“Three, two, one,” a healer countdowns before popping Ulrika’s shoulder back into place. “Did that hurt?”
“No. Your tonic is working,” Ulrika says.
“Take another vial just in case the pain is unbearable tomorrow.”
“Are you sure her shoulder is not broken?” I ask, being overly concerned.
“I’m positive. I saw no form of fracture.” He hands Ulrika the green-colored vial, puts her arm in a bandaged arm sling, then turns to me. “How’s your stomach?”
“Numbed.”
“You two are set to leave,” he says. I take Ulrika’s shirt and put my cloak around her shoulders to act as a temporary replacement to cover most of her chest. My attention is now on her recovery more than what we agreed after we saw a healer.
“I’ll go look for a place we can rest in while we recover.”
“That’s not what we agreed on,” she says, smiling at me. “I’m fine, darling.” She holds my hand, leading the way out of the tent. Thyrna jumps off a nearby bench to greet me with a hug.
“Are you two okay?” Thyrna says.
“We’re fine,” I say, hugging her back. “What the hell was that all about? I can’t wrap my head around the whole event.”
“If I had to guess, Ivaran’s plan changed.”
“One of the Paragons we were fighting talked to someone before disappearing.”
“What did they say?”
I shrug my shoulders but say, “They were talking to someone I couldn’t see or hear about something. But if I had to guess, probably Ivaran.”
“Ugh,” Thyrna grunts, rubbing her eyes with her fingers. “Telepathic communication. If I was there, I could’ve hijacked their link.” She takes a single deep breath while staring up at the skies.
“What’s wrong?”
“We lost fifty of our units, plus the head figure of the Paladin organization is dead. I sense a bad omen.” Her eyes wander left to right then her ears droop a bit when she looks at me.
“Are you an oracle?” Ulrika says.
“No, but I do come from a tribe of them.” Haleema walking behind Thyrna takes my attention away from the conversation Thyrna and Ulrika are having. Haleema’s cheeks are blushed pink. I know they can’t be like that because of the weather, so I excuse myself to go see what’s up with her.
“Haleema,” I say with a gentle voice so as to not startle her. She glances at me with the side of her eye, yet continues walking. “Hey wait a sec.”
“Go away,” Haleema says with a raised voice.
“Why?” I get close to reach my hand out to her shoulder. She whips it off and then shoves her hands into my chest.
“Leave me alone!”
“Haleema..?
“How dare you..!” I take a step back with my palms up to my chest. “How dare you two give up on him!”
“We couldn’t do anything!”
“You could have tried harder!”
“Settle down,” Ulrika says. She stands a foot ahead of me on my right side. “You knew there wasn’t anything we could do. We would’ve wasted all of our mana and become vulnerable to a surprise attack.” Haleema tightens her lips and tears flush out of her eyes as she looks off to her left. “You’re the most powerful among us, yet you couldn’t put a dent in it.” Her statement makes Haleema lash out in a silent weep, turning her head left and right. “I’m sorry.” Haleema abruptly darts away from us, crying her heart out. I want to go after her, but Ulrika halts me by placing her hand on my upper arm. “Leave her be. She needs to understand there was nothing we could do.”
“Leave her? She needs comfort,” I say.
“Listen to your wife, Kaio,” Thyrna says, stepping into my line of sight next to Ulrika. “Haleema is under the mixed spirits of sudden loss. She’s not gonna let us help her until she asks for it.”
“Plus, who knows how long this will affect her. We don’t know how close they were,” Ulrika advises. I don’t feel like this is the right choice. A huge part of me feels obligated to do something comforting whether it is through talking or being around her. But, for the sake of my mother and wife’s opinions, I’ll keep my distance till later.
“So, what now?” I say.
“Guys,” Bearbolt says, coming from the front gates. “King Menassah has summoned all who were in the battle to his court.” She hands a sealed scroll held by a ruby ring to Thyrna. Thyrna skims the parchment. “He requests our presence immediately.”
“I’ll teleport my son, his wife, and myself over there,” Thyrna says.
“I will go get the others.” Bearbolt jogs in the direction Haleema is going.
“Why does the King want us?” I say, resting my hand on Thyrna’s shoulder to get ready for porting.
