---

Together with Ciradyl, and the remainder of team Kirin that wasn’t inside the prison proper, Éliane thought they were putting up some good pressure on the defenders. Her rifle shots came fast and accurate, keeping many of the enemy riflemen on the roofs well-suppressed, but it was quickly becoming apparent that good wasn’t enough. Soldiers from within continued to reinforce the losses that the team had inflicted on them, and a screamed order had what felt like half the entire enemy forces suddenly focusing on Miina.

The Skaelan officer immediately shifted her focus to the Valheimians that were gunning for the poor cat, but it wasn’t enough. She was momentarily stunned by the enemy’s aerial reinforcements.

What kind of abominable creatures did these barbarians have? Some kind of twisted, cruel experiment?

With the aid of Galahad, she bounded across the roof, swinging her gun around and firing at the flying threats.

Why did they have guns!?

Thankfully, Éliane was not a stranger to shooting at flying things. As a properly trained Skaelan officer, she enjoyed a good hunt from time to time, and skeet shooting was good practice, too. These large flying guns were comparatively lumbering… the only issue was that her shots were also comparatively small. They packed a bunch, sure, but it might not be enough to shoot them down in one hit.

But that was why Éliane packed explosive shells. She had them for her gunblade, and she absolutely had them for her rifle, too.

“Don’t count me out yet!” Yelling back at Galahad, she picked out a handful of red-colored cartridges from her leather pouch and fed them into her gun—making sure to save at least a few to use against the impending airship. “I can blow that stupid thing out of the sky, too!”

Slamming the bolt shut, she sighted on the leadership the dragoon had pointed out. She quickly calculated the lead and drop for the flying einhander—or, if it was already shot down by Miina, the closest flying threat. If she was lucky enough, the explosion might take out another. Pulling the trigger, she felt the customary kick of her weapon and watched as the shell arced across the sky and explode against her target, immediately sending it spiraling out of control. She wasn’t quite so lucky to kill two birds with one shot, but the dying bird spinning out of control and sending the others diving out of the way seemed to put the enemy formation into enough chaos for them to better exploit— and get clear of this killbox.

“They’re in disarray. Charge, now!”

"AIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEE" Was the scream that came from several of the gunmen as they were electrocuted by Eve's lightning. Their corpses sizzled and smoked as they hit the ground, with one particularly unlucky one falling off the upper railing entirely. Between Rudolf and Esben's efforts, the remaining swordsmen fell in short order, blade and bullet distracting them from focusing entirely on one or the other.

As the last of the Valheimr squad died, Izayoi came up from the rear, still supporting a heavily limping Hien.

"Forward, then. The less we tarry, the less time Ciradyl's fighters must hold out to support us. A few more steps, and we'll emerge out into the streets."

___

"Stubborn bastards!" The sergeant giving orders screamed in frustration as he fired his rifle, his and his men's shots by and large deflected by the combined efforts of Arton and Robin. Thanks to the latter two, the effects of the killbox were lessened, giving Galahad, Ciradyl, and Eliane clear shots at the Einhanders.

The abominations began falling from the sky, but not before their gunfire rent holes in the rooftops, the rounds their attached guns carried a good deal larger than the man-portable ones used by the common soldiers.

"Damn them! Get me a line to the airship!"

The aforementioned comms man dutifully dashed up to the sergeant, handing a device over attached to the bulky contraption on his back.

"Proudclad, Einhanders are down! Requesting support fire, danger clos-AUGH!" His request was cut off by Miina's Blizzara forming above, icicles raining down and impaling both himself and the comms man in the chest, head, and throat. Unfortunately however, it seemed the call still went through, as a few moments later, cannon shots began booming out from the airship. A dozen thirty-pound shots crashed into buildings around the area, smashing through wood and civilians within.

The first barrage didn't seem quite accurate, largely exploding around the Kirins, though a few rounds did get close. Those with working knowledge of artillery knew that situation wouldn't last: the closer the airship drew, the more on target the shots would be.

Even with this reprieve however, the Valheimr lines were still in disarray from Eliane's disruption and the loss of their immediate command. The infiltration team emerged from the side of the prison just in time to see the Valheimr in chaos and the airship firing upon the district.

"Are they insane?!" Hien choked, his expression ashen as he witnessed collapsing buildings and screaming citizens in the rubble. "They'll level the district if they continue!"

Izayoi's expression was similarly grave as she assessed the situation. After a moment, she shared a look with her former student.

"Even should we bring it out of the sky, it will still crash on something within the area." Her tone implied as if she was asking for permission rather than simply ruminating, and Hien grimaced for a moment before nodding begrudgingly.

"I don't know how you can, but do it. At this point, it's preferable to allowing that frigate to keep firing unimpeded."

"Understood." Izayoi turned to the other three Kirins, her expression set in a grim mien.

"Eve. Remember what we discussed?" Megaflare. Her gaze turned towards the airship. "Can you bring it down?"

"Esben, Rudolf. Cut through to Galahad and the others. Lord Hien is secure. We need to regroup and begin our retreat, airship or no." Her eyes looked over to the still-disorganized Valheimr on the ground. "Enjoy yourselves."

Miina stared. She'd done the best she could and... well, still it was nothing. The request for help had gone out all the same, and what it brought with it was... complete destruction. What could she do? Well, nothing, really. Maybe fire something at the soldiers that hadn't gotten out of the line of fire in time. As always, she'd been so stupid in trying to practice a bit of everything, if she'd only focused on black magic—

No, probably not even then, she just wouldn't have the experience needed. And that left her with no way to contribute here. Healing? Well, none of them were more than bruised; anyone the shells might have hit in their errant barrage was well beyond her meagre ability. Obviously, just a sword wouldn't cut it.

