Chapter 17: Trust.
As the morning breeze hit Duelist Kingdom island the Jet that carried Jaden and his group towards their destination as it made its final approach towards Pegasus's private airport. Landing smoothly it went for a complete stop as one particular passenger, Chazz Princeton bolted out of the aircraft, almost ripping the door off its hinges as Jaden nonchalantly commented.
" Chazz, buddy, we need to do something about that air sickness problem of yours."
Not in the mood for any of it Chazz angrily replied as he almost spat.
" you think!?….."
Adrian at that broke up the fight that was about to break out as he asked Jaden.
" is he ever calm?"
Jaden replied sincerely.
" funny enough this is the most calm he's ever been."
Adrian sighed.
" somehow I feel I can trust you on that one."
With that said and done just as the group finished unloading their cargo Pegasus in the flesh rolled out in a sporty limousine fashioned after the spell card Toon World. Exiting the custom vehicle Pegasus addressed everyone.
" well boys and girls, usually I'd make a flashier entrance and even roll out the red carpet but since Adrian boy stressed that we are pressed for time, get in everyone."
Chazz interjected immediately.
" no disrespect and all but since I almost heaved all over your runway I'm walking to where you're all going."
Admiring the in your face attitude that the infamous Seto Kaiba shared with the boy in black Pegasus smirked.
" very well then, when you arrive to my castle I'll tell the staff to let you in immediately."
As the group got into the fancy and quite frankly gaudy car Chazz began trailing after them taking in the sites along the way. On any other day Jaden would've kicked himself over the fact that he was breezing through sites that made their way into dueling history As Alexis didn't fail to notice that as she quietly said.
" I know how you feel."
Speaking of feeling, as the car pulled into Pegasus's castle the group couldn't believe let alone describe the mood that set in on them all as the host addressed them yet again.
" Jaden boy, follow me to my study, as for the rest of you, I've arranged a sitting area and some tea and biscuits in the foyer, please have as many to your heart's contend."
As Jaden followed Pegasus into his study all the hero duelist could think of was.
' the Obelisk dorm has nothing on this place…..'
As the duo entered the study in question Pegasus dropped all pretenses except his smooth, suave and soothing tone, well at least by his own account anyway.
" Adrian boy was deliberately vague on the phone so, if you please fill me in on what has happened since I last saw you."
With that Jaden began talking as he updated the older man on what had happened which by the end of it Pegasus summarized.
" so you hatched a scheme to trap this Nightshroud and you need my help and resources to do that….."
Jaden responded with.
" yep, that's it in a nutshell."
Pegasus gave him a wry smile as he stated.
" well then let's begin shall we?"
About two hours had passed since the duo began to brain storm what kind of cards they would specifically need for Jaden's plan to go off without a hitch as Chazz Princeton himself found his way to the group in the foyer.
" so Jay wasted no time has he?
Chazz got a nod of confirmation from the group. Accepting that fact Chazz allowed himself to drop his guard a little while Jaden was having a conversation with an old friend via video conference about the plan he came up with, that friend being Chumley Huffington, the koala shaped Duel Academy student turned card artist for Industrial Illusions.
' I got everything you're looking for Jay, I'll get right on it ASAP.'
With that Pegasus excused himself as he went to tend for his guests while Chumley on the other hand seemed worried.
" is everything okay Chum?"
Chumley didn't mince words.
' oh it's nothing, I'm just wondering….. since when do you make plans?'
Jaden smirked replying.
" just keeping a promise for someone important to use my brain more often."
Chumley , curious at that point, bluntly stated.
' you mean to tell me that we could've avoided all that happened to us last year?'
Jaden for the first time in a while began laughing as he said.
" I remember some of them were fun."
Chumley at that responded with a sarcastic tone saying.
' oh missing them would've been fun for me.'
With that said and done Jaden ended the conversation as he made it back to the foyer with the help of his duel spirits much to his annoyance. With Pegasus arranging for the group to stay at Duelist Kingdom for as long as it needed for those specialty cards to be made, Jaden spend some of his time in his room while going ocassionally on an impromptu patrols. As he patrolled the grounds Yubel materialized in spirit form.
" hey there, any new updates?"
Yubel replied with an even tone.
' our mysterious friend is more than what he seems.'
Surprised Jaden asked.
" oh, how so?"
Yubel answered as follows.
' he is a duel spirit like myself trying to find and protect his master.'
Jaden asked immediately as his curiosity peaked.
