."

The short man glanced behind him then back at Conan. "He is our friend. Unless you have some sort of problem with lizardmen."

Then, to Conan's further shock, the lizardman spoke. "It's alright. He isn't the first one to react like that. And he certainly won't be the last."

Conan blinked, even forgetting he had his sword out of its sheath. This creature actually spoke a meaningful sentence. And in such a sophisticated way that even some humans aren't capable of.

"Look here," Conan heard the pointy-eared woman say. He saw that she was holding a bow with a notched arrow pointed at his face. "This 'man-lizard' is our companion and friend. I don't know what discriminating views you have on his kind but we won't tolerate them. So you better put that sword away right now or my arrow will find a way to your brain."

"You better listen to her, stranger. She'll go through with her threat, believe me," said the short man as his hand found a way to his pocket. "But don't expect her to be alone in that regard. You fight one of our own, you fight all of us." He then looked at the armored man. "Right, Beardcutter?"

The said 'Beardcutter', a title which Conan found a bit perplexing since it didn't really make anyone appear special unless you were a barber and this man certainly wasn't, didn't give a verbal reply and just turned towards Conan. At first, he didn't seem to do anything but Conan could see the slight twitch of his arm which indicated that he would reach for the short sword he had on his hip.

"That's enough, all of you," Conan heard the lizardman talk. "There is no need to fight over something so trivial. We just started on the wrong foot. I'm if we start over we could improve our relations." He then approached Conan and outstretched his hand. "Hello, stranger. I'm known as Lizard Priest. I hope we can become companions."

Conan just looked at Lizard Priest for a moment and then to his outstretched hand. He was still shocked at the civilized way he was behaving. He also couldn't see any maliciousness coming from him, no suspicious hand twitches or anything in his expression that would give away his intent.

Then Conan remembered something else from his past. Another creature that wasn't human but still acted like a civilized person, who was also treated as less than human because he simply didn't look like one. He berated himself in his head. He should know better by now.

Conan's expression became more relaxed, and he put his sword back into his sheath. He then took Lizard Priest's hand with his own and shook it. "I'm Conan of Cimmeria. I'm sorry about the way I acted before."

Lizard Priest then smiled at him and Conan gave a smile. "As I said, it wasn't the first time someone of my people got that reaction from humans. But to your credit, you did better than others would."

The Archer put away her bow and the dwarf took his hand out of his pocket and grinned. The blonde-haired woman gave a sigh, the armored man barely showed any reaction, probably because of that helmet, and Witch and Guild Girl looked relieved.

Conan and Lizard Priest stopped shaking hands and, now that he calmed down, Conan got a better look at the group and noticed several details he hadn't before. Like the green hair that the pointy-eared woman had, he guessed he could expect to see strangely colored hair more often from this point, and how the armored man wore armor that seemed slightly damaged, for example, the broken horns at the sides of his helmet, and in addition to the sword he wore several pouches on his armor.

The blonde girl also more resembled a priest with her outfit and he noticed the staff she held in her small hands. Was she also a magician? If that was the case, then he wished there were more magicians like her back in his homeland. He was sure she would make better company than most.

"So…" the silence was broken by Guild Girl. "any other quests that might interest you, Goblin Slayer?"

Goblin Slayer? Now that was a title that seemed to be more dignified. Though he wondered what the story behind it was. Was it really just killing goblins or is it some peculiar event that earned him the nickname? He decided he would sate that curiosity another time, and focus on the job he now had.

"No, not really," Goblin Slayer answered. "I'll come back some other time to see if there are goblin quests." He then turned away and began walking towards the door with the pointy-eared woman looking annoyed.

"I have… a proposition," the Witch said gaining everyone's attention and making Goblin Slayer turn back. "How about… you go… with him… Goblin Slayer? So you could… give him… a few… pointers. You are… the expert… on this… matter… after all."

Conan then raised an eyebrow at that proposition. "And then having to share my profits? Sorry, but I don't think this needs that special attention. I'm sure I can handle a couple of goblins." He then turned toward Guild Girl. "Just sign my name up for it and I'll take care of it."

"You seem pretty underdressed to fight goblins," commented Goblin Slayer on Conan's lack of armor on his person.

Conan gave him a shrug. "It wouldn't be the first time I was without armor. And I faced those little devils without it. No need to waste money for a simple job."

Goblin Slayer then decided to just stop talking to him. To him, this man was just another person who didn't take the threat of the goblins seriously and thought they were just easy money and adventuring experience. He doubted he would be able to convince Conan to think otherwise so he didn't even bother elaborating.

However, the Priestess had other plans. She walked up to Conan with a pleading look. "Please, sir. I know that you think fighting goblins is easy, but I can tell you it isn't. I'm the only survivor of my team. We thought we could take on the goblins but others were killed and the only reason I'm alive is because of Goblin Slayer," she said with a hint of desperation in her voice, tears welling up in her eyes as she remembered her former team. She still remembered Warrior's confidence in the mission and how positive her teammates were when they went to confront goblins, only for it all to be destroyed and most of them killed or mentally broken. She wasn't going to let that fate fall upon anyone else.

Conan just looked at the girl pleading before him. He was actually touched by her concern for his wellbeing even though he found it strange since she never met him before. Perhaps she was just that good of heart, something really lacking in this world. And her story also stirred some memories of his, him also witnessing deaths of people who were overconfident in their fighting abilities, even some who had excellent fighting abilities but still taken out by surprise. Would he end up the same trying to fight those goblins?

She continued. "So, please, listen to him. Don't let your confidence lead you to an early death." Her voice cracked, she was on the verge of crying.

Conan thought about it for a minute. Should he risk going on this quest alone? He may as well be capable of completing it without aid but goblins were something he only fought twice and maybe they had more to offer. Or maybe he should make sure to get out of this situation alive and share half of his profits? He weighed his options before making a decision.

"Alright, girl, you convinced me. I will accept assistance from your friend," said Conan making the girl smile. Guild Girl and Witch were also relieved at his choice. He then looked towards Goblin Slayer. "So what do you say to that? Are you willing to share the quest?"

Goblin Slayer was silent for a few moments before he answered. "Fine."

The pointy-eared woman gave a smirk. "Well, Orcbolg, looks like we've got another teammate in our adventuring party."

"Don't misunderstand," said Conan. "I agreed for him to assist me in this quest, but that's only for this time. This isn't me joining your adventuring party; I'm just getting temporary assistance from your teammate."

"Fine then, your loss."

"I assume you'd want me to buy myself some armor," Conan said to Goblin Slayer remembering his previous comment.

Goblin Slayer nodded. "Yes, that would be a good start."

"Well, I'm sorry to say, but I don't think I could afford some armor with the money I have."

The green-haired girl grinned at Conan's words. "Oh, you won't have to worry about that."

Conan got out of the armor shop that Goblin Slayer led him to and was now adorned in chainmail armor with paddings underneath, new boots, and a new shirt below the armor. Goblin Slayer's party was waiting for him outside.

"Is that all you'll get?" asked Goblin Slayer. "You should also get yourself a helmet."

"I don't need more than this; it would just be a waste of money," Conan said. "Well then, shall we head off?"

AN: And that's all for now. We got to see a new threat rise and Conan finally meeting with our favorite group. Not much action in this one, but don't worry, the next one will have more of it. See you then!

Chapter Text

The Stranded Barbarian

4 A Surprise From The Shadows

On a remote desert, a group of bandits was preparing camp to spend the night. They were getting ready to begin a raid on a village at the outskirts of the desert and they wanted to be prepared.

The group was pretty big, over a hundred easily. Many men and women from different backgrounds and cultures all gathered in a single place. All of them wrapped in cloths to protect them from the scorching sun in the sky but now removed due to near nightfall.

Their camp consisted of many tents, with the biggest tent being used for meetings and discussing strategies. Right now, four people, who were the leaders of the group, stood at the table in the center of the tent and were discussing the best plan to raid the village.

"This village should be pretty easy," said a dark-skinned man with medium-length black hair and a goatee as he used his curved dagger to point at the map they had. "From what I got, the defenses of the village are pretty weak, and our forces would have no trouble overpowering them. We could easily go through the front door."

"Nothing is as simple as it seems," said one, and only woman of the group. She sported brown hair that was cut short and was pretty tall, the second tallest there. "Just barging in isn't a good solution. We must prepare for more scenarios."

"Hah, you worry too much," said another, the youngest in the group, sporting slightly spiked black hair. "What's wrong with simple approaches? Those are the most fun."

"She is just being careful," chimed in the tallest of the group. "An example you should follow."

The young man just dismissed the suggestion, seeing it as nothing more than a waste of time.

"You won't need to strategize about this anymore," said a raspy voice that caught the four of them off guard. They didn't expect anyone to come into the tent

When they turned, they saw that at the entrance was a tall, some would say inhumanly tall, and really lean figure covered in green robes with a hood obscuring a view of his head, and his arms and legs wrapped in bandages. In one hand he was carrying a staff which appeared to be just a staff made of wood but considering he wasn't putting any of his weight on they were sure it wasn't used for walking.

The four bandit leaders tensed, not recognizing the man as anyone from their group, and surely they would notice someone that tall, and the fact that they would have been informed if anyone was even nearing the camp yet he was able to walk up to their tent without any commotion caused.

They prepared to take out their weapons. "Who are you? How did you get through the camp?" the Female Bandit asked in a demanding tone.

"I'm someone who comes to you with a special offer. And as for how, I concealed myself using magic so I could come to you undisturbed," the man explained.

"So you are a wizard, then," said the Tall Bandit, his hand near his hammer. "And what is that offer of yours, if I may ask?"

"Quite simple," the wizard began. "All of you," he said while gesturing towards the group with his bandaged hand, which they noticed was really thin, even for a man as lean as him. "are going to serve me. And in my service, I'll make sure you never need to resort to some petty raids on pathetic villages."

The dark-skinned bandit narrowed his eyes. "Sorry, but no, thank you. We aren't going to serve anyone."

"You're not even going to consider my offer?" asked the wizard getting a shake of the head from that bandit. "And what of the rest of you?" he asked while turning his gaze towards the other three.

Before anyone could make a response "I said no! And you are an intruder here! Therefore, you'll be eliminated!" the dark-skinned bandit exclaimed before drawing his blade from his hip and lunging at the wizard.

