Aghanim's Rubick Chapter 9

Chapter 9:

“So that’s what that whole thing was about.” I mused, tapping my fingers in sequence on my desk, “They are building an army to defend against the orcs.”

“It is likely the Orcs that attacked us were members of this same horde.” Oda spoke, frowning as he held his chin in his hand, “Still… two-hundred-thousand…”

As his voice trailed off, Shingen finished his son’s thought, “It is likely that this has evolved far past a mere Orc General. We are dealing with an Orc Lord.”

Susuru asked for clarification and the answer was not reassuring. Supposedly, an Orc Lord could have multiple Orc Generals underneath them. An Orc army of 5000 by itself led by a General was enough to conquer all the races of the Jura Forest aside from a select few, so having many such powerful monsters running around was mildly concerning.

That’s not even going into this apparent ability for the Orcs to grow stronger as a group by eating and assimilating the beneficial traits of their victims. My ‘War Council’ continued to discuss the ramifications of such a beast, but I had already realised what needed to happen with something like this in play.

Hattori had just finished providing a report, fleeing monsters and animals indicating a disturbance to the east. He had certainly found the source, an army two hundred thousand strong Orcs marching upon the Lizard Man Tribe. They were almost upon the scaled monsters, the scouting a bit late due to our more inwardly focused policies. Something to review, I suppose.

“Two hundred thousand…” My voice was low, but it caught the attention of all present, “Hanako, how many Orcs gather in a single tribe on average?”

“500 for most, 2000 for large tribes.” She responded, looking at me in worry.

I glanced down at the map spread across my table, taking in the vast wastes to the south. Even with such a large expanse… There was only one conclusion.

“This must be all, or at the very least close enough to make no difference, the orcs that were south of the Forest.” I laughed humorlessly, “I knew I would have to make tough choices when I let Hanako talk me into being your leader… But I never imagined I would have to commit a genocide.”

The Oni all looked at each other, confused and concerned over my words, but Susuru reacted rather strongly, “Genocide?! Isn’t that a bit far, Rubick?”

“Susuru,” I sighed, “Look at the map. Think about food availability and population density.”

“That’s…” He sputtered, eyebrows furrowing, “Even then, to go so far…

“Excuse me, Lord Rubick.” Oda spoke up, “What are your concerns? I have never heard of this ‘Genocide’ before.”

“That makes sense. It’s not a common word around here, from what I’ve seen of your history.” I nodded, before staring down at the map as I explained, “A Genocide is the complete destruction of a people or culture. The fact that all of the Orc tribes of the Plains are likely under this Orc Lord means that even if I kill the Orc Lord, the number of them that have marched here means that they will all die, even if I don’t kill them myself.”

“I wonder.” I sardonically questioned, “What would be more merciful, leaving them all to starve or wiping out the Orc race personally?”

“Rubick, those are not the only options!” Susuru exclaimed.

“Really? I am interested in what other plans you are considering. Even twenty thousand Orcs would be enough to severely destabilise the forest, not considering that we have nowhere to put them. We would be outnumbered five to one in our own city if we took them as prisoners, which is just begging for a revolt.” I pressed him, causing him to set his mouth in a frown and look to the floor.

“Lord Rubick.” Hanako spoke softly, “There is no need for you to have to shoulder the burden alone. We are willing to share in the responsibility, this is our home to protect as well.”

“I appreciate the thought.” I spoke, leaning back in my chair and staring up at the ceiling, “But even with the entirety of our warriors participating, it will still be large scale magical attacks that will deal the most amount of casualties. The more people we engage with, the more likely that those same attacks will harm ours as well.”

“Should the Orc Lord himself be felled, the horde will disperse.” Shingen spoke, his serious face staring down at the map, “Lord Rubick is correct. We do not have the means or the capacity to shoulder such an influx.”

“So we have to kill them all?” Susuru was dejected.

“Either that or we keep them as a starving, slowly dying out slave species. That strikes me as even worse.” I confirmed, causing the slime to slump in his seat.

Silence pervaded the room, until Hattori spoke, “The Orcs will strike through the lizard men. They will then likely move on us soon after, the plains near the swamps are the only way to traverse with such a large force.”

“How soon?” I didn’t look at him as I asked.

“Several days. I would hope for six, but expect it to be four.” He answered.

“Not much time to come up with a plan.” Was my response.

“I’m sorry, My Lord.” Shingen apologised, “We would have had more time to react if I had not ordered our scouts to focus on clearing out the area closer to ourselves.”

“Don’t apologise, I agreed and ultimately gave the order.” I lightly chastised, “The bed is made, the only thing left to do is lie in it.”

“Perhaps I might offer some assistance?” An unfamiliar feminine voice called out, causing every monster in the room to draw their weapons and position themselves for a fight.

