As the carriage struggled through the heavy traffic of the city, Seraphine observed the crowds of people through a small gap in the curtain.
Solia was one of the largest cities in the known world and was often praised as one of the most beautiful, though Seraphine could not understand why this should be the case.
She saw the same filthy streets, the same homeless, and wandering vagrants as in almost any other city. The buildings were old, and many looked as though they might collapse in on themselves at any moment.
Seraphine let the curtain fall back into place. She leaned against the uncomfortable seat of the carriage, trying to relax. As she closed her eyes, she suddenly realised how tired she actually was. How long had it been since she had slept through the night?
Unfortunately, most of the creatures Seraphine hunted were nocturnal, which meant she spent many long nights hunting through forests, cities, or villages, always on the lookout for her next prey. During the day, she had to conduct research and follow leads, leaving little time for sleep or breaks.
It seemed to her as if she had closed her eyes for only a few seconds when the carriage came to a sudden halt.
Looking outside, she realized they had arrived. They had stopped before a plain, inconspicuous building. It stood on the outskirts of the city, every window darkened by curtains so no one could look inside. Compared to the gigantic palace and the complex architecture of the city's buildings, this building seemed out of place. It was not that this building was ugly; it was just... unremarkable.
Seraphine rose from her seat. After she stepped out of the carriage, she paid the coachman, who this time happily accepted her money. She pulled her bag from beneath the seat, a heavy leather satchel. It was filled to the brim, weighing no less than thirty kilograms, yet Seraphine lifted it as if it were light as air.
Alongside the bag, she drew out a foul-smelling pouch, its underside stained by some strange seeping liquid.
"Shall I help you with that, miss?" the coachman asked, already halfway down from his seat. Seraphine smiled politely at him. "I appreciate the offer, but no thanks, I can manage on my own from here."
The coachman hesitated briefly before returning to his seat. With a final friendly smile and wave, he rode away.
Seraphine walked toward the small door of the building. Carved into the wood was a symbol. It showed the head of a wolf staring directly forward. One eye was a sun, the other a five-pointed star. They were the symbols of the Sun God and the Night God, the twin protectors of the Kaeladons. This special wolf was called the Kaeladon wolf, named after her family.
Seraphine gave three heavy knocks on the door before stepping back. It didn't take long before a small slit in the door opened and the eyes of a woman looked out at her. "Who are you?" the woman asked unfriendly.
"Seraphine al Kaeladon." Seraphine replied politely
The woman looked her over briefly, "Please show me your mark."
She pulled aside her black armband. Beneath it was a small tattoo, inked in silver. It was the same wolf's head as carved on the door, only beneath it her name was written in fine letters, together with the number 51399. Every hunter received such a number, unique to them alone.
The woman shut the slit, and a few seconds later the door opened. "Come in, Miss Seraphine!"
An old woman stood in the doorway, smiling politely as she beckoned Seraphine inside; her attitude seemed completely changed.
The room Seraphine entered was small and bare, no chairs, no tables, only a counter and a single door behind it. Out of that door stepped a frail old man. He was small, his skin was wrinkly, and his hair was already completely white. His clothes were like the building they were in: plain and boring.
He looked at Seraphine with a warm expression. "Miss Seraphine, how good to see you again so soon. Forgive the formalities, but you know how your family is. Everything must go perfectly according to protocol."
"I don't mind, Albrecht, after all, you're just doing your job," she replied politely to the old man.
Albrecht looked at the pouch in her hand. "What special gift have you brought me today?"
"Oh, this is the trophy from my last hunt." Seraphine placed the bag on the counter so that he could examine it. Interested, he opened it. He didn't even grimace when he pulled Herald's stinking head out of the sack.
Albrecht raised an eyebrow as he looked at the vampire's mangled face. He looked at Seraphine, "That obviously makes it a bit more challenging to identify what this was meant to be."
She smiled apologetically, "I was testing the pistol for the first time. It had more whoom than expected," she explained.
The old man sighed and examined the remains of the jaw. "A vampire," he muttered. Opening the mouth, he peered at the fangs. "Around seventy years old."
"He was the one who kidnapped the young princess."
The old man nodded and set the head aside. "The bounty of this head should be about twelve silver coins and four copper coins, do you agree?"
Seraphine thought about it briefly before deciding that was sufficient.
Albrecht signalled to the old woman, who had not yet uttered a word. She slipped briefly through the door behind the counter. Moments later, she returned with the payment and a sealed letter. The seal bore the sigil of the Kaeladons.
He wrote something briefly before passing the quill and ink to Seraphine. "I will need your signature, please."
