<span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="font-style: italic"><div style="text-align: center;">Gless - Caletta</div></span></span><br/><br/><br/>One, two, three, four, five, six, seven. Alfrei counted their squad number over and over again, grinding his teeth at the fact that they have just lost against Squad Ten. The odds were fifty-fifty and yet somehow, the other squad got the jump on them and ultimately led to a 2-5 score in favor of the other squad. If that display wasn't decisive enough, that they were clearly two notches below the other squad, Alfrei didn't know what was. The only fact that he knows right now is that Squad Ten is the better squad. How did that happen? When did that happen? Squad Eight was clearly the more offense oriented squad in all of the Pristine Knighthood! They were always given the harder missions! They were... no... whatever he thinks of them right now didn't matter. A loss is a loss and it will continue to haunt him regardless. Anything he could think of right now would just be a petty excuse about the outcome. It was all on him, as their Vice Captain, he let Squad Eight down.<br/><br/>"They sure did a number on us don't you think?" Hyuga commented off-hand while the rest of them walked the halls back to their squad quarters. "I really thought we had them on the ropes but my... how fast did you fall Vlad?" Now he was being sarcastic, having seen who went down first in their squad. The man in question flinched, shot Hyuga a glare of his own but refused to say anything.<br/><br/>"You talk as if you actually won. YunQiao pounded you to the ground too you know?" Georg sent him his own reversal. "If I remember correctly, both of you were casting the same spell yet he skillfully distracted you with a banish bolt. I wonder how he did that and you couldn't?" the older knight chuckled.<br/><br/>"Oh! Now it's my fault?! Who let himself get beat up by that pink-haired doll that fired the banish bolt at me huh?!" Hyuga flared in anger. "You thought I didn't see where the bolt came from?! And don't you give me that crap about you not hitting a woman either! That brute is way stronger than a man in tip-top shape! She doesn't count!"<br/><br/>"Putting the blame on your squadmate isn't going to change the outcome Hyuga." Joaquim appealed to him in a calm tone. He knew the man always had a competitive side despite his indulgence in the arts of science. "We lost, and nothing we do or say now will ever change that outcome."<br/><br/>"Says the man who thinks he's so high and mighty just because he won his battle." Hyuga grumbled. "You had it easy! If you only helped me, we could have turned the table around! Why did you have to go and help Fiona instead?! She was doing fine on her own!"<br/><br/>True enough. In terms of combat capability, Fiona was way above Valiar but Joaquim knew, based from his own battle against Leon, that experience would definitely come out on top. He read it well, what Valiar was doing against Fiona. He was enduring her attacks to the best of his ability to give time for their offensive members to come in and help him. If he allowed Valiar and Fiona's fight to drag on into a battle of attrition, they would have definitely taken her down. "I only acted based on my instinct. It was either I go left, or I go right, and having worked longer with you two," he paused and looked at both Georg and Hyuga. "I trusted that both of you would be able to hold your own. I guess that was a mistake on my part." Joaquim admitted. Truth is, he had a plan. He wanted to free their best offensive fighters and team up with the others. However, the other squad clearly had the same plan in mind. They only executed theirs better than them.<br/><br/>With Vlad out of the fight early, it was tough having to deal with Deimos guarding Valiar. By the time he and Fiona managed to pull it off, Georg and Hyuga had fallen and so did Alfrei. The next thing he knew was that Natalia suddenly found herself fending off five attackers on her own. It was only a matter of time from there.<br/><br/>"That exercise..." Natalia's voice was meek and solemn. "...was meant to show us what we lack." she finished and turned the doorknob of their squad quarters, giving one last look at the rest of their squad behind her before shaking her head and walking into the room.<br/><br/>Show them what they lack? Of all the members of their squad, Alfrei didn't expect Natalia to be the one who would act maturely. Regardless, he understood what Natalia meant, and so did the others. She was the only one who seemed to have kept it together all throughout the exercise. It was a shameful display of their lack of unity. No wonder they were made to look like fools in combat, and that was just a training exercise! Had it been a real battle, they would no doubt have more names on the list that already had one. The rest of Squad Eight entered the room with a large dose of contemplation, their faces painted with the color of defeat.