Arriving at the strange house that belongs to the dwarf Altessa, Lloyd appraoched the door and knocked. A young girl opened the door. "Is there a purpose to your visit?" the girl asked in a taciturn voice that rivaled Presea's current personality. "Pardon us, but we heard that a dwarf named Altessa lives here," Lloyd responded politely. "You wish to see Master Altessa?" the girl said just as before, "Please come this way..."

The strange emotionless girl led the group to a dwarf. "You're Altessa, right? My name is Lloyd, I have a friend that is familiar to you. You know Presea right?" Lloyd started. "Get out!" Altessa yelled. "Hey, we just came to ask how to cure her!" Cloud yelled back. "This is my house! I will not have anymore to do with that child!" the dwarf argued. "So in other words, your willing to just give up and let that girl rot away in a state of absolute soulessness!" Cloud retorted, "I'll not stand for this, if you're such a coward that you can't face up to the sin that you have commited then perhaps the dwarves should've been wiped out during the Kharlan War!" "Cloud! I'm trying promote peace between the races!" Lloyd yelled. "I somewhat agree with Cloud, not that dwarves should've been purged but that you have costed that poor girl so much, she's dead the way she is..." Regal confessed. "I'll not tell you all again, GET OUT!" Altessa shouted again. Lloyd was angry now, he just huffed and began walking away, closly followed by Vyse. As they were about to leave the young lady came back, "The master is upset about what he has done to Presea... If you get her a Key Crest made of Inhibitor Ore she may return to normal..." "Tabatha get rid of them!" Altessa's voice resonated from the other room.

Outside Altessa's house the group continued to strategize. "Where do we get Inhibitor Ore to make a Key Crest?" Lloyd asked. "Seems to me the nearest place is the Toize Valley Mine to the south of a place called Altimira..." Vyse responded. "You've been studying the map again haven't you, Vyse?" Sheena asked. "A good pirate always knows where he or she is going! Remember that Fina, that's a lesson..." he responded. "Does it matter? We just need to get that Inhibitor Ore for Presea!" Genis exclaimed.

The group had just entered the Toize Valley Mine to find it locked. "Fifteen men on a dead man's chest. Yo ho ho and..." Vyse started. "Don't even start!" Cloud yelled, "I've been expecting you to sing that for a long time, but don't start!" "I sing this to think..." Vyse yelled back. "Knowing who he's related to I'm surprised he could think at all..." Genis laughed. Cloud surpressed his urge to chuckle, but Vyse and Lloyd were less than amused. "Can it, Genis!" Lloyd and Vyse yelled together. "They even speak alike!" Zelos said laughing. "You too, Zelos..." the two answered. "What's on your mind, Regal?" Colette asked. "I was just thinking; the security system is broken. It' going to be awfully difficult to get in at this point..." Regal mused as he sat thinking. Colette started to tinker with her pendant/makeshift Key Crest as she began to think. Lloyd and Vyse began to ponder silently. Cloud was pacing thinking of numerous attempts they could use that would end up failing. An unsettling silence passed over the group as they all tried to think. For Zelos it was an uphill battle. He was trying to think when he doesn't have a brain to think with. Eventually Lloyd came up with what was quite possibly the only idea that would work. "Let's just smash our way through..." he told everyone. "That's the only way Lloyd knows how to think..." Genis remarked. "That's the only idea that has the possibility of working..." Cloud responded.

The defense system activated as soon as weapons were drawn, the entire system came to life. It was apparent that it's only purpose for activating was to thwart their attack. Cloud, Lloyd and Regal were pounding away at the machine's recovery unit, while the rest of the group worried about covering them and trying to break down the door. All of the sudden Cloud heard Vyse's voice ring out, "Light of the moon, grant me thy strength..." Cloud barely had time to shout to the others "Get clear!" before Vyse shouted out his attack, "MOONSTONE CANNON!" The blast had been enough this time to completely annihilate the security system, the recovery unit, and the 10-foot thick solid steel door. Once again, though, Vyse had used up all his mana and was rubbing his burned hands. "Vyse, don't do that again! You scare me everytime you use that attack!" Fina lectured. "I opened the door, didn't I?" Vyse responded huffing and puffing. "Yes, but look, your hands are all burnt again and you used up all your mana!" Fina said worridly.

Fina turned her attention back to the others. "Go on ahead, Lloyd... I'll take care of Vyse..." she sighed. "Be careful you two..." Lloyd warned. As soon as the others were gone she turned her attention back to the exhausted Vyse. "What is it with you! You could've seriously hurt yourself this time, you fool!" Fina shouted at him. "You're right, I am a fool..." Vyse responded. "When did you decide to..." she started to lecture, except she couldn't finish because she just now noticed that Vyse was kissing her. As soon as it broke she slapped his face. "Lesson number 2, take your pleasures as you please..." Vyse smirked rubbing his cheek. "Jerk!" she retorted, "You're just like Zelos, you know that!" She wouldn't admit it out loud or to him but she had found herself enjoying it.

