Bofuri (The Strongest Shield Of Tensura)

Kaede moaned as her eyes fluttered open, every muscle felt as though it had been relieved of every and all stress, making her feel incredibly relaxed. Blinking away the stars in her vision, she found herself staring at a ceiling that gleamed with an unnervingly clinical light.

"Where…?" she muttered, sitting up. The room itself was stark and minimalistic, its walls smooth and white with faintly glowing seams that seemed to pulse gently, like the heartbeat of the place itself. To her right, a low table held a tray with supplies, bandages, and vials filled with shimmering liquid.

"Am I in a hospital?" she wondered aloud, though her instincts told her otherwise. Hospitals didn't look like this, not in her world, nor in the world she had been summoned to.

Before she could process further, a soft hum broke the silence. Kaede turned her head sharply, to see a tall figure standing by the doorway. The figure had a humanoid form, her silhouette sharp and alien yet oddly familiar. Kaede noticed the glint of a black exoskeleton and the faint shimmer of wings folded against her back.

The figure looked surprised when she looked at Kaede. "Mother, you're awake."

Kaede blinked. "Mother? Ari? Who, wait, Artificia? What happened? The last thing I remember is…" Her voice trailed off as fragments of memory slammed into her like a freight train: the ritual, the disintegration spell, the unbearable pain, and then… nothing. 'Artificia? Are you there?'

No answer. 'Great, something's wrong with Artificia.'

Ari nodded, as though understanding her confusion. "Your injuries were severe. You were transported here after the conflict subsided."

Kaede found herself, sitting back on the bed without even realising it, as her mind processed recent events. 'I almost died... Again.' she dragged her hands through her hair in frustration. "Fuck."

"Mother?" Ari leaned closer, placing her hands on Kaede's.

Feeling the smooth carapace hand grab her own, 'It's warm.' Kaede turned to Ari, tears glistening in her eyes. "You're so big."

Kaede reached out and placed her hand on Ari's head. She felt the smooth, cool surface of the exoskeleton, so alien and yet… there was warmth beneath it. "It's only been over a week, yet... You've grown so much," she murmured again, her voice softer this time.

Ari leaned into Kaede's hands as she answered. "So much has happened, in just over a week." She placed her hand on Kaede's again.

"Yeah, I know the feeling." Kaede whispered, when the door opened again, and a more familiar face came through.

(Mother! You're awake!) Acer cried as she hugged Kaede, forcing them to lie on the bed in a heap. (I was so worried)

With Kaede and Acer tangled on the bed, Ari twitched, annoyed at the interruption. She sighed before folding her four arms. "Still can't talk sister?"

Acer lifted her head, the leaves on her head bristling. (No, but I can still communicate just fine, thank you.) Her glowing green eyes locked on Ari's, a hint of smugness in her expression despite her inability to speak vocally.

Kaede groaned softly, wrapped around with vines that had tied her up at some point. "Acer, I appreciate the love, but I just woke up. Can we keep the bone-crushing hugs to a minimum?" She gave a small, strained laugh.

Acer blinked before shaking her head apologetically as she released Kaede and stepped back. (Sorry, Mother. I just… I'm so relieved you're okay.) Her thoughts were laced with genuine warmth and worry.

Kaede sat up again, shaking her head with a small smile. "I'm okay, I promise. Or, at least, I think I am." She looked between the two figures now flanking her. The contrast between them was striking. Ari, tall and regal, exuding a calm authority, she even had four arms, how cool is that? while Acer was smaller and visibly more energetic, her movements restless. Both were so different from the tiny creatures she had picked up.

Wiping a few tears from her eyes she smiled. "After the spell. How long have I been under?" She asked.

Ari straightened as she answered. "Yes, you arrived in your ship two days ago, and have been incapacitated ever since."

Acer shrugged. (More like crashed rather violently. The ship was damaged. Though no one else was injured, thanks to the ship's structural integrity. As expected of you mother.)

Kaede gasped at the information. "Two days ago? That long? What about the people, the plan was to move them to the kingdom of Brumund."

Acer placed her hand on Kaede's shoulder. (Relax mother, Shifu's got it covered, he already took them on the journey. He should be back in a few days.)

Kaede was mildly shocked. "Shifu? Why couldn't he wait? That's risky."

"He had no choice in the matter." Ari sighed. "The Jura forest is no place for humans. It was only a matter of time before the excess magicules started having adverse reactions on them. So Shifu decided to take the lead."

"I'm a human though." Kaede murmured.

"Nonsense, as if they could ever compare to your radiance. You are far more than a mere human. There is none like you in this whole world. Of that I'm sure." Ari scoffed.

'Ok, weird.' Kaede nodded. "I think I get it. But, i still think it's too risky."

Ari nodded. "I understand mother, but you need not worry. I already have my subordinates tailing them. Their job is to make sure they're all safe, and report any incidents to me. I figured since you went through so much to protect them, you wouldn't want something happening to them."

Kaede nodded, before slowing, as her thoughts caught up. "You have subordinates? Wait, where even are we?"

Ari stood. "Ah, yes. I should show you around the alcove."

Ari led Kaede through the alcove, her wings brushing lightly against the walls as she guided her along the winding path. The air inside was cool and filled with the scent of damp earth and moss, which seemed to cling to everything in the space. The walls, though faintly glowing, retained a soft, comforting warmth, as though the roots of the massive tree around them were gently pulsing with life.

As they reached the heart of the alcove, Kaede took in the space around her. It was much larger than she'd expected, more like a cavern than a room. Vines wove themselves along the ceiling and walls, creating a natural pattern that reminded her of some sort of organic architecture. The soft hum of the place, the low, almost melodic sound of the glowing seams, was a strange comfort.

