Rean was guided by a very guarded Altina through the Pantagruel, her combat shell hovering behind her with one of its arms raised above her head defensively the whole way past the guards, inside the elevator, all the way across a floor equally as fancy as the one they had been, although much smaller with fewer rooms. The VIP floor above the VIP floor where Princess Alfin was being kept.

"I trust you will behave yourself," the little girl said with an accusatory glare as she left him in front of the princess' room alongside two provincial soldiers.

"Look, I said I was sorry."

Altina let out a "hmph" and made her way back to the elevator as the soldiers allowed him in. When the door to the elevator closed, leaving her by herself, Claiomh Solais disappeared and Altina reached to the top of her head, rubbing and patting it lightly. "What was that?"

"Your Highness, there is someone here to see you," one of the provincial soldiers announced knocking at the door.

"They may come in," said the princess, her voice neutral and cordial.

The soldier gave Rean a nod and allowed him to pass. The news that the princess had been there all along startled him and it brought the hope that Elise might be with her, although that was quickly dashed by Altina on the way there. He wondered why he was allowed to see her and who gave the order? Had it been Rufus? Why?

Princess Alfin stood in the center of her room, perfectly posed to receive her guest in her usual polite manner, but when she saw Rean she couldn't help but falter and take a step back, her composed mask giving way to a flash of fear.

Right, last time she saw me I was a monster cutting people to pieces. "Hey, Your Highness. I guess you weren't warned I'd be coming here," Rean waved awkwardly at her.

Alfin swallowed and caught herself, internally cursing herself for that brief display. That was Rean, her best friend's brother, she had nothing to fear. "I-I am sorry, I'm just shocked to see you here, Rean," she chastised herself for her cracking voice. "How did you get here? Are your parents okay?"

He ran a hand over his hair with a sigh. There we go again. "Let's start from the beginning I guess…"

Rean told Alfin of the events from the past few days up until his arrival on the Pantagruel and Duke Cayenne's offer and the princess listened quietly and attentively, only speaking to express relief to hear that his parents were fine. For her part, the princess went through what happened after she and Elise were kidnapped, explaining that both had been separated soon after Altina delivered them to the Noble Alliance's forces. "But I'm told she was taken to be with my parents and Cedric as their personal retainer, I hope that is really the truth."

"I guess they don't have any more reason to hurt Elise than you, Your Highness," Rean said as he paced around the room, thinking on what he'd need to do to escape with Alfin. "Why are you here, by the way? Shouldn't you be with the rest of the Imperial family?"

"Duke Cayenne has requested my presence to help quell the Imperial Army's 'rebellion,'" Alfin said, making an air quotes motion. "I declined to assist him initially, of course, but then he forced me to watch footage of a battle and bear witness as his panzer soldats crushed tanks and soldiers alike, Erebonians killing Erebonians, and I… I couldn't bear it, so I gave in to his demand and yesterday I used my voice to beg a platoon to lay down their weapons, under the condition that they would be treated fairly."

That she was on the edge was plain to see and Rean doubted that it was only because of him, she had been put into a difficult position by the Noble Alliance. Noticing the princess' discomfort, Rean stopped his pacing and approached her, the girl sitting by the edge of the bed with a forlorn expression. "You were put in a difficult position, Your Highness, and it couldn't have been an easy decision to make, but you're very strong for still managing to keep it together."

A smile tugged at the corner of her mouth and Alfin forced it into a wider one. "Thanks, Rean, but you really don't need to worry about me. And by the way, stop it with the 'Your Highness' stuff, I did tell you back in Heimdallr you could just call me by my name, didn't I?"

"Heh, okay, Alfin," Rean gave her a somewhat awkward pat on the shoulder that almost went to her head instead. Man, I really have a problem. "Anyway, we need to escape from here," he said, taking a couple of steps away and putting both hands behind his back. "I need to get my tachi and ARCUS back, I can't leave here without them. I was thinking of using the vents to sneak to the restricted areas of the ship and search for them."

"That does sound like a good start, I can't say I have had the chance to even begin thinking on how to escape, unfortunately," Alfin said, looking at the air vent on the ceiling of her room. It was just big enough she thought Rean could squeeze through, meaning that for her it would be no problem.

A good start but after that Rean was in the dark. He had paid attention on the route he was taken through from the deck of the ship where Valimar was left to where his meeting with Cayenne was held, so he could get to the Divine Knight no problem, but between finding his gear and getting to Valimar there were a hundred ways things could go wrong, being spotted by a guard and alerting their captors would spell failure, and even if he managed to get his weapons back, he knew he had no chance fighting off the people on the ship. And now Alfin's safety added a new layer of complexity.

Well, a good start was as good as any and he was not one to be deterred. Rean dragged a drawer under the air vent and climbed on top of it, managing to get just high enough to wrap his fingers around the steel grate. It was tightly bolted and pulling it out would require a lot of strength and the noise would absolutely reach the guards standing outside the door.

