Ace then turned around as if he has felt something just now but looked to see nothing there.
"You okay, buddy? You're just staring into space." Vashyron asked.
"Sorry. I thought I felt something just now." Ace said before he continued to walk with the others.
"It must be something a Nephilim can only sense if that's true." Hope said.
"I thought I sensed a familiar evil presence nearby. Must've been my imagination." Ace said.
"You're probably just a bit paranoid. Just relax. The only things we need to worry about in this road are bandits." David said.
"I'm sorry. It's just I want to make sure my friends lives are not in danger, I don't want to lose the people I love." Ace said as he put a hand to his chest.
"Do not worry yourself Ace. We're not going anywhere." Jago said as he put a hand on Ace's shoulder.
"We don't wanna lose anyone either. We just gotta keep getting stronger and beat more and more bad guys." Zexi said.
"Yes but I failed to save my mother because of my arrogance back then. But I swear not to let that happen again." Ace said.
"Tragic moment from your past, I take it. We won't pry if you don't feel like telling us." Lloyd said.
"It's alright I'll tell you when the time comes." Ace reassured as he smiled.
"Shh." Lukas said as they saw a few brigands up ahead talking. "Keep quiet. We need to move past them."
"So, how they treating that lady we found?" one of them asked.
"Bet those guys are having some real fun with her." another said.
"They have someone captive?" asked the green haired fighter known as Alm.
Ace immediately had an angered look on his face as Breidablik started glowing.
"Ace, just calm down. They're just a bunch of bandits. Nothing to get too worked up about. We can take them easy." Petra said.
"My apologies. It just makes me sick to hear scum like them do stuff like that to women." Ace said as he took a deep breath and Breidablik stopped glowing.
"Trust me, this wouldn't be the first time something like that was assumed.
"Should we set up a preemptive strike?" Maya asked readying Temperance and Vengeance.
"Rescuing their hostage will require us to fight them, but I'm not one to turn a blind eye to innocents in danger." David said.
"Yeah well...seems we're about to lose the element of surprise." Lucy said pointing ahead as Alm rushed in and battled with them.
"Wow, he does seem to like charging in to save others." Hope said. "Kinda reminds me of Rowan."
"Everyone, buy me some time." Ace said.
"Ace, I just said don't worry about it." Petra said.
"Yeah, whatever you're trying to set up, these guys aren't worth it." Ross said.
"Me and my team can create a diversion and help Alm while you rescue the hostage." Ace said charging up for a magic attack.
"All of us would be too much. We should send in a small team." David said.
"I'll go. I can't turn a blind eye to a lady in danger." Zelos said.
"I'll go as well." Stoj said flying next to Zelos.
"I will go as well." Fox said.
"Count me in." Roy said.
"I'll have Shiva back you up just in case." Ace said as he summoned Shiva.
"Well, hello there. Aren't you a doll?" Zelos asked smittened by Shiva.
"Don't mind him. He's always been a bit of a casanova." Mayumi said.
"You don't have to say it like that…" Zelos said.
"Shiva….Chop!" Ace exclaimed as Shiva trapped Zelos in a block of Ice.
"Was that really necessary?" Zelos asked.
"She doesn't like to be hit on." Ace said as Shiva unfreezed Zelos giving him a warning glare.
"Note to self: Don't flirt with summoned creatures." Zelos said.
"You guys go on ahead. We'll help Alm." Al said as she went on ahead to help Alm.
"Let's go." Fox said as they entered a nearby shrine. "Just what is this?"
"Looks like some kind of shrine to their goddess. Guess it's just a hideout for thieves now." Zelos said.
"How disgraceful...and I could tell so much wonderful artists and architects put a lot of effort into this." Fox said.
"Everyone can you hear me?" Ace asked in their heads.
"Yeah. Somehow." Zelos said. "Is this some sort of telepathy?"
"Something like that, I can sense the hostage just ahead of you but she's surrounded by brigands unconscious, watch yourselves." Ace said.
"Hmm. Not just brigands…" Fox said pointing to soldiers with strange tattoo's on their arms, resembling black lions. "So...it's that loyalist group."
"Who are they?" Zelos asked.
"The Order of the Black Lions. A loyalist group from the Adventure Universe." Fox said.