Meanwhile Lloyd and the others were searching through the mine. "Anything?" Lloyd asked Cloud. "Nothing..." the ancient mercenary responded. "Daddy, we have to find Inhibitor Ore in order to save Presea!" Colette cried desperately. "I know, and we will find some..." Cloud replied with determination evident in his voice. "I kinda' feel sorry for poor Fina, she has to stay behind with that filthy, awful pirate..." Zelos said daydreaming. "Aw, quit your yappin' before I turn you into an overgrown piece of toast, you philanding idiot..." Sheena snapped. "Sheesh, grouchy today aren't we, my voluptuous honey?" Zelos replied. "The Inhibitor Ore is further in, we should keep moving..." Regal told them.

As they walked through the mine, between battles, Lloyd couldn't help but think about his brother. "I wonder how Vyse and Fina are?" he pondered out loud. "I'm sure they'll be fine!" Cloud said reassuingly. As they deactivated a trap they spotted a strange spinning block. "What is that?" Lloyd could help but ask. "It's a Bacura Geometrum?" Regal responded curiously. "The famous physicist Professor Bacura?" Raine quickly interjected. Once again the countdown started. "Three..." Cloud started. "Two..." Genis continued. "One..." Lloyd finished. Once again as they finished the countdown Raine's voice rang out, "Facinating!" "She's just getting too predictable..." Cloud sighed. "Um, guys, it's picking up speed and it's headed strait for us!" Zelos pointed out. As they turned to run Colette tripped and pulled the trap activation switch trying to catch herself. No one noticed though. When Lloyd foot touched the pressure pad the boulder was released, everyone quickly crammed onto a narrow ledge to avoid getting hit with the Bacura or the boulder. A loud crashing sound filled the mine and the Bacura was smashed into a thousand tiny fragments.

Raine insisted that they take a look at the crushed pieces of the mysterious object. "Hmm, what's this?" Cloud said as he picked up a strange object shining in the bottom of the rubble pile. It was a Chakram, apparently meant to be used as a weapon. "It's a Chakram," Lloyd pointed out. "Might be handy to keep around!" Colette piped. "Um, Professor, why are you putting rock fragments into your pocket?" Aeris asked. "Shh, quiet! I want to do some research later..." Raine responded. "Typical... Some things just never change..." Genis replied in a smart-alick tone, which quickly earned him a slap upside his head from his older sister. Cloud and Lloyd surpressed the urge to laugh.

Further in they found several large crates. "This is where the ore is kept..." Regal explained. "Strange how you know so much about this mine..." Cloud pointed out. "I used to work in this mine..." Regal explained closing his eyes. "I am not looking through all these boxes," Zelos complained. "Hey, we can use the mana bombs from the Sorcerer's Ring!" Lloyd pointed out. "Remember that these are timed bombs and not proximity bombs," Cloud reminded the younger warriors. "What does 'proximity' mean?" Lloyd asked. "Well, with proximity bombs if you come near them they blow up..." Cloud explained. "Ah, but those aren't real are they?" Lloyd asked a bit panicked. "Lezarano Corporation used to mass produce proximity bombs..." Regal pointed out. "I know a few Mizuho local assassins who use proximity bombs to do their work..." Sheena was quick to interject.

"Hey, guys! I found the Inhibitor Ore!" Genis shouted to the rest of the group. "Great work, Genis!" Cloud replied. As they left the mine a man with two armed henchmen blocked the exit. "Excuse us..." Aeris said politely. Instead of moving aside of the guard butted her in her stomach with the hilt of his sword. "Are you alright, Aeris?" Cloud asked concerned. "Yes, I'm fine..." she told him. "Alright, that's it, instant penalty for unnecissary roughness!" Cloud boomed angerly. Cloud closed his eyes, at first it didn't seem as if anything were happening until the guard screamed in pain. "Let that be a lesson to you, you barbaric neanderthal!" Cloud boomed again walking past the barely breathing guard support Aeris. "Hey, Lloyd com'n we don't have time to fool about with fatlord and the idiot twins!" Cloud remarked.

When they met up with Vyse and Fina she had a very angry look on her flushed face. "What happened?" Lloyd asked. "Nothing," Vyse responded smugly. "Jackass..." Fina muttered under her breath, but she quickly changed her mind about him once she thought about the earlier events. "We should set up camp soon, it's getting late..." Cloud pointed out.

Once camp was set up Zelos had a question, a serious question for once. "You seemed to know tat guy Regal, who was he?" Zelos asked making his serious tone obvious. "Vharley, the exsphere broker..." Regal responded. "How do you know him?" Zelos asked. "I've had a few run-ins with him in the past..." Regal explained, "Now if you'll excuse me I'm very tired..." With that said Regal laid down and went to sleep, Zelos sat there in the same spot pondering something. Or at least the closest one can come to pondering something when one has no brain to ponder with. "Hey Zelos, I'm gonna' be all over your food if you don't eat!" Vyse yelled. "No way, I'm starvin' over here!" Zelos yelled back.