Saiyans of Jura
"Shion, come on it's time to switch places." The familiar sound of the Pink Ogre's voice reached Rimuru's senses.
"Sure, thanks Princess. I'm grateful for the relief." The sound of a new voice reaching his senses began, as Rimuru' sight was returning to him.
"Thanks, you must be tired from your shift watching him." Pink said. "But I'm sure you're pleased to be helping Lord Kaen anyway you can."
"Huh?" Rimuru questioned, looking up only to find a giant pair of mammaries resting on Rimuru.
"Minister Rimuru, you're finally awake." The two women said together.
"Uh, who are you again?" Rimuru asked. "Ugh, my memory's kinda fuzzy. I was getting ready to name the Ogres when… wait."
"It's good to have you among us again Minister Rimuru."
The slime looked up and ahead to see Kaen and Rigurd stepping in with who he assumed was the red haired Ogre, from before. Only he was different, he looked more human now then he did Ogre, his horns were sharper, but shorter and slimmer, with the red markings under his eyes having shrunken as well.
"Are you the young master of the Ogres?" Rimuru asked, as Red took a knee.
"You don't remember much from naming them do you? Not surprising since you went into sleep mode the moment you did." Kaen asked with a laugh. "Allow me to introduce you. This is Benimaru, and yes he is the Young Master of the Ogres. I've assigned him as chief of security during his stay here, taking about half the workload off your plate. Though since you gave them names, all the Ogre's have evolved into Kijin."
"Hold on, Kijin? What happened to the Ogre part?" Rimuru asked.
"Kijin are a race of beings rarely born among the Ogres. It's sort of a, once every generation sort of thing when it happens naturally." Kaen said.
"Cool." Rimuru said. "I had no idea that an Ogre could evolve into a Kijin."
"Nice to meet you. I'm Shuna." Pink said, revealing her identity to him.
"An' the Kijin who's using you as a pedestal for her chest is Shion." Kaen said.
"Hey, Lord Kaen that's so mean." Shion whined, while Kaen just laughed.
"Sorry, sorry. I'm kidding, I'm kidding." Kaen said. "But in all seriousness, Shion is the name you gave her."
"I adore the name you bestowed upon me, thank you so much." Shion smiled, looking down at Rimuru.
"An' behind Benimaru, you'll find Hakurou. The old man who cut off my arm when we first met." Kaen snickered.
"Is that how you remember me?" Hakurou asked with a laugh. "I must admit, I was surprised when you were able to grow a new one."
"He's a lot younger now, since he's evolved into a Kijin, some of his youth has returned to him as well." Kaen said.
"Uh…" Rimuru spotted the blue haired Kijin who managed to sneak in without notice. "An' your name was…"
"Mr. Sneaky over there is Souei. Kinda fitting for him, since he's more like a shinobi then a warrior like me, or Benimaru." Kaen said.
"I am grateful for the name, and the compliment, my Lord." Souei said, bowing his head.
"Also, Rimuru. Giving a name to a superior monster, consumes an equally large amount of magicules." Kaen explained. "Something I hadn't learned until after you went into sleep mode."
"In other words, naming the six of them completely drained my magicule bank." Rimuru said. "These are the things I should know about sooner. Hold on, where's the other guy?"
"Oh, you mean Black?" Kaen inquired. "He's been spending quite a bit of time with Kaijin at his workshop. I think the two of them really hit it off with their interests in smithing."
"Is it true that Minister Rimuru woke up?" A voice echoed from outside the tent.
"Ah, here he comes now." Rigurd said.
"Speak of the Devil, and he shall appear." Kaen smiled.
Rimuru was nervous about how the sixth guy was gonna look, but all his fears were washed away when he stepped in and he seemed like a pretty normal guy when he stepped in.
"Minister Rimuru, I'm so glad that you've recovered." The sixth, and final Kijin said.
"You at least remember Kurobe right?" Kaen chuckled, seeing Rimuru's reaction to Kurobe's looks.
"Well I hope we'll be good friends." Rimuru said.
"Yeah." Kurobe smiled.
"C'mon Rimuru, I'll catch you up on what's happened around the village since you've been out the past few days." Kaen said, leading Rimuru out as the Slime took on his human form.
"No, absolutely not." Mina said, her voice reaching their ears as soon as they stepped out of the hut.
"Oh come on, why not? If you know how to do it, then just teach us already." Gobta said. "You're already training Eri, why not add us to your roster of students?"
Rimuru and Kaen looked up to see Mina, arguing with Gobta, and it looked like Mina was on her last nerve.