"What are they doing here? This isn't even their universe. Is it?" Stoj asked.
"Hard to say. It's possible that the one who controls the throne and one of the Hobbyists are close to one another." Fox said.
"I checked their energy levels, they're pretty weak so take em out." Ace said.
"Roger that." Zelos said.
"Let's do this!" Roy said drawing the Binding Blade.
"Let's see if you can put up a good fight." Stoj said to the loyalists while pulling out her Spellbook.
"I intend to show mine." Fox said as he grabbed his mask while also going for his katana.
"Here we come!" Zelos said.
"Come! Goemon!" Fox said summoning his persona.
"Sweet dreams." Stoj said summoning pink clouds with candy on it towards three of the soldiers putting them to sleep.
Fox was slicing through them alongside Roy as Goemon was knocking them away. As they got to the shrine, they saw the leader and a monk with the same tattoo standing over a woman in white cloth.
"Who are you?" Roy said pointing his sword towards the tattooed man.
"I am Rust. A Monk who fights for the Black Lions and one of their three beasts." he said.
"What kind of name is Rust?" Stoj asked. "It's stupid."
"Please, you should see the nutjobs we run into on a daily basis." Zelos said.
"Enough talk. I crush you now." he said grabbing a large axe.
"Uh huh. Let me take this opportunity to teach you a thing or two about respecting women." Zelos said as he drew his blade.
"Be careful, Zelos. He's strong against Earth attacks but weak to wind and fire attacks." Ace said.
"Well, ain't that perfect? I just happen to have spells for those two elements." Zelos said.
"Then go crazy." Ace said.
"Blades of wind, rend them asunder… Air Thrust!" Zelos chanted.
"What is this?" Rust said as the attack broke the axe he held in half. "What?"
"You think an axe would actually do well against a wind attack from Zelos?" Roy asked.
"Now that that's out of the way, time for the finishing touch." Zelos said as a magic circle was under him. "Crimson fury, burn! Eruption!" Zelos chanted as a tower of flame ignited from Rust.
"Ahh!" he shouted before falling over unconscious.
"Well, that was a piece of cake." Zelos said as he tended to the woman. "You okay there? You're not hurt anywhere, are you?"
"Yes...I am fine. Thank you. My name is Silque...and I am a cleric and a woman of Mila." she said.
"I'm Zelos. Zelos Wilder. Now, this place isn't safe, especially for a lady like you. Let's bring you outside." Zelos said.
"Are you still trying to hit on a girl?" Stoj asked.
"He did defend her, after all. Show some tact." Fox said. "Besides, he's right. There's no telling how many more of those bandits are here."
"I don't detect anymore enemies I think you're all in the clear." Ace said.
"Excellent. Then let's get the heck out of here." Zelos said.
"Zelos, behind you!" Ace yelled.
Zelos reacted just in time to block an incoming attack. "What the… Who was that?"
"Oh man you are such a spoilsport." A man said annoyed his attack failed.
"Who are you?" Fox asked.
"Name's Cinder, agent of Ultratech." The plasma being known as Cinder said.
"Cinder's here? Be careful guys, I've fought him before." Stoj said.
"If this guy is using fire, then some ice will cool him off." Zelos said. "I don't have any ice spells, though, so I'll leave this to you and Shiva."
"Very well." Fox said. "I will settle this."
"I would not want to be you today." Cinder said as a mask covered his face.
"Can you keep Cinder busy while Shiva prepares Diamond Dust, Fox?" Ace asked.
"I don't see it as necessary...I intend to finish this with a single attack." Fox said.
"He won't go down after a single attack because he's made entirely of plasma, watch yourself." Ace warned.
"Just how much do you doubt us?" Zelos asked. "Don't worry. He's got this."
"Eat flames, fox face!" Cinder said blasting fire at Fox in rapid succession. But when the flames cleared, Fox was gone. "What?" he said before Fox was behind him.
"You have a major flaw...you underestimate your opponents. Vorpal….Blade" Fox said before a large frozen cut was in Cinder as he fell to his knees.
"Argh! First the kid beats me, and now you?!" Cinder said. "I know you can hear me, Kid! No matter what, Ultratech ain't gonna rest until we get our hands on you, and that includes me. This ain't over!" Cinder said before he fell unconscious.
