Hello! Sorry about the wait!
Magic sense had activated quickly when the 3 days were up, immediately returning her senses. Rimuru feels as though she would cry. She didn't want to go through that again. Her focus came into someone holding her. Who was this? It was a much taller version of a female goblin. Rimuru stared. Curvy and busty like a female human actually. The goblin noticed her awaken and gasped excitedly. "Lord Rimuru! Your finally awake!" She was set down and the goblin female left the small hut. Rimuru stared at the door waiting. A hulking version of a goblin came inside and bowed. What in the world?
"Lord Rimuru! We have awaited your awakening!" She stayed still and stared. Hah? Suddenly the Great Sage decided it was a good time to let her know what was going on. Apparently the goblins had evolved into hobgoblins and goblins. This resulted in the average height of about 4ft to change for 6ft. Their figures were much more human like in height and the way they filled out. The buff goblin that just greeted her was the actual elder! The one who was all old and about to fall over. She was in awe truly. She was escorted outside the hut and a giant wolf ran to her side. Holy hell- "Master! I am glad you are awake!" The wolf sat perfectly still in front of her, his tail wagging hard enough to kick up wind. That star on the head... "Ranga?" The wolf nodded excitedly. His tail picked up speed and caused the hut next to them to topple over. Dang they really needed to fix the housing.
She was led to an open area where an enormous feast was prepared. Goblins filled the area quickly, excited to see their master awake. Rimuru felt in over her head a bit. She was glad she could help them, but there was so much lacking. She eyes the tattered clothes. They seemed to lack any shame. Clothing would definitely need to be updated. Her gaze moved from the gathering of goblins huts. They were so unstable they looked like one could fall any moment. But it seemed like they had the hunting part down.
They had piles of food, as well as multiple small fires with food cooking still. It seemed their hunting skill might be even better now that the wolves were helping them. Wait just a moment. She looked closer. All the wolves had evolved, not just Ranga. She turned to Ranga who was dutifully alert beside her, like a trained dog. "Ranga, how come the others evolved when I only named you?" The giant wolf suddenly shrunk so he wasn't towering over her any longer. Instead he was now the size of a deer. "Our pack functions as one. When you named me, you named the entire pack. We are now Tempest wolves."
Rimuru felt relieved to a degree. She wasn't sure if she was up to naming all the wolves that had survived after her rest. The goblins seemed to be waiting for her actually to begin their feast. "Let's celebrate everyone's evolution and the unification of wolves and goblins!" The goblins whooped and hollered and the wolves howled. Everyone began to tear into the prepared meat. She tossed up a piece of meat to Ranga and he caught it and placed it under his paws pulling the meat from the bone. Oh how she missed eating meat. The chief, Rigurd, sat next to her eating as well. They looked as if they were enjoying every bit of it. Oh how her jealousy flared.
The day passed quickly with cheerfulness in the air. Rimuru waited until the next day to call a meeting with everyone. She sighed as the group of goblins and wolves sat patiently in front of her again. They were much too respectful. They didn't even utter a complaint. Not that she didn't mind, but it felt off. Fake almost. But maybe that was her human mind speaking. With beasts in this world, the weak submitted to the strong. In this case she was the strong. But if someone stronger than her came along, would they quickly change sides. Was the loyalty they showed her only power deep? Or were they truly grateful to her for helping? Time would tell.
"There are a few things that concern me in this village. Clothing, security, shelter, and food. These are necessities. Your clothing is a matter of presentability and protection. The barrier around the village will need to be secured and a group of scouts will need to keep watch. Your guts are falling to pieces and we need to find a way to have stable shelter that can endure the weather. I'm not sure how you've even survived till now… Anyways, lastly is food. You seem to be able to hunt extremely well, especially after evolving, but we need a better system. Taking too much meat from the forest can deplete the resources quickly. I'll show you how to help with that issue as well."
The goblins nodded readily; they would accept any help from their master. The wolves stayed attentive as well. As soon as she sent them in their way everyone started to try and follow her instructions. She rode on top of Rangas form, who had shrunk quite a bit for her to be comfortable. Rimuru tried setting separate groups for each thing. The first had been the clothing. The females who originally made their clothes when they were smaller had grouped up along with a couple of males who had assisted. Rimuru attempted discussing with them how they made their clothing. They basically just draped the hides over themselves, which may have worked in their smaller forms but not now. Unfortunately neither they nor Rimuru knew exactly what to do for proper clothing.
She moved on to another small group that helped with food. They told her what they were capable of hunting wise, so she assisted in making a game plan on how much food would be needed for the village daily. She would save the farming for later after things settled down a bit. Next was the barrier which was going moderately better but still somewhat turning out to be a fluke. They didn't have the proper knowledge on how to fit pieces together ect. All she could do to help was to strengthen it with her threads. Finally she reached the portion where they were trying to build a better shelter. Damnit. This really didn't seem to be working out. They simply didn't have the skills and her knowledge was way too limited.
