A/N: NICHT SCHISEN! DON'T SHOOT! It's me! My internet connection was down! At the risk of sounding like an airport delay announcement, I apologize for any inconvenience.

Some questions have been addressed to me, and they will be answered in this chapter. Also, People have been protesting outside my house with signs saying "More Detail" and "Move the Story Slower", so I've done that.

If any of you play D&D, then you might recognize some new faces and or names in this chapter. It's a Dungeons and Dragons crossover now, so don't be surprised to see goblins and such.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Soul series. Namco owns it. DO NOT send me hate mail if you don't like the game.

Chapter 5

The next day, information was slow. Everyone knew only rumors. It took a week to get any reliable information. Which was fine by me, because three days later, the next two, actually three, of our group arrived. I say two at first, because the third was a new face.

A large figure in a brown, hooded cloak approached me. It was my turn to stay at the Inn again. Behind him, I saw not one, but two women in grecian armor, with swords and shields. I recognized Cassandra, but the other woman's Identity was unknown to me. The gigantic sword tied to the cloaked man's back brought only one name. "Sigfried! Hey buddy, what's-"

"Shh!" He said, a gauntleted hand clasped over my mouth. There was silence, except for the sounds coming from the bustling of crowds. "You idiot!" He whispered from beneath his hood. "I have enemies here!" He sighed. "Why I agreed to come here, I still don't know. Why did you call us here, anyway?"

Sigfried removed his hand from my mouth as he said this. I looked around. "Then maybe you should come inside." At that, I led them in.

I took them to a corner table, and ordered us some pints. I often say, 'Enjoy the ethnic edibles, but don't drink the water.' So instead, I drink the ale. As we were waiting for our drinks, I wanted to know who this newcomer was. So, I asked. "Who's this?"

Cassandra responded. "Ace, this is my sister, Sophitia."

Sophitia gave me a respectful nod. "Hello."

I smiled in reply. "Greetings."

The waitress came with our drinks, as Sigfried asked, "Why did you ask us to come here, anyway?"

His drink was starting down his throat, when I said, "Soul Edge still exists."

I held back a smirk, as Sigfried gagged on his ale. Yes, I did it on purpose. I then layed out the ground work of what's happened thus far; how Zasalamel came to tell me, that Cervantes is also still alive, but weakened, and Revenant is looking out for me. I even told them what the group has learned so far, that we've confirmed that the Emperor's sword is indeed at least part of Soul Edge. "Great. The remnants of the cursed sword just happened to be in Grandall."

"Not exactly remnants." I said. "If Cervantes is alive, there's still more of it out there. But what's your beef with Grandall anyway?"

Everyone just stared at me blankly. "I own no cow in conjunction with Grandall."

I shook my head in an 'oh, brother' way. "Let me rephrase that. What's so bad about you coming to Grandall?"

Sigfried looked at his ale. "I'd rather not talk about it."

I shrugged. "Fair enough."

"Wait a minute!" Cassandra interjected softly. "Zasalamel is dead! I saw Yun-seoung kill him after he turned into that…that…thing!"

"He did die." I responded. "I find it hard to believe, too. At first I thought it was reincarnation, but he'd still have to go through childhood if that were so. I don't know what to think. It's a secret I have yet to find out."

"Well, he's helping us now, right?" Sophitia chimed in. "He can't be all bad."

"I find that suspect." Sigfried said. "He was after the swords for a reason. I suspect he's still after them for the same reason. I retrospectfully looked upon his movements. They all seemed to be steps to strengthen Soul Edge. History shows that he'll do the same."

"I'm aware of that, Sigfried." I said. "But he's proven his trustworthiness to me. I'm not saying I think he's gonna turn on us when I say this, but I'll keep in mind his movements."

"So, what do we do now?" Cassandra said.

I pondered. "I suppose we wait. The rest of the group should be back at…any…time…" A robed, hooded figure, emenating a taint of evil that was so vile, caught my eye. He had just walked in, and bumped into a patron by accident, allowing me to catch a glimpse of his face. My suspicions were confirmed. The skin of the man was a deep red, and stretched across his face, as if here were starving for days. He moved with the grace and vigor of a normal human. There were no eyes in his sockets, but he could see just fine. No one else saw it, but I thought of one creature that matched the description. "Vilewight…" I mumbled.

"Bile, what?" Cassandra asked.

I looked at the rest of the group. "Listen closely, 'cause I'm only gonna say this once. There are things in this world more powerful, and more evil, than Soul Edge. From what I just saw, I can tell you, that, within the week, this town will be attacked by one of those things. Remember this name: Orcus, Demon Prince of the undead. I suspect that this evil will be the one to attack."

"How would you know?" Sophitia asked.

"That thing in the robes over there." Sigfried answered for me. "I sensed the evil from it, too. What is it?"

I sighed. "Something that should've stayed dead. Be on your guard, and inform the others."