[IS]: Insert song - "Mutual Situation (Under Night In-Birth Exe:Late[st])"
[ISE]: Insert song end

"What do you mean we can't enter our rooms?!"

"I-It is just as I said," the hotel manager explained to Morgan. "The provincial army insisted on conducting a precautionary search as part of their investigation. I believe they'll be leaving by this evening, but I'm afraid that's all I know." He bowed in apology. "I'm terribly sorry."

One of the soldiers stationed by their rooms looked down from the second floor balcony in disdain.

"We should be the ones apologizing for the trouble," Rean replied. "At the very least, we completed your request from earlier. The one about the monster?"

"Oh, did you now? That's wonderful!" The manager adjusted his glasses. "I'll bring your quest reward to you straight away. Please wait a moment…"

The hotel manager walked to the front desk and procured a small box. Opening the box revealed an earth elemental quartz.

"Well, what do we do now?" Morgan asked Rean. "We can't exactly write our reports in these circumstances."

"It'd be awkward if we stayed," said Rean. "We should probably look for someplace else."

The doors to the hotel opened, followed by Fie running towards them.

"Any luck, Fie?" Morgan addressed the younger girl.

Fie shook her head. "Sorciere's been locked down, too. The soldiers wouldn't even let me talk to Jusis's uncle."

Rean cursed to the side. "I guess that means we're on our own. Let's find someplace else where we can discuss our next move." He glanced up to the provincial army soldiers stationed by their rooms. "Without any soldiers around."

"We just need someplace private, right?" Morgan tapped her finger to her lips. "Actually, I think I might know a place…"

Rean blinked. "You do?"

"That's a bit surprising," Fie remarked.

"Well, I can't guarantee that we can use it," Morgan admitted. "But it's worth a shot. Follow me."

With no other options, Rean and Fie followed Morgan out of the hotel.

"Of all the places in Bareahard, this is not what I was expecting," Rean said.

His comment was rather justified, for Morgan had lead them back to Turner's Jewelers on Artisans' Street.

"This is the last place anyone would expect to find us," Morgan reasoned. "They've got this room in the back for special business deals, and that's exactly what we need."

"And you know about this...how?" Fie queried.

Rean hummed. "I'm guessing this is where you went yesterday, right?"

Morgan nodded. "Got it in one. How'd you guess?"

"Jusis said he saw you head in the direction of Artisans' Street," Rean explained. "Once I remembered that, it wasn't hard to piece everything together. But you mentioned something about a business deal?"

"I'll explain later." With that, Morgan opened the door to the store. "Excuse me! Bruc? You here?"

The jeweler Group A had met yesterday turned from his cash register and recognized them. "Oh! Morgan! What brings you back here?"

"Long story, can't explain." Morgan leaned over to speak in a hushed voice. "Listen, you remember that room in the back we used yesterday? Could my classmates and I use that?"

Bruc widened his eyes and looked around them. There were only a few customers in the store at the moment, namely an elderly couple who were conversing with each other, a middle-aged man wearing a bowler hat who was talking into an orbment, and a red-haired girl wearing a similarly-colored jacket and short layered dress who was busy inspecting some jewels. None of them seemed to have heard Morgan's question.

Regardless, Bruc also leaned forward and whispered, "Mind if I ask why?"

"Because the provincial army is conducting an investigation at our hotel and they kicked us out," Morgan summarized. "Also, they may or may not have kidnapped our friends."

The jeweler stifled a gasp. Out of the corner of Morgan's eye, she noticed that this garnered the attention of the red-haired girl.

"I suppose that does explain why there's only three of you today…" Bruc looked at Rean and Fie before directing his attention back to Morgan. "But listen, the back room is where we store all our gems and display items, you know? I can't just let anyone come in and use it. If you were here for another transaction, then I'd make an exception, but I can't bring all three of you with me. Part of the rules of the trade."

Morgan's shoulders slumped. "No…"

Bruc looked remorseful. "Listen, I'd like to help you. Really, I do. You saved our hides yesterday, and we can't thank you enough. But right now, I'm like a bird in a cage; if I sing for you, I gotta sing for everyone."

"And that's perfectly understandable, too…" Morgan's shoulders slumped further downwards.

"What about the second floor?" Fie suggested. "No one's up there right now. We can use that."

"Now that, I don't have a problem with," said Bruc, pointing to Fie. "If more people do start coming up, though, I'd also recommend the bar across the street. Those two are probably your safest bets."

"At least that's better than nothing," Rean figured. "Thank you very much for this."

"Just don't cause too much of a ruckus up there, or else I might have to throw you out for loitering. Part of-"

"-the rules of the trade," Morgan finished. "Got it."

The students moved up to the second floor, where there were more jewels on display in glass cabinets. They stationed themselves in the far corner where no one would see them at first glance. Once they were all situated, they began to review all the details they knew so far.

"Okay," Rean began. "So Machias is currently being held at the provincial army guardhouse, under the charge of being the intruder that was sighted near Aurochs Fort yesterday."

"A crime he didn't commit," Fie added. "He was with us the whole time, and the soldiers stationed at the fort could attest to that."

"Maybe that's why they sent out all the cars this morning," Morgan wondered. "To prevent anyone who was on the case from speaking out on the false charges."

"So in all likelihood, the reason Machias was arrested has nothing to do with the incident at the fort yesterday." Rean cupped his chin. "My guess is that they just wanted him because his father is the Imperial governor, and a key figure in the Reformist Faction. Basically, they wanted a hostage so they could have an advantage in future negotiations."

