"It is a pleasure to have you here Queen Harumi. I'll admit when the missive came that a forest nymph wanted to meet with the tribes that lived within the forest of Jura I was sceptical of its authenticity. But it would be absurd to not take a chance if it were indeed true that a nymph had returned to the forest and wanted to take tribes under her" a male elf says as he walks next to Harumi through the settlement. 

Harumi had to admit their home was more advanced than that of most other tribes she had visited. But despite its advancement the people there seemed scared and timid of her party. The air is heavy with fear and distrust making Harumi think there is something more wrong here. 

"Well I knew that there would be some doubts. It's been a very long time since there was a nymph reigning over the area let alone alive. I hope to change this forest for the better and make it a place more prosperous for those who reside within it. I also wish to take in any tribe under my protection if they desire it. I do appreciate you allowing me to come here even with your reservations" Harumi tells him as she puts her earlier thoughts on hold for the moment.

He takes her into a decent sized building and they sit down in a conference room of sorts where he nods to another elven lady who grabs something to drink for the group.

 "Of course. I'm just not understanding why you made the trip out here if I am being completely honest. I had sent back the missive with the blue haired oni that we agreed to join you so I thought there wouldn't be any further contact beyond that" the man says as he takes a drink. 

"Are you though? Being honest" Harumi's question startles him and he chokes on the amber liquid while she continues "It's not honesty I am worried about from you really, it's what you are holding back that is the concern here. The air is pungent with trauma. I want to know what has been plaguing you and your people that has caused such a dreadful feeling to linger here."

The elven man grimaces and stares into the remaining contents of his glass "You see we elves were protected by an illusion barrier that caused confusion and hid our homes. About a hundred years ago the barrier fell. This was at the height of the war between the Mezu and Gozu. We were forced to find a new place to settle but traversing the Jura forest was dangerous due to its expanse and the monsters within it. Some of us tried to settle closer to the human nations and it did not go well. Most of the tribes were captured and sold into slavery and the rest retreated back into the forest. Our luck was still bad even if we were not dealing directly with the humans. Slavers still came within the forest and captured all who were vulnerable. Poachers raided our encampment and bled the surrounding land dry" the man takes a deep breath that slighrtly shudders before continuing. 

"My uncle took over as leader when my father was killed trying to fight off the slavers. We prospered under him but the truth of that prosperity soon came to light. We started to notice that small children who either had no one to care for them or were old enough to go out on hunting and gathering trips were going missing. I led an investigation that dug up the dark reason why we were so prosperous. My uncle was trading the small children to a group of humans and in return they would give him silks, foods, anything they deemed worth the life he was offering. He was dealt with but ever since the settlement has been struggling. It's hard to live a good life in something built on dark deeds and the blood of elven children" As he tells her this she feels sick to her stomach at the thought of slavers coming into her forest and terrorizing the inhabitants.

"Do you know what nation he was selling them to?" Harumi asks, her voice trembling slightly as she has a hard time holding her disgust in. 

"No. The group that we found who was making the deals were just a middle man and kept extremely tight lipped. I could only gather that they were working for a higher power and that just because we wiped out one doesn't mean another wouldn;t take their place"

"Hmm. And I assume the ones you caught are no longer with us" Harumi sighs at the shake of his head her thoughts racing "I know it's a long shot to even ask this and if it even does happen it can be painful but do you have anyone who experienced this that I could talk to?"

"We have one. She escaped after being traded because on one of her captors trips they were ambushed by monsters and she escaped. I will have her brought here" at his words the girl who was serving them bows and leaves the room presumably to fetch the other elven woman. 

The two leaders sit in silence as they await the return of the woman and the door opens causing Harumi to stand up and face the two who enter. Next to the girl stands a young timid elf girl who trembles. Her hair is cropped short and the color of sunflowers petals and her eyes are blue like the waters of the amend river.

 Harumi swallows harshly as she feels the pure torment this elves soul had been put through.

'Notice. This elves soul is severely damaged with emotional trauma' Castiel's voice rings in her mind.

 "Saria, this is Queen Harumi Tempest. She wishes to talk to you about those men that had taken you. She hopes to fight against the ones responsible for this" the elven man says cautiously and Saria's eyes flicker between her and the man at her back unsure. 