<br/><br/>Inside, Fiona noted how the overly large painting of a beautiful scenery was missing. Where that painting used to be, now had a large blank slate. Puzzled, she scanned the room until she saw Guilford coming out of the back room with a large roll of canvas. What was he doing? Fiona took a seat with the rest of the defeated squad but kept her eyes focused on their Captain. She wanted to keep her thoughts in check. It was just a training exercise! No need to fret over it. It was just Squad Eight's pride and name on the line after all... their Captain's pride... and she let him down...<br/><br/><span style="color: #0080FF">"Georg. Help me pin this up."</span>Guilford waved the overly large roll of canvas he had to the larger knight. The other quietly rose from his seat and grabbed the other end of the roll, pinning it to one side while Guilford did the other. After the task was done, a full map of the four floating islands can now be seen on display. Guilford paced back and forth before the large map, right hand below his chin, his expression that of deep thought.<br/><br/>"Lord Guilfo--"<br/><br/><span style="color: #0080FF">"Captain."</span><br/><br/>"A-apologies Captain... but might I ask whatever it is you are doing?" Fiona tilted her head to the side in question. Now that she has something to focus on, she wouldn't have to beat herself up over having not done more to change the outcome of their recent duel.<br/><br/><span style="color: #0080FF">"Nothing you should concern yourself about for now."</span>Guilford answered nonchalantly while placing markers on key points that indicated Light controlled territories on the map.<br/><br/>"O-oh! I see... okay..." Even Captain Guilford wouldn't give her a break. Fiona looked down, earlier thoughts she strove to push back coming to haunt her mind once again.<br/><br/>There was a long span of silence that filled the room. Neither Captain, nor squad members wanted to speak. It was stifling but the only one who seemed not bothered by the silence was their Captain himself. Alfrei couldn't take it anymore. He stood up and walked a few paces towards Guilford and stopped. He took a deep breath before he finally spoke. "Captain, aren't you going to ask us what happened in the duel?"<br/><br/>Guilford momentarily stopped putting troop deployment markers on the map for a second then resumed his work.<span style="color: #0080FF">"What's there to ask about? I already know you lost. It was well within my expectations."</span><br/><br/>That remark stunned Alfrei. He didn't know what to say. Of all the people he knew, he didn't expect their Captain to be the one to tell them that! Plus, he said he knew they would lose! What's worse is that he doesn't seem to be bothered by it! Alfrei's hands unconsciously balled into fists. He could feel so much frustration right now that he felt like he needed to punch something... anything.<br/><br/><span style="color: #0080FF">"Do any of you think you could have won against them?"</span><br/><br/>"<span style="font-weight: bold">We do!</span>"<br/><br/>For once, their answer was united. Guilford smirked.<span style="color: #0080FF">"Then, do you know why you lost to them?"</span><br/><br/>Then there was silence.<br/><br/><span style="color: #0080FF">"I know exactly what happened in that fight; the battle report is sitting on top of my desk."</span>he mindlessly pointed at the lone piece of paper visible on his desk surface.<span style="color: #0080FF">"It's so detailed I even know which among you gained the most experience points out of that fight."</span>he stated. Guilford pinned the last troop deployment marker he had on hand and turned to face his squad.<br/><br/><span style="color: #0080FF">"Take a seat Alfrei."</span>he gestured towards the other and headed to where the rest of his squad sat. He looked at each and every single one of them before mustering enough breath to speak.<br/><br/><span style="color: #0080FF">"Teamwork."</span>he flatly said with a straitlaced expression.<span style="color: #0080FF">"That is what this squad is missing. Now I know that Georg, Joaquim, and Vlad all work exceptionally well together, but how about with the other members of the squad? Hyuga and Natalia have their synergy, and I know Alfrei worked well with our late Vice Captain. Now what happens when we are not given the option to work with those who complement our strengths?"</span>he asked in general but nobody could bear to answer.<br/><br/><span style="color: #0080FF">"Exactly what happened in that duel with Squad Ten. You will lose. Fiona is our newest member, none of us know what she is really capable of, yet none of you even tried to find out, all of you just assumed she is good with the sword and magic and then left it at that. How could we adapt her to our squad tactics with just that?"</span>This time Guilford was expecting an answer.<br/><br/>"We can't." Natalia spoke up in realization of their Captain's point. "As a squad, we may be highly offensive but our tactics are limited to pairings that work well together. It's logical but... we should also be able to do well with pairings that deviate from our standard squad tactics. In other words, all of us should have a certain level of synergy with each other."