Sinon watched with Lisbeth as the night cycle was going on and they only had maybe one chance at this. They had been watching the Darkness Princes movement cycle for days now and they were pretty sure that right now if they go they can easily slip away and escape from him and then somehow manage to get to the Portal where everyone else is at.

Sinon felt a little bad, having to leave the guy so soon, but she was still his prisoner no matter what and he was an NPC. He didn't have any form of a code that allowed him feelings.

"You ready?" She Asked Lisbeth, their weapons and armor on and strapped tight.

"Ready when you are." Said Lisbeth with a nod.

They quickly began to lightly jog down through the corridors as quietly as they could while keeping lookout for either the Generals or for the Handmaidens because either would easily either halt them or alert the Prince to the escape attempt.

Meanwhile, Kommando293 was lounging in his throne rather than practicing. He would practice but unfortunately he was not only feeling lonely but also slightly bored. He was tempted to watch a Summoner Bone Prince army be sent out against the Portal defenses, which had gotten not so much better but there was often this constant stream of units going to it and it made him wonder who of his group would be first hit, but he knew that unless he was in the fight he would feel rather bored as well.

And so he sighed and as he thought about something to do, a thought of him talking with Sinon on perhaps a small walk or riding on their horses came to mind. She could provide some interesting conversation, as it was he could probably use it to discover more about her while still disguising himself from her as a NPC. Perhaps he could even get Lisbeth with them, she was often out of her forge a little more these days for practice or what he believed to be snooping around the citadel.

Probably looking for an exit to bolt out of.

But he soon decided to have a nice conversation with them and just as he got up, Sinon and Lisbeth had come down the stairs to freeze as the Prince of Darkness saw them immediately at the base of the stairs.

Kommando was pleasantly surprised that they were here just as he was going to ask them, seeing it both as a fluke of luck but also a suspicion about them, when they immediately began to go back up the stairs a bit hastily.

"Hold up, you two." He commanded them and both froze before they had gotten too far up.

Sinon was slightly freaking out when he had commanded them, fearing they had been caught, when the Prince asked them, "Would you please join me for a bit of a walk?"

Both Lisbeth and Sinon glanced at one another with some worried exchanges but then they sighed before they began to walk down the stairs to the Prince with some noticeable hesitation but when they reached the bottom and stood before him, he slowly reached a hand out to Sinon as grabbed hers before saying, "And don't worry... I'll protect you from the monsters that may appear."

Both glanced at one another before Sinon was slowly pulled along by the Prince but when she normally would have resisted, she didn't and it was mainly because she had noticed something in his voice.

Was it loneliness she had heard in his voice?

The wind was barely there but enough to be felt by all three of them, so much that Kommando gave Sinon his cloak to keep her warm and them managed to convince Lisbeth to allow him to put a warming spell on her.

And so they walked through the inner circle of his castle, the trees swaying slightly in the breeze, Kommando293 tried to find something to talk about that wouldn't get him in hot water or them.

He then found one: "So, um.... when did you start coming out of your forge, Dwarf?"

Lisbeth almost made a comment but then said, "I'm called Lisbeth."

"Sorry... but I never knew your name so forgive me.." Said the Prince as he rubbed his head before then saying, "Anyway, you've managed to come out of the forge when?"

"Well.." Truth told, she started exploring the castle for hidden secrets and rooms for anything useful. So far, nothing had appeared. "Just wanted some fresh air.."

"Glad to hear it..." he said before he then asked Sinon, "And how are you my dear?"

"Good but afraid I was gonna freeze to death till you gave you cloak to me.." Said Sinon as she tried to make a funny comment but she failed to even smile.

But the Prince chuckled before saying, "Yeah, probably shouldn't have placed us in a valley... got all the cold air coming down and all of that..."

"Why did you place yourself here?" Asked Lisbeth with curiosity.

"Natural Choke Point.. only one way through and I put myself here and built up decent defenses... anyone trying to come through would be in for a terrific siege.." Said Kommando.

"Yeah but it's out you so far out from places to hide..." muttered Lisbeth. "Or places to be."

"Well, why do you run?" Asked Kommando as he heard her, the words jumping from him.

The girls stopped and seemed to hang their heads low in guilt, knowing they were likely in for a punishment, but then they felt his hands lift their heads up.

"Don't act like that..." Kommando told them with a sigh. "It's not good for my Generals morale.."

"Not to mention... as an Outcast, you have to get use to it at some point, being stuck here..."

Kommando293 oddly glanced back at his "Boss Bio" that only he could see while Sinon asked him, "Have you not tried fleeing Hel?"

"To be fair... until we got the Portal opened, we couldn't... the resources to make it plus trying to stop upstarts is difficult..." Said Kommando.

"So how did you end up here?" Asked Sinon, curious for more info.

"Necromancy is a Dark art forbidden by all... and when I tried to do it for my own reasons... the Fairy King tore my wings and cast me down here with others... others were likely just on their bad side but still it's punishable by banishment.."

"Here.. we fought, scavenged, summoned, and slowly built out kingdoms till they are where hey are now..." Said Kommando.

"So.. that's why you have lots of Rebellions I guess?" Asked Lisbeth.

"Aye... they try and dismantle what I've made... and I always put them down for trying..." Said the Prince.

"And why did you go to Necromancy?" Asked Sinon.

The Prince stopped and seemed to be lost in thought and Sinon was about to reach out and lightly touch his shoulder to make sure he still responded when he then said, "Tis a tale for another day.."

