Golden Promise

We're Coming

Blooming with life wasn't a description you would use for this place. Atmosphere solemn and silent. Surrounding plants withering and dying. The place seemed like death personified. However, the most prominent thing ever was the large gothic looking castle that stood tall and proud.

The aqua moon that was out tonight, highlighted its standout features. A large figure was looking through the window. His skin is pale as snow but not sickly. Eyes the colour turquoise and almond-shaped. His cheekbones are high and visible. His hair is waist length and jet back. The front gelled back and the rest of his hair laying gently on his back. His figure was what one would describe being as an upside-down triangle. 

He wore a silk black waistcoat on top of a cotton black shirt. His three top buttons were undone to allow some skin to show. He wore black cotton trousers and a pair of leather Chelsea boots. A lit pipe in his hand and a cup of green tea in the other. His eyes were focused on the two figures underneath. 

One was wearing a full-body knight armour. The colour was raven black and a crimson dragon emblem was imprinted on the front and the back. The other figure was a small, petite girl who had cocoa skin and long white twisted hair. Her eyes were golden and wide. Her face was chubby from the baby fat she still had. She wore a red and black rococo gown. 

Her hair had various gold jewels on them. Her button nose had gold snake cuffs on each nostril. The man looked away and walked deeper into his study. He grabbed the letter that was sent and read it. 

Dear Aidan

Kalthona Gargiona, Hanako Yoshimura and Adriel will be the ones to carry out the bounty. Be warned as they are not like the others that have taken the job.

Aidan laughed, a velvety baritone sound coming from out. "A Gargiona and a Yoshimura." He said to himself, impressed. "Adriel, the son of Adsila and grandson of Aiyana. This is indeed a warning to heed. Protecting princess Nyla and minister Lyon is our top priority. I'm not letting anyone get in the way." 

°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°

Adriel helped a drunk Kalthona up the stairs and to the room they bought for the night at the local inn. Adriel almost couldn't stop himself from laughing at the babbling bullshit that was coming from Kalthona's mouth. "I swear to ya Adriel, the old geezer probably f***s ants." He was finally able to let it out when they reached the room. 

Hanako, who was sitting on the bed, was howling and Adriel was choking from laughter. Kalthona crawled onto the bed, arriving on Hanako's left side and laying her head down on Hanako's lap. Adriel decided to take a seat at the right side and lay his head on the small girl's shoulder. 

When the atmosphere was one of calm and ease, the panic of them accepting the bounty started to bubble up. "Guys, what the hell were we thinking?!" Hanako exclaimed, jumping up causing the other two to almost fall. 

"Hanako!" They both yelled in shock. Completely ignoring them, she paced up and down the room. "The princess and the minister guys, how are we suppose to do that?" She anxiously rambled. Adriel was too sober for panic and Kalthona was just the opposite. 

"We should retract our acceptance." "NO!" The other two boomed. Kalthona was now sober. They both got up and took each of Hanako's arms. "130 million parshows." Adriel chanted. "130 million." Kalthona ad-libbed. 

"130 million parshows," Hanako replied, a small creepy smile coming onto her face. The tall girl and boy looked at each other and back at Hanako. "Looks like she's easy to convince." They both simultaneously thought.

××××××××××

The morning light seeped through the ageing brown curtains. The mixed trio sprawled over the king's sized bed knocked out and drooling a bit. Their soft snores filled the room up. Kalthona had her head on Adriel's chest, an arm around his waist. His arms were under his head, mouth gaped and letting out long breaths. 

Hanako was using Adriel's legs as a pillow. Her body laid sideways, feet hanging out. The three couldn't remember the last time they had slept like this. It was tedious being a bounty hunter. Especially, when your demand is high. 

Adriel was the first to wake up. He slowly opened his eyes, blinking a few times to help them adjust to the sunlight. He then carefully started to wake the girls up. Kalthona sprung before holding her head in agony, earning a snicker from Adriel. "Holy cow, it's like someone smashed bricks on my head throughout the night." She whined. 

Hanako joined in with Adriel snickering, however, that was interrupted when a blood-curdling screech reached their ears. The bounty hunters rushed to their feet, grabbing their weapons and running out of the inn.