<br/><br/>Guilford couldn't hide his smile.<span style="color: #0080FF">"Precisely. I wasn't wrong about Natalia being the only one who showed the most growth from all of you. Alfrei, I was expecting this from you out of everybody else, but you let your personal feelings cloud your judgment easily. If you could learn to keep your emotions in check, you will find yourself doing far better than most. You have what it takes to be a Vice Captain, you just don't know how to go about it. And for this reason, you end up focusing on yourself rather than the squad who relies on you. Do not compare yourself with Vice Captain Adair, he will eat you alive with his experience as a Vice Captain alone. Learn from him, respect yourself and your position, then adapt to what works best for you and your squad."</span><br/><br/><span style="color: #0080FF">"Georg..."</span>Guilford paused and looked at the oldest knight in his squad. Memories of all the years they spent in service together flooded his mind.<span style="color: #0080FF">"This goes without saying, but you are by far, the most experienced knight I have in this squad. I've watched you all these times, thinking that you know what you are doing. Yet I can't help but keep thinking that you're losing your edge. Why is that?"</span><br/><br/>Georg looked away from Guilford's inquisitive stare, leveling his own on the low center table. "I haven't really gotten over my fear of having and losing a command. Whenever I think about giving orders, I freeze up, unable to act... unable to voice out my opinion... left at a standstill."<br/><br/><span style="color: #0080FF">"And do you think that by staying that way, you would be of help to the others around you now? It makes no difference if they are your subordinates or not. The people with you now, are your squad. They rely on you, whether you like it or not. You're strong, Georg, far stronger than you would like to believe. Don't let yourself be anchored down by something that is not your fault."</span><br/><br/>"You weren't there! Captain, when I lost my squad, it was because of my orders!<span style="font-style: italic">MY</span>Orders! I gave the command to advance and it led to their deaths!"<br/><br/>Guilford folded both arms before his chest and sighed.<span style="color: #0080FF">"They followed that order because they believed in you Georg, more than anything, they respected you by a great deal. The advanced because they knew you were with them, fighting alongside them."</span>Guilford paused, a solemn expression creeping to his face.<span style="color: #0080FF">"You probably don't have any recollection of this, but the ones who saved you from that powerful blast of Sin was your entire squad. They shielded you from harm Georg, with every fiber of their being, they wanted to ensure that you would at least survive."</span><br/><br/>Georg's words instantly left him. There was nothing else for him to say, only silent tears that gracefully trickled from his slightly wrinkled skin.<span style="color: #0080FF">"You would do them honor if you started believing in yourself once more."</span>Georg could only nod in agreement. He had no idea! He was so consumed by his fear and guilt that he was slowly, but surely heading down the path of self-destruction. "Thank you Captain... I think I understand the reason why you kept this from me until now. I'm sorry, I couldn't get past that wall by myself."<br/><br/><span style="color: #0080FF">"It's quite alright Georg. Every now and then, we need someone else to help us overcome some walls in life."</span><br/><br/>Guilford then walked to the other end of the room and stood close to Vlad, one hand falling on his right shoulder.<span style="color: #0080FF">"And you..."</span>Guilford trailed off for a second, thinking of the best way he could point out Vlad's error.<span style="color: #0080FF">"The journey of finding one's strength doesn't end once you have found it. You have to master it, and most important of all, put it to good use. Vlad, I trust you know full well what your mistake is. It's fine for one to rely on their newfound strength, but it's not fine to simply forget the previous one you had that carried you to where you are now. True, Light's Wrath amplifies one's strength by a great deal, and yet without your basics, it would mean nothing. Deimos realized it and simply used your folly against you."</span><br/><br/>The quiet knight only gave Guilford a single nod in response to his words, but the glint of determination was evident in Vlad's eyes. Guilford felt relieved and moved on to Hyuga.<span style="color: #0080FF">"Hyu, you are a knight before you are a man of science. We all know your intellect far surpasses ours and yet you only use it when you encounter things that pique your interest. You have the makings of a brilliant tactician in you, yet you choose to push it aside because deep down, you rely on me or Alfrei to do the job. Don't waste your talent Hyu, the team needs a brain, and yours is the perfect one for the role."