Sinon could only nod but as she did, she felt him pull her chin up again before she managed a light blush for him to say, "Thanks... for coming out on this walk with me..."

"What were you lonely?" Asked Lisbeth, meaning to be a bit snarky.

"To be fair... when all you are surrounded by are foul Outcasts and creatures of Nightmares... seeing a actual Alf has made me lonely.. but with you two, kinda hard to be alone or bored.." Kommando said with a small smile.

Lisbeth gave a small pout but then watched as Sinon shake her head before she said, "At least we all enjoyed this informative walk..."

Kommando293 smiles when he then saw Sinon with her light blush and couldn't help but look away as he gave a blush himself. Frag, she was a really cutie blushing and hottie in a fight...

He shook his head and as he continued to walk slightly ahead of them, Lisbeth leaned into Sinon as she then said, "Ooooooh you gotta crush!"

"Shut up!" Muttered Sinon as she tried to hide her blush with her scarf but she didn't have one so she simply used the cloak.

"Still can see that blush." Said Lisbeth teasingly, though wanted to know why she was into a NPC at all. Was she becoming an Otaku or something?

Sinon soon managed to calm herself down while putting the cloak down and when she looked at Lisbeth, she simply said, "Let's just catch up with him."

And then they continued after the Prince as best as they could.

Kirito watched as his troops slowly enter the Portal in perfect ranks, more units to strengthen the Portal defenses they had taken. It had been about three days since they had taken then Portal and everyone was pouring manpower and resources into the defenses to make them better and stronger.

With him at the moment was Asuna and Yui as both of them were watching their forces with him enter the Portal before quickly running into the Portal before Kirito ran after them and threw himself through.

Kirito soon appeared on the other side and when he looked around, Shisho and Klein were the first to greet him while Asuna and Yui went towards the walls nearby to look out from it.

"Hey boss man, almost everything is set up for the next push to... wherever." Said Klein with a small smile, Shisho just behind him.

"That's good... has it been quiet around here?" Asked Kirito.

"Yeah, very quiet actually... the only things we see is like tumbleweeds and maybe the odd Necromancer but nothing had come to attack us really." Said Klein.

"I see... the calm before the storm." Said Kirito.

Then, he heard more people appearing from the Portal and he looked behind him to see Lady Alicia with some Cath Sith Warriors slowly stretch before saying to Kirito, "Hey Kirito!"

"Lady Alicia, good to see you..." Said Kirito with a slight smile before she asks him, "So what brought you here?"

"Well nothings happened so I'm thinking of going beyond her and checking out the surroundings with my friends.." Said Kirito.

"You sure you want to do that? That seems a bit risky." Said Alicia.

"Well either that or we wait here for either an attack or eternity.. at least having someone scout outside these walls will do us some good about what's around us."

"And besides, even if one army goes out, we have the rest of the other armies here to defend.." Said Klein.

"Along with any natural defenders that may get summoned as garrison." Noted Shisho.

Alicia nodded before she then said, "Well, I can grab some of my guys and join you... it won't hurt if I do, would it?"

Kirito shook his head. "No, by all means add your own to ours.. might be useful.."

Alicia nodded and when she walked away, Asuna was already back with Yui somewhere on the wall with the units, possibly with Silica, and she asked Kirito, "So what now, Kirito?"

"We're gonna go out and scout out the surroundings with Lady Alicia and some of her Cait Sith units." Answered Kirito.

"Oh, well then let's get going... I'm sure it doesn't take long for her to get ready." Said Asuna with a small smile.

The pair, with Shisho and Klein in tow, quickly got themselves some units of Spriggan Swordsmen and Archers before waiting for Alicia to bring some Cait Sith Swordsmen and Horsemen before the army slowly advanced out from the gates of the walls to the outside.

Kommando293 watched as Lisbeth and Sinon sat down nearby on a bench while he looked into this Dream Flower and as he peered into it, he saw the force Kirito was marching with Alicia from the Portal and he was headed towards one of the settlements on the edge of his control.

He quickly got up and as he strode back to the keep, Sinon saw this and asked him, "Something wrong?"

Kommando froze but then sighed before saying, "I'm afraid your friends are coming towards the edge of my territory... I'm.. I'm off to fight them.."

"And where does that leave us?" Asked Lisbeth.

Kommando293 was thinking on how to fix, since he didn't want to simply keep them cooped up here but he didn't want to expose them in a battle just yet but as he thought, an idea came to mind.

"How about a deal." He told the two.

"What sort of deal?" Asked Lisbeth.

"Join my Handmaidens and follow me and my army to the battle. You may watch from afar, beyond range of combat, and if the Alf's defeat me, you may go with them free."

"But, if they do not succeed, you stay with me. Does that seem fair?"

Lisbeth And Sinon looked at one another as hey gave some thought about this and Sinon was a little surprised but then she stood up and said, "You said to simply watch it yes?"

"With the Handmaidens, Yes.. I didn't think you would like fighting your own." Answered the Prince.

"Then I'll go.. as long as you stay true to the deal." Said Sinon as Lisbeth stood as well.

"I will keep my bargain.. I'm not that cruel to do so when it comes to keeping promises to women.. but I must insist you stay out of combat no matter what.." Said the Prince. "Because regardless of what you may think, you are no use to anyone dead I'm afraid."

Both nodded and as Kommando felt his heart pumping, he quickly strode to the castle and prepared his Generals for battle with their units.