She must be showing her displeasure because some goblins looked incredibly nervous, glancing at her continuously while trying to keep the shelter from falling. Rigurd looked especially embarrassed. He glanced between Rimuru and the makeshift house falling over. "Lord Rimuru, I'm not sure we're doing this right…" Well they were doing what they could. "I believe at this point, we need help. We don't have the necessary skills to build and create what's needed." She thought since she had experience she would be able to at least explain the architecture to Rigurd, but it seems that she over estimated their abilities.
That was entirely her fault. They had no experience, so they were actually doing amazing for what she had described. It was just missing the proper knowledge on how to proceed. Rimuru hopped off of Ranga and sighed. Ranga laid down next to her and she slipped between his paws so she was resting under his head but between his front paws. In her opinion it was incredibly comfortable. She wished she had hands to feel his soft fur. "We definitely need some skilled workers." She mumbled. Rigurd perked up. "Skilled workers? That sounds like someone we have traded with in the past. They were dwarves."
Dwarves…? Okay so that was absolutely wonderful. She expected there may be more races she was familiar with then. How did her world even have ideas of the same species? Weird. Anyways maybe she could work with this. "Rigurd, do you by chance know where they were from?" Rigurd nodded and motioned North. "I believe they were from the dwarven kingdom. It's along the river to the North. By foot it takes around two months to reach the Kingdom. But since we are partnered with the wolves, that time should be shorter." Rimuru would be smiling if she could. That was perfect. If she could recruit a few dwarves, then that would be wonderful.
"I would like to negotiate with them. Rigurd, will you make preparations for me and a small group to leave in a few hours?" It shouldn't take long at all. They only had to prepare a few things as they could hunt along the eat for food. She hoped good things came from this. "Rigurd I reappoint you as the head of the village! When I'm gone, I'm counting in you to take care of everyone!" Rigurd saluted looking proud. He flexed his muscles. "Yes Lord Rimuru! I will make you proud!" She held in a laugh as he proudly showcased his muscles. Well going from a frail old man to what he was, that's to be expected. They should be fine while she is gone.
Three hours passed quickly and soon enough Ranga, and 5 hobgoblins and wolves were speeding away. She had nearly squealed when Ranga had taken off, she thought she was about to be thrown off of him with how fast he ran. She quickly secured herself with thread. They traveled at high speeds. She focused behind her to check on everyone. She wasn't exactly sure how they were stamina wise. Suddenly Great Sage reminded her of her new skill she had received when eating the previous wolf a few days back. Telepathy! How could she forget such a useful thing existed? 'How are you guys? Do we need to rest?'
Five heads turn toward her, confused at first. The wolves continued on, as that skill was something they were familiar with. Rigur nodded towards her. "We seem to have more stamina after evolving! So we can continue for longer!" He tried yelling over the wind. Thankfully she still heard him. They traveled through the night until morning came. They finally decided to rest and found a small secluded cave a little ways away from the river they followed. Currently she sat around a small glowing fire as the other goblins and wolves enjoyed a meal they had caught earlier. Truthfully she could only remember Rigur, Gobta, and Ranga's name.
She would feel horrible if she asked the others name especially since she, well, named them. She had a good memory but it definitely wasn't perfect. Especially with all those weird names she pulled out of thin air. She chatted with them all for a bit before they decided to lay down to rest. Rimuru was surprised with how easy chatting seemed to be with everyone. She quite liked socializing. She sighed. Now she was bored. With the wolves and hobgoblins resting she was tempted to go out and mess around while they slept. It would probably be a bit longer than expected. After all, they had been going non-stop for a while now. Despite the heightened stamina that would take its toll on anyone not used to the fast paced travel.
She tried to stay put. She really did. She tried meditating and listening to the drops dripping from the caves walls. Tried focusing on the bats faint wings beating further down the caven the flames sizzled and a piece of would would snap, sending a spray of sparks into the air. The fire was pretty, so she zoned in on it. Unfortunately it only lasted a few hours and even with her stocking it, it was dying out. They needed more wood. She decided she would go hunt for some more wood so they didn't get cold, despite knowing it would only be a couple of hours longer before the awoke.
She shifted her body into the form of a snake. She shrunk to about a few feet. This would keep her small and less noticeable. She revelled at the feeling of grass and dirt against her scales. She had been in her original form for only a few days but it felt like ages. She was so used to shifting between forms, that the lack of sensation and maneuverability had apparently been building up her frustration. A small tongue flickered out in pleasure. She mosied around absorbing twigs and small branches as she went. She grew larger, absorbing larger branches as well. It would be best to pick up much more than they needed, as it may be useful in the future.