She was useless, and having to trust in the strange black mage with the fascinating tail and—she didn't. Not really, as nice as she was and as much as she could be trusted, Eve was mostly a stranger. Maybe she had unnatural advantages but... really? Miina wished her brother was here. He'd always been smart, and confident, and so much better than her and even if nothing she'd seen him do could match this... it had been years. And Zeke would've gotten better, she knew it.

But he wasn't here, and maybe if he was it would just be an illusion of comfort and not enough, and she'd have to trust in the strange pale girl...

Because she didn't have the skills of her own to manage it, and no barrier she might attempt could possibly help against one of those if it fired again.

Facing any other foe, Eve might have raised an eyebrow at the peculiar way those gunners screamed as their souls were leaving their electrocuted charred body, alas, she had naught even a shred of pity for those who fought under the banner of Valheim. After confirming that all six gunners had been exterminated, she shifted her attention to the melee fighters, just in case her allies needed assistance, however, just as she predicted, through the combined expertise of Rudolf's deft swordplay and Esben's keen aim, the two Sollan managed to handle the six soldiers just fine. Now, the exit was clear.

"Affirmative." With a quick nod, Eve returned to formation once more, trailing behind Rudolf and Esben but in front of Izayoi and Hien.

Soon enough, the quintet broke their way out the side of the makeshift fortress, only to see the warship - Proudclad - looming over them like a guillotine. Out of the pan and into the fire, it seemed. "Tch..." Eve's hood was thrown back as one of the airship's projectiles landed too close for comfort, sending wind and debris their way. Hien's right, with those many cannons, it wouldn't take an experienced sailor to know that it was only a matter of time before one of those shots hit them. Was there something - anything - they could do? ...well, there's one thing they could try, but...

The eidolon chimera turned her ruby gaze at the Mystrel Samurai and her liege, frowning as Hien made the difficult decision to accept losing his people's lives to collateral damage. Then... "..." she silently yet firmly nodded at the ex-general, answering both of her questions in a single gesture, "Please inform Galahad to catch me after the deed is done." Anyone else would do, but if given the choice, the Dragoon was her best bet for a safe retrieval. With a final nod, the black mage immediately took off in the opposite direction of Esben, Rudolf, and the rest of the party.

The homunculus sprinted faster and faster, pushing her short legs to dash as swiftly as she could, and then, at the apex of her speed, her body began to be enveloped in uncanny prismatic flames, blazing in all seven colors of the rainbow, equal parts eerie and mesmerizing. "...!!" Consumed by the flames, her clothes disintegrated, leaving her body bare as she began to... shift.

First of thy kind. First amongst thy kind. Bahamut, King of All Dragons, grant me your power!



Suddenly, gravity no longer reigned over her as Eve-... no, Grayscale took off into the sky, leaving behind a plume of the same colorful flames. As the inferno cleared, one would bear witness to what could only be described as a twisted amalgamation of a dragon and a sollan soaring toward the vastness of aether; onyx scales, clawed limbs, a long plated tail, pale silver leather wings, and a majestic pair of golden horns, all accented by glowing crimson veins, the entity was more monster than person as it bore little resemblance to the Eve her comrades knew.

The Faux Bahamut kept gaining altitude as she dodged stray cannon fire from the airship, leaving a trail of prismatic flames behind her. Once almost high enough, she executed an immelmann maneuver, simultaneously gaining that last bit of altitude while positioning her front to be facing the warship's bow, right at eye-level with the crew stationed at Proudclad’s bridge.

She could see them, through the windows of the bridge, could see a few of them gazing back at her, and she wished they'd get a good look... for she would be the last thing they'll ever see!

"..." The scaled being took a deep breath... then unleashed a cacophonous roar much too powerful to be expected from a "dragon" this petite.

The venous patterns upon her body shone brighter as the dragoness gathered as much ether as she could to coalesce at her throat, "...!!" so much so that a buildup of prismatic magical energy could be seen even through her skin. She could feel it, the exertion upon her body, her very soul screaming at her to stop, to release it now, but no... not enough, more... more!

Grayscale pushed herself as further as she could, right before the point of no return, then activated her MP Turbo materia, and finally...

"MEGA FLAAAAAAAAAAAARE!!!"

Unhinged her jaw as much as she could, unleashing a huge beam of all the seven colors of destruction. It tore through the air before finding its home right at Proudclad's hull. The warship's armor plating resisted valiantly for a few seconds before it shattered, allowing the beam to continue onward, wreaking havoc in the vessel's vulnerable interior, including her engines, fuel tanks, and ammunition storage. The crew caught in the direct path of the beam were vaporized nigh-instantly, but they should consider themselves lucky... for no sailor - no matter how brave - would wish to experience what transpired next.

Up in the sky, the flying warship was caught in multiple explosions from within, damaging her structure enough to cause her to literally split in twain. The two flaming, shattered chunks falling down akin to a pair of twin meteors, marking the demise of the once-proud airship, slain by the traitorous living weapon of her own people.

As for said traitor, "... ... ..." she knew this would happen, she had experienced it before, but as someone whose sleep didn't come naturally, she could never get used to it. Her consciousness rapidly dwindled, as swiftly as her transformation as the scaled beast reverted back to the Eve her allies knew her to be. Manaless, clothless, unconscious, and helplessly falling from the sky, it was now up to her comrades to decide if she'd live to see another day...