And finding the right path to take was another issue, but he had a solution for that one. "I'll need you to be quiet for a couple of minutes, Alfin."

The strange request made the princess' brow furrow. Had she been speaking too much? Was she annoying Rean with her lamentations? "Excuse me?"

"I'll need to concentrate on something and it would be best if I had as little distractions as possible," he simply explained to her, coming down from the chair and taking on a sitting position with his legs crossed under the vent.

Alfin stared at Rean for several minutes as he apparently started to meditate, eyes closed as his face adopted a neutral expression. Curious as to why he needed to do that but still complying to his request to be silent, she decided to quietly approach him but before she had taken her first step, Rean spoke up.

"Please, stop staring at me. And don't get close, I really need to concentrate."

She had barely moved and how could he even tell she was staring at him? It was his sword training, Alfin was sure of it, the Vanders could be like that too, she never managed to surprise Aunty Aurier, it was infuriating. She didn't fully understand Rean's motives yet but decided to stay put, sitting on the bed with her back turned to him, although sneaking some quick glances a couple of times. His face seemed so calm, his features delicate, his ravenish hair was messy in just the right way, and those fuschia eyes he was hiding…

Hard to believe he can turn into… that. Lady Laura is really lucky.

Meanwhile, Rean had been deep into the Unseen Eye. He felt Alfin's glances and picked on her accelerated heartbeat and decided she was still scared of him, as it could not be anything else. He quickly moved on from that, not allowing her to distract him, and directed his attention to the soldiers guarding the room, bored and inattentive. Good.

But they weren't his main target and Rean focused his heightened senses on to the vent above him. He felt the air flow on his skin and followed the faint sounds of the breeze coming in, and from there on Rean traced his way through the air ventilation system. It was difficult, to say the least, because it wasn't like Rean could fully shut down his perception of everything else, he still could hear Alfin's breathing and heartbeat as well those of the guards and their inane conversations and the passing staff at the corridors, each piling on top of another and it would soon start to overwhelm his senses.

Still, he kept going, following the sounds of fans spinning to circulate air across the ship and the orbment system that powered them, mapping out the steel labyrinth in search for a way out of quarters floors. As Rean's senses expanded he could hear more, following the chatter of the people passing by the corridors, the tick-tock of clocks in the many rooms… A door opening and being slammed shut… The sound of footsteps going down what he could only assume was a steel stairwell… Everything was piling up on his head until he couldn't stand it anymore.

Rean came out of the Unseen Eye gasping for air, keeling over as his head pounded. It was the complete opposite of that night in the baths, he hadn't gotten lost in the soothing sounds of nature, but forced himself to focus and search, straining his amateur abilities farther beyond what he was used to. Now it felt like his brain was being squeezed by a vice, overwhelmed by the amount of information it was trying to process.

He grounded himself on the sound of his own beating heart and blocked out everything else and it took a couple of minutes until he could regain his bearings. "I need to get better at this," he said, finally gathering himself up.

"R-Rean… Are you okay?" Taking him speaking as evidence of whatever he was doing being over, Alfin risked the question.

"Hmm? Oh yeah, I'm feeling better," Rean said, wiping the sweat from his brow and lifting himself up. "Sorry if I worried you, but now I got an idea of the layout and where we should go."

Alfin blinked a few times. "How did you-"

"It's gonna take a while to explain and we should concentrate on escaping instead. I could tear off this grate with my power…" With his back turned to her, he didn't notice Alfin's face turn to dismay. "But the noise might alert the guards at the door so we need to take them out first."

Rean paced around the room once again, clearly thinking on a plan, and Alfin felt like she should make an effort as well, she couldn't stand not being able to contribute to their escape plan, just waiting for Rean to do everything. Bad enough Elise had been captured trying to protect her.

"We could try to lure them here but I doubt the guards are so stupid to fall for something me yelling 'help me, the princess is choking,'" Rean muttered to himself. "We need to get their attention and make it so both rush here and then knock them out quickly, before they fire a shot that alerts everyone else, but how?"

"I-I might have something," said Alfin reluctantly and a faint blush started to form on her cheeks. "But neither of us is going to like it."

Guarding the Imperial Princess was an honor Geoffrey had accepted with high enthusiasm, to be trusted with the safety of one of the Empire's greatest treasures was no small responsibility, and it spoke volumes of how well regarded he was as a member of Lamarre's provincial army, but now he was incredibly bored. Aside from letting in the young man from earlier, nothing happened that actually required his skills as a soldier.

His fellow guard, Cullen, yawned loudly as if to make his boredom worse. "Do you think they are getting frisky in there?"

"W-what? She is the Imperial Princess, you lout, show some respect!"

"I'm just saying," Cullen shrugged. "They are young, good looking and alone. It could happen."

