While Clad was walking, he ran into an immense dark gate connected to the immense walls in the area.
"A gate this big?"
"It must be the main gate to the castle."
Clad struggled to open the immense metal gate by himself, but he eventually managed to do so, allowing him to take a look at what was inside. As he looked around, he saw a garden full of life and colors, which was unlike the environment he was in before. Clad looked at the flowers and, due to his dryad nature, noticed something almost immediately: the plants were recently watered.
"This means the person behind watering the plants should be nearby."
As he got closer to look at a flower, a voice could be heard from the other side of the garden, a calm yet serious voice that was threatening yet soothing.
"Don't touch the flowers, intruder."
Clad turned toward the voice and saw a woman, dark-skinned with flickering purple eyes. She wore a black kimono with white fur going around the neck and wrist areas of the clothing, a necklace made of sharp and pointy bones, and held a metal fan in her hand.
"Hello, my name is..." Clad said as he was immediately interrupted by a flying wide arc concentrated wind coming his way, forcing him to jump away from the attack.
!!!
Clad thought to himself:
"shes a mage? The element she just used was wind, but the weapon she is holding doesn't look like a weapon used by magic users, but by martial artists..."
"She must not be from my original world, which is not unexpected, I am, after all, in a land that is completely unknown to me."
The woman told him that she was the gate guard to the inside of the rat king's castle. Although the information wasnt suprising, he still unsheathed his blade as the two positioned each other for the first attack. The woman swung her fan in his direction, sending another wide arc of wind. Clad quickly swung his blade towards the attack, cutting through the wind with unexpectedly less effort than he thought he would need.
!?
"He...cut through my technique?" She thought, as her curiosity grew, she asked the man a question.
"You.. whats your name?"
"Clad,"
"It would be a shame to kill someone as handsome as you, but I guess I have to do it.." She remarks, which he flips her off for.
"I don't care, come at me," he coldly said, as she visibly became frustrated with his answer.
"You..!"
"I'll kill you!" She angrily shouted as strong winds surrounded her.