CHAPTER 6:

THE OGRES

Life had settled down into a semblance of normality, or as normal as it could be in a village populated by monsters and Dwarves, with a Slime as its ruler. And Harry began to relax, albeit only a little. But even that much was enough.

Over the next week, Rimuru often took Harry into the Sealed Cave where Veldora had been imprisoned, to practise their new abilities, and to grant him new ones. In fact, Rimuru proved adept at only using spells at their weakest level on Harry, being very cautious about avoiding injury. This meant increasing Harry's arsenal of spells.

Rimuru had confessed to Harry that one of the reasons why he worked on the control of his power of his spells was an incident that happened at Dwargon. A group of humans tried to mug him and Gobta, and Rimuru, in order to scare them off, transformed into a copy of Ranga and tried to frighten them away with the Skill Menace. And it didn't work out so well. Harry actually laughed at Rimuru's recitation of Great Sage's casualty list: 16 people fled, 68 were disorientated, 92 fainted, and 34 lost control over their bowels and bladders.

Harry got the feeling that Rimuru would have gotten along well with the Weasley Twins. The reminder of his friends still stung at him, and he hoped, beyond all hope, that they were all right. It was one of the many issues plaguing him.

Rimuru also brought him into the cave to help him learn to bring the Obscurus under control. It wasn't easy. It was still a part of him, being, according to Rimuru, a parasite born of his magic. He'd gotten the knowledge from Voldemort's own memories, apparently, and Harry was disgusted to discover that he had a fragment of Voldemort's soul in his scar.

Still, the mental scars caused by his framing and imprisonment, by both Magical Britain and by Falmuth, ran deep. It was only because of Shizue's pleas and Rimuru's gentle urging that Harry was even bothering to try to improve his situation. Rimuru may have been a salaryman working in general contracting in his past like as Satoru Mikami, but he had a surprising way with people. Maybe it was the fact that, being reborn, he now had a childish and endearing personality that actually helped when he was being serious, paradoxically enough.

Rimuru had also divulged his true nature as a reincarnated human to Rigurd, Ranga and some of the senior Hobgoblins. Thankfully, they accepted this without any hassle. So too was the amendment to the edict about humans: fighting back was acceptable, as long as it was in clear self-defence and the humans were the aggressors.

Speaking of humans, Fuze had sent back a letter by courier that arrived the other day. In it, he'd assured Rimuru and Harry that he had declared Harry dead, immolated by Ifrit. Hopefully, the bounty would be rescinded.

And finally, in the end, Harry took up Rimuru's offer of a Naming, though in reality, it was closer to an adoption. Indeed, Harry was given the name of Harry Potter-Tempest. His body didn't change much, though his shorter stature and lanky form from years of the Dursleys underfeeding him was changed for the better. He was still somewhat slight, but he was less scrawny. His hair was even messier than before, somehow, his eyes had a faint glow to them, and his magic reserves had increased dramatically, as had his overall constitution. He had become, according to the Great Sage, a Warlock, straddling the line between human and Majin.

Paradoxically, the power increase helped increase his control over his Obscurus. And it was another reason to test his abilities down here. Though there was a distant fear in his mind that he might end up causing a cave-in.

Harry screamed as the tempest caused by the Obscurus ravaged the clone of Rimuru. Or at least it tried to. Harry had managed to only turn part of himself into an Obscurus, specifically his arms, and the result was devastating. As he reformed his arms, he looked at the clone, protected by a ward…and the shards of rock left over from the Obscurus' attack.

"…Wow," Rimuru said flatly. "That is…seriously scary crap right there. I think you pulled off a Wamuu there."

"A what?"

"Wamuu? Don't they have JoJo's Bizarre Adventure over in Britain? Hell, the first story arc is set in Britain. Seriously, I am making a printing press just to showcase the best of manga to you. Wamuu was a character who could basically make a maelstrom with his arms, sorta like you did. Then again, you don't have the same muscled Aztec god thing going. Of course, Wamuu's got nothing on Dio Brando."

"…I feel like I'm missing something here."

Rimuru shifted forms, becoming a rather effeminate, arrogant-looking blonde man with quite a few muscles. "Kono Dio da! Muda muda muda muda! WRYYYY!" he said, his voice becoming a deep rasping growl. "Za Warudo! Toki yo tomare! Roadroller da!"