"That does seem to be the most plausible explanation," Morgan agreed. "But since he's basically a prisoner of war, we can be sure that they wouldn't risk his safety…"

"I wouldn't be so sure," Fie interrupted. "Tensions are high on both sides. Worst case scenario, they might use the threat of violence to get what they want."

Rean grimaced. "I hate to agree with her, but that definitely seems possible at this point…"

Morgan shook her head. "Moving on to the next point, Jusis. After breakfast this morning, Jusis was called back to the Albarea mansion by his father. In the time since then, he hasn't made contact with any of us or the hotel. The soldier by the provincial army guardhouse also seemed confident that he wouldn't be rejoining us this afternoon."

"I think it's safe to say that he was called back to keep him from interfering with all this," Rean figured. "He's the only one who could have prevented the arrest in the first place."

"It looks like they've been planning all of this for a while," Fie remarked. "According to the locals, the soldiers stationed at the restaurant arrived a little after we left this morning."

"So we can't get help from his uncle." Morgan tried to think of other people they could turn to for help. "What if we contacted his brother?"

"Rufus?" Rean pondered about that. "I'm not sure if he's back from his business in the capital yet. so I don't think we can ask him for help."

"Maybe the doctor?" Fie suggested. "Raph, right?"

"Ralph," Rean corrected. "He could be someone we can talk to, but he could be anywhere in the city. The time we spend looking for him could be better spent looking for a way to get Machias out."

"Then I guess Baron Bleublanc is out of the question, too."

"You were seriously thinking about that guy?" Fie looked like she couldn't believe her ears.

"I'm just listing off everyone we met in Bareahard!" Morgan defended herself. "What's your idea?"

"Mine?" Fie proceeded to answer with no hesitation. "Easy. We just break Machias out ourselves."

Rean was a bit shocked at the younger girl's curtness. "That's a little...excessive…"

"Think about it…" Fie began. "We have a perfect chance to bust him out while he's still at the guardhouse. If they take him to the fort, we lose that chance. We won't get another."

"I can't argue with that…" Morgan commented. "We'll need to be as sneaky as possible, though. If we get caught, it has to be after Machias is out safely; if it's before that, there's no way we can talk our way out of this."

"So...no smoke grenades then."

Rean and Morgan blinked. "S...Smoke grenades?" the former asked.

"You actually carry those around with you?"

Fie shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly. "What fair maiden doesn't?"

Morgan immediately raised her hand. "I don't!"

"I'm not sure where to begin listing what's wrong with that statement…" As he glanced to the side, his expression suddenly turned from exasperated to stern.

"Rean, what's-"

"Shh!" Rean silenced Morgan. "Fie, you sensed it too, right?"

"Sense what?" Morgan asked, still confused.

"Someone's been eavesdropping on us," Fie answered.

Her hand instinctively gravitated towards her weapon, but Rean held out his hand to stop her. He looked to the end of the main display cabinet and said, "Whoever's behind that cabinet, please come forward. We don't plan on hurting anyone, and we won't hurt you."

There was silence for a few moments save for some chatter from the first floor. Then, a figure began to stand up from behind one of the display cabinets. It was the red-haired girl from the first floor, and she didn't appear too enthused at being found out. Her manner of dress indicated she was at least upper class, her hair was curled into pigtails, and upon closer inspection of her face, she couldn't have been any older than Fie.

"Thank you." Rean bowed his head slightly. "Now, if you can tell us who you are, we can explain ourselves…"

"You should have gone to the bar," the girl interrupted, now walking towards the students. "There may be more people, but it makes you less conspicuous." Her eyebrows furrowed. "And less susceptible to eavesdropping."

Morgan scratched her head, guilty as charged. "Ahaha…well, it seemed like a good idea at the time."

"Do you three know Jusis?"

The three students blinked at the girl's sudden question. "What?"

"Lord Jusis," she clarified. "Second son of House Albarea? Attends Thors Military Academy? Same as you three? Do you know him?"

"He's our classmate," Rean responded, "but right now, we have no way to contact him. Also, you haven't told us your-"

"Tell me this first…" the girl interjected once more. "How much do you think you trust Jusis?"

The students had to stop for a moment to process everything. They had not met this girl for even a minute and she was already asking them lots of questions instead of the other way around. However, her last question had brought up an interesting point: Jusis clearly trusted them enough to tell them about his background, but did that trust go both ways?

Morgan thought of their conversation at breakfast this morning. The more she thought about it, the more she realized that Jusis was the first of Group A to divulge his full backstory. Fie kept hers under wraps for obvious reasons, Machias had yet to explain if there was a reason for his hatred of nobles, and even Rean, straightforward and willing to help as he was, always gave off the feeling that he was worrying about something bigger than himself. Then, there was Morgan herself. She could only blame herself for speaking out of turn, but when it came to the subject of her lineage, she had constantly tried to divert attention away from herself. Was she afraid that they would just laugh at her? Was her trust in others really that shallow?

"I trust him."

Morgan's thoughts were interrupted by Rean's answer.

"Jusis told us about his family. No matter which way you look at it, that must have taken some courage on his part. If he was willing to trust us with that sort of information, then it would be a shame if we didn't return that same amount of trust."

