Urban Knight - Return of Legends

Lilithra woke up early, yawning as she gently pushed away the army of plushies guarding her sleep—the one she had picked up at Claude’s had now joined their ranks. She grabbed one at random, and hugged it while swaying slightly, a content smile appearing on her sleepy visage. It was a habit of hers. She put it down with care, and looked at her right hand, opening and closing it slowly.

She should have been feeling sore all over, but she kind of knew that Raphael’s beverage was far from just a refresher. She felt nothing but gratitude for her uncle, knowing that she could now devote herself to training once again. She stretched a bit, her long, red hair brushing around her pajamas, and reached out with her right hand to touch one of her horns.

Her thoughts slowly drifted to Ascalon, the man who was helping her so much without expecting anything in return. Though maybe he felt thankful for everyone’s help and wanted to repay their kindness. He had arrived so suddenly into her life, being a mysterious wanderer no less, and her every day had changed completely.

Lilithra recalled how he used to look at her horns. He would try to remain calm, but she could see his discomfort. Even though she was used to these kinds of reactions from others, it was still not pleasant to see. But amidst their training, something had changed in him—and in her, too. She felt her cheeks burning up, her heart beating rhythmically.

She wasn’t as much of an airhead as others would think—she recognized the signs of a flourishing, somewhat scary feeling growing steadily in her chest, with no sign of stopping. His demeanor, kindness, and willingness to lend her a hand didn’t exactly help, either. But maybe it was just a fleeting emotion caused by his attention, or perhaps it was simply the novelty of his origins.

Lilithra shook her head and pressed both hands to her cheeks, the warmth of her palms mixing with the heat on her face, and promptly shifted gears. For the time being, she had to focus on getting as strong as she could in the next two days. As resolution washed over her, she started to get ready.

Time passed, and she descended the stairs to the first floor. Her uncle could be heard humming in the kitchen, and a tray with a healthy breakfast awaited her. She giggled happily, and grabbed a peanut butter sandwich and a yogurt as she walked by.

“Thanks, Uncle!” She exclaimed, hearing a faint ‘no worries!’ coming from a distance. She didn’t want to waste a single moment, so she munched on her food and drank while heading to the courtyard.

As soon as she opened the door, sunlight bathed her body and momentarily blinded her. She blinked a few times to regain her senses, and her eyes opened wide in surprise. The backyard was different from yesterday!

The white tables showed no sign of vines or dirt on their surfaces, and the chairs were neatly grouped around them. Some of the parasols were open, and created pleasant-looking shades throughout the area. The ground tiles were still cracked and unkempt, but most grass growing in between had been pulled out.

In the distance, a kneeling, blonde man could be seen humming as he arranged some bags brimming with vegetation. It was Ascalon, of course! Who else would take matters into his own hands and clean up the backyard without anyone asking him? She doubted she would have done it willingly, maybe if her uncle had asked her with pleading eyes.

Lilithra watched over him with admiration, a gentle smile on her face as she approached. “Good morning, Lady Lilithra.” Said the knight as he turned his head towards her, a soft expression on his face. She jumped slightly, taken by surprise once again by Ascalon’s keen senses.

“G-good morning, uhm, Master!” She stammered. The one who felt surprised was now the knight, who had forgotten her new way of calling him. It was going to take a bit longer for him to get used to that. He chuckled softly and stood up as he wiped some sweat from his forehead.

Lilithra tilted her head in curiosity, wondering just how long had he been at it. She hadn’t seen him break a sweat, after all. He turned around, and looked at her with a content smile on his face.

“I took it upon myself to clean up the surroundings of our training grounds.” She appraised the newly cleaned backyard, and nodded in satisfaction.

“It looks so different! But you should’ve told me, Master! I would’ve gladly helped you…” She looked a little downcast, but he put a hand on her shoulder to reassure her.

“Do not worry. You needed to rest and regain your strength for today’s training, Lady Lilithra!” He stated effusively, as she smiled gently.

She brushed her bangs shyly and let out a curious 'hmmm' while peeking at Ascalon. She was sure now, that her bare horns weren’t affecting the knight in the slightest, and her chest tightened with sweet relief. But as she wondered about that, a new voice cut through the air.

