Night had already claimed Gless when Guilford looked out the window. He had spent the entire time inside his squad quarters after he had dismissed the other seven. Being away from the Grand Cathedral for so long, the amount of paperwork that piled on his desk was staggering. Requests for revisions of the Pristine Knight Training Program were the most annoying to complete, he had to read the detailed revision proposals before signing or denying it. Other than that, the remaining simply required approval for troop deployment, changes in the defensive perimeters, reports from Scouts and requests from the Advocates in both Gless and Lindela. With a stretch of his arms, Guilford signed the last document and called for a Scribe to process the completed paperwork. He was finally done for the day.<br/><br/>The Grand Cathedral was a spectacle to behold at night. Given that all the lights were on, the bland cathedral by day became a marvel of beauty that he never grew tired of. As he walked the halls of the Grand Cathedral, making his way out, Guilford chanced upon a pair of newbie cadets stealthily moving about. Without a doubt, they were trying to sneak outside. They remained oblivious to his presence until it was too late. The two were shocked to no end upon realizing that he was already behind them, and almost fainted when they saw who he was. He didn't even have to ask what they were doing. In their hurry to apologize, their intention came out with it. The pair simply wanted to get in some night practice with their swordsmanship. Guilford chuckled and had the pair follow him to the Knight's Training Room. A quick word to the knight standing guard, the two were allowed to use the training room to their heart's content, and will remain accessible to them for the next set of evenings throughout their year in training.<br/><br/>By the time he got out of the Grand Cathedral, the evening bells tolled continuously, signifying the last mass to be held for the day. Guilford hurried on his way to catch the last service and spent an hour listening to the teachings. He always favored the evening mass; the people attending it didn't seem to mind having a Seraph join them in service to the Divine Light. When the mass ended, Guilford was the last to leave. He offered a solemn prayer for their safety with the upcoming journey to Palaugrim. When he was done, he helped the Advocate close the church and went on his way home.<br/><br/>Despite his best effort to live a simple life, his family forced him to live in his very own house; it was large enough for his entire squad to actually reside in it, plus a few more. The prestige that came with his rank deserved a fitting image, or so his family says, as long as he doesn't take it for granted of course, otherwise it would be vanity. Upon reaching the gates, he was greeted by the butler with the warmest smile he always had. He offered to take Gil's armaments but was denied with a mellow hand gesture. They exchanged greetings and chatted on the way inside. It had been so long since he was last home.<br/><br/>After a quick meal and a bath, Guilford finds his way into the one place inside the house that gave him peace, the altar room. He lighted an incense, untied his long dark blue hair and sat before the altar to meditate. The burden of his duties was undoubtedly becoming more diffcult to bear by the day, and it was through meditation that he was able to renew his will and resolve. He spent a few good hours before calling it a night.<br/><br/>__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________<br/><br/><br/>"Okay, it's 4:30 in the morning, I know we were given the day off so what are we doing here again?" Hyuga asked, eyeing his squadmates in casuals who were also present in Bryn's house. For his intelligence, Hyuga doesn't seem to be too bright when it came to reading situations. Alfrei sighed a long one and took the front. "Planning." he paused, looking at the eyes of everyone. Just as he was about to continue, Brynhildr stopped him short with her own words. "We all know what the Captain is like. If he could shoulder the burden on his own, he would. We've been with him for years to know that he undoubtedly spent the night in the squad quarters to finish that stockpiled paperwork." she briefly stopped only to be picked up by Georg where she left off. "and we also know that he will spend this day planning our upcoming operation on Palaugrim."<br/><br/>Vlad sighed. "That's just like him to do everything for us. It somehow makes me feel like he still doesn't trust us." Alfrei immediately turned to Vlad to defend their captain from the other knight's thoughts. "It's nothing like that Vlad. Over the years, we are the most overworked Pristine Knight squad out there. He's just being considerate." he pointed out. "Yeah, I know..." Vlad responded. "Sorry Lieutenant." he added. Natalia took out her sketchpad and laid it out front. "I really hate it when he does my job for me too y'know? So this time, I've beaten him to the punch! I've already arranged supplies that we will need for the trip. This is a list of the things I got for us." she said proudly with a cheerful smile. Joaquim was the next to inform the squad of his doing. "Since there will be few towns in Palaugrim that will welcome us, I have made arrangements with my contacts for lodging and base of operations."