---

"What are you..?!?" The lithe Faye was flying through the air before she could utter another syllable. Her instinct immediately kicked in and she twisted in air to orient herself. She locked onto a flying monster as she reached the apex of her trajectory. Ciradly quickly nocked an arrow and fired it in one swift motion. It was not a full draw so it lacked power, but the impact nailed its chest and caused it to crash into building. She landed smoothly on her feet, sliding to a stop while retrieving another arrow from her quiver.

She ducked quickly into the nearest cover as a gunshot pinged off the surface next to her. By the time she popped her head out, the shooter had already been taken care of by another member of Kirin. Ciradyl's free hand touched the edge of the flare attached to her hip. Soon. She took the chance to observe the battlefield unfolding around the prison. By now, Chisaki should have regrouped with what capable warriors she did have under her command. It was going well. What wasn't she taking into account?

The faint joy in her eyes went ice cold as the bombardment raked the city, though she did not react much beyond that. It was as much as she expected from their oppressor and nothing could be done for the civilians caught in the blast. They were not the objective. Ciradyl returned to taking shots at the remaining Valheim forces, focusing on clearing the extraction point. Her eyes immediately locked onto Hien as he came into view along with the rest of the infiltration team. They had him.

She could see Izayoi talking to the young girl from earlier and then she started running. What were they thinking? No, what was she? The power that began to radiate off the eidolon was palpable to the Faye. She was taken aback at the form she changed into. She had questions. Questions that would need to wait. She could see Eve was targeting the airship but she couldn't think a way she would be able to damage it. Well, if that was the plan then she better lend her hand to make sure it works.

Air swirled around her feet as she backed to the edge of the rooftop before sprinting towards the quickly rising Eidolon. She leapt into the air, pushing her legs to their absolute limit. Ciradyl reached out a hand and rested her palm briefly on Eve's scaly shoulder "Do not hold back. Let them suffer." A different kind of magic flowed into Eve's body through their connection. This power swirled and mingled with Eve's, acting like a focusing lens. Her fingers were pulled off by the forces of gravity and she began to plummet.

Ciradyl managed to adjust her descent into a cotton canopy that cushioned her fall, putting her on the ground floor with the infiltration team. The flames of burning Proudclad dancing delightfully in her eyes as she witnessed the terrifying power of Valheim's rogue weapon. She prayed to whatever gods were listened that Reisa was onboard and being cooked alive, but she was prepared to be disappointed as usual. Still, she couldn't help the small giggle that escaped her lips.

Her hand moved down to the flare attached to her belt and grabbed it. It seemed like such a pathetic, little firework compared to what just occurred. Chisaki and her forces were likely already on their way. Still, she held the flare pointed to the sky and launched it into the dark-orange sky. This was the mark of a new day. The time for lurking in shadows and hiding in the enemy's den was over.

"I hope you are ready, Hien. This battle is all yours now." She quietly said to herself.

Mentions: @Ithradine, @Izurich, @Click This

"Arton with me!" Galahad bellowed, his voice cutting through the chaos of battle. Miina's spell had taken out the leadership, and the soldiers surrounding him were beginning to crumble, their focus dividing as they faced attack from multiple angles. Bounding forward, Galahad leaped and swerved, juking his way through oncoming fire before straighting out the last dozen yards and bursting forward with his halberd held before him. The Dragoon crashed into the fractured enemy formation, impaling the foremost soldier with the point of his weapon like a cavalryman's lance. An upward swing of his heavy blade sending the skewered man flying unceremoniously through the air, landing a few feet away with a sickening thud.

Twisting his torso, Galahad took a step back and twisted his weapon, catching the blade of another soldier on the haft of his halberd as he shoved him back, flipping his halberd and jabbing with the pointed butt of his weapon. Mithril cleaved through the steel armor and sent the soldier reeling, though Galahad didn't check his kill as he began to flourish his weapon, wide swings and arcs keeping the soldiers at bay and further breaking up their formation.

The fighting from inside grew louder now, as Izayoi's team finally spilled out of the prison, they'd retrieved Hein. All that was left now was for them to retreat, though that was easier said than done with the airship pouring fire down onto them. Or at least it would have been, if not for their black mage pulling a literal dragon out of her hat. The resulting display of power was awe inspiring, and was perhaps a reminder of the sheer amount of threat Valheim truly posed- had Eve stayed loyal to them, perhaps the Kirins would be the ones on the receiving end of this magic.

Galahad's awe quickly turned into horror as he saw the girl transform back into her original form and began falling- did she not have a backup plan? Or perhaps was he the backup plan and no one told him. With a curse, Galahad quickly extricated himself from his current engagement, throwing back Valheim footmen with a wide swing before he jumped high into the air, the crest of his arc meeting Eve's trajectory as he caught her.

Roof tiles scattered and shattered as Galahad's form landed on the roof next to Eliane. "This wasn't part of any plan I discussed." Galahad grumbled as he set the no-longer-dragon girl down next to Eliane, quickly unclasping his cloak to wrap it around the unconscious eidolon. "I think she'll be safest up here. Let's wrap things up and get out of here, quickly."