“Whoa! Did you guys train for gardening or what?” Selorien’s joking tone reached their ears, as he approached sluggishly, his eyes scanning the changed backyard. Ascalon smiled, having missed the elf’s presence the previous day, and Lilithra held her hand high as she waved.

“Selly!” She exclaimed happily, delighted to see her best friend again.

Ascalon himself felt it was a rare occurrence to not see them together, so he felt satisfied that everything was back in place once again.

Selorien hesitated for a moment as he walked, his eyes darting from Lilithra’s horns to Ascalon. He pondered aloud, an inquisitive expression on his face. “Hmm… Just what did I miss?” He said as his lips warped into a mischievous grin.

Lilithra felt a bit embarrassed, but then realized it was the right moment, so she half-closed her eyes and grinned, a smug visage directed at the elf. “Well, after you ditched us, I trained with Master until night!” It was then that Ascalon witnessed the most flabbergasted expression Selorien had mustered until now.

Selorien blinked a few times in astonishment, with his mouth slightly opened as his jaw dropped. He had to take a moment to fully comprehend what she had just said, slowly piecing together its meaning. An idea formed in his mind, and he seized the moment to mess with Lilithra once again!

“Whoa, I, uh, won’t judge… okay?” He said sheepishly, doing his best to appear embarrassed. Lilithra didn’t quite get it at first, but her face slowly reddened as realization dawned on her.

“You dummy!!!” She screamed, hiding her face behind her hands, and Selorien burst out laughing, relishing his victory. It was too early for Lilithra to gain the upper hand in their teasing bouts!

Ascalon remained confused but amused, not grasping the hidden meaning behind Selorien’s words, as per usual. Nonetheless, he smiled fondly at their interactions.

As Lilithra recomposed herself, Ascalon noticed a faint, stealthy presence in the distance. He focused on it while thinking that maybe it was Ron’s doing again, but apologized in his mind as soon as he realized who it was: Selorien’s ‘maid’.

He tilted his head in curiosity, and directed his thoughts aloud to the elf. “Selorien, are you aware that you are being followed?" At his words, Selorien clicked his tongue and his gaze shifted to the side, clearly annoyed.

“So he’s keeping tabs on me now, huh? Stupid old man. It’s probably Escarlata, too.” His angry tone showed how much he disliked the situation, and Ascalon couldn’t help but agree, finding it relatable.

Still, a weird feeling crept up his back, feeling as if the one being watched by this maid was him, though it was probably just his imagination. He shook off these thoughts and approached Selorien.

“Would you join us today, Selorien?” He proposed, and the elf perked up with momentary confusion. Then, Selorien realized what he meant.

“Oh, you mean training? Uh, not sure how I can help, but yeah let’s do it!” Selorien replied, his voice almost enthusiastic as he pumped a fist high in the air in a very lazy, slow motion.

Lilithra approached them with a few skips, a smile in place of her now-forgotten embarrassment. “Should I hit Selly today?!” She asked with a hint of malice in her voice. Selorien sighed and smirked, while Ascalon chuckled in amusement.

“No, I think you already hit me a lot yesterday, Lady Lilithra. This time, Selorien will be attacking you.” Her smile disappeared immediately, replaced by a confused look.

Selorien’s smirk widened, rejoicing at Ascalon’s words. Lilithra pouted her lips, feeling betrayed, so the knight tried to reassure her.

“I believe you got the hang of striking by now, so now you need to be able to defend yourself. I think Selorien will make for a good sparring partner, since he can unleash precise blows in a flurry, and can hide and strike from any direction.” His words carried a confidence that she couldn’t argue with.

“I assure you, if you can learn to defend against Selorien’s speed, you will grow much stronger, Lady Lilithra.” Even Selorien was feeling hyped up about Ascalon’s plan. As much as he teased her, he wanted her to achieve her goals, too.

The horned girl took a moment to ponder, and then nodded with determination glistening in her eyes. Ascalon smiled, feeling glad she had accepted his proposal.

“So, what should I do?” Selorien’s question prompted Ascalon to walk over to one of the bags he had filled with grass, stones, and other debris. He had set aside something in hopes Selorien would arrive.

He rummaged through one of them, and took out two small-sized branches. They looked sturdy enough, and were about the same length as Selorien’s daggers. Both Lilithra and the elf knew immediately what Ascalon’s idea was. Ascalon raised them high, and smiled at them.