Swirling in motes of gold, a shining spirit materialised in the room. Wearing a green dress and with long green hair, she brought with her a sense of calm and the scent of nature. Juniper filled the air and a cool, refreshing breeze appeared from nowhere.

“A Dryad!” Hanako identified, her voice filled with awe.

The Dryads were treated as the protectors of the Forest of Jura, inheritors of Veldora’s will. Despite the reverence that most Monsters within the Forest had for them, they hardly ever interceded in any conflicts. They were, after all, the protectors of the Forest, not its inhabitants.

“Indeed.” The powerful tree spirit answered, smiling at the Oni, “I am Treyni, the oldest of the Dryads of the Forest of Jura. Rubick Maelstrom, I have come to beseech your aid.”

“With the Orc Lord, I take it.” I confirmed, receiving a nod from her in return.

“Indeed, the Orc Lord’s victory in this conflict would bring Ruin upon this Forest. As such, I sought you out as the strongest monster within its confines capable of challenging him.” Treyni smiled beautifully, “I must admit, I was worried that someone calling themselves the Grand Magus would be dangerous, but your unwillingness to completely eradicate the orcs speaks well of your intentions. As does your resolve to do so regardless.”

“Coming from such an esteemed lady as yourself, that is quite the compliment.” I answered, narrowing my eyes at her, “I assume that you have a solution to our problem?”

“I do indeed. The Dryads can cultivate the growth of the Forest, allowing for bountiful harvests. Should you kill the Orc Lord, we shall be able to help you feed the survivors.” The Dryad then bowed lowly, “Please, Lord Rubick. We beseech you to save this Forest.”

I stared at the bowing spirit, who the others gathered in the room were staring at in shock. Standing, I motioned for the spirit to rise out of her bow, before I turned to seriously regard the map in front of me.

“Very well. I promised to protect this village and I would do so regardless of your request. However, with your reassurances, we can move without worrying about wiping out an entire sentient race.” I leaned over the map, analysing intently, “Allow us to draw up our battle plans.”

“However,” I was very serious as I looked up into the resolute faces of my War Council, “Just because the Orcs don’t all need to die, do not stay your blades. I would wipe out five times their number before I consider letting even one of my people die.”

They all nodded resolutely in response, although Susuru seemed a bit uncomfortable with my words. It's fine, his idealism is what makes him the perfect Governor. If I have to be the realist in comparison, I don’t mind that.

---XXX---

“I name you Gobsini!” Susuru spoke, causing me to roll my eyes.

I was currently performing our weekly ritual, where I was nearby Susuru as he named the new inhabitants of the town. I had decided to also show up to these regular occurrences, so that any that sought me out for any Magical issues had an easier time finding me. Of course, that was the official reason, but I had my own reasons as well.

Susuru no longer used the ambient Magic to Name monsters. He instead pulled the energy required directly from me, basically acting as a middle man in the process. I was initially worried that this would redirect the loyalty of the newly named monsters to him instead of me, but it seemed that was not the case.

The best analogy, even if it was slightly uncomfortable to think this way, is that to the monsters he Named after I Named him I was a God and he was my Prophet. The worship was not quite religious, of course, but it was the situation that was brought to my mind. My presence at the Namings allowed me to more easily provide the Magic  needed for the Names, as well as observe for any interesting Magic or Skills.

“My Lord.” I heard a gentle voice, causing me to turn to the speaker, “I brought you something.”

Hanako smiled back at me, a steaming tray of treats in her hands.

“Thank you Hanako, please sit with me and have some yourself.” I grinned at her, the Oni girl rolling her eyes at me but following my instruction.

She had given up arguing against me after the first few times this happened. Originally, she had insisted that as the food had been made for me, so I should be able to eat it all. But I had shut that down, remarking that the food tasted better with company. That had got her to stop arguing quickly, but the ingrained customs of her people remained, causing me to have to remind her to join me on occasion.

She did as bid and sat next to me, silently taking one of the baked treats and biting into it, looking down at the table. In contrast to our usual atmosphere, the air around this interaction was stale and awkward. She obviously was thinking about how to phrase something to me. I merely waited, not pressuring her. She would speak when she was ready.

Taking my own bite of the treats, I hummed in appreciation. She was never bad at cooking and baking, all her gifts to me were delicious, but with Susuru’s knowledge she was completely unleashed. I never thought that bean paste could make a good dessert, but I was hardly complaining about being wrong. With the new recipes as her inspiration, Hanako’s food had left the good tier and was fast approaching the domain of godly.

My somewhat whimsical thoughts were broken by her voice, “I’m sorry.”

I tiled my head, turning to regard her with a quizzical look, “For? Why are you apologising?”

“I convinced you to be our protector. I thought you were… You killed those Orcs that were attacking us so easily. But after talking with Susuru and Shizu about how peaceful your world was… I’m sorry I made you fight.” She seemed actually contrite as she explained, bowing her head towards me.

