Hey hope yall enjoy
-------------------
Chapter 56: Instincts and idiots
One month had passed since King Gazel Dwargo's visit and the forging of the alliance between Tempest and the Armed Nation of Dwargon. The city continued its rapid growth, new districts rising, trade routes solidifying, and the Jura Forest Alliance humming with coordinated activity. Life in Tempest had settled into a rhythm of construction, training, and cautious optimism.
Varion had spent nearly every day still training with Milim but these were different somehow. Nothing changed from the earlier 3 months, but now when he fought he felt more… free
They were pure in a way , brutal, joyful, and far more destructive. Varion had come to love it. He stopped unconsciously holding back as much as holding back out of fear of hurting someone, it was finally sinking in that Milim could take what he could dish out and more it was intoxicating. He was simply "playing" with his family, and it had quietly sharpened something deep inside him. Not power but his draconic instincts had woken up more than they had ever before in his life he could feel them.
He was far less willing to leash himself when something he considered "his" was threatened. He found himself thinking that places were his, being more assertive in his wants and desires, including with prinz and rimuri. The more he leaned into them the more… just right it felt for him.
Today, Milim had declared that since she won their last spar, which she always won, she got to ride on his shoulders as much as she wanted. Varion just sighed exasperated but allowed it. she sat perched triumphantly on Varion's shoulders, legs dangling, twin tails swishing happily as she munched on a treat.
"Faster, little brother! I want to see the new market district before lunch!" she cheered, kicking her heels lightly against his chest like he was a particularly sturdy pony.
Varion chuckled, hands steady on her thighs to keep her balanced. "You're heavier than you look, you know that?"
"Lies! I'm perfect!" She leaned forward, pink hair spilling over his face. "Now mush!"
They were halfway across the central square when a sharp explosion cracked through the air not large, but close enough to cause concern. Smoke rose from the direction of the main administrative plaza.
Varion's head snapped toward it, a low, territorial growl rumbling in his chest before he could stop it.
"Hold on," he said, voice already edged.
Milim's playful grin sharpened. "Ooh, trouble? Let's Go!"
He blurred forward, Milim still happily riding on his shoulders like it was the most natural thing in the world. They arrived in seconds.
The scene was chaos. A small crowd had formed. In the center, Rigurd lay on the ground, one hand clamped over the left side of his face. Blood seeped between his fingers. His left eye was gone and the socket was a mangled mess of torn flesh and exposed bone. The proud Goblin King's face was twisted in pain, but when he looked up and saw Varion, he forced a reassuring smile.
"This is no cause for concern at all, Lord Varion!" Rigurd rasped, voice steady despite the agony. "Just a minor diplomatic… misunderstanding."
Standing over him was a leopard Beastman in ornate armor, Phobio, envoy of Demon Lord Carrion. He sneered down at the injured goblin, flanked by a small squad of his subordinates.
"Lowly monsters should know their place," Phobio spat. "When a superior arrives, you bow, not try to lecture."
Varion's vision narrowed.
The world slowed.
His instincts screamed and demanded he act. So he did just that, he surged forward without hesitation. No warning. No diplomacy. This was "his" city. "his" people. Rigurd was family. And this ant dared attack him.
He moved.
One moment he was standing with Milim on his shoulders. The next, gravity magic and the raw pressure of his magicules slammed down like a hammer from the heavens. Phobio didn't even have time to react. Varion's fist connected with his chest in a casual strike and the leopard-beastmen was driven straight into the stone pavement with bone-shattering force. The impact cratered the ground beneath him, cracks spider-webbing outward. Phobio's subordinates were flattened instantly, pinned under the same crushing wave of gravity and starlight-infused magicules.
Phobio coughed blood, eyes wide with shock and pain, armor cracked and body broken in multiple places.
Varion stood over them, emerald eyes slitted and glowing faintly, his scales flickering along his arms, neck, and face for a brief second before he forced them back. His voice was low, calm, and terrifyingly final.
"Touch one of mine again and I won't stop at breaking bones, I'll kill you." Varion said as he stared into his eyes.
The crowd murmured in awe and relief, voices rising in quiet approval.
Rimuri pushed through the gathering crowd, face tight with worry. She took one look at Rigurd's mangled face and moved straight to him. "Rigurd… hold still." She pulled out a Full Potion and tossed it on him. The effect flowed over him instantly, flesh knitted and the lost eye was restored in moments. Rigurd sighed in relief as the pain vanished.