“I would prefer if you used these, Selorien, just in case anything happens. I trust your skills, but one must always be wary, even when sparring.” Selorien and Lilithra thought that Ascalon’s words always carried a deeper meaning, years of experience backing his thought process.

Selorien nodded, smirking mischievously as usual. “That will be a nice handicap, yeah.” His smug tone made Lilithra puff her cheeks in irritation. Her brow furrowed as her signature battle banner appeared on her hands.

“Let’s see who needs the handicap after I beat you up!” She declared with confidence, mixed with impatience. Ascalon chuckled softly, and gently threw the branches in Selorien’s direction.

The elf jumped slightly and picked them up mid-air, showing off his finesse from the get-go, irritating the girl even more. He decided to stop the teasing there, before it affected her training. Selorien adopted a readied posture, with his makeshift daggers held in a reverse grip, what would be the blades going along his arm, and the imaginary handle toward Lilithra.

Then, Ascalon’s voice caught their attention once more. “I would advise against holding back, Selorien.” His words surprised the elf, who pondered the meaning of such a statement.

Was it a warning from the knight…? No, he wasn’t that kind of person. Perhaps holding back would be rude, or less effective. But what if…? He fixed his deep, green eyes on his best friend.

Lilithra stood with a firm grip on her weapon, the long body of the battle banner running diagonally in front of her while the cloth danced in the air. She showed a determined look, and somehow, he felt some of the openings he could’ve exploited were being cut off as seconds passed. He smiled in amazement, asking himself just how strong she had become.

They both readied themselves, and Ascalon gave them the signal to start. “Begin!” He exclaimed excitedly, anticipating a good spar session.

They went at it for a while. Selorien would vanish and quickly approach her from a blind spot, such as her back or the side she wasn’t focused on. Then, he would strike at vital points with slashing motions, as a stab could still hurt her even if he was wielding branches.

It didn’t take long for Selorien to realize that he had put high hopes in Lilithra… maybe a bit too high, due to Ascalon’s words. She would try to anticipate his movements and strike at the air, receiving a blow from the complete opposite direction. Her body was being filled with red marks all over, and she was getting more tired by the second.

Yet as Selorien stole glances at Ascalon, he couldn’t see any hint of doubt, as the knight watched Lilithra with unwavering confidence, and even threw some pointers for both of them here and there. They took their first break after she gasped for air and raised her hands in defeat. Even if she seemed exhausted, it was clear that something was different.

Her stamina was much higher, and her reflexes were getting sharper as the training went on. It was a strange phenomenon, because they had fought together at low-level dungeons and her rate of improvement had never been this fast. He pondered for a while, and looked at what he thought could be the cause: Ascalon. Maybe the knight’s presence was pushing Lilithra to overcome her limits.

If that’s what it was, Selorien felt glad they had met the wanderer. With these endearing thoughts, they resumed their training, sparring for a couple more hours. Lilithra was really getting the hang of it, and although Selorien remained undisputedly better, she was learning a lot.

Ascalon was sure that Lilithra was going to do just fine in their Guild War. While thinking about that, he felt a bit surprised by a presence approaching The Chalice, though it didn’t seem like their business was with him at the moment.

A suited individual stepped inside the bar, deciding to arrive early to avoid the usual bustling hours. It was Ron, who smiled at the man behind the counter as he approached.

“Pardon my intrusion, Raphael.” His respectful tone made the older gentleman show a sour expression.

“I would ask what brings you here, but… It’s probably about Ascalon, isn’t it?” He remarked with cleverness. The visitor shot him a sharp stare, smiling softly at his conclusion.

Ron promptly sat on a stool at the counter, with a dignified posture, as Raphael set a cup of coffee before him. “Hmm. Always so efficient. And yes, I am here because of him.” The man brought the cup to his mouth, tasting once again the most delicious coffee in all of New Lumingard.

As he relished the flavor after a long time, Raphael’s voice took a more serious tone. “I see, I figured as much… but good timing, honestly. I happen to have a question for you.” Ron already knew what this was going to be about, so he tensed up, bracing himself.

“Why didn’t you contact me about the Flaming Fists ordeal?” Raphael’s words cut through the air, his tone cold and accusatory, and Ron felt as if a sharp blade was pressed on his throat. Yeah, that’s why he didn’t want to tell him…