Calamitas

On the outskirts of the forest biome, beautiful plains littered the surroundings that stretched for miles and miles away. Throughout the plains, various kinds of plants and flowers could be seen. Their roots buried into the soil of Mother Terra, in hopes that one day they'd grow and grow and reach the ranks of the giant Ancestral Trees that rooted themselves in various parts of the world. The most prominent ones that overshadowed all others were the sunflowers and the dayblooms, which were considered to be a sign of happiness and good luck.

The sun shone directly on to the plains and the flowers making it a picturesque sight. What complemented the image even more was the existence of a town that sat in the distance. The town was small and quaint, something that would only be visited by Travelling Merchants who wished to expand their businesses and spread their wares or people who were looking to make a quick buck. Overall, it was nothing to write home about. The town consisted of a five-story building situated in the middle with three-story buildings making a perimeter around it.

As it was the afternoon, the inhabitants of the town were out of their homes bustling about, trying to fulfill their assigned roles. Some could be seen tending to the farms, while others fished in the lakes. A few were inside smithies enduring the intense heat, forging tools and weapons for their fellow tenants. Deep inside one of the smithies, a half-naked man wearing nothing but heavy pants and a bandana that covered his tied-up hair could be seen working on something.

The man's body was covered in various scars. Some were from bullet wounds, while others from bites and scratches. His left shoulder had slight discoloration, perhaps from a burn mark. While his face had a thin scar that started from the left side of his forehead, went down over his left eye and stopped slightly above his lips. It was simply a miracle that his eye remained intact from such a serious wound.

The man was drawing up a blueprint for a weapon. After he was done with the blueprint, he foraged through his Ore Bag as he looked for three specific items. As he removed his hands from the Bag, he held two distinct items in both hands. In his left was a bright gold bar with electricity constantly sparking around it, while in his right he held a bright red ball of flame covered in a thick black cloth with golden edges. But the man couldn't help but notice that something was amiss.

"Lets see, I have just enough of the Auric Bars and Ashes of Annihilation, but I barely have any Exo-Prisms left. Ugh, now I have to fight Draedon's creations again?! Seriously, how many times does this even make it?! Damned stingy bastard. Even his creations are just like him! They barely leave behind any materials when they get destroyed!" The brown-haired teen, now a man couldn't help but be frustrated. His once lithe figure, hardened from countless battles and life-and-death experiences responded to his anger as the muscles of his forearms, biceps, triceps, and deltoids flexed due to his clenched fists.

If his temper had raged any higher, most likely a calamity would have befallen the small town. But thankfully, in his anger he did not realize that someone else had entered his forge. Only when he was hugged from behind did he snap back to reality.

"You do know that getting angry won't solve anything? You'll only end up wasting your time and energy." The figure that hugged him had a feminine voice with a body that would attract gazes, both lustful and jealous, wherever she went. She had ashy gray skin that was soft to the touch, silky straight silver hair that shone under the moonlight, and bright crimson orbs that resembled the same shade of the blood moon. Though her most defining feature were the two horns that grew from her forehead. In the words of a Xianxia protagonist, she would be considered a country-toppling beauty.

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"Hey Callie, what's up? Ya bored or something? Also, don't sneak up on my like that again or I'll have to punish you." After calming down from his previous fit of anger, he responded to the woman in a brusque tone. Although his voice came out in a somewhat stern manner, the brown-haired man bore a very amused expression. After all, moments like these had become the norm for these two, where one would tease and the other would respond in kind. A stark contrast from their first meeting.

"It's not really a punishment Erden Yeager, if I enjoy~ it~ so~ much~!" She traced the index finger of her left hand between the man's shoulder blades. As she knew that the man did not really mean what he said, she seductively whispered the last part in his ear and bit said ear softly in order to rile him up. And rile him up she did; The man shivered from the sensation of his earlobe being nibbled on. He chose to escape from her embrace as he knew that he wouldn't be able to hold himself back from taking her then and there. As he turned around to get a good look at her, he couldn't help but marvel at her beauty even though he had seen her naked many time before.

Her body was draped in a red dress-like hooded robe with golden accents. The robe hugged her body in the right places, emphasizing her already voluptuous figure. Seeing her in the dress, he couldn't help but think that she embodied the perfect balance between cute and sexy. His mind went back to all the times they did the deed and his face gained a healthy blush. Noticing the blush on Erden's face, "Callie" chose to press further hoping to see even more of his embarrassed expressions.

