Friendships
~~Gobtia~~
“Here. Why not try this?” The goblin, Gobtia suggested eagerly. Handing the two tailed fox child a crudely made goblin bow and some arrows, grinning with confidence as he felt much better after the kind kitsune's treatment. The reincarnated child looked at them unsurely before taking them carefully.
Their group had just taken a break from the trip to Dwargon and the two were talking about hunting some food. Gobtia suggested she use the bows Rimuru had made the goblins before the dire wolf attack.
“Are you sure I can do it?” She questioned unsurely, flicking the string of the bow curiously, it was stronger than the branches used for the bow, but the branches did still need to bend to be of some use. Kayo had used a bow before just never to hunt, it had been a target game at a school event, and she had been able to shoot the targets well.
“Not at all.” the goblin told her honestly with a big grin, that made the kitsune's ears drop and give a chubby cheeked pout. The goblin couldn’t help but find her expression amusing and a little cute as he chuckled. “Hey, at least you can only get better. You just have to practice, and what better way to practice then to go hunting?” He suggested while the kitsune quietly took an arrow and aligned it with the bow... trying to remember how to shoot it properly, aiming at a knot on a tree that looked a little like a target.
‘Feet, shoulder length apart. Calm, steady breathing. Pull it back slowly, adjust the angle for distance. Aim carefuly and-’
“Kayo!” Rimuru called her name loudly, startling the fox child who yelped out of reflex, sending the arrow flying in a very different direction while she turned to look at the slime, hiding the bow badly behind her back, before there was a cry of shock and pain.
Kayo’s shot had completely missed her mark... and landed in Rigur’s left thigh.
“Rigur! Oh my God! I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to hit you! I’m sorry! I'm sorry! I’m sorry!” Kayo cried in a panic of what she had just done, her small body going cold with panic. The goblins looked shocked and worried while the injured goblin smiled through his pain. “D-don’t cry, Lady Kayo. I wasn’t aware of my surroundings. Ha ha... you shot me from so far away though, that’s pretty good.” The goblin encouraged, trying to prevent the tears from spilling from her golden eyes.
“Don't worry, I got this.” Rimuru voiced and hopped over to the goblin, being still for moment before the slime ate the arrow, healing the goblin till he was as good as new. While the goblins praised the slime, Kayo set the weapon down carefully, a few silent tears falling down her chubby cheeks.
“Lady Kayo? Hey! Come on don’t let one bad shot get ya down. Try again.” Gobtia encouraged, picking up the weapon and handing it out to her. “I... I don’t think I should.” she muttered softly but the goblin came closer to hear her. “Eh? Just give it another shot! If anything, Lord Rimuru can just heal us if you shoot one of us again!” The goblin assured, only the kitsune was not motivated to try again and possibly hurt another goblin with her lack of skill.
“There is no reason for me to keep practicing.” Kayo lowly muttered, her ears flat on her head and tails wrapped around her short legs.
“Hey! If you practice more and get good. I'll be your best friend~!” Gobtia half joked but it seemed to perk the kitsune child up. Kayo stared at him in shock as her ears stood up on her head, her golden eyes wide with disbelief at what she had just heard.
“Best... friend?” she repeated, looking stunned and oddly hopeful when her tails started to sway slightly.
“Yeah, I’ll be your buddy that’s closest to you, and have your back no matter what!” The goblin declared with a grin as the kitsune stared at him unsurely for a few moments. “Y-yeah, let’s be friends! Best friends!” Kayo brightened up and took the bow from the grining goblin, a smile creeping up on her chubby face as her skill spoke up.
The relationship between Kayo and Gobtia has changed from Master & Subordinate.
New Status: Kayo’s First Friend
‘I... I got my first friend~!’ The kitsune thought excitedly, her tails wagging behind her while Rimuru looked at the other small members of their group. Everyone was careful of the kitsune's shooting practice which surprisingly got better with some motivation from her new ‘best friend’.
~~Kaijin~~
“Ya got to stop walking into the forge, Little fox.” Kaijin scolded the black kitsune who sat before him on the ground, hands on his hips as he tried to be stern with the kit who had heard something humming in his forge again. Investigating it without the Master Dwarf’s knowledge, she walked right into it and rummaged through the blazing hot coals for a small shard of magisteel.
Only to then pop out and scare the dwarf half to death with her sudden appearance.
“Sorry. It’s weird why this piece makes noise, and the other stuff doesn’t.” Kayo pointed out, pawing at the small shimmering shard she had retrieved. Kaijin picked the cooled shard up and looked at it carefully, even to his eyes it looked like just a shard of refined magisteel. Rimuru was very generous with giving the weapon smith plenty to work with, so it was odd why the little kitsune was picking up sound from random cast offs in the forge.
“Are you sure nothing else makes a sound like it?” Kaijin asked, curious as the kit remembered the swords back in Dwargon. “Only two. King Gazle’s sword and the one that was displayed in a shop with lots of other high-quality stuff. Nothing else in the shop hummed like it though.” the kit told him, and the dwarf pondered something with this new information.
“Wait right here. I want to check something.” the dwarf told her as the kit sat and waited, only to get bored quickly and pull out the rest of the shards she had been collecting. Serval glittering shards came out of her tails, carefully the kit slit them around, listening to their resonating sound. She giggled in delight as her small paws touched the shards and produced a slightly louder sound, almost acting like an instrument.
Only a new but faint sound caught her attention, Kaijin had come back with an old, worn leather case and set it before the confused kitsune.
“Let’s see what you think of these Lord Kayo.” Kaijin smirked and opened the case to show the kitsune 3 weapons inside. Two small sliver daggers with dark blue wrapping on the handles that looked a bit worn and dirty, like they had been used a lot.
