Author's note: Nothing new, but as always, thanks for waiting!
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The next day, after breakfast, Lydia was in the garden, her glumness clearly showing as she stared listlessly at the flowers and vegetables Elizabeth had grown. She let out a sigh, before she heard someone walking towards her.
"Lydia? Can I talk to you for a moment?"
She turned her head to see that it was Patroklos, who sat next to her with a concerned expression. "Sure, go ahead." she replied.
He then began, "I know you're just as angry as I am. But you've got friends like me and Marie and Z.W.E.I. and Siegfried; hell, the list goes on!"
Lydia sighed, before looking at him in the eye. "Are you saying that we should always stick together?"
"Yes. And I hope...just hope...that Pyrrha can escape. She'll be more than happy to find a way out so as to avoid her fate as Soul Edge's successor." he replied.
This prompted her to let out a small, but genuinely happy smile as her mood softened. "I bet she can...deep down inside, we're both rooting for her to strike back." she told him.
Just as hopeful as she was, Patroklos smiled back. "That's what I want to hear."
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A few days later...
Patroklos and the Mad Hearts Neo had begun training for a potential final battle with Nightmare, though Patroklos had expressed his concern for his sister to Siegfried and Schwarzwind. However, what was on his mind at the very moment was the relationships he had developed with the group of girls over the past few months.
It seemed that Ares's frequent badgering led him to such a predicament. Thankfully, since he was absent and in his place was Athena, she would give him advice on the topic of romance, but didn't want to talk anything wanton.
Atop the hill, he laid on the ground and stared up at the clouds. Reflecting on all that happened before his very eyes in the past, Patroklos sighed.
"Glad to know Lydia's perked up."
He sat up upon hearing the voice and saw that it was from Isuzu, sitting next to him.
"Yeah, I think she's starting to develop a sense of determination to fight Nightmare again." he said.
"Not to mention Marie told us she'd pay a visit to her father as usual." she added.
"Really? What for?" Patroklos inquired.
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Siegfried had just given out orders to his men, when one of them hurried over to him. It looked like he had something important to discuss with him.
"Your daughter wants to speak to you." he said.
"Really? Then I'll be sure to see her immediately."
He would head down to the castle's main entrance, and noticed Marie standing before him. She had appeared to be very concerned about the Mad Hearts Neo and to an intent Schwarzwind, and wanted her father to know.
"Dad, about what transpired recently...I think it's best that we all train together so as to prepare ourselves for Nightmare if we ever see him again." she told him.
"I was thinking the exact same thing. Even though we won over him, it came at a sort of price when he abducted Pyrrha." he said.
Marie smiled, and added, "Patroklos is pretty hopeful that she might break out."
He breathed a small sigh, before saying, "Perhaps it's possible...but if she is the successor to Soul Edge, then she might not do it."
Hearing his words, Marie frowned, but nodded in agreement.
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"So we'll play it by ear and find out ourselves?" Patroklos asked.
Isuzu nodded. She then asked, "Would you mind if I change the subject?"
"Not at all; go ahead."
Sporting a rather seductive smile, she moved a bit closer to him. With her smile still intact, she asked, "Have you ever taken an interest in me?"
Recalling the times he had interacted with the Mad Hearts Neo, and the times he was sexually involved with Elizabeth and Lydia, he blushed. Patroklos then told her, "I...I might have. Ares once told me that I'd end up getting together with the five of you as a whole."
"Really?"
"Yeah, but thankfully, Athena told me that it probably won't happen. Besides, she believes my heart belongs to only one person." he said, before adding in a small voice, "I hope."
Isuzu grinned. "Well, if this only one happens to be me, you're gonna be pretty lucky to score such a beauty like myself."
"Yeah...yeah, I might." Patroklos said, shrugging his shoulders a bit. He then got up, and looked down at her with a small smile. "I better get going. It was pretty nice to talk to you at a time like this." he added.
"No problem."
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Elsewhere, Elizabeth had just visited a herbalist's shop to learn on some new herbs and whatnot that she could grow and make for potions. Having been able to do so, she was now en route back to the base to craft some potions and healing ointments like the ones she had made for the battle with Nightmare.
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Once having returned, she had begun working on a new ointment. It wasn't long before she heard the sound of her door being knocked on, and quickly went over to answer it.
"Hey, Liz."
Patroklos had stood before her, giving her a small smile before asking, "I know you're busy, but can I talk to you for a minute?"
Raising an eyebrow, Elizabeth nodded, before letting him inside. "I was making a new ointment for you and everyone else." she said.
"I see that."
He then sat on the side of the bed, looking over her as she went to work. "I've decided that I want to join Marie and the rest of you in a possible final battle with Nightmare. But as Isuzu told me, we need to practice and get ourselves stronger this time around." he told her.
Elizabeth looked at him with a smile as she beamed, and replied, "And I see that you've been acting less of a jerk and more of a hero. Siegfried, Tristy, Hilde and even Marie and Freyja should be proud of you."