" does this friend has a name?"
Yubel continued the conversation.
' he goes by the name Honest.'
With that Jaden acknowledged the info he got as the two began talking in more detail while eventually the hero duelist concluded with.
" so he knows what we're up to but he hasn't informed Nightshroud… let's hope he can fool him for a few more days."
Yubel nodded in agreement as she asked.
'Shall I keep a close eye on those two and keep reporting on their movements?'
Jaden replied.
" and make sure Zane and their other prisoners are alive and well…. Thanks…."
With that Yubel nodded before disappearing.
' you do not need to.'
Just as Yubel disappeared Jaden went back to his room at the end of his latest patrol as he rounded a corner to see Syrus waiting up for him.
"Sy, can I help you with something little buddy?"
Syrus wore a serious face on him as he replied as follows.
" I need a favor from you."
Jaden nodded while saying.
" sure anything…. within reason."
Syrus laughed a bit at that last part as he took a deep breath.
" I need to get stronger….. and I need you to train me for it."
Smiling at the initiative his little buddy was showing Jaden couldn't help but agree.
" hey let's go and find Pegasus, maybe he'll be nice enough to let us duel all over Duelist Kingdom."
As the duo went off to find Pegasus they instead came across Chazz and Alexis as they filled them in on what they were up to at the moment as the former stated bluntly.
" this is not going to work the way you do things."
Undeterred Jaden simply asked.
" oh yeah?, and why's that?."
Chazz returned the favor with the following response.
" Syrus will most likely come across guys that will likely try and kill him, at best, at worst knock the wind right out of him, so I'll be the one to give him a dueling boot camp."
Syrus at that thanked Chazz while the latter replied while seemingly getting into character.
" don't thank me yet."
With that the group continued on their way as Jaden took an opportunity to ask Alexis something in private.
" so what do you think?, Chazz jumped on this chance because he really wanted to duel someone?"
Alexis smirked.
" being subtle isn't one of his strong suits."
Somehow Chazz replied as though he knew what's being said.
" I heard that!"
Jaden at that just shrugged it off as a bemused Alexis continued on with him following shortly after. While heading to find Pegasus Jaden in turn started a conversation with Sy asking him what prompt him to take such an active measure to which said best friend replied.
" well, my brother sacrificed himself for me to escape….. again….. so I owe him that at least besides….."
Curious Jaden urged him to continue.
" besides what?"
Syrus at that answered with a bit of pride in his voice.
" I managed at least to help Mrs. Rhodes and a few more to escape…. before I got captured at least…"
Impressed Jaden said the following.
" you know what?….. hold on I'm about to have my best idea yet."
Jaden at that made a small detour as he in turn managed to convince Jim, Axel and Adrian to help out with the training session before he returned with the boys in question as Syrus was getting slightly nervous.
" Jay?!… aren't you getting a little overboard?"
Jaden at that gave him a confident smirk as he reasoned with him.
" the idea is to prepare you for what's to come right?"
Syrus at that nodded as Jaden continued.
" so the best way to prepare is for you to duel with many people as possible and with many different dueling styles."
Syrus understanding the logic behind the method still protested.
" but you know how I am around big crowds of people…."
Jaden at that countered.
" all the more reason to conquer that fear, trust me you'll thank me in the long run."
Syrus at that only gave him a silent look that said 'oh is that what's it all about…..' as Jaden gave him an optimistic smile either ignoring the obvious sarcasm or it went right over his head completely. While on that same subject the group managed to rope in Pegasus on the whole ordeal by promising he could watch while throwing in the bonus of testing new cards before they'll hit the market. As the group began dueling they covered most of the island's arenas even the scary ones as three days passed in a blink before Pegasus got an update on Jaden's request.
" thank you Chumley boy, now what about your passion projects?"
Chumley replied as such.
" they're coming together nicely so I'll have their prototypes within a couple of weeks."
Pegasus gave a pleasant smile saying.
" nothing less from a rising star in my company but take your time, make sure represents quality over quantity."
Chumley nodded.
' absolutely, you can count on me.'
As the video conference disconnected Pegasus sent himself personally to inform Jaden boy of the developments as he caught the final minutes of a duel between him and Syrus Truesdale ending in a draw.
" you're getting better Sy… let's take five."
Pegasus at that gently interrupted with a polite tone.
" in fact why don't you take a half a day off Jaden's new cards are ready to be tested and inspected by the client."