“Not sure,” Thyrna hums, rubbing her mouth and putting an arm around Ulrika. We teleport in a series of flashing blue lights. It takes us two seconds to pop out of it because the King lives about sixty miles north inland to Ballabawa.
Thyrna puts us at a distance from the front gates. The walkway and entrance are armed with royal guards armed with silver tridents. Around their free arm, there’s a metal shield with the King’s tribe symbol engraved on it. It’s a picture of a mule carrying cargo on its back.
Towards the entrance, the walkway elevates slightly to the giant red-brick castle. There’s still a distance past the gate we have to travel. I kinda want to ask Thyrna if we can go back to bring our horses, but I don’t want her to waste too much of her power.
“Do you have an audience with the royal family?” A female guard asks.
Thyrna shows her the scroll, then says, “Bearbolt is gathering the rest.”
“Hang around here until all arrive.” We sit on the ground to wait for the others to get there. Thyrna passes the time with small talk with Ulrika. I remain out of their conversation as I think about what Haleema is going through. I don’t think I can wait till later to speak with her. She needs a friend.
“Darling,” Ulrika says.
“Yes?” I reply and quickly look at her.
“Just making sure you’re here with us.”
“Oh...”
“Is something on your mind?” Before I can tell her, all the Paladins teleport in front of us. Bearbolt is in the multitude, including Haleema.
“Oh my, Ulrika, what happened to your arm?” Rhyndac asks, pointing her finger at Ulrika upside down.
“It’s my shoulder.” Ulrika stands up, and then helps me to my feet. “I dislocated it.”
“Ouch. I could fix it if you like. It’ll be painless.”
“No thanks.” Ulrika faces forward to the castle. “I already had it fixed.” I have a feeling that she still might have some anger towards Rhyndac. Ulrika’s brows are slightly down into her eyes. Her expression is relaxed, yet the lack of eye contact is telling me she’s annoyed. Rhyndac is looking dead at her with a smile.
“Alrighty, Ulrika. Hey, Kaioson.”
“Y- Yes?” I say.
“Do you need healing? I saw you clutch your abdomen when you got up.”
“He’s fine,” Ulrika blurts out. “Do not touch him.”
“Relax, Ulrika. I wanna offer my aid.” Ulrika’s lips tighten. I can tell she’s getting irritated, so I bring her close to me by her waistside.
“So, are we good Bearbolt?” I say, changing the subject to avoid any unnecessary tension.
“Yes. Time to go see the King.” The guards open the gate and escort us into the castle where we await further instructions. They remain with the whole group until a servant of the King relieves them.
“Follow me,” the servant says. I’m blown away by how incredible the interior décor is. Marble floors, stone archways, paintings; gold benches. I feel like I should be wearing something more proper than my combat gear. I’m dirty, bloody, and need a hot shower.
“Bearbolt, is it okay to be looking like this before seeing the King?” I say.
“No, it’s not,” the servant buds in. He stops, halting everyone in place. “But this is an important meeting. Formalities are off at the moment.”
“Yeah, what he said,” Bearbolt says.
“Don’t worry, Kaioson. I can fix that,” Rhyndac says. She twirls her hand above her head, then wiggles her fingers in a circular motion. Everyone including myself radiates in a dimly blue glow. My clothes transform into what seemingly looks like formal attire. I’m wearing a cream-white button-down long-sleeved high collar shirt. My pants and boots are the same color. All of the men have the same outfit I’m wearing, but the women are wearing a burgundy-fitting dress.
“Really?” Ulrika whispers, checking out herself. She tugs on the cloth around her stomach and breast with the tip of her fingers.
“I hope you like the clothing everyone,” Rhyndac says with glee. Ulrika doesn’t look too happy wearing the outfit, but I love how it looks on her. It brings out her muscular shape in such a beautiful, highly feminine approach. Her face and exposed shoulders are smooth, without any dirt or bruises.
“Stop it,” I say, gently moving her hand away from her stomach. “You look wonderful.” She gives me a light frown, then rolls her left shoulder forward.
“Thanks. I’m still trying to get into wearing something like this, but I wish she didn’t put it on me,” Ulrika whispers with her mouth covered. She rotates her shoulder again, but this time, I realize it isn’t bandaged or bruised. “She fixed my shoulder?”