"And don't forget Athena; I think she's fared much better as a mentor than Ares ever did."
"I agree."
For a moment, things seemed silent, until Patroklos asked, "Would you mind if I helped out?"
She just smiled, serenely as always, as she replied, "Of course not."
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When evening came, it was usual for Greed and Malice to frequent the tavern. Not just to get drinks and snacks, but also to potentially hit on the waitresses serving the food as well.
But for tonight, the stocky blond was more interested in having just some glasses of beer. Malice could tell he was very bitter about Marie not paying him any attention, especially since she was more focused on someone else.
"So the pretty boy from Greece wants to saunter in and take my girl?" Greed said to himself.
"Dude, don't be so pissed about her being so attentive towards that Patroklos kid. Especially since her friends are obviously into him, too." the fairly scrawny man with brown hair told him.
"Who cares? I wanna see him face to face and tell him I mean it when he needs to stop!"
Greed then got off his seat, and as Malice paid the waitress, left the tavern in almost a huff. He noticed him exiting, and was quick to follow him.
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As Patroklos looked out the window in his room, he took in the sight of Lasberg in all its rustic yet elegant glory. The castle belonging to Schwarzwind was almost in perfect view, and he smiled while taking the sight in.
It wasn't long before he heard the sound of a man yelling, to which he went downstairs and saw that in the main room. Once there, he found that Greed and Malice were present, with the former giving him a glare.
"So, you've been hitting on Marie, eh?" he asked.
"Me?"
Patroklos was surprised by his question, to which he replied, "We're friends, but she has got a bit of an interest in me."
"Is that so?" Greed snarled as he tugged at the young man's upper clothes. "Then I'd love nothing more than to kick your ass cause you're gettin' in my way!"
"I'm getting in your way? That is absolutely not true! She admitted to me once that she wasn't into you!" he told him as his fists lightly clenched.
"Don't matter to me! Now fight me!" Greed exclaimed.
Patroklos sighed, before following him outside the base.
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Within the backyard, Greed brandished his axe, which he named the Avaricious Blade, while Malice had his back next to a nearby tree. When Patroklos made it out, he sighed as he unsheathed Soul Calibur.
"I really hate for us to be fighting at a time like this, especially over a girl like Marie." he said.
"Just get it over with it, pretty boy!"
Hearing Malice's words prompted Patroklos to roll his eyes, and this sort of distraction gave Greed the advantage. He lunged for his opponent, with his axe cutting through his armor.
Successfully making the first attack, he followed it up with a few more slashes, but the blond was quick to stop him on his fourth attack. His sword made several hits on the pudgy but surprisingly capable man, until their weapons collided for a bit.
Eventually Greed broke through, looking to surprise him with a combo of slashes from his axe and a few stomps. When the combo ended, though, Patroklos persevered by stabbing through his armor several times.
This effectively damaged them, and the shorter man grit his teeth. He then provided some fair damage to him, before he was ready to pull off his Critical Edge.
However, Patroklos stopped him in the nick of time by sidestepping and surprising him with some more slashes from Soul Calibur. Finally, he had enough time to perform his own Critical Edge.
As he slashed through Greed, he would eventually sheath his sword, and looked back to see him. And yet Malice would step in for his friend, attempting to give Patroklos the figurative short end of the stick.
When he pulled out his chain weapon, Malice was about to attack him when he was caught off-guard by a voice. "Greed! Malice! What the hell do you think you're doing?!"
As he rushed to help Greed up, he discovered that the owner of the voice was Z.W.E.I.. He had given them a rather annoyed yet angry glare as he said, "You battling Patroklos over some petty nonsense such as competing for the love of a woman such as Marie...Was that really necessary?"
Greed and Malice groaned as the latter said, "Seriously?!"
"Besides, not only have I come here to stop you, but Viola and Marie had informed me of they saw in her crystal ball!"
This completely took all three men by surprise, and Patroklos asked, "What happened? Was there anything ominous going on?"
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Prior to Patroklos and Greed's fight, Marie had paid a visit to Viola. The white-haired girl was sitting atop the hill overlooking Lasberg, just relaxing, but she smiled when recognizing Marie.
"It's good to see you again."
"Me too."
When she sat next to her, she finally asked, "Do you think something bad could happen to Pyrrha? I know my father believes it may or not be possible, but I wanted your take on it."
Viola nodded, before taking out the crystal ball. She began to speak, "What will Pyrrha's future be like?"
They had kept a straight face as it began to manifest a moon, and from the looks of things, it was a normal shade of blue. However, it began to change colors, much to the shock of both girls.
"It's..."
Marie had barely enough to say anything as the moon was now a shade of scarlet red. "Oh no...it is happening!" she exclaimed as her jaw dropped, whereas Viola was stunned.
"I have to tell Z.W.E.I. about this! Hopefully I'll relay this to everyone else, too!" Marie exclaimed.
Viola nodded, before the MHN's leader took off.
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Up next is the remainder of Chapter 12!
With love for my fans,
Chrissy