The wizard then extended an enclosed fist in the air. He then flicked his index finger upward, a strange gesture seemingly aimed towards the attacking bandit leader. As the leader bandit drew near an explosion suddenly appeared where his head was, causing the rest of them to gasp in shock.

The headless body of the bandit fell on the ground with blood leaking from it. The three bandit leaders stared at it seemingly completely frozen in place since their now dead comrade was actually the best fighter in their group and this wizard just took him out with seemingly no effort.

"Now then," the wizard's voice made their heads snap in his direction. "I believe you'll be more inclined to listen to what I have to say."

Conan and the group of adventurers that joined Goblin Slayer were sitting in a carriage that was being driven towards their destination. Conan protested at first since he only agreed for Goblin Slayer to come with him but the others insisted they were just going to accompany them towards the village, only interfering if necessary so they ended accompanying them in the end. Conan at first wanted to go on foot but they decided that paying for a trip with a carriage was the better option.

Conan even got properly introduced to the group. The blond-haired girl was called Priestess, who has the ability to use healing magic and shields, the pointy-eared woman was called High Elf Archer, the short man was Dwarf Shaman, his specialty was also magic though more on the offensive side, the lizardman was Lizard Priest, yet another magic user though he could fight with a weapon, and he was already familiar with Goblin Slayer.

He was also shocked that, despite their appearance, High Elf Archer and Dwarf Shaman weren't humans, but two different species, with elves being distinguished by their pointy ears and dwarves by their short stature. But at least the 'elf' and 'dwarf' words in their titles now had some context. Another thing that shocked Conan was the fact that Archer was two thousand years old, longevity being another trait shared by the elves. Dwarves also lived longer than humans, the Shaman easily being over a hundred years old, but not nearly as elves. The two had to admit that Conan's expressions as he learned of this amused them.

The night was nearing and the group was almost ready to rest, but one of them was still curious about Conan.

"If I may ask," said Lizard Priest, gaining Conan's attention. "Where are you from, sir Conan? You must from some faraway place for you to have never even heard of elves or dwarves."

"Well, as I've said before, I am from a land called Cimmeria, which is located in the northern parts of the continent from which I hail from."

That caught them off guard. They never heard of Cimmeria before, giving it more credibility of being a nation in a different continent altogether.

"You're from a different continent?" asked Elf Archer to which Conan gave a nod. He then proceeded to explain his situation of how he ended up stranded in this land.

Shaman started rubbing his chin with his forefinger and thumb. "That's quite a peculiar situation you found yourself in. I hope you can find a solution."

"Heh, I'll just keep doing this until I have enough money to buy a boat. Then I can try to find a way home."

"That's going to be quite a bummer," said High Elf Archer. "Especially since you don't know where to go exactly."

"I found myself in several seemingly impossible situations and came out alive. I'm sure I'll get out of this one as well."

"Sir Conan," said Lizard Priest, gaining Conan's attention. "Have you thought about settling here? It's a safer bet than trying to voyage without much direction."

"Believe me, even if I wanted to I couldn't. There are things back in my homeland that need to be taken care of. Staying here won't solve them," Conan said despite his mind considering if he should stay here. He wasn't even sure he would be able to get enough money time so perhaps he could just give up and stay here. He quickly pushed those thoughts aside. He wasn't going to give up now.

"I see. I understand."

Conan then cast a look at Goblin Slayer who just sat there, quiet as death. He seemingly didn't even move a muscle though Conan could notice some muscle twitches here and there, though it isn't something a lot of people would notice.

"So, what made you start slaying Goblins?" Conan asked.

"Goblins are monsters that need to be hunted down no matter the cost," Goblin Slayer explained in an emotionless tone.

"Heh, not much for talking, I see." Conan has seen those silent types before. Usually, they held a sort of dark past to them and they put a shell around themselves to hide their true selves from the world. However, that shell eventually takes over their identity, changing their very being. He guessed that his situation had something to do with goblins, but decided not to ask any further, at least not yet.

"Yeah, he is usually like that," the archer said in a somewhat annoyed tone. "You'll hear a lot of 'hmmm' and 'I see' responses from him. Just a heads up."

The dwarf then laughed. "Yeah, sometimes we think that Beard cutter's vocabulary is extremely limited. But then we heard him talk about goblins, then his words are matched by no one." This caused a smile to creep on Shaman's face and Priestess and Archer to laugh a bit.

Conan chuckled at that. They must be some group if they knew each other so well if they make jokes like that. That was a sense of comradery between them that Conan has experienced before and all the great things it had led to.

During their day of riding, which was pretty uneventful except for a few bumps on the road, Conan had been asking more questions about the land. Like if there were any major conflicts, wars, and such. They said that there was currently a Hero who along with her companions is raging a war against the Demon Lord and his forces of Evil. It is also said that she will directly confront him very soon and bring an end to his reign.

All the wars and conflicts of the land were put on hold until the demon threat has been dealt with, though a few minor skirmishes do occur. There were some things that were just unavoidable, even during demon invasions.

Conan mentally scoffed when he heard that but wasn't too surprised. He knew that there were people dumb enough to cause conflict despite the bigger picture being right in front of them. Though he also saw that demon invasions were a lot more frequent here. Sure, he dealt with demons himself before but those were more or less isolated incidents. For this to bring the attention of so many countries must really something.

And he was also interested in this Hero. Apparently, she is the greatest warrior in all of the land and the only one with enough power to take down the evil lord. He would very much like to meet her one day.

The evening came and they stopped to get some rest. When morning came they ate some breakfast and resumed their drive towards the quest for several more hours.

"Alright, we're here," said the carriage driver as the carriage came to a sudden halt.

The group stepped off the carriage and headed into the village. It was a small rural place, nothing too special, made of about twenty buildings.

Lizard Priest turned towards Conan and Goblins Slayer. "We'll find ourselves temporary residence. You two can go and meet the man who ordered the contract."

"Will do," said Goblin Slayer in his usual tone.

"Hey, Conan," called High Elf Archer. "Don't be surprised if Orcbolg suddenly covers you in goblin blood. It's just one of the ways he deals with goblins."

Conan raised an eyebrow before looking over Goblin Slayer. "For hiding the scent, I assume," he suggested as he was familiar with similar ways of preparing for battle.

"Yeah," Goblin Slayer simply answered.

Priestess then walks up to them. "Please be careful. And don't hesitate to retreat if things get dire," she said in a soft tone, her eyes filled with slight worry. She was usually there to provide healing aid if any of them got injured but Conan was adamant that only Goblin Slayer accompanies him.

Conan smiled at the girl. "Don't worry yourself," he assured her. "I'm sure we'll handle ourselves fine. You just go with the others. We won't take long."

Conan's words seemed to put her somewhat at ease. She gave a smile and a nod before following the other three adventurers.

They watched them leave before Conan turned to Goblin Slayer. "Well then, shall we proceed?"

"Yeah," said Goblins Slayer.

Conan mentally sighed. A man of few words indeed.

After talking with the village leader they headed to the cave where the goblins were located. The leader explained that over a week ago they were attacked by goblins and they traced their tracks back to the cave located at the mountain on the east side of the village.

The two were currently in a forest that stood between the mountain and the village. They walked towards the mountain in silence, which was only broken by the sound of fur and steel boots stomping on the grassy ground.

After a few moments, Conan decided to speak up. "I never properly thanked you for getting me this armor. Without it, my situation would probably be harder. I'll make sure to pay you back."

"It's nothing. I could afford it."

"Maybe, but still I owe you," Conan said. He then decided to change the topic to something else. "So tell me," he began. "That Priestess, is she yours?" Conan saw the way the blonde girl acted around Goblin Slayer, specifically the looks of adoration on her face.

Goblin Slayer turned his head to the towering man walking beside him. "What do you mean?"

"What I'm asking is, is she your woman?"

Silence prevailed for a few moments before Goblins Slayer responded. "I don't get it."

Conan resisted an urge to facepalm. This man was a silver-ranked adventurer, which is a pretty high rank, and he also killed so many goblins to get the name Goblins Slayer so he wasn't unfamiliar with death, and yet he still didn't know what Conan meant. Could he really be that naïve?

Regardless, Conan elaborated further. "Is she your lover?"

Once again, silence prevailed for a few moments. "Umm, no," Goblin Slayer answered before looking back at their path.

"No? Why not? I'm sure she wouldn't mind such a thing," said Conan. "Or maybe you have your eye set on another one."

"Not really," said Goblins Slayer.

The raven-haired barbarian couldn't believe his ears. This man wasn't interested in anyone? And it wasn't like he asked if he was in love with someone, just if he found someone attractive. Then another thought came to mind.

"Have you ever had a lover before?"

"No," Goblin Slayer answered. He then once again turned his head towards Conan. "Is there a point to these questions? I doubt they will help us fight goblins."

Conan was now baffled. He thought that in the line of work that Goblin Slayer's a part of he would immediately find a woman and be done with it, at least to experience life to the fullest before you die. It's something that Conan has definitely done before. Was this man really so dead set on killing goblins that he forgoes everything else?

Conan just shook his head. "Forget about it, it isn't important," he said, not wanting to currently continue the topic. He won't be able to start a normal conversation with Goblin Slayer, apparently.

After a few more minutes of walking, the two found themselves at the base of the mountain. They started walking up a path that was located not too far on the right and started walking up. The path wasn't all that wide so they couldn't walk side by side so Conan decided to walk behind Goblin Slayer.

Some time passed and they found themselves at the entrance of the cave. Goblin Slayer took out an unlit torch and looked at his equipment to make sure he had everything. He then looked towards Conan and just saw him stare at the cave, seemingly waiting for Goblin Slayer to be done.

He then cast a look at Conan's own weapon. "That sword, it won't be good for this mission," he said pointing at the blade strapped to Conan's hip.

That caught Conan's attention and he looked at Goblin Slayer with a confused expression. "What do you mean? What's wrong with my sword?"

"It's too big to fight in a cave," said Goblin Slayer. "I should have bought you a shorter one."

Conan chuckled at that. "Look, I'm not an amateur. My sword will work sufficiently as long as I don't overswing. And if I can't swing then I'll use it for thrusting," Conan explained. He then thought about why that was brought up. "And why would you think that, anyway? Did you use a longer sword once and broke it while swinging in a cave?"

"Hmm, yeah, something like that," Goblins Slayer said.