---

A shot of enthusiasm shown in Arton's smile as Miina's spell seemed to do great work, eliminating or incaptiating a large number of foes "Way to go Miin-" The thunderous fury of the airship's barrage cut off the last syllable and turned what might have been a inspiring moment into a cascade of despair. His shoulders dropped and his smile turned hollow. Fire began to illuminate the night sky, framing the airship in an ominous light. The deafening roar of the artillery was quickly replaced by the distant cries and screams of its victims. Keep focused, don't think. No matter how many time he repeated it inside his mind, his feet seemed to be frozen in place.

Luckily Galahad's voice took over whatever thoughts were distracting him and pressed him back into the fight "Got your back!" Arton fiercely replied and quickly followed the dragoon, moving his shield to block out incoming fire and side-stepping when able. His sword came down on the next soldier in line the moment after Galahad had impaled the man. Arton ducked as an enemy spear swung overhead, catching the haft close to the spear tip before it went out of reach. A quick twist of his wrist and a directed point of pressure snapped the spear tip off to which Arton then used to impale the neck of its owner. After that, he balanced his attacks with Galahad's sweeping motions, picking off the stragglers not caught in the whirlwind of death.

A flash of relief washed over him as they finally managed to regroup with the infiltration team, with Hien in tow. He knew little of the situation here in Osprey but he hoped he was worth all this effort. The reunion hadn't even begun when Eve took off, quickly becoming enveloped in a swath of bright colors. Arton quickly averted his eyes as her clothes began to disappear amidst the chromatic energy, lifting hand to act as a shield.

The sounds of his comrades'reactions made it impossible not to look back. The raw power and force of Eve's new form erased any embarrassment he might have felt. She had a unique appearance before but this was...almost mythical. His mouth went agape as the mega flare devastated the airship, suddenly feeling small in comparison to Eve's power. It was made clear quickly that such power did come at a cost as she began to fall from the sky, no signs that she would recover on her own. He locked eyes quickly with Galahad "Go! I got this covered!" Arton yelled as took up position in the clearing Galahad made, putting himself in the way of as many opponents as he could. "Please, don't drop her...". He muttered to himself as he took a deep breath, the group of soldiers regrouping "...barrier." With that breath, he flung towards the closest soldier, smashing his shield into their helmet and caving it completely in.

@Psyker Landshark@Ithradine@vietmyke

"On it." breathed the soon-to-be blur of red and silver, his larger blade once again resting against his back as the infiltration team broke into the open air. I wish I could.

Once again, the young warrior let the moonlight gleam against the steel of his humbler swords, needing their certain bite again instead of empty pomp and circumstance. Fire blossomed, thunder cracked, steel groaned in agony overhead as he leapt into the throng, cutting, stabbing, kicking, shoving, killing. The Valheimr added crimson to the hues of flame that cloaked him, too awestruck and rattled by the explosion of Eve's magic to regain their footing in time to check him.

You've lost Esben. This could get ugly if they realize you're alone in the middle. his passenger advised, for once in neutral tone. Don't give me that. I'm in a bad spot if you die.

They wouldn't. He wouldn't. Don't put that out there, when the aforementioned Southron had nearly shot them. Look ahead.

With Galahad's swings and Arton's materia, at once the Valheimr were sown into the wind, forced back and staggering as the the twin ringing shields of steel and sorcery crashed into what remained of their lines, a bell against their helmets.

A grunt, a burst of force through the body. The feeling of something light in the limbs, but broad through the chest, eclipsing fear.

They were then reaped by the whirlwind, as the yellowed eyes of the younger swordsman flickered into each strike he made against the rear at a level beneath consciousness, for all the world seeming to forget the frantic expression his waking mind still wore on the face. Beneath the weight of his and Arton's pincer, the connection point would come in mere moments.

---

Eve lifted into the sky and Rudolf rushed forwards at Izayoi's words, leaving Esben standing by the former general and her current charge. If it hadn't been for the smoke obscuring things, he may have thought the sun had risen when Eve began her attack; in a moment, though, there was little left but the falling, burning wreck of the airship keeping the battle below lit. A battle beyond his particular capabilities—his skillset wasn't one suited to open war.

"Perhaps that's a position better suited to you, ja?" he said, turning over to Izayoi for a moment. "Surprise is lost at this point, and that's my main tool. I can either stay close to you and we push forward together, or you can pass him to me and cut the path quicker." As he expected, Izayoi's narrowed eyes fell on him almost instantly, wary—overly wary, he would argue—of any betrayal.

"Would you hand off the last worthy leader of your homeland to a barely-trusted foreigner?"

Esben let the words hang for a moment, turning to watch the flash of silvery blue as Galahad leaped to catch Eve, Ciradyl coming to her own landing a short ways away. "I would if they were one of my allies, and were the one to draft the plan that led to his successful rescue," he replied as he turned back, conversational and urbane in the face of Izayoi's suspicion. "We already do xenophobia and isolationism better than you northerners. Don't make us be the pragmatic ones as well."

The stood a heartbeat longer before Izayoi wordlessly passed Hien over, nearly throwing the man into Esben's waiting grasp before rushing ahead, blade flashing in the firelight to cut a path for the young lord's escape. Esben quickly shifted Hien's arm around his shoulders, half-dragging him as they followed the others. "Well, that's for the best, I suppose," he mused to Hien. "Elly might have exploded herself if she had to be the practical one of the group."

Well... okay, then. Now she felt kind of stupid, although that seemed really overboard for the thing they were destroying. Surely it could have been brought down with something smaller...? Not that she'd ever seen an airship before now.

Right, they were running! That was the rest of the infiltration team and...

