That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Kijin

What Comes Around Goes Around

Orcs trample the Ogre village, killing ogres left and right. A woman carrying her child runs through the streets, ducking under huge orcs. Eventually, her luck runs out, as she's cornered by three Orc Knights. One lifts a large sword over his head as she tries to shield her child. As he brings it down, I land in front of them and catch the sword with my hand, crushing the blade. "Hey! Why don't you pick on someone your own size?" I say with a smile. The one on the right tries to attack, but I wrap him in Steel Thread and turn him into mincemeat. "Like him? Go on boys, eat up so you can grow to be big and strong." The orcs turn to the body and start eating their own comrade.

"Wh-what are they doing?!" the ogre asks, terrified. I suppose it is a disturbing sight.

"They're eating their dead. For some reason, it makes them stronger when they eat something," I sigh. "Hey, can you take a step back real quick?" I ask. She moves away. "Mmm... no, a bit further. There, that'll do." With my hands starting to smoke, I face one palm straight up and the other at them. Activate Skill: Forcefield.

"Activating Skill: Forcefield."

A small yellow dome comes down around me and the orcs. With the other hand, I shoot a powerful stream of fire and fill the space with flames. When I drop the shield, the orcs fall to the ground, charred. The woman slowly walks forward, shocked. "Th-thank you!" she stutters. "Are... are you from our village, sir?"

I hold up a finger. "One: don't call me sir. I'm not a guy, and I'm definitely not old enough to be called sir. Two: no, I am not from your village. And three: don't thank me yet," I sigh.

"What do you mean, don't-" An even larger orc bursts through the brick wall behind them and flattens them both with a hammer. Because there are too many of them for me to save any of you...

I blow a massive hole through his stomach with one punch. Guess I might as well watch from above in case any of them try to escape, and I can hold off the orcs for them. I fly onto the roof of a hut and watch the orcs destroy the village. It's never fun to watch them wipe out a civilisation, but I feel a sense of attachment to this place since I'm part of their species, technically. I just wish I could do more for them.

Something catches my eye. An explosion shakes the village, near the biggest building. Probably a town hall or chief's hut. I fly over there, where a heated fight is going on. An ogre with red hair is fighting an Orc General, while several others are fighting other orcs off. These people are clearly stronger than most other ogres. Maybe, with my help, they can make a run for it. "Oh well, what's the harm in trying?" I say to myself. With a thud, I land between them and put up a forcefield between the ogres and orcs. "Go now! I can't hold them off forever!" I shout.

A few of them take out the ones that come in through the sides. "And who are you?" asks a tall ogre with a long beard. He's probably the chief.

"Just your friendly neighbourhood Kijin. Name's Alex. Now, if you wouldn't mind? Escape?" I ask politely.

The chief nods and turns to the rest of them. "My loyal elite warriors. I task you with the responsibility of protecting our princess. I will stay behind and hold them off for as long as I can." He puts a hand on the red one's shoulder. "My son. I couldn't be prouder of who you've become. You've truly grown into a fine young man, and I only wish we could have survived so you could one day be chief. Now please, protect your sister at all costs," he says with a smile. He looks around at the rest of them. "And the same goes for all of you. I am humbled to have such fine subjects who are so loyal to me. Now go, live the lives the rest of our race couldn't."

My barrier shatters right as the ogres turn and run. "That was a moving speech," I say. "Now are you ready? You're not making it out of this alive."

The Chief holds a large cleaver. "Don't worry about me. Just leave the big one to me," he growls, looking at the Orc General.

I roll my eyes. "They always want the big one..." I sigh. "Alright, let's do this."

—————

I land in the forest, looking around. The remains of the village burn behind me. The chief didn't last long. Eventually, I come across some flowers which look like normal daisies. But daisies aren't a plant in this world. "Grandmaster, analyse these," I say softly.

"Answer: Feverfew. A medicinal plant which, when applied correctly, can ease symptoms of fevers, migraines, toothaches, rheuma-"

"Will it help?" I ask her.

"Answer: If applied correctly, Feverfew has a 73% chance of easing symptoms by 41%."

"It'll do. Store a few in Stomach and grind them into a paste," I say, flying away from the smoking wasteland. I fly to a close mountain and a cave in the side of the cliff. A blue glow engulfs the inside as I land in the cave. "Hey, Yenko," I say, stroking her chin. "Did you see anyone?" She looks to the back of the cave where a fire is burning, its orange light beaten back by the blue.

And at the very back, is Gro. Lying on a shelf of rock lined with moss, and covered by a blanket I stole from one of the countless towns the orcs trampled. He's breathing and sweating heavily, plagued by a heavy fever. He was far enough away to not succumb to the Orc Lord's ability, but it still messed him up somehow. I boil some water over the fire, then put in the ground Feverfew. I throw in a couple of mint leaves and use my water magic to stir it up. I have no idea what I'm doing, but hopefully, this is the correct way to use it. When I feed Gro the mixture, he calms down a little, and his breathing slows. Suddenly, he grabs my wrist, not opening his eyes. "Al... ex... save... the orcs. Please..." he groans, drifting back into unconsciousness.

I think it over. "Ugh, fine..." I sigh. "You just had to ask for something that's really difficult to do, didn't you? Not "save my family!" or "save my village!" No, save every single damn orc in that army!" I whine. Even though we're miles away, when I look outside I can still see the army, slowly crawling toward the horizon. "Man, that is some bad CGI," I mutter to myself.

—————

After a few weeks, Gro's condition didn't improve. Something had to be done. So, I set out to kill the Orc Lord, hoping that would undo whatever had happened to the orcs and Gro. I fly over the army and look around the area, searching for the Orc Lord. They're on a flat opening, walking along the coastline. I shouldn't have done this at night, I can hardly see anything. I fly lower. "Come on, Orc Lord..." I mumble. "Come out come out wherev-" I hear loud noises behind me, and turn around, only to face a huge dome of black energy. It looks like when I killed those orcs by burning them in a shield. But only on a much larger scale, and the flames seem... black. Whoever did this must be really powerful. Suddenly, the domes of fire start showing up everywhere, killing countless orcs. I fly at full speed, weaving between the explosions. This is madness! Is this how wars are fought in this world? If the orcs are gonna have any chance to survive, I have to find this person and stop them before they wipe out the race. Using Magic Sense, I quickly pinpoint their location. There are several of them, and they're all insanely powerful. I might not be able to win this. But regardless, I have to at least talk to them and try and negotiate. I fly between the explosions and eventually land in the middle of the group of people.

I'm standing between three groups. The ogres I saved in that village. They are the ones who are responsible for these explosions. The Orc Lord. Maybe if I can present them with his head, they'll leave the orcs alone. And a blue-haired child, standing by a huge wolf. He's the strongest person I've ever seen. Just maybe, he might even be stronger than me.