“What are these?” Kayo questioned as her paw touched one, only to suddenly hear the loud BOOM with a strange energy that almost exploded off the blade. Making the kitsune kit yelp and jump away from the strange weapons, fur standing on end, tails raised as she hissed angerly at the items.
“WHAT WAS THAT!?” Kayo yelped in shock, Kaijin looked shocked and laughed at her reaction, not having witnessed what she had, but he did see her jump backwards quite high into the air like a startled cat. “Ah! Those, Lord Kayo, are old weapons that my old man gave to me. They have been in my family for generations, but... somewhere along the way, we forgot why we keep these things.” He told her and pulled out the blades with a sad smile, even if the wrapping around the blades was worn, it wasn’t to be replaced. Yet the edges of these small weapons were never dull, then again, no one had used them for a long, long, time.
“So they’re like... an heirloom?” Kayo questioned, confused why they would be so important but... the sound coming from the blades was like a beating heart. “Weird... it sounds like a heartbeat now.” She muttered and got close to take a sniff of the old blades. They gave off a dusty but earthy kind of scent with a hint of something she couldn't place.
“A heartbeat? Hmmm. Say Little fox, how about you keep these safe for me then?” Kaijin asked smiling at the surprised kit who looked up at him with big and bright golden eyes. “Huh? Why? Shouldn’t they be with you or one of your brothers?” Kayo questioned, tilting her head as Kaijin closed the box with the two blades inside and gently handed it over to her. “Maybe, but they can’t hear the sounds coming from these blades. Once you find out what it means, you can return ‘em.” Kaijin suggested as he watched the white tips of her tails sway behind her, and golden eyes sparkling with interest. Even if the little fox kept the blades, he was sure she would take good care of them.
“Alright. By the way I wanted to ask about making some cooking knives.” the kitsune asked, only to get a confused look from the dwarf. “Huh? Aren't the knives I made for you and the blue kijin enough?” He questioned before he noticed the kit puff up in anger. “Those are for fighting and utility. Cooking knives are meant for food and food only. It would be unsanitary to use the same knives that cut down fowl enemies to cut up delicious boar deer meat!” Kayo scolded the dwarf who let out an amused laugh at her little rant, her fur had puffed up making her look more like a furry ball of coal.
~~Souei(?)~~
Somewhere in the Jura Forest, there were strange flashes of light as several blades collided with one another midair. A blur of black and blue hopping among the trees as a cloaked person watched them carefully, the two blurs clashed, Kayo and the newly named, Souei, spared gave each other stern glares before parting quickly.
“That’s enough. Get some sleep you two. Your training is going well.” came the dark figure who came between her two students, a black mask hiding her smirk, watching the little kitsune sigh and flop to the ground tiredly. “Finally~! I wanna get some sleep.” Kayo whined while Souei only put away his weapon. Amused and impressed with the three tailed kitsune who had been his sparring partner for the last 3 nights, under the tutelage of a mysterious woman from Dwargon.
“Have you been sleeping well little kitsune?” the woman asked but did not receive an answer... because the kitsune was already asleep, lying face first, flat on the ground.
“How much sleep has she gotten, young kijin?” the woman asked Souei who was still a little unsure of trusting the masked woman, but the kitsune seemed to have no problem giving them reports about their village. “She takes naps during the day, for about 2-3 hours, then a short nap after dinner.” he reported, hearing the woman sigh before pulling out her own blade and threw it at the kitsune.
For a moment the kijin felt a chill go up his spine but that quickly went away went he saw the kitsune had simply rolled onto her back, avoiding the attack while still sleeping. The kijin was unsure if it was natural skill or just dumb luck. “Hmm, that is interesting.” the woman voiced and came over to the still sleeping kit. She could see dark marks under Kayo’s eyes, even in the dim light of a crescent moon.
“Sweet... taters...” the kitsune mumbled with a bit of drool coming out of her mouth. The cloaked woman was confused and reached out to grab the kit before her eyes suddenly shot open. The woman froze as bright golden orbs in a black abyss locked into her with an eerie stare.
“Ahhhh~? I’m up.” Kayo groaned tiredly and sat up on the ground, closing her eyes and getting up onto her bare feet to face the woman and Kijin, who was very confused about what he had just seen, never mind felt from that strange... void. “Nyan~ sorry sensei. Was there something you still needed?” the kitsune asked innocently, her normal golden eyes half closed as she fought back another yawn. “No. I will be leaving come morning. Someone will be back with a response from King Gazel. Good night.” she quickly responded before disappearing from their site. Kayo yawned and rubbed her eyes sleepily, before noticing Souei was still around and watching her carefully.
“You need something?” she asked him, confused by his intense gaze made her a little self-conscious. She got off the ground and patted away the dirt that clung to her childish body, she could still feel him staring at her, not saying a word. “Souei? You okay?” she asked, looking up at the blue kijin who looked down at her. From her point of view she couldn't see his deep frown as she walked up to him, ears lowered and tails slipping between her legs.
“Are you still upset I hurt you? I’m... sorry... I really didn’t mean it. I-it... just really hurt.” she voiced softly looking down in shame. Souei hadn’t said a word to her since she had broken his jaw during one of their spars... the kijin had grabbed one of her tails mid fight, of course the small kit reacted to the sudden sharp pain.
What was just a surprise was how much strength was in that one kick. Souei had a feeling she had been holding back in their spars, and it was getting easier to see she was holding back even more now. “I should be the one to apologize, Lord Kayo.” He spoke and keeled before the small kitsune who looked confused. “I wanted to fight you at your strongest. Yet it seems you're holding back even more now.” he voiced and gave a stern look at the guilty looking kitsune, her ears lying flat on her head.
