What Do You Fight For

{5 minutes before Madison and Reinhart fight Subun.}

Icibis stands looking at Hishiki with a face of confusion, as he remembers what Lloyd told him back at the planning.

{Flash Back}

Lloyd just finished explaining how most of the plan will go, as he puts one finger up and speaks.

"Now for everything to go the way I said it would. One of you must do 3 things, and yes these 3 things will help decide on how the battle will end."

Lloyd looks at Icibis.

"Icibis, you will be the one that is task with these 3 things."

Everyone looks at Icibis, as Lloyd explains what the 3 things are.

"The first thing is simple. You must listen."

"Listen?"

Everyone in the room is confused by what Lloyd means by listen.

"Okay, I can do that. So what is the second and third thing?"

"Icibis. I don't think the listen is not worth your time."

"Rose, if we don't follow Lloyd orders in the battle, we could lose. And I am not losing anymore then I have to."

"Yes of course, Icibis."

"I am suppressed that she didn't say prince."

"Yeah, Icibis gave her a ear full for that earlier."

"And I missed it."

Icibis looks over at both Madison and Reinhart. Madison sees Icibis giving them the look as Madison puts his hands up and speaks.

"Sorry, my bad."

Icibis looks annoyed, as he looks back at Lloyd.

"Please continue."

"The second thing is to watch and wait."

"Okay now this is just stupid."

"Rose, enough."

Rose stands up and walks out of the room. Icibis puts his hands on his face as Reinhart follows after Rose.

"Forgive me for that Lloyd."

"No, it is okay, besides. I highly believe that she would like the third one."

"And what is that?"

Lloyd gives Icibis a serious look as he speaks.

"The third one is the hardest to do, but I believe only you can do this. And that is to show the right way."

Madison started to rub his head and spoke.

"Man, these riddles are giving me a headache."

"Yeah, I feel you on that."

Icibis sits there, with his hands covering his mouth and rept the three things he has to do.

"Listen, watch and wait, and the last one is to show the right way."

Madison looks at Lloyd.

"This there any way you can tell us what each of them are mint for?"

"I can't do that. To keep the future the same, the only thing I can do is give you hints and that is all. From there all of you must do it on your own."

"That kind of sucks in a way."

"Yes, but if Lloyd said that this is the only way then, we must take it as the only way."

{Back to the Battle}

("Is this what Lloyd meant by one of the three? Is this the first one or am I overthinking this?")

Hoshiki takes a breath before speaking.

"So, tell me Icibis. Who has been giving you hints about us?"

Icibis looks at Hoshiki with a confused face.

"Do what?" ("How does he know about Lloyd? Can he read minds or is he just that smart?")

"Look, I am just saying. That you have someone calling the shots and getting lucky or you are one smart leader, but at the end of the day. You attack us, for a little girl, I assume."

("So, he doesn't know about Lloyd after all. He is just smart enough to know that we had help to get out of Havoc. In that case.") "Yeah, we are here for the girl. Why not give her back to us."

"You are assuming that we will just give her back to you after doing this?"

"No, I don't think you would. But you seem to be a smart man. So, tell me this, how do you win a fight that you have all odds against you."

Hoshiki scratched the back of his head and spoke.

"To be honest with you Icibis. The chance of us winning this fight is about 30% and this is only because of Alek and Lord Haro. With you bringing the Gifted Human here, we have to have luck to even have a chance, but there is a different option, that is on the table."

"And what is that?"

Hoshiki pointed his spear at Icibis and spoke.

"You see I have always been curious about, way the rebellion stood up against the empire for. After all, the empire does give its people food, water, and a place to stay. So, tell me, what are you fighting for, Icibis.'

Icibis looks Hoshiki straight in the eyes as he takes a breath before speaking.

"That is a good question. What is the rebellion fighting for?"

Icibis looks over at the wall that has a painting of Lord Haro on it. Icibsi starts to walk to the painting as he continues to speak.

"At first I thought I was fighting for my own freedom from the empire, but when I had my talk with Princess Vita, the way I looked at this war changed for me."

Icibis looks back at Hoshiki.

"You fight because you are told to, but we fight because we have to. Do you see the difference there? We fight for the people that are not given food, water, or even a place to stay. The people that are killed for being weak, for being a different race, or just because the empire is just bored at looking at them. That is the reason why I fight, I fight for the ones that can't, I fight to stand for the rights of the people, I fight to give hope to the one that hides in the dark, and I fight to bring peace to this dark cursed world."

Icibis looks back and grabs the painting from the wall and rips it off, then looks at Hoshiki again.

"You ask what I fight for, and the answer is simple. I fight for the people of this world, and I will not until the day I die. Now you told me, what do you fight for Hoshiki?"

