Part II Celestial Knights
Chp 9 Shynobi's Specialty
Shynobi's specialty is simply all the abilities of a thief: an Assassin and a Bandit. NeoJunker was also an Assassin and partially a Page but rarely used its abilities. Hirarii was a Fighter and a Hunter. She could use the most variety of abilities compared to the two, but she was also weaker. FangBlade had asked the two gentlemen to retrieve Hirarii who previously left the mansion with her own volition.
"Why would His Lord want that weak girl anyways," Shynobi sighed. The next morning, they were out searching for Hirarii primarily around Henseys.
"You have to admit she's pretty strong for her level," NeoJunker denied. "Still, she doesn't even have her 4th job yet." After two hours, they found Hirarii in the Free Market talking to one of the salesman. However, once they found her, she caught sight of them as well and fled immediately. They ran until they surrounded her in one ally.
"God dammit, leave me alone!" Hirarii yelled.
"Sorry Hirarii, under FangBlade's orders," NeoJunker laughed.
"Then do I have to fight my way out?"
"If you can, that is," Shynobi teased. Hirarii glared at Shynobi and attacked him first. Shynobi whirled around and swiftly attacked her with a bandit combo attack. Hirarii reacted with shout, throwing Shynobi against the wall but unhurt. NeoJunker threw his stars as Hirarii counterattacked with diamond arrows. She used an arrow bomb to cover up the battlefield in dense smoke and flee. However, she tripped over something and it then wrapped around her whole body.
"Struggling will only make it worse," Shynobi sighed.
"Get your stupid shadow partner off me," Hirarii fumed.
"I rather not," Shynobi replied amused. They dragged her back to the mansion while Hirarii continuously tried multiple abilities to set herself free. She couldn't teleport or use a scarecrow for substitute.
"Careful, you're going to tire yourself out like that," NeoJunker warned. She was tired, but pretended not to be. FangBlade was not as easily fooled.
"You can release her now," he stated.
"Yes, My Lord," Shynobi summoned the shadow partner back and they both walked away so FangBlade could have a private conversation.
"You could do a lot of good with that power," Fangblade noted.
"You would be able to find a lot of stronger people out there in my place," Hirarii replied.
"Anyone can be stronger if only they have the will to do so. Your boyfriend makes a very good example."
"I don't have a boyfriend."
"But you know who I'm talking about," FangBlade teased. Hirarii rolled her eyes but chuckled. She was starting to respect him a little more.
"What you did out there that day was beyond expected," FangBlade continued. "Arrow rain, teleport, flash jump, and power strike at the same time just to draw Tiger away. That's really amazing; using all four job abilities. You know, Shynobi and NeoJunker wouldn't be able to do that. That's why you would have the most potential."
"Then why didn't you let me fight," Hirarii frowned.
"Losing such a talented girl out there would be a pity." Hirarii blushed. "I noticed you had something special since I saw you argue your way to Scania. I wouldn't let any random person go through you know. I can train you to be at your best and then you wouldn't have to faint as much."
"What do I need to do," Hirarii gave in, ignoring the last comment.
"First work your way to become a Hero, and then I'll give you a final test to see if you are qualified to become my knight."
"It's a deal."
Chp 10 FangBlade Was Like a Father
Fangblade was like a father to Hirarii. She was an orphan and an only child. Salleem and Tiger were the two who replaced her family since childhood times. Now that Salleem was gone and Tiger was stuck in Scania, FangBlade took care of her. Hirarii worked hard for a month, training early in the morning and sleeping late. Soon she was lvl140, only ten levels lower than Shynobi and NeoJunker, and was qualified to take FangBlade's test. He used a stimulator to test her strength. Now Hirarii could control her special abilities more and passed the test easily. Fangblade later dubbed her as the Third Knight.
"You now serve under me, Hirarii," FangBlade stated after the formal ceremony. "You said you wanted to protect Bera from what you could not protect before that harmed your friends. From here on, you shall protect Bera with your soul." Then he pinned a badge on her as a proof of their contract.