“I... don’t want to hurt anyone... or a friend.” she muttered lowly but the blue kijin heard her small voice.
“I am not your friend.” he told her coldly and her ears perked up and she stared at him with wide golden eyes, shocked at his words. “W-what?” Kayo questioned, confused and a bit devastated the handsome kijin didn’t want to be her friend. To get to know him better and maybe... possibly... have a more romantic relationship...
Relationship Compatibility between Souei and Kayo is... 20%... 15%… 10%
‘Well, fuck.’ Kayo thought with familiar despair, Eros calculating the drop from 25% the last she checked, now it was getting lower every second. “I see, so... can we at least be comrads if not friends? At least... until your mission is complete.” She suggested softly, trying to keep the number from becoming 0 or going into the negatives like Benimaru. Looking at the ground before something collided with her head that knocked her onto her back.
“Oww~!? What the fuck?” she called out more in shock than pain sitting up and glaring at the kijin who had poked her forehead with two of his fingers. “We can only be commands if you stop holding back. I don’t need your pity or friendship, Lord Kayo. I need to get stronger.” he sternly reprimed the kit who took in his words carefully. ‘I better ask the slime ball for more healing potions... just in case.’ she thought and sighed, getting up off the ground and looking at Souei seriously.
“Fine, but if I feel your life will be taken, I'm gonna hold back. There are already enough regretful oni sprits around here.” Kayo reasoned, and it seemed Souei agreed with her, only a little confused by her mention of Oni sprits.
Romantic relationship possibility with Souei has been VOIDED.
‘Shut up, Eros!’ Kayo thought angerly at her skill, she wasn’t going to linger on shallow interest in the ninja, but the rejection still hurt. ‘Well... if you try to catch two rabbits, you will end up with none.' Was her fleeting thought, while leaving to get a little nap before attending to her morning duties.
~~Shion~~
“Hmm~ I wonder what Shuna made for lunch today.” Kayo questioned, yawing a little as she headed towards the meeting hall for lunch with Rigurd and the kijins, only the room was strangely empty when she opened the door. “Hmm? I’m the first one here? That’s weird.” the kitsune child muttered, walking into the room further and sniffing the air to catch the trail of the others. She could smell them, and they had just been here not too long ago judging by the heavy lingering scents.
“Ah! Lord Kayo, you’re just in time for lunch! I hope you will enjoy the food I've lovingly prepared for everyone today!” The purple Kijin, Shion beamed excitedly as she held a large pot sealed with a lid proudly in her hands, a yellow apron over her clothes and a beaming smile on her face.
“Oh? You made lunch today, Shion? Is Shuna guarding my brother then?” the kitsune asked, looking at the large pot, curious what the purple oni made, but there was a strange sludgy aura that was coming off the pot. “Yes, the princess insisted on looking after Lord Rimuru herself, but in exchange I get to make you lunch Lord Kayo. I’m sure you will have tasted nothing like it!” Shion happily explained, pouting because she had to give up holding the sleeping slime, but smiled brightly when she saw the wagging tails of the little kitsune in front of her.
“Ohh~ what did ya make Shion? Should we wait for the others? I think they left a little while ago for some reason.” Kayo pointed out, unaware of the danger she was in. The purple Kijin looked around the empty room that the other kijins and Goblin king had just been occupying. “It’s their loss. How about I serve you the first bowl then Lord Kayo?” Shion asked, thrilled when the kitsune child beamed up at her with innocent excitement.
“Sure! I’m pretty hungry. So if the others don’t show up, can I eat their share?” the kitsune joked but was confused by Shion’s shocked face and tear-filled eyes. “O-of course you can Lord Kayo! It would be a great honor! Now please, have a seat.” the kijin woman smiled happily at the little leader’s words. Kayo was still confused but sat down near the head of the table while Shion lifted the lid of the pot, ready to serve the hungry little kitsune leader.
Only when she did the thick purple miasma spilled from the pot and filled the room with its poisonous stench. Quickly the kitsune paled after getting the first whiff of the toxically purple goop the Kijin woman was pouring into a wooden bowl for her. “S-shion... is... something wrong?” Kayo questioned fearfully as the bowl was brought over to her seat and set right in front of her, the kitsune's ears could faintly hear cries of damned souls coming from the shifting purple goop.
“Oh no! Everything is great! Please tell me what you think Lord Kayo. As one great chief to another.” Shion smiled innocently, making the kitsune dread what she had to do. ‘Danm my impoverished upbringing!’ She dreadfully thought and carefully used a wooden spoon to bring some of the cursed goop into her mouth, quickly shoving it down her throat to avoid tasting it...
…
…
...
The smell of fresh apple pie entered the kitsune's nose, getting closer and stronger, a warm feeling wrapped around her as the scent of the dilatable dessert was seductive. The kitsune didn’t think before she opened her mouth to take a nice big BITE.
“AGH!”
The shout of pain made golden eyes pop open, confused and a little disappointed as her taste buds detected a warm coppery liquid instead of the sweet cinnamon apple she expected. Focusing better, the kitsune’s golden eyes looked at the shocked group of Kijin and Rigurd. Shuna holding a sleeping Rimuru in her arms tightly. Shion was next to the princess, and the cursed pot was now free of ALL the toxic goop it had once contained. Kurobe looked just as shocked as the female Kijin and Goblin King who just stared in horrified disbelief. Hakuro and Souei looked mildly concerned as they all stared at her... only their leader Benimaru was missing.
“L-lord Kayo.”
