Paladins' Parabellum

Chapter Eighteen: It's Time

The main hallway of the Paladin agency building is packed with people conversing among themselves. I'm nearly shoulder to shoulder with them. Zadock, Hayden, and even Rhyndac are here, waiting for Emdal to give out his speech. Rhyndac is on the second floor, holding the railing that overlooks us. Seeing her doesn't sit well with me after all the shit that went down at Tawaragata. I still haven't forgotten my promise to kill Garret for violating Ulrika.

Damnit! I'm already getting pissed off.

I avert my eyes from seeing Rhyndac and put my attention to something else. When I shift my lips up towards my nose, the aroma of garlic butter pasta enters my nose. My anger fades when I think about Ulrika's fantastic cooking early this morning.

"Ah, finally! He's here," Haleema says, standing on my right side with her hand on my shoulder. I look up to the second floor.

"That's Emdal?" I ask.

"Mhmm." He's an elf with long black hair that reaches down to his upper stomach. On the left side of his head, he has a single braid. He's wearing a white chest plate and armor on his right arm.

"He looks young to be your leader," Ulrika says, laying her head on my shoulder and putting an arm around my lower back.

"He's fifty-five," Haleema says.

"Elven youthfulness. It makes me wonder how old you are, Haleema."

"I'm twenty-five."

"Wow, you're the same age as me! Hear that, Kaio? Looks like you're the baby of the group."

"How old are you?"

"My husband is twenty-one," Ulrika interjects before I can open my mouth to answer. Haleema's eyes open wide. She covers her smile with three of her fingers.

"Usually, it's the man who's older, but love doesn't care who's older."

Everyone in the room suddenly ceases talking. I look at a man to my right, and he's looking up towards Emdal. On Emdal's left side, a man places a tall cylinder rod-shaped next to him. It's tall, towering a few feet over his head. When he waves his hand over it, it lights up a cyan color.

"My fellow warriors of peace. As of this hour, Nite has begun their attack," Emdal says with a loud voice, gripping the handrail in front of him. All at once, people explode into loud whispers that I can't understand. "Silence! Right now, we've spotted them surrounding the city. The mages and I have a shield protecting us, but we need to attack them before it drops."

Emdal swirls his hands in a circle. A blue fog trail emits from the rod, then sends the fog over everyone. It rotates into a giant horizontal oval, showing us a glimpse of the cultist attacking the shield around the city.

"I bet there are orcs in their forces," I say, eyeing a few big cultists. They're covered from head to toe, so I don't know for sure.

"I have no doubt. Do you remember Olly's champions?" Haleema says.

"Those three giant guys that spawned from him? Do you think they'll be around?" She nods her head with arms crossed under her breasts.

"Should I be worried?" Ulrika asks, looking directly at me.

"Maybe. I didn't fight Olly's champions, but those orcs roughed me up twice," I answer.

"You'll give'em a ruffing back, now that you're much stronger." She rubs my stomach, then taps it with her fingers. "Also, your mana is replenished. I can feel your aura flowing like a gentle stream of pure water."

"The garlic and butter still linger on my lips." She chuckles with her lips pulled into her mouth. "If it's alright with you, I'd like to have more of it later today."