"Because I said no. I don't care if you wanna learn swordsmanship, I am not gonna teach you." Mina said.
"What's going on?"
"Oh right you're not aware of Tsuki's Quirk." Kaen said.
"Tsuki?" Rimuru asked.
"Mina' mom." Kaen stated. "Tsuki is actually over a hundred years old. Her Quirk is called the Immortal Phoenix. Every time she dies, she is reborn from the ashes at the age she unlocked her power at."
"Wouldn't that be four or five?" Rimuru asked.
"You'd think, but actually it's a long story." Kaen said. "Short version is, a villain named All-for-One tried recruiting her, by giving her a Quirk the Immortal Phoenix Quirk he stole, but it didn't work, and she gained that power when she was in her twenties, so she had plenty of time on her hands to learn new things, including martial arts, weaponry, anything you could think of really. An' she actually taught Mina everything they both know about swordsmanship."
"What's this I'm hearing about the sword?" Hakurou asked, coming out of the hut. "Are you perhaps interested in learning?"
"Maybe some other time, but what I'm getting at is, Mina's a master at the blade, and Gobta's trying to get her to teach him and the other Goblin Riders. However Mina's not all that interested to begin with, so they've been arguing about it like this for the last half hour." Kaen explained.
"Ah, that's the cause of all this noise is it?" Hakuro asked, before heading over to where Mina and Gobta were. "I'll handle this."
Watching Hakuro walk towards the arguing duo, Rimuru and Kaen watched as Hakuro butted into the argument, before he dragged Gobta away by his ear, while giving him a lecture on respecting his elders and women.
"Ugh, the nerve of that idiot." Mina sighed coming over to Kaen and hugging him.
"You okay Mina?" Kaen asked, hugging her back.
"No, I need a recharge. Hold me please?" Mina asked.
"No problem." Kaen smiled.
"So, why did you say no to Gobta's training request?" Rimuru asked.
"Because he's wanting to learn it, just on a whim." Mina said. "It'd be different if he were wanting to learn it to improve his skills as a fighter, so he'd be better in combat, but he can't guarantee he won't quit the first time he gets bored of it."
"Ah, you're not wanting to waste time on a slacker, is that it?" Kaen asked.
"Uh-huh." Mina nodded. "Eri's never quit once since I started training her, and it's been almost two months since we started, after coming to this world and getting her back, and it's gone even smoother with the bokken Kaijin made for us to use. She's determined to become a strong hero, and warrior to fight alongside us in battle when she's older."
"I'll go update Hakurou on this development." Rimuru said, heading off in the direction Hakurou dragged Gobta in.
"So… if your training Eri, does that mean you're fighting her yourself when sparring?" Kaen asked.
"Yeah, but she's wanting a different challenge, someone who can push her even harder then I have been. An' I'm already pushing her kinda hard." Mina sighed.
"You have huh?" Kaen smiled. "Well, what if you started training me along with her?"
"You babe?"
"Yeah, I mean I'm needing to learn a new fighting style to add to my roster of abilities, so why not swordsmanship?" Kaen suggested.
"Are you sure? You're not gonna quit on me if you get bored of it, are you?" Mina asked.
"No, I'm serious. I'll follow through with every lesson you give, and I won't quit if I get bored. How could I get bored though, when this could be some good family bonding for the three of us?" Kaen smiled.
"Alright, I guess when you put it like that I don't have much of a choice, do I?" Mina smiled, hugging him tighter.
"Where is Eri by the way?"
"She's with Kaijin. He and Kurobe have been teaching her the basics for taking proper care of a blade." Mina said.
"At least she's getting an education of some kind." Kaen sighed happily.
~Some Days Later~
"HAAAAAHHHH." Gobta cried out, as himself and the other Goblin Riders, as well as Rimuru in his human form, were running at Hakurou with a bokken.
"Too slow. Move faster, pathetic." Hakurou said dodging the attacks with the grace of a ballerina, before he made his own counter strike, and hit them all with a single move each. "Come on, aren't you going to strike me back?" He questioned, before hitting them all with another strike, knocking them to the ground.
"Alright Hakurou, my turn." Mina said, stepping up.
Mina was dressed in a pair of gym leggings under a pair of workout shorts, with her hair tied back in a pony tail, and sports bra over her chest, with leather bracers on her forearms. Her own bokken over her shoulders, as she held each end of them, while chewing on a piece of gum.
"Of course M'Lady." Hakurou said stepping aside.
