Luke had broken into the room where Eleanor was locked inside Bastion's fortress. The guard from the door lay unconscious and bound on the floor.

"It's me, Luke… and I've come to rescue you, Eleanor."

Eleanor stared at the woman before her, confusion flickering across her face. "What?" she breathed, lost.

"I'm Luke. The guy you knew as James," Lucy pressed.

Her brows shot up. All she saw was a stranger in a maid's outfit.

"I don't know what's going on here. I already told Ronan and Kruger everything from my side."

Her gaze darted from the unconscious man to Luke, suspicion tightening her jaw. And now? How the hell do I convince her I'm really Luke?

"You helped me escape. I'm James. I came back for you," Luke insisted, almost pleading.

"I have no idea what you're talking about. I never helped anyone escape. And I'd never help James. I want to kill him myself," she snapped.

Damn it. She's cautious. She thinks this is a setup.

"It's going to sound insane, but I'm Luke. I'm… in a woman's body. Temporarily," he said, heat rising to his cheeks. Saying it out loud felt ridiculous.

He could feel time slipping away. Eleanor's skepticism was a problem, but he couldn't blame her. Dressed like one of Bastion's maids, he looked like the perfect trap.

"Eleanor, we don't have time. I have to get you out now. Remember what I told you about the mechanism? I activated it. There's another fortress like this hidden in the orc territories."

Her eyes narrowed further. Luke pulled his twin kukris from his inventory and tossed them to her.

"See? These are the kukris you saw me using. If you use Identify, it won't work. They're soulbound. They're mine," he said, even though part of him knew how absurd it sounded from her perspective.

"Even if that might be true… you have to see how hard this is for me to believe," she replied.

There was only one way to convince her, and part of him hated doing it here.

"I don't have a choice," he muttered, making the kukris vanish again. From his storage, he retrieved one of the necklaces he'd taken from the chests in the Wild Zone. In a blur, he moved behind her.

"What are you—?" Eleanor began, startled.

Luke slipped the necklace around her neck.

"In my defense, of all the necks I've ever placed a necklace on, yours was the most beautiful." he said, repeating the exact line he'd used before their parting.

"James? Is it really you?" she whispered, still unsure.

"It's me." Lucy let the necklace fade back into storage and faced her. His cheeks burned. Doing this in this body felt surreal.

Eleanor stared at the woman before her, stunned. "It really is you?"

"Of course," he replied simply.

Luke cracked the door open, peeking into the corridor, then shut it softly. "Listen to me. When Bartholomew and Kruger find out I activated the second mechanism because you 'accidentally' hit Kruger and let me escape… you know what's going to happen to you, don't you?"

"I'll be killed…" she murmured, the realization settling like ice in her voice.

"That Kruger is definitely going to come after you. And the calm version of Bartholomew you've seen so far? It won't exist once he realizes the second mechanism's been triggered." Lucy's voice was low. "That's why I'm here. I have to get you out. I owe you that much."

Eleanor moved straight to the unconscious guard, tightening the gag and rope with practiced fingers. "I'm sorry for this…" she murmured to the bound man.

Luke peeked into the corridor.

"You even lied about your gender?" she asked, stunned. "Some things make sense now…"

"What? I didn't lie! I'm a man! And what do you mean 'some things make sense'?"

He decided he didn't want to know. "Listen, I used an item that temporarily turned me into a woman. That's all."

Her eyes flicked up and down his body, lingering at his waist.

"I'm still a man down there, okay? The disguise didn't rewrite me completely," he added, flustered.

"Did you put that maid outfit on before or after you turned?" she asked.

"You're messing with me," he muttered.

She stared at him a beat longer. "Your makeup's beautiful, by the way."

Heat crawled up his neck.

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"We don't have time for this," Lucy snapped.

"So what's the plan?"

Luke froze. "Actually… I improvised. I don't really have a way out for you yet."

He took a long breath, forcing himself to think. "I could give you the maid outfit. Problem is, I've got my party clothes underneath. Maybe it would draw attention for a strange guest from the party to be so far out in the fortress, but at least it's the outline of a plan."

Eleanor scanned the room. "No maid leaves the fortress at this hour. It would draw too much attention. And they never leave alone. I'd be caught the moment I crossed the barrier."

Luke exhaled, shoulders tight. "And sneaking you into the party is suicide…"

Kruger and Bartholomew were still out there. If Eleanor, supposedly locked in her room, appeared at the banquet, everything would blow up. He couldn't risk it.

"I've got a cape that can slow a fall," Lucy offered. "If I get you up to the higher floors, maybe you could jump from a balcony."

The cape required an Assassin class to activate, but maybe he could trigger the effect beforehand the way Allison had with her gear.

Eleanor tilted her head. "It could work… maybe. But the watchtowers would see me. The second I hit the ground, alarms would sound, my position exposed, and an army on my heels." She hesitated. "Still, it's better than sitting here waiting to die."

Luke clenched his fist. It was a terrible idea.