"…Okay, I'm done here," Harry said. "If that's what this Dio Brando guy is like, I can see why it's called a bizarre adventure. I know of a few anime shows and a few manga, but I've never heard of that."

"Okay, we'll give it a rest for the day." Rimuru changed back to his now-habitual form, resembling a more androgynous Shizue. "By the way, I've managed to duplicate that mask. Kaijin was a great help."

Harry nodded. Rimuru wanted to use it because it helped suppress his own aura, and thus ensured he could disguise himself as a human, so having another would help them both. Still, Harry only wanted to use it when he needed to, Shizue's pleas still echoing in his mind.

As they walked through the cave, Harry asked, "I still can't get over the fact that they keep calling you Lord Rimuru, when you either look like a little blue blob, or else like a kid."

"What can I say? I must've missed my calling as a natural-born leader in my previous life!" Rimuru said with a haughty, if affected, chuckle.

ANSWER: Many monsters place a premium on raw strength and power, Great Sage spoke into Harry's mind. He was still getting used to that, having been given a link somehow by something Rimuru did. He didn't like the idea of letting someone into his head, but the link was strictly for communication, as well as granting Harry the ability to use Thought Acceleration through his Blue Magic.

Rimuru Tempest is the most powerful being in the immediate area, Great Sage continued. This phenomenon is far from unique to monsters. Humans have been known to do so as well. An example comes from Rimuru's memories of the Dragonball manga, where a great premium was placed on the quantification of ki power…

"Okay, Great Sage, he gets the point. Power levels are rubbish anyway," Rimuru said.

"Yeesh, you've got the magical equivalent of an AI in your head," Harry said. "Hope she doesn't go all HAL on you."

"That ain't gonna happen. Hey, speaking of sci-fi, Doctor Who started up again."

"I think I heard of that. But I was imprisoned before they started showing it on the BBC."

"Oh, it's brilliant. They even started dubbing it in Japanese."

They passed the time discussing the new series, before Rimuru froze once they reached the entrance to the cave. "…Crap! Harry, get back to the village, prepare for trouble! Ranga and the others are under attack! Hopefully, it's a misunderstanding, but I've got to go save the others. If things go south, I need you ready."

"Got it," Harry said, getting ready to head back to the village. Hopefully, things would turn out fine…

Luckily, they did. Harry winced at the distant sounds of explosions and screams, but eventually, they died down. Rimuru sent a message via Thought Communication to not wear the mask, just in case. He was waiting with Kaijin when Rimuru, along with the hunting party Ranga was part of, returned. And they had company. Half a dozen extras had come along for the ride.

"Ogres…" Kaijin remarked in surprise.

"Those are Ogres?" Harry asked, surprised himself. They didn't look like Ogres to him. Ogres, in his mind, were closer to Trolls, only with more teeth and claws or something. These people clearly weren't human, but they didn't look much different to humans. Their stature was a bit larger for the most part, their skin strange shades, as well as equally strange markings below their eyes, they had horns and fangs, but otherwise, they looked normal. Hell, a few were attractive.

"Sometimes called Oni," Kaijin said. "Now that I come to think of it, there was a settlement of Ogres elsewhere in this forest. I know this because I believe King Gazel Dwargo had an Ogre as his teacher in swordsmanship."

Rimuru hopped off Ranga, who slid into Rimuru's shadow. "Hey guys. We…had a wee bit of a misunderstanding. They thought I was responsible for their village getting decimated. But it's all good now!"

"Rimuru, why did you ask me not to wear the mask?"

The leader of the Ogres, who had a messy mop of blood red hair and eyes, tanned skin, and a pair of horns, stepped forward. Oddly enough, his gear put Harry in mind of a samurai. Hell, the clothes seemed reminiscent of Japanese clothing from long ago. "Because our village was visited by a Majin in a mask, one who we believe to be behind the destruction of our village."

"…Charming." Harry blinked, before he turned to Kaijin. "Oi, Kaijin…didn't you say Rigurd told you about someone who named the first Rigur, the one who died? A Majin wearing a beaked mask?"

"That's right," Kaijin said.

One of the Ogres, an elderly one with deep wrinkles, harrumphed. "Not a coincidence, I'd say. Nor was the arrival of an army of Orcs. A vanguard of the main force, but still…"

Kaijin scoffed. "Orcs? Decimate an entire village of Ogres? That's impossible, right? Even if there were thousands, your village had hundreds, correct?"

