PAREDISO

Vengeance from Ahab

If there was a hell for the wicked and unjustful, then this very place would be it's underbelly for sure. They never seen so much brutality from a goblin against another goblin before, there were human remains among the dead, but the reconnaissance team believed that they were caught in the crossfire. Ymir jotted down his findings in his notebook, the rest continued downward, following the fresh trail. To their suprise, they uncovered remnants of the goblin army. Either from fatigue or badly injured, none of them bothered the expedition team whatsoever.

With their trail reaching the deepest parts of the cave, Ymir hears a faint cry in the darkness, a cry that would lead them down a pathway bearing a shaman's totem.

Reconnaissance Ranger Arthur
"That's a woman's voice, she's down there in their lair possibly. Y/N could be there too, what should we do Ymir?".

Reconnaissance Ranger Ymir
"Possibly they let her go peacefully, if not well then we have something for them instead, we're leaving here alive one way or another".

Carefully guiding each other through the steep pathway, their lamps illuminated their path. Within moments the situation became clear, with their arquebusers holstered they watched a female survivor being held by another survivor, the same hair, the same stupid look, it was Y/N. He didn't look alright, he was brutalized and branded like a animal. On his head was a strange headpiece, thorned flowers across his head as a sign of torture.

Reconnaissance Ranger Ymir
"You stupid idiot, why are you here of all places!? We need to leave now while we still can".

Y/N babbled nonsense, saying how he failed himself, that he couldn't do anything to kill him. None of it made any sense, he clearly has gone mad. Either way him and the women were carried away by the reconnaissance group, their path toward the surface would he deadly as they traverse the mounds of fallen goblins. Blood trickled from Y/N's forehead down onto Ymir's arm, he continued to babble nonesense.

With the sunlight slowly dying in the horizon, the reconnaissance team stowes both survivors onto the back of the horses. Y/N was clearly mentally unwell and delirious, large bruises around his head could be shown. The thornes of the flowers were cutting deep, dangerously close to the temples. No one bothered to tamper with the crown, best leave it to the professionals back home. Just as they all departed, an arrow barely hits Lancelot by an inch, the arrowhead slashing against his left cheek. In the night midst were a large warband of goblins, they appeared savage in nature, their posture was off and mobility was sporadic. With the yank of the reigns, the group flees into the forest, hails of arrows raining down faster than machine gun fodder.

Another warband of goblins appeared, they paid no attention to Ymir and the others for they dealt with the marauding goblins, axes and clubs smashed and hacked away at limbs. Brutality at it's finest, blood splattered and stained the rock and soil, across the vast wasteland were small pockets of goblins battling one another. The reconnaissance squad fleed as quickly as they could, Lancelot hit on the shoulder with an arrow and Arthur struck by a tomahawk on his upper shoulder. Through the pain they pushed through, only for a stray arrow to hit the head of Ymir's horse, plopping to the ground and launching both Ymir and Y/N several feet away. The whiplash rendered Ymir unconscious while Y/N came to his senses, the thorned crown was lost amidst the fall.  With the rest of the group circled off, Y/N armed himself and dragged the unconscious leader to safety.

Caught in a warzone, bleeding from the head, Y/N carries Ymir across the wasteland. Arrows piercing through the left leg, shoulder, and a stray knife into back. Through the madness Arthur appears on horseback with Lancelot and another ranger not far behind. With the haste of a musket ball Ymir was stowed and Y/N rode with the ranger. Although injured through the battle, most of the squad made it through hell alive. Ymir was rendered unresponsive but still breathing, Lancelot took control and guided the others back home, not before having a talk with their primary target.

Reconnaissance Ranger Lancelot
"You sure as hell nearly got us killed back there, i can barely lift my arm let alone pull. Why did you even come here? What were you after back there!?".

"Something personal alright, its between me and a goblin shaman".

Reconnaissance Ranger Lancelot
"Half of us almost died rescuing you, we sure as hell deserve an answer from you".

"This stays between all of us then, not a single word about this alright? That shaman, he- he took something from me, something i can no longer get back. He- that bastard took-".