Reject Humanity, Return to Monke

"So, anything of interest happening here?"

"By interest, you mean this trigger-happy elf littering holes in the forest? Then yes." Drake deadpanned as he continued to watch the elf bombard the forest with bullets with a manic smile on her face. "If you mean the invasion forces of the enemy, then no, not yet."

"Smart-ass." I rolled my eyes as I approached Mariona, who was behind the turret gun. "Oi, that's enough."

"J-Jionni!?" Mariona was so engrossed in her manic revelry that she jumped slightly, causing the turret gun to point upwards suddenly. Lowering our heads, I grabbed Mariona's arms and pulled them off the turret, silence descending after the last bullet fired echoed around us.

"Do you want to cause friendly fire, woman!?" I rebuked him as Drake hid underneath a pile of sandbags, which he grabbed from inside his hammerspace.

"S-Sorry, Jionni! It won't happen again!" Mariona stiffened as she gave me a salute, her eyes slightly wide due to the anxiety she was emitting.

"You better. Next time, point that gun at the enemy and rain hell upon them. Don't target the trees. I thought elves were supposed to value nature." I snorted, and Mariona could only chuckle sheepishly as she rubbed the back of her head.

"So, are we done here?" Drake crawled away from his hiding spot, his gauntlets still in full view.

"And you, I thought you would've stopped Mariona's shooting spree?" I narrowed my eyes at Drake, who whistled innocently as his eyes strayed everywhere but at me. "You know what, forget it. Let's just head back down and meet with the leaders. They've come up with a plan, and we're still deciding where to fit you in."

"Or I can just… You know… Rush at them like a mad bull?" Drake tilted his head as he smacked his gauntlets against each other. Truth be told, I wanted to do that too. Just sic Drake on them and watch the chaos ensue with popcorn in hand, but that wouldn't do.

"Nope. This battle will teach my primates and the monsters how to defend themselves against future raids. We can't keep relying on you to do our shit whenever an enemy attacks." I replied, and Drake just deadpanned at me with his arms hanging at his side.

"Uh, yes. You can rely on me. Not like I'm gonna up and leave just because I feel like it." Drake approached me and placed his hand on my shoulder. "Look. I'm not leaving this place. I've had enough of adventuring and just want to spend my time sleeping or playing games. Thanks for the consoles, by the way."

"You really won't leave my Dungeon?" I asked, skeptical about Drake's claims.

"Yep. To be frank, I'm tired. Out there, I can't spend at least a day without some kind of scandal, attack, or just plain murphy screwing over my ass. At least here, I can get some peace and quiet from time to time, unless we're being attacked, that is." Drake shrugged as he let go of my shoulder before heading down the stairs. "Anyway, let's go. You wanted to squeeze me into your strategy, right?"

I watched as Drake slowly descended the stairs with a neutral expression. Sighing, I followed him as well, with Mariona following as well.

A few minutes later, the three of us were back on the ground discussing with the other monster leaders about Drake's placement.

"So, you're saying that I have free reign?" Drake's lips twitched upwards, his eyes holding a childish glint of manic glee. "Meaning, I can do whatever I want?"

"Yes, just be sure that your actions don't mess up the plan for the primates. Remember, as much as this is a fight for survival, this is also a learning experience so that we can be better prepared for the next invasion." I supplied with a hand cupping my chin. Drake chuckled slightly as he thought of all the things he could do to those human cultists.

It seems that he's still hung up about Erika; not that I blame him, though.

"Jionni, what about the dragonewt… Man or woman?" Nicholas scratched his cheek as he thought about the peculiarity of the newly awakened comatose patient.

"Both." I sighed before continuing. "But she prefers being called by her original gender, which is a woman, so let's go with that. Moving on, she will also join in the effort but will be staying near the gate to protect Mariona from any kind of projectile that may come her way."

"I see." Nicholas nodded and looked respectfully at the other monster leaders. Ignoring them for now, I focused on Drake, who was grinning madly, his gauntlets clenched tighter like a vise.

"You okay, dude?" Drake snapped out of his trance as he heard my voice, his grin disappearing as it was replaced by a frown.