"Gum?" Mina asked, holding the pack out to him.
"Don't mind if I do. Thank you very much." Hakurou smiled, graciously accepting Mina's offer on the sugary treat.
"Wow, impressive." Kaen whistled, overlooking Hakurou's training from the cliffside. "Hakurou doesn't mess around. Glad to see though that he and Mina agreed to train the Goblin Riders together, after coming to a reasonable impasse. Helped that Hakurou promised to make sure whoever signed up for lessons, couldn't leave until they beat him in one-v-one combat."
"They are a formidable force when working together." Benimaru said.
"Indeed, quite the frightful sight. A Saiyan and a Kijin, I'd hate to imagine what kind of techniques could come of that when Eri starts training under Hakurou's wing." Kaen said. "But back to what we were discussing. You think an Orc Lord might be behind the sudden increase in Orc activity? What exactly is an Orc Lord?"
"Well to put it rather simply, it's a monster." Benimaru stated.
"Thanks for the detailed answer." Kaen said with obvious sarcasm in his tone.
"They're incredibly rare beasts. Born to the Orcs every few centuries." Benimaru continued. "It is a unique monster."
"Unique huh?" Kaen pondered. "Sounds similar to a Saiyan Legend I'm quite familiar with."
"A Saiyan Legend?"
"No one really knows when it comes. Every thousand years, or every hundred. But what is assured in this lore is the same thing. A warrior of immeasurable power will arise, and lay waste to the known universe. This warrior is one that not even the Gods themselves could stand to have a hope of winning against. He is known as the Super Saiyan. So far, to the best of my knowledge, he's nothing more then myth, a legend told to Saiyan children who aspire to grow strong, and be the strongest."
"Sounds like quite the warrior. I'm sure even the Demon Lords would have trouble against him." Benimaru stated.
"Know anything else about the Orc Lord I should know about?" Kaen inquired.
"According to legend, it's said that the Orc Lord's capable of devouring the fear and anxiety of their comrades." Benimaru stated. "Which would make them an unnaturally effective leader."
"Sounds like someone we really should be concerned about running into." Kaen stated.
"When the Orcs attacked our village, they seemed unphased by the deaths of their own people." The red haired Kijin continued.
"Which validates your concerns, and suspicions about an Orc Lord actually being the cause of this mess." Kaen said, putting the pieces of the puzzle together. "But the thing is, I don't think even an Orc Lord could have organized these attacks, or even gotten thousands of suits of armor for his men. Which brings us back to the theory about someone backing them, maybe even controlling the Orc Lord themselves."
"Of course, all things considered, it's only a possibility." Benimaru said.
"One we can't afford to overlook." Kaen stated. "Even if it's just speculation, this information will prove invaluable should it be proven to be true."
"Indeed." Benimaru said.
"There's one thing I don't understand though." Kaen said.
"What would that be, M'Lord?" Benimaru asked.
"Why would the Orcs wanna attack your village in the first place?"
"Good question." Benimaru began. "I'm not sure if there's a connection, but shortly before the attack, a Majin visited our village. 'I shall give you a name.' That's what he told me. But he seemed dishonorable and untrustworthy, so naturally I refused."
"Smart move." Kaen said. "He do anything as he left?"
"He cursed me, saying I'd roue the day I turned him down." Benimaru stated.
"It's possible that the Majin was mad at you for refusing his gift of giving you a name." Kaen said. "You think that might be a factor?"
"I didn't have a choice." Benimaru said. "I'd never want a gift from such an unsuitable Master. I am rather particular, so I would accept a name from just anyone."
"Then it's a good thing I was the one who put Rimuru in charge of naming you." Kaen smiled. "A gift given to you from me, by him."
"Alright you lazy bums, get up and give me five thousand sword swings." Hakurou' voice echoed from bellow, showing he took over the class again, while still chewing his own piece of gum, while Mina blew a bubble in her piece.
"What was that Majin' name?" Benimaru pondered, thinking the name over. "Let's see, Gelai, Gelly, maybe Gella, or Gello?"
"It's Gelmud." Souei said, appearing from the shadows of the tree behind them.
"Right, that's it." Benimaru said.
"Gelmud?" Kaen asked. "Hold on, he was the one who gave Rigur's older brother his name."
"What was his name?"
"It was Rigur. I had Rimuru give Rigurd and Rigur their names as a way to honor their fallen and lost family member." Kaen said. "But if Gelmud came to your village… then it can't just be a coincidence. If someone's out there giving Monsters, names like he's giving out candy, then he's gotta be up to no good."