"300 of us," the red-haired leader said. "Men, women, and children. But you're right. We should've been more than a match for them, even with those numbers." He gnashed his teeth, scowling at the thought.

"…Brother," one of the female Ogres, one who was perhaps his age or a little younger, said gently. She had pink hair, red eyes, and a petite figure, along with a pair of horns. Despite that, she was actually cute, though Harry would have appreciated that cuteness more if she clearly wasn't in distress.

Harry held up a hand. "I'm a bit ignorant as to how much an Orc compares to an Ogre, could someone please help me out?"

"Orcs in general are weaker monsters, lower tier, so to speak," Kaijin pointed out. "Ogres are actually the next step up from Hobgoblins, in terms of their state."

"Think of Orcs as being D-ranked monsters, Harry. Stronger than Goblins, but a well-trained human could handle them with ease," Rimuru said. "Ogres would be closer to a B-rank."

"Three hundred Ogres would be worth about three thousand trained soldiers," Kaijin pointed out. "What's more, they have a very martial society, with battle training being part of their life. They've even acted as mercenaries, sellswords, on occasion, though they're also known for their code of honour. So the very thought of even a few thousand Orcs being able to overwhelm such a large settlement of Ogres beggars belief."

"…They had help," Harry whispered in horrified realisation, looking to Rimuru, who looked shocked too. "Rigur, the Ogre village…who's to say that these Orcs haven't got at least a leader who was Named by that Majin? One who somehow got a power from it? This guy…Kaijin, you said Rigurd claimed his name to be…Gelmud, right?" As Kaijin nodded, Harry said, "Maybe this guy's doing the rounds of the various monsters in the Forest of Jura, Naming them, hoping for something like this Orc army. Bloody hell, that's a scary thought."

After a moment of silence, Rimuru cleared his throat. "We'll talk about that later. We've got a feast to prepare, and you're all welcome to join us…"

Harry was known for doing odd jobs around the village, mostly repairs and the like. He had offered his services to cook before, but Lilina and Haruna, the Hobgoblins in charge of food and cooking, had demurred, as had the main actual cook, Gobuichi. And Harry had to admit, Gobuichi was a far better cook than Harry ever would be.

The feast was made even more delectable by the pink-haired Ogre girl. None of the Ogres had names, so he couldn't call them by anything, though he was under the impression that the pink-haired girl and her red-haired brother were the closest thing that the Ogres had to royalty. The girl had some knowledge of herbs and spices that she had relayed to Gobuichi.

However, hanging like a dark cloud over the revelry was the Ogres' plight…and what they intended to do. Harry often kept to himself in times like this, partly because of his fear of his Obscurus abilities, but also because he felt a little apart, despite how friendly the Hobgoblins were. He also watched the Ogres, Moody's (or at least Barty Crouch Junior posing as Moody) admonition of 'Constant Vigilance' running through his mind. After all, the Ogres attacked once, albeit over an understandable mistake. They were also amongst the most powerful beings in the village, with only Rimuru definitely surpassing them. He knew the Ogres, particularly the red-haired one, the blue-haired one with darker skin, and the elderly one were watching him. The others were enjoying the revelries more, especially that purple-haired buxom woman with the single horn.

The next morning, Harry was summoned by Rimuru to join a meeting with the Ogres. The sextet of Ogres were present when Harry entered. "Harry, good timing. We were discussing the whole mess. We think that Gelmud is doing the grunt work of a plan to take over the Forest of Jura. This Orc army is part of the plan. It could be the work of a human kingdom, or one of the Demon Lords. I made an offer last night to have them join our forces, even if only temporarily, and they've agreed. They want revenge for their village, and I'm going to be Naming them into the bargain. They need to get stronger to beat them."

Harry looked to the Ogres, but the question was one he asked of Rimuru. "Are you sure?"

The red-haired Ogre looked to Harry. Though something dark flashed in his eyes, his tone was calm. "We Ogres are a proud people, but we do not balk at being vassals, as long as it is under a strong and honourable lord. Rimuru Tempest has proven his strength, despite being a Slime. And we are under no obligation to remain with him after we have dealt with those swine."