Kayo heard his voice call her, but she could also feel a slight tremor around her small fox body she had reverted to at some point. Slowly she looked up, her body tensing and heating up when she realized that the crimson kijin had been holding her in his arm against his warm chest, his sword hand trapped firmly in her mouth. ‘FUCK!’ The reincarnation mentally cursed and quickly released the kijin leader’s bloody hand she mistook for apple pie.
“S-sorry.” The kitsune apologized softly, blushing under her fur as she internally panicked, while only outwardly showing her confusion.
“What happened?” the kitsune questioned, only to reach into her tails and pull out a small glass bottle of familiar light blue liquid, offering it to the injured Kijin. “You... you ate ALL of Shion’s ‘cooking’ Lord Kayo.” Shuna reported, relieved and a little impressed that the kitsune was still alive after eating so much of Shion’s toxic cooking, the pot had been 3 times her size!
Benimaru smiled a little as Kayo poured the healing potion on his injured hand, grateful, as it would have made using his sword difficult. “We had heard Shion scream and came running. We found you in this form, passed out with... all of Shion’s cooking gone.” he explained before Kayo felt her stomach turn at the mention of food, she tried to hold it in but ended up burping out a purple poisonous cloud. Nearly the whole room tensed at the appearance of a misty purple skull, it lingered in the air for several long seconds before finally dissipating.
“Scuse’ me.” Kayo responded out of habit, not having seen the ominous shape it had taken after leaving her mouth.
Friendship level between Shion and Kayo is now 45%
New Skills Obtained: Medum Poison Resistance, Poison Breath, Poison Fang, and Iron Stomach
‘Oh goody.’ the kitsune thought dreadfully, not eager to get out of the crimson kijin’s warm arms before she picked up on the scent of apples again. “Hey Benimaru, why do your hands smell like apples?” the kitsune questioned, her small black nose sniffing his large rough hands.
“Oh! Big brother was helping me peel some for the apple pie recipe you taught me.” Shuna happily explained, a little envious of her brother holding the kitsune kit who looked so cute and small nestled in his arm. “Is that why you bit me Lord Kayo? You thought I was pie?” Benimaru asked, amused looking down at the black fox who was happily sniffing his hand before she froze at his words, remaining quiet in her realization.
“I’ll serve you a nice big slice, Lord Kayo.” Shuna offered in amusement but was surprised to see the kitsune wince.
“I-it’s okay Shuna. I... don’t have much of an appetite.” Kayo told the pink kijin, unaware of the issues eating Shion’s cooking had brought back up. The reincarnation felt nauseous at the thought of food, but she didn’t want to move from Benimaru’s arms even as he and the others ate the lunch Shuna had prepared. It also didn’t help when the crimson kijin started petting her, his hand was warm and rough, but it felt great having them gently caressing her ears.
~~Veldora & Ifrit ~ Rimuru’s ‘Stomach’ ~~
“How do you have more of these Sacred Texts than Rimuru?” Veldora asked as he greedily grabbed at the unfamiliar Manga books, Kayo having pulled them into the slime’s sub space from her own. The dragon was sitting with her and the Greater Fire Sprit elemental, Ifrit on the well-loved blue and white blanket resting on top of emerald, green grass that was not already partly covered by pink Sakura petals.
“Ah! Well most of what I've read has been Shojo manga. I think the slime ball has mostly Shonen and some Seinenstuff.” Kayo responded as she saw the dragon curiously looking at a very familiar pastel colored book.
“Shojo? Shonen?Seinen? What are those?” Ifrit questioned with mild interest, confused by the unfamiliar terms the kitsune had used. He was not as interested in the comics as the true dragon, whose tail was unconsciously wagging behind him upon obtaining new reading material.
“Oh! Shojo refusers to the manga that teen girls and young women would find appealing. Those are mostly full of romance and silly drama. While Shonen is manga that teen aged boys and young men would find appealing. Those tend to have a lot of fighting and cool characters. Seinen is the same, but it appeals to older males for their more complex plots and characters.” Kayo explained to the curious spirit while Veldora was eagerly picking out which series to read next. Coming across a set of pink colored series that had a brown-haired young man holding a bundle of roses with a blond young man’s face in the background.
“What is... a Host club?” Veldora asked as he looked at the pink and black title that was marked as the first in its series. “Ah... well it’s a club where women pay for the company of attractive men.” Kayo explained, unsure if she should let the dragon read that series, after already ruling out the more... Adult verity of manga, along with the Mecha and Horror genres... at least on her end.
The dragon had already found Rimuru’s porn stash but, was mostly uninterested with the lack of story and dialog in their pages.
“You know a lot about these Scared texts, Lord Kayo.” Ifrit pointed out, addressing the kitsune respectfully as Veldora had ordered him to, even if it felt strange. “I like reading and learning new things. I’m sure you and Veldorable know a lot of things I don’t.” Kayo pointed out, using the Dragon's cute nickname that made Veldora feel warm and happy.
“Of course, I do my little kitsune! Ask me anything and I will be sure to answer you!” The dragon bragged proudly before Kayo asked him a question. “Would you be able to describe the hero that sealed you away? Or perhaps know what they were called?” the kitsune asked and Veldora was silent for a long while, getting nervous as he tried to recall the masked hero that had imprisoned him.
“She was a beautiful human woman with black hair, and pale skin. She used one of those thin bendy swords along with magic. I recall dark eyes as well, but she wore a mask for most of our fight. The rest is a bit hazy.” he told Kayo and looked at the kitsune who was trying to match the description to a certain hero. Having gone through Dwargon’s hall of records to find as much information on past and present heroes, in hopes of finding more clues to undue the dragon's prison.