"Agreed." Benimaru said.
"Pardon the interruption Lord Kaen." Souei said, taking a knee to him. "Is this a good time? I have news."
"What's up Souei? You wouldn't have left your post, for no reason, so it has to be important." Kaen said.
"I saw a group of Lizard Men, not far from here." Souei said.
"Lizard Men, not Orcs?" Kaen inquired.
"Correct. Typically they make their home in the marshlands, and it seemed unnatural for them to stray so far away. I thought you should know." Souei explained. "It appears they were attempting negotiations with a nearby Goblin Village. For what they were negotiating, I could not say, I was unable to gather that intel."
"If they're doing that, then it's likely they're aware of the situation with the Orcs, and are trying to recruit alleys." Kaen said. "Which means…"
"It's likely they'll come here, sooner or later." Souei said, finishing Kaen's contemplation.
~A Couple Days Later~
"Now this is some quality stuff." Garm said.
"So you're saying this fabric, is basically silk Shuna, really?" Dord questioned the pink haired Kijin at the loom.
"That's right, see it's actually made from Hell Moth cocoons. Those things are full of magicules, which makes the cloth more durable then most." Shuna explained with a smile.
"Oh I see, should be useful for protective gear then." Garm said.
"That's so cool." Kaen said, alerting them to his presence.
Looking back at the door, the Dwarf brothers, and Shuna saw Kaen, standing in the doorway with Shion behind him.
"I can't believe you guys can already weave silk." Kaen said.
"Lord Kaen." Shuna smiled happily.
"Hello."
"Hey there."
"Mm-hmm."
"So you just don't talk in general, do you?" Kaen questioned the mute brother.
"I'm so happy you came to visit. Come here you." Shuna said, pulling Kaen's arm into a hug, and pressing it between her breasts.
"Uh… yeah, great to be here." Kaen said, with a bit of a blush on his face, trying not to look at Shuna while she held his arm in her bosom. "So… how are things going?"
"Great. The weaving loom sir Kaijin made for me is perfect, and it's so easy to use." Shuna said.
"Yeah? That's good to hear." Kaen stated. "I'm counting on you to help make us all clothes, okay?"
"You got it, just leave it to me." Shuna smiled.
"Well, we should probably go Lord Kaen." Shion said, pulling Kaen's other arm into a hug, and burying it into her chest. "We don't want you to miss lunch with Lady Mina, and Eri, now do we?"
"Oh Shion…" Shuna stated, stopping the lavender haired Kijin from walking off. "Are you enjoying your new job as Lord Kaen's secretary?"
"Yes, as a matter of fact I am." Shion smiled.
'They're both smiling, but I know behind those smiles, there's an irrefutable battle going on between them, and this conversation's only adding fuel to the flames!' Kaen thought. 'It was bad enough when Shion just declared herself as my secretary, but now she's also claiming the position as my bodyguard. I do not need a bodyguard. I'm already on thin ice with Mina for having Shion follow me around everywhere. Why is this happening to me?'
"You know Shion, you could always leave Lord Kaen here with me for a bit." Shuna said, pulling on Kaen as her grip on his arm tightened, while a silhouette of blue flames began surrounding her.
"Oh Princess, we don't want to get in your way. After all, you still have lots of clothes to make." Shion said, pulling back on Kaen' other arm.
"No worries, believe it or not I'm actually very good at multitasking." Shuna said, pulling harder on Kaen.
"We wouldn't want him to miss out on lunch though." Shion said, pulling harder herself.
This game of tug-o-war continued on with Shion and Shuna, as Kaen was the rope, and he was in pain.
"Are you three gonna help, or just continue standing there like a bunch of idiots watching a drama?" Kaen questioned, looking to the Dord, Myrd and Garm, who were stroking their beards in interest at where this was going.
"In that case, I guess we'll just have to ask Lord Kaen, which one of us he would prefer to serve him, won't we?" Shuna asked.
"Well, I don't wanna interrupt your work, and I really need you to help weave the silk Shuna, but you're welcome to come serve me in your spare time." Kaen said, willing to say anything to get this pain and conflict to end.
"Really? I'll hold you to it." Shuna said, before letting go of Kaen's arm, allowing for Shion to accidentally fling him out the open door.
"Ow…" Kaen groaned, picking himself up, and showing he had skid marks on his face.
"Lord Kaen." Shion said in shock, and fear.
After picking himself up, and cleaning himself off, Kaen and Shion made their way to the city hall building, and while entering, they found Benimaru, Hakurou, Souei, Rimuru, and Eri inside.
