A New Arrival

Three weeks passed by in the blink of an eye once the others left for Riledo. I had expected time to drag on, but mom kept me focused on my training. Everyday she would go at me relentlessly until my muscles ached. Could this training be why Kase has become S-Rank. Somehow, I doubted that was the reason. Still, thinking that gave me hope that I could still catch him. I pushed myself to the limit as mom trained me, to the point where she could tell I was pushing myself too hard.

"Alright Darx, that's all for today." Ilene says as she stands over my collapsed body. She hadn't hit me all that hard, but I'd been down for over a minute. My legs felt like sand and my arms felt like rust. Every movement was a chore.

"I-I don't think I can move. It's taking me every bit of strength just to hold my head up." I reply, struggling to even look my mom in the eyes. Maybe I shouldn't have rejected my mom's offer for a day of respite.

"Umm... Excuse me. But if you're having trouble moving, I can heal you if you'd like." A soft, feminine voice comes from nearby. I'd never heard that voice before, but it was really cute and innocent sounding.

Hopping down from a nearby boulder, a girl dressed in short, black leather skirt and a top that exposes her midriff; complete with a heart shaped boob window; approaches us. Her outfit looks like something I'd expect one of Mr. Enzo's maids to wear, although I'd never seen this particular design. However, the sword sheathed in a flowery holster on her left hip isn't standard issue for his maids.

"I haven't seen you around before, although judging by those ridiculous clothes, I imagine you work for Mr. Enzo?" Mom asks, having come to the same conclusion I had about her dress.

"Me? Working for father? Daddy is a depraved man, but even he draws the line at father-daughter relationships. At least I hope he does." The girl replies as she walks over to me, and squats down beside me.

Both my mom and I are caught by surprise at that declaration. I knew Mr. Enzo had daughters, but none of them had ever visited him out here before. For good reason, if the rumors of what he gets up to with his maids hold any merit.

"Well. I didn't realize Mr. Enzo's daughter had come to visit." Mom says, her eyes still rather wide from that revelation.

Looking up at the girl with the short, pink hair, I realize she's pretty short. Maybe five feet tall, and that's with the heels she's wearing.

"Can you really heal me?" I ask her. It's not like healers are particularly rare or anything, but it seems strange that one would arrive in the village so soon after Amelia left.

"Sure I can. Watch." The girl says, lifting her hand. She lets out a bird call, and a moment later, a small sparrow flies onto her finger. Next she places her hand on my cheek. What happens then drains the color from my face.

One moment, the bird is sitting completely healthy on her fingers. Then suddenly, the bird lets out a shrill shriek, and begins to shrivel. Its eyeballs melt in its sockets, its chubby body thins out and dries up like a mummy, before falling off her finger, dead. Her brown eyes briefly give off a golden glow, and suddenly warmth pours into my body from her hand.

"You're a necromancer?" Mom asks suddenly, while I lay there shocked. Her guild leader had been a necromancer too, so I guess my mom has seen that technique before. My muscles don't feel as stiff as before, but I still feel exhausted.

"Something like that!" The girl replies in a sickeningly sweet voice, a cheeky grin on her face. Then she looks down at me. "You should be able to move easier now. Unfortunately, such a small bird doesn't have much life energy to give. If it had been a larger animal, like a wolf or boar, I could have had you in tip top shape."

Standing up, the girl starts walking back into the village, while mom helps me too my feet. Suddenly though, the girl stops and looks over her shoulder. "We should spar sometime." she says, looking at my mother. "I'm Lilith, by the way." She introduces, before continuing on her way.

While mom and I travel back home, she explains to me that the spell Lilith used is called Life Drain, and it's a **** magic used mostly by necromancers. Despite how unsettling it was to witness, she assures me that it isn't usually so quick, and that what I had witnessed was because small animals don't have much life energy compared to humans.

After returning home, I managed to put it out of mind. I had almost forgotten about the strange girl until a few days later, when I was back out training with my mother. She had made me take a few days rest, but now we're back at it again, however before I can finish my warm-ups, Lilith appears again.

"There you are! I was wondering if I'd get to see you again." The pinked haired girl says. She is wearing the same outfit she had been wearing when I first met her. "Interested in sparring with me today?" she asks mom in a sweet voice

"Lilith, wasn't it? I'm busy training my son today, so it'll have to wait." Mom tells her.

The pink haired girl turns to pay attention to me, and then a look of surprise covers her face as she suddenly dashes towards me. Pressing her soft tits against my chest, she stares up at me, into my eyes.

"How did I miss those eyes? How intriguing! I didn't think there was anyone like you left!" She says, her voice oozing saccharine sweetness. "How about I spar against him. I promise to go easy on him. I won't even draw my blade."

Honestly, it wasn't her blade I was worried about. I'm not looking forward to experiencing what that bird went through. My mom seems to notice my trepidation, as she covers for me.

"Right now, I'm working on the fundamentals. He's not quite at your level yet." Mom assures her, which honestly is a little hard to hear her say.

"Aww drats!" Lilith pouts, puffing out her cheeks. It seems like she really wanted to spar with someone today.