Uh. Lord Hien? Maybe? Had they ever described him, or had she just forgotten because Ciradyl had been sat right there and was much easier to look at than memorising the appearance of someone she didn't need to identify? Well, whoever he was, the man obviously needed assistance and she had healing, so...

Should she say anything? Probably not, not while fleeing with as much speed as could be allowed and she still felt eugh enough the words would get stuck even more. Right, just reach out and hope nobody took the golden glow as an attack.

The front half the Proudclad's fractured hull came crashing down the street away from Team Kirin. Tile was crushed, wood was snapped, and glass shattered as it slowly came to a rest. An inferno engulfed most of the wreck as small, sporadic explosions continued to ravage what little structural integrity was left. Oil that leaked from the metal carcass began to ignite the ground around the wreck. A shrill fire alarm began to blare as the fire was starting to take over the district.

Ciradyl's forces that assisted the infiltration team came out into the open to join Team Kirin, knowing full well that there was little point in trying to salvage their personas. A Mystrel man was the last of the freedom fighters to leave the prison, holding his side as he made his way over to the rest. He never managed to reach them as a jagged piece of the ship smashed his body into the wall of the prison, preceded by loud crack and groaning metal. A sharp edge of the shard was lodged deep into his chest, tears ran down his cheeks as he cut his hand on the edges of the rough slab. Crimson blood seeped from his lips as he desperately tried to catch a breath. His head soon drooped as one hand fell to the ground while the other remained on the shard.

Tall flames highlighted a dark figure emerging from the wreckage of the Proudclad, the orange reflecting off the silver plates not tarnished by ash and debris. Their sword was already drawn and pulsed with a red glow. The design of the armor was unmistakable as she cleared most of the smoke from the wreck. Captain Reisa. A faint trail of blood ran from her hairline down her face. Short, auburn hair paired with a pair of ruby red eyes replaced the helmet she had worn in their first meeting. Her expression was twisted into a snarl as she began to walk forward.

"No, there is no way..." Arton said in a sharp breath full of disbelief, eyes widening at the approaching Reisa.

"Just m— Just our luck, she's as tough as she looked." Rudolf clicked his tongue from close by, furrowing his brow until the single-eyed grimace he wore became a proper scowl. In the chaotic melee of their retreat after Kirin had carved itself whole again, he'd seen a similar scrape bloom above his left eye, sown in some exchange that doubtlessly would have felt an eternity back. They'd almost been clear, and he's believed he had a second to leave the annoying head wound for truly safe harbor, but with her here...

He rubbed away at it with his sleeve, ignoring the sting, until both eyes opened again. This helped distract him from the white knuckled grip beneath his gauntlets, disguised the shaking steel as he watched the woman stalk forward, glaring daggers at them all. She seemed to grow in his vision, like an angry bear, where he was a scrawny stray dog.

I wanna go home! She's gonna kill us! Can we run? She's not that close yet, I think we can run!

"And she's after us— We can't lead her back to the haven," he breathed, raising the swords in a loose guard. "We gotta at least slow her down so the lord's escort can get enough distance. Ideas?"

---

"Oof!" Hien grunted as he was practically shoved towards Esben, giving the man a pained, rueful grin as he recovered. "Apologies, friend. She's always been like that. Though I'm impressed you got to her with logic of all things."

A moment passed as he observed Izayoi crashing into the Valheimr at Rudolf's side, and his smile quickly faded into the opposite.

"She's gotten slow. Was she injured recently?" He murmured in concern as Izayoi parried a swordsman's blow before riposting with a slash to his throat.

"Injured? No, just out of practice and older than the last time you saw her. Being dead and getting married can do that to you, and I'm sure we'll be in much the same position after a decade. Miina!" He'd just spotted the small Mystrel girl as the two parts of the team reconvened, the rest of Ciradyl's people rushing out alongside them—luckily, it looked like she'd spotted them first, as she already had her hands outstretched ready to heal the injured nobleman. "Take him. Keep him safe or pass him to one of Ciradyl's as soon as you're able."

He passed Hien over more gently than Izayoi had, pulling free his sword and taking up his buckler in a single smooth movement. But for a little knife work and some rifle fire, he was—by far—the freshest of the group. Now that the Valheimer troops had been pushed back and away, thrown into disarray by the unexpectedly strong resistance, internal betrayals, and loss of their airship, the scene outside the makeshift prison had shifted away from an outright battle into something he was much more comfortable operating with.

Then, seeing that captain Reisa had survived the airship's descent, knowing that the others were already tiring and even wounded, the next necessary step in his plan to rescue Hien became clear. As with the infiltration, shock and surprise were his weapons—and there were more ways to achieve that than with stealth and secrecy.

Two fingers stretched out from the buckler's handle hooked around the scabbard on Rudolf's back, pulling the younger man back slightly as Esben took his place and continued walking forwards, into the empty no-man's land between where they were making their stand and the heart of the wreckage. "Captain Reisa!" he called conversationally, giving a polite salute with his sword. "This is a shame—I didn't realize there was such a pretty face hiding under that helmet the last time we met."

He paused, halting his advance a short ways ahead of the rest of his team. Confident that they'd have his back—at least, Éliane would with her rifle—and that the brazen flirtation would keep the remaining soldiers shocked enough to hold back.

"I trust you're walking up to us to deliver your surrender? You shouldn't make this any more difficult than it needs to be—I guarantee I'll keep it clean if you submit to us."

---

Éliane praised the exceptional teamwork of her allies in her thoughts. Together, she had helped fend off those abominable flying creatures, and not too long after, she was able to catch the familiar forms of the members of team Kirin that had infiltrated the facility. All that they needed to do now was to retreat in good order.