She would go back to check on the group periodically, making sure the fire was kept lit, but small. Eventually, when it looked like the sky was going to lighten soon, she stopped. Rimuru shifted into a much larger snake size and began hunting. Surely she could help find some food for them before they woke. It didn't take long at all to come across a small herd of deer like animals. Their forms looked much like deer, but obviously different. They had long tails about half their body length. The tails, still covered in fur, had sharp spikes sticking out in rows. It would surely hurt to be hit with one of those.
She inwardly grimaced. Mouths opened far too wide, showing rows of sharpened teeth. The mouths opened wide and a long tongue extended out, wrapping around bunches of grass, flowers, and leaves. What even? They had features of a predator. They seemed like omnivores as they were eating plant life. Those teeth and those tails looked like they could tear into something. She slithered closer, only to quickly freeze in place. A head rose up and it was obviously the buck or male of the group.
He looked similar as the others, but giant antlers raised with his head. They looked deadly. Sharp like knives. She swore it looked like some old rotten flesh hanging over one of the points, stuck. The deer looked straight at her. She stayed still as it rose on it's back legs and its hooves elongated into two sharp claws. Its legs became more arm-like, and the back legs grew more muscle and shifted as if to better stand on. The buck opened its large maw and screamed. She hissed at the sudden loud noise. What in the fuck. The other deer looked in her direction and she heard low hissing and grunts coming from them, but they stayed where they were.
The buck on the other hand charged her. Instead of using his horns, he tried swiping at her with his claws and stomping on her with his back hooves. She shrunk to evade him and slithered up his hind legs. Quickly she wrapped herself around his throat. She paused when claws almost sliced her off. Instead of blood, her blue slime form oozed out of the wound. Interesting. She opened her own mouth wide and sunk her fangs into the back of the males neck. She injected pure lethal poison. Within seconds the male had slumped to the ground. The other deer hissed and chattered as they ran away.
She would have killed them but she was much too interested in her catch. She quickly grew larger so she could eat her meal properly. It only took a few seconds for her to devour the large body. For a second she felt content. Feeling the warmth inside her if only for a split moment before it dissolved. Well she had gone out to hunt for the others, but this catch would be hers. She wasn't exactly expecting any interesting skills, but instead had received another 'Sense' ability. It was so she could sense those with an intent to kill around her. That was actually pretty unexpected. Of course with the 'Mimic' skill she could use its form. She shifted back into a slime.
Rimuru wished she would have eaten at least a couple of the others. Then she would have been able to feed her group. She felt better though. Somewhat happier after eating the beast. She made her way back to the cave, as the sun was beginning to peak over the horizon. She had been gone much longer than she thought. When she reached the cave, everyone was awake and chattering outside the cave. "Lord Rimuru! We were waiting on you to return before leaving. We figured you were busy." Rigur smiled and waved at her. Ranga was quick to come to her side. He looked like he was pouting at having been left. She wished she had hands so she could squish his cute face between her hands and coo at how precious he was. Ranga was a good boy.
"Thank you for waiting! I was exploring a bit before we headed out. Is everyone ready? I didn't mean to take so long." She hopped on Rangas back and burrowed herself in his fur before securing herself with thread. "We were getting kinda worried honestly- gah!" Gobta got smacked in the back of the head by a smiling Rigur. "Nonsense! We knew you would return when you were ready to set off. We are ready when you are." Gobta mumbled and climbed onto his wolf. Rimuru snickered. It only took a moment of everyone securing themselves before they set off.
It took a total of 2 more days before they reached the kingdom. Rimuru had felt like the others felt far more comfortable around her. They still viewed her as a leader, but a friendly one. It made her fuzzy inside almost. Rimuru stayed on Ranga as the others came off the wolves. They were sitting just off the treeline before a large wall. Guess security was incredibly tight. "I think I'll only be taking Gobta with me." Ranga whined. "Stay...here?" Rimuru's non-existent heart melted. "The clothes some of you are wearing aren't exactly suitable for the public. And wolves will be far too eyecatching. I don't want to draw too much attention if possible."
Unsurprisingly the other goblins and wolves looked sad. They had traveled all this way after all. Gobta looked torn between excited and anxious. He had told her about the last time he was there afterall. It would seem despite all races being allowed entry, that didnt stop the discrimination. If there were a group of them it would lead to more eyes and possibly more stressful situations that she wished to avoid if possible. "The rest of you should camp here until we return." She and Gobta descended down the hill and she chuckled when Ranga howled quietly behind her and Gobta. "Stay safe you two!" Rigur hollard towards them. Well hopefully they could get in and out fairly quickly. She eyed Gobta's nervous form. Hopefully nothing too bad happens.
Should I cut these paragraphs in half? let me know if the reading style is a bit much.
Also, I'm thinking of skipping over some stuff. I mean I really dont plan on changing much so next chapter start will def be after their entry.
Feedback? I'm a hoe for reviews. lol