The cool night air brushed against Ascalon as he dashed through the streets of Starugnia. The city felt really calm now, contrary to what he had experienced through the day, as the people and merchants had returned to their homes and the bustling ambience was replaced with an eerie stillness.
The only people up and about were either guards, possibly night owls, and, most likely, wrongdoers. Ascalon was trailing the latter—the pair of men that had harassed Lyra earlier. He had let them go, only to see if they could lead him to Loreno.
It was a gamble, of course, since they could simply be random, local thugs, but Ascalon thought there was no harm in giving his plan a try—one of the reasons why he had gone by himself. Eventually, his surroundings shifted from the usual, maintained buildings of the upper districts, to more dilapidated, abandoned ones.
“Hmmm… ‘lower district’ is a fitting description.” Ascalon muttered to himself as he stopped abruptly in front of a run-down structure. The sign outside read ‘The Bottomless Barrel’, and the sounds of cheerful activity could be heard from within.
The entrance door was battered and slightly ajar, letting out some light into the street. As Ascalon approached, the sound of laughter and glasses clinking grew more clear, so he assumed it was some kind of tavern. With his usual confidence, he pushed the door open and stepped into the building.
The bustling liveliness inside was halted briefly as the patrons turned to look at the entrance, a multitude of eyes examining Ascalon from head to toe. He felt scrutinized by varying gazes, from curiosity, and suspiciousness, to clear disgust and annoyance.
Paying no heed to the stares, Ascalon appraised the interior. It was as shabby as the outside, with broken tables, steel stools that had some of their legs replaced by wooden poles, and a bar counter that looked like it would crumble under the weight of a single glass of beer.
“Ah!” A voice suddenly exclaimed, drawing Ascalon’s attention. There, seated at the counter, were his two marks, the one with elephant ears looking at him with a mix of agitation and anger.
“The fuck is he doing here?” Asked the handsome thug, his words slurred partly from an apparent drunkenness and partly from the swelling on his cheek—a painful reminder of Ascalon’s earlier slap. At least he seemed livid enough to recognize him.
Sensing their friends’ demeanor, another patron chimed in. “This the guy that slapped the hell out of you, Chris?” Asked a tough-looking man seated at one of the tales. His face was marked with a few bruises and scars, as if he had been on the receiving end of a fight not too long ago.
This Chris person nodded, his whole body wobbling in response. He was clearly intoxicated, probably trying to drown the throbbing pain in his cheek with alcohol. Then, another voice rang from nearby.
“Done in by a tourist, haha!” Exclaimed a guy, laughing mockingly. He had disheveled black hair, a shit-eating grin plastered on his face. The man was wielding a long stick, and stood at the side of a long table with balls and holes on its surface. Ascalon had heard about that game from Selorien—billiards, or something like that.
“Shut up!” Screamed the one with elephant ears, clearly irritated by the comment. “Wh-what do you want?!” He then asked Ascalon, frowning with anger—though it was mostly bravado, and the knight could see through it. Ascalon noticed that some of the tavern patrons were shifting in place, a clear sign of readiness.
“I am sorry to disturb your merriment, but I seek a man by the name of Levi. Perhaps some of you could direct me to him.” Ascalon spoke with politeness and a small smile, trying to see if these men were reasonable enough.
The tough-looking guy that had spoken earlier replied. “Levi? Lemme see. Boys, any of you a Levi, or seen one around?” He asked, his question met with shaking heads and negative responses, accompanied by snickering and whispers.
“Sorry, pal! Try the next shithole you come across, aight?” The man chuckled to himself, a few of his fellows joining in. Ascalon sighed, expecting that kind of behavior in response.
“Then, perhaps you could lead me to Loreno.” Ascalon added, and the whole tavern seemed to flinch at his words. The atmosphere changed abruptly, as some of the patrons started to rise from their seats—a few even armed themselves, their weapons appearing from thin air.
“Wait!” The elephant-eared man shouted while raising his arms as if to stop the others, making some of the people around him hesitate. “H-he’s not some chump, Kaji!” He added as he looked at the tough man, earning a mix of doubtful and curious looks.
As Ascalon remained unfazed by the sight, some began to reconsider the situation. However, there was always someone who lacked a sense of danger, and in this case, it was the tough-looking guy, Kaji. He approached Ascalon with a confident stride, his expression showing no hint of fear.