“A mask? Like Shizu’s maybe?” The kitsune questioned, pulling out the replica mask she had made. It only lacked the abilities of the original, it had overwhelmed the kitsune kit with its sense amplification when Rimuru had let her try it on, just out of their mutual curiosity.
“Hmm, I don’t quite recall. What is with that question Little kitsune?” Veldora responded, only to get dull looks from both Ifrit and Kayo.
“To undue your prison, Lord Veldora.”
The fire sprit and kitsune said in oddly perfect sync, startling the true dragon but not the kitsune or sprit who wanted to keep Veldora on track with his true goal. “Ah... right, but it’s a bit boring and tedious. Even I can get this ‘Burn out’. I can take a few breaks... Can’t I?” the storm dragon asked, looking at the kitsune who knew very well what he was talking about and advocated for physical and mental breaks strongly in the budding monster nation. The kitsune let out a large sigh.
“There is a fine line between burn out and slacking off, Lord Veldora.” Kayo addressed the dragon formally, making him pout. “I thought we were friends.” he muttered with a hit of disappointment, Kayo’s ears popped up and she looked at the dragon in surprise.
“Friends?” she repeated without thinking.
“Yes, I thought we had created a bond of friendship. Given that Rimuru gave you the name Tempest and made you, his sister. Yet what kind of bond do we share?” he asked the kitsune as the storm dragon heard a very familiar voice echo threw out the peaceful space.
The relationship between Kayo and Veldora is... Friends.
‘T-that voice. It couldn’t be.’ Veldora thought, startled while looking around for the source of the very familiar voice. Kayo looks up at him with a dimpled smile, her tails wagging happily behind after hearing Ero’s words, giving a small giggle.“Yeah. We’re friends Veldorable, but friends help each other out of tight spots. I can give you more stuff to help pass the time, but you have to work on getting out of here. I won’t live forever, and I would like to meet you in the outside world. I want to show you a lot of cool things I've found, and you can even try my cooking too.” Kayo bribed and the dragon looked just as excited, his own tail wagging happily behind him now.
“Y-you will?” Veldora asked eger to try the kitsune woman’s cooking himself, drooling from just the thought of food, even if he didn’t need to eat, it was exciting to smell and taste the strange new foods the two reincarnations brought from their old world.
“Friends?” Iifrit questioned, confused and feeling strange about how well the weak kitsune was getting along with the powerful dragon. “Yes! What about you ifrit? What would you want to do when you get out?” Kayo asked him, curious about the fire spirit who looked almost like a lost child as he thought of his future.
“I... I want to get stronger.” he told her but the kitsune just stared at him and then blinked.
“To do what?”
“I wish to fight you, Lord Kayo.”
“Why?”
“To get stronger. You’re a very skilled opponent despite being so weak.” he told her again and Kayo gave him a flat look. “Why do you want to get stronger?” she asked, frowning at where this was going.
“To fight you.” he repeated seriously, both the dragon and kitsune sighed at his ‘plans’ shaking their heads.
“Is that all? That’s-” Veldora started but got interrupted by Kayo. “So boring! What is the use of being powerful if all you do is fight! Fight! Fight!? You could do so much more as just a fire sprit!” Kayo scolded Ifrit who was taken aback by her response, the woman standing over him as he sat on the ground.
“How good is your control over flames? How hot can you make them? Can you still summon those salamanders? How many can you summon at once? How much control do you have over them? How small of a flame can you make?” the kitsune baggred the sprit with questions, much to the dragon's amusement before he heard that familer voice again.
Relationship between Kayo and The Fire Sprit, Ifrit is... Teacher & Student.
‘Brother? Why am I hearing his voice right now?’ Veldora questioned as he looked at the kitsune, showing ifrit the different color flames she could make with just the tips of her fingers. It was amusing seeing the shocked look on the sprit’s face, that then turned into determination before the kitsune affectionally patted his head in amusement.
~~Treyni & The Dryads~~
“Does it hurt?” Kayo questioned, gently running the tip of her tail over the little flowers that were blooming in a familiar oak tree. Sitting among its branches holding a soft paint brush in one hand, an inch away from a string of the small flowers. Her question directed at the forest sprit squirming as she watched the kitsune from below. “N-no. Not at all Lord Kayo. It’s just that... no one has ever... pollenated me before~.” Treyni explained, her face flushed pink from the strange sensation coming from her host body, the Oak tree that the kitsune was sitting, deep in its branches, a light blue mask covering the lower part of her face.
“If you want me to stop, just say so. Pollination is important to help the forest bare fruits and seeds.” Kayo reasoned and her eyes went back to focusing on the small flowers, running the brush and the tips of her tails over them to stir up the pollen. Meanwhile the dryad shivered, biting her lip to hold back the weird noises she was making. The gentle touches of soft fur all over her body felt strange, but also quite nice. The kitsune continued to pollenate the flowers blooming on her physical body, slowly teasing the flowers into giving up their pollen and depositing them into the stigma.
“Ah~ Lord Kayo~.” Treyni moaned softly but the kitsune heard her name and stopped her actions to look down at the dryad.
“Yes?” she responded, confused at the dryad.
“N-nothing! Please. Continue.” She responded quickly with a pink blush clear on her face, along with a smile that seemed a bit forced. “Are you sure? Isn’t this a little... um, intimate? I don’t know how it feels for plants but it’s still the equivalent of sex to other species.” Kayo questioned, looking at her once white brush that was now yellow with pollen, same with the tips of her tails.
“No. No. It’s perfectly fine, Lord Kayo. You are correct that it is our equivalent to sex, but there is no issue with you pollinating me. My sisters and would have no trouble with doing it ourselves but...” the dryad blushed and giggled, hands on her blushing cheeks with an amused smile. ‘Why do I feel like I'm doing something dirty?’ Kayo questioned, a frown behind her mask to keep the pollen from getting into her nose to make her sneeze.
