A Journey Unwanted-Chapter 426 - 415: The Hammer-Heads

[Realm: Álfheimr]

[Location: Quadling Country]

A figure dropped from above without warning.

It struck the ground a few paces in front of them with enough force to fracture the stone beneath its feet. The impact formed a shallow crater, pebbles skittering outward as a thin layer of dust burst into the air. For a brief moment their vision blurred in the rising haze, until a passing breeze thinned it and carried it away.

Grimm did not flinch at what he saw. Puck hovered in place, eyes narrowing as the shape before them became clear.

It was not human.

Humanoid, perhaps—but only loosely. It stood at least twice the height of a man. Its body was thick and heavy, legs bent backward like an animal's, ending in broad, calloused feet that pressed deep into the cracked stone. It had no arms. Tattered strips of worn fabric clung to its torso in thick layers, as though thrown over it rather than properly worn. Its face was strange—flat and blunt—and above it extended the most unnatural feature of all: a massive, hammer-shaped head, smooth and hairless, jutting forward with unsettling symmetry.

Puck's nose wrinkled openly.

"Ugh… what is that?" she asked, her voice shifting from annoyance to genuine disgust.

"H-Hammer-Heads?" The Cowardly Lion's voice trembled slightly behind them. His eyes widened as he stared. ("B-but… they look different than I remember…")

Puck glanced back at him sharply. "Wait, you actually know what that is?" she asked, surprised.

Before he could elaborate, more shapes dropped from the ridges above.

One after another they leapt down, landing heavily around the trio. Each impact cracked stone and sent up small bursts of dust. Within seconds, a loose circle had formed around them.

"INTRUDERS! INTRUDERS! INTRUDERS!" one screeched from their left, voice gravelly and harsh.

"Away of you!" another barked in a high-pitched tone that contrasted sharply with its size.

"Get away! Get away!" a third echoed, stamping one bent leg against the ground.

There were at least a dozen now, surrounding them in a closing ring. All identical in build and shape. The only visible differences were the varying degrees of wear and tear in the tattered cloth that hung from their bodies.

Grimm's gaze moved from one to the next, assessing them.

"These things are… remarkably unremarkable," he said at last, his tone flattening as interest drained from it immediately.

"Oh, come on." Puck swung toward him, pointing an accusing finger at his helm. "It hasn't even been a full minute and you're already dismissing them?" She gestured broadly at the creatures around them. "Can we at least figure out what their deal is before you decide they're boring?"

"They present obvious hostility," Grimm replied. He shifted his attention toward the Cowardly Lion instead, seemingly more interested in his reaction than the snarling circle tightening around them. The Hammer-Heads began to stomp and mutter more aggressively as they were ignored. "You appear familiar with them."

The lion shrank slightly at being addressed directly, though he forced himself to respond.

"H-Hammer-Heads," he said, swallowing. "They… they don't like travelers crossing through their territory. They're very protective. A-and very stubborn."

"I see," Puck mused, glancing back at the creatures. "That explains the welcoming committee." Her eyes scanned them briefly. "They don't feel particularly strong, though. There's barely any mana coming off them. So what exactly are they planning to do? Shout us to death?"

"You turn back now!" one of the Hammer-Heads roared, stepping forward. Its small, beady eyes locked onto them with sharp intensity. The ground trembled slightly under its heavy step.

"Yeah, I heard you the first three times," Puck muttered, folding her arms as she hovered a little higher, clearly unimpressed. "You don't have to keep yelling."

"Leave our hills!" another screeched. "No pass! No pass!"

Grimm finally shifted his stance slightly as he turned his helm toward the one who had stepped forward.

"You claim this territory as exclusively yours," he said calmly. "On what basis?"

The Hammer-Head hesitated at being directly addressed.

"O-Our hills! Always ours!" it barked, stamping again as though that alone solidified the claim.

Puck leaned toward Grimm and lowered her voice slightly. "They don't seem like the negotiation type."

"No," Grimm agreed.

The leading Hammer-Head leaned forward, its hammer-like skull tilting downward in threat. "You turn back now. Or we smash."

Puck blinked. "Smash? With what? You don't even have arms."

A few of them snarled louder at the remark.

The Cowardly Lion shifted uneasily behind Grimm. ("This is bad… they get more aggressive when mocked…")

"We have no interest in your hills," Grimm said evenly. "We are merely passing through."

"No pass!" several voices cried at once. "No pass! No pass!"

Puck sighed, rubbing her temple. "You know, there's a whole world out there beyond these rocks. You could try not attacking every stranger who walks by."

"OUT!" one screeched again.

Grimm's helm tilted slightly.

"It appears," he said quietly, "that dialogue will not alter their position."

The ring tightened.