Geoffrey let out a loud, exasperated sigh and tuned out whatever else his partner had to say. As if Her Highness would lower herself to engage in such acts with a commoner to begin with. At least he thought the boy was a commoner, surely if he belonged to a noble house they would've been informed.

Boring silence descended between the guards once again, the corridor emptying as the staff moved to other chores. It was then that a loud thud came from the room.

"H-hey, what are you doing?"

They heard the princess say, shout almost, her voice full of trepidation. The guards looked at each other with confusion. The noise might have been them trying to do something to escape but the way she was speaking didn't seem like it.

"No, stop it! Get your hands off me!"

Geoffrey's eyes almost bulged out of his skull in shock and he instantly made it to unlock the door but Cullen grabbed his wrist. "Are you daft? This is clearly a trap!"

"But the princess-"

"Her Highness is fine, nobody would be so stupid as to-"

The sound of fabric tearing and more shouting interrupted Cullen. "My dress! Please, somebody help me!"

Sweat started to form on Cullen's brow as he held his partner's shaking hand and the princess shouted increasingly distressing things. A second passed. Two seconds. "Oh for the love of Aidios!"

Cullen let go of his partner's hand and grabbed his orbal pistol, taking aim as Geoffrey unlocked the door and both burst inside.

"Let go of the princess you-" Geoffrey's shout was cut off as a chair hit the back of his head, splinters flying to all sides and blinding Cullen to a hand that striked his throat.

"Alfin, the door!" Rean hushdely said to the princess as she darted to the entrance of the room, took a quick peek outside, and closed the door. Meanwhile, he put one of the guards in a stranglehold, cutting off his circulation until the man passed out then let go, his limp body hitting the floor.

The second guard groaned trying to lift himself up, his hand searching for his pistol, but it was futile, as his head was stomped and he was knocked unconscious.

Both Rean and Alfin sighed in relief that their plan had worked and exchanged a victorious smile with flushed cheeks, although those were not due to the burst of action that had just happened. "Let's never tell anyone about this, okay? I feel gross just for being here."

"Ugh, and how do you think I feel having to act it out? Don't worry, I have no wish to tell a soul about it. If anyone asks, the guards were true morons that fell for the 'I'm choking' trick."

Both shared a laugh that helped lighten the mood and Rean took care of tying and gagging both guards using the torn bedsheets while Alfin kept an ear out for anyone approaching, the absence of the soldiers would raise concerns for anyone passing by so they had to be fast. Although he had little experience with orbal guns, Rean opted for picking up one of the guards' pistols for safety's sake, and grabbed both of their combat orbments, one for himself and one for Alfin. With the guards secured, Rean proceeded to move the closet and a drawer in front of the door, then with that done it was time to remove the grate.

"Stand back," he said and Alfin did so but then she sighed in relief when Rean used the combat orbment to cast a strength enhancing Art on himself instead of using his power, and with a couple of punches he managed to dislodge the grate and then tear it off. "I'll take point, just follow my lead, Alfin."

Rean beckoned her with a hand as he stood on top of the drawer, ready to get inside the vent, while the princess would have to jump and pull herself up but with the use of a strength boosting Art that was of no issue. She however seemed a little hesitant, he thought it understandable at first but then on a closer look he noticed she wasn't afraid of the dark and confined vent, but that he instead was the source of her trepidation.

"I am so sorry for everything, Rean," Alfin said before he could voice anything and the hurt in her voice almost made him lose balance and fall. "Your family was put in danger because of me and now I'm a dead weight who can't do anything without your help. I'm so, so sorry, I…"

Oh I'm such a moron. He had just moments ago gone out of his way to treat Altina, a girl he barely knew and had reason to actively see as a threat, with a modicum of care but what about Alfin? She was just as young and despite the fact she was a smart and normally self reliant individual, she was well over her head in a dangerous situation she had no way to deal with. That, combined with the guilt he should've realized she would be feeling since he was an expert on the subject, would obviously affect her more than she had initially shown.

While their escape was a priority, that didn't mean Alfin's mental well being wasn't important. Looking down at the princess, nervous and fidgeting with her hands, Rean remembered she was, first and foremost, just a girl.

Climbing down from the drawer and trying his best to sound approachable, Rean lowered himself so he could look up to the princess' low hanging face. "If someone's to blame for what happened to my family, it's… Duke Albarea, alright? It's people who decided to launch a coup like the terrorists and Ouroboros and the Noble Faction who are to blame, and no-one else. You don't have to apologize for that or think of yourself as dead weight. You might not be able to fight off anyone on this ship but that doesn't mean you are useless, I'll need someone to help me with support Arts and I hear the Arnor family are all excellent with casting."

A comforting hand settled on her shoulders, much less awkward than the previous time, and Rean smiled at her in a way that felt positively charming, reassuring Alfin that he meant every word. "Thank you, Rean. I'm sorry I'm such a mess right now."