By the time they got there, the town had gathered around barely recognizable. The trio looked at each other solemnly. They were too late. "My daughter, please my daughter!" An elderly woman dressed in her blue nightgown cried. Kalthona bit her bottom lip and walked off, the guilt of being a second late being too much. 

Hanako followed after, not before instructing to inspect the corpse. Adriel walked slowly towards the weeping mother and crouched down. He placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him, grey orbs searching his eyes for answers.

"I need you to step away from her body so I can inspect it." He gently stated. She cried and one of the townsmen helped her move away. Adriel moved closer to the burnt corpse and started inspecting it. 

He placed a palm over her torso and cast a spell. "Bodily barriers." A large purple circle insignia appeared on the body. The crowd had broken up and made calming the woman their priority, leaving Adriel to concentrate on the corpse. 

Names of different creatures appeared in the middle before it landed on one. Adriel felt his blood run cold, and goosebumps run down his whole body. "ninval." He anxiously muttered to himself. He quickly stood up and lifted the unrecognizable body before quickly sprinting into the direction of the inn. He barged through the door, completely shocking Kalthona, Hanako and the owners. "An empty bed. We need an empty bed!" He commanded desperately. The owners rushed to fulfil his command upon seeing the monstrosity that laid in his arms. 

"I'm guessing you found what caused this? '' Kalthona asked. Her face was scrunched, showcasing an emotion neither of the three could tell. Adriel nodded his head, strands of hair falling on his face and sticking on his skin from the sweat he was producing. 

"A ninval." "That creature shouldn't be all the way here!" Hanako exclaimed, shocked by the discovery. Before they could carry on the discussion, the owners ushered the bounty hunters into a room. Upon entering, they tried not to flinch from the smell. 

It wasn't like the rooms in the cabin. This one was probably the oldest. A small window was at the centre of the brown decaying wall. A brown wooden cabinet stood lonely and broken in the corner of the room. The pungent smell was overpowering and the rug on the carpet was filled with obvious stains. 

"Sorry about the mess. We haven't used this room in a long time ya see. Yer probably going to have to get used to the smell." The owner stated. The owner in question was an old, scrawny lady. Her skin was tanned and her hair was midnight black. Her eyes were light brown with a blue ring around. She wore an old, rugged green gown with a red scarf tied around her waist. 

Kalthona turned towards the lady and grinned. "It's alright, this is perfect." She happily stated. The owner then left them to carry on with their investigation. Adriel gently placed the burnt corpse on the uncovered bed and stepped away for Hanako to start investigating further. 

"The fact that a ninval is here means that someone important must be lurking in the town, Kalthona said seriously. They all hummed in agreement as they watched Hanako tear the body down the torso and inspect it. "I guess your theory is right," Hanako replied nonchalantly. She pointed at the girl's lungs which had a brand mark on them. 

