The glowing red veins that pulsed like dying embers had returned, mapping a network of agonizing magical fire across his skin. Steam poured off his shoulders in thick waves.
He looked over his shoulder at me, his eyes glowing a feral, luminescent crimson.
"I told you... to stay down," he ground out, each word visibly costing him immense effort.
"You're burning up," I said simply.
I didn't wait for permission. I didn't care about the three horrified elders or the giant scarred warrior watching us with their jaws on the floor.
I crawled to the edge of the mattress, my bare feet sinking into the soft pelts, and reached out.
"Human, no!" the scarred warrior shouted. "His aura will melt your flesh!"
I ignored him. I reached out and pressed both of my small, pale hands flat against the center of Kaelum's massive, burning back.
Hiss.
A cloud of white steam erupted around us.
The three elders screamed, throwing their arms over their faces to shield themselves from the expected explosion of gore and ash.
But there was no explosion.
Instead, there was a sound that had never been heard in the White Tiger Clan's canyon.
Kaelum, the terrifying Calamity of the North, let out a long, shuddering sigh.
It was a sound of absolute, unconditional surrender. His massive shoulders slumped forward. The rigid tension that held his muscles in a constant state of agonizing readiness melted away.
Beneath my palms, I watched the magic react. The oppressive, violent heat rushed into my freezing hands, flooding my chest with glorious, life-saving warmth.
And as it did, the angry red glow in Kaelum's veins dulled to a soft, rhythmic pulse. The crimson light in his eyes faded back to a deep, molten gold.
I kept my hands planted firmly on his back, absorbing the heat, letting out a contented sigh of my own.
[SYSTEM ALERT]
Heat Source Acquired.
HP: 100 / 100
Status: Cozy.
The tent was dead silent. The wind howling outside was the only sound.
Slowly, the elders lowered their arms. They stared at my pale hands resting flawlessly against the Chieftain's cursed skin. They stared at their Chieftain, who was leaning back slightly into my touch, his eyes closed in pure, unadulterated relief.
"By the ancestors..." the scarred warrior whispered, his solitary eye wide with absolute disbelief. "She... she isn't burning."
"Of course I'm not burning," I said, peeking over Kaelum's massive shoulder to glare at the intruders. "I'm freezing. We have a perfect symbiotic relationship."
Kaelum stiffened, realizing he was being observed in a moment of extreme vulnerability. He opened his eyes and tried to step away, trying to regain his terrifying posture.
I grabbed his waistband and yanked him back a step. "Don't move. You're still running at about a hundred and ten degrees. Give it a minute."
Kaelum, a warlord whose name made human kingdoms tremble, froze. He looked down at me, a complex mixture of fury, humiliation, and desperate physical need warring in his golden eyes. He could easily crush my skull. Instead, he let out a low, frustrated grunt and stayed perfectly still.
I looked back at the stunned elders.
"Let's get something straight," I announced, my voice echoing clearly in the cavernous tent. "I am not a sacrifice. I am not a snack. I am the Chieftain's personal, highly exclusive medical equipment."
"Medical... equipment?" the Head Elder repeated, the foreign concept breaking his brain.
"Yes. I am a portable air conditioner. And right now, your Chief's internal thermostat is broken." I patted Kaelum's blazing back condescendingly. "If you throw me into the snow, he goes back to being a walking volcano. So, here is the new arrangement."
I held up three fingers.
"One: I stay in this tent. Two: I require actual clothing, not this ceremonial napkin. Three: I get three hot meals a day, brought directly to the door. I prefer extra meat, hold the weird forest berries."
The scarred warrior bristled, his hand dropping to the hilt of his axe. "You dare make demands of the White Tiger Clan, human parasite?"
"I dare," I fired back, tightening my grip on Kaelum's back. "Because if you don't agree, I'll walk out of this tent right now and let your boss deal with his curse alone."
I let go of Kaelum for exactly two seconds.
Instantly, the red veins flared on his neck. A violent wave of heat radiated off him, singeing the edges of the nearby rugs. Kaelum let out a sharp hiss of pain, his hands balling into fists.
I immediately slammed my hands back against his skin. The heat vanished. Kaelum slumped forward again, panting slightly.
"See?" I smiled sweetly at the terrified elders. "Supply and demand. I have the cold. He has the fire. We've entered into a mutually beneficial business transaction."
The Head Elder looked at Kaelum, silently begging his Chieftain to deny this insane humiliation.
Kaelum slowly turned his head. His jaw was clenched so tight I thought his fangs would shatter. He glared at the elders with a look that promised absolute violence if they ever spoke of this moment again.
"You heard her," Kaelum growled, his voice a low, terrifying threat. "Fetch the... medical equipment... some clothes. And breakfast."
"B-But Chieftain!"
"Now!" Kaelum roared, the volume shaking the dust from the cavern ceiling.
The elders didn't hesitate. They turned and fled the tent, scrambling over each other in their haste to escape the Cursed One and his bizarre, fireproof parasite.
The scarred warrior lingered for a second, giving me a deeply suspicious glare, before bowing stiffly and retreating into the snow.
As the heavy tent flap fell closed, sealing us in the dim, red-lit room, silence descended once more.
I kept my hands on his back, absorbing the glorious heat.
"Well," I said cheerfully. "That went great. Do you think they have pancakes in this world?"
Kaelum didn't answer. Slowly, he turned around to face me. The feral red was completely gone from his eyes, replaced by a look of sheer, exhausted disbelief. He looked down at me, taking in my messy hair, my shivering frame, and my complete lack of respect.
"You," he whispered hoarsely, "are the most infuriating creature I have ever met."
"You're welcome," I grinned. "Now, back to the nest. My feet are freezing."
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
New Title Acquired: The Calamity's Leash.
Reputation with White Tiger Clan: Confused / Terrified.
Main Quest Updated: Establish a Permanent Contract.