"Nah, it's understandable. Before being a princess you are a person, right?" He said with a chuckle and lifted himself up, but not before absentmindedly giving Alfin a light pat on the head. "Now let's get going, we won't have much time after someone notices the guards are missing."

The swordsman turned back to begin climbing the vent and missed the blush on Alfin's face as she placed a hand on the top of her head.

"Okay, Alfin, I'm far enough, you can come up now. Alfin?"

"I-I'm coming!" The princess shook her head and grabbed her combat orbment, casting an Art n herself and initiating their escape.

The air vent was tight and Rean thanked Aidios for not being claustrophobic, but difficult as it was to move he was still able to make constant progress, guiding Alfin behind him. From Alfin's room, they moved along the ceiling to the next one over, then took a turn to the left, crossing over to the other side of the floor they were on.

And so they went, moving in a steady pace but careful to make as little noise as possible with Rean taking occasional looks behind him to see if the princess was alright, she was nervous but kept up splendidly and seemed to be in no danger of passing out. Rean didn't need the Unseen Eye to get a feel of the situation around them, the floor below them seemed almost deserted, save it for a couple of people that would pass by but not look twice towards the princess' room to notice the missing guards. It was almost too easy but Rean would not question it, knowing his luck, things would turn south soon.

Eventually they reached their destination, a stairwell leading to the lower levels of the ship. After taking a moment to check if anybody was around, Rean used another casting of strength enhancing Arts to punch the steel grate away and jumped out, pulling the orbal pistol he got, and waited to see if anyone would show up. When he was sure the coast was clear he called for Alfin and caught her in his arms as she ungraciously fell from the air vent.

"You okay?"

"As okay as I can be."

Next up was going down the stairs and that was where Rean would have to start improvising, as reaching beyond this point with the Unseen Eye was impossible. All Rean could count on now was his instincts, knowledge of military protocol and airships, which led to the logical conclusion that weapons from captured enemies were confiscated, not destroyed, and kept under watch in the same room as or close to the brig.

The pistol on Rean's hand felt uncomfortable, his grip and posture worthy of a strong C from Instructor Sara if this was combat training, he was too used to his tachi and being without it in a dangerous situation felt like being naked. At least the change in scenery from the lavish VIP quarters to the more utilitarian areas of the ship felt somewhat comforting to him, like all pretense from before was gone and gave a sense of familiarity.

Alfin clung to his jacket, hands firmly gripping the fabric as she followed close behind.

They had gone down two floors when suddenly a door opened and Rean pressed himself and Alfin against the wall. It was another soldier, male, same height as Rean and a couple of years older. The man seemed to be in a hurry and had immediately started on his way down the stairs, not paying attention to his surroundings, which allowed Rean to get the drop on him, jumping right behind him and slamming the soldier against the wall and pressing the pistol's muzzle against his face.

"You scream and I shoot." Please don't scream. Please, please, please, don't.

Fortunately, the soldier simply nodded, slowly lifting his hand to where Rean could see them.

Rean held in a sigh of relief from the man's compliance, instead questioning where his weapons were being kept and what was the fastest way to the deck but the soldier refused to say anything.

"You're crazy if you think I'm going to tell you anything, kid."

"Please, my good sir. We just want to return to safety," said Alfin, doing her best to sound calm with a hint of vulnerability to play with the soldier's heartstrings. "Wouldn't you agree that I shouldn't be held somewhere against my will?"

The words and presence of the princess seemed to affect the man, his expression softening for a moment and while he seemed to struggle with whatever sense of duty he had, it wasn't enough. "I'm sorry, Your Highness, but if they find out I assisted in you escaping it's on my head. I'm not going to be labeled a traitor."

Alfin continued to try to reason with the soldier while he kept arguing that even though he held much respect for her and the Imperial Family, he couldn't betray his people and that he could even be executed for it.

Time trickled by and Rean could only imagine their window of opportunity fading. That their captors were already aware of their escape attempt and quietly hunting was a huge possibility, and if they weren't they soon would be. Rean thought about knocking out the soldier and moving forward but then how would he find his belongings? It wasn't like he could afford searching every nook and cranny of the massive airship and trying to interrogate some other soldier could just lead to the same situation they were in now.

I guess I have no other choice. I just hope it works.

Rean slammed the soldier against the wall again and Alfin yelped when she noticed the change in the air around him, wisps of dark energy bursting out of him. The swordsman dropped the orbal gun and grasped the man by the throat, fingers digging in tightly as the soldier struggled and failed to free himself.

"W-what the fu-ACK!"

Rean's transformation surged in a black cloud of energy, complete with his white hair, blood red eyes and distorted voice as he growled his demands. "Answer me, now!"

"Y-you're just like that f-freak, McBurn," the soldier gasped, feeling a sickening sensation on his neck caused by Rean's hand, like hundreds of ants crawling over his skin.