Rean locked eyes with those of the red-haired girl's. "I'll admit, we may not be the best of friends yet, but he's still a member of Class VII, and at the very least, we have each other's backs." He glanced to Fie and Morgan. "What about you two?"

Morgan and Fie looked at each other and nodded. "What he said." "Same."

The red-haired girl exhaled. "Very well. Then I shall put my trust in you as well." She turned around to leave.

Rean tried to reach for her. "Wait, where are you-"

"You want to rescue your friend, right?" she asked. "I know a way to the guardhouse. Let me show you."

"Who are you?"

"A friend of Jusis's," she answered. "Come. We can discuss on the way there."

The red-haired girl went down the stairs in a hurry. With their only lead getting further away, the remnants of Group A decided to forgo asking questions for the time being and followed her.

"An underground waterway?"

"Yes," Jusis's friend responded. "A network of waterways lies beneath Bareahard, extending all the way from the east side of the city to the west. The original intent was to create an emergency exit for the duke's family to withdraw into during the Middle Ages, but these days it has since become denizen for monsters."

"There are monsters beneath the city?" Morgan exclaimed. "And no one's doing anything about it?"

"It was originally the bracers' duty to patrol the waterway regularly," she explained, "but after the guild closed down, that responsibility went to the provincial army. For the most part, though, they're far too proud to sully their own hands with the blood of monsters, so we can assume things have gotten worse since then…" She gave a brief snort. "As things always do when it comes to them."

A bead of uneasy sweat dropped from Rean's forehead. "That's...one way to describe them."

"I see no reason not to tell it like it is," she refuted. "The number of soldiers in the provincial army that actually do something can be counted on one hand. The entrance is down here."

Jusis's friend had led them all the way to Station Street and down a flight of stairs to where a river ran through the city. After making a U-turn at the stairs, the group made their way to the end of the waterway until they reached a locked door.

Fie drew near to the door and closed her eyes. "Mm. I can feel a breeze. Seems like it's pretty spacious."

"It does cover the span of the city, after all," Morgan recalled.

"But it's locked." Rean shook the door to prove his point. "Do you know a way to unlock this?"

"You think I don't know how to unlock it, after I've shown you the way?" She blew her bangs out of her face. "You're all dense."

"Excuse me?" Rean certainly wasn't expecting Jusis's friend to act in such a manner.

The girl moved Rean out of the way and rummaged within her jacket to pull out a small rectangular compartment that appeared to be made of metal. It had a small fastener on one side and a metal L-shaped object on the other. She then removed the metal object from the compartment, which surprised the students, before twisting the fastener to reveal a wide assortment of metal picks with different patterns.

Fie widened her eyes. "That's a jackknife lock pick! You're going to pick the lock?"

"Ah, finally," the red-haired girl drily remarked. "Someone with a bit of common sense."

Morgan leaned closer. "Where did you get something like that?"

"More importantly, where did you learn how to pick locks?" Rean was shaking his head, bewildered.

"Jusis and I frequently played here when we were younger, back when there weren't as many monsters. No one gave us a key, so we made one ourselves." About a second later, there was a clicking sound, followed by the latch coming undone. The red-haired girl pushed the doors open.

"Impressive," Fie commented. Given her background, that certainly meant something.

"You learn to pick up a few things from the streets."

Her comment surprised the students.

"Does that bother you?" she asked as she put away her lockpick.

"N-No!" Rean refuted. "It's just a bit...surprising, is all."

"Because I look like this?" She waved her hand at her clothes. "Most people are hardly what they appear at first glance; it's best if you remember that now."

Jusis's friend turned away from the door. "Well, the door's open now. If you want to rescue your friend, you should make haste."

"You're not coming with us?" asked Morgan.

"I only said that I would show you the way," she recalled. "I didn't say anything about joining your entourage. Besides, I lack the equipment to adequately do so."

It was true. As much as it would benefit them to bring Jusis's friend along, she was essentially just a civilian. There was no way to guarantee her safety if she was caught aiding in the jailbreak.

"At least tell us your name," Rean insisted. "We can't thank you enough for this."

Jusis's friend didn't respond for a moment and simply walked past Rean. Then, after two more paces, she turned around.

"My name is Lea. Lea Eros." She curtsied. "Good luck, Class VII. You'll need it."

Before the students could say any more, she turned and walked away.

"THAT was Lea?" Morgan said after their helper was out of their sight.

"So that was Ralph's daughter…" Rean muttered. "She doesn't look like him at all."

"Probably takes after her mom," Fie pointed out.

"True." Rean put a hand on his sword. "Right, let's head on in. You two ready?"

"Yeah." "Mhm."

With that, Rean, Morgan, and Fie entered the underground waterway, hoping that they didn't attract too much attention.

It was one thing to claim that a city's architecture was beautiful for the buildings on the surface level. It was another thing entirely to claim that that beauty could extend all the way below the surface. And yet, that was precisely the case with the architecture of Bareahard's underground waterway. The smell was about what one would expect from a place that hadn't been maintained properly, but that was offset by the designs of the stone walls and structures, which seemed to glisten from the damp lights coming from the orbal lamps that were scattered throughout the place.

The one thing that marred the waterways, however, was the abundance of monsters that had made the underground their home. There were white-colored flying felines, similar to the ones Class VII had encountered in the Old Schoolhouse; large insects with stone-hard carapaces that secreted foul-smelling fluids; and light-blue colored slimes that were difficult to catch. Rean, Morgan, and Fie had to tread carefully, only engaging with the enemy if there was no other way to move onward. Well, they could have tried jumping into the water and swimming the rest of the way, but none of the students were willing to risk getting themselves wet, regardless of how clear the water looked.