"I will not fail you, FangBlade," Hirarii bowed and then left to join the other two knights.
"By the way," FangBlade called. They all turned around.
"You can only address me as 'My Lord' now," he winked.
"Yes, My Lord," Hirarii smiled.
"Great job," NeoJunker congratulated as they walked down the silent hallway. "You really worked hard. Hey, let's all go grab some KFC to celebrate."
"Lol, sure," Hirarii laughed, but when they got to the front gate, Shynobi had something else in mind.
"Hold it," Shynobi spoke. "Let's see if you really deserve that medal."
"Oh no, not again," NeoJunker moaned. "Give it a break already, dude."
"You still challenge me?" Hirarii glared.
"A loser stays a loser until they can win," Shynobi stated. Over the month, Shynobi and Hirarii had many arguments because Shynobi always called her weak. Hirarii would then challenge him to fights to prove that she wasn't but always lost. NeoJunker says that he's only treating Hirarii that way because he feels for AnhRau, 1LastBreath, Hydrange, and Imphigenia: all who would've became Celestial Knights if only their lives weren't taken away.
"This one will be more interesting," Shynobi began. "Since you're a knight now, this will be the final challenge. So if you lose, then you'll forever be a loser, got that?"
"Please don't accept it," NeoJunker mumbled to himself.
"Bring it," Hirarii growled. As usual, the fought fiercely and although Hirarii could use more abilities, Shynobi had the advantage since he mastered the dark sight ability. He used it countless times to avoid Hirarii's attacks and thus won again.
"Just as I thought, still a loser," Shynobi stated. "Though I have to admit you're somewhat stronger."
Somewhat isn't good enough, Hirarii thought to herself.
"Rematch, now," Hirarii demanded.
"What's the point? You're just going to lose again," Shynobi rolled his eyes. Hirarii elicited him to fight by punching him in the face. She missed because Shynobi used dark sight again, but he didn't catch himself when she tripped him right afterwards.
"Okay that's it," Shynobi growled and got up from the ground. He charged up his special throwing star ability as Hirarii charged her special shout move that formed into a phoenix. They both unleashed it at the same time, but there was no explosion. Instead, both attacks were absorbed by a person standing between them.
"Whatever this fight is about, I'm sure we can settle this peacefully, hm?" she blinked. They are stared at her, not knowing when she had popped up. She must've been pretty strong in order to cancel both Shynobi and Hirarii's attack at the same time.
"And may I ask who you are madam?" NeoJunker stared.
She looks really familiar, Shynobi thought.
"I am Heroine, pleased to meet all of you. I am looking for the great FangBlade. Perhaps you know where he is?" she asked.
"Yeah. Come, we'll take you to him," Hirarii gestured and ignored Shynobi.
"Heroine," Shynobi asked. "Are you…related to Mecate?"
"Yes, she was my older sister," Heroine replied sweetly.
"I thought you looked familiar…"
"Heh, but not as famous as you Shynobi, Bera's first successor."
"That was a long time ago," Shynobi replied humbly. Hirarii knocked on the door, and then FangBlade called for their presence.
Chp 11 Heroine Entered
Heroine entered the conference room where FangBlade and Starlightzz talked casually. They were not shocked to see a visitor. In fact, FangBlade had asked Heroine to come in the first place.
"So you want to become a knight?" FangBlade asked.
"Yes, I want to be stronger to prevent the same thing that happened to my sister," Heroine replied.
"Are you scared of death?" he questioned. Heroine paused for a moment to think. She didn't know how to answer him. She definitely did not want to end up like Mecate, whose life was taken away at a young age, due to the strange ability that they both possessed.
"No, not death," she finally said. "I'm scared of losing control. You said you could help me with that, right?"
"I can and I will."
"And in return I just need to give you my servitude?" FangBlade nodded. "Then I will serve you."