“I don’t want to rely on just you and your sisters for managing the forest. We have caused a lot of damage with all the fighting and building so many new villages. Once you are gone, we will have to take care of the forest on our own. It’s our home so we should love and respect it.” Kayo reasoned, the dryad appeared next to her, sitting on the branch with her, frowning worriedly at the kitsune leader.
“Lord Kayo we will always be here to manage the forest. You need not worry, but it is touching you care about the trees as well.” Treyni assured the kitsune, resting her head on the woman’s shoulder with a soft smile.
“What about the Queen of Sprits?”
At the question Treyni frowned, being reminded why she and her sisters had been scattered. “It’s been a very long time... even for us dryads, since the Queen of Sprits has last appeared.” she answered honestly before smiling and turning her head to plant a small kiss on the kitsune’s cheek.
Dryad Treyni has given her blessing.
New Skill Obtained: Forester
‘Forester? How is that a skill?’ Kayo questioned, blushing at Treyni’s kiss before she spoke again. “Until the Queen returns, we are in your care, Lord Kayo. So please... take care of me~.” the dryad giggled, almost seductively into the kitsune's ear, making her blush darken. “Stop doing that.” Kayo hissed in annoyance at the smiling dryad, who was amused by the red face of the tempest leader. “Doing what, Lord Kay-OH~! AAHHH~!” Treyni was speaking before the feeling of soft tails brushing across her body surprised her, the gentle tickle a little more... intense than before. Kayo ignored the erotic moans of the dryad, focusing on pollinating the little flowers that bloomed on the Oak tree, its scent was strong and pleasant.
“L-lord Kayo~!” Treyni called out, panting as the kitsune kept brushing her tails across the flowers, collecting pollen from the anther and then delivering it into the stigma quickly. ‘Note to self: Have Apito and her workers take care of Dryad pollination.’ the kitsune thought, trying to ignore the withering Treyni who was starting to enjoy the sensation before it stopped.
“Ahh~ Lord Kayo?” Treyni pouted when the feeling stopped but muffled a giggle as she saw the kitsune leader now covered in her pollen, the once black and white kitsune was now white and yellow. “I’m done. I’ll leave the pollinating to the experts.” Kayo groaned, feeling a bit heated... and Treyni wasn’t bad looking. ‘No. It wouldn’t work, and I basically just molested her.’ the reincarnation thought before the scent of peaches and oranges reached her nose, noting that the other dryads had appeared.
“Trya? Doris?” Kayo called their names, confused and nervous as the two forest spirits looked very unhappy upon their arrival.
“Sister! Is this what you have been doing!? You're neglecting your duties again! Doris and I have already completed our tasks. All that is left to be completed are yours. We are not doing them for you again!” Trya yelled at her sister who shrunk back at her younger sister’s scolding before coming up with a bright idea to placate her sisters.
“It’s my fault this time, Trya. I was helping pollenate the Oak tree your sister resides in.” Kayo stepped in before Treyni could speak for herself, but this made her plan much easier. Seeing her sister’s eyes go wide in shock at what they had just been told, and the evidence that was all over the kitsune leader. “Yes! I was having a wonderful time with Lord Kayo~. She was very gentle in taking care of me~.” the dryad purred, wrapping her arms around the kitsune’s left arm. Amused to see her sisters’ shocked faces turn pink, as well as the sexually charged kitsune from just her words.
“Lord Kayo?” Doris questioned shyly from next to Trya. “Y-you pollinated our sister?” she asked and the kitsune couldn’t help but feel like she was telling a little girl she had just banged her sister, instead of something innocent like pollinating flowers. “Eh? Guilty. I didn’t think it would get such a... strong reaction. I’ll be sure to leave it to-” Kayo was about to reason before Treyni interjected.
“Lord Kayo, why not pollinate my sisters as well!?” she asked and all three looked at her like she had gone crazy.
“L-lord Kayo!? P-pollinate us!?” Doris questioned, her face burning red, bring her long sleeves up to her mouth while Trya glared at her sister. “Sister! We do not need Lord Kayo to help us with that! You should be ashamed of yourself for even suggesting it! You needed to start doing your share of the work! We are not the only Dryads in The Great Jura Forest.” the middle sister scolded Treyni who pouted as her plan was failing.
“There are more dryads? Besides you 3?” the kitsune questioned, a little surprised by this new information, but it made sense these 3 alone couldn’t take care of a forest the size of the US.
“Yes, Lord Kayo. Thankfully they are very understanding of your nation’s progress. It’s greatly appreciated that you also take care of the plants and the beasts within. They are egger to meet with you themselves.” Doris happily told the kitsune who gave her a fond smile and pat her head, finding the youngest dryad sister adorable.
“Thank you, Doris. Right now, I need to get this pollen off me. It would be weird to meet them covered in this stuff.” Kayo mussed, trying not to blush as she thought of the sexual equivalent of being covered in pollen. Realizing this, she quickly took her hand off the younger sister, who frowned when she removed her hand.
“Lord Kayo, why not help my sisters pollinate? It's very relaxing~. It would be a nice little treat for them after all their hard work~.” Treyni happily suggested again but this time all three glared at her. “NO. Treyni get your work done, or no more potato chips for a week.” the kitsune threatened sternly, the eldest dryad looked horrified by not having her sliced and fried spuds for so long.
“Y-yes, Lord Kayo.” Treyni gave up and bowed to the kitsune before disappearing to go do her share of work. Kayo became relieved, about to find a way to get the pollen off.