As they proceeded westward in the direction of the provincial army's guardhouse, the students suddenly came to a halt when they heard a sound that didn't come from them.

"What was that?" asked Morgan.

"It sounded like…" Rean paused to listen. "Steel?"

Fie grabbed both of her gunswords. "There's something going on up ahead. A group of monsters, and they're engaging with...something."

Rean unsheathed his tachi. "Guess there's only one way to find out."

The students ran towards the direction of the clanging sound. Eventually, they came across a group of insectoid monsters, just as Fie had deduced, and right in the center of the enemy mob was a familiar face.

"Jusis?!" exclaimed all three of them.

Indeed, Class VII's own Jusis Albarea was currently fending off the group of arthropods by himself. He weaved in and out of each attack, not staying in the same place for more than a second.

"We need to help him!" Morgan reached for her ARCUS, but Rean stopped her.

"I think he can handle this," he assured her with a nod. "Just watch."

As he said that, Jusis breathed slowly and held out his sword with both hands. Then, a saintly glow began to surround his blade. The monsters that were surrounding him all pounced forward, but Jusis was ready. He rotated his body in a counterclockwise direction, performing a lengthened spinning attack that blew all the enemies away. Some fell into the water while the others simply fell to the ground, unmoving.

Morgan started clapping her hands. "Nice moves."

Jusis turned in surprise to his classmates. "I certainly didn't expect to encounter the three of you down here."

"That should be our line." Rean smirked. "This feels like déjà vu, doesn't it?"

"How so?" Morgan wondered aloud.

"Oh, that's right. You weren't there with us. On the first day at the old schoolhouse, Elliot, Gaius, Machias, and I found Jusis fighting some monsters by himself. He was surrounded on all sides, but he took down all of them like it was nothing! We eventually persuaded him to come with us and...well, you know the rest."

"As much as I would like to reminisce, we have more pressing matters at the moment." Jusis sheathed his sword. "If you three are here, then I assume you know that this leads to the guardhouse. I'll lead us there."

He turned around and started walking further down the waterway before anyone could say anything, so the other members of Group A had to catch up with him.

"You know what's going on?" Fie questioned.

"Unfortunately." Jusis carried a stern expression on his face. "Arresting the Imperial governor's son under a false charge in order to keep the Reformist Faction under control...I find it hard to believe my father would attempt something so brazen. Furthermore, he didn't have any intention of talking to me. I was placed under house arrest the moment I returned to the mansion by the provincial army."

"So that's what happened…" Rean commented. "Then, how exactly did you…?"

"I know my way around," Jusis replied. "I did my fair share of exploring back when there weren't as many monsters, so I'm familiar with the general layout of the waterway. Still, that doesn't explain how you three managed to find out about this place."

"We had a little help from your...exploring partner," Morgan explained.

"Exploring partner? But that could only mean…" Jusis mumbled to himself until his eyes widened with realization. "So it was her, then?"

Rean nodded. "Lea? Yes, it was."

"I'm surprised you managed to find her, much less convince her to provide assistance."

"We met her by chance," Rean explained. "And actually, she was the one who offered to help us."

"Truly?" Jusis raised an eyebrow. "That's rather surprising. Lea was never the person who showed her altruism to anyone."

"I could say the same about you," Morgan pointed out, drawing everyone's gazes. "You were planning on saving Machias, even if you had to do it alone, weren't you?"

Jusis snorted. "Hmph. Don't get the wrong idea. I just can't condone my father's actions. Besides…" He produced a small smirk with his mouth. "He's no doubt huddled up, crying and lonely in the corner of his cell right now. It's worth rescuing him just to see that."

Fie sighed. "Aaand, there it is."

Morgan placed her hand on her forehead. "I guess some things never change…"

Rean only smirked to himself. Perhaps there was some hope for those two after all…

After some more walking, the students found themselves at the underground entrance to the guardhouse. However, they found themselves barred by a fortified iron door that, unfortunately, only seemed to be openable from the inside.

"I should have figured that they would close the door on their end," Jusis berated himself.

"It looks far too sturdy for my sword to have much effect," Rean observed. "If only Laura were here…"

Morgan pressed against the stone doors and knocked softly. From the looks of it, they were impervious to low-level orbal arts, so even an all-out attack using their orbments wouldn't amount to much. She looked to the hinges of the doors. Maybe they could start with those? They looked about as sturdy as the doors themselves, though…

She felt someone tug at her blazer. "What's up, Fie?"

"This can be overcome," the silver-haired girl whispered.

"Really?" Morgan half-exclaimed.

Fie nodded. "The only ways we can bust this door open is if we unscrew the hinges or blow it up in one go. We don't have much time, though, so we need to go with the second."

"And how do you propose we do that?" Jusis asked. "You would need some matter of explosives to make a dent in them."

"Exactly." Fie raised her jacket slightly, revealing a belt with several pouches like Morgan's. "Stand back, everyone."

Morgan began to connect the dots. "Fie...are you sure about this?"

"Maybe, maybe not," she said. "Do you trust me?"

"Of course," Morgan replied without hesitation. "But I'm just saying-"

"Then leave this to me."

She brought out five malleable disks and placed them at different locations of the doors, two on each side covering the hinges and one in the center. She then procured a small vial containing some gray powder and sprinkled a bit on each disk. Once everything was set up, she took a few steps back and readied her gunswords.