"Oh, good afternoon Lord Kaen." Benimaru said.
"You three are here early." Kaen smiled, looking to the other Kijin.
"Have you come here to eat lunch Lord Kaen?" Hakurou asked.
"Yep, Mina told me she would make me a special meal, and I'm dying to try it." Kaen said, taking his seat at the head of the table.
"Change of plans Lord Kaen." Shion said. "I convinced Lady Mina to let me cook your food for you."
This statement cause the three Kijin to freeze in fear, and realization.
"Sounds great, you guys gonna join us?" Kaen asked, looking to the others.
"Mama already made me lunch." Eri smiled. "She's getting me dessert now."
"I've already eaten." Souei said. "Just finished actually."
"I'm not all that hungry right now." Benimaru said.
"Same, I just came in for some tea." Hakurou added.
"I don't need to eat, so I'm good." Rimuru stated.
"Okay, guess I'm eating lunch alone then." Kaen said, as Shion went back to the kitchen.
As Shion went to prepare the food, Kaen just looked at the other Kijin, noticing something was wrong with how they were acting. He was brought out of his thoughts, when Souei stood up.
"I should be on my way now." Souei said, using the Body Double skill to create duplicates of himself.
"Whoa, since when can you use that skill?" Kaen asked.
"Farewell." The battalion of Soueis said, before they all vanished as Mina came out with Eri's dessert, a slice of apple pie.
"Here you go Eri sweetie." Mina said, putting the hot piece of pie in front of her.
"Thanks Mama." Eri smiled. "Yummy, apple pie."
"Hey Mina, can we talk?" Kaen asked, getting Mina' attention.
"Oh, don't worry babe, there's nothing to talk about." Mina smiled, kissing him on the temple. "I know you're always gonna be loyal to me."
"What brought this sudden realization on?" Kaen asked.
"Let's just say… I saw what Shion is prepping for you back in the kitchen, and it does not look nice." Mina stated. "I think it even growled at me."
"Here you go Lord Kaen." Shion smiled, coming out of the kitchen, and putting a bowl of purple and blue sludge down on the table in front of him.
"Told ya." Mina smirked as Gobta came into the dinning room after his training.
"Is Papa gonna turn purple if he eats that?" Eri asked through a mouth full of pie.
'Oh no, I knew it. It's that old cliched trope where the hot woman, doesn't actually know how to cook.' Kaen thought, before the sound of a rumbling stomach reached his ears, and he looked up to see Benimaru trying to look away, while his stomach was growling. 'Not hungry my ass. You knew this was gonna happen, and you said nothing. Look at me Benimaru, look at me as I die here. An' Hakurou's just casually sitting there sipping some tea, while hiding his presence. If I survive this, I am so gonna punish them, harshly. Traitors!'
"Lord Kaen, here. Don't forget your spoon." Shion said, holding the wooden utensil out to the Saiyan.
"Right… it looks delicious." Kaen said as he took his spoon, though it was obvious to anyone but Shion that he was lying.
"I know, thanks." Shion smiled.
'I mean, it's probably not poisonous right?' Kaen thought. 'It probably won't kill me.'
Taking a scoop of the toxic food, Kaen just looked at the sludge, before cringing as he saw a face appear in it.
'That has to be a simulacrum. Nothing more, just a figment of my imagination.' Kaen thought. "Help me Great Sage, please I'm begging ya."
"Answer, if you close your eyes, and insert the spoon at an angle to your right, you will be less likely to die." Great Sage said.
"Alright, here goes nothing." Kaen replied, closing his eyes before thrusting his arm to the right and hearing the spoon enter something.
Opening his eyes, Kaen saw them widen, when he realized he'd shoved the spoon in Gobta's mouth, and he did not react well to Shion's cooking. The Hobgoblin' skin began to turn purple, before he started foaming at the mouth, and began rolling around on the ground before stopping as he died on the spot, with a final breath of struggle.
"Uh… oopsie." Shion said, trying to sound innocent.
"Shion…" Kaen said seriously.
"Yes Lord Kaen?" Shion asked, standing at attention.
"Next time you wanna cook, have either Benimaru or Hakurou supervise." Kaen said, causing Hakurou to reappear as he lost focus, with both Kijin looking at him in shock. "Hopefully we don't lose anymore good monsters, the way we lost Gobta." He stated, dropping his napkin over Gobta's face. "Mina, mind making me something to eat that's not gonna kill me?"