Rean bit back a retort and hid the shock at being compared to the Enforcer and instead he punched the wall next to the soldier's head, denting the steel into the shape of his fist. "That's right, I'm just like McBurn except I'm not on your side. Now talk!"

"Shit shit, fuck. Ah, okay, man, okay."

Cornered and stripped of any bravado, the soldier backed down and confirmed that Rean's equipment would be in the brig and indicated the best route to get there as well as the route they would need to take to get to Valimar. He was even helpful enough to point out two guards stayed at the entrance while another one would be inside with the key to the safe for confiscated material.

"If you are lying…" Rean threatened as he let go of the soldier.

"I'm not!" The man went down to his knees, heaving and coughing as he gasped for air. "Now what are you going to-" And then he was interrupted when Rean put him in a choke hold and soon was knocked out.

The ogre faded as Rean put the soldier down with an exasperated sigh and wiped the sweat off his brow. He had to thank Instructor Sara for forcing him to train to use it back at school, if he had never practiced with it, if he had never opened up that part of himself back in Legram, he wouldn't have been able to exert the control he had in that moment.

"Oof, I don't think I should've punched the wall like that," he said, slowly opening and closing his fingers with a pained expression. "Alright, we've got a destination set and we better get going, it's only a matter of time before someone finds this guy. Are you okay, Alfin?"

Stupid question, the princess was far from okay if the fact she was five or so steps up and away, scared out of her mind, was any indication. With a sigh, Rean ran a hand over his face. "Sorry about that, Alfin. I was just playing it up but I guess it was pretty scary, wasn't it?"

The princess laughed sheepishly, with a slightly embarrassed flush on her cheeks. "Y-yeah, it kinda was actually. But I'm sorry too, you're Elise's big brother and I should trust you more by now. Come on, let's get going."

The brig was two floors down from where they were, located on the same level as the storage facilities. From the stairwell they would have to turn left after going straight 10 or so arges then go to the entrance to the right at the end of the hallway.

Both Rean and Alfin stood next to the door at the stairwell as he went through what they would do. "We'll rush them. Keep close and behind me, use the combat orbments we got but don't try to fight, just use support Arts. It's not that I don't trust your skills, Alfin, but we have to play it safe since we never worked together," he explained to her.

"I understand it, Rean. And don't worry, I'll do my best to keep up with you and not get in your way."

From the other side of the door, Rean couldn't feel any presences, meaning they would have a little more time before all hell broke loose. Even if they were fast and Rean managed to take down the guards on their path, the third guard inside the brig could hear the commotion and sound the alarm, after which it would be a race against time to get to Valimar.

Alfin is counting on me, I can't mess this up. I have to see this through, whatever it takes.

"Alright. One… Two… Three!"

Rean opened the door and sure enough the way ahead was void of people, so far so good. They moved onward and stopped at the corner that led to the brig, where the swordsman peeked and saw the two men guarding the entrance. He whispered to Alfin to wait until the coast was clear and then dashed ahead with the combat orbment he got from the soldier he interrogated in hands.

Rean depleted the orbment's EP reserves with blasts of Time Arts, catching the two soldiers off-guard, knocking them out in one go. The noise caused by the attack alerted the third soldier inside the brig and the man came out scrambling, gun at ready at Rean's direction, but it was too late, the swordsman was already close enough to disarm him and pin him down on the floor, twisting his arm.

"Is this where you keep confiscated materials?"

"Wha- Who the hel-AH!" Rean twisted his arm again, on the verge of breaking. "On the safe, keycard in my pocket, just don't-"

A kick to the back of the head knocked the man out and Rean called out to Alfin, who came rushing while he inspected the safe. There was a lot of confiscated material, mainly porn mags and packs of cigarettes Rean's sword and ARCUS were resting on top of. Rean nearly cried with joy at having his tachi in his hands. The feeling of its pommel in his hands and the weight of the scabbard on his belt were grounding to him, like getting back a piece of himself that had been lost.

With tachi in hand and ARCUS on his belt, it was time for the second and more complicated part of their escape plan. They would need to go up one floor to get to the docking bay where smaller airships and panzer soldats were kept, then get an elevator that would take them straight up to the deck.

"Come on, Alfin. Let's hurry."

Alarms weren't blaring but that didn't mean a silent one hadn't been triggered by someone finding the unconscious soldiers or by the one inside the brig before he tried to attack Rean. They made haste through the corridors, back to the stairwell where Rean's fears were confirmed as they came face to face with two soldiers accompanied by an armored attack dog, most likely having found their downed companion.

For Rean, time almost seemed to slide into a crawl as the soldiers reacted with surprise to his and Alfin's presence, one of them scrambling to pull up his orbal pistol while the other turned back to the stairs, shouting "They are here!" to his other companions.