"Then you just weren't careful enough. You shouldn't have given up just because of a rookie mistake. Short swords can be effective but the longer ones give you reach, something good for keeping the enemy away from you and reducing their chances of being hit by a significant amount," lectured Conan. "And don't worry about me. My sword will do just fine."

Goblin Slayer was silent for a moment before replying. "Alright."

"So, tell me, what can I expect from this?" asked Conan.

"Goblins are very fond of sneak attacks due to their small stature, and usually come in larger groups," Goblin Slayer stated, though that was something Conan already knew. "They may lack intelligence but that doesn't mean they are dumb. They can be tricky. You have to make sure they are dead, otherwise one can pretend to be and sneak attack you, and they use poison on their weaponry. Furthermore, there are more species of goblins," Goblin Slayer continued with Conan listening, the last part especially catching his attention. "Hobgoblins are a special breed of goblins that are larger and stronger than a regular goblin. There are also shamans who are capable of wielding magic, those can be especially dangerous."

"I see," said Conan before looking back into the cave. "And what of those can we expect in there?"

"Any of them. Maybe even all three at once," said Goblin Slayer. "Then there are also Goblin Champions. They are an incredibly strong kind of goblin and quite difficult to kill, and they usually carry big weapons with them. Though, they are not as likely to be here."

Conan was actually intrigued by this information. Not to mention that the usually quiet as a rock Goblin Slayer now became pretty chatty when it came to goblins. It appeared that he was really that deep into goblin slaying. No wonder he was ignorant about their previous conversation.

Conan gave a grin "Alright then," he said as he unsheathed his sword. "Let's not waste any more time and clean this cave of vermin."

Goblin Slayer lit up the torch and they walked into the cave. The cave was quiet, their steps echoed throughout its interior as they moved forward, with the torch's light illuminating their way.

They walked for a minute before Goblin Slayer came to a sudden stop. He pulled out his sword and made a sharp turn but then he heard a goblin's scream and steel piercing flesh. When he turned he saw Conan holding his sword which was stabbing through a goblin.

Conan sharply took out his sword and flicked the blood off it. He turned to Goblin Slayer "I've noticed that portion of the cave," he said as he walked to what seemingly seemed like a normal cave wall until he reached for a shadow where his fingers moved through the shadow and wrapping around what seemed to be an edge. "I know that darkness obscures this pathway and makes it seem like a regular shadow, I have been in caves before. Don't worry; it'll take a lot more than that to catch me off guard."

Goblin Slayer was honestly impressed. This man was pretty knowledgeable, more so than he thought.

"Well, that makes one," said Goblin Slayer making Conan look at him in confusion. Goblin Slayer then walked toward the other path and lit it with a torch, finding nothing else. "That's strange."

"What's strange?" asked Conan, looking at the path as well to see if Goblin Slayer found something.

"There are usually more in hiding. There was just one."

Conan's eyes narrowed at that. If that was the case then, what were those goblins planning exactly? Suddenly, Conan's ears detected movement. "Looks like the others are arriving behind us," he said as he turned towards the sounds.

"How can you tell?" asked Goblin Slayer.

"I can hear them," answered Conan. He then sniffed and slightly winced. "Smell them too. Looks like they didn't really develop bathing yet."

Goblin Slayer readied his short sword, ready to fight. Into the light came three goblins, which immediately started attacking the two.

Goblin Slayer didn't give them a chance to strike as he dashed towards one and stabbed him through the head. "Two."

Conan then moved quickly as well, slashing at one's neck and cleaving the head off. "Three," Conan said with a smirk, caught up on Goblin Slayer's game.

The last goblin came to a sudden stop as he watched the two adventurers easily dispatch two of his brothers. His shock didn't last long as a strong boot kicked him at the side of the head, throwing him towards Goblin Slayer who stuck his sword into the creature's head.

"Four," said Goblin Slayer as he took out his sword from the dead goblin.

"Quite the welcoming committee, aren't they?" quipped Conan, but getting no reaction from Goblin Slayer. Figures.

"Let's use the blood to hide our scent," said Goblin Slayer to which Conan nodded. As both of them finished rubbing some of the blood on them, they continued walking into the cave. Conan wasn't unfamiliar with the methods of hiding your scent, he even utilized many of them himself, so he wasn't repulsed by the blood.

Despite walking for at least a minute there were no goblins near, something which didn't sit right with Goblin Slayer. "We should have run into some goblins by now."

"Perhaps those little devils grew some brains and learned to get out of our way," said Conan.

"No, goblins aren't like that. With the number of goblins we were given, there should have at least been one more attack."

From that point, both of the men were cautious, readying themselves even more for a sneak attack.

However, after a few moments of walking, they noticed that the ceiling was getting higher. And the width of the path was getting wider. Soon they found themselves in a pretty spacious area of the cave. There was also a beam of light coming from a hole on the upper part of the cave, giving better illumination.

And thanks to that illumination, four goblins were revealed, pointing their weapons at them. Conan and Goblin Slayer wasted no time in attacking. Conan cleaved two of them in half in with a single swing of his blade, the wider space giving him much more movement for long swings, and Goblin Slayer quickly brought down his sword into one's head and punching the last one that tried to attack him. It wasn't long before the last one had a blade stuck in his neck.

"And that's eight," said Goblin Slayer as he left the dead goblin.

The two of them looked around to see if there were any more goblins. And to their surprise, they found none. Goblin Slayer then saw a wooden crate blocking something. He guessed that's where the rest of the goblins were and where they were keeping the women they kidnapped.

He moved slowly towards the crate with a torch in hand. As he neared he crouched and reached for it. Then he swiftly moved the crate aside and prepared himself for a surprise attack, but was surprised that behind that crate he found… nothing. The hiding place wasn't spacious, only seemingly being able to hold four people at most, but there was nothing there. He saw some blood on the floor, which he assumed were from the women they were violating, but that was it. Nothing else was there.

"This isn't right," said Goblin Slayer with an edge in his voice.

"Were you able to find something?" asked Conan as he approached his companion.

"How many goblins did they say there were?" asked Goblin Slayer.

"Around twenty," answered Conan, remembering the details that were specified in the contract. "With three women kidnapped as well."

"And we only killed eight. Not to mention the women they kidnapped also aren't here."

"Could they have moved already?"

"No, goblins don't leave so quickly after nesting in a single place. This makes no sense."

Conan was about to say something, but his senses picked up something that was quickly approaching them. "Move!" he yelled as he grabbed Goblin Slayer by the arm, catching him off guard and yanking him away from a vicious claw swipe.

The both of them quickly backed away from the creature that attacked. When they got a good look at it they were completely shocked. The creature in front of them wasn't a goblin at all. It was a tall, bipedal creature, taller than even Conan, covered completely in black fur and long wild hair that reached below its waist. It had red eyes, a mouth with sharp teeth and tusks, and claws on its fingers. And it started growling at them.

Goblin Slayer just looked at the unknown creature, his helmet not giving away his look of shock. Conan, on the other hand, thought that he had seen this creature before. Something about its appearance seemed to make him remember.

"What is that thing?" asked Goblin Slayer, never seeing such a creature before, much less in a goblin cave.

Then it came to Conan. "That's a demon," said Conan, remembering the demon he saw when fighting as an army general for princes Yasmela.

"A demon? Seriously?" asked Goblin Slayer, not believing his ears. How did a demon found itself at a mere goblin cave?

The demon then dashed towards them. Both of them reacted by moving at the side, each in a different direction from the other. The demon quickly found itself between them, however, at a sudden burst of speed that caught both men off guard, the creature gave Conan a nasty backhand that hit him straight in the chest and sent him flying. Conan's back crashed into a wall, causing cracks to appear on it and making Conan grunt in pain. If it wasn't for the armor he was wearing he would have ended up with broken bones. The impact made Conan drop his sword on the ground and he followed not too long after.

Goblin Slayer tried to use his opportunity of the demon being focused on Conan and went to strike at the creature, but the creature saw that coming in time and avoided the swipe of the short sword. Goblins Slayer continued swinging at the creature, even trying to incorporate the torch he was holding, but it managed to avoid all of the swipes and thrusts sent its way.

The demon went for a counterattack, avoiding the last swing of the sword before punching at Goblin Slayer's head. The fist made contact with the left side of his head, partly cracking open the helmet with Goblin Slayer's mouth being visible with clenched teeth and blood seeping from the corner of his mouth, with Goblin Slayer also being sent back, skidding across the floor.

Meanwhile, Conan was gaining back his bearings. That demon caught him by surprise with the sudden burst of speed and that strike had a lot of force behind it, but he couldn't ponder on it for too long. He looked and saw Goblin Slayer engaged with the demon, and saw him losing. He narrowed his eyes, clenched his teeth, and sprang up with the grace of a tiger and with impressive speed in his own right, picked up his sword and ran towards the black creature.

The demon stopped attacking Goblin Slayer and looked behind, seeing Conan was now close to it, his blade ready for a downward swing. Conan brought down the weapon, the demon tried to move away but the blade still made contact, leaving a slash mark across its chest as blood flew from the wound. It howled in pain, but Conan didn't leave it time to recover as he slashed upwards. The demon tried to move away once again but the cut was still made, this time an even deeper one. The creature once again howled in pain from another cut etched on its chest.

Conan went for another swing, this one meant to finish off the demon as it wouldn't be able to avoid it. He brought the sword down, but to his surprise, instead of trying to dodge, the demon grabbed Conan by the wrist, stopping his attack. The demon then started twisting, breaking the wrist, and making Conan give a low yell of pain and also making him drop the sword, which landed beneath them.

The demon then went to swipe at Conan's head with its claws, but the barbarian quickly moved his head out of the way, though he did get a few scratches on his cheek. Conan responded by using his still good hand to deliver a powerful punch to the demon's jaw, making it spit out drool and blood. Disarmed or not, he was a Cimmerian, he could still fight.

While that was going on, Goblins Slayer recovered and stood up. He saw Conan and the demon locked in a heated battle and wondered about what he should do. If he got too close he would probably get in the way, knowing he wouldn't be able to do as good as Conan was doing. He didn't bring a bow and arrows, and he couldn't use his oil to douse the demon and set it on fire with the torch as he risked also setting Conan on fire.

Goblin Slayer then decided. He sheathed his sword, readied the throwing daggers he had, and waited for the right moment.

The two combatants were engaged in unarmed combat, Conan not having the time to pick up his sword otherwise risking giving the demon a shot at him. He then avoided an overhead by ducking, seeing an opening, he went for a kick and struck the demon in the abdomen, making it grunt.