"And I'd still have to get to the upper floors. Someone could spot me, recognize me…" she added, thinking aloud.

There was no turning back. The guard would eventually report this intrusion. Eleanor was marked for death either way. If he didn't act now, she'd be dead by morning.

He paced the room, heart hammering.

Then Eleanor stepped closer. "If we get to the armory, I can steal one of the spare Bastion uniforms. It's shift change right now. A soldier leaving the fortress in full armor? No one will question it. I could walk out that way."

Luke nodded slowly. It was a plan. An actual plan.

The unconscious guard wore light armor that barely covered anything. What she needed was a full suit of armor that would completely hide her and still fit her properly.

He pulled a map from the pocket dimension. "Where's the armory?" Lucy asked, spreading the parchment across the bed.

"Same floor," Eleanor murmured, tracing a finger along the lines. "Other side of the fortress."

Luke studied the corridors. "Here's the makeshift kitchen. Too many people moving through."

"My face is known in Bastion. If someone recognizes me, it's over," she said.

"Which route is the quietest? You used to work here, right?"

She dragged her finger along the edges of the map. "The far wings. Patrols don't hit them as often."

Luke tucked the map back into the pendant.

Artemis, you know what to do.

'I'll guide you. If it goes south, we improvise.' She replied inside his head.

He opened the door, peeking into the hall. "I'll go first. Stay behind me."

They slipped out. Luke locked the door, hiding the key away. The soldier would stay gagged and unconscious for a long while. His awareness stretched outward as he moved, reading the space ahead like a second skin. They walked in silence, Luke scouting every bend before signaling Eleanor forward.

Then, turning a corner, he froze. Two soldiers were heading their way. Eleanor heard the boots even from behind and went rigid. Luke backed up fast, pulling a mop, a broom, and a bucket from the pendant. He splashed water onto the stone and started scrubbing like he belonged there.

As the soldiers approached, he glanced up with cool irritation. "Floor's wet. Use another hall."

One sighed. "Right, sorry… good night."

They turned away without a fight. Even the soldiers, Luke realized, had a quiet fear of the maids.

When they were gone, Eleanor whispered, "What was with the mop?"

"I don't know. Panic," he muttered, shoving everything back into storage. They moved on.

Every hallway felt like a new gamble, but somehow they made it. At last they reached the armory. A vast military storeroom lined with chests and cubicles. After checking it was empty, Luke ushered Eleanor inside and closed the door.

"I just need to find a set of armor that actually fits," she said, already rifling through gear.

Luke stood guard at the crack of the door. "How did you even get into Bastion?" she asked.

"I… came to the party."

She kept sorting pieces of armor, strapping them on one by one. "Came how? Only outsiders with invitations get in."

"I, uh… I was accompanying my… fake… boyfriend," Luke admitted, realizing how ridiculous it sounded out loud.

"You seduced a man just to crash the party?"

He shut the door all the way. "Of course not!"

A low laugh slipped from her. "Relax. I'm teasing."

He exhaled, shoulders easing.

"Just so we're clear, I'm not exactly thrilled about dressing up as a woman. I swear it makes sense when you hear the full story, I just don't have time to explain right now," Lucy muttered.

"Later you'll have to give me your makeup artist's contact." Eleanor chuckled, slipping on a gauntlet.

"Very funny…" he grumbled under his breath.

She was fitting the helmet over her head when she added, "For someone who used to trick women, it's pretty ironic seeing you turned into one."

'Exactly what I told you! Gods, I live for this kind of poetic justice.' Artemis whispered in his mind.

"I wasn't a scumbag, okay? That also has an explanation." He turned, only to find Eleanor staring at him with a deadpan look.

"Alright, maybe I was a bit of a scumbag. But it was for a good cause."

When she was finally suited up, he pulled the map from the pendant. The helmet hid her face completely. Nobody would recognize her now. He even had his own "guard" to escort him back toward the party.

"We're here," he said, tracing a path with his finger.

With Eleanor dressed like that, the risk dropped. They could take more direct routes without hiding every step. The plan was simple. Reach the first floor, split up at the main corridor, he would slip back into the party while she made her way out of the fortress.

They started walking again, no longer worrying about every eye in the hall. They passed a small group without drawing a single suspicious glance. Each turn made Luke's heart beat faster, yet steadier at the same time. For safety, they avoided the grand staircase, heading for one less used. He could feel Eleanor's tension even in her silence.

"We're almost there," he murmured as they neared the stairwell.

Then he stopped cold. His perception flared. Someone was coming up the stairs. A woman. No footsteps, no sound at all.

Damn it. Please don't let it be one of the assassin maids.

He signaled for Eleanor to step back. The figure on the stairs suddenly quickened her pace.

"What are you two doing here?" the woman's voice snapped.

Luke turned, bracing himself for another deadly maid.

"We…" he began, but the words died in his throat the moment he saw her face.

Not one of the assassin maids. Something far worse.

It was Erza Grimhart.

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