“I healed everyone’s ailments, Ulrika,” Rhyndac says, walking over to me. “Even your aching abdomen.” Before she can touch the part of my stomach I got hit, Ulrika slaps Rhyndac’s hand away from me. The sound echoes in the vast space of the hallway. She snarls at Ulrika and she gives her the same expression.
“Back up!” Ulrika shouts.
“Geez. Damn, I’m sorry.”
“Ladies,” Hayden slithers in next to us. “Let’s not stir the pot. We’re in the King’s home.” He pulls Rhyndac away from Ulrika. I bring Ulrika to my side with a stern yet comfortable grip around her waist.
“Well then. Follow me,” the servant says, continuing to guide us through the building and into a room. He sits everyone in a U-shaped arrangement that opens up to the throne. Three seats overlook us. I’m guessing the third chair is for the princess, but she is not known to be present most of the time.
“Hey, servant,” Hayden says.
“What is it, sir?”
“Will the princess be joining us?”
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“Is your dick that hard, Hayden?” Rhyndac says, cutting off the servant from answering him.
“What? No...? I’m just curious to know.”
“Right. We all come here under the King’s orders, and here you are asking for the princess.” Hayden can’t stop stuttering his words to try to defend himself. I shake my head and laugh at his embarrassment. Ulrika finds it funny too even though she tries to hide her smile with her hand.
“What a horny idiot,” I jest.
“No kidding,” Ulrika laughs for a quick moment. “He needs to get laid. Better yet, a wife will do him good.” The side door to the right of the throne seats opens outward. Guards escort the King to his seat. Thyrna, Ulrika, and I stand up out of our seats first before anyone else.
“Sit,” he says, waving his right hand up. “So you are the remnant that protected the southern wall?”
“Yes, my King,” Bearbolt answers with a quick bow.
“Hmm, these damn devils are a growing issue lately. Who among you is the leader of the Paladins? Where’s Emdal?” No one answers. I look to Haleema to see if she’ll answer but looks uninterested. She’s slumped back in her chair with arms crossed.
“Their leader was killed in battle, my King.” Haleema covers her eyes after Bearbold said that. “Nite’s so-called Paragons ganged up on him before fleeing.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. I never knew him, but his efforts for the cause made him honorable in my eyes. He’ll truly be missed.” Haleema breaks out crying. Lyra comforts her with back rubs.
“My King, may I ask what we are here for?”
“Ah, yes.” He walks with his head down into the open space of the curved table. “We are at war with Nite and I’m sure the rest of the world are rallying their armies. Who blew the trumpet?”
“I did my King,” Thyrna answers.
“You sped up my plans of announcing my declaration of war to all our tribes.”
“Forgive me.”
“It’s alright. I planned on making the announcement three days from now, but the recent attack changes things.” He prances around in the circle, tapping his lower chin. “Bring in the war court.”
“Yes, my King,” the servant says, heading into the room the King came out of.”
“Who here is the highest-ranking official here?” All the Paladins glance at each other. “No one? You’re all equal?” He points at Ulrika, then me.
“We’re bounty hunters. We’ve offered our assistance to help them,” I say. I take another glance at Haleema to find her looking at me. Her eyes are red and shine from the tears in them.“Are you okay?”I say, only moving my mouth. She blinks, facing away, wiping her eyes. I tear manages to reach her chin before she swipes it with her thumb.
“I am, your highness,” Haleema confesses in a soft shaky voice. “I’m the new leader of the Paladins.”
“What?” Rhyndac blurts out, elongating the word.
“Haleema, are you serious?” Lyra says.
“Before I saw his life fade from his eyes, he chose me to lead the organization.” She erupts into short burst wails. “Excuse me.” I can’t stand to see her drown in so much sadness.
“Haleema, can I talk with you in private for a moment?” I say, standing out of my seat.
“Um, okay.”
“Excuse us, my King.” I walk out to the main hallway in front of the entrance. She lags behind me with her head down. “Hey, Haleema. I’m sorry about—”
“I’m so sorry for blaming you and Ulrika for his death,” she says, running into me for a tight hug. “I didn’t mean it. I was angry, sad, and... ” I clutch her closer to my body as she grieves her heart out. My eyes water up, but I won’t shed a tear.
“Were you two close?”
“No. Our relationship was strictly professional.” She uses her arms to clear her eyes, but they don’t work effectively.