Goblin Slayer decided that this was the right moment. He hurled several daggers straight at the demon while it was momentarily stunned. The daggers soon finding themselves plunged into the demon's side causing it to give a scream of pain.

Conan then also capitalized on this, hitting the demon straight in the face, even breaking one of its tusks. However, before he could deliver another blow, in a seeming act of desperation, it started flailing wildly with its arms, actually pushing Conan on the ground.

It then quickly turned to Goblin Slayer and ran at him. Its great speed was making it hard for Goblin Slayer to track. He tried to bring his shield up to block but the demon was too fast and it delivered a devastating punch into Goblin Slayer's chest, the blow caving in his armor and pushing him off the ground for a moment. The blow also causing him to puke a good amount of blood on the ground before he fell on the floor as the demon retracted its fist.

The demon took the daggers out of his side and threw them on the ground. It went for another strike but felt something move beneath its arms and crawl to the back of its head before tightly squeezing him, rendering him partially immobile. He saw that those things were arms and looked back to see it was Conan who holding onto him.

Conan grunted as the demon started to writhe in his grasp. He couldn't put his broken wrist on the back of his head but he was still doing well in holding the demon in place. Though, it seemed he wouldn't be able to hold it for too long.

Conan looked at Goblin Slayer who was now on all fours with blood running down his exposed mouth. But Conan knew that he needed to bite through the pain if they planned on getting rid of this thing. "Hurry, Goblin Slayer! Kill it, NOW!" Conan exclaimed as he held the demon.

Goblin Slayer looked up and saw Conan restraining the demon while giving a wide-open target. Ignoring the pain, he quickly unsheathed his sword, gave out a yell, got up, and attacked the restrained demon. He lunged the blade just below the demon's ribcage and struck through its heart. The demon let out a bellowing screech before choking on its own blood. Its writhing became minimal before standing completely still and its head hung low, blood seeping through its open mouth.

Goblin Slayer then grunted and pulled out the sword causing blood to gush from the wound. Conan then let go of the demon, letting its body fall ungracefully on the ground.

Conan then started panting, the adrenalin wearing off and the fatigue of the fight catching up to him. He looked at the dead demon, still not believing that this could have been of the demons that served under the sorcerer of Kutchemes. He wondered what it was doing here. Did it also wander in this land or did it have demons similar to it?

But that would need answering later. Right now he needed to talk with Goblin Slayer about their situation.

"Well, Goblin Slayer, looks like we-"

He was interrupted when he heard a clanging sound in front of him. His eyes widened as he saw Goblin Slayer lying face-first on the rocky ground.

AN: And a cliffhanger. Sorry for doing this but I felt that this would be the best place to end the chapter. Well, we saw someone seemingly gathering allies, Conan's further interactions with the group, Goblin Slayer especially, and how things went south out of nowhere.

Hope to hear some of your feedback.

See you next time!

Chapter Text

The Stranded Barbarian

AN: And here's the next chapter of The Stranded Barbarian. I hope you enjoy!

5 Different Point of View

Conan was sprinting like a madman through the forest to get to the village as quickly as possible, with Goblin Slayer limply hanging over his left shoulder with his good arm holding him. Conan cursed his luck. First, they had to deal with a demon that suddenly appeared on a simple goblin mission and now he had to make sure Goblin Slayer didn't die.

After they killed the demon, Goblin Slayer collapsed which was no doubt from serious injuries and blood loss. The moment Conan saw his condition no time was wasted as he picked him up, slung him over his shoulder and started running out of the cave, descending down the mountain and running into the forest.

Right now, he was running as fast as he could. The village was in sight but he needed to still get to the building where they agreed to meet with the rest of the group. He hoped that he would make it in time. By Crom, he wasn't going to let this man die.

The said group was now sitting at the table in an inn where they agreed to meet with Conan and Goblin Slayer. They knew those two wouldn't take too long for this mission so they decided to spend some time in the inn and order a few drinks. Dwarf Shaman ordered a good amount of alcoholic drinks, Priest Shaman ordering some nectar of the gods, aka cheese, Priestess ordered some fruit juice and High Elf Archer ordered herself some salad.

Priestess slightly fidgeted in place. "Oh, when are those two coming back?"

Shaman took a swig of his drink. "Well, if I had to guess, I'd say they should finish right about now. I think we can expect them very soon."

"Yeah, I hope so, too," Priestess said. She knew Goblin Slayer could handle himself and Conan looked like he could as well, but that didn't mean she shouldn't feel nervous. You never know when something could go wrong.

"Bah, you worry too much. With Orcbolg, their survival is ensured. With his brain and that man's muscles, I'm pretty sure they'll be unstoppable," commented Archer as she took a bite out of her salad.

They then suddenly heard a large crash very near, startling them and everyone else in that in. They immediately looked towards the source and saw that the front door was reduced to chunks of wood and splinters.

What shocked them even more is that through that now destroyed door came Conan with Goblin Slayer slung over his shoulder. He quickly turned his gaze to Priestess making her flinch. "Girl, he needs healing! NOW!"

Sometime later, Priestess was in a rented inn room where she performed her healing arts on Goblin Slayer. While outside, Conan was sitting at one of the tables, his chainmail removed for the time being and having his hand currently being bandaged and put in a cast by Elf Archer with his cheek already patched up.

"Seriously, did you have to kick down the door?" she said as she slowly applied the bandages on the hand.

"More like obliterate it," muttered Dwarf Shaman as he took a drink from his alcohol.

"I held Goblin Slayer with one arm and the other had a broken wrist. I couldn't exactly knock, now could I?" Conan remarked as he held his hand outstretched so the elf woman can do her work. And from what they told him Goblin Slayer was going to be fine, the healing is just going to take a while. Conan was relieved when he heard that.

Dwarf Shaman laughed. "Nice to see you can find some humor in this situation."

"I have to ask you, sir Conan," said Lizard Priest as Archer wrapped a bandage sling around Conan's neck and tied it so it can hold the arm. "How exactly did it come to this?"

Before Conan could give a response someone else chimed in.

"What is going on here?" asked a short man with brown hair and a mustache as he entered through the ruined door. He was the mayor of the village and the one who sent the request to Adventurer's Guild.

Conan's eyes narrowed as he looked at the man. He quickly got up from his chair making Archer yelp at the sudden movement. He quickly approached the now nervous-looking mayor and grabbed him by the hem of his shirt with his good hand. The man then yelped as Conan picked him up from the ground and made the other three look at him in shock.

"Hey, what are you-?!"

High Elf Archer wanted to berate Conan for such action but got interrupted as Conan growled out "And when exactly were you going to mention that there was a demon with the goblins, you little wretch?!"

"W-wh-what?" the Mayor stuttered out, scared at being held up by this imposing man. "W-what demon? Sir, I-I-I don't a-anything about that!"

Dwarf Shaman then approached. "What are you talking about? What demon?"

Conan then let go of Mayor, making him fall on the ground with a grunt. He could tell the man wasn't lying when he said he didn't know anything. "We didn't encounter just goblins in that cave. A demon appeared after we killed the goblins and he is the reason why Goblin Slayer is in that state."

As if the trio couldn't be more surprised than they already were. Did they hear that right? Conan and Goblin Slayer were attacked by a demon? On a simple goblin mission?

"Wait, what about the women that were kidnapped?" asked High Elf Archer as she remembered the other part of the request, which was taking back the women goblins have taken.

"I'll explain," said Conan getting their attention. "The mission went smoothly in the beginning. We killed several goblins as we passed through the cave, but in the end, things got complicated. There were fewer goblins there from what was described. We only killed eight but found no more than that. After that, we tried to look for the women but they weren't there. We were attacked by that demon not too long after."

Dwarf Shaman then rubbed his head and groaned, but not from a headache induced by alcohol. "By the gods, this mission turned into one hell of a mess. Did absolutely nothing go right?"

Lizard Priest just narrowed his eyes and gained a thoughtful look, as if thinking over what happened while High Elf Archer gained a sad look, thinking about what those women were going through right now.

"This is certainly a big turn of events," said Lizard Priest in a serious tone. "I'll go to that cave to see the demon myself and recover your weapons. After that, I'll go back to the Guild so I can report this situation," Lizard Priest explained before casting a look towards Dwarf Shaman. "Will you come with me? I might need assistance."

"Then you'll get it, my friend," said Shaman, gaining a smile from Lizard Priest.

"Alright then," Lizard Priest then turned to High Elf Archer. "I think you should stay here. In case a similar event happens they'll need someone to protect them."

"Right," said Archer with a nod. She knew that the situation was serious, as if Goblin Slayer's condition wasn't an indicator already.

"Right then. Let's go," said Lizard Priest and went outside the inn with Dwarf Shaman in tow.

The Mayor then went in front of Conan with his hands clasped together. "I-I'm truly sorry for what happened. We had no idea this would happen. We'll make sure you're properly compensated."

Conan just sat back in his chair and groaned, tired from all those things that happened in a very short amount of time. "Just give me some ale."

"R-right," said Mayor as he turned towards the innkeeper. "Give him what he wants. On the house."

Archer sat next to Conan. "Give me some as well. I'll have what he's having," she said getting a nod from the innkeeper. "Boy, Orcblog really has bad luck on his side. This is the second time he got near death."

That particular bit of information got Conan's attention. "What do you mean?" he asked as the two of them got their drinks.

"Well, it happened not too long after we teamed up with Orcbolg. We got a mission of exterminating goblins in the capital from the Sword Maiden. After a while, we encountered a Goblin Champion who dealt a devastating attack on Orcbolg although he was able to kill the Champion in the end. Priestess had to heal him so he wouldn't die, like what she's doing right now," Archer explained as she took a drink. "Boy, this is some good stuff."

"So, Goblin Slayer was close to death before?" asked Conan.

"Yep, though the last one was probably worse," Archer said and drank, her cheeks already getting flushed.

So that's how it is, thought Conan. Goblin Slayer was yet again faced with death and may as well have died if Conan wasn't there.

Conan took a drink and looked out, seeing it was late in the afternoon, not even nighttime, but he needed to get some energy for the next day and he was getting exhausted. He was tired out after fighting that demon and he still needed to run down the mountain and through the forest to get Goblin Slayer back. Even he had his limits.