"No problem babe. I actually just got a new skill called, Master Chef. It gives me cooking skills that I think are on par with Lunch Rush, maybe even Gordon Ramsey." Mina smiled. "So you're gonna be in for a real treat."
~Sometime Later~
"Really? You choose the best heat level for tempering by instinct?" Kaijin questioned.
"Sure, I can tell just by the color of the flame." Kurobe said.
"Wouldn't that cause a risk with the integrity of the metal because you don't measure?" Kaen asked, being a bit of a metal smith enthusiast himself.
"I measure it the second time around just to be certain. I trust my instincts, but I'm no fool." Kurobe said.
"Right, because if the outside is cold, it won't be pliable." Kaijin said.
"Man I wish I could share these tips with my sister Athena, she'd go nuts and build her own forge in our back yard." Kaen smiled, writing more tips down.
"Is Lord Kaen in here?" Rigurd questioned, coming into the workshop.
"What's up my guy?" Kaen questioned, looking over his shoulder to the Goblin King.
"There's trouble. There's a Lizard Man envoy just outside the village."
"Must have been the envoy Souei mentioned earlier." Kaen said. "I'll be right out Rigurd. In the mean time, go grab Shion, Benimaru, and Hakurou. We should greet them with a small group of us that are more then five to six people. Minister Rimuru should be with Shion as I assigned her to be his secretary from now on, so bring him too."
"Understood." Rigurd said as Kaen followed him out. Thankfully though, they didn't have to go far to look for the others.
"Lord Kaen." Benimaru called to him, revealing the three Kijin, and the slime sitting in Shion's arms, were there wanting to join him.
"Ah, perfect timing." Kaen said. "The four of you, follow us. We need you at our side to greet the envoy."
"Good idea to have a group. We don't know what's gonna happen." Benimaru said. "Which only leave one question, are we dealing with alleys, or enemies?"
At the entrance to the village, Kaen and the group saw that there were at least over a dozen or so Lizard Men in front of them in the group accompanying the envoy. But they couldn't see who was supposed to be greeting them.
"Which one's the envoy?" Rimuru questioned.
"I think we're about to find out." Kaen said, as the Lizard Men guards began striking the ground with the back ends of their weapons.
The Lizard Men parted as one Lizard Man with hair, riding some sort of reptilian creature like a steed, came forward.
"Talk about your dramatic entrance." Rimuru sighed.
The Lizard Man on the steed raised his fist, signaling for the others to stop, as he jumped from his steed, and landed in front of the group.
"Ho there fellow monsters, I am Gabiru of the Lizard Men." Gabiru said. "From now on, you will all serve under me, and consider it a great honor."
"Yay, sir Gabiru." One of the Lizard Men cheered as all the guards clapped, while two of them were occupied using reflective shields to give Gabiru a spotlight.
"Benimaru." Kaen said. "You might wanna hold Shion back, before she kills the envoy, or worse Rimuru."
"I'm not gonna kill him." Shion said. "I'm just gonna break a few of his bones."
"No." Kaen stated. "Let's just talk this out."
"Fine." Shion huffed.
"You said your name was Gabiru correct?" Rigurd began. "This request to serve under you seems a little sudden."
"Seriously, are you really gonna make me spell things out for you? You must have heard the rumors by now." Gabiru said.
"You mean about the Orc Army? We know of it, in fact we have several survivors of their rampage in our village already." Kaen said.
"Seems like one of you has some brains at least. Yes monkey man that is correct, they're trying to take over the Great Forest of Jura. Which is why it would be prudent for you to come and fight under me." Gabiru said.
"Okay, now I'm gonna kill him." Shion said, being held back by Benimaru and Hakurou, while Rimuru jumped to Rigurd's shoulder.
"I, the illustrious Gabiru can protect you." Gabiru stated, the spotlight returning to him. "Serve me, and you weaklings will have nothing to fear from the Orcs."
"Benimaru, Hakurou…" Kaen began, as he stepped forward. "Keep holding Shion back. I got this."
The group looked at Kaen, before they looked at one another and did as the Saiyan commanded, tightening their grip on Shion, with Rimuru wrapping her up in steel thread for good measure. Almost instantly, Kaen was in Gabiru's face, and bending his neck down to look right at him.
"Do any of us look weak, to you?" Kaen questioned. "Call me a monkey again, and you'll be sent home in a box."
"I see you have a warrior among your ranks." Gabiru said, looking around Kaen to the others.
"Uh, that's actually our leader." Rigurd said. "Lord Kaen is the one in charge of everyone in the village, so it's his final say on whether or not we serve under you."