“Keep that name outta your mouth, tourist.” Kaji declared as he faced Ascalon, standing right in front of him, his breath reeking of ale. Ascalon stared him down, his impassive demeanor intensifying the others' reluctance.
“I was sent by Rahmu, who mentioned that Loreno could assist me in my search.” Ascalon spoke with calmness, though his words seemed to further infuriate Kaji.
“I don’t care who sent you!” Kaji exploded in anger. “I said: keep that name outta your mouth, tourist!” He shouted, his right fist swinging through the air toward Ascalon’s chin.
Ascalon felt a sense of déjà vu, wondering if these thugs were only capable of sucker-punching a man’s jaw. Even Rosco, who lacked any semblance of decency, felt like leagues ahead in regard to fighting etiquette.
Just like he had done earlier with the other thug, Ascalon put his right hand in the way, intercepting the punch with ease. This time, however, he grabbed the astonished Kaji’s fist, enveloping it in an inescapable grip.
In the next moment, Ascalon sharply raised his arm, pulling Kaji over his shoulder and releasing him with force, throwing him toward the entrance wall. Kaji crashed against the structure, breaking down part of the wall and the flimsy door, before rolling out into the street.
As Ascalon sighed in resignation, the rest of the bar split into two different kinds of groups: those that lunged at him in a panicked frenzy and those that fled through the backdoor—the latter being the more reasonable bunch.
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A rain of blades and bludgeoning weapons approached, but Ascalon sensed no formidable opponents among them. At this realization, he opted to end the fight in a single move and be done with the situation.
Ascalon raised his right foot slightly, and then stomped the ground, breaking part of the floor and sending a powerful shockwave around him. Every single thug that had charged at him flew through the air, repelled by Ascalon’s defensive move, and crashed into the many walls. A few of them even joined Kaji on the street!
In the aftermath of the brief ‘fight’, Ascalon stood unshaken, his eye focused on the billiard table, where some of the balls had entered the holes. “Huh.” Ascalon murmured, realizing he wanted to learn to play that game.
But there was no time for that, as his gaze wandered toward the two men that had been left behind, and that had also not joined the reckless attack: Chris, who was deeply asleep against the tavern counter, and his elephant-eared friend.
“I-I’ll tell you where Loreno is…” Said the only awake man, his tone of voice a bit shaky. Ascalon smiled in triumph and walked toward the tavern counter. At the same time, a small figure rose up from behind it—most likely, the owner of the establishment.
It was a short, elderly man, his gray hair a clear sign of his age, and he slowly gained height as he peeked out. He placed both hands on the counter to steady himself, his frail figure causing Ascalon to feel regretful about his actions.
“My apologies, tavern keeper. I shall compensate for the damages soon.” Ascalon declared, bowing slightly to the man, planning on asking Selorien for more money later. It was a shame the card Ron had given him only worked in New Lumingard.
To Ascalon’s surprise, his words were met with jovial laughter, coming from the elderly man. “Hoho! That was exciting! Been a while since people brawled here; I feel honored!” The man said as he bowed in reverence, his body still trembling.
Ascalon realized the man was shaky due to age, not because of fear, and felt a bit relieved. The elder then placed a clean glass on the counter, and filled it with a bubbling, brown liquid before offering it to Ascalon.
“Here, on the house!” He exclaimed joyfully, leaving no room for argument as he turned around and began arranging some bottles. Ascalon sighed, and simply passed the drink toward the elephant-eared man, who watched the scene unfold in fearful silence.
The man took the glass with clear reluctance, but downed its contents in a single gulp. “Alright…” He began, speaking in a low voice and looking around nervously. “You can find Loreno not far from here, a couple blocks east…” He hesitated for a second before continuing. “He hangs around the fancy building; you’ll know which one…” The man finished, sighing deeply.
After sharing the information, his elephant ears perked up and his expression turned more calm, perhaps glad that Ascalon might leave him alone now. Ascalon memorized the directions and pondered for a second before nodding in acknowledgment.
“I appreciate the assistance.” Ascalon declared, and the man sighed, relief washing over him. “But…” As the knight spoke again, the thug flinched. “Cease harassing people in the streets, tourists or otherwise.” Ascalon demanded, his powerful tone making the man shrink.
