Paladins' Parabellum

Chapter One: The Bounty

I stand still on my horse, viewing the misty grey fog in front of me. The air is warm, and the humidity is making the skin around my face damp. It's quiet, which is giving me an eerie feeling. Behind me, I hear the distant sounds of a horse approaching. Out of the fog, my partner and the love of my life, Ulrika Pence, gallops over to me. Her emerald eyes radiate out of the gloominess of the weather. The all-black attire she's wearing pops out through the grey background behind her.

"Alright, I'm good. Ready to kick our horses into high gear, Kaio?" She says, giving me a grin. Her lovely dimples appear in her cheeks as she continues to smile at me. "What are you staring at?"

"Looking at this beautiful landscape." She looks around, then looks at me with a confused one brow raised look.

"Kaio, what are you talking about? This place looks depressing."

"It was until you showed up." Her tongue presses along the inside of her lower lip as she smiles.

"Wow, Kaio, you almost made me laugh."

"So, why are you blushing?"

"Because... I appreciate the compliment, and I found it cute."

Her face blushes redder, and she hides her smile from me. She clicks her tongue, moving her horse up the trail. As we move further up the road, the fog starts disappearing a bit.

"Finally, it's letting up. I really wish the damn sticky air would cease, too," she says.

"Same here. The quicker we find our bounty, the sooner we can leave."

As all the fog clears up, I can see villages and farmhouses outside the city of Rainor. The huts and houses look beautifully deep in color. Some homes have red, green, or orange paint. Once I get near their settlement, the dirt trail I'm on turns into gravel pavement. The elves near the rode immediately move out our way as Ulrika, and I speedily gallop down it. Once we reach the end of the village, a sentry halts us from entering the gates.

"State your business here, humans," he says in an aggressive tone.

"Look at my cape," I calmly say. He walks between us to look at the fiery lion insignia on my right shoulder.

"Oh, you two are bounty hunters? From Kromagia? I'm sorry for asking you in that tone. Who are you looking for?"

"That's none of your business," Ulrika snaps at him. "Let us in so we can do our job, then leave."

"Yes, ma'am," he says quickly.

The man next to us whistles to the guards standing near the gate entrance to make way for us to enter the city. Once we pass the gates, I'm almost overwhelmed with awe seeing so many people roaming the city. I have to hop off my horse to guide it through the busy streets. Seeing the people in their colorful outfits reminds me of Kromagia, but the gloomy weather makes their clothing not pop out as much.

The crowd begins to lessen as we further walk in. Ulrika and I look around to find stables to put our horses in. Near the city's westward walls, I see horses go in and out of a tall brick building.

"Over here, Ulrika," I say, pointing at it. We walk over to the building where someone sitting outside, writing something down on a book using a quail. "Is this your stable?" He looks at me with a blank expression.

"It is," he says, with a high-lip smile.

"How much for the services?"

"Five a day, same thing for the night. Ten for the full twenty-four hours." Ulrika takes the reigns of my horse, pulling our horses into the stable.