<br/><br/>"I've rotated back and forth between Lindela and Palaugrim long enough to know a few scouts. I've already had them look into leads we could possibly pursue." Vlad joined in with his own list on a small paper. Georg brought out an updated map of Palaugrim detailed with deployed squad positions, safe routes, along with known hostile areas. "I got this for us too. This should prove to be quite useful." The others were impressed, it certainly wasn't easy to get an updated map for there were only a few Scribes working in Palaugrim. Brynhildr and Alfrei both looked at each other and smiled. This time, they took out a board with detailed tactical formations. "Alfrei and I spent yesterday coming up with these new formations. We should get to know them well before the day ends." Bryn said handing out a copy of the one on the board to each of her squadmates. Everyone then turned their eyes over to the Dreamer asking an unvoiced question of what he did for the squad.<br/><br/>"W-well... remember when I asked all of you to leave your gear in my house?" he asked. "Yeah. You said you wanted to craft us another set. What happened with it?" Alfrei questioned back. "Thaaaat didn't turn out well I'm afraid..." Hyuga trailed. The other knights began to look upset. "You didn't break our gear did you?" Joaquim grumbled. "No, no, for light's sake no! I simply didn't have enough time to craft a new set for us all. So I figured I'd just refine them and add a few enchantments." he smiled sheepishly. "If you did something strange with my gear..." Brynhildr growled, eyes slowly turning fierce. Natalia also glared daggers at him. Hyuga raised his hands in defense. "I just made them lighter and tougher! I figured we'd be moving around a lot so there... I did nothing else I swear!"<br/><br/>It took a few moments for it to sink in, then Vlad approved. "I certainly don't mind wearing lighter armor. It would help lessen fatigue. Good job Hyuga. We appreciate it." he smirked and began reading the formation notes he had on hand. Hyuga let out a sigh of relief when the other squad members approved of his actions too. Hyuga then began studying the new formation notes as well, and Natalia sent out her carrier pigeon with a message for their captain. It was going to be one long day for them.<br/><br/>__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________<br/><br/><br/>"<span style="font-style: italic">Master Guilford, another message from your subordinates, they said they're waiting for you in front of Golden Sun, and to not be late.</span>"<br/><br/>Guilford acknowledged his butler while slipping his gauntlets on. He was puzzled. First his subordinates insisted for him to relax and leave everything in their hands, and now they even beat him to the place before their arranged time of meeting? While he appreciated the gesture, it left him with nothing to do for one day, and it made him feel like he was slacking off. Tying his waist cloth firmly to his belt, Guilford finally finished wearing his light armor. He moved over to his sword rack but stopped his hand midway from picking up his<span style="font-style: italic">Judgement</span>. His eyes then fell to the sword below it,<span style="font-style: italic">Nirvana</span>, the only sword he ever forged. He picked it up and removed the sword from its white sheath, revealing the sea blue blade within that glowed faintly. Unlike the<span style="font-style: italic">Judgment</span>, this sword always glowed.<br/><br/>He had never used it before, not even once after he had forged it. Somehow, Guilford fears the sword thinking that he might have forged a dangerous weapon; perhaps it was time to make an exception. They were after all, facing a possibility that they will have to fight stronger enemies in Palaugrim. Sheathing the sword, Guilford latched it to the sword clips on his back and headed out.<br/><br/>__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________<br/><br/>His squad greeted him with determined looks upon his arrival in front of the Golden Sun. Alfrei finds himself eyeing the white sheath strapped to his captain's back, as did everybody else who noticed the same thing. They however understood the meaning behind it. For their captain to bring out that sword simply told them he meant business. Judging from the atmosphere, Guilford figured that Lethe and her squad was already inside. She always did made it a point to always be early, a fact he had forgotten.<br/><br/><span style="color: #0080FF">"Let's go."</span>he said and walked with his squad into the store.<br/><br/>They were greeted by a man who was once the best Advocate of The Immaculate. Guilford bowed his head lightly, as did the rest of his squad.<span style="color: #0080FF">"Grisia, it has been a long time. It's good to see you doing well."</span>Guilford greeted, only to be rewarded with a warm smile and a blessing. They were led upstairs where the rest of their combined unit waited. The sound of creaking wood from multiple boots treading on it heralded their arrival to the others. Their eyes shifted over to the newcomers and saw Guilford at the front, the rest of his squad right behind him.<br/><br/>Grisia gestured for the others to make themselves comfortable. The knights obliged, finding themselves a spot they were comfortable within the room. Perhaps it was the age, he didn't know. Vlad, Georg and Joaquim made themselves at home near Valiar. Natalia sat close to Cricket, Alfrei shared the corner with YunQiao, Hyuga stood comfortably beside Leon, and Bryn sat beside Adair. Guilford couldn't help but notice a slight tension between their squads. This is after all going to be the first time they would be working together. Dismissing the thought, Guilford walked towards Lethe and stood beside her,<span style="color: #0080FF">"Sorry to have kept you waiting."</span>he said to everyone before them. He then rolled out the updated map of Palaugrim Georg handed him prior to their entry on the center table.<br/><br/><span style="color: #0080FF">"Thank you all for coming everyone. I greatly appreciate it. Is there anything you wish to mention before we begin?"</span>he asked everyone.