Jaden at that got ecstatic.
" lead the way."
As the duo headed towards the private airport Pegasus couldn't help but notice that Jaden boy was equally ecstatic and nervous.
" you can't help but wonder when and how it's going to turn all wrong right?"
Jaden corrected.
" I got knots in my stomach because I know for a fact that he's keeping an eye on me somewhere."
Sympathetic to Jaden's mood Pegasus offered the following.
" I'll instruct the pilot to take the scenic route if it will ease your mind."
Jaden nodded in gratitude as he replied.
" thanks but I can take the pressure, so let's not waste more time than what we need to."
Impressed Pegasus could not help but being reminded of Yugi boy while he was looking at Jaden, however he pushed that thought out of his head as he took the hero duelist to an express trip that took about six hours both forth and back.
As the duo reached the destination in question as Pegasus gave him a thumbs up saying.
" I've already arranged for top notch duelists to help you test out your new cards."
Jaden smirked.
" how about me and you have a little duel as well?, it's not like I get to take on the guy who created the game."
Pegasus gave a smirk of his own as he responded.
" I can't deny that there's a certain thrill from dueling promising young men and women."
Jaden at that took it as a yes with the jet getting closer and closer to its destination, speaking of closer and closer that's what Nightshroud was doing when he continue feasting on souls to make sure he's powerful enough to make his ultimate move.
' you've progressed quite a bit but I have no idea for how long I can fool him.'
As Honest said that he felt the presence of Nightshroud behind him getting closer and closer.
' so you are not the only one who attempted to betray me Honest….'
Honest only asked the following.
' for how long were you aware?'
Nightshroud replied with
' for a while now.'
Transforming back into his original form Honest manifested a custom duel disc with Nightshroud replying, seemingly writing him off as a non threat.
' you don't honestly think you possess enough strength to take me head on, much less eliminate me.'
Honest simply replied as such.
' perhaps I am not strong enough to destroy you but at least I will weaken you enough for the boy to do it.'
Not giving him any other option Nightshroud entertained the poor misguided fool known as Honest right about as Yubel stumbled on to their little exchange. Not wanting to push her luck Yubel disappeared with the hopes that Nightshroud hasn't sensed her presence as she made her way back to Jaden. Speak of the devil the duo of Jaden and Pegasus have landed on the latter's R&D facility airport as they wasted no time getting into the main building with the former getting ready to test the cards in a simulation duel.
' Jaden I have troubling news…'
Jaden at that wasted no time as he calmed Yubel down as he asked her for more specifics which she gave him.
"Pegasus, change in plans, I'll have to take the cards and test them out in real time."
Pegasus understood all too well as the duo plus Yubel hurried back to the Jet as they made their way back to Duelist Kingdom in what they hoped would be a record time, speaking of records Honest on his Part managed to drag the duel between himself and Nightshroud up to 13 rounds before he lost his life points completely.
' sentimental fool…. I could've given you what your heart desired…'
As Honest disintegrated into dust Nightshroud lost his footing for a moment before he summoned one of his new minions, the one his current host Atticus affectionately referred to as cousin Lana.
' make your way to the island, take as many "agents" as you see fit and draw out any amount of energy you deem necessary for me to find the ultimate price….'
'Lana' at that taunted him.
' what's the matter?, that Honest nobody really did succeed in stopping you?"
Nightshroud grimaced.
' he may have managed to give me a fight but it's my dear host that's trying to regain control.'
'Lana' laughed sadistically while asking.
' and why would he do that?'
Nightshroud's reply was to the point.
' because I've fooled him into believing that he could gain control over my powers.'
Bemused 'Lana' left with a few "agents' as she was enveloped in shadows before Nightshroud shortened her trip by connecting to the shadows present on academy island. As the process was complete Atticus tried with all of his might to regain control with him and Nightshroud fighting over his body, in both literal and the metaphorical meaning of the world.
"…. Jaden… will stop you…. Just like before…."
Nightshroud spat back.
' only this time there's no going back for you… not after what you've done…..'
Atticus retorted with.
" I don't care if I won't have anything left just as long as you won't be a part of me anymore…"
Back to Jaden, Pegasus's private jet made it back in a record of five hours as he rallied everyone to pack their gear and prepare for one heck of a fight. As both him and the rest of the group managed packing what they needed with Jaden in particular waited for an excruciating 12 hours as eventually he addressed Yubel.
" you think Honest managed to actually defeat him?"
