Villind Plateaus, Wesdarath

"I was caught in the middle of a railroad track."

"Thunder!"

"I looked around and I knew there was no turning back."

"Thunder!"

"My mind raced, and I thought, what could I do?"

"Thunder!"

"And I knew there was no help, no help from you."

"Thunder!"

"Sound of the drums, beating in my heart The thunder of guns tore me apart… You're been--"

"Thunderstruck!" As Linel and Fizel join me in my sing-a-long, I can hear Eydis and the rest of the team (well, I think Renly is here) laughing at the three of us. I'm just trying to lighten the mood and all as we enter the Villind Plateaus, the region just outside the Western Ravine. We can see the part of the End Mountains that makes up the ravine, and the lightning that reportedly blocks the path.

"You're just going to corrupt those two even further than they already are."

"Oh, we don't appreciate that. Girls, show Eydis how much we don't like her comment." The three of us face Eydis and stick out tongues out at her, in which she responds back with. Laughing, she faces the road ahead.

"Guess it's too late."

Fizel smiles as she looks at me. "Jaymes is a great boss! Maybe you should become our new boss!"

Linel nods. "Yes! New boss!"

I pat both girls on their heads and shake my own. "But you don't want to make Deusolbert sad and lonely, do you?"

"Hmm… I've never seen him sad."

"But annoying Eydis is getting boring, that much is true."

I chuckle and look at Eydis, who glares at the girls. "All right, don't rile her up yet."

"Uh huh… Oh, hey, look, a wayfarer. Looks like he's hurt." Eydis rushes over to the armored young man sitting on the side of the road. "Hey, are you okay?"

He looks up at Eydis and then the rest of us as we come over. "Traitors! Don't touch me… I-I have to hurry and call for reinforcements."

Eydis sighs and stands up. "Definitely a wayfarer. Look, I get you're only following your 'savior's' instructions if you encounter us, but maybe we can help you out. What's with the reinforcements?"

"I'll never tell any of you filthy traitors!"

Sortiliena crosses her arms. "You aren't in the best shape to refuse our help, friend."

Alice steps forward. "A proposal. You're under orders to slay beasts, so we will help you carry out those orders. Allow us to slay those beasts for you. In return for telling us where the beasts are, we will treat your wounds."

The wayfarer considers this before giving his answer. "I'll tell you. So please, help my companions!"

I appreciate what Alice did, but it bugs me just a bit. Not negatively, but just a little...sense of familiarity with a partner of old. "Alice, heal him, then let's listen to what he has to say."


"What the hell is that?" Our monster in question looks like an overgrown armored toad. With it is two wayfarers, both struggling in the fight. Well, we got to uphold our end of the bargain. "Alice, Eydis, and Renly, join me!"

Renly looks at me like I just spoke out of turn. "Wh-What? Why me?"

From what Eydis told me, Renly has a great fear of killing. I have no idea why, but I bet it has something to do with his past, much like how Eydis' attitude towards Alice is due to her sisterly ways from her own life. Whatever the fear is, it prevents him from invoking his Perfect Weapon Control with his weapons, the Twin-Edged Wings, which put him on ice until Kirito and Eugeo's mad dash in the Central Cathedral. Bercouli asked me to help put some sense of courage in the boy, if not a sense of duty, and I promised to do the best I could. I let him be the entire trip, but with the dragon coming up soon, I can't allow Sortiliena, Tiese, Ronie, Fizel, or Linel to fight that. So starting now, I got to break Renly. "Renly, this is a beast, not a human or anything like it with a soul. Eliminating these things is our duty."

"But…"

"Sortiliena, reinforce us if necessary. C'mon!" We leap down and join the wayfarers. I create a glass barrier to protect them from the charging monster, which gains their surprise.

"What? It's the ones our savior branded as traitors!"

"Why are you here?"

"Isn't it obvious," Eydis says as she concentrates the power of the Dark Slash Sword. "For now, we fight together...unless you want to die?"

"Eydis."

"Sorry, Cutie. But they get the point."

"You two fall back. The four of us can handle this." The wayfarers drop back, allowing us four knights to handle the beast. "We're goin to end this quickly. Eydis and I will annoy it and give you a chance to use your Perfect Weapon Control, Alice. Renly, support her." I nod to Eydis and run with her. The beast roars charges at us. Sending a signal to Eydis, she flanks the beast while I stand and let it attack me. I hold my blade against the beast's head, smirking at it as the force of its attack is nullified. "Secret Sword Skill: Trojan Horse!" I swing my sword up, and the attack the beast is fully reflected upon it. It falls on its back, exposing its soft underbelly. "Alice!"

"Right behind you. Enhance Armament! Go forth, my flowers!" The Osmanthus Blade converts to petals and rip the outer layer. As the petals vanish, I look to Renly, waiting for his move. However, the twenty-seventh knight is frozen, his hand reaching for his Twin-Edged Wings, but not obtaining them. And the wounded beast is stirring. Sighing, I glance at Eydis, nodding at her to finish the fight.

I figured there was a chance Renly wouldn't make a move, so his presence was unnecessary but I now know just how far he can be pushed. He has the ability to fight, just not the will and motive. That's all I needed to see. Nodding to him, Alice, and a triumphant Eydis (both knights aware of my plan, hence why Eydis is not chewing out Renly) as I twirl my sword. I look at the nearby Clamp, seeing it guarded by three wayfarers, and step in their direction. "Move."

"W-We have orders to protect the Clamp!"

"You might have saved us, but we can't let you harm the flower!"

"This again," Alice says.

"Yeah, go figure. If we don't kill the flower, it'll just create more beasts."