Retreating in good order, though, was going to be harder than planned, because time had run out. As they began to pull back, Éliane could see the offending Valheimian airship train its weapons on their positions, and fire.

“Oh, shit…” Within seconds, the entire area was engulfed in flames and explosions. Even Éliane, as unflappable as she usually was, scrambled for cover, although she was cackling under the sudden adrenaline of being under sustained heavy fire. There was finally a bigger fish than Éliane that didn’t care about collateral damage…

Nearly blown apart by a near miss, sending flaming debris everywhere and pelting the Skaelan woman, she didn’t see much of Eve’s attack until the vessel itself was hit, exploding in an awe-inspiring conflagration in the sky. Despite the risk to herself, she was rooted in place, fixated on the orange and red fireball descending to the ground.

“It’s so beautiful…”

She afforded herself a few more moments of lollygagging before Galahad brought her back to reality as she watched him shoot into the air, catching the unconscious form of the ship’s executioner before landing nearby to Éliane.

“No, but it’s better than expected,” she responded, blinking at the unclothed dragon girl in his arms. She might have been referring to the outcome of the battle… but she was also referring to the spectacle of the ship going down in flames. What a show! With Eve unconscious, though, her training kicked in and she quickly moved to check for injuries. Finding none, she allowed Galahad to preserve her modesty, keeping her in a safe corner of the roof away from any sightlines.

That was just as well, because it didn’t look like the Valheimian resistance was over yet—from their vantage point, she could see a familiar enemy emerge from the wrecked Proudclad. Although Éliane couldn’t see the expression on her face from this distance, she could tell from the body language that she was not emerging to surrender.

Éliane immediately swung her rifle back around, placing the woman in her sights, before taking a brief moment to process what she was seeing.

What was Esben doing!?

Well, whatever, it didn’t matter.

If Reisa was trying to look cool and evil strutting out from the wreckage, Éliane wasn’t going to give her the moment!

Calculating the drop from this distance atop the roof, she aimed her weapon, and pulled the trigger. The rifle cracked out, and she immediately worked the bolt, and fired again, and again.

The sky burned.

That was the only way she could explain it.

She'd been moments away from doing her best to follow the orders given to her, to strike out like a hero would and cut down the opposition to give her allies the best possible chance of escape.

But then, the sky burned.

The young girl, Eve, had become a hybrid of Sollan and Dragon, and let loose the single most destructive spell Robin had ever seen to bring down the enemy airship.

She was speechless. Practically frozen where she stood. This was all far more intense then anything she'd taken part in before. Taking out the local bandits before they could hurt anyone else was nothing compared to this.

She was shaking. Her heartbeat was pounding. Her shoulders were quaking. Even though that had been the work of an ally, she... she... she----!

No.

She wasn't a coward. She wasn't the type of person to panic, not one bit.

She was a hero. She helped the weak and judged the wicked.

And that meant she couldn't freeze up now!

Robin sucked in a deep breath and swiftly located the others, breaking into a sprint. With the airship downed, rather then pursuing her original objective it seemed for the best to cover them from any potential form of attack.

And there was another new threat approaching from the wreckage itself.

That was---

It was like a vision of the underworld. A monster emerging from some fiery pit, in human form

And yet---

Her blade glinted, light flowing up the edge and dancing as Robin sucked in a deep breath.

A monster from the underworld wouldn't frighten a hero, after all.

The Dragon King's fascimile roared, and the sky came ablaze as the Proudclad was ripped asunder. Hien forced himself to watch as the wreckage of the ship tore through its crash site, half of it falling atop what he knew to be an inn while the other half impacted into the street. Gods, how he could only hope the inn's inhabitants had fled once the battle had started.

"Etro, Dhinas, Imir, forgive me for mine decisions." He murmured a prayer under his breath, attention turning to Miina as she healed him.

"Aaaagh. Much better..." He sighed in relief, offering the red mage a brief, pained grin. "Thank you. Truly. I might make it out of here under my own power at this rate."

Meanwhile, between Esben's words and Eliane's gunfire, Izayoi charged, intent on dispatching Reisa while she was injured and distracted deflecting the Household Guard's rifle shots. She leapt up and came down on Reisa in a two-handed cleave which the latter somehow managed to parry. One round of blows. Two. Three. They disengaged from each other, both women panting for breath.

"What's wrong, Limbtaker?" Reisa mocked, brandishing her sword. "I thought you had the valor to face me on your lonesome."

Their fight was interrupted by the sound of boots against stone all growing ever closer. Valheimr reinforcements could be seen dashing towards the scene from two angles: the west and south. From the sound Fortunately, it didn't impact their escape plan: the sewer leading towards the hidden exit that ended in their next safehouse was just to the north. There were still a few Valheim soldiers left in that direction, but the majority of Kirin could clear the path without issue at this point.

Unfortunately, Izayoi didn't seem to be following the plan any longer. She sheathed her blade, hunching down into an iai stance.

"Honor is for the deserving. All that you deserve is death, by any means possible. No matter how it happens, all I want is for you to be scourged from this star." The Mystrel had already ran the odds: this was the best opportunity she had to finish things, right here. Reisa was half dead as it was, and she hadn't seen Izayoi's more advanced skills. The strain of performing her greatest would likely kill her, out of shape as she was, and even if it didn't, the Valheimr reinforcements certainly would. But what was her life when vengeance was before her?