</span><br/><br/>"But--but! You all shoot me down when I have an idea!" by this time, everyone was already glaring at Hyuga. "Okay! Okay! Sheesh! I know my ideas are mostly self-centered. I'll try to make them more team oriented okay?"<br/><br/><span style="color: #0080FF">"Good to know Hyu."</span>Guilford then turned to look at the remaining three from his squad. Joaquim, Fiona, and Natalia.<span style="color: #0080FF">"You three are off the hook. However, I ask that you take my words to heart and reflect on what's best for the team. For everyone's sake, I have instructed the Crests to switch up the remainder of your training to build teamwork with each other. It's going to be tougher, but I believe in all of you. That's all for now. Everyone is dismissed."</span>With that said, Guilford wasted no time and hurried back to the map of the four islands. Gray had just told him something that bothered him greatly.<br/><br/><span style="color: #0080FF">"Thirteenth moon of the third phase..."</span>he mumbled to himself while looking over their entire troop and territory placement among all islands.<br/><br/><div style="text-align: center;">____________________________________________________________________________________</div><br/><br/><span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="text-decoration: underline"><div style="text-align: center;">Palaugrim - Road to Bastille</div></span></span><br/><br/><br/>Lance continued whistling a happy tune while on horseback. It was definitely not too long ago that he was last in Palaugrim. The Liberation Campaign sure had its ups and downs. Though not much has changed with the scenery, he couldn't help but notice the difference. Out in the wilderness, Sinners were now a rare sight. Perhaps it was just his dumb luck that he encountered a stray pack three hours into his journey from Kaiser Outpost, but aside from that, he has yet to encounter another. With a bored look, Lance panned his vision to his left where a thick forest stood majestically. He was half in favor of wandering into the forest, in hopes of finding another pack of Sinners to save and to help ease his boredom of journeying alone.<br/><br/>"Tch! I shouldn't indulge myself." he repeated the words like a mantra to shove away the thought of straying from his mission and getting delayed. "Gil would have my head... Gil would have my head..." now it was a new mantra, to make him focus on the task at hand and not be hung to dry by his buddy. Not that it wasn't a tempting thought, just to see Gil's reaction if his return gets delayed by a day or two should he go Sinner hunting. However, Lance knew better.<br/><br/>The man slowed down his steed to an easy trot. There was so much to see in Palaugrim. It had the aura of an unrestricted island, where everyone was free to choose their own path, carve their own destinies with their own choices, take control of their lives. Palaugrim now was just the way he likes it. Perhaps the Light need not be so strict here. With Lethe's propaganda, more and more people have turned to the Light. Evidence of it was rampant in the few villages that he had already passed. However, unlike in Gless, these people were genuinely happy. Perhaps the effect of them making the choice of Light by themselves? Or was it because they got the chance to experience both worlds? Lance didn't know, and he wouldn't be judgmental about it.<br/><br/>A cool breeze blew strongly across the lone rider. Lance closed his eyes and savored the moment. Riding into the sunset, enjoying the cool breeze, this was no doubt the taste of peace, the only thing missing was a cold glass of drink! Lance chuckled heartily but soon fell into silence, for he knew that this taste of peace, was something that they were all about to lose. Sooner or later, Eve would raise the curtains for the prelude to chaos. It was only a matter of time before the true second war begins. Lance grabbed his spear strapped to his back instinctively. With one swift motion, he wielded it around on horseback with incredible precision, swinging the whole weapon left and right in an imaginary fight. Satisfied with exerting the unneeded surge of energy, Lance put the weapon away and focused on the road ahead. His thoughts drifted back to the past.<br/><br/>"Why oh why did I retire?" He asked himself out loud.<br/><br/>Now that he thought about it, his reasons of simply disagreeing with how the council wanted to run things after the First War and the Rising seemed petty. Guilford and Lethe, the two Seraphs, endured another ten years in service and look at where they are now! Those two did not give up hope, did not let emotions get in the way of them doing their duty for the people. They were strong, stronger than he could ever hope to be, and their accomplishments were all around him. A pang of regret doused the man as he continued on his way. How could he have abandoned his duty to the Light? Suddenly, Yulia's face flashed in his mind, moments later and a stream of memories played back inside his head.