The moment Zack vanished into the sky with the princess in his arms, Lena made her move.
She ran through the side curtain, than put down her jester hat.
A crew threw a plain cloak at her. She caught it and shoved her arms through while walking.
"Where's Roland?"
"Last he said something come up,."
Lena's mouth twitched.
She reached the prop table, grabbed a small tube, and crushed the wax seal with her thumb.
A thin paper strip came out. She quickly write.
[Somehow the Princess moved to the roof and deliver herself to us.]
She sealed the tube again than give it to a small brass bird.
"Go."
The brass bird clicked once, then flew into the air through a vent window.
Lena exhaled, then shook her head.
"What kind of kidnapping is this... The victim is jumping to the kidnapper. Why even bother with a plan."
They have spend months preparing for this abduction, with many backup plan, but none of it include if the princess jumped of the roof.
Meanwhile another host was already stepping onto the stage outside, doing some stand up comedy to entertain the crowd.
They laughed and cheered not realizing the princess has been kidnapped right in front their eyes.
Sometime later, Outside Rosegate city, Rose was already moving. The horses kicked off hard, as the group sprinted forward in a tight wedge.
But they stopped as a caravan block their path. They wore festival crew cloaks and armor pieces mixed together.
Rose pulled her horse to a stop.
"Move. This is my first and last warning."
No one moved.
"Capture them!"
With Rose order, one of the knight sprinted forward to shove the line aside.
A masked man swung a club into the horse's chest guard.
BAM!!!
"NEIGHHH!"
"You dare!" the suncrest knight took out his sword.
He jumped down from the horse his sword raised high.
Clang!
The masked man swung his club to deflect the attack.
"Is this it? Seem the knight reputation is exaggerated."
Rose's cold gaze flickered with anger.
"How dare you judge my knight order!"
She stepped in, her blade moved fast disarming the group.
The caravan group fought hard trying their best to buy more time, but with rose join the fight they were overwhelmed..
In the sky, the airship that had taken Zack and Celia rose into the dark.
On the front rail stood the girl with dark hair. She looked toward rosegate city.
"This is not what they promised. They said I could watch the whole show…"
Then her black eyes blinked into red for a hearbeat.
Her gaze shifted east.
From the cloud, a second airship came into view.
Like it was waiting there for ambush.
On its top deck, many figures in full black armor stood. They lifted their arms, and the armor changed shape with stiff, mechanical clicks.
Their humanoid palm turned into a canon.
In sync movement they all point it toward the airship.
A magic circle flared above the cannons.
Then the sky lit up.
A storm of condensed energy shot straight toward the airship.
On the front rail, the black-haired girl raised both hands. Two magic circles appeared in front of her palms.
The air around the airship shivered.
A barrier swelled outward, thickening in layers like invisible glass stacked on glass.
Zack felt the change. The rope was still pulling him and Celia up toward the deck, but the air suddenly felt heavy.
Celia clutched his coat.
When she looked up, she saw the incoming glow.
She's in disbelief.
'They want to kill me?'
Celia's eyes squeezed shut in panic.
Zack tightened his grip around her waist, forcing her body closer.
'The airship have it's own protection system but I doubt it could last long… What should I do now?'
He didn't have time to test anything, so he went with something simple from his old life.
'Hope this works, Realize!!!'
[Item Creation: Flashbang Grenade]
[Realization Points: -150]
A small metal cylinder formed in his hand.
BOOM! BOOM!
The first wave hit.
The barrier held for a breath, the surface rippling like a disturbed lake. The explosion painted the sky in bright colors.
Then the second Volley came.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Cracks began to appear through the barrier.
The black haired woman eyes turn purple.
[Limit break mode active!]
The magic circle around her hand blinked once, than started growing in size covering her whole body.
[Changing protection target from the airship, to vital part of the body.]
She than crouched on the airship, in fetal position preparing for a crash.
BOOM!!!!
The third wave hit.
The barrier broke apart like shattered glass.
The next blast punched into the airship's side.
The deck bucked, and Zack slammed into the railing as he reached the top. He rolled with Celia still in his arms, refusing to let go even as the ship tilted.
"Get down!"
Celia couldn't answer.
Everything happened to fast for her to process what she should do.
Zack yanked the flashbang pin with his teeth and threw it toward the direction where the black-armored army was firing from.
BANG!!!
A white flash exploded across the sky.
For a moment everything turned bright.
Celia's eyes went white. She dropped onto her knees. Her ears rang so hard she couldn't hear anything else.
Zack closed his eyes before the flash hit. He grabbed Celia by the shoulder and pushed her down.
Then he threw his body over her, one arm around her head, the other braced on the deck.
Fire spread along the deck boards and climbed the ropes and beams.
It reached the engine housing.
Inside, the mana crystal that fueled the engine started to crack.
The crystal flared, than it blew
BOOM!!!
A huge explosion ripped through the belly of the airship.
The whole ship shook.
The deck tore under them.
Zack gritted his teeth and stayed on top of Celia, taking the hit on his back.
He kept one arm around her head and pressed her face down so she wouldn't lift it.
The blast ripped a line through the planks.
A railing post broke loose and spun across the deck, smashing into a crate and sending it sliding.
The engine housing on the side burst open right after.
BOOM!!!
A chunk of metal flew past Zack's head and slammed into the rail.
The ship started diving, nose dropping toward the ground. The wind hit them harder, and Celia's hair whipped across Zack's face.
BOOM!!!
Another blast hit the main body.
The deck shook, then tore. A long crack opened through the planks, running straight toward the center like someone sliced it.
As the ship fell through the sky, the hull couldn't hold anymore.
It split into two.
The front half sank, the back half jerked up, and everyone on deck slid at once.
People screamed.
"Help! We're falling!"
"Grab something!"
Crates, ropes, and broken boards rolled down the slope and smashed into bodies.
A man grabbed a pole and tried to pull himself up, but the pole snapped and he flew off the side, his shout getting cut short by the wind.
Zack hooked his arm around a support beam and locked Celia under him.
The beam shook so hard his fingers almost broke, but he held.
Then the beam tore out.
They slammed into the deck and rolled to the sky. Zack wrapped both arms around Celia.
Celia screamed. "What's happening!?"
"Just close your eyes. Hold me." Zack coughed.
The bright light from Zack's flashbang disappeared.
Above them, the black-armored group stopped firing.
Zack looked toward the ground closing in and shouted, "Realize!"
[Item Creation : Parachute Failed]
[Not Enough Realization Points]