Hoshiki closes his eye, takes a breath. Hoshiki reopens his eyes and smiles at Icibis, as Hoshiki points down the hallway.

"If you go that way and make a left, you will run into the stairs. They will take you down to the main fall, and from there you will go right, and that will take you back down the hallway that leads to the prison. Well, that is if the building is still standing."

Icibis looks at Hoshiki with a confused face.

"What do you mean? I am a bit lost."

"Don't worry about it, just get going."

Hoshiki puts his spear on his shoulders and starts to walk the other way.

"I ask what I need to know, that is all. Now it is time for you to get going, hero. Before you're too late."

"Right."

Icibis starts to run down the hallway that Hoshiki told him to run down, as Hoshiki looks back over his left shoulder and sees Icibis running down that hallway, as he starts to think.

("Was that the right move, to send him that way? Who knows, but the one thing I do know is that Icibis is going to be one of the ones that do change this world. That if he survives all his battles in the future.")

Icibis gets to the stairway and as he goes down them, the bottom of the stare is missing. As a giant hole is in the ground and most of the main fall is destroyed.

"What the hell happened here. It looks like an explosion went off down here."

Icibis looks around to find a way around all the destruction, as Icibis slowly makes his way around, he gets to the hole right above the prison where Malos made it when he entered to fight Tristen with Alek. Icibis jumps into the hole and looks around but doesn't see Maria anywhere in the prison.

("Where did she go?")

Icibis walks over to the stairs to the prison and sees that Nor is carrying Maria up the stairs, as Icibis and Nor make eye contact. Icibis grabs his sword's handle as Nor puts his hand out and speaks.

"Wait, I am not your enemy. All I want to do is to get her out of here."

Icibis looks at Nor then at Maria.

"Where are the others that were in here earlier?"

"They are all fighting, I don't know where they are fighting. They are moving too fast for me to see."

"I see."

Icibis removes his hand from his sword's handle and walks up the stairs to Nor and Maira. Icibis looks at Maria and sees that she is just unconscious. Icibis then looks at Nor and pats him on the head, before speaking.

"Thanks kid, for looking after her."

Nor looks at Icibis and gives him a smile.

"Just doing my job."

"I can see that."

Icibis sat down on the stair and gave Nor a serious look.

"But I do have to ask, kid. Where are you from, I mean what are you doing here in Zusian?"

Nor looks away from Icibis and he answers.

"I don't know where I really come from. I don't know who my parents are or why I was even born. But to answer the reason I am here in Zusian is because."

Nor looked at Icibis and spoke.

"Alek took me in."

"You mean the man who attacked us back in Havoc?"

"Yes, but I can promise you that he means good. I mean he was going to try and help Maria out."

Icibis stood up and grabbed Nor but the neck.

"Don't lie to me. When he attacked us back in Havoc. He didn't even care about the people he killed, and if it was not for Tristen, I could have even died because of him. So don't tell me that he means good."

Icibis lets go of Nor's neck and takes a step back.

"Don't try to defend someone from something that you have no idea what is going on or has happened in the past. You're just a kid, you should not even be here."

Nor slowly looked up at Icibis and spoke.

"Yeah, you are right I should not even be here. When Alek first found me in the woods, his whole team wanted me dead, but Alek fought for me. And when we got back to this castle one of the other members beat Alek until he was unconscious, then they tried to get the lord to kill me, but Sir Ranperuji stepped in. Then I was weak, Alek, Hoshiki, and Ash trained me to become stronger. I might not know what Alek did to you or your allies, but I know he has a good heart, and he wants to fight for my dreams and goals."

Icibis looks at Nor and can see that he is meaning what he is saying.

"I see and what are your goals and dreams, kid?"

"The same as Maria's, to make this world a better place and everyone is treated equally and can be free from this war and from the empire."

Icibis looks at Nor with a smile.

("This kid has that type of dream and goal. But even if so the chance of that actually happening is 0.1%. It is almost impossible. But even if so, Lloyd believes that he knows a way for us to win this war, does it involve this kid? There are so many things that don't add up and with Hoshiki earlier asking me that question and then letting me get here, could he also be a part of Lloyd's future plans? I am overthinking everything, I need to focus on what is in front of me, and that is. If Alek is truly trying to help this kid accomplish his goals and dreams or not."

Icibis looks at Nor and spoke.

"My name is Icibis, Icibis Pendragon. What is your name?"

"I am Nor, Nor Goldenday."

"Well, it is nice to meet you Nor. So, what do you say we get Maria out of here and somewhere safe?"

"Yeah."

Icibis picks up Maria and starts to carry her out of the prison and up the stairs. As Madison and Reinhart are doing their best to get past Subun shadows.