"Oh my, were you thinking something lewd about me? Don't be shy and be honest. I know I'm beautiful!" Even though he was embarrassed, Erden chose not to let her have the last laugh. With the blush having been reduced from dark red to light pink, he chose to give her what she wanted. With a serious expression befitting a battle-hardened veteran, he leaned in close to her face, close enough that their noses were touching. While maintaining eye contact with her, he answered her demands. "Yeah, I was thinking about how sexy you looked. The Supreme Witch, Calamitas, right now I want nothing more than to tear off that robe, bend you over the table and shove my dick inside you. I want to rail you from behind over and over again until your legs become so sore that you can't walk for the entire day."

Not expecting such a change, Calamitas' face erupted in a bright blush, which turned her gray cheeks into a reddish-brown color. Realizing that she couldn't tease Erden any further lest she force him in to turning his statement into reality, not that she actually minded it but rather, she welcomed it. But there was a time and place for everything. She knew that she would eventually get what she wanted from Erden as he was always soft on her, unless it was something that concerned her health and safety, and the safety of the townspeople. She chose to change the subject.

"Well- uhm- a-anyways! You're right that I am bored. I also overheard that you were lacking in some Exo-Prisms. So to fix both problems, why don't we go and wreck some of Draedon's toys?" Hearing that, Erden deadpanned at her statement. He wondered if she hit her head somewhere before coming to the forge, even though such a thing is impossible considering her strength. He lightly knocked a fist on her temple to check if there was anything inside her head. He chose to ask to make sure she hadn't gone completely cuckoo.

"Uhh Callie, you okay there? You didn't go completely insane did you? Not that I doubt your strength but this is Draedon we're talking about. The same guy who is able to create death machines capable of slaying gods? You didn't somehow lose your memories did you?" Calamitas pouted upon hearing Erden calling her crazy, even though such a statement was halfway true. Seeing the puffed up cheeks, Erden poked her right cheek repeatedly as she looked like an adorable gray hamster. Seeing that he wasn't taking her seriously, she pushed through to convince him, even going as far as to bribe him with one of the things he loved the most.

"Mou! You know how strong I am. The "Supreme Witch" title isn't just for show. Besides, it's not like he will be pitting any newer machines against us. He'll probably send in the Exo-Mechs again. You know what, if you let me come with you, I'll give you a lap pillow. Just as an extra, I'll also sit on your face." She had a smug expression on her face knowing that she had already won the argument. Erden imagining the smell of her sweaty pussy after an intense battle and the feeling of her supple ass on his face couldn't help but have a nosebleed. Knowing he couldn't reject her offer, he instead chose to make the best of it.

"Alright fine! I'll let you come with me, but you'll have to sit on my face for half an hour!"

"Best I can do is 5 minutes."

"Hmm, y'all hear somethin'? I swear I heard someone low-balling."

"Ugh, fine! 10 minutes! Take it or leave it."

"If the magic number ain't 20, then the fun be mine aplenty."

"15! Anymore and the deal is off!"

"Now you're talking my language! Deal!"

Knowing that they both agreed upon the deal, they chose to shake hands. As soon as they did though, both started giggling which soon turned into full-blown laughter at the absurdity of the situation. The both of them knew each other well enough that if they wanted something, they need only ask. But even so, they chose to go through such a charade because for them, small moments like these were the ones that brightened up their days the most. "Anyways, just let me equip my armor and my weapons and then we'll head over to the Codebreaker."

As soon as he said that, he snapped his finger and his body was covered in robe-like armor that was similar to the robe that the Witch wore, only his armor was as dark as the night with gold accents. Finally a blood-red mask covered his face underneath the wizard's hat that he wore with the only thing being visible were the gleaming emerald-green irises that shone behind the mask. If observed in the darkness, most people would say that a demon has descended onto the land. This was the Demonshade armor that Erden forged when he created the Shadowspec bars for the first time, which were made from materials carved from or given by his strongest foes that he fought near the end of his journey.

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Observing the armor appear on Erden's body within a second, Calamitas felt awed at his ability. As her main strength lied in the Brimstone magics, she had some difficulty in adequately using other kinds of magics, especially Spatial magic. But for Erden, Spatial magic although limited to only storing items, felt like second nature. He needed naught but a thought to summon and de-summon, equip and de-equip any and all items that he held within a five-meter radius. Apparently, it was one of the abilities he was given when he was summoned to this world, another revelation that stumped Calamitas. She remembered the time when Erden revealed to her his greatest secret. That he was from another world- nay, from another universe.