Rean opened with an Arc Slash, the airblade knocking the weapon out of the hands of the first soldier, then followed it up with the Gale form, closing in and dispersing a series of fast slashes against his opponents, finalizing by stabbing the dog in the back. Keeping his attention on the stairwell, Rean intercepted a third soldier, and smashed the pommel of his sword against his face, toppling him.

"Let's keep moving!" He called out to Alfin. The fight, if it could even be called that, had been over in the blink of an eye in her perspective and Rean seemed like he had barely exerted any effort. The princess had watched the Vander family's training sessions and sparring before but real combat was like another world, where the most miniscule mistake could prove itself fatal and through all of it Rean exuded pure confidence. So that was what a practitioner of the Eight Leaves One Blade could do.

Carefully, she made her way through the soldiers writhing in pain and bleeding on the floor and Rean assured her that timely medical care would save them. It wasn't a reprieve of the attack on Ymir.

They were about to start on their way down when Rean backed away, closing the door. "More people are coming, we need to find another route. Try freezing the door lock, Alfin."

The princess did so, using one of their combat orbments to cast a freezing Art that actually frozed the entire door. It wouldn't last, obviously, but any advantage they could have in their escape was welcomed.

Surely that stairwell wasn't the only way in and out of the floor and the answer to that was a sign that pointed to a cargo elevator. With no better options in sight, Rean decided to follow the directions, sword ready in hand dispersing quick slashes at the soldiers that attempted to stand in their way.

The cargo elevator was a large, open platform that could easily fit a couple of panzer soldats, with four columns on each corner and by the looks of it, it led straight up to the deck. The controls were simple and after the press of some buttons it came to life, initiating its ascent, but as soon as it started it stopped.

"A daring escape attempt but I fear it isn't daring enough, my friend!"

Bleublanc teleported himself in, smug as always as he nonchalantly stood in front of Rean and Alfin, leaning over his scepter as the show off he was.

"Crap," Rean muttered but if it was just Bleublanc he could at least-

"Let's see if you got any more funny quips about my abilities now, you brat," Duvalie announced her arrival as well, coming from behind them.

Both Enforcer and Stalhritter slowly approached their targets, as Rean struggled to think of whom he should be more wary of and Alfin recoiled behind him. Bleublanc was a known quantity, a dangerous one, and Duvalie managed to take on Laura and the others by herself. Hard as it was to admit, this wasn't a fight he could hope to win.

"Hey, Bleublanc, any chance of you letting us escape? The look on Cayenne's face will be priceless."

The Phantom Thief seemed to honestly consider the idea for a moment but then the man tutted rather dramatically while wagging his fingers. "I'm sorry but that's not a good enough offer. He'll be livid for sure but it's not something really worth witnessing."

"Are you done with the most pointless attempt at buying time I've ever seen? It's not like anyone is coming to save you," said Duvalie, confidently strutting closer to Rean and Alfin. "I must say that I am disappointed, I thought a practitioner of the Eight Leaves would be more than just talk. At least have the decency of surrendering yourself."

Rean held back a remark against the knight, this really wasn't the time for bantering. This situation didn't play well with his propensity for self sacrifice either, since his demise only meant that the princess would be returned to her prison, so even that most irrational part of his brain was stumped on what to do.

Well, while that was the most rash part of his brain, it didn't mean Rean wasn't capable of other idiotic plans.

"Alfin, don't be scared… And hold on."

The princess was startled as she understood what Rean meant by that first thing, while the second bit of information puzzled her while also not filling her with confidence.

Rean summoned his power and for a moment Bleublanc and Duvalie hesitated, the first curious about finally seeing it in person while the second expressed just a mild caution towards an unknown factor. Duvalie started to say something about how it was an amusing trick when Rean made a feint for an attack, which turned out to be him sheathing his sword then turning around, hoisting Alfin on his shoulder and jumping out of the elevator.

The princess yelped and screamed as Rean leapt up into the air then choked an "oof" when they hit the wall and she barely had time to get her bearing because soon they were in the air again, Rean kicking off the walls upwards in the the direction of one of the columns that supported the cargo elevator. And thus they made their escape as Rean defied gravity and common sense by wall jumping their way to the next floor of the airship.

The daring escape left Duvalie stunned with her mouth hanging open, only being taken back to reality by Bleublanc clapping and shouting "Bravo!"

"What are you doing? Teleport after them!" She shouted at her uncooperative partner.

"Why the hurry?" The thief shrugged. "We were just the first obstacle for them after all."

By the time Alfin stopped screaming and opened her eyes, Rean and her were once again back on firm ground, dashing across the access corridors of the hangar bay. The princess clung to Rean until her hands ached but would not let go, they were going so fast it almost made her sick, or maybe it was this dark cloud of energy that clung to Rean that made her uncomfortable, like a buzzing that enveloped her skin.

