"Chakob's wife?" I exclaimed as I absorbed what the Orc named Shel just said.
"Shel!" mom squealed like a highschooler and brushed past me to give her a hug.
"It's good to see you too Audrey," she chuckled as she returned the greeting.
Gustave also approached them. "Mr. and Mrs. Rodriguez," he greeted with a slight bow. "How do you do?"
At this point in the conversation, my mind was such a jumbled mess that I just had to break through it.
"Wait, wait, wait, all of you know each other?" I asked. "When? How? Why?"
Shel furrowed her brow and turned to Chakob.
"You said the boy's smart," she said. "Why does he wear such stupid face."
"That's only because he's shocked, love" Chakob laughed. "He doesn't know that you're still in the picture."
Damn straight I didn't know! In all my years of investigating the Rodriguez Cartel, not once did his wife come up. And since there was not a crumb of record on her, we just assumed that she passed away after Maria was born.
"Well, good thing I'm in picture," she said. "Because I'll be your teacher."
I furrowed my brow. Her English was broken at best and her mouth didn't match the words that came out of them. Then, my eyes gravitated towards the choker around her neck and at once, everything made sense.
Leaving the rest of the group to catch up, I pulled Chakob aside.
"She just came from Fantasia, didn't she?" I asked. "In your original world to be precise."
"The translator's a dead giveaway huh?" Chakob chuckled.
"It's like watching a dubbed show," I replied. "I can't believe Mr. Han agreed to transport her. Aren't there rules for this sort of thing?"
"Do you really think a man who steals from gods care about the rules of interdimensional travel?" he scoffed.
"Good point..." I sighed.
I glanced at the merry little group. Maria's mom huh? I wonder if she approved of her daughter marrying some stranger?
As I pondered Shel's favorability towards me, I locked eyes with the man who never approved of me since the very beginning: Rico Delgado.
His aura of disdain was thicker than mist as he ground his teeth at me. He didn't have his axe with him, but I knew that if he did, we'd be replaying the events from that day on the beach.
"He still hates me huh?" I sighed again.
"Of course he does," Chakob responded nonchalantly as he walked back to the group.
"Wait, what does that mean?" I chased after him, but I never got an answer.
After mom and Gustave finished exchanging pleasantries with the newly arrived group, they said their goodbyes and left through Mr. Han's portal.
"Alright, time to split the family!" Chakob announced with a clap.
"Wait, we're not training together?" I asked.
After I asked that, Shel immediately pulled me away. Maria followed us soon after.
"Son-in-law, listen to me," she said with the most serious tone. "I train you, and you will win. Failure not an option."
"Wait, wait, win? Win what?" I asked in confusion.
"I can tell, you very strong, but your control is that of dog feces," she continued without addressing what I just asked.
I threw my hands up in the air in surrender. "I-I can't with this translator," I stammered. "Maria, can you help me understand what's going on?"
Maria tapped Shel on the shoulder and said something in another language: I assumed Orcish. Then, after her daughter calmed her down, she left us for a bit.
"Sorry, mi amor. A translator is the best we can do for her," Maria said.
"Why is she even here?" I asked. "There's a reason why she stayed in your original world, right?"
Maria shrugged. "I don't know myself. All I know is that dad asked Mr. Han to fetch her."
It didn't even take a minute before Shel came back again with the most sour look on her face.
"I can't believe that father of yours," she said to Maria. "How dare he challenge me. ME!"
I furrowed my brow as I watched her pace away from us.
"What's she talking about?" I asked.
Maria sighed.
"Fine, I'll tell you," she replied. "My mom's a leader of an Orcish tribe back in original Fantasia and she was in the middle of an important diplomatic deal when my dad asked for her help. So, to convince her to come, he challenged her to a bet."
"And she took it?" I exclaimed.
"Orcs don't back down from a challenge," she said. "Especially for a leader like her. If she refused, she would've lost the respect of her people."
I pressed the bridge of my nose. "Chakob..." I muttered. "Ok, but why her? Can't Chakob teach me himself?"
"That's because Chakob's martial arts don't suit you," she interjected. "You're like my daughter. Strong, but no control. So I teach you."
"She's right," Maria added. "Do you remember the first time we met? That day at the beach?"
I nodded. "Yeah. You were building sand castles," I replied.
"That wasn't for fun," she continued. "I was naturally ten times stronger than a normal Orc. So, my mom made a plan so by the time I turned five, I can play with kids my age without killing them."
"But you're a grownup so that won't work," Shel added. "But the hammer in your hand should do the trick."
I looked at the hammer in my hand. An item designed for children to learn magic control... I had no recollection of having one as a child nor did I ever care to ask my parents. But after seeing Gustave and mom's duel, it was clear that I should've invested in one.
"The underworld is fighting back."
Mr. Han's words flashed in my mind.
By the time I get out of here, the only players left would be the strongest. If I were to get back to work without patching up my weaknesses, then the underworld would eat me alive.
I have to get stronger...
No.
I WANT to be stronger.
"Ok," I sighed in surrender. "I'm in your hands, Shel. Please teach me everything you know."
Shel gave me a large grin. The very first smile she gave me ever since she got here.
She was about to say something, but Chakob interrupted her from on top of a hill.
"Love! Remember, we both have six months! If Andrew doesn't beat Rico in a duel, then you'll know what happens!"
Shel spat on the ground before responding, "I'll put you back in your place, Chakob! The boy will beat your apprentice and you'll beg for mercy!"
I inched closer to Maria and whispered, "Are they ok?"
"Oh yeah," she waved dismissively. "If you piss me off, I'll act the same way too."
"Ok, I'm fucking scared..." I chuckled.
I glanced at Chakob's direction and caught Rico's eyes again. They were seething, red from the blood that pulsed in them. He also spat on the ground and trailed his neck with his finger, signifying that he wanted to kill me.
"Why the hell's Rico so pissed at me?" I asked Maria. "Your dad won't tell me why."
Her face froze for a bit and then she gave me an awkward smile. "Uhhh... I think it's best you ask him yourself," she replied. "Maybe during the duel. I think he'll answer you then."
I scratched my head. I better get a good answer for all this mystery...
"Come, son-in-law," Shel commanded as she pulled me away from Chakob's group. "If you follow my instructions, six months is more than enough."
A bold claim. People from traditional martial arts or magic schools usually claim that they're strong after years of training.
However, after getting a taste of Shel's regimen, I could see how she can claim that.
I had one word for it.
Backbreaking.
Even Hercules' twelve trials would've been easier than training under her.
"That's thirty hammers! Are you even trying?" Shel shouted like a drill sergeant as she hovered around me.
That was six months of shouting, as I broke hundreds of hammers in an effort to master my Mana Circuits.
"Your injuries made you slow, so I'll teach you how to multiply strength. Fold your magic. Fold it until it's stronger than mithril!"
That was six months of meditation and a magically reinforced stick that whipped the back of my head whenever I lost focus.
"Weak, son-in-law!" she spat as she kicked the wind out of my lungs. "Use your magics to defend yourself!"
That was six months of sparring where she beat the shit out of me until I learned how to use my magic to defend against her.
For six months she broke me down.
For six months, she hurled all sorts of insults that would make my former drill sergeant blush.
For six months, she taught me how to put the theory I learned from Gustave and mom into practice.
And in those six months, the only saving grace I had was that after every training session, Maria would give me a hot meal.
And after those six months, Shel scanned me as I stood at attention.
Then, she gave me what I was hoping for: a proud grin.
"You're ready," she said.