Way of the Knights

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"…and that's what our mole told me about their plans. Does any of you have any idea who might be this person?"

Raven was currently inside the office of the King, and had just finished reporting what his slave reported to him word per word.

After he made his reports, all the people present in the office were locked in a deep thought. It was obvious that they too were trying to guess who this person might be. And when Raven saw their reactions, it was pretty much clear that they too, had no idea that a person of such caliber existed among the ranks of the Black Curtain Guild.

"We fought against the Black Curtain Guild for as long as I'm aware, but this matter is unknown even to me." Old Lee sighed and shook his head, he looked at the others and asked: "How about you guys?"

Majority of the people inside the office shook their heads since they were clueless too. Leona then added: "Well, this is going to be a problem. We could certainly deal with the lackeys and emissaries but if they had an unknown variable like this, then fighting them might force us into a trap."

Leona's logic was clear and understandable. This is also what Raven was afraid of which is why he decided to initiate this meeting. He wanted to say that he and his team will take care of that mysterious person but he couldn't risk their lives like that. 

Sure, he and his team had gotten stronger due to their efforts but the slave said this person is a close second to Vit'hum in terms of power. 

Vit'hum? Its a Drake hybrid of a female human and the remnants of a real Dragon! To top this fact, this Pale Bastard could use the Second Stage of the Death Laws, something that should be impossible yet real due to its tenacious pursuit of knowledge and long lifespan. 

Raven and his team are not that strong yet to deal with Vit'hum even at his weakest. They originally was thankful that Vit'hum fell into a deep slumber which given them enough time to at least grow stronger and be able to face him in a direct confrontation, yet not even two years passed and this mysterious entity appeared out of nowhere and is now threatening their safety.

Though Raven hate to admit this, the truth is clear for everyone present in here. They are not prepared to confront such an entity should it comes down to it.

"I agree to Her Excellency, Leona's words. But there is also one point that we have to consider." Luis interjected which caused people to pay attention to his following words. 

Luis faced Raven and said: "The mole said that the task for them is to build a hideout near the kingdom. And rest of his reports are practically gossips that he heard from there. Even quoted them as 'rumors', which somehow made me think that this mysterious person might not exist at all."

His words were certainly plausible as well. It is very possible that someone from there just wanted some attention and spread such rumors in order to become famous. And if this was the case, then worrying about this is just a waste of time. 

"How I wish you were right, Dad." Raven replied, "But something about this doesn't sit well with me. I guess we just have to make as much preparations as needed."

Raven also wanted to think that this was the case, but for some reason he was certain that this person really existed. He didn't want to think like this but his previous experiences under the hands of the Black Curtain Guild tells him otherwise.

"Child." Raven heard Alexander's voice calling out to him. He faced him and saw the King's comforting expression. He then hear him say: "Fret not. If things really went awry, you all still have me. I will face this person should they dare to take a step inside our home."

Hearing his comforting words somehow alleviated Raven's worries. Right, the King's still here. True to his position as the King of this place, he will not hesitate to strike down anyone who tries to threaten their home's safety. 

"I understand, Uncle." Raven nodded and took in a deep breath. "But I don't want to take chances. Therefore, I would like to initiate some pre-emptive preparations to prepare for the worst."

Everyone agreed to Raven's words, the King then said: "Alright, let's hear it then."

***

The meeting ended shortly after Raven made plans with them.

He initiated a project which would help them bolster their defenses. This project is about making a new and stronger protective array around the Kingdom. 

Just like what he said, Raven didn't want to take any chances. Therefore, after coming home from the meeting he immediately searched his memories for arrays that would help him in this situation. 

Unfortunately, even after searching for almost four hours. Raven only got three choices, and he wasn't satisfied with any of them. It all came down to lack of resources. The more powerful arrays that Raven knows require resources that even the Kingdom hasn't seen yet, so those were automatically crossed off the list. 

Raven's standards were high, specially when it comes to the safety of the Kingdom. What he wanted, was an array that could withstand blows from even Vit'hum himself. Only then would he be able to rest easy and focus on other matters. Unfortunately, none of the choices left were up to the standards. 

This made him somewhat helpless and frustrated. It was then that a voice echoed inside his head.

"Here you go. This should help with your current predicament."

This voice came from Astrid herself. A new batch of memories then appeared in Raven's mind and out of his curiosity, he checked them out and became ecstatic of what he saw.

Astrid gave him knowledge about an array that suits his standards. It's name is Grand Purging Array. 

This array is not only simple enough to build, it is unbelievably resilient and practical as well. The materials needed to create such an array could be seen pretty much everywhere in the Kingdom. 

The array's practicality comes from the fact that once it's built, it does not require any additional resources to keep it active. Just like the Skynet Array, the Grand Purging Array is powered by sunlight, which means that it has a built in energy storage that would keep the array active for as long as there is power. 

Once the Grand Purging Array was built, it would be extremely hard to infiltrate the Kingdom. Its effect is that, when activated, the array will cause a Spatial Isolation. Meaning that to outsiders, the Kingdom appears to be standing right before their very eyes but when they decide to force their way in, they will find themselves at the other side of the Kingdom's perimeter, unable to knock on their walls unless they were given permission to.

The only people who could force their way in, are people who at least mastered the first stage of Space Laws. And such individuals are nowhere to be seen in this Kingdom. 

"Thank you, Astrid. I owe you one." Raven said after reviewing the memories he received. 

"Don't be, consider that as my thanks for waking me up." Her voice echoed and disappeared entirely. 

Raven carved this generosity inside his heart and started getting busy. He listed all of the necessary materials needed to create the array and borrowed some of his father's Mirage Hawks to send letters to the people he needed for the project. 

After doing all of this, Raven received yet another message from his slave. He listened to the message and it says:

"Master, we received another update. Our superiors gathered us and told us that the plan to build the new hideout will commence in about three weeks or less. They told us to prepare and be ready. Also, I tried to gather more information about the matter of this mysterious person."

"I can absolutely confirm that this rumor is true. This person showed up and was introduced by our superiors as the Leader of this mission. So far, I don't know this person's gender but I know strength when I see one. This is extremely evident to this person. If anything though, I guess the rumors were a little bit exaggerated. Yes, this person is powerful but its nowhere near to Big Boss' power at all. I can't exactly tell just how strong this person is but I still advise you to be careful. I will be waiting for your further instructions, Master."

Raven felt greatly relieved after receiving this message. But even so, he still didn't dare to get carried away. It is still uncertain if they could truly afford to face this mysterious person but it wouldn't hurt to at least make preparations for the worst. 

That being said, they have three weeks to build this array. There plenty of time yet they can't afford to lose any of it. On top of this, Raven has to make sure to keep himself and his team at their top shape just in case a battle breaks out. 

"The next following weeks are going to be a busy for us.. What a pain."