“Don’t apologise for being right. You said that the Orcs were part of something bigger and you were right.” I reached up a hand and tilted her face upward to look into mine, “This is my home as well, now. I’m not just fighting because you convinced me to. Besides, living in perfect peace and harmony is Susuru’s dream, not mine.”

“You don’t want a peaceful life?” She asked, confused, “But you did not want to kill the Orcs?”

“Killing is different, especially when it would wipe out an entire race.” I responded, before letting go of her face causing a look of disappointment to flash across it, “Peace is nice, but it leads to stagnation without any conflict. No innovation, nothing new. ‘Necessity is the mother of invention’ was a phrase back home that I agree with.”

“Of course,” I laughed, “I don’t want all out war. But competition, rivalries? Conflict between individuals, both striving to beat the other and emerge the victor? Why would I want that to end? I am disappointed that the situation with the Orcs is so out of control, but I’m not a pacifist, Hanako.”

“I see.” She whispered, before relaxing her shoulders and smiling widely at me, “Thank you Lord Rubick, for putting my mind at ease.”

“There is no reason to feel guilt.” I said as I reached for another of the pastries, “I do what I wish. If I was truly against it, you would not have been able to convince me. I am here because I want to be, so do not take on burdens you do not need to.”

She nodded, the air between us losing the awkwardness as we enjoyed her treats together. Soon the tray was empty, causing her to stand and move to pick it up. Instead of returning to her home, she instead paused.

“Do what you wish, hmm?” She muttered, causing me to tilt my head.

“Hmm? Did you say some-!” My question was cut off by her lips, the pink haired Oni leaning across the table and claiming mine.

The kiss was chaste, full of meaning. Pulling back slightly, she stared at me seriously with her burning pink eyes, “I think I will start doing the same.”

Without waiting for my response, she whirled on her heels and quickly left before I could recover from the shock of her bold action. Blinking, I realised that the ambient noise of conversation was absent. Turning back to the Naming stage, I saw several monsters and Susuru staring at me intently.

“What are you all looking at?” I asked, emotions turning to irritation.

Quickly they decided to return to their own business, but that still didn’t help me recover my composure.

---XXX---

“The issue is numbers.” The tired voice of the Chieftain sounded, “There is no way we can hold out against such a force, even with the Goblins that Gabiru gathered.”

The Head Guard, his daughter, replied, “The Maze will be enough to delay them considerably, but they have the forces to merely flood the passages until they are successful.”

“And with Starved, any losses they incur will be miniscule, whereas ours will merely make them stronger.” He sighed, “There are times where all that is left is to do your best and be satisfied that you made your enemy bleed. However I do not want this to be the end of the Lizardmen. I want you to take our people who can’t fight and evacuate before the army gets here.”

The Guard wanted to argue, but she knew too well that her father was correct. There was no need for their people to die out here, but the fact that she was being ordered to run away still stung her pride.

“Where would we even go?” She asked, wishing to carry out her orders correctly.

“West. There is a settlement under protection of a powerful Majin, who is called the Grand Magus. I was weary of the rumours surrounding him, but this is no time for hesitation.” Her father replied.

“If you have concerns, I would be glad to answer them.” A refined voice called throughout the room, causing the Guard to draw her sword and interpose herself between the intruder and her father.

“Peace.” Her father said, “An enemy would not announce themselves.”

She didn’t relax, keeping her guard up as the intruder showed himself. The blue haired Oni with his lower face covered emerged from the shadows of the room. Despite being right in front of her, she could not feel a hint of his presence. Her father was right, if he wanted to attack, there was no way they could feel him coming.

“My name is Hattori. I am a loyal servant of Lord Rubick, the Grand Magus.” The Oni spoke, his voice steady and controlled, “I am here to offer you an alliance.”

“An alliance, you say?” Her father did not react facially, but she could see his tail twitch at the words, “What alliance does your Lord wish with us?”

“Lord Rubick wished to assist you with the Orc Army.” Hattori spoke, causing a jolt to travel through her, “He wishes to end the threat here, before it grows any larger.”

“Oh? If he had the power to do so, why would he need our cooperation?” Her father probed.

“He does not wish to come into conflict with your people. Indeed, it would be easier to use you as bait, but my Lord is honourable. Working together does not harm either of us.” Hattori responded, “Besides, if we work together, my Lord’s plan will be more effective.”

“And what is your Lord’s plan?” Her father inquired.

“For you to be the Anvil, and us to be the Hammer.”

She wondered what that meant. As the Oni continued to talk, she found out. She had heard rumours, of course, of the Grand Magus. A being of pure Magic, who could instantly unravel any magical mystery with a glance.

The rumours neglected to mention that he was also a competent general.

For the first time in a long while, she felt hope bloom in her chest.