"You're a curious one, though," the elderly one said. "More than a few humans who treat with us have shown us scorn, even if it is concealed. You, however…you're wary of us, but as a potential threat, not because you detest monsters."

"Anyway, Harry, while I shouldn't need you here, because it's only six of them, I'm a little paranoid. Here, gimme the magic-replenishing potion if I do go into 'safe mode', okay?"

Harry took the potion from Rimuru, nodding. "Got it."

Rimuru then named the six Ogres. The red-haired leader became 'Benimaru'. The pink-haired girl was called 'Shuna'. The elderly Ogre was dubbed 'Hakurou'. The violet-haired woman was dubbed 'Shion'. The blue-haired man was dubbed 'Souei'. And the dark-haired, rather thuggish-looking one, was 'Kurobei'.

Almost instantly, Rimuru's form collapsed into his Slime form again, and Harry promptly emptied the potion over him. The Ogres also collapsed, and Harry checked on them carefully. He was pretty sure the Goblins Rimuru had named shortly after he came here hadn't done the same thing. They seemed healthy, though they also began to glow with light.

When they stopped glowing after several minutes, Harry stared at them. Wow, it's like Regeneration from Doctor Who, only…just getting younger and more attractive, he thought.

Benimaru recovered first. He was less tall than he was, his skin less tanned, his horns thinner. He was actually quite handsome, Harry thought. He rubbed his forehead. "Well, that was an experience," he said.

"You okay?" Harry asked.

"A little woozy, and I feel some aches, but I'm fine. The others?"

"I'm fine, brother," Shuna said, getting to her feet, swaying a little. Her features were definitely better than before, though she was already quite cute.

"Ha! I feel like a new man," Hakurou said, getting to his feet. There were far less wrinkles on his face, and his voice seemed more vital, as did his expression. Instead of looking like he was in his eighties, he looked like he was in his fifties, with a rather dashing goatee(1).

"Is Lord Rimuru alright?" Shion asked. Her beauty was more refined, less wild. Souei had become more refined too, while Kurobe was, while no oil painting, more of a rugged nature than thuggish-looking now.

"I've given him the potion, hopefully he'll recover soon," Harry said. "I'm guessing you guys will need new clothes. I mean, you've gone down a dress size or so since doing this. Better get some help from Garm." The Dwarf who was one of Kaijin's brothers had become the de facto tailor for the village, and he could help with that, Harry was sure.

Still, he hoped they wouldn't regret this…

CHAPTER 6 ANNOTATIONS:

The Ogres have arrived! And now, they're Kijin! We'll have more of them in the next chapter…

Review-answering time! ImHateful: …You're kidding, right? Milim? A loli? That being said, their relationship in this story will prove to be an interesting one.

GiantPsychoGecko: I'm not sure how Rimuru could use the Degenerate Unique Skill to help Harry, so he's helping Harry…by being Rimuru.

Sparda-B312: I knew exactly what you meant. I guess I didn't make myself clear: Harry's not really going to be much of a swordfighter.

Have a Little Feith: True, but when he turns human, initially at least, he sees only through his eyes. This is canon. I'm not saying he doesn't use Magic Sense all the time afterwards, no matter what his form, but still…

Sable Dawn: That's not going to happen. Shion is to cooking what Cacofonix from Asterix or the Nasuverse versions of Nero and Elizabeth Bathory are to singing. They are so convinced of their own ability and genius, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, that they will refuse any help in getting better. Shion strikes me as the sort of person who would refuse any help at improving herself. It says a lot that it takes until she gets her Unique Skill Chef for her grub to become remotely edible.

diagonalpumpkin: Well, the chapter title was a reference, but more to an Aussie TV series that I admittedly never watched more than anything you'd be thinking of. Also, never fear, Harry's gradually getting better. Shuna will be a great help.

soundwave1248: Nope. I'd imagine that's mostly Rimuru. Her undeniable virtues are her combat ability and her musical talent. Apparently she's an excellent violinist.

Jostanos: Harry can't pull a Naruto. At best, he can pull out about half a dozen clones, and even then, he's not as good with them as, say, Souei is. Remember, using Blue Magic doesn't confer mastery, and he's more concerned about getting the Obscurus under control.

1. While most of the characters, I prefer the anime and light novels' take on the design, for Hakurou, I actually prefer his manga design post-Naming.