"Perfect, your test will be tomorrow at noon."
"Thank you Your Honor," Heroine bowed and walked away. When she came out of the room, the knights introduced each other to her. Heroine stayed in the mansion that night as a guest. If she passed the test tomorrow, she could live there permanently. Since the rooms were divided by gender, Hirarii's room was close to Heroine's. They talked to each other for a long time that night. Hirarii noted that Heroine was a very nice girl. She was also younger and very gentle. It was hard to believe that she was such a strong Cleric and Ice Mage with her fragileness. Heroine asked about Hirarii's background too, mainly wondering why she was fighting with Shynobi when she arrived.
"It's nothing," Hirarii smiled. "We do that all the time because he thinks I'm a weakling."
"Well, it looks pretty serious to me," Heroine stared. "I guess there's no other way to settle it huh? Shynobi's like that; it's not that he hates the weak but he doesn't like seeing people act like one. He's just trying to make you stronger." Heroine knew Shynobi well through Mecate but never really talk to him. Her evaluation made Hirarii less furious, but still very determined.
The next morning, everyone sat outside in the courtyard to watch the test. Heroine came fully prepared, expecting the same test that Hirarii took. However, they were on plain grass and not on a stimulated training ground.
"I have decided to change the test just for this one time," FangBlade stated. "That way I can see both of you at your full potential."
"What do you mean by both?" Heroine questioned.
"Sorry," a voice called out. "This is basically my fault." A Bowmaster walked towards Heroine and introduced himself as another knight wannabe. He seemed like a mature guy but also one who loves to have nonstop fun. Because he just arrived that morning, FangBlade wanted to test them both at the same time and thus forcing them to battle each other.
"Isn't that…" NeoJunker stared.
"The strongest archer in the world, Bowmaster Dolob of Bera," Hirarii continued. Since she was part Bowmaster herself, Hirarii knew a lot about Dolob. However, Dolob and Heroine barely knew each other, besides the fact that their worldwide rank was right next to each other.
When their battle began, Heroine took the lead, rapidly teleporting to different locations so that Dolob couldn't unleash an accurate hit. Eventually Dolob caught up, and used his magical birds for help. Apparently Dolob specialized with both Bowmaster and Marksman abilities. At times he would try to use Fire Mage abilities but they were not strong. Heroine stuck with Priest and Ice Mage abilities but underestimated Dolob's capabilities. While his bird snuck behind and attacked Heroine, he casted an arrow to seal her power, making her unable to move which then ended the battle.
Heroine's lost did not meant she failed however; FangBlade accepted both of them as knights. They were very skilled in using multiple abilities and FangBlade believed that they both deserved the position. Since Heroine came first, she became the 4th knight and then Dolob became the 5th. Day by day, the five knights grew closer. They had no serious arguments and completed many of FangBlade's orders together. Months passed without a response from any other people willing to become a knight (or they fail the test). The Celestial Knights did not expect a newcomer anytime soon, but he arrived at the most unexpected time.
Chp 12 Dolob Admitted
Dolob admitted that he found Heroine quite interesting, but only to NeoJunker since he did not fully trust Shynobi and he didn't want to tell Hirarii in case it leaked out to Heroine. NeoJunker on the other hand did not have a lover and didn't care about not having one. He knows that eventually they will meet and he will wait for her as long as it takes. Shynobi had a girl many years ago who unfortunately died of illness. Ever since then, he had no heart to search for another one. Hirarii and Heroine never had boyfriends since they never paid much attention to finding romance.
"A boyfriend is just like a boy who is your best friend," Heroine said. "I'm fine with just being friends." Unknowingly, Heroine also felt the same for Dolob. She had never met a bowman as carefree and warm-hearted as Dolob. To him, Heroine was the same; he had never met a magician who was so enthusiastic and magical. Heroine planned to find Hirarii a lover and took her to Henesys.
