"All of you, stop immediately!" Jane yelled, crossing her arms and glared at the soldiers fighting back. Time itself seemed to stopped at that moment.

Jesse and Lukas had successfully rescued Jane from the room, and is now meeting with Gabriel and Petra. The latter duo had either knocked out, eliminated, or poisoned most of the soldiers in the vicinity. The brunette knew that more will be coming soon, as a palace doesn't just have two hundreds people. Only around thirty is still standing, and they have half a mind to abandon everything and run away now.

The princess' tears is still streaming down, as she listened to the soldiers' protests. "SILENCE!" Everyone stopped, and she continued. "All of this is just a misunderstanding. I order all of you to stand down immediately!"

"But your Highness! They've slaughtered most of us! We need to kill them in honor of our fallen comrades!" Someone in the crowd argued, and the others voiced their agreement. But before Jane can talk back, an arrow aimed at her head from behind. Lukas used his sword to deflect it and everyone turned around. It was Derek.

"Everyone, listen to me!" He roared. Jane cowered behind Petra, as the man's vicious display from earlier hasn't settled yet. Cries of 'are you okay?' and 'what happened?' echoed throughout the battlefield when the soldiers caught sight of their wounded superior.

"The princess is being controlled by these people! She is not in her right mind now! They murdered your general, Isaac, and injured me," He stopped and coughed up blood, as the soldiers in the background gasped in horror. "Worthy, loyal soldiers, capture the princess and kill the intruders! They have made a fool of us, and the princess herself! If you are a proud soldier of the Zircon Kingdom, then CHARGE!" Derek collapsed afterward, crumbling on the floor.

Gabriel's team was too shocked to actually do anything, as was Jane. Derek had completely turned the situation against them. The soldiers charged with a roar of battlecry, as they are now fueled with new determination from Derek's short speech. Jesse and the others were pushed back, as the soldiers had climbed over the wall of rubble when they didn't notice. They no longer had the high ground advantage here. Petra handed Jesse the potions after he said that his sword broke. Thirty-something soldiers charged at them, and he threw a couple bottles of Slowness potion, buying them four minutes of time.

But they have nowhere to run. Jesse had blocked the other path with the rubble wall. The soldiers blocked the one in front of them and there are no windows in the corridor. They can't use Gabriel's tactic from earlier, as there are nothing to hang on, and they refuse to leave anyone behind this time, as it means death. The brunette internally chuckled at the deja vu situation he'd founded himself in. The only difference is that he was on the receiving end of this tactic, back when they were facing Ivor in that library.

"Go to my room!" Jane suddenly grabbed Jesse's arm and said. Seeing Jesse's questioning glance, she continued, "Trust me. There is a way to escape."

The pair of emerald eyes reflected sureness, and he immediately signaled everyone to run back to the princess' chamber. Lukas locked the door behind them as Petra, still in effect of the strength potion, lift as many heavy object as possible and pushed them to the door. Jesse encouraged Jane to explain,

Jane shakily said, "There is an emergency passage to get out of here, no one but the family of the ruler know about it. It can only be opened by this," Then, she reached to the back of her neck and take off her necklace. The object is in the shape of a flat teardrop, but there are tiny pieces of blue stones sticking out, so random that it is almost impossible to replicate the necklace.

Jane urged Jesse to hold the large portrait of herself on the wall to the side, revealing a hole with the exact same shape. She placed the gem on it, as a passage open. Gabriel noticed and immediately opened the windows, breaking a few branches closest to the window in the process, misleading the soldiers should they investigated the room later on. Petra went in first, followed by Lukas and Jane, taking the necklace with her. Gabriel made sure the door is still locked for the last time and went in. The passage was shut as Jesse followed the others.


"Anyone have a torch?" Petra asked. The passage was dark, and obviously no one have used it for at least fifty years. Gabriel whipped out a stick, and Jesse lit it up. The warrior lead the way, with Jesse closely behind him, and then Jane, Petra and Lukas took the rear. So one said anything, as the adrenaline rush hasn't gone yet.

"This is all your fault." Jane broke the silence and glared at the back of Jesse's head.

Petra sent an annoyed look at the princess. "How the hell is it our fault? It's certainly not my fault you have a bastard of a prime minister in your palace." She sneered.

"Everything would have been fine if you guys never came." Jane snarled. Lukas quickly stepped in between them, before Petra snap back.

"Now, now. It's not time for arguing. Jane, it isn't anyone's fault. If you want someone to blame, blame Derek and Issac."

