1 A Different Place

"Where do you think we are, brother?" Luis asked Leo, who was brandishing a knife on a blood-stained cloth.

"Where do you think? One thing I know is we're not where we supposed to be." Leo answers, his coarse and rough voice came out in a very sarcastic manner.

"You're right, we're not supposed to be here... There were many; I counted two dozens."

"Two dozens? No, I counted three, including those inside their vehicles."

"I was only referring to those people," Luis said, pointing at one person who had attacked them and has now been killed.

The person laying on the ground didn't have any sign that he was the Police, an assassin, or a soldier; he does, however, resemble the look of a medieval-era castle guard. He was wearing a leather uniform, a steel helmet, and steel gauntlets. His weapon was a damaged sword, unsheathed from a wooden scabbard. Definitely, Leo and Luis had never seen a person wear the same outfit before.

"How about the others? They look like prisoners."

"They were, but they were too excited to escape during the fight we had no choice but to kill them too. We don't want people escaping a scene we made."

"We should've let one stay; ask him about our situation."

"You think he'll know?" Shifting his gaze on Luis for the first time, Leo asks with little intimidation.

"No." Luis's answer was immediate.

"What do you say we take off our clothes and wear those? They have more in the wagons."

"To blend? We don't even know where we are."

"I have an idea... we're in a different country."

"That would explain the mountains... It's been years since I've seen one since we always operate in cities."

"Don't exaggerate, we've performed executions in vast fields like this."

"Then have we performed one near a mountain that tall?" Luis retaliates, nodding towards the tall mountain far ahead of them. "Is that Mount Everest? I heard it's supposed to have snow?"

"Idiot, that's obviously not Everest! That's almost twice as tall as Everest!" Leo yelled, unsatisfied with the ignorance of his brother. "Look, from what I've seen so far, we're not in no normal country. We might have been delivered here by the association without informing us. I say we're in an unknown place."

"If we've been sent here by the association, they would've at least contacted us. Where's our phone?"

"Nowhere! We woke here with nothing but our clothes."

"What? But that's impossible! You always keep it in your pocket!" Luis exclaimed, completely shocked at what he just heard.

"Yes, it's the first time I haven't seen that phone not inside my pocket since we started our job." Leo sighs. "Let's just get on with it; figure out where we are. You go take our clothes, I'll collect the weapons. Make sure you pick the most uncommon clothes and don't take anything we don't need. We'll head north. Try our luck in that direction. That's where these people came from."

***

In the vast fields of nowhere, Leo and Luis venture. There was nothing on the horizon except the blue sky and the tall mountains, taller than any mountains they've seen before. Right now, they weren't anything as to how they usually looked. They are at the time wearing leather uniforms over light chain armors. In contrast to their usual modern look of suited gentlemen, they fill the image of lone adventurers heading for an unknown destination.

"Water, brother." After downing his own fill of water, Luis handed Leo a container they took from their previous victims.

"Thank you," Leo responds and drinks for himself.

"Still how many miles till we get there?"

"Civilization? We'll definitely find one. I just don't know when. It might take us days."

"Will you help me carry some of these then? I don't think I'll make it if we take longer." Luis asked, reaching a small fraction of the loads of bags he was carrying to his brother.

"Isn't that your job?" Leo glares, instantly rejecting his request.

"Well, if you say so. Just don't complain when my feet drop."

"You've been raised better than that, get a hold of yourself."

"You're right." Luis sigh with a smile.

"Tsk! Don't look at me like that! You're already an adult! Come on! Give me the weapons!" Irritated, Leo took the bag storing the weapons for himself.

"I just turned 16, I'm still not officially an adult in our country. Still, thank you for helping your little brother. I knew you always care."

"Shut up! I'm not taking it to help you, I'm hearing horses. Drop those and let's see what it is." Arming himself with multiple knives, daggers, and swords under his clothes, Leo ran fast towards the increasing sound of horses.

"Right!" Luis responds, instantly equipping himself, running to where his brother went.

"What is it?"

"Armed men, horses, carriages..."

"Those are the same as the ones earlier... what do you think?"

"No, let's take a closer look."

Hiding behind a giant rock, they quietly observed where the carriages were going. They were still relatively far, but it will not take long before they get closer. Their destination was apparently heading towards them. If they won't hide well, they will be found out, especially that they were out in the open.

"They're not the same as the ones who attacked us, Luis... look at that, they're more suited. A bunch of guards, a bunch of horses, with a little number of carriages... They're guards looking for something."

"Something?"

"Yes, there's a high chance we've been attacked by thieves. Their gears were rotten; I needed to brandish the swords myself. But look at those, like mirrors..." Leo said, referring to the swords that were on the waist of the guards, shining and reflecting the clear sunlight.

"So the ones that attacked us were bandits then? That would explain the reason they attacked us on sight... but what about the prisoners?"

"I don't know, we're about to find out." Saying those words with confidence, Leo suddenly stood up to reveal himself.