"Ignition."

With a quick pull of the trigger, all five of the disks exploded. A moment later, the fortified doors that had appeared so impenetrable fell down at Fie's feet.

Fie placed her gunswords into their holsters and dusted her hands off. "Done."

"D-Don't just 'Done' us!" Jusis exclaimed. "What was that?!"

"Portable high-powered explosive," Fie responded flatly. "Plasticity makes it handy for this kind of espionage work."

"And where could you possibly have gotten such a thing?"

Fie remained silent. Out of respect for her female companion's willingness to expose her true colors, so did Morgan.

Rean exhaled, signaling the inevitable. "Fie, I think at this point, the rest of us have a right to know. Being able to keep up with the rest of us despite your age is one thing, but all this talk about smoke grenades and using explosives...it's clear your background is more complicated than it seems. So, if you're willing and able, we could use an explanation."

Fie and Morgan exchanged a quick glance and a nod. Taking in a small breath, Fie said, "Long story short, I used to be a jaeger. That's where I learned how to handle explosives and use my gunswords. That's all."

That surprised both of their male classmates. "A jaeger?" Rean repeated. "I wasn't expecting that."

"Jaeger corps are almost synonymous with the Grim Reaper," Jusis muttered to himself. "To think I'd be going to school with a jaeger…"

"Jusis…" Morgan gave him the stink eye.

Realizing himself, Jusis cleared his throat. "My apologies. I spoke out of turn. I mustn't let prejudices get the better of me."

"And it's not like knowing her past doesn't change who she is now," Rean added with a smile. "Thanks for telling us, Fie. And I'm sorry for prying."

"Not bothered," Fie said with a shrug.

Morgan grinned. "Looks like everything worked out fine in the end, huh, Fie?"

"I guess."

"If I may ask…" Jusis interjected. "How long were you aware of this, Daraen?"

"Only recently," she replied. "Let's just say you boys weren't the only ones who had a small heart-to-heart last night. But that's enough about that! We've got a class vice president we need to save!"

The students proceeded onward, turning a corner and moving up a flight of stairs until they were met with a row of jail cells.

"This looks like the place," Rean remarked. "Let's split up search all of the cells-"

"Am I hearing things…?"

The students jumped at the familiar voice. "Or, we could just follow that instead," Morgan finished.

They rushed in the direction of the voice. Indeed, standing all by his lonesome in a jail cell was none other than Machias.

"What are you all doing here?" their bespectacled classmate asked. "There's no way the provincial army would just let me go, unless… You didn't sneak in, did you?!"

"Keep it quiet, will you?" Fie hissed. "Stand back; I'm opening the cell."

Fie brought out another portable explosive, placed it over the keyhole, and sprinkled some gunpowder on it. Morgan, Rean, and Jusis all took a step back while Machias looked on, confounded.

"How are you going to-"

*BANG!* The door to the jail cell opened with no issue.

"We'll explain when we have more time!" Morgan said hurriedly. "Machias, where did they put your shotgun?"

"I-In one of the other cells…" Machias was still gawking in awe at what had just occurred. "I don't know which one, though."

"Split up and search for it!"

At Rean's order, the five students went in different directions to search for the missing weapon. Eventually, Jusis found it lying in one of the cells at the far end of the hallway, at which point Fie immediately went to work and placed another explosive on the cell door. One small explosion later and the shotgun was in its owner's rightful hands once again.

But before Group A could properly reconvene…

"What…?" "Voices…?"

"Damn…" Rean cursed. "We were too slow!"

With two soldiers coming in close, Fie made her move. Her hands moving as swift as the wind, she procured a small oval-shaped object with a ring attached and used her teeth to pull the ring out.

"Get going!"

She threw the cylinder, sending it skidding across the floor, and started running back the way they came. Everyone else hurriedly followed her. As the students made their way down the stairs, a loud popping noise coupled with bright lights rang behind them, followed by the sounds of two men screaming.

"Wh-What was that?!" Machias asked as they ran.

"A flash grenade," Fie explained. "That'll keep them handicapped for a little bit."

"A-And where exactly did you get such a thing?!"

Jusis snorted. "That was my question, Regnitz."

"Why are you here anyways?" Machias asked Jusis in-between breaths. "The others I can understand, but you of all people…"

"Hmph. I only came to get a glimpse at your tear-stained face."

"Oh, you little-"

"Plus…" Jusis continued. "I thought this might be a good opportunity to pay back my father." He proceeded to explain what had transpired since this morning to Machias, while Rean, Morgan, and Fie gave a short summary of how they reunited with Jusis.

Suddenly, two loud bestial howls reverberated throughout the underground waterway.

"That doesn't sound good…" Morgan muttered.

"Gee, you think?!" Machias shouted.

"If you have the energy to shout, you have the energy to run!" Jusis yelled, picking up his pace.

Eventually, the sound of encroaching footsteps began to echo throughout the waterway. However, no matter how much Group A tried to run, the footsteps kept growing louder.

"I'm sensing two of them…" Rean said. "And they're big!"

Fie looked behind her and hissed. "And fast."

The other students looked behind them to find their pursuers hot on their tails. They were large canines, had very sharp teeth and claws, and were covered head to toe with armor, with one beast possessing blue armor and red fur and other possessing golden armor and black fur. Suddenly, the canine with the blue armor broke into top speed, overtaking the students by jumping over them and landing in front of them, blocking the path forward.