"It was fun while it lasted." Fox said.
"..." Ace was silent.
"Kid...you're just starting out. For us...we've all been fighting for a long while. One thing you should know...don't underestimate our power." Jack said.
"I don't. It's just I've rarely fought against people when it was just monsters." Ace said.
"Trust me. I was the exact same way when I started out." David said. "But that's just the way things are when travelling worlds. You just never know what to expect."
"You're right, thanks. I just wish they would just leave me alone." Ace said.
"And one day they will once you put a stop to them." David said. "We know that this Ultratech thing isn't our fight, but that doesn't stop us from helping out. That being said, I think you may have gotten a little rough on Zelos when he flirted with Shiva. Sure, his antics drives some of our female members up the wall, but that's his way of showing he cares for them."
"You're right. I'm sorry if I froze him badly." Ace said. "When I look at you, you remind me of Spade."
"I… I do?" David asked.
"Maybe that's why I feel a strong connection between you and me. Because you remind me of my brother." Ace said.
"How so? I mean… I don't know what he's like, so I'm not sure how I'd remind you of him." David said.
"Because after our parents were killed, Spade always watched over me and was always protective, He was kind and caring whenever I was sad or thinking about my parents. That's why you remind me of him." Ace said.
"I'll be honest. My world used to be an apocalypse. Despair was lurking in every corner with no chance of peace in sight. My family is still alive, though. Heck, my sister is even on one of the teams here. And mine...well, they're sort of like a second family, too." David said.
"I'm a bit jealous but I'm glad you still have your family." Ace said playfully.
"Yeah. They mean pretty much the world to me, even if my reputation as a demon hunter puts a huge target on my back." David said.
"Yeah. I mean, what if these Hobbyist guys tell the Demon Universe's Loyalist group about you and place a bounty on your head? They'd hound you to the grave." Skull said.
"That's why he has his friends so they'll be ready to help whenever he needs them, so believe him and you'll believe in each other." Ace said as he clasped one of David's hands in both of his. "Sectonia believes in him, so me and Spirit Force will believe in him too."
"Ace…" David said. "Thank you. Those words helped a lot."
"I'm glad, we're friends aren't we?" Ace asked.
"Yeah. Definitely." David said. "Also, since you've revealed some of your secrets. It's best I'd show you one of mine." David said as he unleashed his Ice Reaper Claw.
"Amazing!" Ace said.
"This ability was given when my body was receptive to Kyogre's power. It's given me the moniker 'Ice Devil', but I'll be honest. It's a step forward from that Ice Kid nickname that weasel Flux always gave me." David said.
"I think Ice Devil is an awesome nickname." Ace said.
"You really think so? I mean, when Melchior called me that, he referred to me as some kind of scourge, but what does he know?" David asked as he retracted it.
"His opinion doesn't matter only yours you decide to call yourself what you want to be don't ever forget that." Ace said as he pulled David into a brotherly hug. "Your friends are with you every step of the way."
"No argument there." Alm said.
"Well if it isn't the blue ball of fire. You made quite the entrance against all those brigands." Connor said.
"I had no choice. I just started moving." Alm said.
"You were lucky I was there to help." Al said as she leaned her arm onto Alm's shoulder.
"Gotta say though, that was quite impressive for your first battle." Sectonia said.
"Indeed." Jexi said. "That was pure valor if I ever saw it."
"Though...Rust said he was one of three beasts. Meaning there are two other commanders we are likely to encounter along our journey." Fox said.
"Are you guys alright?" Ace said as he walked over to the small group.
"Yep. Nothing to worry about." Zelos said as he stepped aside to reveal Silque. "It's okay. They're comrades of ours."
"My name is Silque. I am quite grateful for all of you. As repayment, I would be honored to accompany you all." she said.
"We would be glad to have you with us." Azura said.
"We would be honored, miss Silque." Alm said.
"So uh, you guys have anywhere we can rest up, a hideout or something?" Ty asked.
"We should be reaching the southern outpost soon." Lukas said before a soldier ran to him.
"Sir Lukas!" they said.
"You were...stationed at the outpost right?" Lukas asked.