“Use my sleeve.”
“Thank you.” I let her ramage her eyes until she dries them. “I’m sorry for acting the way I did. Please, forgive my emotional actions.”
“Hey, no worries. I’m worried about your well-being. How are you doing?”
“I’m in... disbelieve.” I take hold of her hand to help her comfort. She decides to hold me instead, with her cheek placed on my chest. “Plus, he gave me the position to lead the organization.” Her grip tightens around my back, so I somewhat reinforce her hold on me by putting an arm around her back. “I don’t know why he did that.”
“Maybe he trusts you continuing the charge.”
“But why?”
“Experience. Commitment. Leadership tendencies.” She must’ve realized something when she looks up at me for a long moment. “Does that sound about right?”
“It could be, but I’m not worthy of the command.”
“Why do you think that?”
“I’m a soldier, Kaioson. That’s all I’ve been.”
“I believe you to be more.” I take a seat on the grand staircase in the middle of the room and tap the space next to me with my hand. She sits on the step, clutching her arms under her knees. “I don’t know much about Emdal. All I know is that he led the Paladins. You were under him for many years. So...”
“Yeah?”
“He must’ve seen potential in you. Tell me, do you think he’s a wise man?”
“One of the wisest men I know.”
“Then he made a wise choice for you.” She sways her head from side to side while humming.
“I’ll honor his choice,” she says as she exhales. I take both of her hands in my palms with my thumb on the backside of her hands.
“He made a good choice.” Finally, I see her smile. Her cheeks blush a light pink, then her ears perk up closer to her head.
“Kaio,” she says, digging her face into my shoulder. “Thank you for everything.” She gives me a smooch on the right side of my cheek, near my mouth. “Bless you.”
“I thought blesses were on the lips.”
“That was only one time, Kaio! You’re a married man now. I couldn’t do that a second time no matter how much I want to.” We laugh in high spirits, elevating out of the stressful topic. “I’m glad we met, Kaio. You’re a good friend to me.” She kisses me again, but this time, it’s on my lips. I don’t know how to react to her kiss or what she said, so I just nod my head. “I’m sorry.”
“You lied,” I whisper, chuckling. She gets timid and avoids direct eye contact with me but smiles.
“Let’s head back to deal with the problem at hand,” I say, laughing hard.
I sit back in the room to hear military leaders and the Paladins form ideas on how to regain lost territories back from Nite. The Kromagian mages telepathically connect most of the kingdoms all over Inaubira. They go over the status of their country to see which is the most needed in help. The lands down south near the tip of the continent where fairies, succubuses, and small nomadic elves are under Nite’s control. Kingdoms near Ulrika’s home and near Empress Tan Da’s domain are currently battling.
“What a shit show,” Hayden says.
“I couldn’t agree more. This whole world is in chaos. That bitch is getting stronger by the second,” Rhyndac says with an aggravated voice. “Damn! We need to find her quick!”
“How are we going to do that without any leads?”
“Search for the Paragons,” I say, silencing the room. “According to Rhyndac, they lead attacks on major cities. I say we look into which ones were invaded.”
“There are only six Paragons. They couldn’t take on all the big cities throughout the land,” Rhyndac says.
“Narrow it down to the severity,” Ulrika chimes in.
“That’s a good idea. Rhyndac, will you help me map some territories?” Lyra says.
“Sure,” Rhyndac concludes. They exit the room. The remaining Paladins, except Haleema, leave too. I begin to get tiresome hearing the King and the generals spiel about what they should do against Nite
“Gods,” I whisper, yawning and stretching.
“Someone’s tired,” Thyrna says, pulling a chair out to sit next to me.
“I’m not. I’m just bored.”
“Well, go out and have some fun with your wife. You deserve it after what happened today.”
“Did you say, fun?” Ulrika asks, leanign over my lap. “Kaio promised me I’d have a good time here.”
“Oh, you better go make on that promise, Kai. And just to make sure you have no worries, I’ll take your bounty.”
“What? Really?” I say.
“Hey! Bearbolt! Wanna go bounty hunting real quick?” Bearbolt rolls her eyes, then nods her head. “What was his name again?”
“Wigmund, the Archer. Last seen in... Barrenmere.”