"Geh…" Rean growled. "We're surrounded!"

The students had managed to reach the clearing where Rean, Morgan, and Fie had reunited with Jusis. Now, they were in a similar situation, being stuck in the middle of a team of enemies. The beasts slowly began to encircle the group, daring them to make the first move.

Machias readied his shotgun. "Y-Your family's army employs monsters like this?!"

"No one ever told me!" Jusis fired back.

Morgan looked back and forth between the two large dogs. As she compared the two, she began to notice subtle differences in their appearances, from the body mass to the shape of their respective armors. "If I had to hazard a guess, the blue one's faster, but the golden one's stronger. Machias, you and I can take the golden one while Rean and Fie can take the other-"

"Wait." Machias looked to Jusis. "Jusis Albarea, do you remember our promise this morning?"

Jusis returned the gaze. "It looks like I'm not the only one who thought of that. There's no better time than now, agreed?"

Machias adjusted his glasses by the bridge. "My thoughts exactly."

[IS] At that moment, both of their ARCUS units started glowing and a faint blue line formed, connecting the two of them. After much trial and tribulation, they had finally done it; Jusis Albarea and Machias Regnitz had successfully tied an ARCUS link by themselves.

"Regnitz and I will handle the golden one," Jusis said. "We leave the blue one to the rest of you."

Rean and Morgan smiled. Even Fie's lips curved slightly upwards.

"Then I guess it's time to wrap up this month's field study…" Rean began as he and Fie tied an ARCUS link of their own. "Class VII, Group A… Commence attack on the targets!"

With a collective yell of approval, the students dispersed into their teams. Sensing the teens' intent to attack, the two canine beasts started yapping and jumped back to gain some ground. Now standing at opposite ends of the arena, they both let out a piercing howl.

"Howl all you want; that won't change a thing!" Machias unloaded a shotgun round at the golden-armored canine, causing it to growl and charge head-first at him. He could have easily moved out of the way, but had he done so, it would have put their other three classmates at risk of getting teamed up on, so Machias stood his ground. Holding his shotgun out as his only means of defense, Machias was pushed off his feet by the beast.

"Bad dogs require stern discipline!" Readying his sword, Jusis delivered a series of rapid thrusts followed by a horizontal swing to the monster's exposed side. In retaliation, it spun around furiously, forcing Jusis to step back.

Out of nowhere, a high-speed bullet flew into the beast, blowing a piece of its armor off. Jusis looked to see Machias holding his shotgun one-handed. He appeared no worse for wear, thanks to the effects of his master quartz.

"I should have figured that wouldn't be enough to take you down," Jusis remarked.

"You know me well." Machias reloaded his gun. "We need to take off its armor to get a clean hit. Here it comes!"

…

"Here it comes!"

The blue-armored dog snapped its maw three times before lunging forward. With the verbal cue from her partner, Fie leapt to the right and fired three bullets mid-dodge. Unfortunately, only one of the bullets managed to hit the canine; the other two bounced off of its armor.

"Frost Edge incoming!"

A storm of crystallized ice blades formed around the beast and barraged it from multiple directions.

"Thanks, Morgan!" With the enemy freed up, Rean attacked with his Autumn Leaf Cutter technique, quickly dashing in and unsheathing his sword. The beast yelped and tried to swipe its claws in retaliation, but Rean had already moved out of the way.

Enraged, the canine set its sights on Morgan, who was in the process of casting an art. Snapping its maw, it rushed forward. At the sight of the monster charging towards her, Morgan aimed her orbment towards her feet and gave the order to fire prematurely, resulting in a puddle of water pitifully sprawling onto the floor, before barely managing to avoid the monster's attack in time.

"Keep it locked in that position!" Morgan shouted. "I've got an idea!"

"Okay!" "Ja!"

Rean focused his energy and launched an arc-shaped projectile as he drew his sword. Fie twirled her gunswords and let loose a sweep of bullets. Both attacks bought Morgan enough time to switch from her ARCUS to her personal orbment and prepare a quick art. Her orbment crackling with electrical energy, she aimed it at the puddle of water by the canine's paws.

"You're mine."

…

"You're mine!"

Jusis unleashed an Air Strike art using his ARCUS and blasted the golden-armored dog with an orb of compressed air.

Following this, Machias fired another shotgun round at the monster, successfully removing another piece of armor. With the exception of the armor covering its head, neck, and limbs, the monster had lost most of its protection.

Machias reloaded his shotgun again, but he had a noticeable grimace on his face. "I only have one of those left…"

"Didn't think to replenish your supplies, Regnitz?" Jusis asked.

"Hey, I was stuck in jail!" he fired back. "What's your excuse?"

Despite the banter between the two, not once did the link between them show any signs of wavering.

Meanwhile, the monster decided to take the initiative and rushed towards Machias. Jusis was too far away from Machias to defend him, so he could only say, "Regnitz, look out!"

In response, Machias did something unprecedented. Grabbing his shotgun by the barrel, he swung it like a club, hitting the dog's maw as it was about to clamp down on him and sending it upwards. Immediately afterwards, he took aim, the lights on his shotgun whirring once more.

"This is our last chance!" he yelled. "Make it count!"

Machias fired his last round, sending a high-speed bullet into the monster's exposed stomach.

The edges of Jusis's lips started to curve upwards. "You don't need to tell me what to do."

