Chapter 37: Return to Tempest
The road back from the Scarlet Maw felt different. Not because the landscape had changed, but because the group had. The fresh adrenaline of dungeon victory was replaced with a tired satisfaction, the kind that clung to the body like a warm blanket.
Rimuru bobbed along the path beside the wagon, humming a melody only he seemed to understand. "You know, I think I've finally burned off that salamander smell. Took three slime rinses."
"That's nothing," Drake muttered, walking a pace ahead. "Infernape spent thirty minutes punching lava. He still smells like burnt toast."
"You say that like it's a bad thing," Infernape grunted from the back of the wagon, giving a thumbs-up.
Kaijin yawned. "Still can't believe we survived that."
"Can't believe you tried to throw a grenade while standing in steam," Myrd added.
"Tactical misjudgment," Kaijin huffed.
"You slipped and dropped it on your own foot."
Drake smirked. "One of my top ten favorite explosions."
Garm, who was scribbling down ideas in a worn leather notebook, glanced up. "We should start drawing up Tempest's village plans."
"First priority: houses that don't collapse during monster attacks," Myrd said.
"Second: a bathhouse," Rimuru piped up.
"Third: food storage. I caught one of the goblins using the potion crates as a table."
Drake glanced to the treeline. "Speaking of goblins… how long has it been since we last saw Gobta?"
There was a pause.
Rimuru blinked. "...Oh no."
Kaijin rubbed his temples. "We left him in the Dwargon prison, didn't we."
Drake shrugged. "I'm sure he escaped. Or turned the cell into a hot tub. That goblin's resilient."
By the third day, the forest grew familiar. The moss-covered rocks, the way light filtered through the branches—it all whispered home.
Then, a sudden rustle of bushes.
A cluster of goblins burst through the foliage. One tripped over a root and faceplanted. The rest looked stunned.
"L-Lord Rimuru! Lord Drake! You're back!"
Rimuru bounced forward. "Of course we are! Tempest still standing?"
"More or less! Though, uh… we did try to build a statue in your honor and it exploded."
"Exploded?"
"Goblin engineering," Drake muttered. "We really do need the dwarves."
As the wagon pulled into the village, the change was immediate. Goblins ran to greet them. The direwolves stood proudly in formation. Jigglypuff was mid-performance near the new campfire ring.
Drake's team dismounted one by one, stretching and cracking joints.
Infernape immediately launched into a sparring match with Gobta, who had—somehow—reappeared with no explanation and a giant turkey leg.
"Don't ask," Gobta said with a full mouth. "Long story."
Kaijin's jaw dropped. "How the hell—?"
"We don't question Gobta," Rimuru said.
"He defies logic," Garm added.
"He IS logic," Myrd whispered reverently.
The First Feast
By sunset, a massive bonfire lit up the village. Tables of food lined the clearing. Tempest's first celebration had begun.
Drake sat at the head table beside Rimuru and the dwarves. Plates stacked high, laughter bubbling in the air.
"To victory," Kaijin toasted. "And to not dying in a lava pit."
"To Tempest," Garm added. "Our new home."
Drake raised a cup. "And to getting plastered without ending up in jail."
Everyone cheered.
Later, Rimuru and Drake sat slightly apart from the crowd. Rimuru watched the firelight flicker.
"You think we can really do this? Build a nation from nothing?"
Drake looked at the goblins dancing awkwardly around the flames. "We already are. Just need to make sure it doesn't fall apart."
Rimuru smiled. "I'm glad you're here, y'know. With me."
Drake grinned. "Someone's gotta keep your slimey ego in check."
Rimuru threw a grape at him.
Drake caught it in his mouth and winked.
From above, Pidgeot and Staraptor circled lazily in the dusk sky. Gardevoir stood by the fire, gently humming a tune that mingled with Jigglypuff's melody. Garchomp and Greninja were sparring near the edge of the forest.
Tempest was alive.
And for once, peace lingered.