The canary within the cage that hung from Goblin Slayer's hip was calm as the group and their heavy gear made its way trough the catacombs and crypts beneath water town.
Eventually they reached a closed mausoleum that had an adventurer tied to its wall.
Rhea Ranger dashed forward to help as the rest of the group entered the crypt.
But the group was so large that a few stayed outside the crypt, blocking the entrance.
That was the party's deployment lineup as Rhea Ranger reached the chained adventurer, who turned out to be a skeleton with long human hair placed on its head.
" This is a trap. " Rhea Ranger said to them.
" They are probably surrounding us as we speak. So we'll turn this goblin's trap into a mass grave for the goblins. Cover your mouths with the gass mask cloth and put the grease and charcoal mixture on your face to protect your eyes." Goblin Slayer said as instinctul Noble Fighter gave order to establish a crossfire point at the entrance, knowing from past experiences that they would use it as a choke point.
" They'll probably try to close us in and unleash gass to kill us. Put this mixture over the gaps in the walls." GS said and handed the bag of concrete to Dwarf Shaman.
High Elf Archer and Half Elf Wizard helped him. Their afinity for nature enabled them to find the airholes easily.
" We've deployed Butcher, Baker and established a permiter with melee as a front line with support, long range and healers behind that, with Fighter as the very rear guard, just on case. " Warrior said to him.
" Îs Camdlestickmaker ready?"
"Yes Sir Goblin Slayer. What about the 4th prototipe? " Lizard Priest asked as he geared up and equiped Candlestickmaker.
" Keep it as a last resort. Everyone get into position. "
Goblin Slayer said as he was the last one to stay în the doorframe, blocking the trap. When he saw that everything war ready he stepped inside and a moment's latter the door was slammed shut and blocked.
Goblin Slayer and Warrior immediately pushed a cofin în front to block the door.
"Barrier!" Priestess immediately performed as the group now waiter for the goblins to breach the door.
About 15 minutes passed, during which the canary on his hip stayed calm.
It looked like no gass hole had been missed.
Goblin Slayer took the cage from his belt and plassed it aside and away from the fighting.
Once, twice, 3 times did the door shook from the force of the blows coming from the otherside.
Then on the 4th blow the door started giving away.
Several goblins stuck their head în the new gaps in the door.
High Elf Archer quickly downed them with get aŕrows.
" Get ready for it!" Wizard said to Priestess and Lizard Priest. They operated the new gear and after that they would switch to their spells.
The door exploded and trough it not one, but there Goblin Champions appeared!
" BUTCHER!" Goblin Slayer said as Wizard used 'fireball' to activate Butcher.
BUTCHER was a row of 10 metal tubes lined în ten columns, making it a small wagon with 100 tubes mounted on its person.
The tubes were filled with several special gunpowder contraption rockets made by Dwarf Shaman and there were about ten of these rockets stuffed into each tube.
The fireball lit the first ranks of this, who after exiting the tubes, their fire tails would light up the ones behind them and so on and so forth.
With that Wizard fired almost a thousand rockets straight at the doorway chockepoint.
With the cadence of a machinegun and the power of a small cannon, BUTCHER moved down dozens upon dozens of the goblins and cut to pieces the 3 champions.
But it's ammo supply was quickly depleted.
" BAKER!BAKER!BAKER!" Goblin Slayer continuosly shouted, making sure everybody heard the signal for them to put on a special eyepiece.
Goblin Slayer had heard from a fur trader that when the sun rose up over snowfields that they would put pieces of wood with two long and narrow eyeslots into them, so they could see.
That was what they all placed on their eyes.
For it was time for BAKER.
BAKER was a polished metalic mirror placed on Priestess's staff to concntrate the ,holy light" into one durection. It was also High Elf Wizard and Wizard who enchanted the mirror so that the miracle lasted longer.
"Holy Light!" Priestess said, using BAKER. Which turned her flashbang like spell into a great continuos stream of light that blinded the goblins, but not the adventurers.
The spell would last for several minutes instead of several seconds and because of that the melee fighters managed to slaughter the goblins while they were blind and helpless.
BAKER eventually faded from use. But it did it's job.
" Reform the lines! Lizard Priest come forward!" Goblin Slayer shouted.
The presence of 3 champions instead of one meant that something much stronger than a champion was about to come.
And just as soon as they started reforming, the wall behind Fighter exploded and trough it the boss goblins came
" An ogre!" Fighter said as the quickly threw every single one of her now 20 diamond tipped darts straight at the ogre's head.
Some hit, but not enough.
The ogre quickly swung it's club down on them!
" Barrier!" Priestess used her miracle to defend against the ogre's blow.
It was not enough to stop it, but enough of the force of the blow was absorbed by barrier that when it struck them Priestess, Wizard, High Elf Wizard, Fighter and Dwarf Shaman were thrown back but thankfully not dead and somewhat lightly injured.
"So your the group that's been slaughtering my goblins then? Tech! You now have the bokor of-*BANG*
Two red bullets hit the ogre straight în the skull, cutting him off.
But it was too thick for the bullets to penetrate it.
"When you wanna kill something. Just do It, don't talk." Goblin Slayer said as he reloaded his shotgun.
"You dar-Aaaaggh!" The ogre was once more cut off by and arrow that struck his eye.
" I agree!" High Elf Archer said and shot another arrow at the ogre.
Rhea Ranger then jumped on it's head and stabbed it's one remaining good eye, before she jumped off, avoiding being caught by the ogre's claws.
"Now friend " Dwarf Shaman said to Lizard Priest, who ran forward and unleashed from the pump în his hand, which war conected to a backpack, it's contents.
This war the culmination of the efforts brought about by the colaboration of Priestess's first group, Noble Fighter's group and Goblin Slayer 's veteran knowledge.
This was a flamethrower that shot molten metal!
This was a weapon that if you somehow survived it's attack, once the metal cooled down you would be trapped in a coffin of metal and quickly choke to death.
This was what left nothing behind of it's target, except a lump of hardened ash and iron, that was în the shape of it's target.
This was Candlestickmaker!
" Not a Goblin...another one that's not a Goblin...What a waste." He said regretfully at the hardened ash statue, the only thing left of the ogre.
To which High Elf Archer walked right up to him and gave Goblin Slayer a good kick in the ass.
" And you deserved that! Really now! Not a goblin, goblin, not a goblin, it's always that with you. We just took a damn ogre! Again! And this is your reaction? I'd bet that if you really did manage to kill the demon lord you'd say: Not a goblin, what a waste of a kill!" High Elf Archer said în exasperation.
"Yes" Goblin Slayer said în reply as he massaged his tush.
To which HEA gave out a screech of exasperation, that made the rest of the group chuckle at the sight.
Even High Elf Archer joined în the giggles after the anger left her.
Goblin Slayer was , as usual, very confused.
"Hey check this out!" Rhea Ranger said and stood next to a coffin that had been smashed open by the ogre's attack.
It had a secret stairway inside of it!
The party quickly healed their wounded and followed the staircase.
It lead to a chamber that was protected by what only could be described as a floating eye.
" That thing looks strong. Should we withdraw and come back tommorow boss? " Warrior asked.
"No. Butcher, Baker and Canflestickmaker have all been used. " Goblin Slayer said and turned his gaze from the floating eye and towards his fellow party members.
" Bring out 'Undertaker '."