He put both hands on his sword, which began to glow with energy…

…

His sword glowing with energy, Rean launched another arc-shaped projectile towards the canine. The electrical properties of Morgan's art combined with the small puddle of water she had created earlier left the monster paralyzed in place. But even when its movement was hindered, it proved tenacious enough to swipe its claws at any who dared to come near, so the students were now attacking from a distance to play it safe.

'We need to end this now…' Rean thought. 'It won't stay paralyzed forever, and the provincial army's probably getting closer to us by the second…'

"...Guess this looks like a job for a jaeger."

Having felt Rean's intentions, Fie walked right next to him. "Swift, but deadly; that's the jaeger way of doing things. Stand back. I'll handle this."

"Fie…" Rean wasn't sure what to say to his partner. "Listen, about earlier…"

"You already apologized," the silver-haired girl replied curtly.

"I-I know, but…" He scratched his head. "What I said earlier about your past not changing who you are now? I meant it. I just want you to know that I trust you, and if you give the others time… Well, let's all have a long discussion with everyone when we get back. Does that sound good?"

Fie looked up at him and met him in the eyes. "Sounds like a pain," she retorted, "but that's fine. I'll put my trust in you too. That's why this time…" She paused to turn her gaze towards the monster. "I won't hold anything back."

The former jaeger started to walk towards the armored canine. When she was about a few paces away from it, she reached into her pouch and pulled out a grenade.

"Hey, Pooch!" she called out to it.

The canine looked at the small girl, who was waving the grenade in her hand like a ball.

"Eyes on the prize."

Fie used her teeth to pull the ring out from the grenade and threw it high into the air. As expected, the dog's gaze followed the grenade, not noticing that Fie had begun to crouch low to the ground.

…

"Your end is sure!" "Here I go!"

Jusis thrust forward, stabbing the monster in the gut and locking it in place. Then, with his sword still glowing, he performed two diagonal slashes to form an 'X' before bringing his sword behind him.

Fie dashed forward at blinding speed, cutting the canine at all angles, before leaping off of it. The grenade still in the air, Fie kicked it at the monster and aimed her gunswords.

"Crystal Saber!" "Sylphid Dance!"

Jusis delivered a spinning attack, shredding the canine's armor like paper.

Fie spun like a vortex and rained down a hail of bullets, hitting the grenade and causing it to explode.

In two separate swoops, both canines fell to the ground, defeated. [ISE]

Rean leaned on his tachi for support. "We did it…"

Fie, having landed safely on the ground, was visibly exhausted, having put all her energy into her last attack. "That was tough."

Jusis, also exhausted from his last attack, almost dropped his sword. "Hmph. I have no intention of letting filthy beasts get the better of me, trained or otherwise."

Machias wiped the sweat from his brow. "I thought we were done for…"

All the members of Group A, now gathered in a small circle in the center of the arena, briefly stared at each other in silence.

Then, the member who had yet to say anything started laughing.

"H-Honestly, Morgan…" Machias said. "This is no laughing matter, you know."

"I...I can't help it!" Morgan could barely get the words out of her mouth. "That was amazing! We've been trying so hard to get you two to work together, and all it took was...for you guys to get arrested!"

As Morgan continued laughing, other members started to grin profusely as well.

"Well, when you put it that way…" Rean thought aloud.

"Guess it could've been worse." Fie shrugged her shoulders.

"Rean, Fie! Not you too!" complained Machias.

"Look at you all, grinning like idiots." Jusis shook his head.

"Not as much as you are!" Machias fired back.

"Say that once more with a straight face, Regnitz. I dare you!"

Perhaps things didn't go the way they had intended it to, but Group A couldn't have asked for a more fitting way to cap off their field study.

But of course, all good things had to come to an end eventually. Just as the students were ready to head back to the surface, the sound of a loud whistle made their blood run cold.

"Rean, is it just me or does this scene look familiar?" Morgan asked as the provincial army soldiers surrounded the students.

The swordsman shook his head. "Nope. I'm having flashbacks of my own."

"Looks like the end of the road…" Machias grumbled.

The provincial army officer walked up to them, shaking his head in disapproval. "You've pushed your luck one step too far this time! Are you that desperate to be thrown in a cell with Regnitz?!"

"If you want to arrest us, go right ahead."

The soldiers did a double take at the sight of the younger Albarea. "L-Lord Jusis?!" the army officer exclaimed. "What are you doing here? I thought you'd been locked at the mansion!"

"I chose to return to my studies." Jusis crossed his arms. "Well? What's it to be? Accusing my classmates will implicate me as well."

Some of the soldiers hesitantly muttered to themselves, but the officer quickly commanded their attention. "Silence! Not even Lord Jusis has the right to trespass in a military facility, much less to release a suspect in our custody, directly opposing the orders of His Grace the Duke!"

Morgan gritted her teeth. 'This isn't good…' At this rate, they would all be incarcerated with no way of escaping. Being in an underground waterway also didn't help matters; no one would be able to hear their cries for help. It seemed like there was only one way they could get out of this situation…

"Enough!" Jusis looked like he was a few moments away from fuming. "We may not be the best of friends, but I trust them all the same! I am Jusis Albarea, and I will not simply stand by and watch as one of my classmates is arrested under false charges and used as a tool in some political war!"

The soldiers were momentarily stunned at the younger Albarea's words, as were the other students.

