Chapter Text
The next day, the red ogre met with Rimuru and Elara. Elara sat to the side where the sunlight streamed through the window, taking in the light. Rimuru in the center of the room while the red ogre stood facing him.
It was Rimuru who began the conversation, “Have you made your decision?”
Not once did the red ogre look away, “The ogres are a warring clan. We aren’t against taking to the battlefield in service to another. If our master is strong, we are all the more pleased to serve them.”
Rimuru listened and nodded in understanding before the red ogre continued, “Can our contract last only until we take out the orc’s leader?”
“You can do whatever you want after that. You can stay and help us build a nation, or you can go on your own way.”
The red ogre let out a breath, like he was bracing himself, before crouching down onto his knee and lowering his head. “I would like to accept the offer you presented last night. We will hereby serve under you and Lady Elara.”
Elara looked over in surprise but Rimuru cut in before she could voice her surprise, “Good.”
She took in the bowed head of the ogre leaders and recalled how before his village had been massacred, he had been a prince. Even now, bowing in submission to Rimuru, there was a noble pride in his spine. But to protect what was left of his people, the ogre had let go of his pride, offering his service to another. As a leader, he was making this decision as someone who had to accept his own weakness. It was an admirable trait.
Rimuru took on his human form, “Lift your head.” Once the ogre had done so, Rimuru continued, “You're all accepted. Call in the others.”
“Yes, sir.”
While they waited for the ogre to return, Elara turned to Rimuru. “You’re in charge here, I really am no leader.”
“You’re a great leader. You took care of the village while I was gone and while I was recovering. Plus, you look after the village without hesitation.”
“Still…I am no warrior. And the ogres are clearly skilled warriors. He said it himself didn’t he? A strong master would make them pleased-”
“Elara.” Rimuru cut off Elara, not unkindly, “Brute strength isn’t the only thing a leader needs. I rely on your council and knowledge. Besides, we’re family now, aren’t we?”
There was a stunned silence while Elara tried to gather her words but Rimuru continued on, “Now, wanna help me come up with names?” The slime gave a mischievous smile.
Elara could only sigh, “Very well.”
With Rigurd standing by the door for officiality's sake, Elara stood beside Rimuru who looked over the ogres. The six ogres all stood before them.
“We’ll give you names to prove you're our subordinates.” As expected, they reacted with shock, only the eldest kept his composure outside of the widening of his eyes.
“All of us?” The red one questioned. It was Elara who answered first this time.
“Every single monster within this village has been named by Rimuru. It’s a bond that ties all of us together.”
“Besides, having no name makes things tough, doesn’t it?” Rimuru asked
“But…” The red ogre trailed off before the pink ogre spoke up. “P-please wait. Giving a name comes with great risks. And to name such superior monsters-”
Rimuru smiles, “It’s fine, really. Don’t worry about it.”
“But…” She continued before Elara spoke up again.
“Do not worry. Rimuru is surprisingly strong, despite his appearance. At most, he will sleep it off while I am here.”
“Or do you just not want me to name you? Elara worked hard helping me think of names you know.”
“That isn’t…” The pink ogre trailed off, not wanting to be rude.
“We have no complaints.” The red ogre stated.
“Brother!”
He continued, “We will gratefully accept your names.”
The elder ogre added in his agreement, “If this is the young master’s will, we accept.”
Rimuru smiled, “Okay let’s get started.” Rimuru moved closer to the ogres.
Notice: The magicules required for naming six high level monsters is greater than what is required for a medium level monster.
Elara withheld her sigh at the information Sage presented to her. Elara had the sneaking suspicion that Rimuru was taking this too lightly as is.
“You are…” Before Rimuru had fully gotten out the new names for the ogres, the slime began to collapse. The names were given out in a mumble and this time, Elara sighed out loud. Once the naming was complete, she picked Rimuru up off the floor. The slime was fully comatose.
“Lord Rimuru!” The ogres shouted in worry but Elara held up a hand.
“Do not fret, we are prepared for these moments. Rigurd, please prepare quarters for our companions. Benimaru, Shuna, Hakurou, Shion, Souei, Kurobe. Welcome to the family.”
While Rimuru regained his strength, life in the village continued on as normal. It was almost seamless how the ogres, now evolved into kijin, blended into the village. Shuna was quickly been accepted by the goblinas and was quickly becoming a favorite. Her skills and knowledge of herbs for cooking and healing were priceless. Kurobe had joined Kaijin, the former having been a blacksmith in the ogre village. Shion, Benimaru, Souei and Hakurou had integrated with the goblin riders and defense force.
From where Elara stood, she could hear the dismayed shouts of Gobta and his friends who had been captured for training with Hakurou. Shion was looking after Rimuru at the moment, and Souei was out scouting. Where Elara’s All Sight was limited to what the light touched, Souei was able to travel through the shadows. Between the two of them, nothing in the forest happened without someone knowing. Benimaru spoke with Rigur, getting the run down about the goblin riders and how security worked within and around the village.
Elara herself stood in what had been fondly dubbed as the Courtyard of Light by the villagers. It was a small grassy area with a table and benches, free from anything that could block the sunlight. It was an area that was first to receive the morning sun, and the last to see the setting sun. On the table sat lanterns filled with light along with a few more empty lanterns, created by Kaijin. One of them was in Elara’s hands.
The elemental had her eyes closed as she concentrated. These would be lanterns Elara inserted with light that would be hung around the village. She gathered the magicules and slowly condensed them to form a solid ball that she carefully grew inside the lantern. When it was finally done, she opened her eyes with a sigh. Day by day her power was surely growing. When she had first tried creating something similar, it been weak and dim before extinguishing itself. Even after she was able to create a stronger light, she had been limited to one or two a day. Now several could be done in just a few short hours.