Yubel answered coolly.
' I can verify if you wish me to do so.'
Before he could answer a swarm of shadows manifested on the floor as Nightshroud materialized in front of Jaden and Yubel.
' a classic setting for a king.'
Jaden joked.
" or a clown."
At that Nightshroud tried to maintain his composure but before he could give any sort of retort Jaden at that acted as followed.
" I'm sorry, calling you a clown is an actual insult for clowns."
Just as Nightshroud was about to lose it he stopped dead in his tracks before he started convulsing as though he was being possessed, the irony didn't escape Jaden, as the hero duelist in question began hearing an all too familiar voice.
" Jaden…. He's after the Sacred Beasts…. Destroy him at all costs… don't hold back….."
Atticus vanished quickly as Nightshroud regained himself saying.
' and here I thought he'd appreciate my flare for the dramatics… such a spoil sport…..'
With that Nightshroud didn't wait for Jaden to respond as he was enveloped in darkness yet again as he gave a threat disguised as a friendly advice.
' better make sure your deck is up to snuff…. You have only a day.'
As Nightshroud disappeared completely Jaden left the room with his bags in tow as he gathered the group telling them what happened.
" given the fact that he's after the Sacred Beasts I can't shake the feeling that he's trying to play you for a fool."
Jaden replied to Alexis as such.
" trust me that thought ran across my head but what else can we do besides trying and get the drop on him for a change?"
With that said and done Yubel chimed in.
' Jaden, I can transport some of your friends directly to where Nightshroud's prisoners are being kept.'
With that Jaden nodded as he fished out his Super Polymerization as he gave Yubel a power boost so she could appear in front of them fully materialized.
" thank you."
With that Yubel addressed the rest of the group as follows.
" though I am quite a frightful site my only goal here is to lend a hand, as well as issue a warning and to ask the following, who will …."
At that Chazz stepped forward.
" follow you into certain danger?, that would be me."
Alexis at that followed suit citing that a friend and a family member of hers were being held hostage by Nightshroud with Axel silently stepping forward as well. At this moment Adrian was about to join as well before Jaden stopped him.
" better stay back on this one, we'll need to fool Nightshroud into dropping his guard for Yubel and the rest to succeed."
Adrian replied simply with.
" loud and clear."
With that the two groups have split as Jaden's group began running towards the airport.
" so the rumors about academy island are true?…"
Jaden's response was.
" yep."
Adrian at that continued by asking.
" and are the cards safe on said island?"
Jaden unintentionally joked.
" why do you think we're… running…"
Jaden's splintered group made it to the jet in record time as Henry Rhodes the second has already begun doing pre flight checks before taking off from Duelist Kingdom while the hero duelist was lost in his own thoughts.
'please come back safe guys…'
Right about that moment the group being led by Yubel exited just at the entrance of the jail cells where Syrus and Zane were being held as Chazz just took in the sheer amount of prison cells as he commented.
" well great… this won't take forever…"
Axel at that chose to speak up.
" only we're here for this Zane kid."
Chazz scoffed.
" like I didn't know and besides…."
At that stop Axel and the rest of them for that matter payed close attention to Chazz urging him to continue.
" it's not like you won't bother to save innocent people right?, after all you're a soldier, not a monster."
Alexis at that added.
" besides that, Jaden would've done the same thing so as his friends we have no right to do any less."
Right at this moment Chazz has already strapped his duel disc as he summoned a few powerful monsters as he instructed them to begin blowing up the cell doors.
" anyone here feels like we're talking too much when we should take action?"
Now it was time for Syrus to scoff as he muttered.
" showoff…."
A bit more enthusiastically Alexis chimed in.
" save some action for me."
With that said and done Axel joined in on the action as well but not before setting some defense to bring up the rear, speaking of protection, the Academy security force were currently overwhelmed by Nightshroud's forces while the villain in question was making his way with the possessed Lana to see a certain man about certain cards while the former got an uneasy feeling.
' is something wrong?'
"Lana" replied.
' I'm bored with these weaklings…..'
Smirking Nightshroud continued the conversation though security never existed.
' go back to base and wait for Jaden, I'm sure he's up to something.'
"Lana" at that just yawned as Nightshroud sent her back via shadows creatures. As she returned however, "Lana" sensed the presence of Alexis and a few others as she wondered out loud.
' well… what are you up to now little cousin?'
