Chương 21: Metalhead

As the automobile leaves the city's gates, I start to wonder where we are going.

"You will see." Is the only response I get from Calder. Oh well, I just settle for scritching Luma's head as a pastime. She is curled up in my lap, and damn is she cute. The automobile hits a bump in the road and I am thrown upwards in my seat. It may be convenient, but these things aren't the safest without proper roads. Glancing out the window, all I can see is trees around us. Wherever we are, it is definitely far too wild for said proper roads.

After about an hour of travel all told, the vehicle creaks to a stop. Calder stands up and opens the door. Turning back to me, he glares at me.

"Do uh, be polite? I don't know how else to put it…" Placing Luma back into my hood, I step out into the fresh forest air. The system calls the area the Forest of Echoing Memories. But, I nearly leap back into the automobile when I see that the danger estimate is set at cataclysmic.

"Don't mind the danger estimate either." Calder says, and then promptly disappears into the treeline. Heaving a great sigh, I follow him. What's a bit of cataclysmic danger anyways? Calder seems to think it's fine. He is probably smart enough not to walk into certain death, right? A few minutes later, I run face-first into a glowing blue barrier.

"Ow!" I shout and clutch my poor nose. As I step back, Calder laughs.

"Whoops, forgot that you don't have the skill to sense that barrier type. It is an esoteric elemental magic, I wish I could explain it, but I can't." Calder places his hand on the barrier, humming a short tune. With a quiet popping sound, a portion of the barrier disappears. Beyond it, I glimpse what seems like an entirely different world. Calder doesn't give me a chance to hesitate though, and pushes me right through. I blink rapidly as I try to adjust to the sudden brightness.

Once I can finally open my eyes, I stare out at the landscape before me. An odd yellow grass crunches beneath my feet and stretches out as far as the eye can see. The air is warm, but gentle as it blows across my skin. The air is heavy with mana, and I can sense that we are in the territory of a grand power.

"Calder." I say and look down towards the dwarf.

"What the hell is this place?"

"The domain of the one that is going to teach you." He says and points off into the distance. Squinting my eyes, I can just barely make out what appears to be a small wooden cottage.

"Like, magic stuff?" I ask.

"No, well, yes. The main purpose is the magic smith stuff, but I bet you will learn some other magic too. But uh, do be warned that her personality is-" Calder is interrupted as a being appears in front of us. Being is the only way I can truly describe her. Standing at about three meters tall, even I am dwarfed by the being–to say nothing about the literal dwarf. She has six arms, each of one ending in a shockingly normal looking hand.

Her skin is orange, but tinted with veins of pure black, that radiate a power that is almost asking for me to touch it. She is wearing a pretty tight fitting black suit, that leaves not much to the imagination. Like seriously, I think her muscles' muscles have muscles.

"My personality is what?" She asks, looking down right at Calder. A bead of sweat forms on his forehead.

"Uh. Nice and kind and oh so wonderful. That is what I was going to say."

"Sure you were, pipsqueak." She quips back and I can't hold back the laughter anymore.

"Oh pardon me, hero," She dips her head, "name's Cltqwtzapqti, nice to meet ya."

"You can just call her Claire." Calder says.

"Damn elementals and their ridiculously long names." The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Claire steps closer to Calder, and places her hand on the top of his head.

"Nah, it's you fleshy beings that have odd names. Like seriously, what kinda name is Calder? It's so… simple. Which fits you, I suppose." I take a step back and consider the situation I find myself in. Clarie is an elemental, as in, like, really powerful beings from what I understand. Who is currently joking around with a dwarf, and they seem to have a history. Plus this weird domain and the fact that Claire is going to teach me smithing in this new world. Hmm, now that I think of it all.

It makes complete and utter sense. Like, Calder did say he would find someone to teach me. He seems like a very connected guy, so why wouldn't that person be an elemental that the system classified as a cataclysmic danger. I sigh and reach out my hand to Claire.