Jane sent him an incredulous look, "It's your Highness to you, peasant."

Gabriel stopped in his course and turned back to glare at the princess. She flinched under the weight of his gaze. "Brat. Just in case you didn't hear what Derek said, you are now fugitives like us. Derek will probably take over the throne. Be glad that we actually save you from that mess. If it wasn't for you then we would have been out safely by now." He turned around and resume the pace. Everyone pointedly ignore her mutter of 'well, no one asked you to' under her breath, as they are too tired to start another argument.

The corridor is dark, and feels like it continued forever. It is nothing fancy, with arched metal ceiling and dirt ground that continued forward. Lukas checked the map, and concluded that they are heading the same way that they are supposed to go anyway. If they continue going that this pace, they will reach the half-way point of the red line, coincidentally where the royal emergency escape ends. Lukas snapped his finger and concluded that they will get to the meeting point by the morning.

"Your dress needs to go." Petra suddenly stated a little after, just to break the silence.

Jesse glanced over to the princess. It is true. Her ball dress is bright red, with sparkling ruby radiated off it. The fluffy dress is trailing on the floor, and the high heels aren't good to move around in a place like this either. Basically, if anyone found them, she would be an obvious target.

Unsurprisingly, Jane scowled. "No way. Even if I want to, I don't have anything to change into."

"Petra's right. You are a beacon in that stupid dress, might as well give our location away right now." Gabriel commented without looking back.

Petra dug in her backpack and pulled out an outfit. "Our sizes are similar, it'll probably fit."

Grudgingly, Jane complied. Petra stand in front of her, and shoo the other males to turn the other way. She glared a hole in their back, daring anyone to turn around while the princess is changing. After Jane's done, they continued their journey.

Jane tied her blonde hair in to a high ponytail, as always and let her bangs hang on both of the sides of her face and swept the strands on her forehead to the right. She wore a black vest and a pair of blue short like Petra's normal outfit with a yellow T-shirt underneath the vest. Jane wore dark red stocking to her thigh, and brown boots for easier traveling. She have a pair of fingerless glove and her necklace on, covered by the jet black cloak Petra had handed over afterward. It would be preferable if she wear armor like the rest of them, but she isn't a combat-type, so the armor will stop her from moving effectively. Furthermore, none of them had packed a spare set of armor anyway.

Jane kept silent, but is secretly grateful for the clothes change. The dress was uncomfortable to move with, as the muddy ground kept sticking her dress and her heels to the ground. It is also hot, since the fire is burning. But it doesn't feel right. She was a princess, and she had lost everything in a single night because of Derek and these strangers who are helping her. Is this karma?

They quickly reached reached the midway point, and pushed the hidden door open. No one was waiting outside the common emergency exit. Jesse can clearly see the difference between the two tunnels. Water droplets fell from the mushy earth ceiling that he have a feeling would drop any moment. The ground is kinda closer to mud, rather than earth. Jane squeaked at the bats hanging upside down in the distance. They quickly flew off.

"Jesse, look!" Lukas' exclaimation made the brunette turn around. It was carefully buried, but some shine of azure light shone through the earth, as if detecting its owner had came close. Some redstone dust lie around it, seemingly a coincidence. But they knew better. Petra ran ahead and dug the thing out and hold it in her hands.

It is Jesse's enchanted flint and steel.

Gabriel let out a deep breath. "So Ellie's team was captured."

Jesse stared at the glowing pieces, totally at a loss of what to do. They had agreed that if it comes to this, the other group would just complete the mission and come back with reinforcements. It was easy discussing it, but now that the hypothetical situation happened, Jesse can't bring himself to move forward and complete the mission, leaving Olivia, Axel and Ellegaard to their fate.

"We should go back and help them." Lukas whispered, so low that Jesse has to pay attention to hear it. Everyone heard him nonetheless.

Petra shook her head, "We have discussed this before, we are going to move forward and complete our mission."

The blonde journalist glared at her, "And leave the three of them there to die? You heard the bastard there, it's basically a kill-on-sight order for them!"

"Then they are already done in," Gabriel released a shaky sigh. "Let's go. The Zircon won't make their way to us soon."

Lukas turned around to face Gabriel in disbelief, "You—"

"He is right, Lukas." Jesse added, somewhat hesitantly, "We should move now, lest someone caught us. And we can't split up either," The aforementioned blonde snapped his mouth shut with a click. "You see how many people they have. We are exhausted and pretty much weaponless. I would reconsider it if we are at full strength. There's no way we will be able to break those three out as we are now."