Only when she decided to actually focus "Lana" sensed where exactly Alexis was as she lazily headed towards the prison cells. Back with the group the rescue efforts were going off without a hitch with Syrus and Chazz focusing on the rescue while Alexis, Yubel and Axel were keeping watch.
" anyone's feeling uneasy at the fact that nothing has gone wrong yet?"
Axel responded.
" we're not in the clear yet so stay alert."
As soon as that statement was made here came "Lana" with extreme disinterest on her face to the others who didn't go by Alexis.
' as you were… I'm only interested in the little girl….'
Axel at that simply asked.
" and you expect us to believe you?"
" Lana" replied while her disinterest continued.
' I don't care what you do, you get in my way and you're gonna get hurt just as bad as her.'
Alexis at that smirked though she wasn't in a particularly good mood.
" the Lana I remember doesn't go for cheap words, now it's time to shut up and fight."
With this both duelists brought their duel discs to life while "Lana" did the same in return. While those two entertained the minion of Nightshroud Chazz and Syrus managed to free around 60% of the prisoners before finding Zane panting in exhaustion as he asked before the two of them could let him down.
" where is he?!"
Chazz replied bluntly.
" he's going after the Sacred Beasts cards."
Zane at that returned the favor.
" then what are you doing wasting your time with me?"
Chazz scoffed.
" Jaden didn't shut up about it until we agreed to rescue you."
Smirking Zane said as such.
" sounds like him."
As the two eventually freed Zane both Chazz and Syrus helped him stand up as as they began walking outside with Yubel covering their backs. As Chazz was returning towards Alexis and the rest of the group, hoping for a clean escape, something felt off as suddenly and without so much as a warning a flock of dragons materialized out of thin air as they began shooting streams of fire over their heads.
' the prodigal son returns!'
At that Chazz recognized the two voices as Slade and Jagger, his older brothers as he addressed Syrus.
" listen up, get Zane out of her while I have a heart to heart with the idiots I used to call my brothers."
With that Chazz was about to ask Yubel to continue freeing the rest of the prisoners before asking the following.
" I pride myself on getting by with nothing but my wits and my cards but would you be so kind and lend me your strength in dealing with the bozos after us?"
Yubel nodded as she said.
" I assume you took notice on how to play me in a fight correct?"
Chazz returned the gesture.
" you assumed correctly."
Yubel dematerialized before turning into the cards that were the Yubel set all doing so without Chazz's older brothers paying attention as the latter stated.
" listen up you clowns since I don't have any time to play around I'll take you on bozos two against one."
Shuffling Yubel into his deck quickly he was surprised he didn't here from his brothers, figuring that the morons are trying to share a brain between them and play it cautious Chazz went for the jugular.
" I know why Slade won't duel against me, I already beat his sorry butt before but you Jagger, I figured you for a grade A moron but never a gutless turd."
With that his two brothers appeared from the shadows quickly as they snapped at him.
' watch your tone you worthless failure.'
As the both of them activated their duel discs ready for a fight while Chazz muttered.
"we'll see who's the failure…"
with that said and done the two simply focused on Chazz and said little brother thinking.
' at least he's occupied…'
in the meantime with Jaden trying to focus on rescuing the world yet again. While doing that the rest of the Rhodes family made contact with chancelor Shepard as they warned him about what Nightshroud and unfortunately Atticus searched too as said headmaster reassured them that he has everything under control. As shepard hung up the phone his vice chancelor by default Dr. Valian Crowler, present in the room delivering his usual paperwork asked.
" chancelor Shepard, may I ask why aren't you worried sir?"
With that Shepard didn't answer as he instead fished out a custom duel disc, a plain looking one yet still having a touch of style and personality, the perfect way to describe the owner himself count to think of it.
" well aside from the fact that this Nightshroud character tried to win these cards with a shadow duel, history always teaches us that power attracts the power hungry and those cards are the epitome of power."
At that point Shepard pulled out an ornate box possessing what could only be described as necklaces with puzzle pieces adorned with hieroglyphs resting on them as the chancelor began wearing them on his neck until.
" Shepard, if I may, allow me to carry some of them with me as well."
Catching on with Crowler's thinking process.
" a brilliant idea but I cannot ask you to risk yourself like that since your dueling record has been spotty for this last year."
Crowler, a little miffed, responded as follows.
""believe me no one is more aware than I am but if you fall in this fight the entire island and the world would be at risk."