At Henesys, there are many couples and many gatherings where people usually meet. They wore disguises to cover their famous faces. Hirarii doubt that she will find anyone in a random group of people. On top of that, if she ever found a guy, she would most likely end up protecting him instead of the other way around since she was among the strongest people in the world. Heroine agreed and they gave up after hours. Dolob invited Heroine to take a walk though the town of love, Amoria, leaving Hirarii to walk back alone.
In general, Hirarii was pretty dense. She sensed no romance between Dolob and Heroine even though it was pretty obvious. On the way, Shynobi called her for assistance.
"Are you busy?" he asked.
"Just on my way back; need something?" Hirarii asked.
"There's this strange guy that I ran into near Kerning City. He has a lot of bags with him and he's pretty strong too. Think you can take him down?'
"Oh, so you can't take him on yourself?" she teased.
"…Are you coming or not?"
"Be right there."
The boy was also a Night Lord and no younger than Hirarii. His fighting techniques were alien to Shynobi. Even though Shynobi could kill him, he had no intention to do more than to paralyze him for a moment to speak. When Hirarii arrived, Shynobi asked for her to do so since she could paralyze one with an arrow using bowmen techniques.
"I thought you were the faster one," Hirarii glared.
"Oh just do it," Shynobi rolled his eyes. "And what's with the disguise?"
"It's to avoid noobs like you," she teased and took off the extra equipment on her. The boy expected Hirarii to use her sword, and snatched it faster than she could reach for it.
"Okay, no mercy for you," Shynobi growled. He pointed his claw at him as it transformed into a miniature canon. That was Shynobi's special attack which he only used in case of an emergency or if he grows impatient. It was so powerful that it is nearly unavoidable in every way no matter how fast the opponent is.
"Wait, you're gonna hurt him!" Hirarii yelled. Shynobi didn't stop and unleashed the large energy wave at the boy. With no other choice, Hirarii jumped in front of the boy and blocked the attack using Iron Wall. Since she didn't master the skill, it barely protected both of them. The boy then quickly fastened Hirarii around her waist and teleported a few feet away. They were both slightly hurt.
"Are you alright?" the boy asked.
"Yeah, thanks to you." Hirarii smiled. He slightly blushed.
"Idiot, who told you to stand in front of my canon," Shynobi sighed.
"Who told you to hurt him?" Hirarii argued back. "I thought you just asked for him to be paralyzed."
"You'd still hurt him if you tried to paralyze him. Besides, he asked for it."
"What?" the boy jumped. "You're the one who attacked me first!"
"Cause you didn't respond to me when I asked where you were heading to. You know you look pretty suspicious when you carry a lot of bags with you."
"I was listening to my iPod! Couldn't you tell?"
"Not likely, he never notices anything," Hirarii smirked. "Um…you can let go of me now..."
"Oh, right! Sorry," he realized and removed his arms from around her waist. Hirarii stared at him; he looked very familiar.
"Since you're a Night Lord and can use Teleport, you must be looking for FangBlade," Shynobi concluded.
"Yep, I was just on my way there until you attacked me," he noted.
"Ah, you're Loopedd, right?" Hirarii realized.
"Loopedd?" Shynobi questioned. "The second strongest in Broa? You're Broa's top Night Lord?"
"Glad that you figured it out now," Loopedd smiled.
"Strange, you don't look the same up close."
"What is that supposed to mean…"
"He means that he's jealous that there's a stronger Night Lord in Bera now," Hirarii answered. "You must be tired traveling all the way from Broa. Let's get you to the mansion." Shynobi rolled his eyes. Inside, he was a bit jealous since he hasn't faced a strong Night Lord for years. However, he wasn't going to let Loopedd be dubbed the Night Lord of Bera just because he might reside there from now on.
"Oh, let me handle those," Loopedd called to Hirarii. Hirarii already threw his heavy luggage over her shoulder with little effort.
"It's okay, I got it," Hirarii winked.