He took another drink, emptying the tankard before putting it back on the table. "Well, I'm going to rest. Do not drink too much, we still need you as a guard."

High Elf Archer just waved her hand dismissively. "Don't worry, I'll be fine."

Conan then got up and walked to the upper floor where his room was located. When he got into his room he unwrapped his empty sword sheath and leaned it against the locker. His chainmail armor was put on a chair, the damages, which he didn't notice were there right after the fight, which were caused were still visible. He would need to get it repaired.

He then just sprawled himself on the bed, though still carefully because of the bandaged arm, closed his eyes and slowly drifted to sleep.

There were still many questions still lingered in his mind. What has happened today? How did the familiar demon get here? What did its arrival mean? But despite the uneasy thoughts, sleep took over Conan's mind.

At a faraway location, the tall figure in green robes sat on a stone chair in a room barely illuminated by torches. In his bandaged hand was a crystal ball, which seemed to hold some scenery within it.

Right now, the scenery showed lush green fields and trees, with many goblins walking upon it. Then the scenery changed. This time of some sort of cave with few more goblins in it and even a Goblin Champion. It then changed to another one, this time in some sort of temple-like structure, neatly put tiles and stone pillars decorated the place, some goblins walking around and, a surprising thing to many, even some humans.

"Come on, you imps!" yelled one of the humans as he held some sort of expensive-looking vase. "This temple isn't going to pillage itself!" The goblins growled at the human's behavior but complied.

The scene caused the man to grin, both out of amusement and the efficiency of the situation, behind the darkness that his hood provided, or at least as much as he could, thanks to his almost non-existent lips.

Then the orb suddenly flickered, much to the man's surprise. "What?" he uttered, as he focused on the shift of magical energies in the orb. He focused on the anomaly and the crystal orb gave him the view of the source. But all that the orb showed was black, nothing else. "What is going on? Did somebody kill him?"

The man nearly growled. He expected complications to arrive but not this soon. He was hoping that he would be able to at least make more progress before people started to suspect what was going on, which is why he sent that demon to the goblin cave near that small village, reasoning that no one important would be concerned about that place since it didn't hold any significant value.

But it appeared that fate had other plans. The demon was powerful, more powerful than a silver-ranked adventurer, so whoever killed him must be pretty high in rank, which meant that someone important was going to notice what was going on. This might cause a problem. He may have to halt his plans for now so he wasn't discovered so soon.

He stood up from his chair and walked towards another room. He needed to contact his subjects of the shift in plans. He was only at the start and he wasn't going to let his plans be ruined again.

Conan woke from his dreamless slumber and groggily opened his eyes. He tried stretching but the pain he felt in his right arm reminded his slightly sleep-clouded mind of his situation.

So he sat up and looked at the window of his room. He saw that it was already past dawn, which meant he slept for quite a while. He then looked at the place where he put his sheath and saw that his sword was once again back in it. He smiled knowing Lizard Priest was the one who brought it back like he said he would.

He got up from the bed and tied his sword back to his hip. He got out of his room and walked downstairs. From what he got, the girl should have healed Goblin Slayer before morning which meant that she should be done right now. He walked to Goblins Slayer's room and opened the door.

He was then greeted with a sight that brought a grin to his face. On the bed lay nearly naked Goblin Slayer, which without armor Conan could see his silver hair and muscular physique, with who he presumed was a completely naked Priestess.

He walked up to them as the girl slowly started waking up. Priestess then sat up, rubbing her tired eyes and holding a blanket to cover herself. She then let out a yawn and slowly after heard heavy footsteps approaching. She looked up and saw a grinning face of Conan. "You couldn't have waited at least until he recovered?"

That caused her to immediately snap out of whatever sleepy trance she was under and gained a look of shock. Looked quickly looked at herself, then at Goblins Slayer and back at Conan, her face as red as a tomato. She then let out a squeal before clutching the covers her naked form. "N-n-no, it… it isn't w-what you think! It w-was just a… r-ritual to help him r-recover!"

Conan just continued grinning. "Well, women did 'rituals' on me to help me recover as well," Conan said suggestively as Priestess' face now radiated red color.

"Hey, how are things here?" came the voice of High Elf Archer who was at the door frame with a smile on her face. "So, the healing ritual is done?" she asked with Priestess responding with a nod. "Great, now all Orcbolg has to do is wake up and we'll be set."

Conan raised an eyebrow. So it was a ritual after all? He mentally sighed, hoping that Goblin Slayer at least got the initiative and took it, but it seems that he was hoping for too much. Well, at least Goblin Slayer was alive.

A while later, Goblin Slayer woke up and got dressed along with the Priestess. As the two walked out of the room Priestess approached Conan, who was sitting at one of the tables.

"Sir Conan, may I do my healing on you?" asked Priestess as she held staff near Conan's damaged arm.

Conan looked at her, normally he would be skeptical to let any sort of magic be performed on him, but from his experiences with this girl, he knew he had nothing to worry about. "Very well. You may?"

Priestess put her hand in front of Conan. "O merciful Earth Mother," she started as her hand started glowing. "please bestow your blessing upon this man and heal his wounds." The glow intensified as Conan was enveloped in a green glow.

Conan felt a sense of calm enter him, something he doesn't feel very often. It felt like he was being embraced in a warm and loving hug. It reminded him of how his mother embraced him when he was a child. It honestly felt incredible.

He then felt some movement in his broken hand, like the bones were mending themselves back together but he felt no pain from it or any sort of discomfort. As he felt the damage on his arm disappear the glow also faded. The girl then drew back her hand and gave a small smile.

Conan then examined his hand. He tired it out by first moving the fingers and then rocking the arm back and forward a bit. No pain at all. He grinned and got his arm out of the cast. He stretched and flexed to further confirm the recovery before unwrapping the bandages around his arm. He then also touched the patch on his cheek before taking it off and feeling no scratches left by that demon.

He then looked at the girl with a genuine smile his face. "Thank you, girl. I honestly wished we had more magicians back where I'm from if recovery is this good."

"Oh, this is nothing special, sir Conan. But thank you for the compliment."

The sound of metal footsteps got their attention and they saw Goblin Slayer standing there, though he didn't have his breastplate since it was ruined by that demon. "We need to talk," he said in his usual tone thought Conan could notice a slight shift in it, showing the seriousness of Goblin Slayer's words.

Conan nodded and gestured towards the empty seat across him which Goblin Slayer took. Priestess was able to feel the tension in the air, especially since she could see the serious expressions on their faces (even though she couldn't see Goblin Slayer's due to his helmet she could tell he had one).

"The situation in that cave was very unusual," started Goblin Slayer. "Not only weren't there even half the goblins mentioned, the women they kidnapped disappeared and there was that strange creature that almost killed us. A creature that has no affiliations with goblins. But you seemed to recognize it. Can you tell me what that was or what business would it have with goblins?"

"Yes, I did recognize the creature. And as I said before, it was a demon. Or to be precise, it looked like one of the demon slaves that served a powerful sorcerer I fought years before. But I don't know much about that demon besides that."

Goblin Slayer put a hand on his armored chin in thought. "Could that wizard have something to do with the demon being there? Could he want something to do with the goblins?"

"Unlikely, considering that I killed the wizard with my own blade. Unless he found a way to come back from the dead."

"I see," said Goblin Slayer, slightly frustrated that he couldn't get a clearer answer. "Is there nothing else you can say about that demon, like what species he is and what kind of behavior they have?"

Conan shook his head. "No, I can't. Where I come from there aren't as many demons and monsters as there are here. We don't really keep chronologies as detailed as you, much less for demons. I honestly can say what the demon was doing there or what he did with those women," he explained.

Priestess stood there as they talked, intrigued with what Conan had to say. The fact that his land didn't have the same amount of monsters and other such creatures honestly sounded great to her.

"I see." Goblin Slayer then let out a silent sigh, thinking he couldn't get more answers from Conan. He was about to get up but Conan's voice stopped him.

"Wait," Conan said. "I need to ask you something."

Goblin Slayer looked at Conan for a moment, wondering what he wanted to ask, but he just shrugged and sat back. "What is it?"

"Why are you so obsessed with killing goblins?" The question was simple yet it caught both Goblin Slayer and Priestess off guard, Priestess especially. Conan was honestly just trying to sate his curiosity about the man's motivation for killing goblins.

"As I said before," Goblin Slayer said. "Goblins are monsters that need to be hunted down and killed."

Conan's gaze turned stern for a moment. "I know there is more to that. Goblins aren't the only monsters in this world that qualify under that category. I'm just wondering why goblins specifically. I assume it's for a personal reason," Conan said as he watched how Goblin Slayer would react. He couldn't see his face but the subtler twitches in Goblin Slayer's arm indicated that anger was rising within him, giving Conan a clearer picture of what was going through Goblin Slayer's head.

Before Goblin Slayer could give his response, Conan interrupted him, knowing that he would try to dodge the question. "Let me guess," Conan continued. "It has something to do with family." Conan thought the guess was logical since family would usually give someone such a drive and Conan knew he that Goblin Slayer didn't have a lover before based on their conversation from yesterday so that wasn't an option.

Goblin Slayer's hand was close to clenching but was noticeably twitching, making Priestess look at him in worry. "Why are you asking this?" Goblin Slayer wondered

"Why are you avoiding my question?" Conan countered.

After a few moments of silence, Goblin Slayer let out an audible sigh. "Alright then. The reason for this is… my sister was murdered and raped by those disgusting things."

Priestess put a hand on her mouth in shock at what she heard while Conan's expression didn't waver.

Goblin Slayer continued. "When I was little, my village was attacked by goblins. My sister tried to protect me by hiding me, but goblins got to her, violated her and raped her. I could see it all happen. From that day I swore that would kill and continue killing those monster until every single one of them is exterminated. No one else really bothers themselves with goblins, thinking they are nothing more than weak monsters and hardly a threat, and when they do they think it's just easy money. But in truth they are one the most if not the vilest things on this world, and it would be a lot better place without them."

Priestess was on the verge of tears after hearing that, but Conan's face remained neutral. But then he gained a grin, then he started chuckling for a few moments before letting out a laugh. That caught both Priestess and Goblin Slayer by surprise, not expecting to gain such a response from him.

Conan's laughter died down. "I see, so that's how it is," he said. "But let me ask you this. What if instead of goblins, humans did that to your sister?"