"This place is..." Kaede trailed off, trying to find the right words.

Ari stopped near a stone platform. "I had some of the monsters build this, and some other chambers as well."

"Monsters?" Kaede turned. "What monsters, did my wards not work?"

"They were Antari, who had evolved from Army ants. Like myself, and I let them in." Ari answered.

"Antari? From the Army ants? Didn't you say you weren't going to take over the forest. I thought I told you to stay here." Kaede eyes widened.

Ari immediately started shaking, waving her hands in panic. "N-Now hang on mother, before you get angry, allow me to explain myself."

Kaede crossed her arms. "Well go on then." Following her mother's lead, Acer crossed her arms as well.

Ari heaved a sigh of relief. "Well it happened quite a few hours after you left. Around noon I think. I was resting in the nest that elder sister had made for me. That's when I felt it, a tendril of consciousness trying to reach me. Intrigued I called out to the consciousness and it immediately located me. It was an army ant scout, and apparently it was drawn to me. As an Antari, and a queen class, I possess authority over any ant monster within my jurisdiction so the ant scout quickly fell under my command. Wanting to communicate better with him, I named him..."

Kaede immediately cut in though. "Wait, you named him? That's dangerous, what if you didn't have enough magicules, you would be suffering from magicule deficiency right now or worse."

Ari nodded. "I understand your troubles, mother, but oddly enough, I didn't feel any loss of power when I named him. After I named him, he told me about his colony. Apparently he came from a very small colony over by the Kyusha mountains. He told me about the area, due to a certain Army ant growing incredibly powerful, and leading his colony, it grew too big and attracted attention, since then, all Army ants have been hunted to almost extinction. The strengths of all ant monsters come from their numbers, but with them being constantly hunted as soon as they grew past a certain size. They've never been able to produce another strong ant, so they've been in hiding ever since, with the occasional scout for hunting missions. That was until I was born as queen and then, named by you, I evolved into an Antari, a high ant. Eran, that's the ant I named, believed that all of the ant colonies should submit to me if they wanted a future. I wasn't really sure what I was expecting but the next thing I knew, Eran had returned with three more ants as representatives from different colonies. I think he attacked them and forced them to submit, but he promises he just talked to them. Anyway, I named them and then felt that drain you were talking about. I wanted to name the queens of the various colonies but they're much stronger, so I was waiting for you to name them then. In case you're wondering, I also named some of the weaker ants. They're the ones who lead the construction of the alcove, with my input." Ari finally relaxed after telling her story.

Kaede placed a hand on her chin. "So you never left the alcove?"

"No mother, I didn't. I relay instructions from within the alcove and my subordinates then passed them down. As of now, I have seven subordinates. Eran and two other Antari, are currently trailing Shifu and the group of humans." Ari clasped her hands, her tone growing more confident. "Another of my subordinate is Solum, an Antari who specializes in earth manipulation. He was pivotal in shaping the alcove's structure, fortifying its walls," She then gestured to the far end of the chamber. "He's currently leading a set of workers in creating a tunnel to the Kyusha mountains, for the queens to pass through if they're to pledge their loyalties to you."

Kaede raised an eyebrow at this. "You're sure it's not you?"

Ari immediately scoffed. "Surely you jest mother. You are to be the ruler."

"We'll come back to that later." Kaede waved her hand, not ready to deal with that can of worms.

"Then Lumea," Ari continued, her voice softening. "She's an Antari with an affinity for light. Her abilities allow her to create bioluminescent plants and fungi, which now line the alcove. Thanks to her, the entire alcove remains illuminated. As well as the tunnels."

Kaede glanced at the glowing walls, a new appreciation forming. "That explains the ambiance."

"Ferron currently oversees the security of the alcove," Ari continued. "He was originally protecting the newly merged three colonies. But I had him return when your ship crashed. He's been patrolling the perimeter tirelessly since you arrived."

Kaede's expression softened. "I'll have to thank him later." As she said that, one of the rocks behind the pillar suddenly lit up in a blue light. "What's up with that?"

Ari turned to the rock, ripping out of the ground with one of her hands. "Ah yes. This is a magi stone ore. I have a skill that passively turns every mineral around to magi stone ore after spending a few hours in my vicinity."

Kaede frowned, looking at the glowing rock in Ari's hand. "Magi stone ore? What's that?"

Ari blinked in surprise. "You don't know, Mother? It's a mineral infused with magicules, highly sought after for crafting and energy use."

Kaede raised an eyebrow. "I've never heard of it before. Let me check something." She focused her mind, activating [Instant Analysis]. Her vision sharpened, as the ore's information flowed into her brain.

"Whoa," Kaede muttered, blinking as the skill ended. "This stuff's impressive. It's like the perfect all-purpose magical resource." 'With resources like this, Artificia is going to have a field day. Artificia, are you there?'

'Oh. Something happened. I guess I just need to give her a while.' Kaede smiled, happy that she got some response.

"Yes, with this, the Antari will be more than capable of claiming our rightful place in the forest of Jura." Ari puffed up her chest.

"How do you even know all of this stuff? You're not even a month old." Kaede asked.

"Well, some of those knowledge were instantly ingrained upon me when you named me. The rest, I learned from an annoying lizard."

"Oh? That was nice of him. Where is he?" Kaede asked.

Ari tsked. "The oversized lizard is an annoying know-it-all who can't leave his cave. Though I'd like to take a bite out of him if he did."

Kaede sweat dropped. 'Poor lizard.'

In a dark cave, Veldora the storm dragon, felt the sudden urge to sneeze. °Huh, that's odd°