"If it's true the Orcs are invading the forest, then it wouldn't hurt to at least form an alliance. However, what one should really fear is not a competent enemy, but an incompetent ally."
"Wise words my Lord." Hakurou said.
"So… I have been told there are some among you who've managed to tame Direwolves." Gabiru said stepping back away from Kaen, the Saiyans eyes ever following him. "Those of you who have, will be my officers. Go forth and fetch them for me."
"Stop pissing him off dude." Rimuru said, holding Kaen back with bundles of steel threads wrapped around his forearms.
After everything settled down, and Kaen was calm again with the Saiyan back with his group, he spoke up.
"Listen, we didn't tame the Direwolves. I just made them into our allys." Kaen explained.
"You, the muscle bound oaf? Come now, don't be ridiculous." Gabiru said.
"Ranga." Rimuru called for his Tempest Wolf, with a bit of irritation to his voice.
"Yes, Master." Ranga said, jumping out of the slimes shadow at his full height.
"This guy wants to talk to you, please hear him out." Rimuru said.
"Right." Ranga said, before using the skill Menace, to intimidate the Lizard Men, but the only one not affected by it, was Gabiru.
"Wait, was he always that big?" Benimaru asked.
"Yep. That's Ranga's true size." Rimuru said. "It's a little more suited for getting a message across to unwilling listeners."
"My Master has ordered me to hear what you have to say. Go on, I'm listening." Ranga growled.
"So does that mean you're the leader of the Direwolves?" Gabiru questioned.
"Wow, the other Lizard Men are cowering in fear of Ranga's Menace skill. I'm actually impressed that idiot isn't soiling himself." Kaen said.
"Still dumb as a rock though." Rimuru added.
"Your coat is beautiful, your eyes so keen, it's obvious that you're a magnificent creature." Gabiru said. "An' yet… you debase yourself by choosing to serve a pitiful little slime?"
"Excuse you?" Rimuru questioned in frustration, while Ranga growled in anger towards the insult to his Master.
"My dear friend, I worry you may have been deceived." Gabiru continued. "But fear not, what this slime has done to you is truly unforgivable. So I shall defeat him for you." He declared as his men began cheering for him.
"You must be joking." Ranga said, a menacing red aura surrounding him. "You dare to insult my Master? The Master my Lord Kaen assigned me to, who I love unconditionally every day?"
"Dumb move." Rimuru said. "Rest in pieces Gabiru."
"Oh hey, what are you guys up to?" Gobta questioned, coming up from behind them.
"Gobta?" Benimaru questioned with a gasp.
"Whoa, I thought you died." Rimuru said.
"Come on, why would you think that?" Gobta questioned. "I'm as strong as a Bull Dear."
"Looks like Shion's cooking gave him Poison Resistance." Kaen said.
"That's cool. I don't even have that skill, I'm actually kind of impressed." Rimuru said.
"Ranga." Kaen called to the Tempest Wolf. "Heel."
Ranga stopped as he was about to chomp down on the Lizard Man, before backing up, and sitting down next to Kaen, before the Saiyan began scratching him behind the ear, making him lay down.
"While Rimuru may be his master. I am the Alpha." Kaen hissed. "I'll be you opponent Gabiru. If you can defeat me then our village will consider joining you."
"Sure I'll fight you. I take it the poor little slime can't take the shame of losing?" Gabiru questioned, as one of his soldiers tossed a trident spear to him. "Whatever spares his pride."
Kaen just stood there as Hakurou reffed the match.
"An' begin."
Gabiru began charging at Kaen, spear aimed to impale his chest.
"What's he doing? If he doesn't move then he'll…"
"No, he'll be fine." Rimuru said as Gabiru stabbed the Saiyan, before the sound of something shattering echoed through the air.
Gabiru' eyes were wide in shock, as he dropped what remained of his trident spear, with the shards falling to the ground at Kaen' feet. The Lizard Man just looked up at him in fear, before Kaen buried Gabiru's head into the ground, with a single punch that came at lightning fast speeds out of nowhere. This left the other Lizard Men in utter shock, and disbelief at what they'd just witnessed, before Ranga spoke up.
"Your leader is defeated." The Tempest Wolf declared.
"If you want our towns help in defeating the Orc Army, I'm willing to consider it. But we won't serve you. Take your leader and leave for today." Kaen declared making his way back to the others, just as the Lizard Men picked up their downed prince.
"Well, this isn't over."
"Yes that's right, you haven't seen the last of us."