"Saria was it? You don't have to talk at all. I wish to read your soul but I will only do so with your consent. I can also heal it if you wish" Harumi says, taking a step forward watching as the girl flinches. "Would you like me to read your soul and heal you?"

The elven girl studies her for a moment before nodding. Harumi slowly lifts her hands letting the girl watch her every move and places them on her temples. She closes her eyes and starts to read the elves' souls. 

Harumi tenses as she witnesses the horrors this girl had gone through and commits the men's faces to memory. Her own soul trembles at the pure agony she feels from the girl's soul and she then starts to heal the scars littering it.

She pulls back barely keeping the tears in her eyes from falling and turns to the man "I need a minute. Elesella will heal whatever physical scars there are. The things she went through can't be erased but this will help her deal with the trauma better. Now if you will excuse me" Harumi swiftly exits the building and takes off running. 

As she gets to a secluded area she collapses to her knees and dry heaves. Tears drip to the ground as she tries desperately to suck in air as she starts to hyperventilate. A gentle hand is placed on her back as Acatae kneels next to her, a worried look on his face.

 "Shh. Just take deep slow breaths" he whispers and consoles her as she starts to weep loudly. 

"She was just a child. How could they?"

"Human's have always been vile. Not all are this way but the majority are corrupted with greed. They want what they don't have and will do whatever it takes to get it. It has always been this way and probably always will" Acatae says and leans his back against the trunk of a nearby tree pulling her between his legs and against his chest. 

"I was once human. Both Rimuru and myself" Harumi whispers her voice muffled by his kimono. Acatae pauses his soothing caress and looks down at her as she stares blankly out at the surrounding trees as she listens to his calming heartbeat. 

"I still have the mind of a human. The emotions of a human and the nature of a human. Both my brother and I do. My brother's unwillingness to harm humans didn't necessarily cause what happened that day but it made things worse. I worry that because I still think like a human I will become just like one. Power corrupts and I hold so much of it" she chokes out and Acatae holds her head to him as she cries.

"Harumi, I can't see you becoming corrupt. Your soul is too pure, too bright. If I thought you were vulnerable to corruption then I would have never given you the body or the powers of a nymph. You care too much about those around you to ever become like that" Acatae tells her and leans his head back staring up at the canopy "Power doesn't corrupt people Harumi. People corrupt power"

"But I am scared, Acatae. I am scared of myself. I hold so much of it and I fear one day it will corrupt me and I will hurt the ones I love"

"The fear people feel is what corrupts power. Fear of the loss of power. Your fear is of the power itself. But if you continue to fear it you hold yourself back and give it the possibility of controlling you. Power is a gift when in the right hands. But it can only continue to be a gift if you use it to protect and serve the innocent. You have an entire group of people who are willing to help you stay on the right path, little moonbeam. As long as you follow your heart and derive the power you hold from the desire to protect those who need it then you will be okay. The way you get power and use it is how you can find yourself and know if you are still good"

Harumi pulls her face away from his chest and looks up at him, her eyes still misty with tears as she thinks on his words. She finally realizes he is right. She must have faith in herself that she will continue to use the power that she holds for good. 

She has to choose that she will not allow herself to become twisted by the power and that the power doesn't control her; she controls it. Acatae pulls her up and she connects three channels of telepathy 'Souei, Ethos, Zarathos can you three hear me?'

'Yes Harumi-hime' the three respond back.

'You are being reassigned. I need you to scour the forest and locate any elven settlements. Don't approach them, just mark them. And if you see any humans acting suspicious and hanging around them I want you to interrogate them and dispose of them if needed' she says her tone stern and leaving no room for arguments. 

She feels surprise coming from Souei before he responds 'What has happened, my luna moth?'

'We have slavers targeting the elves within my forest. I want them gone. I will not allow such filth to taint my home or the people within it' Soeui's consciousness bristles with anger at the knowledge of slavers infiltrating the forest. 

'You will not have to worry. I will have most of my team on this. I request the help of the five guardians as well. This needs to be taken care of quickly and efficiently. I promise you this will not be allowed to go on any further Harumi-hime' Souei vows.

'Thank you Souei. Keep me updated' Harumi cuts off the mindlink and Acatae watches her proudly. 