Morgan's hand reached into her skirt pocket, where she had temporarily stashed her tactical orbment. There was one last ace up her sleeve…

"Tch!" The provincial army officer remained unconvinced. "We have our orders, and nothing you say will change that. Disarm them, men! Lord Jusis included!"

Morgan exhaled and willed her power to simmer into existence.

But right before she could feel the embers appear over her body…

"That will not be necessary."

She promptly silenced her power.

All the people present turned to the direction of the sudden voice. Standing right in front of them, no worse for wear, was Rufus Albarea.

"L-Lord Rufus!" All the soldiers saluted in respect.

"H-How?" Jusis couldn't believe his eyes. "I thought you were in the capital!"

"I was," Rufus confirmed. "But then I received a message from the academy at noon today. I returned by airship as quickly as I could."

He then glanced behind him to look at the individual who was catching up to him. "...With your instructor."

"Looks like you all did a fine job!" Sara cheerily greeted her students, waving her hand at them like they were all just meeting up for lunch. Naturally, her appearance sent a shock through the students as well.

"What are you doing here, Instructor?" asked Rean. The rest of Group A crowded around their teacher while Rufus spoke with the provincial army officer.

"Your timing is a little too convenient," Fie remarked.

"Ha! If only things were that easy." Sara scratched the back of her head. "I actually heard what was happening a little earlier from a friend of mine. As soon as the news reached my ears, I shot to my feet and got right in contact with the director over there. Since we were both going in the same direction, he was kind enough to give me a ride on his airship back from the capital. We got back to Bareahard, my friend debriefed us, we entered the waterway, and that's why I'm here!"

"I don't know what to say…" Machias said.

"By the way, how're you feeling, Machias?" questioned Sara. "Did you like doing time?"

"Not one bit," he responded. "But then everyone else came, and...well, I'm feeling much better now."

"It looks like you and Jusis managed to make up while I wasn't here, too," Sara noticed. "Kudos! Looks like this field study was a success!"

"All's well that ends well, I suppose." Everyone turned to Rufus. The provincial army had already started heading back the way they came. "I had hoped that your last day would go by without much issue, but it appears you can never be too sure of things. Wouldn't you agree, Instructor Valestein?"

"You took the words right out of my mouth, Director."

"W-Wait just a second…" Jusis interjected. "You keep calling my brother 'Director'. Why is that?"

Sara gave the older Albarea an odd look. "You mean you didn't tell them yet?"

"That was intentional on my part," Rufus admitted, chuckling. "I wanted to see the look on my brother's face when he found out I was a member of the academy's board of directors after he enrolled there."

"B-Board of directors?!" Machias exclaimed.

Rufus stroked his chin. "Hmm, judging from how close your jaws are to the floor, I'd say I certainly succeeded."

"No kidding…" Morgan put a finger to her lips. "That explains why you knew so much about Class VII."

Rufus retrieved a pocket watch and inspected the time. "It's getting rather late, and I'm sure all of you are exhausted. What do you say we all retire for the day?"

"A splendid idea!" Instructor Sara clapped her hands. "I was just in the mood for a drink myself!"

A bead of uneasy sweat dropped collectively from the students' heads. "The director's right there," Fie pointed out.

"No need for concern, Miss Claussell," Rufus assured her. "Instructor Valestein's aptitude for combat is matched only by her aptitude for drinking large quantities of alcohol. Such a notion has been made aware among the Thors faculty for a while now."

"And I bet I know who it was that leaked it in the first place…" Sara grumbled. "It was the vice principal, wasn't it?"

Rufus bowed to the violet-haired instructor. "I hereby exercise my right to remain silent."

As the two adults led the students out of the waterway, Morgan felt someone tug at her blazer. "Is something the matter, Fie?"

"You feeling okay?" the former jaeger asked her. "You look like you're on edge."

"O-Oh, really?" Morgan cleared her throat. "I was just trying to stay calm. You know, how we almost got arrested by the provincial army?"

"They've been gone for a while," Fie said. "Why so serious all of a sudden?"

"I-Is it really that odd for me to act vigilant?"

"Why so vigilant, then?"

"Never mind. It's nothing."

Fie shrugged her shoulders. "Whatever you say." She picked up her pace to walk with the rest of the group, leaving Morgan by herself in the back.

'He was looking at me…'

Morgan turned her eyes towards Rufus Albarea. He was currently talking with his brother, likely about filial matters. It didn't seem like he had noticed that she was looking at him. Or was he? It was difficult to tell with that man, what with his serene smile and unwavering tone.

"That will not be necessary," he had said. Right as she was about to use her power, no less.

Perhaps she was overthinking things, but at the moment, Morgan couldn't help but shake the feeling that those words were directed at her.

'Fie...everyone...I'm sorry,' she apologized in her head. 'I guess...maybe I'm just not ready yet to tell you everything about myself.'

Author's note: At last, the field study for Chapter 2 is over! Well, technically it isn't; everyone needs to get back to the academy first, which is what the next chapter will cover. I'm planning on doing something different in regards to how the homecoming is told, though, so do look forward to that.

Also, it just occurred to me, but as of this writing we have passed the one-year anniversary for this story! Thanks to all who stuck around since the beginning, and thanks to those who just recently gave this story a favorite and a follow! It is my hope that I get to finish this story eventually, even if it's taking a while to do it, but I want to make sure that every chapter from this point on is filled with content I can be proud of. With that, see you next time for the final chapter in...this chapter! (≧ω≦)ゞ