Way of the Knights

Chapter 21 - Visit

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"What's with this huh!" Ellen squeezed 'it' while still wearing a savage expression. "What's up with this! Three weeks! In this three weeks that we didn't see each other! This!"

Ellen twisted 'it' while whispering 'Oh! What suppleness!' In her head and continued: "This grew bigger again! How is that possible! How is that fair!"

Luna blushed fiercely as she slapped away Ellen's hand while glaring at her. Anne just placed a hand on her mouth and produced a 'Fufufufu' sound. Ellen's expression was downcast as the hand that Luna slapped was still opening and closing.

"Meanie!" Luna pouted while covering her chest, Anne watched this with an amused expression on her face.

"I'm not mean! That!" Ellen pointed at Luna's chest once more and continued:"That 'Is' mean! Seriously what gives!? How did they grow again!? What's you're secret!" Ellen slammed her hand on the table and pulled her face closer to Luna.

"N-nothing…" Luna meekly said, "It just grew…naturally."

"Gu…" Ellen felt like she was stabbed in the gut, there was pained expression on her face as she sat back down with a blank look on her face. "Oh merciful gods! How could you do this to me! Am I really such a sinner?"

Luna blushed even more from her words, Anne just laughed and said: "Okay stop with the drama. We're still growing, maybe you're just a late bloomer."

Ellen seemed to have recovered her spirits back and said: "Yup, that should be right. I'm still thirteen anyways..."

Anne shook her her inwardly and thought: 'Oh you poor girl. 'WE' are still thirteen. If you could grow some, then both of us would as well. I wonder what should I tell her next time…'

"Going back to our topic. Can't you just ask that person about this situation as well?" Anne said.

Luna shook her head when she heard this, she then said: "That person already did so much for me. We can't even repay him properly for what he has done."

"Easy, then just marry him!" Ellen said non-chalantly…

"Ellen!" Luna exclaimed in shock. Her face turned even redder. Anne shook her head in helplessness, this woman is too brazen.

"Alright, alright! Geez!" Ellen waved her hands in defeat. "Isn't it just cultivation speed? Didn't that savior of yours said that the hairpin is providing you with energies? Then it should be given that it will really slow down if you take it out."

"I know that…" Luna sighed, how could she have missed something so simple? But alas, that's not the point. "But the thing is if this continues then I feel that I won't be able to absorb any Qi at all."

Instantly, the atmosphere inside the room became solemn, even the bored expression of Ellen disappeared and replaced by seriousness. She abruptly stood up and grabbed Luna and Anne's hand.

"Then we have to find that person. We can't have you be crippled." Ellen said with a forceful voice, Anne smiled but Luna was a bit perplexed.

On one hand she knew why Ellen was doing this, but at the same time, she feels incredibly ashamed of asking for his help once more.

"Let go Ellen…" she said meekly.

"No will do! We are going to that person and he will fix this or else!"

"Ellen…" Luna called out again.

"No! Whether you like it or not, he will help you!"

"Ellen listen…"

"Come on! Don't be so stub-"

"Do you even know where he is!?" Luna said in a pitched voice. Undoubtedly, this made Ellen stop in her tracks. She then turned around Luna with a blushing face and shook her head.

Luna sighed while Anne burst to laughters. Ellen bit her lip in embarassment, it seems that she let her emotions get the best of her. In her mind, Luna can't really blame her for doing this. This is just her personality, her forcefulness, rash behavior, sharp tongue and fiery temper is how they knew that she cared. If she didn't show any of this, then there something wrong with her.

"I get it…I'll lead the way." Luna said as she stepped forward, Anne and Ellen could only follow her.

***

"Luna…are you sure that the one who saved you lives in this place?"

The girls had been walking for a while now, at first they walked through the main roads of the Institute when suddenly, she entered a narrow stone road that led to a forest. This isn't to say that the girls are scared of the eeriness in the forest, it's just that this place…is quite familiar to them.

