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!