34- Escape from the Sealed Cave

"I can help you escape." After a pause, Brade had finally decided to answer. "But, prepared as you sound, I'm not sure any of you are ready yet."

"Why do you keep saying that?" asked Hunter. "What is it we're lacking?"

"I didn't say you're lacking anything," Brade replied. "You might be ready, but I haven't seen your abilities for myself."

"Oh, I see," said Hunter. "So is it a duel you want?"

"I don't mean your fighting talent," said Brade. "I mean your heart as a Spider Rider. I've fought alongside many Riders back in the day. And all of them were amazing people."

"I know!" said Magma. "I've read every book written about you. If it's a story of the past you want to tell, please allow me to tell it for you."

"I wasn't really going to tell a story," said Brade.

"Oh." Magma looked disappointed.

"All I was going to tell you is that I too was a Spider Rider."

"Really?!" Hunter exclaimed. "That's so cool!"

"I still have my manacle today," he added. "And my spider partner Dagger."

"That's wonderful!" Magma cheered. "If you're a Spider Rider, then you and I can fight by each other's side."

"That's not going to happen," Brade replied. "And… no offense to you. It's just that I don't plan on fighting at all ever again."

"You don't want to fight?" asked Corona. "But… the people of Nuuma are in trouble. Don't you feel bad for them?"

"I know that they're in trouble," Brade said. "But my time as a warrior has passed. I fought many battles in my days, and saved many lives. But now I'm old and tired. It's time to put things in the hands of your generation."

Magma still looked very disappointed, as did Hunter.

"Come on, you can't be that old," Hunter said.

"I'm quite a bit older than you can imagine," replied Brade.

"How old are you?" asked Aqune, curiously.

"I can't reveal all my secrets," Brade replied. He then cleared his throat. "Now, Spider Riders, are you ready to be tested?"

"Yeah," said Hunter. "If it's the only way you'll let us out of this cave, we'll do it."

The others all nodded in agreement.

"Very well." Brade raised his staff, and released its magical energy.

"Buguese, are you really going to keep circling these caves?" Beerain asked, boredly.

"Yes," said Buguese. "I can not give up until I find Aqune."

"She's obviously not here," Beerain said.

Buguese was terribly frustrated, just wishing to break something, though he knew that was impractical.

"Why?" he asked himself. "Why were you taken away from me?"

Each of the Spider Riders found themselves alone, in a different part of the cave.

"Hello!" Hunter called. "Anyone there?"

But he didn't get an answer.

"Brade must have separated us," Shadow suggested.

"Then, is the test to find each other?" Hunter wondered. He didn't know for sure, but nonetheless, he knew he definitely needed to look for them. He started to run down a bend.

"Where is everyone?" Corona thought worriedly.

"Stay calm, Corona," Venus spoke.

"Yeah, I know I should," Corona replied. Then, she remembered something.

"Aqune used her power to locate Brade, because he was a Spider Rider. If I'm an Oracle Handmaiden too, then maybe I can use my power to find everyone else!"

She began to concentrate on the one she wanted to see most. Hunter.

"Oh man," Magma said. "Sorry, Brutus. One minute we had Portia in our sights, and now she's gone again. Not to mention…" he was crying way overdramatically "Hero Brade-sama isn't here either!"

"Let's find Portia and the others," said Brutus.

"I know," replied Magma. "We will. Hero Brade didn't even answer my question yet, after all!"

Aqune looked around at her surroundings.

"Where did everyone go?" she wondered.

"Brutus…" Portia said, feeling lonely.

"You want to see him again, don't you?" asked Aqune, smiling. "Don't worry, Portia. I can sense where Magma is with my powers. We'll find him and everyone else."

"Hunter!" Corona exclaimed. Finally, she found him. She was impressed that her powers really worked.

Corona really wanted to run up to Hunter and embrace him, but she thought it would be too embarrassing and extreme. They were only separated for a few minutes.

"Good, I'm not alone anymore," said Hunter. "I'm glad I found you."

Corona smiled. "Now we should find the others, right?"

"There you are!" Aqune said, having finally reached Magma's location.

"Portia!" Magma and Brutus exclaimed.

"Brutus…" said Portia.

Aqune was glad that went well.

"Let's not forget about finding Hunter and Corona," Aqune said.

"And Hero Brade!" Magma added.

"Yeah," Aqune said, sweating.

Hunter and Corona's group finally met face to face with Magma and Aqune's. However, when they met they realized they were standing on what looked like an arena.

"What is this about?" Corona asked.

"I don't know," said Hunter. "Maybe… we have to battle something now?"

"I don't see anyone here but us," Aqune pointed out.

"Then… are we supposed to battle each other?" Magma wondered.

"No way!" Hunter said. "Why would I want to fight any of you? You're my friends."

"I agree," said Aqune. "Fighting among us is not the answer."

"Yeah!" said Corona. "We're a team."

"Brutus and Portia have fought each other enough for one lifetime," Magma added.

"So… now what?" Hunter asked.

"You pass," Brade said, appearing in the arena with them.

"Yes! Hero Brade-sama is our prize!" Magma exclaimed.

"No, I'm not the prize," he said. "Your prize is that I'm letting you out with my magic. Because I see now that you're all true comrades."

The other three were very glad to hear that.

Brade tapped his staff to the ground. Again, the Riders were covered in a bright light. And they re-emerged at the location of their last battle.

"Alright! Fresh air!" Hunter exclaimed.

"And now we can get to Nuuma," Magma added. "But, Hero Brade-sama, are you sure I can't keep you as my prize?"

Brade took a few steps back nervously.

"I don't think I can go with you," Aqune said.

"What do you mean?" Hunter asked.

"Well… it's not that I don't want to, but…"

All of a sudden, Buguese appeared on the scene.

"Aqune!" he exclaimed.

Aqune turned her head around.

"Buguese!"

Without thinking of the consequences for once, Aqune just ran to his side, and wrapped her arms around him.

"I wanted to see you again," she said. "I… I've finally remembered everything."

"You remember?" Buguese was very shocked, and not sure how to react. Sure, he was relieved to have Aqune back by his side, but now that she remembered everything, what could this mean for the future?

Of course, Buguese also noticed that the Spider Riders stood there. He had to at least acknowledge them. But now, he decided, was not the best time for a fight. Aqune wasn't wearing her mask, for one.

"Spider Riders," he said. "I'll be taking Aqune. And when we meet again in Nuuma, we will destroy you and take the Oracle Keys." He was beamed up onto his ship, with Aqune still in his arms.

"No! Portia!" yelled Magma.

"Why did she go back?" Hunter wondered.

'This is very bad,' Brade thought to himself. 'If Aqune is really the one I think she is… she cannot be on the side of the Insectors. The proper place for her is alongside the Spider Riders. Alongside the second coming of the Brave.'

AN: I'm kind of glad the "reveal" of Brade being a Spider Rider was included so early in this version. It was glaringly obvious to me, so it was never a twist in the canon version.