Only then did Rimuri turn toward Varion.
She walked over calmly, slipped her arm through his, and hugged it firmly between her chest in that familiar, grounding way. Her voice was gentle toward him, soft, respectful, the tone of a partner used to their other but also carried a clear edge of her own anger at seeing Rigurd hurt.
"Varion… you can let them go now," she said quietly, squeezing his arm. "I'll handle it from here."
She glared at the pinned Beastman and his subordinates, golden-yellow eyes hard. Phobio and his men remained flattened under the invisible weight of gravity and magicules, unable to move.
Varion exhaled slowly and intertwined his fingers with Rimuri's lightly squeezing to calm himself. Then released phobio and his squad while still galling at them but much more relaxed due to Rimuri's presence.
Rimuri glanced at Varion again, her expression softening just for him. "What happened?" Instead of him answering he gave Great Sage the memory to pass to rimuri.
Great Sage instantly projected a perfect replay from Varion's point of view directly into her mind. Rimuri's jaw tightened, but she kept her voice steady.
"Alright," she said, still hugging Varion's arm. "Start talking, Now."
They moved the conversation indoors for privacy. The main meeting room was quiet, the long wooden table polished and ready. Varion sat at the head, posture relaxed yet commanding, with Rimuri settled comfortably across his lap. Her arm remained linked with his, fingers lightly intertwined, a quiet show of partnership and support that grounded him. Prinz stood at his side, her hand resting on his shoulder lightly squeezing it. On the side Milim lounged in a nearby chair, munching on a snack she had grabbed on the way in, as she watched with mild interest.
Phobio and his subordinates had been healed, though there was a pressure that lingered in the air which made it clear any aggression would be a mistake. The leopard Beastman straightened his cracked armor as best he could, glaring at the group while trying to salvage some dignity.
Once everyone was seated, Phobio finally spoke, voice tight with resentment. "I am Phobio. I was here on assignment from Demon Lord Carrion, as a talent scout for his army… specifically to find the Majin powerful enough to defeat the Orc Lord and bring them into our ranks."
Rimuri listened without interrupting, her golden-yellow eyes steady as she remained comfortably in Varion's lap. When Phobio finished, she gave a small nod.
"You can leave," she said calmly, voice carrying the quiet authority of a leader who had already made up her mind. "And when you return to Demon Lord Carrion, deliver this message for me. If he wants a proper meeting, he can set the time himself and come in person next time. Your actions today reflect directly on him. We do not tolerate envoys who attack our people. You're lucky that as an envoy it would look bad to kill you, otherwise I wouldn't have stopped Varion earlier." she said while looking down on him.
Phobio's face twisted with barely contained rage. His fists clenched at his sides, eyes narrowing into slits as he glared hard at Varion, this was his fault, he was the one who had humiliated him in front of everyone and now they thought he was weak. Varion met the glare evenly, one arm wrapped protectively around Rimuri's waist, and stared at him coldly. The message was clear: try anything and the consequences would be far worse than a few broken bones.
Phobio held his tongue, the words of protest dying in his throat under the combined weight of Rimuri's calm authority and Varion's territorial stare. He gave a stiff, angry nod then turned on his heel, motioning for his subordinates to follow. The door closed behind them with a heavy thud.
The room fell quiet for a moment.
Rimuri let out a slow breath, leaning back against Varion's chest. "Well… that could have gone better." She squeezed his hand gently, the edge in her voice softening now that the immediate threat was gone. "But you did the right thing protecting Rigurd. Thank you."
Varion pressed a light kiss to the top of her head, the last traces of tension easing under her touch. "No one hurts our people and walks away clean," he murmured. "Not while I'm here."
Milim, still lounging in her chair, popped the last bite of her snack into her mouth and grinned. "Heh. Stupid cat got what was coming to him. Good job, little brother~"
The tension in the room finally broke, replaced by the familiar warmth of their little group as they laughed at Milim's quip.
-------------------
Hey I hope yall didn't feel rimuri was acting to far from character I figured she would feel differently about this because girls are a bit more in touch with their emotions and she has a very intimate soul corridor with Varion allowing a certain amount of his emotions to bleed over unless they don't Want that.
Any way thanks for reading. Please leave a review or comment it make me happy :)