"Dang…you're really strong," Loopedd blinked. He suddenly felt a little scared to approach her.
"I am a Hero after all. By the way, remember to give me back my sword later."
"Oh, right." He pulled the sword out from his pouch to ensure that he still had it.
Why do I suddenly forget so much all the sudden? he thought. Am I already falling for the Beran girl?
Chp 13 Loopedd Returned
Loopedd returned Hirarii's sword when they arrived at the mansion. He immediately went to consult with FangBlade. Loopedd originally came to Bera to experience new things. He thought there wouldn't be a better opportunity to do so than becoming a Celestial Knight.
"Well, since you're the best Night Lord in the world, the stimulator would most likely be too easy for you," FangBlade thought. "And you already fought Shynobi…"
"I wouldn't mind doing it again, Your Honor," Loopedd chuckled, knowing that he would win.
"Hm, Hirarii," FangBlade called.
"Yes, My Lord?" Hirarii slid in from the doorway.
"Do you mind fighting Loopedd?"
"Not at all, My Lord."
"Woah wait a second," Loopedd stopped him. "I won't fight girls."
"Everyone else already fought, other than NeoJunker but he's busy right now," FangBlade stated. "So your only choice is Hirarii." Loopedd gave in; he'd have to hurt a girl just once to get the position. When the battle began, Loopedd waited for Hirarii to make the first move. No one else was around to watch their battle. Hirarii didn't attack either, and they stared at each other for a long moment.
"Why won't you attack?" Hirarii asked.
"Because I don't want to hurt girls," Loopedd replied.
"You'll need to if you want the position."
"There are other ways," Loopedd corrected. His shadow slithered across the field, too fast to see, and emerged from behind Hirarii. She removed her sword from her pocket and casually stabbed the invisible figure without turning around. The shadow disappeared quickly.
"Nice, you could sense that?" Loopedd asked impressed.
"Shynobi used that on me too many times," Hirarii replied. "I've gotten used to it." Loopedd figured that if he took away Hirarii's sword, she would be defenseless and his victory would come fast. He had done it once, and he sought to do it again. For the time, Hirarii used only Hero abilities while observing Loopedd's capabilities. She concluded that his second strongest job was an Ice Mage, combining Haste and Teleport to unleash the most unbelievable amount of speed. Without knowing it, Hirarii's sword disappeared out of her hands. Still, he did not know her second strength so she used the same trick as before: Arrow Rain. The random hailing of arrows slowed Loopedd's speed, giving Hirarii enough time to charge up for a special arrow blow. Loopedd could not avoid it and canceled the attack with Meso Bomb. In the dense smoke, Hirarii stabbed him with a paralysis arrow. He twitched abruptly when it punctured his skin, but then turned around and shocked Hirarii by using his fingers to carry lightning directly into her chest. Hirarii screamed and flew several feet away from the impact and Loopedd remained stunned. He was barely able to reach for the arrow and pull it out of his body. Once he was free, he ran up to Hirarii who was breathing heavily on the ground. FangBlade ran over to observe.
"Oh my God, I'm so sorry," Loopedd cried.
"That was too much, Loopedd," FangBlade warned.
"It was an accident, I swear," Loopedd pleaded. "She just scared me from behind and...I just naturally reacted."
"Anyways, you hit her directly near the heart," FangBlade observed. "It's highly likely that her nervous system won't be able to respond for a while, even if we used Heal." Hirarii continued to breathe heavily and had no physical response. They were both highly concerned about whether she could fully recover without any permanent effects.
Two days passed and Hirarii laid in her bed unconscious. Every day, the Knights would visit her. Despite severely hurting Hirarii, FangBlade promoted Loopedd to a Knight. FangBlade actually had confidence that she will recover soon, but Loopedd on the other hand still felt guilty for hurting her.
"I think your boyfriend would like to know about this," FangBlade told Hirarii, hoping that she heard him. "I'll ask him to come over tomorrow. Maybe you'll wake up faster."