Priestess gained a shocked look. "S-sir Conan, y-you can't seriously be suggesting-"

"But I am," Conan interrupted her before turning his gaze back to Goblin Slayer. "So, what is your answer? If humans were instead the ones that raped and murdered your sister would you go on to hunt down the humans for the rest of your life?"

Goblin Slayer was silent for a few moments before giving a response. "All of the goblins are monsters that kill, pillage and rape."

"And humans are also the ones who are responsible for such crimes. Believe me, I've travelled to almost every part of the continent I live on and I've seen many pillage entire villages, killing men and children while raping their women. Goblins aren't the any viler than humans can be. And I highly doubt that all of them are considering you just hunt the ones who are doing the crimes."

"B-but, sir Conan-"

Priestess tried to reason with Conan but he interrupted her once again. "Girl, you told me that you are the last survivor of you group. Well, that is one thing that we have in common," Conan said making her stare at him. "I was also a part of a group once. They were good friends and I considered them my brothers in arms. That is, until we were betrayed and cut down, the only survivor being me. It wasn't monsters that killed them but other humans." Conan turned his gaze back to Goblin Slayer. "And you aren't the only one who suffered personal loss. I didn't have a sister but I did have women I loved. One committed suicide after she was kidnapped and forced to marry a man from an enemy tribe while the other was killed by the man she thought loved her, while she was pregnant with his child."

That caused Priestess to cry, all those stories finally caused her dams to burst as tears flew down her cheeks. She couldn't believe how anyone could do those things.

Goblins Slayer sat there with his fists clenched in anger. The things that happened in Conan's tale utterly disgusted him. But he still tried to wrap his head around Conan's words, still not understanding what he was trying to say. "What is the point of all of that?"

"My point is simple. You are wasting your time," Conan answered.

"What?"

"You think that killing goblins will make the world a better place. Trust me, even if you eliminate all of the goblins it won't by much. People who think that evil comes from monsters are naïve at best. You can kill all the monsters you like, you can kill all the demons and demon lords, but evil within people will still exist. As long as someone has a different opinion on something conflict will stir. Unless you plan on killing everyone with rational thought then there won't be peace. As long as people exist so will evil."

There was big silence after Conan's explanation. Conan saw the horrors monsters can unleash but he also saw what horrors humans could unleash as well. He hoped that Goblin Slayer heeded his words and realized that the only thing he did by focusing on a single group of monsters would only end in him wasting his life away.

"Sorry, but that isn't something I can just stop," Goblin Slayer explained. "Goblins still are responsible for crimes committed and humans doing similar things won't make that fact disappear."

Conan sighed, he knew that Goblin Slayer wouldn't be convinced right off the bat but he at least hoped he would be more open to reconsidering his entire life goal.

"Sir Conan," Priestess said causing Conan to look at her. "I know people can be evil, but I assure you there are many good people in the world."

"I hold no illusions to that, girl. Believe me, I don't," Conan said. "But I'm just saying that wasting your life away on a goal that won't surmount to much isn't a good thing."

"Well, looks like the three of you had quite a conversation," said the voice of High Elf Archer as she appeared from behind a pillar.

"I take it you heard everything," said Conan to which Archer nodded.

"Yeah, I've heard. And I must say you have some pessimistic worldview, Conan. You honestly make it sound worse than it is."

Conan shrugged. "I'm just telling it the way I see it."

"Well, regardless of what you think we should start preparing to go back to Adventurer's Guild. You two need to be there in person to give a report on the mission."

"Right," said Conan as he got up. "I'll pick what I have in my room and I'll be ready to go." He then walked away.

"So will I," said High Elf Archer before walking away.

Goblin Slayer and Priestess were left by themselves at the table. Priestess looked at Goblin Slayer in worry. "A-are you alright, Goblin Slayer?"

There was a brief silence. "I'm fine," he said. "You should also prepare to leave. I'll do that shortly."

"Alright then," she said in a whispering tone before going to her room, but not before casting one last glance back at Goblin Slayer, who was just sitting at the table.

Goblins Slayer was in deep thought. Was Conan right? Would he really have the same drive he had now if humans killed and raped his sister? Was he really just wasting his time by just focusing on goblins? No one ever said he was on a fool's errand and people that criticized him just said that he was stupid for going after the small fry, not that he was wasting his time.

But he shook his head, he wouldn't focus on that right now. He got up from his chair, having decided that he will speak with Conan on that topic after they did their report and walked to his room.

AN: Well, that ended on a bit grim note didn't it? There wasn't much action here, just more character development. I wanted to show the different worldviews held by Conan and Goblin Slayer and I hope they came across well. Some of you may find this a bit controversial, and I understand, but from what I got that is how Conan views the world. And I'm sure some would argue that the discussion was too one-sided but Conan has a lot more experience when it comes to such things and has experienced the world a lot more than Goblin Slayer did so, of course, he would have an upper hand in the conversation. Still, that's not the only time they'll talk about that topic.

But that's it for now. Hope you enjoyed it and see you in the next chapter!

Chapter Text

The Stranded Barbarian

6 In the Strange Clutches

The four companions had a quiet trip to the Guild. Not out of any awkwardness or uncomfortable feeling, but because no one had anything to say. Or they wouldn't say it right now. The silence made the movement of the carriage sound louder than usual.

The group's minds were on different things.

Priestess thought about Conan's story and how unfairly the world treated him. In her mind, he was a man who lost all hope in humanity and lived through his life with as much enjoyment he could. She may be naïve to some things, but she could see it in the tall man.

High Elf Archer was leaning on the plank at the carriage's side with her hands behind her head and her bow next to her, more wondering about the mission and how it went wrong. So Conan recognized the demon that attacked them but said he should belong to a long-dead wizard. She found it quite peculiar. She also wondered what that demon looked like, regretting a bit she wasn't the one going with Lizard Priest and Dwarf Shaman, but she knew better.

Goblin Slayer sat there with his arms crossed, still deathly silent. His mind was on what Conan said to him but he tried dismissing it by thinking about their situation. Where did all those goblins go? Where were the women? He didn't notice any signs outside of the cave that they left. However, they did they definitely had help, though he wasn't sure if that demon is purely responsible. It seemed more like a guard than an escort. Though if that was the case then why did it let them kill the remaining goblins? Perhaps it was resting and only noticed them later. It was very possible.

Conan sat next to Goblin Slayer while polishing his sword, with his damaged chainmail armor wrapped up in a bag along with Goblin Slayer's breastplate. He had even forgone his shirt due to the blood on it, leaving his muscular torso exposed to the elements. His own thoughts about the situation mirrored Goblin Slayer's, but he also thought about what Goblin Slayer was thinking. He knew he didn't change his mind immediately, only plant some seeds of doubt, but it was a good start. He hoped that in the end, he will realize the pointlessness of his endeavor.

The silence was broken by High Elf Archer. "So tell me, Conan," she began gaining the said man's attention. "Could tell us more about Cimmeria? You didn't really say more than the basics."

Conan nodded. "Cimmeria is the homeland of my tribe and it has been for many generations. It is also a hill country located in the north, and it contains many wild creatures and hazardous places only few could survive in. And with its location in the north, it can also be very cold during winter times. But my people learned to survive such harsh conditions, making us battle-hardened."

"Do all of your people share your features?" asked Archer referring to his build, bronze skin and jet black hair.

"Most, but not all," he said. He stopped polishing his sword and put the cloth away.

"Do you have any religious beliefs?"

"Aye, that we do," he said while putting his sword back in his sheath. "But probably not in the way you imagine.

Priestess, who was getting intrigued by Conan's telling of their religion, started to ask. "What do you mean by that?"

"We believe that many gods exist. However, we don't worship them. But the only one we do is a warrior god named Crom," he said.

"So, how do you worship him? Do you have any special ceremonies or celebrations?" Priestess asked.

"No, and that's why I said it's probably not how you imagine. We don't pray to him or hold any ceremonies in his honor as you do with your, what is it called, Earth Mother. The only way to worship him is to fight and live. He is a god that gave us the means to defend ourselves, he gave us weapons of war, but he himself doesn't get involved in our lives. If you can live through your life, good for you. If you can't, then too bad."

"He… doesn't sound like a very nice god," said Priestess in a lower tone. "Why do you worship him? Why not any other gods?"

"True, Crom isn't a benevolent god like many others. However, neither is he a chaotic one. The reason we worship him is because we believe he has the best view of this world. It's cruel towards everyone, good and evil, and all you have to do is make sure you get through it all. Simple and true."

"But I'm sure if you start worshiping other gods they would be willing to help you?" Priestess insisted.

"True, I could go and start praying to gods like Mitra, who I'm sure would be a god more to your liking, but from what I've learned, once gods do get involved in your life it usually spells trouble for you."

"That's not true. My dedication to Earth Mother is what gives me the ability to heal others, as I did with you. Surely that is a good thing."

"And I appreciate what you did for me in helping me recover. But being a healer also has a downside," said Conan causing her to look confused. "With someone of your abilities, you would be an invaluable asset to whoever you're fighting with. But that also paints a huge target on your back. Enemies usually make sure to get rid of the invaluable assets of people opposing them, making someone like you a prime target."

There was a brief silence before Priestess answered. "Sir Conan, I understand what you're saying. And yes, being a healer of the group will put me at risk," she said before gaining a look of determination. "But that doesn't matter to me. We accepted the role of being priests for our Earth Mother, we were determined to help other people. Sure, it puts us at risk but that is a risk I'm more than willing to take if it means I can save people I care about."

Conan stared at her for a moment with a neutral expression, others not being able to tell what he was thinking. Conan then gave her a smile before reaching with his hand and giving a pat on Priestess' head, making her slightly flinch and blush, not expecting such a gesture. "I like you, girl. That determination and dedication for your team is really something to be proud of. You are not a fighter, but you have a heart of one. Never lose it," he said and put his hand back.

"O-oh, th-thank you," she stammered out, still slightly embarrassed by Conan's action.

High Elf Archer smiled at that. The scene was just too adorable. Someone as tall and as imposing as Conan giving a head pat to someone as small and frail-looking as Priestess. It was just too priceless.

Goblin Slayer also noticed the exchange, indicated by his helmet being tilted in their direction, though he was more analytical about it. Seeing their discussion and reactions, it was clear that Conan isn't exactly opposed to accepting different viewpoints, so he wondered what was about his viewpoint that Conan found so offensive.