A warm feeling blossoms in her chest and she turns around throwing her arms around his neck and slams her lips against his. Acatae stiffens in shock before he grabs her waist tightly turning and presses her against the tree deepening the kiss. 

They pull back both breathing heavy and she smiles at him as tears drip down her face as she feels the sheer amount of emotion coming from him. Acatae reaches up and brushes them from her cheeks not a single word being said as the emotions passing between the two them tell more than any words could ever hope to.

~*~

Harumi watches as Acatae carries a flat hexagonal metal podium to the center of the town as the elves watch with curious expressions. He sets it down and Harumi steps forward and kneels down etching runs into the surface of the podium and it lights up as a large white crystal appears hovering over it and glowing brightly. 

Specks of light dance around the crystal and Harumi looks up as the crest around Elesella's neck lights up in response before fading back to its natural look.

"This is a communication soul crystal. I have multiple set up throughout the forest and in numerous settlements. It can contact both the Five Great Jura Forest Guardians and the Guardian monsters that roam the forest protecting it. If you ever need any help just touch the crystal and think about what you need and a member nearby from these two teams will come and help you. Each member will hold an identifying crest upon them the great five will have an amulet to identify them" 

Elesella steps forward to show her crested amulet to the people.

"And the monsters will have a glowing crest somewhere visible on them. You can trust these monsters. They are all vetted by myself and I can contact them directly if needed" Harumi explains to all of the elves who reside there and a young woman steps forward throwing her arms around Harumi as she hugs her. 

"Thank you" she whispers breathlessly

The leader of the tribe steps forward and blinks rapidly trying to hold back tears as relief slams into him. "This means more than I could ever express, Harumi-Hime" he says, bowing deeply to her. 

"It's what I plan on doing for anyone who wants my protection. There will be flags with Tempests crest on it posted at the entrance of your town. And if you decide to, we can rebuild some of the places here so that you are no longer living on a town built from the ashes and horror of the lost. You can start anew, just saying the word and I'll have a team out here to help" Harumi tells him, setting her hand on his shoulder.

Harumi sits in the carriage with Acatae and Elesella at her side as they travel towards the edge of the forest and to a tavern for the night. As they go along the pathed path Harumi silently looks over the map that she has been making in her journal studying each settlement that has come under her protection.

 So far she has had a total of sixteen tribes accept her protection and have all been brought under her crest. Each has signed a treaty, set up a trade proposal and had a communication soul crystal installed in their settlements. 

That boosts the population of the Jura Tempest Federation by about two hundred and fifty inhabitants making the nation's population around one million two hundred fifty thousand now.

She still had quite a few settlements to go to and many more that she hopes to hear back from. Rimuru was never one to deal with a boost in population but he will have to deal with it since the two of them are now in charge of the entity of the forest's inhabitants. 

She just hopes that with this large festival that he is planning to throw in honor of their coronation that the remaining inhabitants come and see what they could be a part of.

The carriage jerking to a stop snaps Harumi out of her thoughts and she peeks out the window to see what is going on.

  'Harumi, there is a large group of monsters blocking the pathway ahead. I am unsure what their intentions are' Kage's voice rings through her head and she furrows her eyes at this. 

"What is wrong moonbeam?" Acatae asks, noticing her hesitation. 

"There seems to be a group of monsters preventing passage. Elesella, will you use predator sense to see how many there are and if they are powerful?" Harumi asks and the girl nods her eyes flashing as she looks around them in a three hundred and sixty degree circle.

 "There's a dozen armed Tengu standing about a hundred yards ahead. They have eight warriors with them all ranking calamity class" Elesella says and blinks rapidly as she deactivates her predator sense.

Harumi sighs, unsure what their intentions are. She remembers what Souei had said about the race being friendly but at their core they were still a warmongering race. Harumi knows Benimaru was assigned by Rimuru to go visit them but it looks like that plan has been thrown out now that they have appeared before her. 

She opens the door to the carriage and exits, taking in the group from a distance as both Acatae and Elesella step out alongside her.

"Well let's go see what they want" she tells the two and walks towards the group, noticing that two of the warriors step forward flanking a small wolf girl with white hair that fades into red around her ears. 

"I hear you are one of the new demon lords called the Tempest Twins" the girl says in a haughty voice as she looks Harumi up and down. 

