They approached the town cautiously, watching for any guards, and stopped just before the main entrance. "Let's put her on point," Wedge said. "No sense taking any risks. Forward!" They changed formation, and with the woman now leading, they entered the town proper.

Wedge's caution was rewarded. After a few steps, two guards emerged. "Imperial Magitek Armor?" one demanded. "Not even Narshe's safe anymore!" They immediately attacked.

The battle was swift, for the guards were no match against Magitek armor. With a few shots of Magitek fire beams, the guards were taken care of, and the three continued into the town.

But their journey was not to continue uninterrupted. "Machine-riding, self- important swine!" another guard spat out. "Take this!" The Imperial soldiers were suddenly up against a fierce Lobo. But even the wild dog was easily defeated by a quick shot of Wedge's ice beam, and the guard retreated.

After a few more steps, reinforcements appeared. "Narshe's freedom depends on us!" one guard cried, as two Lobos swarmed to the attack. But the Magitek soldiers had the advantage, and the wild dogs were dispatched without being able to land a single bite. When the Lobos failed, two more guards attempted to stop the soldiers' progress. But they, too, succumed to the machines' power.

Completely on the alert now, the soldiers continued through the town. In a narrow street they were suddenly surrounded. "We've got 'em trapped now!" one guard exlaimed as a Lobo and two more guards attacked.

The woman’s Magitek armor had strange powers, and she used them now, causing the Lobo to disappear without a trace. Wedge and Vicks blasted the guards with fire beams.

Walking up the last wooden steps, they were assailed again. “We must defend the mines!” a guard shouted, as two Vommamoths and two Guards rushed in. This battle was fiercer than the rest, and it looked as though the Narshe guards would finally triumph.

The huge, elephant-like Vommamoths caused a powerful Blizzard that stung the Imperial soldiers with its cold fury. The guards used their special attacks as well, hoping their Critical technique would strike a vital organ. The battle waged on, but it soon became clear that the Narshe guards were on the losing side. They were quickly tiring out and were taking longer to prepare for their next attack, while the soldiers’ Magitek armor could battle almost indefinitely without feeling the effects of fatigue. With the last Vommamoth’s final trumpet of defeat, the four defenders were disposed of, and the Magitek soldiers continued on.

The woman, still leading, stopped at the entrance to the mines, and they looked in at the maze of passageways. “According to our source, the frozen Esper was found in a new mine shaft,” Wedge said. He looked carefully at each shaft, then directed the woman to one with stone still rough from blasting. “Maybe this one...” The woman nodded, and they went into the mines.

The darkness of the shafts was punctuated by flickering candles, and the walls were of rough, bluish rock. The air was damp and heavy. Scaffolding and supports surrounded them. Hostile creatures abounded, which the soldiers easily handled.

A soft blue light to the left of the mine entrance attracted the woman, and she went toward it. An bright glow surrounded her, but nothing else happened. Knowing this was a safe spot, the soldiers rested for a short while.

They took to their Magitek armor again. Following cart tracks, they came upon a heavy wooden gate that blocked the entrance to a cave. The woman paused, unsure of what to do.

Vicks stepped forward. “I’ll handle this,” he said. “Stand back!” He retreated a few feet, got a running start, and crashed the gate down.

When they tried to enter, however, they were stopped by one last guard. “We won’t hand over the Esper!” he declared defiantly. “Whelk! Get them!”

Obeying the guard’s command, a fierce, snail-like creature with a brown head and pink, spiked shell suddenly attacked the Magitek soldiers.

Despite the danger, Vicks was excited. “Hold it!” he exclaimed. “Think back to our briefing...”

Wedge stared at the creature before him. “What about it?” he asked Vicks.

“Do you recall hearing about a monster that eats lightning...” Vicks began.

Suddenly Wedge recalled the briefing as well. “...And stores the energy in its shell!” he finished.

“Right,” Vicks agreed. “So whatever you do, don’t attack the shell!”

Wedge was now impatient to fight. “All right already!” he said.

The woman followed Vicks’s command, and all three used their most powerful weapons on Whelk. Wedge and Vicks used their Bolt beams, while the woman made use of her Tekmissiles. The creature shuddered slightly each time it was hit, turning its head from side to side to avoid the soldiers' onslaught. But the attacks were coming at it so fast that there was no place for it to go.

After a few hits, the monster retreated into its shell. “Gruuu...” the creature groaned as it disappeared. Remembering their breifing, they waited. When it appeared a few moments later, they were ready.

Whelk managed to hit Wedge with a thick slime that slowed him down, making him sluggish and unable to fight. However, it was bombarded by the woman’s missiles and Vick’s bolts. Whelk tried to swivel around and have his shell catch the Bolts, but Vicks managed to aim for the creature’s head. It was rapidly weakening, and the soldiers stepped up their attacks. After several more hits, the creature began glowing, and they heard popping, crackling noises. With a squeal of pain, the monster vanished in a red flash.

With Whelk defeated, there was nothing more to stand in their way. The guard who had orignally stood against them had run out of the mine to save himself, knowing that he was no match against Magitek.

They walked deep into the cave. Up a few steps onto a stone platform stood the Esper, locked in a block of solid ice.

“This is the frozen Esper...” came a hushed whisper from Vicks.

The Esper began glowing bright blue. “Hey! What’s the matter?” Wedge asked, addressing the Esper. He felt it was trying to communicate with them. “Do you know something we don’t...?” A strange sensation came over him, while the Esper seemed to twinkle menacingly.

The woman, overcome by an emotion stirring from somewhere within the depths of her soul, slowly walked up to the Esper, which began emitting an eerie light. The three people were bathed in the glow, and Vicks and Wedge began to feel lightheaded. They twisted in their armor, trying to escape the light, but there was nowhere to go.

“Where’s that light coming from?” Wedge demanded, as incoherence settled in. “Uwaa!” he screamed. With a bright flash, Wedge disappeared.

Alarmed, Vicks yelled, “Hey! Wedge! Where are you?” Suddenly he, too, felt dizzy. “W...what’s happening?” Frightened, Vicks tried to turn around and escape, but he was too late. Another bright flash of light, and Vicks was gone.

The woman, meanwhile, was oblivious to the two men’s disappearance. Rooted to her spot, she felt as if she should say something, but couldn’t find the right words...

Both she and the Esper began glowing, two very different creatures, and yet somehow in sync with each other. A powerful mind connection shot between them, so powerful that it emitted streaks of lightning. Its strength overwhelmed the woman. An explosion, then blinding white light.

Then, all went black.