"To be honest, no, but I will be once I get to cave in the leader's head." Drake shook his hand, which drew my attention to the gauntlet.

"Good luck to you then, because the dragonewt, Inziz, called dibs on their leader. He's the one who left her to be a goblin baby factory." Drake froze when he heard my words. "Drakhan told me. His soul piece within the enemy numbers is a very good spy."

"… I call dibs on their vice-captain then." Drake concluded with a nod, and I could only stare incredulously at him.

"Really?"

"Yes, really." Shaking my head, I left Drake to his mumbling. At a loss on what to do for preparations, Nicholas already had the planning and strategy covered, and the rest already had orders given, so I strolled around the town with no visible destination set in mind.

I didn't notice my feet dragging me up the ramparts and in front of the mounted turret, its barrel no longer emitting any smoke.

Dragging my hand across its surface, I contemplated whether or not I should try out this bad boy, but a primate stopped me from doing so.

"Boss. So glad to see you." Chip appeared out of nowhere, adopting a kneeling pose with his trusty compound bow, Primal Shot, slung behind his back. "I've been tasked with delivering this utmost important message from the mighty Gong himself. He said that his scouts had found an army worth 1000 strong and were marching towards your Dungeon as we speak!"

"… Wait, run that back at me again?" I blinked, my ears probably going deaf, which wasn't when Chip retold the message he was supposed to give. "Holy fuck almighty…"

My hand twitching slightly at the thought of the number of enemies that were about to arrive in my Dungeon in just a few hours, I rubbed my temples as Chip continued to stay in his kneeling position.

"Chip, thanks for your dedication to the defense of our home." The primate in question shook in delight, his kneeling figure quivering slightly. "Tell Gong to recall all his troops and ready themselves for a fight of a lifetime. This isn't just a defense, this is a fucking war, and we are not about to lose this. Is that clear?"

"Yes, boss!" Chip quickly stood straight, giving me their own version of a salute as he vanished once more from my sight.

"… That primate just keeps on surprising me…" I sighed as I recalled the various abilities he had gained during his lifetime. The ability to shoot bows with near precision, now extending to guns as well. The ability to vanish with nary a sound. If Drake hadn't been there, I'd have assumed Chip was the protagonist of a novel about a chunnibyou who was reincarnated as a chimp, and that his fictitious powers were real and not made up.

Come to think of it, there are a lot of reincarnates here… Is he one of them…?

Shaking my head at that idiotic thought, I quickly headed back down to relay the numbers of the enemy that was fast approaching my Dungeon.

"Nicholas, you might want to hear this."

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~ Third Person POV ~

"I guess that the Human Movement cult is fast approaching. Ugh… This is going to be one hell of a clean-up… Drakhan's new world better be worth it once the revolution is done…"

A lone god sat upon his throne, red heavenly wine sloshing about in his goblet embroidered with gold.

"M'lord, the human cultists are fast approaching his Dungeon. Should we intervene?"

"No, let them defend. Once they repel the threat, we'll have to move to phase two." The God Chythos took a sip from his goblet, the wine tasting as usual. "Drakhan better be prepared for the chaos that's about to ensue when I do so."

"Are you still sure that this is the right idea, m'lord?" Uius asked from his usual position. "I'm worried that our decisions will come back to bite us in the end."

"No need, Uius." Chythos grinned as he downed the wine in the goblet with one gulp, a satisfied sigh escaping his lips after he did so. "I've seen the future, and everything is clear now. These visions, no matter what we do, will always end up happening. It's as if fate declared this as the final timeline. We're siding with the winning team, so don't get your panties in a twist, eh?"

Chythos held out his goblet, and Uius obediently poured some more wine into it.

"Forgive me, m'lord. I am just worried about your safety."

"It's fine, Uius. No master could wish for a better servant like you."

The two remained silent as they continued to watch the war unfold in the giant screen in front of them.

"That said, I still wonder how Jionni is going to overcome this without Drake.. I've only seen tidbits of this part in my visions, and I'm curious."