"Oh my gosh, Hirarii!" Tiger screamed when he saw her unconscious in bed after running down the hallway. Loopedd had been sitting next to her nearly all afternoon. Tiger ran up to her bed and grabbed Hirarii's hand.
"Can you hear me, Hirarii?" Tiger asked squeezing her hand. "FangBlade told me you were hurt so I came here as fast as I could."
"I'm sorry, it's all my fault," Loopedd sighed. Tiger looked up and saw his sincerity.
"It's okay dude," Tiger smiled. "It's just an accident." Loopedd felt slightly better, hearing that from the legendary Tiger.
"Tiger…" Hirarii moaned. Tiger and Loopedd jumped.
"You're awake!" Tiger shouted. Hirarii just blinked.
"Where am I?" she asked.
"In your room," Loopedd answered. "You've been out for two days, thanks to me. I'm really sorry, Hirarii."
"Oh…" Hirarii paused. "But…who are you?"
Chp 14 Who Are You
"Who are you?" Hirarii asked. Tiger and Loopedd stared at each other and agreed to call in everyone else.
"Hirarii, are you ok?" Dolob asked worriedly.
"Are you hungry? I can go get you something," Heroine volunteered.
"Can she even hear us?" NeoJunker puzzled.
"Hey kid, how many fingers am I holding up?" Shynobi asked.
"One…" Hirarii blinked.
"Which one?"
"Your middle finger."
"Okay something's wrong, she has no reaction," Shynobi concluded, expecting a good yelling.
"So you can't remember any of us?" NeoJunker asked. Hirarii shook her head. FangBlade and Starlightzz entered, asking the same question. Hirarii couldn't recognize them either. Starlightzz tried to Heal her amnesia, but nothing worked.
"I can't do it," Starlightzz frowned. "Only special kinds of magicians can heal this type of amnesia."
"Do you know of any?" FangBlade asked.
"No, sorry."
"Well, it can't be too serious," FangBlade observed. "If she can remember Tiger, then she only lost a small amount of memory. Hirarii, can you remember the last thing that happened before you woke up?"
"Um, I think it was just another random day," Hirarii thought. "I went out to train with Salleem and that's just about all I can remember."
"She doesn't know what happened to Salleem," Tiger concluded. "Then it's about a year's worth of memory."
"Actually, I might know who can help us," Loopedd suggested. Everyone followed Loopedd to his friend. She was just relaxing on a bench at a park while concealing her identity. Loopedd walked up to her, described the issue, and asked for the favor. She leaned over and saw everyone else, the most famous people in the world, waiting for her response.
"I probably can," she agreed. "Who's the victim?" Tiger pushed along Hirarii towards her.
"Please heal her," Tiger begged. She placed her hand on her forehead.
"Ah, only her PNS is slightly damaged," she observed. "This won't take long."
"PNS?" everyone else asked.
"It stands for peripheral nervous system," Heroine noted. "She meant that Hirarii was only affected on the outside of her brain. All magicians have to master anatomy." After a minute, she took her hand off her forehead and stepped back. Hirarii opened her eyes and blinked a few times.
"Did it work?" Tiger asked. Hirarii jumped back.
"Tiger!?" she yelled. "Since when were you standing right next to me...wait why are you even here?"
"It worked," FangBlade chuckled. Hirarii glared at FangBlade, knowing that it was his doing.
"Thanks so much," Loopedd bowed.
"Anytime," she smiled and sat back down. Everyone started to walk back home, but NeoJunker turned back.
"Are you just going to spend your afternoon sitting there?" he asked.
"None of your business," she teased.
"C'mon, don't throw your life away like that. For helping my friend, how bout I treat you for some coffee?"
"How sweet," she laughed. "I'll think about it."
"Have you thought about my invitation, Keturah?" FangBlade called from behind NeoJunker.