Elise had once told her of her dream, of being saved by a dashing hero from a deadly beast and then carried away to safety in his arms, and it didn't take much digging after that to discover that said hero was her adopted brother, Rean, and having seen him in the family photo her roommate kept in their dorm room, Alfin couldn't deny she had imagined such a scenario for herself.

The situation she was in now, however, was absolutely not what she had envisioned.

"You okay there, Alfin?" Rean asked with his raspy, distorted voice that sounded like two people at the same time. The chilling effect amplified by how close they were.

"J-just peachy. Can you put me down now?"

"Sorry but we can't stop now, just bear with it okay."

Rean took a sharp turn, legs propelling him at speeds he couldn't normally be able to handle and he knew that if he stopped, if he turned off his power, he would collapse instantly. So instead he would keep going until they reached safety.

They would have to cross the open area of the hangar to get to the elevator to the deck, which presented itself with the problem of lack of cover for themselves while panzer soldats and other vehicles would make for excellent spots from where the Noble Alliances forces could ambush them from. But instead of being confronted by dozens of armed soldiers waiting for them, Rean saw the two members of Zephyr standing by themselves halfway across the hangar, Xeno waving at them with a peace sign.

Rean couldn't fight them, it would just waste their time and allow the rest of their enemies to catch up, so instead he kept going, uncaring of the obstacles ahead even as Xeno and Leonidas prepared their weapons.

"Is he actually planning on fighting us while carrying the princess?" Leonidas muttered to hsi partner.

"Alfin, I promise I'll catch you."

"Wait waAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!"

For a second time, Rean did the unthinkable and flung the princess up high in the air in a wide arc, the poor girl screaming and flailing her arms in sheer terror as she looked down at the two men meant to capture her stare in shock.

"Crazy motherf-"

"Xeno, catch her!" Leonidas yelled as he turned to face Rean, raising his mechanical fist for a devastating punch straight at the swordsman came in even faster in their direction.

At the last second, Rean slid down to the ground with his back almost touching the floor, past Leonidas' assault, and just as quickly got himself up again, not once missing a beat on his movements.

Xeno had barely caught the end of Rean's maneuver from the corner of his eye as he moved himself into position to catch the princess, expecting Rean to attack him. Instead, the raven haired kid jumped up and used the jaeger's head as a springboard to catch Alfin in the air, both landing hard with a loud crash as Rean's legs took the brunt of their weight before springing to action again on the dash to the elevator.

Rubbing the top of his head, Xeno mouthed a silent "wow" as he watched the duo escape.

"Come, we need to catch them on the deck."

This was a level of excitement Alfin hadn't experienced even on her and Elise's escape from Heimdallr back when the war started. Spending days on the road alongside Toval, sleeping under the cover of the night and avoiding enemy patrols seemed like a quaint, light hearted adventure compared to this madness. Getting to an elevator and finally stopping was a relief in more ways than just their continued escape, and only now Alfin noticed how much she trembled.

"We're almost there," Rean said.

"I really hope so."

A bleep from the elevator's control panel signaled it arrived at their destination, the doors opening to another access corridor that would lead them outside, however, before crossing the threshold to the deck Rean stopped and put the princess down, unsheathing his sword.

"They're waiting for us outside, aren't they?" Asked Alfin, to which Rean nodded.

"And I know who."

At the other side of the Pantagruel's deck, next to Ordine and the chained down Valimar, stood both Crow and McBurn. The terrorist leader was weilding his double saber and Rean could clearly see the overlaid image of the masked C on his former friend. It was so obvious now.

"Hell of a stunt you pulled, Rean, but it ends here," said Crow speaking with neither the attempted camaraderie from the previous day nor any real aggression. "Just hand over the princess and… I'll see about you getting back to your people. It sucks but she's safe here, you know that."

McBurn looked at his partner with some slight confusion, that wasn't on the script. But it wasn't his problem either, so the Enforcer ignored it.

The offer only made Rean angrier, how dare Crow show pity for him. "Your buddy G made the same offer back in Heimdallr and my answer is the same I told him back then: I'm not stopping, even if I have to go through you, Crow, I'm getting us out of here."

For McBurn felt like this was a waste of time. He wanted to fight Schwarzer by himself, back up robbed the excitement of the whole thing. Honestly, he felt like a third wheel.

Turning his focus to Valimar, Rean extended his left arm and grabbed the air, causing the Divine Knight to replicate his movements and take a hold of its chains then pulling them apart. Thrusters activated and Valimar took to the air, attempting to get closer to Rean and Alfin when Ordine came to life as well and intercepted Valimar.

[Awakener, Ordine won't allow us to get close enough for you to board.]

Valimar and Ordine hovered in the air while their Awakeners faced each other, both trying to control their Divine Knights while simultaneously focusing on the incoming melee.

"Alfin, whatever happens, if you see a way to get close to Valimar then do it. Don't worry about me."

