Chapter 5
The shogun of the ogre clans sat at the place of honor at the gathering hall. Tall and massively built, with a few streaks of fiery red in his otherwise white hair, he still gave a fierce impression. Although he was the leader of all the ogres, each clan had a decent amount of independence, and he was more of an official representative of his kind rather than a single ruler. Still, the shogun's position gave enough power for his clan to have the best lands and the right of being hired first if they chose so.
The tensions between the clans had risen recently, as many had returned home after their contracts with the kobolds expired, and with the kobolds being the largest purveyors of their mercenary services, the infighting had ramped up. The news the returning ogres had brought was disturbing. A new force that called itself Tempest had announced itself with a display of power unseen for a long time.
A few of the clan leaders simply refused to believe that the ones serving the majins controlling Tempest were strong enough to execute an ogre with a single strike.
Beside the shogun sat his second in command, a named ogre, Mundro. He was a black-haired ogre with a few streaks of white in his long hair and a slim build. He didn't look as impressive as the Shogun, but his speed and fighting power were unprecedented. Since no ogre could best him, Mundro was the next in line to hold the shogun position. Although considered stronger than the shogun, he was not a popular choice for the simple reason that a named monster would hold higher loyalty to the one who named them over his own people.
The shogun's eldest son held the popular vote but lacked the strength to best Mundro in single combat. There was a hope that one day he would grow strong enough to replace his father, but for now the chances were not in his favor.
Beside them sat four leaders of the strongest clans, making up the ogre council.
Besides the usual job of listening to the petitions of lesser clan leaders and resolving disputes without full-on clan wars, today the council was waiting for an envoy from Tempest.
The shogun listened to the others bicker about the possible outcome of this encounter in silence. Mundro's proposition to contact his master and ask for protection was shot down immediately, as a self-respecting ogre would rather end his life than beg for protection. There was merit in serving stronger monsters, but it should be done with pride, in the birthright of an ogre, not the sniveling submission of a lesser being.
As the arguing ramped up, the shogun spoke in a tone that crushed all opposition. "Silence! We will hear out the envoy and then decide what to do."
The first thing the shogun noted, when the envoy arrived, was just how powerful the deadman was. In a clear display of power, Tempest had sent a messenger that easily rivaled the strongest of ogres, if not surpassed them.
The lich bowed and said, "I have come on behalf of the Supreme Overlord of the Tempest Hegemony, Momonga Tempest, honorable Shogun."
"What does Tempest want with us?"
The lich took out a letter and extended his hand for someone to pick it up. Mundro rose from his seat and did the honor of taking the letter to the shogun. After quickly skimming over it, the shogun said, "We care little for politics. If Tempest wants to hire ogres, they can freely do so. Kobold merchants are welcomed as they always were. Tell your masters we will not bend the knee to them if they ever try to fight us."
"I will report your terms to Lord Momonga." the lich said with a raspy voice. Its aura clearly started to unnerve the leaders as they looked at one another and shot glances at the guards stationed at the sides of the meeting room.
"If there is nothing else, you may go." the shogun said, waving the deadman off with a casual motion of his hand. He needed to show his authority not only to the envoy but to the clan leaders as well. If they would so much as suspect him of growing weak, the demands to replace him would be immediate.
"Farewell, honorable Shogun." the lich said and departed.
Only then could the other clan leaders read the contents of the letter. Why would such a powerful force such as Tempest use the sniveling prattle of the lesser beings was beyond him, but likely they wanted to appear weak to lull the neighbors into a false sense of security.
"Who is getting the first offer rights if they are to hire our kin?" Mundro asked, seeking the answer to a question all of them wanted to know.
"We follow the usual hierarchy. I doubt they would waste money on us. With such a strong envoy, they likely have no need for mercenaries."
With things like trade left for each individual, the topic of kobolds was not worth discussing. As the council descended into its usual bickering, the shogun silently listened, only rarely giving his input. With the recent turbulent events, his mind was dwelling on his family again.
It took a few hours to finally be free of the leader's duties, and he could return to his clan's dwelling in the stronghold. With over eighty members, they were one of the bigger clans and the supposed merge with one of the lesser clans was planned in the future when his son would choose a wife from the daughters of the lesser clan leaders. Luckily, he only had a son and a daughter so his clan would not split upon his retirement.
The wise council was not a place he wanted to stay in, so his plans for the future were to take a similar position to the old sword ogre and teach the younger generation till his inevitable death.
When he reached the clan's dojo, a commotion was heard from outside. The excitement rose in him as he hoped to have a few good sparring matches before the end of the day. As usual, his son was getting most of the attention from the onlookers. The red-haired, giant ogre was among the best his kind could offer and was sparing with a smaller blue-haired ogre, who was a close childhood friend, and his son's personal bodyguard. The shogun saw his daughter sitting in an honored spot reserved for members of his clan, observing the fight with visible excitement.
The shogun sat down in his spot to watch the fight as well. Although the blue-haired ogre was a fine and agile fighter, he was no match for the son of the shogun and predictably hit the hard dojo floor after being struck with a practice sword.
The shogun grinned and picked up the practice sword. "Let's see how well you fare against a real opponent." he taunted his son.
The younger ogre snarled and charged, performing a series of swift and precise strikes. Yet it was not enough to even budge the much more experienced opponent, as the shogun parried most of the attacks with relative ease.