<br/><br/>"To create a better world for the people that we love..." Lance mumbled mindlessly. It was the words of his subordinate Yael Schneider, when he asked him of his goal for joining the knighthood. It was the very same goal Yael entrusted him with in his final moments. "For Yulia..." Lance repeated Yael's last words before that man died in his arms. Before Lance could allow himself to fall further into sentimentality, his acute senses picked up familiar sounds from afar. The clash of steel against steel, the cries of women and children! Lance wasted no time and immediately commanded his steed to hurry up towards the direction of the fighting.<br/><br/>From the distance, Lance saw a group of armored men formed in a circle. In the middle was one of the armored men, laughing as if he was having fun, also there's a tired skinny man with a sword he could barely swing in one hand. Three of the armored men held hostages, one woman and two kids, swords at their throats. One look was all that Lance needed to tell that these men were up to no good. Upon his obvious arrival, the armored men instantly tightened their formation and pointed their aggression towards Lance. The orange head halted his horse in a respectful distance and slowly dismounted. Lance cursed in silence. It would have been easy if they were Sinners, but these armored men...<br/><br/>"A shame to see such fine gentlemen toying with the lives of others." he said, while mentally counting the number of armored men he had to deal with. Eight in total, like a squad of Pristine... Lance dreaded at what he saw. These men were wearing Pristine Knight gear! Though it was obvious that they were fabricated.<br/><br/>"Pristine Knights I see..." he said out loud, just enough so that the armored men could hear him.<br/><br/>"Yeah! We are Pristine Knights! So if you know what's good for you, stay out of our business!"<br/><br/>"Good sir!" Lance called out to the skinny man in the center. "What business do these fine Pristine Knights have with you?!" he asked, both hands in the air while taking one slow step after another towards the congregation.<br/><br/>"Stop right there stranger! Why don't you ask our Captain instead?!"<br/><br/>Lance stopped in his tracks abruptly. "Easy now... does your Captain have a name Mr. Knight?"<br/><br/>This time, the armored man in the center of the circle walked forward to face Lance. He harbored a confident smirk and carried himself with authority, if only it wasn't for that bulging belly of his, visible even under the metal armor he wore, he could have been a fine knight.<br/><br/>"I go by Ferus Ensis, stranger. But you can call me Captain Sigfried."<br/><br/>It took all the willpower Lance had to stop his funny bones from making him laugh. If the real Sigfried was here, this dude would probably be dead by now. Then again, perhaps that would be the case if the real Sigfried was going to be magnanimous. Oh how the Light have blessed this poor soul that he met with The Lion Lance instead.<br/><br/>"Well then, Captain, might I trouble you for the reason you are harassing this poor family?"<br/><br/>"What's it to you stranger?" the pretentious captain scoffed. "No matter, we saved them from a Sinner and we're demanding payment for our efforts but they refused. We're just teaching them a lesson."<br/><br/>"Is that right? How did you save them from a vicious Sinner?"<br/><br/>"We killed it of course!"<br/><br/>Lance's patience reached the end of the line. These men were taking the job of a Pristine Knight lightly and they were slandering the name with their actions. "Okay Captain, let's stop playing games here shall we? First of all, Pristine Knights don't carry broadswords." he informed the armored men while carefully drawing his spear. "They are specially crafted from Holy Steel and are called Judgement." his eyes turned fierce and focused on the one pretending to be Sigfried. "Second,<span style="text-decoration: underline">my friend</span>Captain Sigfried has red hair and is not a fatso like you! I'm sure of it because I just talked to him not too long ago!" he took his stance at a comfortable distance and began calculating for the best possible attack course. "Lastly, Pristine Knights never ask for payment!"<br/><br/>As soon as Lance spoke the last word, he lunged forward with more speed and ferocity than he intended to use and skillfully positioned himself in the center of the armored men. Three rapid pokes with the blunt end of his spear later, those men that held the poor man's family hostage fell to the ground simultaneously. Before anybody could react, Lance immediately proceeded to disarm and knock out the rest of the men with the blunt end of his spear, all without much effort until there was only the pretentious captain left standing. This time, Lance flipped his spear and pointed the spearhead right to the so called captain's face.<br/><br/>"You're lucky I decided not to have Sigfried tag along with me. He wouldn't take too kindly to the likes of you! Then again, neither will I!"