"Still thinking about it," Keturah replied and got up from the bench. "By the way, you know better than to speak of my name in public." She walked pass NeoJunker, and slipped a piece of paper into his hand.
"Oh well, there's only one spot left," FangBlade shrugged and began to walk back. "She better think faster." NeoJunker followed him and read the piece of paper when he wasn't looking. It had Keturah's phone number on it.
Keturah, NeoJunker thought. Could she be Bera's top Mage?
Chp 15 That Night
That night NeoJunker called Keturah. She was busy in the afternoon so they didn't get a chance to go out for some coffee. He couldn't believe that he didn't recognize her as Keturah from the very beginning. FangBlade had invited her to join the Knights, so she must have the ability. Nearly every day, NeoJunker would go out to see Keturah and nobody really said anything about it.
"Go home, Your Honor" Hirarii glared and dragged him towards the portal of dimensions.
"But I'm technically am at home," Tiger teased.
"You have things to do in Scania," Hirarii reminded him.
"Is this the treatment I get for coming all this way just to see you? You know, I was really worried." Hirarii stopped pushing him and looked down.
"There's no need to," Hirarii faked a smile. "I can take care of myself, thank you. Please return to Scania, Your Honor."
"Stop calling me that," Tiger frowned. "There's no rank between us." Hirarii looked down again, and he figured that it was no use.
"I'll see you later then," Tiger whispered and left. FangBlade put his hand on Hirarii's shoulder.
"Why do you hate him?" he asked. "Your boyfriend's going through a lot for you."
"I don't hate him…" Hirarii responded. "And he's not my boyfriend, My Lord."
"You can't lie to me," FangBlade frowned. "Is there a reason why you don't accept his presence?"
"He's THE Tiger," Hirarii sighed and walked away. "Please don't tell anyone about this, My Lord." FangBlade understood. It was because Tiger was popular and he would have many fan girls to choose from and Hirarii didn't believe that she could be a better match to Tiger. Tiger was an honorable knight, and that's all she wanted to see him as. FangBlade knew what she was going through and he swore one day to fix it. From then on, FangBlade rarely mentioned Tiger's name.
The other knights have no clue about Tiger and Hirarii, but NeoJunker and Keturah were becoming obvious. One day, NeoJunker waited for Keturah for two hours and then decided that something was wrong. He called the Knights to search for her, but she could not be found by the end of the day.
"Damn it," NeoJunker cursed. "If a strong Mage like her can be kidnapped, then this is serious." They searched for another hour after dusk. Then Dolob caught something.
"There's something bad around here," he marked.
"Is it Keturah?" NeoJunker asked.
"No, it doesn't feel like her," Dolob thought. "But…it's really strong…and it's not normal."
"From where?" Shynobi asked.
"The…ground…" Hirarii detected. Since they were both bowmen, their senses were stronger than everyone else. Dolob and Hirarii agreed to break the ground around where they were standing using an Arrow Bomb. Sure enough, there was a tunnel beneath filled with cold air. They took the passage which led them to a dark, wet cave. Only the sound of water dripping in the distance was auditable.
"This doesn't look like a place we should be hanging around in," Heroine noted. "We should leave."
"Wait, I can feel her!" NeoJunker jumped. He swiftly ran off deeper into the cave, jumping over large rocks and splashing into small puddles. Everyone else had no choice but to follow him to make sure he doesn't find trouble. NeoJunker found Keturah tied up behind metal bars in a small corner between rocks. Instead of looking for a switch, he slashed the bars with his dagger and freed Keturah.
"We got to leave now," Keturah said.
"What's going on?" NeoJunker asked. "Who did this to you?"
"It's more like what did," Keturah corrected. "I'm not sure but it's not a normal monster." She took his hand and ran towards the others. A large blob of black clouds abruptly seeped from the ground and formed between them. NeoJunker used Iron Wall to protect Keturah and Hirarii did the same on the other side. The dark matter transformed into a being with multiple sharp scythes, and quickly slashed everyone around it. NeoJunker fell back, but Loopedd jumped in front of Hirarii and took the hit instead. Meanwhile, Dolob summoned an ice bird to fight and distract the unknown being while everyone settled. Keturah was furious, and unleashed an arrow of fire at the darkness, incinerating the being until it turned to vapor and disappeared.