Although Calamitas knew that there were beings in her universe that could traverse dimensions like the Nameless Serpent and its Sentinels, it was another thing to learn that a human like him was picked up from his home and yeeted to her world. What baffled her the most though was the fact that his world lacked everything that was supernatural, whether it be mana, magic, or even the fantastical beasts and untold horrors that roamed the lands of her world. From what he had told her, such beings existed only in fiction. A notion that for a while, completely shattered all sense of normality. She was starting to feel a headache form from thinking about his secret until she was brought out from her stupor by Erden's voice, which she was thankful for.

"Hey Callie, which weapon do you think I should use?" He brought out two distinct weapons, both of which were blood-red in color. The first was a beautiful katana with a black handle. The katana's handle had dark purple flames that emitted around it, while the blade itself was a red color with a metallic sheen to it. It also had red electricity sparking around it due to the constant vibrations and friction generated by the blade. The katana was named Murasama, which he found in Draedon's lab situated in the Underworld. He was only able to use the katana after he defeated the Nameless Serpent, as the katana wouldn't come out of its sheath. It was as if it possessed an ego and would only let itself be used by those it acknowledged. Well it was that and the fact that he didn't have the same name as a certain Weakest Brazilian Male.

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The second weapon that he held embodied the word "jagged". It was a 2-meter long spear; Its stem was shaped in a zig-zag pattern as if the spear couldn't be molded in a linear shape. On both ends of the spear were triangular shaped blades with one end being twice as big as the other end. In the middle of the stem of the spear were dark gray accents. This was the Scarlet Devil spear that was forged from Shadowspec bars, just like the Demonshade armor.

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"Honestly, either of them would be fine. Both weapons are strong enough to cut through the scrap that Draedon creates. Just choose which feels better. It's not like you would struggle too much against any of those mechanical monstrosities." She shrugged as she answered your question. To others it may have seemed like she was being lazy and apathetic but Erden knew that she simply had too much faith in his abilities. They had sparred and fought against each other countless times. The both of them knew the ins and outs of each others abilities, their strengths and weaknesses.

Realizing this, Erden let out a small smile and patted her head. As he reached a height 190 cm (6'3 ft) compared to Calamitas' 180 cm (5'11 ft), he did not have to worry about trying to reach up to her head, as he was taller than her. Calamitas was about to protest (even though she secretly enjoys his headpats) but his next words froze her in her place.

"Thank you." It was a single two-word sentence, but it had a profound effect on her. The blush from before came back in full effect, even redder than before. She sputtered, bewildered and embarrassed at Erden's sincerity. Her heart started beating at a rapid pace and it felt as if butterflies had bloomed within her stomach. She was confused at feeling such an emotion, but nevertheless she knew it felt good. Trying her best to compose herself, she sought to escape the awkward situation.

"I-Idiot! It's only natural that I would trust you. Anyways! We've wasted enough time. I want to be done with this fight before sunset so we can get dinner. Get the rest of your things and see me outside!" As soon as she finished speaking, she bolted towards the exit of the forge surprising the other inhabitants of the building. But in her haste to leave the forge, she completely missed the dark blush that occupied Erden's surprised face. He had completely missed what she said as his mind zeroed in to only the first sentence.

'She... trusts me. She trusts me? She trusts me. When was the was the last time someone put such faith in me? Was it my mother? Just how long has it been since then? Five years...? Five years since I came to this world, huh? Sure doesn't feel like it's been that long.'

It was one thing for him to assume that she trusted him, but hearing her say it out loud created a whole another sensation. He felt... satisfied. But hearing her say that also brought about other memories, memories that Erden thought he had completely buried in the darkest depths of his mind.

"Promise me, Ben. Promise me that no matter how hard things are and how difficult your path becomes, you won't give up. Promise me that you'll keep on moving forward, until you can reach your final destination, whatever it is."

"How dare you, Ben! How dare you! We took you in, fed you, and this is how you repay us?! Joe was a fool for trusting you! We were fools for trusting you! Leave! Leave and never come back here again!"

Pushing those memories to the back of his mind. Trying his best to forget them. Slowly and methodically, he went through his inventory to make sure that all items were in their correct slots. Perhaps it was in an effort to heal his broken heart but as he was inspecting his inventory, his mind repeated his prior conversation with Calamitas over and over again, like a broken cassette. Comparing her current self to back when he met her a year ago, he couldn't help but smile to himself contentedly while he mumbled something that only he could hear.

"You have changed, Callie. You really are trying to fulfill your promise. For that I'm glad. I truly am."

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(A.N. The sudden change in names was intentional and will be explored in the future chapters. The name is pretty similar to everyone's favorite genocidal freedom-seeker with the only difference being the first name, which is Erden; meaning Earths. So the name literally translates to Earths Hunter in English.)