"We'll… We'll remember this." One of them said as they ran off.
"They're acting like a bunch of school yard bullies who just got a harsh reality check." Rimuru stated.
"How are you not dead from that attack hitting you?" Rigurd asked.
"That's easy. My suit's made of near indestructible material. It'd take a hell of a lot more then his weak spear to even cut a hole in it." Kaen said. "But right now, our priority should be how we need to plan our next move."
~Town Hall That Night~
"There were approximately 200,000. It appears the main army's marching north along the river." Souei reported. "An' my guess is, based on the movements of the base army, and the detached force, they'll regroup in the marshlands."
"Wait, are you talking about the ones east of here in the Lizard Man's territory?" Rigurd questioned.
"That's about accurate." Souei confirmed.
"200,000." Kaen said, concern clear and evident in his voice. "That's such an obscene number, I can't even imagine it."
"The question is though, what exactly are these Orcs after, with building an army so large they're numbers alone would overpower an Ogre village?" Rimuru questioned.
"Who knows?" Kaijin said. "To be honest, Orcs aren't very intelligent monsters to begin with."
"Which means that if there's something other then their instincts driving this invasion, then it would also be safe to assume that someone is backing them both financially, and tactically." Mina said. "It would certainly explain their full plate-male armor."
"But who would want to control Orcs?" Kurobe questioned.
"Someone like a Demon Lord?" Kaen suggested, before looking to the Kijin. "It could even be Gelmud. He tried to recruit you, so it's possible it's connected. But it's just speculation at this point. I don't even have any proof to base that on."
'An' even if it's a Demon Lord, that's doesn't mean it's the one who made Shizu suffer either.' Rimuru thought.
"I can't speak about the whole Demon Lord part, except…"
"Except?" Kaen repeated.
"Except that it would confirm my suspicions. An Orc Lord." Benimaru said.
"Wait, you mean the unique monster that only appears once every few centuries?" Kaen questioned.
"Yes, I can't imagine that an ordinary Orc would be capable of leading such an impressive army." Benimaru said.
"It's the only thing that seems to glue all the pieces together." Mina said.
"An' I did say it was a possibility we shouldn't overlook." Kaen added.
"We should lean on the side of caution." One of the Goblin Elders said. "We can't afford mistakes."
"I agree." Rimuru confirmed.
"I second the notion of airing on the side of caution." Mina stated.
"As good as that is, it doesn't exactly solve our problems." Kaen said. "Whether we air on the side of caution or not, this army will eventually make their way here. What needs to be done here, is quite simple. An' it's possible only two of us in here are capable of pulling off such a feat."
"You're talking about yourself, and Rimuru I take it?" Mina asked.
"I am." Kaen nodded.
"M'Lord." Souei began, as something caught his concern. "One of my body doubles I had scouting the area has had an encounter."
"What's wrong? Is it a battalion of Orcs?" Kaen questioned.
"Someone's requesting an audience with you, M'Lord." Souei said.
"Who is it?" Mina asked.
"I've already had my fill of weirdo's for today because of Gabiru, I don't want anymore surprises." Kaen added.
"Well, I'm not sure I'd call them a weirdo, but it is a rather unusual encounter." Souei stated. "You see, it's a Dryad."
"A what?" Rigurd inquired.
"Did you say a Dryad?" Rimuru questioned.
"It's been several decades since we've seen a Dryad, I wonder why one would just suddenly appear now." Rigurd said.
"Most likely they're concerned about the Orc Army approaching the Great Forest of Jura." Kaen said. "That's be my best guess anyway. Okay, Souei bring her in."
"Right."
After letting his body double know to let the Dryad through, a forest green light began to emanate from the center of the table, and from that light, a flower sprouted and grew into full bloom until it burst open, revealing a semi-translucent woman with long green hair, wearing green and white robes, and vines circling her body, while facing Kaen directly.
"Greetings, Ruler of Monsters Monkey King Kaen, and all of those who are loyal to him. Please pardon my unannounced visit. I am a Dryad from the Forest of Jura, please call me Treyni." The Dryad said, as she introduced herself. "It is a pleasure to meet you."
"My name is Kaen Yagi, Leader of this village. It's also a pleasure to meet you." Kaen said, getting to his feet and bowing to her in respect. "What may I ask, brings you to our humble little village?"
"I have come, because I need to request a favor from you." Treyni said.
"A favor?"
"Kaen Yagi, as the most powerful being in the forest, please help us." Treyni requested. "We need you to defeat the Orc Lord, and restore balance to nature."