Chp 16 Keturah Dragged
Keturah dragged everyone back to the mansion where Heroine quickly healed NeoJunker while Hirarii healed Loopedd. They barely stopped to consider what just attacked them.
"You saved my life," Keturah cried.
"Anything for you," NeoJunker smiled. Heroine left them alone and checked on Loopedd. Meanwhile, FangBlade entered the room and marked that he heard how Keturah defeated the darkness. He congratulated her and awarded her with the last position of the Celestial Knights. Keturah figured that she wanted to stay with NeoJunker, now officially her boyfriend, as much as possible and therefore accepted the position. In the other room, Hirarii successfully fully recovered Loopedd's wound.
"Think if it as my punishment for hurting you earlier," Loopedd suggested.
"You don't need a punishment," Hirarii frowned. "That was just an accident."
"But maybe you need one," Shynobi mumbled.
"I heard that," Hirarii sighed.
"Good," Shynobi puffed. "You know everyone's always worried about you. We wouldn't have so much trouble if you could just learn to take care of yourself."
"Dude, this isn't her fault," Loopedd glared.
"She knows very well it's her fault."
"Hey guys, stop it!" Dolob yelled.
"Um, what's going on?" Heroine questioned while entering the room.
"Don't blame Hirarii for this," Loopedd shouted.
"Face it she can't even protect herself from the simplest things!" Shynobi argued back. "She couldn't protect Loopedd or 1LastBreath or AnhRau or Hydrange. Plus, Imphigenia used her life to save you because you couldn't save the world from your evil little friend, Tiger."
"Shynobi!" Dolob grinned.
"Enough!" Hirarii roared as she slammed the table light. She walked up to Shynobi and stared at him hard.
"Oh no," Heroine sighed. "Please, guys just let it go."
"Outside, now," Hirarii demanded. Shynobi rolled his eyes and walked out the door with Hirarii behind him. Everyone else including NeoJunker and Keturah followed them.
"You may be right," Hirarii whispered. "But I don't need anyone to protect me."
"You've already lost," Shynobi sighed. "This battle will be pointless." Hirarii drew her sword and whirled around, stopping right next to his neck.
"I will be the judge of that."
"Fine, last time."
"They're going to fight?" Keturah questioned.
"It's inevitable," Heroine frowned. "They've been at this since the minute I arrived."
"They've been like this since they met," NeoJunker corrected. "Hirarii won't rest until she has beaten Shynobi."
"This is ridiculous!" Loopedd groaned. "Stop this nonsense!"
"No, let them fight," Heroine stated. "At least just this once…" This time Hirarii was more aware of Shynobi's moves. They did not fight for at least three months, and either Hirarii had improved greatly since or Shynobi had underestimated her. Although Shynobi could attack Hirarii just as well as before, Hirarii's endurance strengthened and he could not throw her off her feet. For a second, Shynobi thought he saw Hirarii's eyes glow bright magenta. After that, Hirarii punched Shynobi unexpectedly in the stomach with an unbelievable amount of force. Shynobi fell backwards but Hirarii catch him right before his fall. She gave him her shoulder to lean on.
"What...was that?" Shynobi groaned, feeling the pain in his abdominal.
"Huh?" Hirarii asked puzzled. "What was what?"
"You're eyes were glowing," Shynobi stated.
"You must be imaging things," Hirarii rolled her eyes. "I must've hit you too hard."
"It does hurt a lot," Shynobi admitted. Hirarii chuckled and quickly healed his stomach pain, feeling accomplished.
"Congrats, you're no longer a noob," Shynobi smiled. "You can now call yourself a Celestial Knight."