"But tell me," Conan began. "What exactly did you use to heal him? It must have been something special if you need to be naked."

Priestess blushed at that, remembering how Conan came into the room she shared with Goblin Slayer. But she composed herself. "Well, while we were at the capital, the Sword Maiden, a former adventurer and an archbishop at The Temple of Law, taught me a minor form of Resurrection spell in case Goblin Slayer found himself in trouble. Luckily, the wounds weren't severe enough to warrant a full power Resurrection so I was able to heal him."

If Conan wasn't impressed yet, he definitely was now. These people actually have such magical power that they are able to heal fatal injuries and that still wasn't their limit. He wished he had more of these people back at home. They would be more than invaluable.

"And why did you sleep naked beside him?"

Priestess blushed at the bluntness of his words. "W-well, the ritual also requires full body contact with a virgin for it to work. It's necessary to our gods."

Conan raised an eyebrow at that. You need a virgin for that magic to work? He never understood why so many gods were obsessed with virgins. It's not like they lay with them.

"I see. That's quite interesting," Conan said.

The rest of the ride back was relatively calm, though the talk between Conan and Priestess seemed to lighten up the mood for a bit.

They arrived the next day, and the carriage dropped them off near the city, letting the four adventurers walk towards the Guild.

When they arrived at the gate, Conan saw someone familiar. It was the guard who greeted him the day he arrived in this city, and he was currently waving at him. Conan grinned and excused himself, saying that he needed to talk to someone.

The three of them didn't ponder too much on that and just left him to do his thing, saying they'll wait until he finishes.

Conan then walked towards the guard and greeted him. "Hello, Guardsman. I see you don't do much else besides standing there."

The Guardsman chuckled at that. "Yeah, it can get pretty boring. Though I guess my job, in the end, is keeping too much action from happening," he said. He then noticed the tag around Conan's neck. "I see you've become an adventurer, and I guess you just got back from a mission. So, how was it?"

"Well, it was… interesting to say the least," Conan said vaguely, not really in the mood to discuss the entire demon part of the mission. "But that's not important right now. I need to ask you something."

Shortly after, Conan went back to the group, who were a bit curious at what he needed from a city guard.

"So, what did you need to talk about?" asked High Elf Archer.

"Nothing special, don't worry about it. I was just asking to find a certain place," Conan explained. "We should go to the Guild. We probably wasted more than enough time."

They nodded and walked away. They found themselves shortly at the entrance of the Guild, but then they noticed someone standing near the entrance. It was a beautiful young woman with short red hair and purple eyes. She was dressed in a long-sleeved white shirt with overalls and boots. She looked at them, gained a big smile on her face and ran towards them.

When she arrived, she embraced Goblin Slayer in a big hug, causing him to stumble back a bit. "You're alright!" she exclaimed before pulling back and looking up at Goblin Slayer. "I came to the Guild to see what took you so long and they tell me you were fighting demons and gravely injured! Oh, I was so worried." She then once again embraced him in a hug.

Priestess and High Elf Archer saw that scene as adorable, while Conan looked at it incredibly intrigued. Who was this woman? She must be very close to Goblin Slayer if she could just run up and hug him like that. He honestly thought that Goblin Slayer would at least mention someone like her.

She then let him go of her hug, once again with a smile on her face. She then turned and looked at Conan, seemingly only noticing him now. The woman then walked towards Conan. "I heard that someone helped my friend defeat the demon and saved him from certain death. I assume that's you." She then clasped her hands in front of her and bowed her head. "I thank you very much for making sure he came back."

"My pleasure," said Conan, returning the woman's smile. "Though, you should also be thanking her," he said while gesturing towards Priestess. "If it weren't for her healing arts, Goblin Slayer still would have died."

"Of course, I didn't forget," the woman said before turning to Priestess and bowing the same way she did with Conan. "And I thank you once again for saving him."

"N-no need to do that. I was just helping out a friend," said Priestess as the red-headed woman stopped bowing.

"He must be pretty close to you if you were that worried about him," Conan chimed in, wanting to know what exactly those two had together.

"Why yes, we are. We've been friends since childhood. And he's now living with me and my uncle at our farm," the woman explained with a big smile before slightly widening her eyes. "Oh, how rude. I didn't introduce myself. You can call me, Cow Girl."

Cow Girl extended her hand for a handshake which Conan took. "Conan."

"Wow, sir, you have a good grip," she exclaimed as she felt Conan's big hand give her's a squeeze.

Though Conan's mind went elsewhere. Goblin Slayer lived together with this woman? "Are the two you related?" Conan asked.

"Oh? Oh, no, we're not. We're just good friends and he lives with us."

Conan raised an eyebrow. "That's it?"

The girl nodded. "Yep."

And now Conan knew that something was wrong with Goblin Slayer. He was living with this incredibly attractive woman, so attractive she put many women he knew to shame, yet she insisted there is nothing between them? And from the way she spoke she was genuine about it. And from what he got Goblin Slayer would have been living with them for years by now. Was he really that dedicated to his cause that he decided to go celibate or was he just that dense? Though with the interactions he had Conan decided on dense.

But Conan's keen eye also noticed something else, a slight shift in her tone and her expression wavering for a moment to what appeared to be… disappointment? He guessed she wasn't really all that thrilled about that fact either. That would make her the second woman who had feelings for Goblin Slayer. He honestly felt sorry for them. But he was sure he could help in that regard.

"We should go in and give our report. This matter is very serious," said Goblin Slayer, gaining all of their attention.

Conan shrugged. "Fine."

They opened the door and were greeted by the sight of Guild Girl. When she noticed them she positively beamed with joy and waved them to come over, which they did.

"Oh, it's so good to see you're OK! The moment I heard what happened I assumed the worst!" Guild Girl pretty much yelled out, while the rest of the group were struck with a sense of déjà vu. She then looked towards a girl with long brown hair next to her. "Can you get the manager? Tell him that Goblin Slayer and sir Conan have returned to report on their mission?"

That girl looked at Guild Girl with a smile on her face. "Sure, I'll do that," she said before walking away.

"Tell me, are you alright. You aren't injured still, are you?" Guild Girl asked with a slightly concerned expression.

"I assure you, we're fine," Conan answered.

"Just fine," said Goblin Slayer in his usual way.

That gave Guild Girl her smile back. "Good to know. I prayed for your safe return."

Conan then began to notice her reactions. While she was concerned for both of them her face gave more expression when she looked at Goblin Slayer, showing she cared more about his well-being. Does that mean she is also one of the women interested in the silent warrior? Conan was honestly surprised to see that he had this many women who would like to be his lovers, yet Goblin Slayer noticed nothing. It was honestly beginning to be kind of obnoxious.

"Ah, I see that you two have arrived," said an elderly voice, causing the group to look towards its source. They saw a middle-aged man who now stood behind the reception desk. He had long green hair and a thin mustache. "I must say I never stumbled upon a case like yours. A demon attacking you in a goblin cave. I'm honestly surprised you two are alive."

Conan chuckled a bit. "Wouldn't be the first time someone thought I was going to die. Believe me, I may be new here but I have a lot of battle experience."

"Well, from what we got from Lizard Priest and Dwarf Shaman, it would certainly seem so. However, I would still like to hear a full report from you," said the manager.

The two then began to explain all that had happened. How Conan and Goblin Slayer got into the cave, how the numbers they got for the mission seemed false, the demon's attempted ambush and how the two eventually beat it but not without the demon dealing some heavy damage.

The manager then rubbed his chin in thought. "I see. That is very strange indeed. We might need to send more people to investigate where those women were taken," he said in a serious tone. "But there is one thing about this situation that is clear." He then looked at Conan. "You have handled yourself pretty well against that demon. You definitely aren't Porcelain rank. I think you deserve a promotion." That statement made Conan grin. The man then turned to Goblin Slayer. "As a Silver-ranked adventurer, I would like to hear your assessment of his capabilities."

"Well, he is definitely more physically capable than I am, being actually able to keep up with the demon. I got the hits I did because he gave me openings. He is also pretty intelligent and well aware of his surroundings. And he is very skilled with the blade he has," Goblin Slayer explained, having remembered what happened. How Conan gave him a lecture, how he was aware of the fake shadow and how he could tell the demon was sneaking up behind them. Goblin Slayer honestly thought that he wouldn't be able to have seen the demon in before it tore him to shreds at that moment.

The manager nodded. "I see. Then there is no point in delaying it anymore," he said as he reached for a drawer. He then once again looked at Conan. "Normally, such a promotion would be unheard of, but your case is very special and you more than deserve this." He then pulled out a silver tag. "Congratulations on becoming a new silver-ranked adventurer."

That caused everyone to stare at him in shock, though that wasn't really a case for Goblin Slayer who knew better. They didn't doubt his abilities, but someone achieving silver rank after only his first mission? That would still cause some shock to pretty much everyone.

"Congratulations, sir Conan!" exclaimed Guild Girl, impressed at the quickness of the promotion.

High Elf Archer gave Conan a pat on the shoulder. "Way to go, big guy!"

Conan just smiled. He unwrapped the Porcelain tag he had around his neck and gave it to the manager, then he took the Silver tag and wrapped that one around his neck. If he was honest, he was also very surprised that he rose in the ranks so quickly, but he definitely isn't going to complain.

"And one more thing," the manager said, getting their attention back to him. "Since the difficulty of the mission drastically increased, it is only proper for you two to be properly compensated." He then took out two bags which rustled metallically when he put them on the table. "This is your payment for your services."

The two of them picked up their bags, untied the top and saw that they were filled with gold coins. Goblin Slayer's eyes slightly widened, not often getting paid that much, while Conan gave a splitting grin.

"Well then, it seems there is one more thing to do after this," said Conan.

"What's that?" Archer asked.

"Why, celebrate, of course!" Conan exclaimed. He then looked at Goblin Slayer. "And you are coming with me."

"Hmm, what do you mean?" Goblin Slayer asked in a confused tone.

"Simple, both of us killed that demon and completed the mission. I'm sure that's enough reason to celebrate. And with all this coin we can easily spend some of it however we wish," Conan explained.

"Sorry, but no," said Goblin Slayer.

"Hmm?"

High Elf Archer rolled her eyes. "Why am I not surprised?"

"I'll use this money to repair my equipment and buy more materials to fight goblins."