Luna didn't say anything. She just silently walked forward and followed the narrow stone road. Eventually, the girls got out of the forest and saw the three storey stone house in front of them. Anne became silent and so does Ellen.

The girls stood before the main door of the stone house. Luna took the initiative to knock but it no one answered. She knocked once more but the result was the same.

"Is he not home?" Luna thought, it was this moment that they heard a loud commotion beyond the door, more precisely behind the house. It sounded like a pained grunt, and base from the commotion that happened, the injury shouldn't be light.

Luna became a little bit panicked and hurriedly followed a stone path leading towards the back of the house. Anne and Ellen also followed behind her. When the girls reached the back, all they saw was a large cloud of dust and a silhouette of someone, lying on the floor.

The boy's clothes were ragged and dirty, his chest heaved up and down and there was a pained expression in his face. There was a shield on his left hand and a spear on his right. Luna was about to rush forward when the boy sudden sat up and shouted:

"That hurts you fucking dummy! I will end you!" His resentful roar was filled with intense passion. The boy suddenly heard gasps behind him which made him turn his head around.

The boy's mouth went wide, so wide that one could fit a whole egg out of it. The girls and the boy stared at each other for quite sometime. Luna was about to say something when the boy stood up like lightning and roared once more.

"Mark! Visitors! We have visitors!" And just like magic…

Boom!

A loud sound shook the girls. Another silhouette flew out of nowhere and landed on ground kicking up another cloud of dust. The girls heard a coughing fit from this person before he recovered and looked at the boy.

"What the hell is your-! Oh…" The boy was about lash out when his eyes landed on the girls. He then quickly regained composure and stood up while patting dirt away from his clothes.

"Hello uh…classmates. How can we help you?" He asked after he 'cleaned' himself up.

"Uhm, hello. We-I mean, I'm looking for Raven? Is he here?" Luna asked politely after bowing.

Mark and Paul was stunned, they looked at each other and Mark saw Paul shrugged. He then looked behind him and said: "Follow us and please…don't step in that line." He pointed to an obvious markings on the ground.

Luna and the girls followed them, it didn't took them long enough before they saw Raven.

The girls saw, what might be the most bizzar yet amazing thing they have yet to see in their whole stay in this institute. They saw a bunch of wooden poles planted on the ground, on the opposite sides of the place, there were a total of four mounted crossbows that were constantly aiming shooting and reloading on it's own.

The arrows that were being shot weren't normal arrows, they were made out of compressed air that hits like a boulder. The girls knew that if they have gotten hit by any of these arrows, they will immediately pass out from pain.

Raven's shadow flew here and there in the middle of this fierce barrage. He hands were tied behind him and his gaze were sharp. He jumped from one wooden beam after another to dodge the arrows with his whole effort.

Boom!

But their speed was very fast that it's quite a hassle for him to dodge all of them so he will kick the one's that he can't dodge instead. Each contact results in a loud explosion yet no matter how fierce the clash was, Raven was still able to stabilize his body and gracefully land on one of the wooden beams even without the help of his hands.

The girls were dazed, specially Anne and Ellen. How is this possible? How was he able to do this? They already had a good idea of who he was but that still doesn't erase the point that this guy, who's the same age as they are, is moving like a professional fighter already!

Luna and the boys might be the only one's who weren't too surprised by this.

"Raven! Someone'e looking for you!" Paul placed both of his hand on the corners of his mouth to project his voice.

"Hmm?"

Boom!

They heard a hum from Raven and because he was distracted for a second, an arrow landed straight to his left shoulder. Unexpectedly, his body didn't even flinch when it was hit. It seems like an arrow that could instantly knock out a Peak-stage Skin Toughening expert, is nothing but a minor inconvenience for him.

As Raven's eyes landed on Luna, he let out an audible 'Oh!' Before jumping down the beams and landed in front of them. With a loud ripping sound, he broke the constraints on his hands and greeted:

"Hi!"