"Name's Orn, nice to meet ya, teacher." Clarie's eyes, or uh, orange spheres, settle on me.

"Hmm, Calder, I think I like this kid. Leave it to me, I'll teach you all the tips and tricks and stuff that you need to blow the socks off the malice." She reaches out and takes my hand in her own, and squeezes. I grit my teeth and try really hard not to show pain as she nearly breaks my hand. Some part of me feels like I just signed away my spirit to a grand evil or something. Oh well, it is too late to take it back now, I think.

"So, when do we start?" Claire smiles and turns towards her house.

"First, some tea. It helps with learning, after all." Calder laughs.

"No, you are just so addicted to it that you can't do shit without it. Like seriously, do you know how silly it was to put 'desires tea' on your cross-realm migration papers?"

"Wasn't as awkward when I strolled into the council and nearly gave that lord guy a heart attack." Claire replies and then turns to me.

"Oh right, I'm like a migrant or something. There was paperwork and a hearing and everything. You know, to stop random no-gooders from just descending down and leveling the entire realm."

"Sounds like a big headache. Wait, will I have to deal with that when I go up the realms?" I ask as we start to walk. Claire squints.

"Hmm, I don't actually know. Even if normal people did, I think you heroes get special passes or whatever. Holding you up with paperwork would break the covenant, after all." I flinch at that last part, memories of the inquisition still fresh. Luckily, my mind is immediately distracted as we approach her house. Sitting in front of it is a small brown dog. It is adorable. Too adorable. I must pet it. As I reach my hand out to touch it, it morphs.

The cuddly puppy quintuples in size, and its jaw opens up to reveal fangs that are larger than is safe for me. Tentacles reach out from inside its throat, and I can feel its hot breath against my face. Woosh, I am disoriented by a sudden teleportation. When I regain my bearings, I fall to my knees. But the trauma of almost dying is somehow counteracted by the hilarious scene in front of me.

"Fluffles! Bad dog! We do not bite visitors!" Claire scolds the dog, which is currently held in her hand by its head. With a whimper, it seems to calm down and shrinks back down. Claire releases Fluffles and it lays down on the ground, as if bowing. Claire turns to me, "Sorry, probably shoulda warned you about Fluffles. Forgot the charm magic was a thing, to be honest… it only works on weaker beings after all." I sigh. Guess even adorable puppies aren't safe in this world.

Like, why the fuck is the horrifying monster dog in the form of such an adorable puppy? Plus it has charming magic!? I don't question why Claire keeps it as a pet, but couldn't she put up like a 'BEWARE! DANGEROUS MONSTER DOG!' sign or something? Luma stretches inside my hood and I feel her peek her head out, probably woken up by the teleportation.

"Yip?" She says, surveying the situation.

"Oh my gosh! What is that cute lil thing?" Claire says, and appears beside me. She stares intently at Luma, who seems to be assessing the strange woman.

"It's uh, a great spirit that contracted itself to me." I reply. Claire reaches towards Luma, and pokes her forehead.

"Yip!" Luma seems pleased, and leans into Claire's hand, nuzzling it. A bit of jealousy goes through me, but I push it to the side. Luma's adorableness is plenty enough to go around, or so I think.

"Alright, that's it. No further questions, Orn, you are staying here." Claire declares while ruffling Luma's head.

"I already agreed, you know…"

"Calder, get lost." Claire throws back at Calder, who I notice is looking a bit nervous.

"Reli would probably kill me if I actually invited you in… again."

"Again?" I ask, curious as to what happened. Claire opens her mouth, but Calder interrupts her with a clap of his hands.

"Alright then… have fun Orn. Sorry, by the way." Without explaining what he should be sorry about, he teleports back to the barrier and walks through a door that opens up. Silence hangs in the air for a moment, then Claire snaps her fingers.

"Well then, how about that tea?" She smiles at me, bearing her perfectly white fangs.