Seeing that Crowler won't back down from this argument Shepard sighed as he gave him five of what he dubbed as keys to the Sacred Beasts.
" I'll only say it once, don't fight unless it's a last resort."
With that Shepard left his office with his duel disk attached to his arm while Crowler began running in the opposite direction."
Walking around the deserted island Shepard eventually passed the Academy's power plant as he stated.
" are you going to follow me all day or are we going to fight?"
Nightshroud smirked as he emerged from the shadows.
' how did you know… on second thought forget I asked you won't stick around long enough to answer my questions.'
Shepard smirked while Nightshroud finally noticed the keys.
" what's the matter?!, foiled your plans?….."
Nightshroud gave Shepard a malicious grin replying.
' just an obstacle I intend to remove.'
Shepard in turn goaded him on in an attempt to throw Nightshroud off his game.
" go for it."
In the meantime back in the prison " complex" Chazz was the first to beat his opponents in a duel. As he caught his breath he addressed Yubel directly.
" go back to Jaden and get his as fast as possible to the academy… I doubt Nightshroud will wait for him to arrive before he tries anything…"
Yubel nodded before she disappeared saying.
"understood."
The next time Yubel reappeared she materialized in the jet itself as Jaden asked worried.
" please don't tell me something went wrong…."
Yubel simply replied with.
" no, now are you ready Jaden?"
Jaden in turn indicated that his answer was yes before they both disappeared from the jet with the hero duelist asking.
" this is a dumb question but do you know where you're going?"
Yubel's only response was.
" I delved into your mind."
Jaden seemingly taking it well just asked the following.
" Is it like reading my mind on a really deep level?"
Yubel only gave a nod in confirmation prompting Jaden to respond as such.
" when this is over you and me will need to have a very serious talk."
Yubel allowed a slight smirk on her face.
" you and serious in the same sentence do not belong together."
Jaden was about to respond to that remark however he stopped himself because he had to admit Yubel was right, him and serious usually don't go together. After a little while Yubel started a new conversation asking.
" Jaden, where is our destination on the island exactly?"
Jaden at that was about to ask Yubel as to why she would need such information since she was teleporting him there but he had to remind himself that she never set foot on the island before thinking a bit.
" Hao said that Nightshroud was a big parasite right?…."
Before he could even continue that line of thought Yubel caught on quickly as she delved into his memories yet again before retrieving the location of the Island's power plant, speaking of that location. As the battle between Nightshroud and Shepard raged on the latter proved a capable fighter against the former even when the stakes proved deadly with each at an impasse with 1500 life points each. At the moment it was Shepard's turn to draw and hopefully turn this duel around when he witnessed Nightshroud acting strange as though he was fighting with himself.
" Atticus?, is that you my boy?!"
Atticus answered through gritted teeth.
"…. not for long….. hurry and get out of here…. I didn't want to hurt anyone… I just wanted my friends back…."
With that Atticus managed to forfeit the duel by deactivating his duel disc allowing Shepard to retreat with the keys as Nightshroud regained control with a sinister grin on his face.
' since you surrendered dear Atticus I trust you know what's going to happen to you now!'
Atticu's soul screamed in pain as it was locked away within the shadows, within Nightshroud to be exact. gaining some distance from Nightshroud Shepard ran towards the main building as the former changed his sights towards the more easier pray, the clown calling himself Crowler, at this very moment Jaden and Yubel arrived at the academy right where the battle once took place. Not wasting time Jaden asked.
" did we just miss them or what?"
Yubel answered to the best of her abilities.
" a duel has been waged though no one wound up in the shadow realm."
Jaden at that took off stating.
" standing around here won't do us any good, if we need answers I know someone who can give us some."
Yubel silently followed Jaden as the hero duelist ran towards the main building until he spotted a familiar figure laying down against the trees about halfway through.
" Shepard?!, what happened to you!?"
Shepard smiled weakly.
" that's not important right now… take the keys around my neck and find…. Crowler…. Protect him….."
Jaden nodded as Yubel arrived though she stayed back not wanting to shock the older man with her appearance.
" Shepard, I'd like you to meet a good friend of mine, Yubel, she's going to stay behind and help you while I find Nightshroud and the good doctor."
Jaden at that instructed Yubel to help Shepard in any way she can to which she replied with.
" consider it done."
Relieved a bit Jaden took off, now searching for Crowler as he asked his Elemental Heroes to help him with the search, hoping he wasn't too late for once.
Next time: Hero part 01.