Seraphine quickly checked that everything was correct. The book contained today's date, the approximate time, and the place where Seraphine had received both the payment and the letter. After finding no errors, she signed it and handed the book back to Albrecht. Then she opened the seal on the letter. It contained a new assignment from the Kaeladon family council in Selicio.
The letter described incidents in a village called Erding, where the inhabitants were plagued by an unusually high number of night terrors every night. Apparently, these nightmares were about many different things, but almost everyone had them. Seraphine was instructed to go there to investigate and proceed accordingly. If it turned out that nothing sinister was going on, she was to report back to the council.
"Do you know where I can find a village called Erding?" she asked the old man.
"Of course." He drew a large map from beneath the counter. "You must follow this road toward Radion, then turn here. The village is right here, on the border of Solias."
Seraphine memorized the path. "That is rather convenient," she murmured to herself, thinking of the wedding she had been invited to, which would take place in Radion.
"Well then, I shall take my leave."
The old man nodded politely. "It was a pleasure as always, Miss Seraphine! May the gods bless you."
Seraphine stepped outside the office,
She wanted to set off immediately for her next assignment, but she knew that her body and mind needed a break first, so she turned back and walked back into the city of Solia. As she strolled through the streets fully armed, people looked at her with a mixture of curiosity and caution, though she had hidden her tattoo under her black armband again. Kaeladons were not liked everywhere.
They were often labelled monsters, and dozens of rumours and myths circulated about them, each more nonsensical than the last, but as a result, most Kaeladons hid themselves away to not attract unnecessary animosity.
Seraphine entered a small inn called 'The Raven'. It was modest at best and filthy at worst, but Seraphine had never really been picky. As long as she got a room and a bed, maybe a meal and a bath, she was satisfied.
Not many people were in the pub at that time of day, and most of them didn't even look up at her. She didn't stand out quite as much here, as it was regularly frequented by mercenaries who were always armed to the teeth.
She went to the bar. A woman was arguing with one of the chefs, but paused when she saw Seraphine.
"What can I get you?" the woman at the bar asked.
"I need a room. Preferably on the ground floor, if you have one."
The woman nodded. "Yes, I have two rooms left on the ground floor, though they are not the cleanest."
Seraphine raised an eyebrow and gestured to her dirty clothes, "Do I give you the impression that I'm a clean person?"
The woman shrugged her shoulders, "Whatever. The room costs one silver coin and five copper coins per night."
Seraphine rummaged around in her bag. She pretended it was almost empty. She pulled out a silver coin and four copper coins. 'Is that enough?' she asked, holding out her "remaining" money to the woman. The woman looked at the money. 'Is that all you have?'
'No,' said Seraphine, rummaging in another pocket and pulling out two more copper coins. 'But I was hoping to buy something to eat with this.'
The woman looked at the one silver coin and six copper coins, then looked at Seraphine again. Seraphine was young, just twenty-two years old. The woman thought she was a street child who wanted to use her remaining, probably stolen money for a warm shelter. She sighed, 'Just give me the silver coin and two copper coins and sit down at a table. I'll bring you something to eat and prepare your room.'
Seraphine looked at her intently. She gave the woman all her last money, 'I can't exploit you!' she said firmly.
The woman looked at the young girl in surprise, but then took only the silver coin and two copper coins. She closed Seraphine's hand. "Keep it, child, you'll need it. Now sit down, I'll bring you something to eat soon. In the meantime, I'll run you a bath in your room so you can wash."
Seraphine hesitated playfully, but then put the remaining money in her pocket. She looked at the woman gratefully.
She didn't like this deception, but in a place like this, if she threw her money around, people would immediately pounce on her like vultures.
After all, she was apparently just a defenceless girl and an easy target. Sometimes, people could be more cruel than even the shadows that Seraphine hunted night after night. She had deliberately stuffed the pistol into her bag; she couldn't hide the crossbow, but it wasn't much use anyway. Her sword, on the other hand, was one of the finest pieces of craftsmanship in the country, but it was tucked into an old leather sheath that looked cheap and worn.
Seraphine picked up her bag and sat down at a table in the corner. She was with her back to the wall, her eyes scanning the room. Many people glanced her way. Obviously, there were not many armed women her age who entered such places, but most people soon lost interest and returned to their food or their conversations.
After she saw no apparent danger, Seraphine drifted into thought. The wedding in Radion she had been invited to was in two months' time. By then, she would have gone to the small village of Erding and completed the assignment from her family. That should be enough time.
Her thoughts came to a halt when the nice woman from the bar brought her a warm meal. 'Here you go. It's on the house!' she said kindly. Seraphine thanked her again warmly.
She ate slowly, slowly drifting back into her thoughts as a man suddenly took a seat at her table.
Seraphine frowned as she looked at the man. She was about to say something when the man spoke first,
"Greetings, Seraphine al Kaeladon!"