“Alrighty. Do you want to go back where you came from?”
“Yes.” She takes Ulrika and my hand, teleporting us back to the southern gate. Our magically created clothes revert to what we originally had on. Ulrika’s arm is back in its bandage, but she rips some of it off to free her arm.
“Enjoy yourselves. I’ll find your target then return without delay. Will you stay in this city, or be somewhere else?”
“We’ll stay here for a day, then go to Tranquilith.” She smiles tightly with her eyes squinted.
“You wanna see home?”
“I do.”
“You know where the key is. See you later, my son.” After she grabs the bounty, she teleports in a flash of light.
“So,” Ulrika says, snuggling on my right arm. “What do you wanna do first?”
“Take that cloth off your chest,” I say in a gentle voice. Her lips pucker out for a moment, then it turns into a small smirk.
“Why?” She says, taking off my cloak, and reaching behind her back.
“You know why.” Her face blushes as her smirk turns into a tight smile.
“I have two ideas, but you must tell me first.” The cloth covering her chest drops on her boots. She flings it with her foot to the right of the room, then stands close to me with her crotch against mine. “Ah,” she whispers, grabbing my groin through my pants. “Let’s do it.”
I surprise her with loads of kisses like there’s no tomorrow while clutching her ass. We get immensely aroused to the point we start taking off our clothes as fast as we can. I pin my sword horizontally against the door so no one can enter in on us making love. There is not a place we can comfortably lay on to have sex, so she decides to cling to the front of my body with her legs locked around my lower back. We have to stay quiet since this is an active military compound. The idea of being silent makes this moment ten times more enjoyable. Hearing her moan as quietly as she can, increases my sexual drive. Her orgasms get louder every second we go on. I have to bring her to a corner of the room to avoid being heard by someone outside.
My lustful mind is enjoying this moment way too much. A thought crosses my mind to take the steps needed to start a family. Her orgasms, heavy breathing, blushing face, her nails clawing my skin, and intense arousal is about to make me break our promise. Somehow, I restrain myself just enough to not make that mistake. My heart is beating hard against my ribs, it feels like it’s going to come out of my chest.
“Shit,” Ulrika says, breathing hard. “I fucking needed that.” I’m shocked that I came so close to impregnating her.
“Fuck. That was close,” I say, out of breath in a small panic and clutching my chest. She looks down at her crotch for a long moment as she catches her breath. “I almost did it, Ulrika.”
“I can see that,” she says, giggling and pointing at the semen on her lower pelvis. “Did you want to?”
“There was a thought, but I couldn’t let myself do that. Not during this time of crisis.”
“I see.” Her response is straightforward and she isn’t looking at me.
“Are you cross?”
“Heavens no. I understand too, darling.” I start cleaning us up using her bandage rags. “Does having sex with me stress you out, Kaio?”
“Only when it’s near the end,” I jest, then kiss her. She smirks, but I hope for something bigger. “I do worry about starting a family through this.”
“Me too.” After I wipe her clean, she sits next to me with my hand resting on her inner thigh. I rub it and squeeze it in the usual manner she adores. “If you had, I wouldn’t be mad at you.”
“Really?”
“A part of me was hoping you do it.” Her thighs are close to my hand as she snuggles her face into my shoulder. I’m surprised we had the urge to want it to happen. “My pettiness is coming back, Kaio. Knowing the security of this kingdom, I imagined... well... you know.”
“Do... you wanna do it for real next time?”
“I wish we could. I’m ready to make it happen, but this fucking war is... it’s... ugh!”
“Yeah...”
“I know I said we should keep making love, but if it’s a problem—”
“It won’t be.” With her mouth, she tells me, okay. She gifts me three long kisses, then pokes my neck with her tongue. I return the same kindness and a few more kisses to end this satisfying, yet worrying moment. “Come. Get dressed. It’s time I take you to the places you like and visit other attractions.” Her face lights up into a beautiful smile. I help her up to her feet, and then all of a sudden, a burst of wind hits me in the back. I catch myself against the wall to prevent slamming into her. “The hell?” In the middle of the room, snow-like particles start forming in a rotating manner.
“What is that?”
“I don’t know,” I call my sword to come to my hand. Out of the strange spiral vortex, a hand snatches my sword in mid-travel.