Lukas glowered at them, but slump his shoulders in defeat. He knew they were right. They continued moving.


The meeting point was a wooden shack in the middle of the forest outside the castle. It was near the river, and no guards were there for border patrol. The shack itself is made from simple oak wood, around three by four square meters in area and three meters high. It is at least two or three years since anyone had last used it. The wooden door is pretty much broken, but the crafting table inside is still usable. The floor is just dirt, and they need to block the window just incase skeletons shot them at night.

Lukas immediately chopped off some woods and made a better door and a few fences for window, just to prevent mobs from breaking in. Petra and Gabriel swept the place clean of spiderwebs and other stuff, while Jane looked at the shack in disgust. Jesse ordered her to grab some water from the river, while Jesse himself went hunting. Gabriel had given him Isaac's bow and arrows, since the brunette is currently weaponless. Jesse doesn't stray far from his path, just in case guards found him.

No one came for the rest of the day.


In a meeting room, the important people in the palace is discussing vital things related to the incident last night. Derek had recovered somewhat, but Isaac is still in the hospital. The armored man had fed them the lies of how the princess were hypnotized: The auburn haired girl, Petra, evaded the guards and broke them out, then they split up, the four of them, Jesse, Lukas, Gabriel and Petra went to hypnotize her Highness to leaving the throne for them, while the other three, Olivia, Axel, Ellegaard made an escape plan.

Coincidentally, Derek himself was handing some reports in, and came too late to help the princess.

The council immediately believed him, as it matches what the guards had reported. One of its member asked,

"What should we do with the three prisoners?"

Another chimed in, "We should execute them."

"No, they have valuable informations about a different world! I say we tortured the answer out of them and use them as bait for the other three. And then we can end them all afterward." A bald councilman argued.

Most of the council nodded, but Derek said, "We have another pressing matter, the princess is not here, what should we do?"

Someone pushes his glass up and said, "Telling the kingdom that she is hypnotized into running away will cause a political disaster! Our neighboring countries will take it as an opportunity to wage war against us, and we do not need that on our plate right now!"

"What about Prince Allen? He had a marriage contract with our highness, is he not?"

"The Spinel Kingdom was never trustworthy in the first place. They would jump at any opportunity to conquer us!" One shouted.

"He could wait. We need to get into the main problem here. I vote for Prime Minister Derek to become the temporary leader of our country. The princess has never done much anyway. Sir Derek has always ruled our kingdom, which is currently going well. Besides, the late King Leon the III had granted him the Zircon Armor as a sign of trustworthiness. Who else would fit the criteria, other than him?" An old man with a long beard calmly stated.

The statement was met with a round of approvals, and Derek internally smiled. It isn't the way he wanted to get the throne, but the methods doesn't matter as long as the results are the same. "I thank you for your confidences in my leading ability, fellow councilmen. I promise I won't disappoint you." He stood up and bowed, as everyone applauded.

"Now that's one thing out of the way. We should find the princess as fast as possible... but not to reassign her the throne." A mischievous look adorned the glasses-wearing man from earlier.

"What do you mean, Sir?" A gruff voice asked.

He fixed his glass and continued, "The princess was never needed. She is useless and a nuisance. We shouldn't tell anyone about her disappearance, not even the soldiers or maids in the palace. Once we have found her, we would take the Zircon necklace, because the throne only recognized those who are leader as its owner only. We would eliminate her, tell everyone that the strangers did that. And Sir Derek will have the throne, as we have discussed."

Skeptical looks passed around the room, until the man who nominated Derek coughed, "You are aware that what you are insinuating is treason, right?"

Several pairs of critical eyes shot at the man, but he bravely answered, "I know I'm not the only one in this room that wants the princess dead. She'd mercilessly executed the servants, guards, soldiers or anyone who even spoke to her the wrong way! Our families, friends, dead because of a stupid, spoiled brat!" By now, the man had stood up and slammed his hand on the table, glaring around the room. He slowly sit down and muttered some apologies after realizing that he'd went a little too far.

Derek looked at him, and quietly murmured, "How many people agree with this operation?"

Unsurprising, he thoughts with some amusement, three quarters of the room agreed, followed by the rest who were too shy to spoke up before.

Derek announced, "Then it is decided. Princess Jane will also have a kill-on-sight order, along with the four who have escaped. You will not, under any circumstances, discussed any information other than the common knowledge everyone has. It will be counted as highest degree of treason and will be dealt with accordingly. Meeting adjourned!"