Conan was on the verge of facepalming, but just got a somewhat annoyed look on his face. Though he honestly shouldn't be surprised that would be the reason. He really needed more time to get through that thick skull of his.

"Sorry about that. Unfortunately, that's just how he behaves," Cow Girl said apologetically, knowing full well how Goblin Slayer tended to act.

"Well, if you excuse me, I'm going to the weapons shop," said Goblin Slayer and turned around to walk to the door.

But then he came to a sudden stop when a hand grabbed his shoulder in a tight grip. "Oh, you're not getting away so easily," he heard Conan's voice from behind him.

Conan didn't really want to do this but he had a feeling that convincing Goblin Slayer normally was out of the question. "You owe me."

Goblin Slayer turned around. "What?"

"As I said, you owe me. If we took the mission separately, like we planned, I would probably be able to survive. You, however, would have surely died, so my presence there was a huge help to you. Not to mention that I had to run back all the way back to the village to make sure you don't die," Conan explained as he let go of the man's shoulder. "And this is the way you can repay me. You meet me here later today at dusk and the two of us will go celebrate in a place of my choosing." Conan would usually use such favor for something else, but he felt that this just might be the right way with what he had planned.

"Why are you so adamant about this?" asked Goblin Slayer.

Conan gave him a grin. "You'll see," he said vaguely.

"Do you want any of us to come?" asked High Elf Archer. Honestly, she would prefer a situation where Orcbolg just accepted but she had to admit, this was effective.

"I think it's better that you don't. I planned for this to be a private matter," Conan said.

Goblin Slayer stood for a few moments in thought. He honestly didn't think this would be a way Conan would want to repay a favor. But he wasn't there to question it. "Fine then."

"And don't even think about bringing your armor," Conan quickly added.

"But what if-"

Goblin Slayer was interrupted by Conan. "If you plan on saying goblins, then forget it. I'm sooner to attack you here than any goblin."

Goblin Slayer gave out a grumble. "Fine. Can I now go to repair my equipment?"

"By all means," Conan said. He then extended the bag he was holding. "Can you also get my armor repaired while you're on the way?" He then took out a single gold coin. "I think this should cover it."

"Fine." Goblin Slayer took the bag and the gold coin and walked out of the building.

"Sir Conan," Priestess' voice called out, making Conan turn to her. "Why are you so insistent about this?"

"Because he is wasting his time thinking so much about goblins. It's honestly very annoying and I hope to show him that there are more things to this world than goblins." He then gave her a smile. "Besides, when we're done, I'm sure you'll benefit from this as well," he said as he gave her a wink.

"W-w-what?" she stuttered out in embarrassment at what Conan was implying. "What a-are you talking about?"

Cow Girl moved next to Priestess. "Yeah, what are you talking about?" she asked not sure if she liked what was discussed. Was he setting the girl up with her friend and secret crush?

Conan chuckled at the woman's protectiveness. This just proved she liked Goblin Slayer more than a friend. "Don't worry, you'll get what you want as well."

Now that caused Cow Girl to blush in embarrassment as well. Then Conan looked at Guild Girl's reaction and saw what he expected. There was a look of confusion, some concern and slight jealousy in it.

"Now hold it there, mister!" exclaimed High Elf Archer with a narrowed gaze directed towards Conan. "Just what exactly do you plan to do?!"

Conan looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "What? Are you fond of him as well?"

That caused the elf to also heat up in the cheek area and her eyes to widen. "Wha… I…. well… it…," she stuttered before shaking her head and pointing her finger at Conan. "You shouldn't just assume things like that!"

So, Conan thought, she is another one. Goblin Slayer will sure have his hands full. And Conan was sure to exploit it. He grinned at the thought of Goblin Slayer and four women fighting for his attention, the man will surely be out of his element then.

Conan then gave them a shrug. "Whatever you say." He then turned towards the door. "I'm going out. There is something I need to check up on."

Later at dusk, Goblin Slayer came towards the Guild, wearing no armor as Conan requested. Revealing his handsome face, complete with white hair and scarlet eyes. He was dressed in a white shirt with long blue sleeves, black pants tied by a belt and boots.

He then spotted Conan, who was dressed the same way he was when they arrived back, leaning back against the wall with his arms crossed. Conan then looked at him and grinned.

"So you've arrived after all. I was afraid you wouldn't and the next day say you were afraid of goblins catching you by surprise," jested Conan but didn't get any reaction from Goblin Slayer except for a small grunt. "But let's not waste any more time. Come with me." He then walked away, motioning for the silver-haired man to follow

Goblin Slayer nodded and walked up to Conan until they were walking side by side. They walked for a while, passing by many people down the road who were also just walking or buying something at the market. After a while, Goblin Slayer broke the silence.

"Conan, tell me," he began, gaining Conan's attention. "When we talked back at the inn, you told me about how my cause is worthless, and that I-"

Conan put his hand up, signaling Goblin Slayer to stop. "We'll talk about that another time. Right now, we are just going to a celebration of our victory. No need to start getting philosophical right now."

"Hmm, fine," Goblin Slayer answered, reminding Conan about Dwarf Shaman's comment about his seeming lacking in vocabulary unless he talked about goblins. Conan was sure he could make a drinking game of Goblin Slayer's repetition of words.

After a few more minutes of walking, they found themselves in a more isolated part of the city, without many people walking around here. Conan stopped in front of a building, making Goblin Slayer stop as well. The building was two stories tall but it was pretty wide, wider than the Adventurer's Guild. The windows were closed though Goblin Slayer could see some openings in them for air.

Conan walked towards the entrance and walked inside with Goblin Slayer following him. When the door opened he could the sounds of men talking, some loud laughter and what he thought was a woman giggling, not noticing the grin Conan had on his face. When they walked inside the place seemed like a regular tavern, filled with many people, mostly men, who drank and talked to each other, many of them being drunk, except for one major difference.

There were many women in that tavern, dressed in silks and all kinds of garb that was really revealing. Goblin Slayer could see them serving drinks, sitting with other men who wrapped their arms around them and he even saw several of them dancing on tables with several men watching.

"Come in, don't get shy now," Conan said in a jesting manner, snapping Goblin Slayer out of his thoughts. He then grabbed Goblin Slayer by the shoulder and slightly pushed him inside.

"Why did you bring me here?" asked Goblin Slayer still oblivious to what Conan's reason was for bringing him to this place.

"So you can enjoy some pleasures that this life brings. And so you could get your mind out of the goblin gutter for once," Conan explained. "Now come, let's get to our table."

Conan started walking away and Goblin Slayer, with slight hesitation, followed him. They got in one of the corners of the tavern and sat at the table there.

Soon, a black haired woman came with a seductive smile on her face, wearing what many would consider undergarments but were decorated with some jewels. She bent over to look at them and gave them a good view of her full chest. "So, what can I do for the two handsome gentlemen?" she asked in a tone that matched her smile.

"I already have something reserved. Look under the name 'Conan'," Conan said.

The woman then nodded. "Why of course. I'll be right back," the woman said before walking away, but not without swaying her hips for a bit.

"I hardly see the point of this," said Goblin Slayer.

Conan gave him a chuckle. "Oh, you'll find out soon enough. Trust me," said Conan in a mischievous tone that had Goblin Slayer slightly worried, though he didn't know why.

After a minute, two women came to their table, one a with brown hair and one blonde, both really beautiful and dressed in silks that revealed a good amount of their voluptuous bodies. Each one was holding a tray that had two tankards on them. "Here you go," they both said at the same time while putting one tray for each on the table.

Then, to Goblin Slayer's surprises, they walked around the table and the blonde one approached him, before taking a seat on his lap, making him fidget a little, and then wrapping her hands around his neck before leaning her head on his shoulder. He looked beside him and saw that the other one was doing the same to Conan who also held one of the tankards.

Conan then turned to him. "Come on, Goblin Slayer, take a drink. I ordered this special ale just for this occasion." He then looked at the blonde woman. "And be a bit patient with him, he is new to this experience."

"Oh my," the woman said while putting one of her hands to her mouth and smiling at Goblin Slayer.

Goblin Slayer was caught completely off guard, not sure what to do exactly, he was honestly starting to sweat. He was nervous before but this was something else. What was Conan hoping to accomplish with this? He once again looked at Conan to see what he was doing and saw him holding the woman by the waist while taking a drink from his ale.

Goblin Slayer, without any other options on what to do, also put his hand around the waist of the woman that was on his lap, feeling her soft flesh on his palm. The sensation was strange to him, which he didn't get since he touched a woman before, yet in this situation, it felt different.

He then reached for the tankard, looking at the liquid in it for a moment, since he had never actually drunk alcohol before, before finally deciding to take a drink. The moment the ale went down his throat he reeled back a bit from the taste, causing the woman he was holding to giggle.

"Don't worry," Conan said. "It'll get better soon. Trust me, I would know."

Goblin Slayer grunted slightly, still wondering why he was doing this. All this drink does is dull the senses, why do people enjoy it? But he remembered he was doing this as a favor to Conan for saving his life so he might as well repay it. He then went for another drink, though a longer one this time. The taste was still strange but he endured.

Unknown to him, Conan gave a gesture to the blonde woman, which caused her to smirk. The woman then put her lips on Goblin Slayer's neck, just as he finished taking a drink, and gave him a kiss, making Goblin Slayer gasp for a moment, his cheeks were adorned with blushes at not being used to such intimate contact.

The woman then retracted her lips from his neck and looked up at him. When he also looked at her she gave him a smirk before starting to slowly rub her body on him. Goblin Slayer, while not really minding the sensation, still felt out of his element. And he started feeling hot, which actually caused him to take another drink of his ale.

Meanwhile, Conan was grinning at what was going on. His plan was already working and he couldn't help but feel proud of himself. People like Goblin Slayer are stubborn but if you push hard enough, they begin to crack. He then took another drink of his ale, emptying the tankard, before turning to the brown-haired woman and giving her a kiss, which she returned.

Conan was sure the next day was going to be interesting.

AN: Well, things are certainly heating up for those two! XD Not sure how many of you saw things escalating like this but I hope you find it enjoyable. Now, I'm sure many of you are like 'WHAT?! How come you already made Conan silver rank?' Well, let's be honest, he is good enough for that rank and that situation would surely give someone a huge promotion. Plus, Conan isn't a type of character you see slowly rise in ranks, he is a character you already know is really good at what he does so doing that would be pointless. I'm sure you all understand.

See you in the next chapter!