When Crossbow Meets Blade

Chapter 8

???'s POV

    "Preparations are complete, Master." I reported to him. His lair is all dark and damp. He looks at me seriously, sitting on his very throne in the middle of the room.

    "Well, shall we launch an attack on them now?" I asked. For a few moments, he remains silent.

    "No, we shall wait a little longer" he finally says. "I still have not seen the true potential of all the members of the Oriental Fighters."

   "Very well," I reply, bowing my head. My amethyst-coloured hair enters my field of vision. "Remember that we will always stand by you and fight alongside you, Master Yu Zhong."

Miya's POV

  "Whenever you're ready, Miya." Wanwan says, snapping me out of my daze. My arms were covered in bandages, and my bow was set aside at the corner of the room. 

The Oriental Fighters were all staring at me, waiting for me to explain the incident. Well, maybe not all. Zilong was still knocked out on the table. After all, Baxia hit him pretty hard.

    "Well, Zilong dropped off Chang'e in the afternoon, and then she joined the kids. There were her, Nana, Harith, Harley, Lylia, Angela, Cyclops and Diggie. They were playing around in the garden while me and Alucard watched. The Lightborn Squad were on patrol, aside from Alucard. It was all peaceful, until we heard screaming. We immediately rushed over and saw-" as I remembered what happened, I happened to gag.

  Noticing, Wanwan handed me a cup of water and I gratefully took it, gulping down the contents in it. I calmed myself down and continued.

  "No, no one was seriously injured. Nana got a cut on her arm and Harley was scratched on the cheek, but no other scars on the others. We saw this dark circle around them, and then spikes started coming out from them. Luckily, Alu and I were fast enough to get the kids out of the circle before they got more injuries. However, thats how I got these scars."

   "All of a sudden, this apparition-like thing appeared. He was floating mid-air, but had this trail behind him leading back all the way into the forest. When Alu tried to attack the apparition, it just disappeared. We thought that was all, but we were wrong. We heard the emergency alarm ssound, meaning there were other threats. Not hesitating, Alucard when to defend the Empire alongside the Lightborn. He told me to keep the kids under Layla's watch while I go to inform you... He says he needs the Oriental Fighters to fight alongside them..."

  With that said, I remained quiet, signalling to them that I am done explaining. Wanwan showed signs of sympathy, Baxia and Ling's faces were solid. They were tense, and looked like they were in deep thought.

  After moments of silence, Baxia spoke up. "Guys, I have an idea.."

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Wanwan's POV

Baxia explained his plan to us. It seemed strategic enough to carry out. Considering the enemies we would be fighting against, his plan wasnt bad. We then decided to go along with the plan after discussing further. Just then, we heard Zilong grunting.

  "So, how are you? Baxia must have hit you pretty hard, eh?" I went up to him. Zilong, still in a daze, rubbed his forehead, trying to comprehend what was happening.

  "I... Baxia karate-chop... running.. Chang'e... Chang'e!" Zilong said, immediately getting up from the table. He grabbed his spear and ran towards the door, being stopped by Baxia shielding the door with his shield.

  "Zilong, dont. We have already come up with a plan, so we need you to cooperate and listen. We cant have you running all over not knowing a single thing about our foes." Baxia said, anger in his voice. Holy shit, I never knew Baxia could be like this.

  Hesitating, Zilong agreed and came over to us. We then explained the plan to him, and he soon agreed to it. We then got ready. Miya got up, and I suddenly remembered her wounds.

 "Miya! Are you okay? You sure you can fight in this state?" I asked, going over to her. She smiled at me and replied, "Come on. Dont you ever underestimate the power and strength of the Moonlight Archer! I'm the reason my team gets an epic comeback everytime! I basically carry the team!" Wow, she says that with such confidence.

 Not wanting to bother her like an over-concerned mom, I smiled at her and went to get my crossbows. I trust her. I trust everyone here.

 I went to my room to get my crossbows when I noticed something. Ling's bedroom door was left open, which he usually doesnt do. Curious, I peeked inside, making sure he just forgot to close it. There he was, standing in the middle of his room. His right hand was gripping onto his sword. However, his hand seemed to be... trembling.. Is he perhaps... scared?

"Uh... Ling? You okay?" I asked, slowly opening the door wide open and stepping into the room. He flinched and turned around, relaxing when he saw it was only me. He hesitated before answering.

"No... its nothing. Lets go, theyre probably waiting already." He says, patting my head on his way out. I stood there, not following him. There is... definitely something wrong. Something's bothering him. And I want to find out.

Not wanting to hold the group back any longer, I grabbed my crossbows and headed out. I made sure both of them are in working condition, which thankfully they are. As we assembled, I looked at everyone's faces. Everyone was serious about this. No joke. We headed out, running down the mountain.

 Miya was riding on Baxia's back as she wasnt as fast as it. Zilong was running, occasionally tripping on fallen twigs and slipping on tiny puddles. I ran, jumping and dodging huge rocks in my way. Wow, cant believe how agile I got through these years of training. Ling was leaping from tree to tree. Holy shit, he looks awesome. I didnt realise I was staring at him until he pointed it out.

 "Wanwan, you good? You've been staring for a while." He says, still keeping his balance. I stuttered and felt heat go to my face.

  "Y-yeah, I'm good. Just wondering how you manage to fly."

  "What the- I'm not flying, idiot."

  "Sure, okay. Other than the fact that you represent the Bird, you claim youre not flying. Believable"

  "You little-"

 "Guys! We have no time for this! Our top priority is saving those kids and helping the Lightborn!" Zilong shouted, interrupting our conversation. After he said that, we all got serious again.

 Chang'e... guys.. everyone.. stay safe! Wait for us, we're coming!

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hi hi i am so sorry i didnt update yesterday. quite a lot of stuff happened, yknow? anyways, hope you like this chapter. stay tuned for more !!