"I am. My name is Harumi Tempest. Can I ask what you are doing here in the Jura Tempest Federation?" Harumi asks carefully as she tries to gauge their intentions. 

"We heard the demon lords residing here were out making it known they now rule over the entire forest. We came here to ensure that we would not be pulled under that rule and to make it clear you are to stay out of our business" the girl says and Acatae growls at her disrespect.

"Acatae easy" Harumi murmurs, grabbing his hand to keep him in place. 

"We were not planning on including you in the area. Your home is up on the Khusha mountains that are outside the boundaries of the Jura forest. We did intend to send an envoy to talk about a peace pact between us and to seek permission for our people to move through your territory but that was all we intended to do" Harumi tells the girl, her voice strong as she faces the young Tengu. 

She knows the girl is testing her. Seeing how she will react to her pushing and disrespectful attitude. In a way Harumi is slightly amused by this because she knows that other monsters see demon lords as brutal demonic beings that will kill without a second thought. It makes her intrigued with the brazen girl who willfully pokes at a believed hornets nest. 

The girl huffs tilting her head "I heard you Demon Lords were dangerous and ill tempered. You don't seem dangerous at all and let people walk over you"

Harumi lets out a laugh at this making the girl raise an eyebrow "You think that is humorous?"

"I do. I find it amusing that you just assume that because I haven't attacked you for the mere fact you insulted me means that I am weak. You see you are at a disadvantage here. I can tell by looking at you that you are in the calamity class along with some of your subordinates. My group may be smaller than yours but we have more higher ranking members. You came into unknown territory knowing nothing about the people here and expect that because you are Tengu known for their powerful fighting skills that you can do whatever you want. Don't make the mistake of underestimating me because I have a more even temper than the rest of the demon lords. Because believe me if I wanted to I would have already attacked and defeated your team. I didn't gain the title Demon Lord by just mere happenstance" Harumi explains letting aura flare up exuding danger.

The Tengu steps back and the two male warriors move in front of the girl slightly. "You aren't being attacked because I see no reason in it. I gain nothing from attacking you because of your ignorance. I want peace because we both have more to gain from peace than war. But that doesn't mean you are allowed to insult me whenever you like. Be careful you don't wear out the leniency I have extended to you."

The girl observes her for a moment before something shifts in her eyes "I am Momiji, the leader of the Tengu tribe. I will welcome an envoy to my home to talk about a treaty and anything else you wish to discuss. Just make it clear we will not be under the rule of anyone even the Demon Lord Twins" Momiji finally says in a tone more respectful as her eyes hold a look that is similar to admiration.

 "I will send my head guard then. His name is Benimaru. I expect him to be treated with the utmost respect when he is in your hands" Harumi states firmly and Momiji's eyes turn curious before she nods. 

"Very well. We will await his arrival."

~*~

Harumi watches as the Tengu leaves and sags when she feels a hand settle on her lower back "you did well, Moonbeam" Acatae tells her and she nods tired. "I sometimes hate that front I have to put up. I wish ruling was easier"

Acatae chuckles at her and leads her back to the carriage "yes. I agree with you. When I ruled it could become tedious to save face but unlike me you need to keep a stance of strength. I ruled through indomitable force whereas you wish to to rule through kindness. If you wish to continue ruling through that benevolence you need to have an unbending will to back it up" Acatae says wisely to her as they continue to travel down the road. 

"I suppose so"

'Notice. There is a group of 100 mounted knights from Ruberios that just entered the forest' Castiel speaks, making Harumi tense. '

Why are they here? Why hasn't anyone else noticed their approach?'

'This group is preceded by a smaller group of five led by Hinata Sakaguchi'

'So they are following her? I know I invited her to come to Tempest to meet me but I didn't expect her to have a whole army behind her especially when it was with peaceful intentions

'Answer. Rimuru sent her a message challenging her to a one on one duel. There is a chance she took this as a threat and brought reinforcements' Castiel suggests and Harumi tsks irritated.

'That idiot. No wonder he didn't contact me about their arrival. Okay just keep an eye on them. Update me when they start getting closer to Tempest and we will try to get there at the same time'

(Posted: 11-08-2021)

(Pages: 7 | Words: 3896 | Lightly Edited  | Book 7)