A soft weight jumped on her back; long light green sleeves wrapped around her neck from behind.
“Lord Kayo, can you take care of us like you did with sister?” the young Dryad asked softly, sounding shy but strangely a bit seductive. It was hard to think of the young dryad as a little girl, with her surprisingly large breasts pressing into her back.
“Doris! Don't ask such things of Lord Kayo.” Trya scolded her sister and pulled her off the pollen covered fox, only spreading the little specks all around the two, making them feel a bit strange. “I-if you're not busy with something else. Could you help me with pollination, Lord Kayo?” Trya asked, a cute blush on her face as she shyly requested the kitsune's help. “Hmm. If it relaxes you two. I'll give it a shot. Can I count on you to help me with something for next spring?” the kitsune asked.
“OF COURSE!” They responded a little too eagerly, wrapping the pollen covered kitsune in their vines to take her to their trees to be pollinated.
‘Fuck! This is kinda hot~.’ Kayo thought in distress, a bit turned on by the restraining vines.
The relationship between Kayo and The Dryads of The Great Jura Forest has changed.
Relationship Type: Caretaker?
~After Pollination~
The Skill Forester has evolved into Biome Curator.
Dryad’s Blessing has upgraded to Great Jura’s Blessing.
~~Milim Nava~~
Kayo felt drained, despite her playful flirting with Benimaru and Souei after Rimuru had summoned her, the kitsune felt like just being left alone. Her head throbbed and her vision would get blurry from the unfamiliar pain shooting through her body. The cool night air chilled her to the bone as she walked slowly to the hot springs to bathe. Even with her vision blurred, she knew where to go and avoided going into the men’s side of the baths this time.
A pink blur was at the conner of her eye, yet she couldn’t smell any Sakura blossoms, but the strange scent of sparkles, sugar, and rosemary, so nothing dangerous. “Is there something you need hun?” Kayo asked tiredly, letting out her southern accent while she took off her tank top. Disgusted at the feeling of pulling it off her skin like it had been weakly glued to it, then noticing that her robe was gone. Blushing briefly as the shorts didn’t cover her thicc thighs well and so everyone back there had seen a lot of her skin. It felt even worse as she slipped off the shorts and panties.
“Who do you think you are to talk to my bestie Rimuru like that?” The pink blur asked, the voice unfamiliar and sounded like a young girl. Kayo had grabbed a towel and some soap before walking off into the washing aera while the little girl asked her question.
“I am Kayo Tempest. Rimuru is my big brother, even if it feels more like he’s my little brother sometimes.” The kitsune told her, slightly amused by their pervious little scuffle about how much magicules she had been pouring into keeping their budding nation safe. Her paranoia made her even more exhausted, sitting down to wash off before the bath. First washing her hair of all the grime and grease with the scentless shampoo, rinsing it off with warm water that warmed her chilled body nicely. Kayo had drenched herself in water a few more times just to get a little more warmth, all the while fleeing the little girl’s eyes watching her.
Reaching for the purple shape she assumed was the soap, she bought it close to sniff the much-needed aroma therapy.
“Ahhh~ Lavander, my precious treasure~. How I've missed you~.” Kayo happily mussed, feeling more relaxed from the scent, using the soap to wash off her body. Once rinsed off again she could still feel the prickle of the little girl watching her intently.
“Are you going to take another dip? Seems to me like you were just in here.” She asked the little girl, filling the bucket one more time to get some warmth in her body. Even if blurry, she could make out the long pink hair of their guest that was very different form Shuna’s long pink hair. “I was. It was fun but what are you doing?” the little girl asked, and Kayo tilted her head in confusion.
“Washing my hair? It feels all gross and oily. Not to mention I might have a white hair somewhere.” The kitsune told her, muttering the last part as she looked down at her dark locks that were tipped white. The fear of finding a solid white or gray hair still haunted the young kitsune woman, along with her fear of mirrors. It was an odd fear, but Kayo had never liked looking at her own reflection, because it felt... off?
Or like she was looking into a different world, and it would pull her in if she got too close.
"It's at the tips, like your tails." The little girl responded, and Kayo felt a sudden panic wash over her. Seeing the girl reach for her wet tails, reacting quickly, she grabbed the young girl’s wrist. A strange warmth washed over the exhausted kitsune, and she felt a bit more energized. "That's impolite sweetie. Do you want me to help wash your hair?" Kayo asked, gently scolding the child before she noticed the girl’s messy hair as her vision seemed to be clearing up and the pain was slowly fading away.
"Huh?" The pinket responded in confusion, Kayo could see her eyes better as well as her face that looked a bit familiar but the kitsune couldn’t recall. "Don't worry. I’ll be gentle. What's your name? Sorry I didn't ask before." Kayo apologized, giving the young girl a soft smile. Even if she suspected the identity of the new pinket, it was only polite to ask her name.
"My name is Milim. Milim Nava!" She responded happily, the kitsune could see her blue eyes sparkle with pride at her names. "It’s nice to meet you Milim. I’m Kayo Tempest. Would you like to join me for another dip?" The kitsune woman asked, slowly letting go of Milim’s wrist so she could pet her head. Immediately her fingers felt the grease and tangles that remained in the demon lord’s hair, Kayo held back her burst of panic, but her hand went into her tails to retrieve a brush without much thought.
“Okay?” Milim softly responded in confusion, slipping off the robes to join the woman in the bath, the kitsune had started brushing out her hair. The little demon lord shivered at every gentle pass through her locks, it was oddly comforting despite it not being the first time her hair had been brushed by someone else.