“Kaioson, It’s me!” Coretha says, emerging her head out.
“Coretha?” I immediately cover my crotch from her.
“Coretha? Is that the angel?” Ulrika whispers in my ear.
“Yup.” Ulrika hides behind me with her hands on my shoulder.
“Hi, Kaioson. It’s so nice to see you again,” Coretha says. She tosses my sword to her left and it sheathes itself. This is the second time I have seen someone possess the power of my weapon. I understand why Thyrna does, but with Coretha, it doesn’t make sense. “I’m glad you and your wife are okay.” She leans to her right to wave at Ulrika.
“Umm, do you mind if we clothe ourselves to be more presentable in your sight, your holiness?” Ulrika says.
“There’s no need to be formal with me. Treat me like I’m a friend.”
“Oh.. okay.”
“You guys can clothe yourselves. Your tits, vagina, and dick don’t bother me, so don’t be ashamed. You’re beautiful creatures.” Ulrika and I look at each other puzzled.
“Uh...umm”
“Get dressed,” I say. We scurry to put on our clothes. “So, why aren’t you only talking to me this time?”
“I want to talk to you and your wife in person about the situation with my sister, Zadione,” Coretha says. “For years I’ve been planning out a backup plan just in case things go south with the war on Nite.” Her fingers glow when she rotates them out in front of her. A blue image morphs into my friend Syren’s husband, Vahloin. “Five years ago, I took Syren’s husband to the realm of the gods to train him to become a mighty warrior.”
“A warrior? Wait, this was during the time I had to protect Syren, right?”
“That’s correct.” She levitates over to me, then gives me a tender punch to my chest. Pink sparks explode from her knuckles. The particles form images of men, women, and elves.
“Who are these people?”
“Highly skilled possible candidates that could be a force to be reckoned with. These people could be our only hope if the war doesn’t end in our favor.”
“Do you expect us to lose?” Ulrika says.
“I pray not. This is just a plan B if things go south.” The images of her selected champion all morph together to make a floating scroll. “Take this Kaioson. Keep it with you through your journeys.”
“What is it?” I ask, taking the scroll.
“The names of those people I spoke about. If you ever find yourself in those areas or want to go search for them, that’ll tell you where they are. Plus, it’ll update their location if they decide to move from their residence.” I open it halfway to see what kind of people are listed. It shows me their types of powers, race, name, gender, and location. Most of the places I see are in the southern region of the continent. Coincidentally, the areas the King is interested in liberating.
“Did these people go through the same type of training Vahloin did?”
“Yes. It was only a one-time deal, unfortunately. Long story short, my sisters and I can’t do that anymore.” She shrugs with her eyes closed then sighs.
“Thank you for this. I’ll keep this in mind once Ulrika and I are out again.” I present a half-body bow using an exaggerated form of the Kromagin gesture. She does the same and gives Ulrika and me a kiss on the cheek.
“Farewell, you two. Stay strong, continue to be vigilant, and don’t stress out about having sex.”
“Huh?” Ulrika says in a near yell.
“Ta ta for now!” Coretha disappears in the same fashion she entered.
“Did you hear what she said?”
“Yeah,” I say, laughing. Ulrika laughs a bit as well as blushes. “This priority can wait till we enjoy ourselves.” I pull her close to me by her ass. She places her arms around my neck to close in the space.
“More shit,” she whimpers through her teeth.
“Looks like we got another gigantic quest in our future.”
“Great. Totally not looking forward to that mess.” The unenthusiastic thone she’s showing, I feel for it. “Why is she asking us to do this? I’m sure there are better people to do the job.”
“I guess she trusts us to do her will.” Ulrika scoffs and walks away from me. She lightly punches the wall with her right-hand several times.
“Why does the world want us not to live a peaceful life? I catch her hand before it makes contact with the wall. Her hand relaxes when she looks down at it. I rub her knuckles before kissing them.
“Endure just a bit longer, my love. Your wishes will come true. Be patient.”
“I’m trying, Kaio. I truly am.” She comes to my body to cuddle in silence. Someone opens the door on us. I don’t give them my attention, nor does she.
“Excuse me,” a woman says, closing the door.
“Come on. Time we enjoy ourselves. We need a break.” I say.
“Yes. I desperately need to fill my soul with joy.” Ulrika says.