Chapter 23

Fiorentin and her group shocked to heard an explosion coming from the temple where Elraven stayed. "That didn't sound like a grenade at all." The former princess thought to herself as she ordered, "Felicia, go to the temple now! I'm afraid something has just happened!". "Copy that!" The paladin quickly ran back to the temple. "And for you two, would you lend me a hand to check the bridge and the outer forest, if you really wish to...join me?" Fiorentin uneasily asked. "Copy that! Wendy, call Kirigi and the others. I'll go to the forest first!!" Frea replied as she dashed to the forest. Wendy wasted no time as she quickly jumped by using the roofs of the buildings towards her direction.

"Try to do something? How absurd. Our guild won't be defeated by just a bunch of humans!" Darktroce commented on the heroes' doings. "Well, let's see about that." Alexandria uninterestingly replied as she readied her claymore. The two eyes' locked each other. Darktoce dashed and slashed both his knives making an X-shaped slashes. Fiorentin defended herself nicely as she blocked the attacks repeatedly using her Claymore. Darktroce didn't give her any chance to counter as he continued his attack again and again. The sound of their weapons clashed started to attract the attention of the guild area residents. Darktroce cornered the lord knight into one of the buildings wall as their respective weapons repeatedly meet. When Daktroce is about to swung one of his knives, Fiorentin stepped in the wall and jumped, landed herself right behind Darktroce and slashed her 'Bowling Bash'.

"Aakh!" Blood splattered from Darktroce's back as Fiorentin stepped several steps backwards. The resident started some noises seeing this. "That girl hurt Lord Darktroce!" "Don't lose, Lord Darktroce!"

"Kill her!". "Wow, what a spectators. Right, Darktroce?" Alexandria cynically asked the bloodied monster. "Don't joke with me, Alexandria!!" Darktroce angrily shouted and again slashed his knives, only to meet a thrust, this time right to his stomach, much to his surprised as he. Fiorentin gave the monster a cold glare while blood sprouting from Darktroce's mouth. The thrust was so shocking, not even Darktroce could react. "Aaaaaakkhh!" The wolf monster screamed as the former princess slowly pulled her Claymore from his belly with a cold face. The monster fell to his knees as he grabbed his wounds. The residents starts pulling themselves backwards seeing the unscathed lord knight.

"How?! How?! How could you defeat me so easily?! I'm the combination of two Atroces!! I shouldn't be defeated like this!! I shouldn't be defeated like this!!" Darktroce roared to Fiorentin.

"Simple answer, in case you didn't notice." Fiorentin replied with a cold face.

"Tell me!!"

"Look at your pitiful self. What are you fighting for?"

The black wolf monster fell into confusion when he heard the question.

"What are you talking about, Alexandria?!"

"See, you didn't even understand what I'm talking about. Didn't you realize? You have no reason to fight at all! You fought for what? Nothing. You fight to kill, to slaughter for your own joy, just like the rest of Valdomir soldiers. You killed humans because you think they deserve it, they are a lower race than you. For short, you don't have purpose on fighting. Me? I fight to protect. To save my people. That's why my swords is better, faster, and stronger than yours. I put faith on my Claymore, where you only put killing intentions on yours."

Although Darktroce shocked to hear this at first, but then he started to laugh loudly.

"Wahahhahahahaha! You, you're funny!! You talked big like that, but look at them! Look at your people, those people you said you would protect!! They're not cheering for you, they didn't even support you!! They are afraid of you!! They ...."

CRAAAAASH!!

Darktoce's words were quickly stopped after Fiorentin beheaded him in a demon speed by using her Claymore slash (with a cold expression on her face of course). Blood sprayed from Dakrtroce's neck as his head fell not far from him. "Aaaaahhh!!" The residents screamed and ran for their lives seeing the merciless lord knight. Fiorentin cleans her claymore as the headless body of Darktroce fell to the ground. She remembered what the monster said as she sheathed her sword.

"They are afraid of you!!"

The former princess sighed seeing her people ran, "They aren't afraid of me. They just...don't know what's going on. They don't know the truth". Although she felt sad about how her people treated her, she suddenly remembered her conversation with Elraven last night.

"If you can't shoulder that guilt by yourself, look around you, there's a lot of people care for you. Just open your eyes a bit more, Alexandria."

She smiled to herself remembering this. "That's right. He's right. I'll talk about this to them as soon as our mission here is finished". And then, she quickly take her leave to follow Felicia to the temple before more guild soldiers arrived.

****

Well, another short battle from the lord knight. I guess I really have to find an idea for a longer fight for the knights class. If you have any advice how to prolong a swordsman fight I will be very grateful, really.

My friend bashes me again (he said I'm racist), he asked me why whoever fought Fiorentin always looked weak. He also asked why I couldn't write a proper fight for her like Elraven, or at least George. Maybe because I'm too inexperienced or Fiorentin is too strong or it is really hard to write a long knight class fight. I could really use a help here...'sob,sob'....

Anyway, thank you for reading. Please review if you don't mind. See u next chap. ^^