Before the princess could object, Rean made the first move, his power pouring out of his body as he dashed onwards like a black bullet. Tachi and double saber clashed and Crow skidded backwards, not expecting the strength Rean was capable of.

McBurn raised a curious eyebrow at the scene, for someone not as mixed as he was, Schwarzer could pull a lot of power. The Enforcer looked back at Alfin for just a moment and seeing the small girl filled with worry he lost interest, instead turning his attention to the fighting duo. Maybe he could get something out of this.

Crow took the brunt of Rean's fury and needed all of his skills to be able to survive, managing to block and parry his attacks by a hair's breadth as his former classmate's amplified strength sent shock waves through his arms, and whatever opening there were, Crow advantage off to make Rean backaway. Whatever regret he felt that kept him from putting his heart into this fight, Crow had to do away with it if he wanted to survive. It was much more than Rean had shown during the fight at the old schoolhouse when they were protecting his sister or back in Roer, only his showing during the final trial surpassed the power he was using this time.

When Rean seemed to hesitate for a moment, Crow tried to use the opportunity to strike but then Valimar stirred from his place, flying towards the princess, so Crow himself had to remotely order Ordine to intercept his brother again.

"Forgetting someone, Schwarzer!?" McBurn yelled, coming at Rean from behind with a glowing fist of fire that required the swordsman to use all of his concentration to evade, in turn, allowing Crow and Ordine to push Valimar back.

"That's what I was talking about, kid. Let that power flow free!"

Fucking pyscho, thought Crow.

"Yes, Rean Schwarzer, give us a lifetime performance!"

It was the Phantom Thief, accompanied by Scarlet, Vulcan, Duvalie, Xeno and Leonidas, all making their way for the princess. Rean and Alfin were completely surrounded, all of that planning and running had been completely pointless, he couldn't hope to get through all of them.

He needed to draw more power from the ogre somehow, even as he was starting to feel the consequences of using it for an extended period of time, forcing his body beyond what he could handle. More and more it seemed his only option was to let the ogre out completely and whatever happened next, he would have to live with it.

It was then that an explosion rocked the deck of the Pantagruel, followed by the sight of the Courageous flying above the Noble Alliance's flagship. The crimson cruiser doubled back, meeting the Pantagruel straight on as it directed itself to get as near to the larger ship's deck as possible and forced Valimar and Ordine to break away as the Courageous was put in between the Knights.

With the Courageous in place, magical circles appeared on its surface around Alfin, bringing with them the forces of Viscount Arseid, Laura, Instructor Sara, Sharon, Captain Claire and Toval, all set in fending off the incoming threats.

"A magnificent and dramatic entrance, wouldn't you agree, my thieving rival?" Came in the voice of Prince Olivert from the Courageous' speakers. "Let's see you top that!"

The Phantom Thief's response was to simply applaud the performance.

The prince and thief were completely ignored as the rest of the Noble Alliance's forces busied themselves being repelled by a barrage of Arts, bullets and swords while a new magical circle surrounded them alongside Princess Alfin.

"Looks like the Arseid girl went crying for daddy," Duvalie sneered.

"Now this is my kinda party! Let's dance, Arseid!" Exclaimed McBurn, flames forming in his hand as he made a beeline for the viscount and ignoring Rean standing right next to him.

"Maybe some other time, demon. And the same goes to you, Stahlritter. Don't think for a second that the use of my family's legacy has gone unnoticed, I shall have words with your master," Victor stared down at the two with a challenging glint in his eyes as he brandished the Galland-Sharl from one to the other. "Rean, leave Her Highness to us, get to your Knight!"

"Oh no, yo don't!" Both McBurn and Duvalie shouted, lunging at the group, but it was too late, the incantation had been completed and they were spirited away before either could reach them.

With everyone else distracted by the viscount and the Courageous, Crow was the only one paying attention to Rean and that saved him from an upwards slash of the Helix form, blocking it with the lower end of his double saber. Face to face with his former friend, Crow could see faint dark traces like veins or roots starting to form around Rean's eyes, signs of the strain he was putting into his body.

"Next time we meet, Crow, you are dead."

And Crow knew he meant it.

Instead of trying to push Crow back, Rean let his right hand go off his sword and delivered a punch on his face. The terrorist stumbled back and had barely any time to recover as he saw the next attack coming, he stepped back and away from the cutting blade that was aiming for his face.

With his adversary sufficiently distracted, Rean took the opportunity to call Valimar. The Ashen Knight flew close to the deck and caught Rean as the Awakener jumped into the air and was transported to the cockpit.

When all of their people were back to safety, the Courageous flew away alongside Valimar, leaving the forces of the Noble Alliance and Ouroboros watching with mild amusement for some and frustration for those who wanted a fight.

Crow wiped a drop of sweat that had ran down to his eyes only to realize something was amiss. Looking down at his feet, he saw that his trusty headband had been cut.

"Heh, cheeky bastard."