"The rest of you, leave. Before this night ends, I will have vengeance. My life is immaterial afterward."

"Are you mad?!" Hien bellowed, his expression thunderous. "I can't- we can't lose you here, not for her!" His gaze swept around, trying to catch the eyes of any member of Kirin it met. "Help me get her out of here! We need to leave, now!"

"I am the storm." She chanted, the glow of materia beginning to surround her. "I am the swell. I am the sword-" Hien dashed forward, holding her up in a full nelson as he tried to drag her back. Even with Miina's healing, however, he was still too injured to exert too much force, and it was obvious that without further aid, he would fail and Izayoi would launch her suicide attack.

All the while, more Valheimr continued to close in...

---

Captain Reisa glared down the approaching man, one of the unexpected interlopers from the village. Her brows furrowed at his words, unsure what to make of them. She kept her distance but did not take her eyes off Esben "Flattery shall not spare your life." Her eyes darted towards the rest of the group, cautious of a possible trap. Reisa scoffed "How cute. You are in not in the position you think you are...." She paused briefly "I would ask for you name but I doubt you'd give me the right one." There was a bit of playfulness in her voice.

That was when the first shot struck a plate that hovered over her heart. The force caused her to stumble a little as red energy crackled around the impact and her eyes immediately turned to Eliane. Reisa quickly moved her blade in an attempt to deflect the next shot but it came too soon. A small, ornamental piece of her gauntlet was sheared off. Eliane's next shots would not find as much success as she either deflected them fully or dodged out of the way. Despite the situation, Reisa had no signs she planned on backing down.

Red energy sparked along Reiasa's blade with each strike parried and deflected. There was more than physical resistance preventing from Izayoi's strikes from breaking through. She spit in Izayoi's direction with a sick smile showing how much she was savoring this fight "I am glad we are on the same page." She chuckled as her reinforcement were closing the gap "Your name shall be erased from history after you fall tonight."

Her eyes seem to glow with the same red energy that was beginning to envelop her blade as Hien desperately tried to stop Izayoi. Reisa charged without a word towards the two of them with speed that could only be matched by her opponent. One strike, two graves. A blonde blur leaped from a nearby rooftop and a heavy boot collided with Reisa's side that sent her hurtling back towards the ship. A small yelp of pain came from Chisaki as she stood up from the spot where the captain once was "GO NOW! There's no time!" She quickly glanced at Ciradyl, directing her words towards her just as much as she was to Izayoi and Hien. The Viera ripped twin daggers from her chest rig and got into a ready position, but the leg that had struck Reisa shook.

Chisaki was not the only one who had responded to the battle. The few rooftops not completely collapsed and destroyed were being taking up by a rough group of rebels wielding Valheiminan firearms. Gunshots began to pop from the direction where the reinforcements were coming from. Ciradyl weaved her way through her comrades and the rubble to reach Hien and Izayoi "Someone, take him! I got her!" For the first time, Ciradyl's voice cracked and allowed her emotions to leak through. She placed her hands on Izayoi's face, practically slapping with both hands, and pulled her gaze to the Faye "You're not going to leave me a second time! This is not where your story ends! If you die here, I shall be joining you." She frantically spoke, tears welling up in her eyes.

Ciradyl didn't trust her words to convince the stubborn Mystrel enough to get her to abandon this circle of death. She gripped the wrist of Izayoi with a hold that was tight, but tender, and began pulling her back towards their path of extraction. Looking back at Izayoi her eyes shifted to Chisaki and her lips opened up to say something "If you want us to be okay, get out of here! I'm not as crazy as some old samurai." She said the last part like a joke but her expression was cold. Flashes erupted from a distant rooftop and a bullet cut through the air and struck one of the rebel gunmen.

Chisaki was almost certain that she had at least sprained her leg with that kick "Stop shaking dammit." She muttered under her breath as she remain focused on Reisa in the distance. The gunfight was really starting to kick up but it wouldn't last long. Izayoi...Hien...Ciradyl. They were too important to the freedom of Opsrey to let them die or be captured in a place like this. She glanced back at Hien, lingering on him for a perhaps a moment too long, and returned to her ready stance. There was a future she desperately wanted to be a part of, but she was ready if this was as far as she got. She was just a shinobi after all, a person of a thousand faces and none of them real. As Reisa began to recover, her left hand sheathed her dagger and dug into a leather pouch. Four tiny, black bombs were held between her fingers as she got ready to intervene.

---

"You don't know me well enough to make those assumptions!" Esben replied with a wide smile and a modest shrug. Not that there was time to say much else; Éliane opened fire almost immediately as he finished, sending captain Reisa on a short retreat, and Izayoi followed soon after. Blade at the ready, he moved forward to assist, only to find himself beaten to the punch in intercepting the captain's charge as Chisaki sent Reisa tumbling with a well-aimed kick.

He glanced back to Reisa quickly; attack her while she was down, and risk bearing the discharge of whatever materia she could bring to bear to fight back with, possibly without even being able to harm or kill her. Or, turn tail and grab Izayoi and help the others drag her away, let the shinobi sacrifice herself to guarantee all their escape. One option was more reasonable than the other, one carried greater risk but greater possible reward.

However, the small explosives that Chisaki dug out of her bag gave another option, one that could preserve as many of their resources as possible with a bit of luck.

Elly, Elly, I hope you've brought some more exciting ammunition for us...