"Sir, I'm sorry but...tides have turned since you left. We were forced to abandon the outpost. Lady Clair has been captured by Desaix's men." the soldier said.
"Then we must help her." Roy said.
"Agreed. We cannot allow her to remain captured like this." Lloyd said.
"So where did this Desaix guy take Clair?" Hope asked.
"Hmm. Considering its only been recent...its likely she and his men are still in the outpost." the soldier said.
"Good, we can still get her back." Ace said.
"But...there are these strange soldiers with these lion tattoos on their bodies." the soldier said.
"Likely the Order of the Black Lion." Jack said.
"There might be a chance of one of the three beasts being there." Stoj said.
"Hmm… It's rather odd…" David said.
"How so?" Ross asked.
"Well, the way we usually deal with the Hobbyists, they come at us one by one over the course of our time in each world. But they're showing themselves way too quickly. I have a bad feeling about what they've got planned." David said.
"It could be a trap. Let's be ready for anything just in case." Ace said.
"Or...there is a possibility...there's more than just one Hobbyist and Loyalist group here." Shuichi said.
"Hmm… Yes, after what happened in Past Glenwood, we cannot deny that possibility." Sectonia said.
"How many do you think there are?" Mari asked.
"This is just a guess. But I have to say 3...maybe 4." Shuichi said.
"But there was something strange when I analyzed Rust though." Ace said. "But I don't want to jump to conclusions just yet."
"Something strange? What do you mean?" Zelos asked.
'I thought I sensed a bit of an Eidolons power coming from him but I'm not sure." Ace said.
"That's impossible. The only person among them capable of summoning them, universe-wise, would be Copernicus, and he's dead." David said.
"But what if it's someone else, the monsters I fought somehow had their hands on five of them." Ace said. "What if there's someone else besides Copernicus."
"Geez… How obsessed with this Eidolon business are you? Look, you'll find it when we find it. It won't come any closer if you keep worrying about every little thing." Petra asked.
"Excuse me? I don't worry about every little thing. The Eidolons might be the only clue to find out who I really am." Ace said.
"Okay. Calm down. Look...if you wanna know...then we need to defeat the beast at the outpost and ask him yourself." Jexi said.
"You're right, Sorry if I lost my temper Petra." Ace apologized.
"It's alright. I just...don't want the group to be demoralized, that's all." Petra said. "That being said, you and Shiva shouldn't be so hard on Zelos. He's...going through a lot."
"I mentioned that his antics tend to get on the female members' nerves, but surprisingly, Petra and Kirumi are among the few that don't seem to mind." David said.
"I'm sorry it's just Shiva told me about her past before she became an Eidolon and she didn't want to go through that experience again." Ace explained.
"I'm not sure I follow. Depending on the world, their stories tend to get condeluded." David said.
"It's just when she met a man in her past life they were happy together until he betrayed her trust which broke her heart." Ace said.
"Sounds deep… But Zelos isn't that kind of guy, honest! Sure, he's a bit of a perv, but he always steps in to defend a lady's honor." David said.
"I can vouch for that. He defended me against a Fractured Muzet back when the Fractured Dimensions were still a problem." Ramona said.
"I believe you because when I saw Zelos through Shiva's eyes. I could tell he would trust Shiva just as she would trust him. When we free Zofia I'll consider having Shiva dance with him in a field of snow." Ace said as he smiled.
"Y-you're sure?" Zelos asked. "I mean, the reason why I was surprised by her freezing at first was because my mother died on a snowy day years ago. It just...reminded me of that."
"I'm sure she'll help you overcome that horrible memory." Ace said as Shiva approached Zelos and took his hand in hers smiling at him.
"Wow… thats the first time Zelos ever had that kinda result with a girl." Kokoro said.
"And with a summon no less. Maybe things will work out between them after all." Sheena said.
Shiva then kissed Zelos on the cheek and disappeared in a small flurry of Diamond Dust.
"Okay...maybe we move on before we get more sidetracked." Sam said.
"Right. To the outpost!" David said.
"How far are we from it?" Ace asked.
"Not far. Should get there before the day is out." the soldier said.
"Okay. After we reclaim the outpost, we can rest there and move back out in the morning to the base." Lukas said.
"Then let's not waste any time." David said.