Paladins' Parabellum

Chapter Two: Inevitable

I stand up to my feet, looking between Haleema and the man she just killed. Ulrika steps to my right side, standing a foot from me. She brings out her sword from her left hip, then tightly grips the sword on her back. From the dim light behind us, I can see the veins in her hand slightly bulge. Haleema calmly raises her arms up to her chest with her hands open.

"Relax," I say, resting my hand on Ulrika's left shoulder. She unsheathes her second sword and puts it right in front of me.

"Kaio, we're leaving," Ulrika says.

"He can't leave until he gives me an answer," Haleema says, gradually walking up to us.

Ulrika sits down into a defensive stance, which makes Haleema do a similar position, but puts up her hands like she's getting ready to cast a magical spell. Her ring finger is down on her right hand while her left has the ring finger and pinky down. The left hand is further back than the right hand. By the looks of it, she might be a southpaw fighter like me.

They stare at each other, barely moving their eyes or their bodies. I fear Ulrika will attempt to strike Haleema, so I stand right between them.

"Kaio! What the hell are you doing?" Ulrika whispers in a loud voice.

"Calm down, Ulrika," I say. She takes a few steps toward me, but I make her stop by giving her a deep squinting look.

"K...Kaioson?"

I turn my head back to Haleema. She drops her defensive stance, then crosses her arms under her breasts with both hands under the bend of the elbow.

"Haleema, are you serious about what you said? I can't leave until I answer your question," I say.

"I am," Haleema says.

"What is a Paladin?"

"A skillful champion with magical capabilities capable of destroying Nite." Ulrika's quiet yet loud breathing makes me feel uneasy, so I wave my hand behind my head to tell her to relax. "I need a partner like you."

"If you're expecting an answer, I can't give you one."

"Huh? Why?" I move back to Ulrika's right side, then grab her waist.

"For starters, Ulrika is my partner." In the corner of my eye, I see her look at me with her mouth slightly open. "Secondly, your issues are not my problems."

"But I need someone like you. The fate of the world is at stake!"

"You can't just come into my life and expect me to join your mess I haven't seen or heard because it's a problem in your world." Haleema drops her arms down, giving me a doleful frowning expression. "Now, pay us."

She breaks eye contact with me, rapidly blinking her eyes as she passes her head around. When I let go of Ulrika, she sheathes her swords. I walk up to Haleema and firmly grab her arm.

"Pay us, Haleema," I say.

"Fine," Haleema says, lifting up her left hand. A coin purse warps out of thin air and floats over to Ulrika. Before I can walk away, Haleema jumps in front of me and whispers, "Kaioson, don't brush what you saw off. The threat is real, and if we don't stop it in time, we'll all be fucked." She slips a black crystal inside my shirt and leans up to my right ear. "Keep this with you."

"What is it?"

"It's an Ivish rune. If you ever see or hear anything about Nite, throw it into the air. And, please don't hesitate when you do, okay?"

"Okay..." She backs away from me and looks at the dead body in the corner.

"Leave me. I need to torch this place, and sorry for the troubles I've caused."