"The house of Egor." Adriel and Kalthona muttered. "They must be after the princess too." The house of Egor was the home to the governors’ Adelphia and Jonan Egor. They worked directly underneath the Barcroft family and were in charge of the demon slaves and magic the city of Enola produced. 

~~~~~~~~

Leo brushed his hair back as he sat down on a fence and started munching on a piece of bread he was given. People walked past and nodded their heads in greetings, to which he happily returned. "Have you heard of the new, young lad?" A farmer questioned him breathless from the hay he was stacking. He looked like any old farmer. A typical straw hat, with a dark blue jumpsuit under an orange and black striped flannel. His skin was pale and skin wrinkled. His nose was crooked and his blue eyes no longer held the brightness of youth.

"I'm afraid I haven't," Leo answered earnestly, mouth full of bread. The farmer stopped stacking the hay and started pouring a glass of black tea that was just there. He walked up to the green-eyed boy and handed him the cup. It was hot and when Leo took a sip, he hummed in content. "A young girl was murdered earlier today. Body burnt in a second." Leo's eyes widened at the news. 

"The three young hunters, although late, were able to identify the monster that killed the child, and informs the whole town." The farmer continued solemnly. His voice was croaky and deep. "A ninval?" The green-eyed boy answered anxiously. "Yes, my child. How did you know?" The farmer asked surprised. "Only one monster can burn a body in seconds." Without a moment of hesitation, Leo placed the half-empty cup in the farmer's hands, and without a word, dashed back into town. 

Once he was there, he could feel the town's grieving in the atmosphere. Just last night everyone was pissed drunk celebrating, and now everyone was grieving the loss of a child. He spotted the hunter trio leaving the inn and walked up to them nervously before stopping just before they could see him. He quickly looked around to see if there was a place to hide and bingo, a dingy old wagon stood unattended too. 

He hopped in the back and silently laid there waiting for them to pass by. Oh, how unfortunate he was when they came towards the wagon. He held his breath then sighed in relief when they went towards the pub. Wait a minute! Why were there only two of them heading towards the pub? Whilst questioning himself, he failed to see Adriel sneak up behind him and sit down in the middle of the wagon. A light smirk plastered on the tanned man's face. 

"Hello there," Adriel said amused. Leo let out a squeak before turning around and locking eyes with the other. "Hello, fine sir." He nervously stuttered out. "Fine sir?" Adriel chuckled. A light pink dusted Leo's cheeks before promptly turning his face the other way. "What's a man like you hiding in the wagon?" Questioned, a light-hearted smile now replaced the smirk that was there. 

He gathered his hair up and tied it into the ponytail, closely watching as the blonde boy tried to come up with an answer before ultimately failing to do so. " Forget the question, Scatman, how about your name? " Leo shot up and quickly answered, "Leo. Leo's my name." Adriel's eyes widened and so did Leo's. 's**t, does he know?' The blonde anxiously thought to himself. 'He couldn't pos-.' His thoughts were swiftly cut off when Adriel exclaimed "Leo Egor!" 

"What makes you think I'm him?" The scared to death boy exploded. Adriel laughed at the reaction he got. "The washed-up insignia splattered across that atrocious shirt gave you away." The larger male howled out. "What's all this noise aye?" Kalthona hopped in the back and quickly but gently flung herself on Adriel's back. 

Hanako followed behind and sat quietly by the barrels. A notebook in her hand and a pen pressed harshly on the page. "We've found ourselves an Egor." "Oooo~ A governor's son." Kalthona flamboyantly stated. "What do you reckon his head would go for? How much do you think we'll make? " Hanako chimed in, a wicked smirk plastered on her face. "Probably around 440 million parshows chopped-up or even a billion," Kalthona added cynically, all whilst sporting a friendly grin. Adriel snickered as he watched the noble boy skin bleach and eyes widen. "Now come on guys." He anxiously stuttered out. 

The group started howling in laughter. Pointing fingers at him and going on about how his reaction was the best thing they've seen all week. Leo sat there unamused. How dare they mock him. Kalthona then got off Adriel's back, carefully stepping over Leo and headed towards the driver's seat. 

She then hopped off the wagon completely, walked towards the two horses they had earlier wrapped around the pole, whilst the animal had some food and water. She brought the horses back to the wagon and tied them into position. Leo watched her in awe. "Beautiful ain't she." Hanako and Adriel softly read their thoughts aloud. Leo nodded his head, completely absent-minded and watching her. 

She then turned around with a smile on her face. "We've got water, food and extra clothing that will last us until we reach the next town. We've got a book full of songs we can sing whilst drunk. We've got the ale right?" "Yep," Adriel answered happily. Kalthona then looked at Leo. "I'm not going to ask you why you're out here in Milfon when you're meant to be in Enola. Nor am I going to ask you about the ninval. However, I am going to ask you if you would like to go to Fiola with us." 

Leo's eyes lit up at the sound of an adventure." Would that be okay?" He asked shyly. Adriel slung an arm around Leo and hugged him close. A grin plastered on the tanned boy's face. Hanako closed the notebook, came close to the boys and slung her arm around the two.

"We're not asking you to join our group forever. We know that the Egor family are powerful elemental mages. Since you're already in our wagon, we might need an extra hand. And from your reaction, you want an adventure." She rambled in a matter of fact tone. 

Leo grinned, slicking his hair back once again." I'd love to go." He happily answered. "Alright then buckle up and witness the lavish life of a bounty hunter." The golden-eyed girl announced grandly, earning tired sighs from her two friends and a chuckle from the nobleman. Off they went towards Fiola.