Kayo softly hummed as she ran the brush and her fingers through pink strands, gently undoing tangles and cleaning up the grease that remained, the girl was oddly quiet. The kitsune didn’t think much of the strange behavior, washing the girl’s hair with scentless shampoo, massaging her scalp and then gently cleaning them off with soothingly warm water. Milim’s blue eyes were half closed as Kayo ran her fingers through her now silk-like strands, carefully weaving them into two simple braids.
“Okay. I’m done. We can go into the bath now.” Kayo mussed before half-closed eyes popped wide open suddenly, the little demon lord was now on high alert. “Howdidyoudothat!?” Milim asked, jumbling her words up but oddly, the kitsune woman could understand.
“Experience. Have a look.” the woman mussed and wiped a mirror for Milim to see her refection, with that distraction the demon lord looked and was a little shocked to see that her hair had somehow become more vibrant and was twisted into two cute braids at the sides of her head. While the pinkett admired her image, Kayo quickly braided her hair and put it up into a bun before she would slip into the bath, but she felt oddly warm even before getting into the spring waters.
“This is so pretty! Let’s play in the bath!” Milim grabbed the older woman’s hand but was picked up easily by the kitsune woman before she could enter.
“Now hold on there. I have a few things to add before we do.” Kayo mussed, smirking as she dropped a woven basket out of her tails, inside where several colorful blobs looked a lot like her slime brother. Setting Milim down for a movement, to dump the colorful floaties into the water, a quick stir of the water had them disburse all around the bath.
“Now we can dive-” Kayo was saying before Milim just jumped into the water, creating a big splash that soaked the kitsune completely. “In.” the kitsune finished her sentience but couldn’t help but smile as she saw Milim laughing and collecting the colorful floating toys. Slowly she slipped into the remaining water, the fountain of course would fill the spring back up to normal levels. The warm waters feeling good washing over her section and over worked legs, sitting near the edge to relax and watch the little demon Lord bring over the colorful slimes to her.
“Can you eat these? They smell nice.” Milim asked and was about to take a bit out of a red one, only for Kayo’s tan hand to quickly stop her. “I’m afraid they won’t taste that good. After this I will make a very yummy meal for us to eat. Hmm, but I only share my desserts with MY dearest friends.” the kitsune explained, frowning at her semi true statement.
“I can be your friend!” Milim responded instantly, her blue eyes glittered with excitement. After sampling a bit of the food in Tempest, she was sure this woman would even more tasty meals she could try. “Oh!? but aren’t you my brother’s friend? I would hate to steal you away from him.” The kitsune faked innocence, confusing the girl before she realized that the woman was saying.
“He’s my bestie and you’re his family. That makes us friends too!” Milim reasoned, nodding with a smirk on her face, thinking she had won. Kayo was inwardly amused but pushed a little more, something was guiding her towards a stronger bond with the Demon Lord. “Hmm, I guess. Oh! but I still have to make my brother his ultra special meal too.” the kitsune mentioned, having had some practice in Dwargon for making a popular Japanese dish. She had only lacked some of the ingredients that the Great Jura Forest lacked, but Kayo had two reasons to make the perfect Omurice.
“Ultra Special Meal!? Make some for me too!” Milim asked, looking excited while drooling down a waterfall from her mouth. “No. This is reserved for family. A big sister has to take care of their younger siblings.” The kitsune told the dragonoid who stared at her, Milim’s blue eyes widened a little more as she could see something not many others could, but that didn’t mean she understood why Kayo was giving off a twinkling aura.
“Big... sister?” Milim questioned, tilting her head cutely before Kayo chuckled. “Do you want me to be your big sister? Then I can make ultra special meals for you too.” she offered and gently pet the girl’s head, only to be tackled into the water.
“YAY! Big sis’s ultra special meals!” Milim cheered bursting out of the water in excitement. Kayo on the other hand popped out of the bath, coughing up the water that got into her mouth and nose. “Agh. My head.” the kitsune groaned, her body feeling oddly tired again.
‘What is going on?’ Kayo questioned before she heard Ero’s voice in her head.
Relationship between Kayo Tempest and Milim Nava has been re-established
Status: Family
‘Re-established? Eros what do you mean? Have I met her before?’ She tried to question her skill, but it wasn’t as multipurpose as Great Sage, so her questions went unanswered by the strange male voice in her head.
~~Primordial Noir/Kuro~~
Somewhere in the dark depths of Kayo’s inner space, the music of a children’s show eerily echoed through unseen dark halls, before the sound of soft white noise followed once it was over.
“Now~ what did we learn?” Someone who looked like Kayo Tempest asked, a wide, crazed grin on her face as her golden eyes looked down at the haggard demon forcibly kneeling, back strait and head looking forward at the massive display of ‘snow’ before him. One golden eye black with a red line running across his iris, while the other was white with no red line... but a mix of dried crimson and black blood ran down his pale right cheek. His once regal attire was now just tattered rags, with his right arm missing, looking like it had been ripped from its socket. His short black hair with strange red and yellow strands gripped in the crazed Kayo’s hand to make him watch what she showed him. A few black and even red strands lay on the floor, having been pulled out when the demon tried to escape their ‘punishment’.
“Ku fu fu fu fu. I have learned... that you are very interesting, Mr. Jester.” the demon responded with a smirk, but it did not dampen the crazed grin on Jester’s face. “Ah? So you can tell that much? Demons are so interesting~. You know what? I’ll let the Gremlin play with you for a bit. She’s been really board~.” Jester mussed and let the demon’s hair go. It didn’t attack, as there was a strange barrier that kept the demon from hurting these soul fragments, the demon had counted 8 during his battle. It would have taken an extremely strong soul to survive being broken into so many pieces, and to still function as if the soul had never been broken.
It was all so very... interesting.