He sprinted up to the shinobi, sheathing his blade and hanging his buckler back on his belt; his left hand was raised in a closed fist, a clear signal for Éliane to hold her fire for a moment longer. His right stretched out, fingers deftly sliding between Chisaki's own as he hooked the bombs into his own grasp. "Be creative, why don't you?" he joked, and tossed the bombs over to where Reisa was rising back up. His left hand opened wide, flashing five fingers twice and pointing out at the prone Valheimr captain.

Five rounds rapid, just like at the training range!

As Éliane opened fire from her rooftop vantage point, he turned forward around the shinobi, crouching down slightly; he wrapped one arm around her waist and lifted her up as he sprinted forwards towards where Ciradyl and Hien fought to pull Izayoi back. His free arm shot forwards, hooking elbow-to-elbow around one of Izayoi's, adding his running momentum to Hien's forceful dragging of the older woman to try and reconvene with the rest of their group.

Somewhere, someplace, at another point in time...

Evangelina wasn't like most children, ever since an early age, her gifted brilliance was apparent. She could speak full sentences even before her first birthday, and mastered concepts and knowledge years before her peers did. She was inarguably a bonafide genius, one of those rare few blessed with natural intellect far surpassing the common masses. Noticing their daughter's talents, her parents wasted no time in enrolling her into a special curriculum for gifted children, where their beloved Eve could hone her talents without being held back by her less shrewd peers.

Eve's intellectual endowments were only matched by her ambition, she was aware that not many could claim to share her aptitude for knowledge and the last thing she wanted was to squander such gifts with idleness. She wanted nothing more than to contribute to the nation she belonged to, the great Valheim Empire. One day, she'd stand side-by-side with the Empire's most distinguished scholars. As such, when she was scouted by none other than the esteemed Dr. Hojo as one of the select few to participate in his personal project, his 'magnum opus', she'd be a fool to refuse.

From those select few, even fewer survived the grueling qualification process, but Evangelina pulled through. She'd be working under Director Hojo's direct supervision, all she needed to do was sign the employment and NDA contracts. Well, she had come this far, why would she back down now? Sure, the clauses were strict, but why would anyone expect anything less from a top secret project? The young doctor was confident everything would be fine...

...or so she thought. Early in the project, it'd not be a lie to claim she had nothing but faith in their goals, but now, as she stood before a biofluid-filled tank containing the floating form of a young girl-... no, a scaled chimera held in stasis, she began to experience doubts as a part of her conscience questioned whether she was doing the right thing. Was this... thing even supposed to exist? No matter how she looked at her-... it, she couldn't convince herself in good faith that they hadn’t grossly violated the very sanctity of life itself. In their dogged pursuit of knowledge and breakthroughs, they had become so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't consider whether or not they should.

Then, as Dr. Eve struggled with the conflict between her ambition and her morals, the automatic doors behind her slid open, heralding the arrival of none other than her superior, Director Hojo.

"Ah, Director," Eve immediately assumed a professional demeanor, standing at attention and nodding politely at the older scientist, "It's a pleasure to see you here."

"Dr. Zhidkova..." Hojo approached her, carrying the ever-present aura of smug superiority with him, closing the distance between them before stopping beside her, gazing toward the only surviving subject of Project Grayscale, "Magnificent, isn’t it? I expect great results from you, Doctor, surely it's a matter of triviality for someone of your talents, hmm?" Director Hojo curled a smirk, someone deemed capable by the narcissistic scientist must be exceptional indeed, "Not to mention, you're the most compatible to handle this particular specimen." The dark-haired scientist proceeded to turn, heading toward the only exit of the containment chamber, "After all, it's modeled from your genes."

"Of course, Director, I'll not disappoint you." After Hojo left, the young researcher went silent, her knuckles trembling without she herself realizing it. This draconic monstrosity was her daughter and she her mother.

What have I done...?

---

The first two shots found their mark, but to Éliane’s annoyance, even the high-powered rifle rounds were stopped by the woman’s beastly armor. They didn’t do nothing—she no doubt embarrassed Reisa and knocked the wind out of her for a moment, but it didn’t come close to even injuring the woman. The Skaelan girl was almost jealous of the enemy captain’s protection, if her own tactics didn’t depend on being highly mobile, like a budget dragoon. Clearly, though, she’d erred in switching back to standard ammunition.

With her rifle out of ammunition anyway, she reached into her pouch to reload—once again selecting the brightly colored explosive cartridges and pushing them into the magazine from the top. Éliane observed the situation as she did, and was not liking how things were developing one bit. How was that bitch still going!? She glanced down at the still-unconscious form of Eve. The only person that was going to offer explosive firepower now was Éliane.

She was already ahead of Esben when she saw the hand signals from Esben as he entangled himself closer to the action. This was going to be difficult—although Chisaki’s actions meant that Ciradyl, Hien, and Izayoi mostly stayed away, being away didn’t necessarily mean out of harm when it came to explosives. From what Esben just tossed in the direction of the captain, Éliane was pretty sure she was adding to some booms, rather than making them exclusively…

Well, that was still fine by her. She just had to finesse this a bit…

She loaded the last bullet, and she slammed the bolt back into place and took aim just as her fellow Skaeller gave the signal. A moment later, a crack, followed by four others in rapid succession broke out—a textbook Skaelan “Mad-Minute” style barrage as she fired at Reisa once more—explosively. A moment later, and the entire area around the enemy captain was saturated with the orange and red tinge of high explosives and fragmentation, kicking up debris into the air and obscuring the woman—and everything around her as they all detonated.

Even if it didn’t kill her, that was going to be more than enough to cover their escape.