“Incredible.” Benimaru approached the table, looking at the lanterns with interest. “With these, you are able to see what goes on in the village?”
“To an extent. The images are not as clear as my All Sight or Magical Sense, but if I focus on one, I can sense most of what is happening within the light.” Elara replied.
“Your skills are truly admirable. You take your role as a guardian very seriously.”
Elara shook her head and took up another empty lantern, closing her eyes. “The people here are precious to me. I lost everything once before, and cannot do so again.” She opened her eyes to see another lantern perfectly filled.
“Once darkness falls, my power becomes limited and my sight diminished. These lanterns alleviate that just a little bit. Though I truly hate fighting and am unsuited for combat, I can at least watch for danger before it approaches.”
Benimaru was silent for a while as Elara worked, observing the process. Elara did not mind the company. While Elara truly loved the goblin village inhabitants, the goblins were a chatty bunch. The quiet was a nice change. However, something suddenly caught Elara’s attention, causing the elemental to pause. Benimaru caught the sudden change, but before he could question it, shouts were heard.
“Lady Elara! Trouble! Lady Elara!”
Two goblin riders appeared, out of breath, but Elara was already putting down the lantern she was working on and moving toward the village gate, Benimaru close behind.
“Gobkin, Goblu, let the healers know we’ll be bringing back injured. Gobzin and Gobtaro lead the way. Ranga.”
The leader of the Tempest Wolves appeared from the shadows, “Yes, My Lady!”
As she was climbing onto Ranga, Benimaru spoke up. “Please allow me to accompany you, Lady Elara.”
“Ranga, is that alright with you?”
“Of course!” The kijin climbed onto the enlarging wolf and they set off. As they blurred through the forest, Elara looked up at the sun.
“Lady Elara?” Benimaru questioned from behind her form.
“The sunlight will be gone soon. Ranga, faster!”
“Yes ma’am!”
The forest blurred by at an even faster rate and Benimaru gave a startled shout, holding on to the fur just in front of Elara’s body. Within moments Ranga overtook the two goblin riders who had been leading. Now that they knew the direction, Ranga would be able to do the rest.
“We have surpassed the boundary of my All Sight now and the forest is too dark to use it now. However, it appears a magical beast is causing problems.”
“We are almost there, My Lady. I can smell them.” Ranga informed his riders, and sure enough, moments later they broke through the trees to a decimated clearing.
Souei was holding off a large, wormlike centipede. A few goblin riders assisted the kijin, harrying the beast, while others assisted the wounded.
Elara leapt off Ranga, shouting a command, “Fall back! Shield your eyes!” Instantly the goblin riders darted off, a few covering the heads of their wounded comrades. Souei landed behind Elara, next to Benimaru. Ranga Himself disappeared into their shadows.
The light elemental floated before the large beast, catching its attention with her glow. She held out her arms, as if offering a hug. As it began to charge her, she ignored the shouts of concern from the kijin and spoke to the creature instead.
“I cannot allow you to continue your rampage.”
Divine Raze
Faster than most eyes could see, an intense ray of light shot down from the sky, enveloping the beast. The intense power blew first and debris through the clearing and with a fading shriek, the beast evaporated into nothing. The attack only took moments before it faded away, leaving a scorched crater where the beast once stood and the clearing grew dark. Slowly Elara returned her feet to the ground, the sunlight no longer visible. She put her hands together and bowed her head, praying for the beast’s spirit to rest in peace.
“My Lady!”
“Lady Elara!
“That was amazing!”
“You got rid of the king crawler with one move!”
Ranga reappeared beside Elara, “Well done, Lady Elara!”
“Thank you, Ranga.” She patted his side before turning her attention to the goblin riders, “Gather the wounded, assist any who need it. Gokabin, report.”
A lean hobgoblin with a spear moved towards Elara, “Yes ma’am! We were chasing a herd of cattledeer when we came across the king crawler’s hideout. The cattledeer must have alerted it, and it sprung out just as we passed over. Most of the injuries came from the initial surprise and Mister Souei and the unharmed riders kept it from attacking the injured.”
Elara nodded her golden head, “Well done. Report to Rigur when we return to the village”
Gokabin, saluted and beamed at the praise, “Thank you, Lady Elara!” He quickly dashed off to help the last of the injured.
Elara ran her eyes over the group. A few wolves had been injured but they returned to the shadows for a ride home. Injuries among the goblin riders were mostly minor, with a few injured limbs from the impact. Satisfied, Elara returned to Ranga’s back, Benimaru quickly following suit. Souei disappeared once more into the shadows. More than likely that had been a body double of the kijin.
The journey back to the village was at a slower pace to accommodate the other wolves and goblins' injuries. As they traveled, the sun’s light grew dimmer, and with it, Elara herself lost much of her glow. Without the light to replenish her strength, her form was unable to retain the light of her element. After a while, Benimaru spoke up.
“I thought combat was not one of your skills?” It was asked in curiosity without any judgement or hostility.
“Combat still remains a weakness of mine. That, however, was not combat.”
“What was it then, if not combat?”
Elara looked over her shoulder at the curious kijin, “Absolute annihilation.” She turned her head forward once more before continuing the conversation.
“While there is light, I can draw power from it and use skills of a greater strength. However, without the light, I cannot replenish my own strength, nor can I retain it in the absence of it. My strength rises and sets with the sun.”
Benimaru stared at the elemental before him, whose form was dimming as they spoke.