The Hammer-Head who had first landed took another heavy step forward, lowering its massive skull as though preparing to charge.

"Last warning!" it growled.

Puck glanced sideways at Grimm. "So… self-defense?" she asked, tone lighter than the situation warranted, though her posture straightened in preparation.

Grimm did not answer immediately.

He simply shifted his weight forward, gauntleted hands relaxed at his sides.

"If they insist," he said at last, voice steady and dry, "then we will proceed accordingly."

"W-we shouldn't fight!"

The Cowardly Lion's voice broke through the rising tension, louder than he likely intended. The words tumbled out of him in a rush, enough that Grimm and Puck both turned their heads slightly to look back at him.

The circle of Hammer-Heads continued stamping and snarling, but for a brief moment the focus shifted to the trembling lion.

"They're the ones escalating this," Puck replied, gesturing loosely at the creatures surrounding them. "They're literally screaming at us and threatening to smash us. It's not like we're picking a fight for fun." She paused, then added with a faint grimace, "Well. Not entirely."

"T-the ruler of Quadling Country is v-very protective of her subjects," the lion continued, forcing the words through his tightening throat. "E-even the H-Hammer-Heads."

Grimm's helm turned slightly toward him, listening.

Puck blinked once, then her expression shifted in immediate understanding. "Ah. So if we fight them here…" She glanced around at the rocky valley, then back to the lion. "We'd be seen as aggressors. And she wouldn't like that."

"Y-yes," the lion answered quickly, visibly relieved that she understood without further explanation. "She's k-known to intervene when her people are harmed. Even… even when they provoke it."

Puck exhaled slowly. "That complicates things."

"This Good Witch," Grimm said evenly, "is a member of the Quaesitorum, if I recall correctly."

"Yeah," Puck nodded. "And that's not some honorary title. The witches who qualify for that group are powerful. They're not ceremonial leaders. They can actually enforce their authority." She paused mid-sentence.

Her eyes slowly shifted toward Grimm, narrowing.

"…You're going to beat them up on purpose," she said flatly. "Just enough to make noise and just enough to draw her attention. Because you think it'll be interesting. Right?"

Grimm gave a small nod.

"You learn quickly."

"Don't confirm that so casually!" Puck snapped, throwing her hands up. "You're not supposed to validate the reckless assumption!"

The Cowardly Lion stared at Grimm in horror. "Y-you can't mean that. That's… that's exactly what I warned you about!"

Grimm stood still for a moment, surrounded by the snarling Hammer-Heads. Their heavy feet stomped against the stone, their hammer-like skulls dipping forward in agitation.

"Not pursuing one's interests," Grimm said calmly, "is that truly a way to live?"

Puck stared at him. "Do not try to sound philosophical while you're about to provoke a powerful witch," she said, her tone sharpening. "There's a difference between curiosity and stupidity."

"The Witch's strength has been emphasized repeatedly," Grimm continued, ignoring the rising volume of the Hammer-Heads' threats. "She protects even these. If she intervenes, we gain an audience without searching blindly."

"You're treating this like we're making meeting," Puck shot back. "This isn't how normal people request an introduction."

"Normal methods are inefficient," Grimm replied.

The lion stepped forward slightly despite himself. "S-she won't listen if you attack her people first," he said, fear evident but voice steadying with urgency. "She'll see you as hostile."

"She may," Grimm acknowledged. "Or she may see strength."

"That's not how diplomacy works!" Puck argued.

"It is how power often does," Grimm returned.

One of the Hammer-Heads slammed its foot into the ground again. "T-TURN BACK NOW!" it roared again, lowering its massive skull as if preparing to charge.

Puck looked between Grimm and the advancing creature. "We can still leave," she said more quietly and more seriously now. "We don't have to escalate this."

Grimm's gauntleted hand flexed once at his side.

"If they attack," he said, "we respond. If that response draws their ruler's attention, then so be it."

"That's very stupid," Puck muttered.

The Cowardly Lion's breathing quickened. "P-please reconsider. This land isn't like others. She truly does care for them."

Grimm began to step forward.

The movement alone shifted the atmosphere.

"I have no intention of slaughter," he said calmly as his sabatons scraped lightly against the ground. "But I will not retreat simply to avoid notice."

Puck rubbed her face with one hand. "You're doing this because you're bored."

"I am doing this," Grimm corrected, "because opportunity has presented itself."

The lead Hammer-Head lunged a half-step closer, skull lowered in warning.

"R-REAL LAST WARNING!"

Puck drifted slightly to Grimm's side, exasperation mixing with reluctance and intrigue. "You know," she muttered under her breath, "sensible people would try to avoid powerful witches."

Grimm did not respond.

He was already moving forward.