"What the hell are you doing here?" I turn around and come face to face with Medina again. Well, this is a surprise.

"Lady Medina! Please forgive us! These beasts were stronger than we expected!"

"We sent one of our injured to get help, but these traitors showed up instead!"

Eydis scoffs. "Pretty harsh considering we saved your skins."

"Medina, I've healed the one who was sent to get help, and if you have others who--"

Medina interrupts and ignores Alice's request. "We must collect the fruit at once."

Eydis gawks at the disrespect Medina just showed her little sister. "Hey, you're just going to ignore Alice?"

"I told you all there was nothing more to say. And I told you that if we crossed paths in this manner again, I will draw my sword."

I frown. I stand by my threat to her as well, which is why I still hold Falchion, but it doesn't mean I want to initiate it. "If you keep this Clamp alive, you are allowing more beasts to spawn."

"Yes, I'm well aware."

"As head of House Orthinanos, aren't you supposed to guide and protect the people?"

"That's what I'm doing. Beasts appear, and I order my wayfarers to eliminate them. The the process repeats. Killing the flower is no longer necessary. The fruit of life is the very source of Lady Pontifex's life force. And that Clamp is an essential intermediary to her resurrection. I'll make sure you criminals don't get another chance to kill her."

"And you don't care how many you sacrifice in order to make that happen?"

Medina bares her teeth at me. "Get out of my way!" She draws her sword and strikes, only to her to miss me. As she drops to the ground, she holds her right arm, a shallow cut but deep enough to hurt. The cause of it, Eydis' Dark Slash Sword and her deadly Perfect Weapon Control.

"For someone so dedicated to the Axiom Church, you almost broke the Takoo Index. Isn't murder the crime you accuse Kirito of, yet attempted it yourself, Medina?"

Medina glares at the tenth Integrity Knight. "Punishing a killer, a criminal, and those who harbor him is adhering to the Taboo Index. Wayfarers, become my shield!"

The wayferers, Selina included, stand between us and Medina, and that pisses Eydis off. "I see. You've completely changed your perception, then. No better than the nobles who laugh at you... Jaymes, are you okay?"

I nod. "You didn't have to intervene."

"I know...but I did for your sake."

"Medina! What in the world do you think you're doing?"

Medina turns from Eydis and I to Alice. "Alice, it's time for your to open your eyes as well. Lady Pontifex is the epitome of the Axiom Church, and the human realm's only hope."

"You're wrong! The Pontifex made the people of this world suffer immeasurably!"

"And what evidence do you have of that? I went to the top floor and saw the truth. I cannot believe that both of you, Integrity Knights, would be so deceived."

"I have not been deceived in any way. And whatever it is you saw, unleashing beasts upon the human realm is wrong. Do you honestly believe that sacrificing human lives to kill beasts is righteous? Is that how you intend to gain the renown you so desire?"

"Alice, what is it you believe? For what reason do you fight? If you don't believe in Lady Pontifex, for what justice do you wield your sword? And I ask the same of you, Eydis. Neither of you could possibly understand how I feel. So perfect, you can't even cmprehend the suffering of those living underfoot! An Integrity Knight loved by Lady Pontifex wouldn't know the pain of those unloved."

"But we do," Alice responds. "The Integrity Knights were only tools being used by the Pontifex. The same way you're using those wayfarers."

"I'm 'using' the wayfarers?"

'You even go so far as to ignore your own injured allies to achieve your goal. Using them as human shields isn't even beneath you. The Pontifex used us like pawns. Right now, you're no different than she was."

Medina scoffs in indifference. "I no longer care if you think what I'm doing is wrong."

"You're being used by Hersyrian too. Please believe in the ACTF and your friends!"

"Even if I am being used, I don't care as long as I'm recognized by Lady Pontifex. It's my only reason for living. To bring honor back to my family name. If I can't accomplish that, then there was no point in even living up to now. And for my father… I shall not rest until I revive Lady Pontifex, and restore honor to Orthinanos! So stop trying to get in my way!"

"Enough." I glance at the Clamp and hold my sword up. "Arcf-"

"Lay down your weapons and protect the flower! Even if it costs your life!" The wayfarers drop their weapons and stand underneath the Clamp, daring me to burn the Clamp at the cost of Selina and the wayfarers' lives. "Too bad I've already heard what art you use to kill the flowers. However, I'm willing to beat you wouldn't kill humans as you have done in the past. You may not be Kirito, but even you have your own rules."

I grind my teeth in frustration. I could do it, these wayfarers aren't human in the slightest...but they're innocent as well. I lower my weapon and sheathe it. "I won't hurt innocent humans. But mark my words, you're far from it now."

"I won't let anything or anyone get in the way of my goal, not even former allies, not even the Lord of Knights."

"Why didn't you listen to me, Medina? Why didn't you let me explain everything?"

"I've heard enough of your whitewashing. It's all lies, anyway."

"How would you know if you won't listen to what I had to say back then?"

"It's all the same… There's always a catch. I cant believe anything you say! I really wanted to trust you too."

"Trust? Medina, I…" I'm interrupted by a particular loud drum of thunder. I've ignored them for the time being, but this one reminds me of our priority. I turn to Alice, Eydis, and Renly, gesturing for us to leave. "We have other priorities. So you may have this Clamp, and all others in this region without a fight. As long as you do slay the beasts, I'll let it stand."

Medina turns away from me. "I don't want to fight you right now either. So I'm letting you go."

"If that's how you see it. But the next time we meet, don't count on Eydis protecting me. I promised you a spar, did I not?"

"Hersyrian says the revival of Lady Pontifex takes priority over a few lives. Don't let yours be one of them, Jaymes."