As everyone was preparing for the upcoming battle, not even half a day had passed when Soei deliveres a telepathic message to rimuru informing him that he met with the Lizardmen's head. He accepted our offer, however, he wishes for us to journey there.
Apparently the reason for Soei speed was shadow motion and its applications, it is really an enviable skill to have. We are quiet a distance away from the marshes, if marching by foot, it would take two weeks; the wolves could over it in three days. that lizard Gabil came riding on some big monster, but we shouldn't arrive before him.
We went to the Blacksmith's workshop for some weapons and kurobe brought out a number of swords, We finally see what we came for.
Benimaru was given an elegant, flowing longsword, Hakuro a large staff with a sword hidden inside similarto the one Kisuke Urahara had, Soei a pair of ninja-style blades. They all looked happy with them, and I could see why—each one was a perfect fit for their owner. Shion was given massive war blade
"For you, Sir Rimuru and Sir Raiden, I got these. They ain't complete yet; this is just the beginning. You talked about a sword with magic ore in it, and that's what I'm aimin' for. Kaijin and I are doin' some research, but we're gonna need a mite more time for it. Until then, if you could get used to this sword…"
Rimuru's was handed a long, straight sword and mine was a 7'2" nodachi. I was the one who requested in this form specifically for two reasons, the first one is that the long nodachi type sword is the form of my Shikai, I wasn't sure if the swords made here are able to transform like an asauchi so I asked them to make it like this just in case. And the second reason is to include more magisteel in the makeup of the sword to accommodate more power. I always joked to myself that I look like Sephiroth from FF7 with that sword.
I kept the sword on my back in a long sheath provided by Kurobe, and with we were all armed.
On our way out, Garm stopped us. Apparently, Mine and Benimaru's outfit were done. Without much ore at hand, iron was in very short supply, so he couldn't provide a full-plate package. We weren't really into that sort of thing anyway, as It didn't go too well with a kimono.
Instead, Kurobe brought over a set of scale mail crafted from monster-harvested materials. The completed version of what he had given Kabal the adventurer before, and an outfit that melded with the wearer's aura as well. Glad to see magisteel was being put to such good use. It was much more sturdily built than the test run, designed to match remarkably well with a kimono. There were pieces for the chest and thighs, as well as gauntlets and shin guards. Benimaru's attire was Red overall while mine was Black with white undergarments Quite similar to a Shihakushō except for the extra pieces of armor.
Rimuru asked him about armor for the rest of the group. "Oh, I'll have Shuna handle that for you all," he replied—apparently, he'd deliver each piece to her once it was done. He really liked having an excuse to see her, I suppose. For now, though, he provided three sets of chainmail for Hakuro, Soei, and Shion. They would wear it directly over their base layers, so it would be well hidden. Garm and Shion had worked closely together on these, too, and they were designed not to distort the look of their outfits at all. Plus, Garm got to hang out with Shion more, which I'm sure was all the inspiration he needed to do such a great job.
The next day, the goblin riders were by and large ready to roll, lined in a perfect row with a week's worth of provisions strapped to their backs. We needed to be quick and decisive in this fight, so They were given only the bare minimum of food. If they are provideda full supply, it'd slow us down too much. Speed would be everything, and if it was called for, we'd need the ability to zoom outta there on short notice. Each rider carried enough food for themselves, and that'd be sufficient.
We figured we might as well get going so we could scope out the geography in advance.
"We've got an orc lord to take down!" Rimuru shouted at them. "Let's make this quick!"
Most of these hobgoblin soldiers were survivors of our first (and last) battle against the pack of direwolves. There were a few newbies, but all were elite troops, each entrusted with a tempest wolf of their own. Morale was high, So off we went, spirits lifted as we made tracks for the marshes.
Three days had passed since we left town. The trees were thinning out, indicating we were near the marshlands. We were ahead of schedule, thanks to keeping our luggage to a minimum. There were no watering holes on the way, so Rimuru supplied the force's water from his Stomach stores instead, and that apparently gave the liquid a strength-boosting, fatigue-reducing effect. It let the wolves run longer with fewer breaks in between.
It makes a lot of sense actually, The water in his stomach must've been packed with magicules, which can affect monsters in all manner of ways. Maybe that morphed the water into some sort of healing elixir.
We made camp to take a rest at the intersection between the forest and the marshes. we decided to scout out the area first to give us an image of the situation.
"I will scope out the area, Sir Rimuru," Soei quickly offered. He was definitely the man for it.
"All right, Soei. Let me know what you find. And try to figure out where the boss of the pigs is, if you can."
I'm sure he could, what with his consummate scouting skills. Once he was off, Benimaru approached Rimuru. "Sir Rimuru," he asked, "is it all right if we go all-out in this battle?"
Looks like he was quite anticipating the upcoming fight.
"Huh? Well, sure, but if I give the signal to retreat, you better follow it, okay?"
Benimaru flashed a fearless smile. "Oh, I doubt you'll need to, my lord! We've made it this far, and we're ready to annihilate them all! Right?"
Shion, meanwhile, was still marveling at her sword, smiling as she whispered "I'll let you crack as many skulls as you want soon" and other creepy reassurances to it. At times, she acted mega-ditzy, and other times she exhibited this serial-killer streak.
Hakuro, for his part, was as calm as always. As serene as a mountain pond, you could say, the sign of a well-seasoned veteran of battle.
Then I heard him whisper, "I do hope some of them will provide a challenge."
Now him too, looks like the only one who was nervous for the upcoming battle is Rimuru.
About an hour into our camping prep, we received a message that soei met a lone lizardman, someone he believes to be a close aide to the chief, being chased by a group of orcs—one high-level orc, plus more under his command. Around fifty in all.
The battle has only just begun, but the outcome is already clear. It would appear one of the higher-level orcs is seeking to torment the lizardman in order to show off his strength.
After asking Soei to Intercept the Orcs, we hurriedly mobilized the group to joined the fight.
I watched as Benimaru and Hakuro led the riders off. I was staying with Rimuru and shion. The riders could handle the infantry-level orcs, but I wanted to see this "high-level" officer for myself gauging his strength should allow me to approximate the strength of the Orc lord
Rimuru mounted Ranga and made a beeline for Soei as I followed him.