"Is this all you can do? Maybe I should have challenged your sister if I wanted a real fight!" he said with laughter.
'The boy is getting stronger. A few more years and I will be no match for him.'
The taunt surely hit the younger ogre hard, as he attacked again with even more ferocity. It still wasn't enough to make his father yield and, with an agitated mind, he made a mistake and left himself open for a brief moment. With the shogun masterfully taking the opening and hitting his son in the stomach with the dull practice sword, the young ogre dropped to his knees, holding himself up with one hand and panting.
"You let others control you through emotion. You can't become a leader if mere words make you clumsy."
The young ogre groaned both in pain and in response to his father's lecturing, and said "Thank you father for showing me my weaknesses."
"You can't afford to be careless. I want you to not only lead our clan but become the next shogun as well. Get up!" he barked the order at his son, who slowly stood up, still in noticeable pain. With determination, he grabbed the sword again and went back on the offensive.
No matter how many times he would have to lose to his father, he would not stop and complain. For his kind, strength was everything, and as a son of a clan leader, it was not only his birthright but the utmost duty to lead by example.
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The recent events concerning the territories around the protector's cave had shaken the forest wardens to the core. While Treyni had found someone interesting in the form of an elven boy, the rest of the creatures didn't give a sense of better times coming. The demon who appeared next to the elven boy in particular felt like an immense threat when she covertly observed him.
The demon whose malice was practically dripping out of him was hiding his power, but she felt glimpses of it nonetheless. For some strange reason, the boy was hiding his power as well. What was most concerning was that the area this new power controlled was cloaked by unknown means. Nature didn't respond to her calls and only provided darkness when she tried to directly observe through the senses of the trees and grass.
Despite her role as the representative of both the dryads and treants, she performed the same duties as everyone else. Even though dryads and treants could be almost considered the same species, the treants were much more united with their trees and considered them their core bodies, rarely moving and relying on the dryads for protection and support. Dryads, on the other hand, used their trees for rest and rejuvenation, spending most of the time in their spirit form. What's more, the treants were considered exclusively male, while dryads were female.
Treyni was the official chosen representative. Despite that, she chose to perform her daily tasks just like everyone else. Cutting off dead branches from treants and regular trees, gathering and drying the nourishing fruit just in case they needed to trade or save denizens of the forest from starving, and helping various animals that lived within the dryad gardens were all part of this.
Her semi-translucent form was that of a beautiful woman in her twenties, dressed in her usual, aqua-colored dress with white sleeves. Same as her sisters, she had green hair and blue eyes. With practiced movements, she was breaking off the dead branches from her own tree while applying magical energy to let new branches grow in their place.
Yet another unpleasant discovery stopped her in her tracks as she sensed a deadman entering their grounds. While nature didn't report any hostility, the undead monsters were practically opposite to her kind. She didn't feel open animosity per se, just preferred to avoid them, not that there were many deadmen within the forest of Jura in the first place.
She quickly teleported to the location of the deadman and asked in an authoritative tone, "For what reason have you entered the treant dwelling?"
The lich politely bowed and said. "I have come on behalf of the Supreme Overlord of the Tempest Hegemony, Momonga Tempest, to establish contact with the venerable dryads."
'Tempest?' She had heard that term. It was the name of the now hidden territory.
"What does Tempest want with us?"
The lich acted just as all the other envoys and presented the letter, waiting for a response. Treyni quickly read the letter, not believing its contents.
"The protector of the forest has given his blessing for Momonga Tempest to rule over Jura? We dryads had guarded the forest on his behalf for centuries! We will not back down without direct order from the Storm Dragon himself."
"Lord Momonga doesn't seek conflict with dryads, but wishes for a peaceful coexistence."
"We have not abandoned our sacred duty, and I will not take just an empty statement about Lord Veldora giving his blessing to Tempest. If Lord Momonga wishes for a peaceful coexistence, I want to see how he rules over his lands."
"That can be arranged. I am authorized to invite an envoy of dryads to visit Tempest and have an audience with Lord Momonga himself."
"Then I will arrive in Tempest next week." Treyni said.
The risk of going there alone was there, but if Lord Veldora had permitted the existence of Tempest, then surely they would not simply try to kill her the moment she arrived. With her being the most powerful of her kind, she was used to being the one who takes the more active duty anyway.
"I will inform my master of your arrival, Lady…" The lich extended his hand in a waving motion towards her.
"Treyni."
"Lady Treyni."
After that, the lich disappeared into the shadows, letting the grass around it breathe freely once again.
Just as the undead disappeared, one of her sisters Trya appeared beside her. "What did the deadman want from us?"
"He was an envoy from Tempest."
"The place with the one who rules nature and that demon? What did he say?"
"Tempest wants to have peaceful relations with us. Their leader claims to have the blessing of Lord Veldora." Treyni said in a tone that betrayed her concern.
"But that's a good thing?"
"I will go to Tempest to see with my own eyes what is going on there."
Trya sighed and said with concern, "We will stand ready if you need help. Don't do anything rash."
"I will not provoke anyone there. If they truly have the blessing of the forest guardian then we have no other option but to treat them with respect."
Lord Veldora had been dormant for centuries, sitting in his prison. Could it be that everything that had happened was his doing? If not for him, she and her kind would not be alive. It was her duty to assist the Storm Dragon however she could. For now, it was time to make preparations in case the leader of Tempest was lying.
Edited by Edgy.