A hovercraft whirred softly through a large gate before coming to a halt. Fólórunsó and Sola stepped out and paid for their taxi before it left. Sola was dressed in his usual leather pants and nothing else, while Fólórunsó wore a cotton shirt with its collar flipped up, black pants and Chelsea boots. His bow and quiver were strapped against his back. The two could not help but be blown away by the grandeur of the front garden they had come into. Several bushes were styled in the shapes of different creatures and people, all blooming with dark red roses. They walked up the marble pathway and knocked on the mahogany doors of the manor.
The doors swung open and on the other side was a young woman. Her face and neck were covered with freckles. She was dressed in semi-formal attire; a light blue blouse and a pair of black dress pants. Her black hair was styled in a short trendy bob with it cutting off just above her eyebrows. Her eyes went from Fólórunsó to Sola, with her gaze hanging a while longer on the latter.
"I take it you're the one Master Jonathan speaks so fondly of?" She asked. Sola nodded. "My ward has been waiting for you. Please follow me."
The insides of the manor were completely covered in glamour. Paintings of the red-haired members of the Immortalis family hung from the walls. A few of them were portraits of different people whilst the majority were paintings depicting a particular man and his adventures. Fólórunsó suspected the man to be the progenitor of the family. Through an opened door, he could see the garden that lay at the back of the mansion, with a fountain as the centrepiece. A large crimson rug covered the floor and led up to the top of a staircase, where the requester of their services stood waiting was none other than Jonathan Immortalis.
He was no older than 15, with his scrawny frame and youthful look. Underneath an armoured vest, he wore a silk crimson shirt with golden embroideries on the edges of its wrist, collar and buttons, a pair of grey plaid pants and black loafers. His light auburn hair was combed back and tied together with a small knot. His small blue eyes stared intensely at Sola with a glint of excitement that one could almost interpret it as a kind of hunger.
"It is an honour to finally make your acquaintance, Sola," Jonathan greeted. He approached the man with his arm stretched out for a shake. Sola only stared at it and gave a small grunt in response.
"Not a shaker I see. That's acceptable. Would you care for something to eat or drink?"
"I wouldn't mind a snack," Fólórunsó commented, earning him a look from all sides. "What?"
"We don't need anything, besides getting this job done," Sola said curtly.
"Well then, we might as well be off!" Jonathan said with a clap. "Shall we?"
The red-haired boy took down the stairs and took the lead, his caretaker tailing him closely behind. Sola and Fólórunsó looked at each other. Fólórunsó shrugged and rubbed his thumb and index fingers against each other, causing Sola to roll his eyes and follow the other two. As Fólórunsó was about to leave, he abruptly turned back to face the staircase. His eyes darted quickly from between the two paths that it led to as if he was searching for something or someone.
"What are you doing? Let's go!" Sola called.
"Right!" Fólórunsó yelled back. He held his gaze on the staircase for a while longer before finally leaving to catch up to the rest. As they departed, a female figure pulled out of the darkness, staring at them.
The four made their way to the Tru Forest in good time. Unfortunately for Sola, he found himself constantly pestered by questions and titbits of information by Jonathan. He went on and on about himself, his family's prestige and most importantly- the Silver Bulwark.
"Does he always go on like that?" Fólórunsó asked the caretaker. She gave no response as she walked away from him.
"I'm not sure if you've heard but we Immortalis are known for our insane regenerative abilities," He began. "It essentially makes us unkillable, hence the name. It is a hereditary trait that grows stronger with age, hence mine's not as strong as my siblings' or fathers'. I take it your strength is a similar thing too?"
"What do you mean by that?" Sola asked.
"You are not the first Silver Bulwark, no?" He replied. "There are reports from all over Pedtro describing men of a similar appearance as you with similar powers as well. The oldest one is about a century old, and I doubt you have been alive for that long, so I had assumed it has been different men from your bloodline taking up the title as some honourary rite, or something of the sort,"
"Where did you get these reports?" The grey-haired man asked sternly. The boy smiled.
"Belonging to a family with significant political influence has its benefits. Being your number one fan means I have to know everything I can about you."
Before Sola could push him for more answers, Jonathan continued his obsessive rant.
They continued deeper into the Tru Forest in search of a wild beast to fight and satisfy Jonathan's desire to see Sola's strength but to no avail. For the first time since either freelancer had been there, the forest was ominously empty. The only thing aside from the young Immortalis' voice that could be heard was the bristling of leaves against the wind.
"There's nothing to hunt. We should head back," Sola finally said.
"That is hardly fair, I am still yet to witness anything from you!" Jonathan complained.
"That's not my problem, is it?"
"Technically, it is since you're being paid to do something."
Sola growled deeply.
"What would you have we do then?"
The red-haired boy smiled widely.