His elephant ears wobbled as he nodded frantically, and Ascalon smiled with content. Afterward, he bowed toward the elder and walked away, leaving the tavern. On the way, he briefly inspected the men that had been blown away before, who were struggling to stand up and twitched at his sight.
Fearing they would retaliate once more, Ascalon burst into a sprint, quickly leaving the lower district behind, as there was no need for further violence. Unbeknownst to him, a certain maid panicked to keep her distance, cursing at his speed!
His hurried steps carried him back to the hotel, and he swiftly climbed through the same window he had left before. Selorien was still asleep, his face burrowed into a fluffy pillow. Ascalon chuckled at the sight, and leaned against the window wall, peering at the street from above.
He didn’t sense any pursuers or other threats, but wanted to remain watchful anyway. Though he had felt a bit tired before setting out, he was now completely awake, his body recalling the many sleepless nights he had endured during his numerous crusades.
He reminisced about Excadia for a while, his expression shifting to one of solemnity, as the night went on…
As the sun raised, so did the temperatures and the bustle of the city. Amidst that, Selorien slowly awoke. ”Right… we’re in the desert… ugh…” Said the elf as he rose from his bed, his sweaty clothes sticking to his skin.
“Morning, Selorien.” Greeted Ascalon with a smile, sitting on his own bed. He had decided a while ago that there was no need to keep watch still. Selorien nodded drowsily and headed for the shower, while Ascalon decided to make his way to the hall and wait for the group there.
He sat at an empty table, watching travelers go by as they yawned or recognized him and waved. Ascalon answered with slight nods in acknowledgment, hoping they were enjoying their touristic endeavors.
Around twenty minutes later, Selorien arrived, still showing a sleepy expression on his face. The elf sat beside Ascalon and adjusted his cap with a conflicted expression—he was probably missing his hooded attire. A bit later, the two girls came down the stairs, smiling and waving as they approached.
Lilithra looked much like she did the day before, wearing another pair of pink shorts paired with a thin, light shirt. Lyra, too, had swapped her attire for something similar, now matching Lilithra in both shorts and a shirt, though hers were white. Both wore their respective hats, and looked rested and ready to set out.
Finally reunited, the group exchanged good mornings and had a light breakfast, while Ascalon recounted to them his midnight adventure. Understandably so, his story received a mixed reception.
“Why didn’t you tell us?!” Lilithra protested, puffing her cheeks in indignation. She probably felt like she had missed out on an exciting moment.
“I for one am glad you let me sleep.” Added Selorien, smiling with his eyes half closed in a relaxed expression.
“If it were someone else I would have told them it was reckless, but… yeah…” Lyra said shyly, smiling softly. She probably meant that there was nothing to fear since it was Ascalon, after all. Still, Lilithra pouted in disappointment.
“I wanted to let you rest and made sure to wait for you before seeking Loreno.” Ascalon explained with a gentle voice, addressing the whole group. He could have gone by himself, but had decided to not spoil the sense of adventure for his friends.
Lyra beamed with appreciation, as she was the one that wanted to know about her brother the most, and desired to be there in person when they met this Loreno. Meanwhile, Lilithra sighed in resignation, conceding that at least Ascalon had indeed waited for them. Selorien, on the other hand, looked pensive.
“Hmmm… I assume that by now, Loreno knows about you.” The elf stated, drawing the group's attention. His words rang true, as the thugs had probably already warned Loreno about what had transpired at the tavern.
“What if he escaped or something? Maybe you should’ve gone straight to him…” Selorien continued, suggesting that perhaps Loreno could have already fled, leaving behind an empty building and no other leads for them to follow.
In response, Ascalon chuckled with confidence, a bold smile on his face. “I cannot conceive it.” He declared, earning curious looks from the rest. “If Loreno is the kind of man I believe him to be, he would not flee. Rather, he is waiting for us.” Explained Ascalon, causing his friends to exchange glances.
“Well, if you say it, I believe it!” Selorien said with a grin, having the knight’s back. Lilithra felt like Ascalon would know best, as the weight of his experience was something they shouldn’t underestimate.
And although Lyra was the newest of Ascalon’s acquaintances, she shared a similar train of thought to Lilithra, clenching her firsts in determination as she wholeheartedly believed in the knight’s words.
Everyone agreed in silence, and after finishing up their breakfast, they set out to finally meet Loreno.