Ann scrambles into the area cleared by Ryuji. "Let's go," she calls. "There's got to be a way out that's not the drawbridge!"

Akira comes up to flank her with her stolen sword. "Whatever direction is fine! Ryuji! We're with you!"

"Only way out is through! CAPTAIN KIDD!"

And he reaches up to his mask and tears it free once more.

And a towering, skeletal pirate captain with a cannon for its right arm appears behind him, and unleashes blast after blast of crackling electricity. 

Ryuji and Captain Kidd charge up to a side door, the blond kicking it open. He directs the pirate to clear the hall of the approaching guards, and covers Ann and Akira's retreat with harsh swings of his pipe.

"They're getting away! Don't let them escape, you idiots!"

The few remaining guards in the room swarm toward the teens.

Okay she's going! She's going! Whatever direction Ryuji picks is fine!

Akira has no clue how to use this sword but she will fight with it to cover Ann's retreat if she has to. For now she retreats, though.

The last three guards rush them.

They're spread out enough that Ryuji's swing only manages to get two of them. The other is on Akira's side of the escape.

Okay okay okay she has this under control. She will try and stick the remaining one with the pointy end of her sword. 

The sword slips between a crack in the guard's armor, wounding it deeply. It stumbles backward.

And then they all make it through. The hallway beyond has several scorch marks from Captain Kidd's cannon, and not a guard in sight.

The spectral pirate vanishes from view as the teens close the door behind them, Ryuji's mask reappearing on his face. He charges down the hall, shouting excitedly. "Yeah, we got free!"

Akira follows at a dead run. She has no clue what this idiot's going to do but anywhere is better than here.

This is actually kind of fun in a weird way. She feels like she's getting away with something. 

She runs as fast as she can, following Ryuji. 

The teens barrel down the hall, rushing around corners until suddenly they come to a stairwell. They rush through the door and slam it shut behind them. There are two heavy chairs on either side of the door, each with a back just a bit taller than the door handle. The stairs seem to go down two or three floors below the landing they're on.

Ryuji sags tiredly against the wall next to the door, his fancy leather outfit fading away around him, leaving him in his school uniform.

"W-whoa, fuck, that really took a lot out of me."

Akira jams the door with one of the chairs. "I'm surprised you're still conscious, with the sounds you were making." 

She looks at the stairwell. "Down is better than up, I think. Stay quiet and move carefully, those things have still got to be hunting us."

Ann looks Ryuji over worriedly. He doesn't seem to be bleeding. She really hopes he's okay.

"We can't stay here," she says. "And I don't think Ryuji's up for climbing up flights of stairs right now."

"Ryuji, are you okay enough to move?"

He slumps a bit lower.

"Whhh... tired..."

"Here, lean on me. We've got to get down these stairs and out of sight."

Akira offers her arm. 

Ryuji leans on Akira. He seems pretty out of it.