[Mercen-X]

Chapter 3
Episode 1

Aboard the Shera, Kasic and Hariet watch as the massive green beast gallops out of the crater and tries to catch them with an incredible leap. The Shera, however, is too fast for it and it halts its pursuit.

The group returns to Edge, still curious as to what has become of Cloud.
You can rely on me. Zack's voice echoes in Kasic's head as he and the others try to relax back at Tifa's bar.
"I can't get so much as a buzz from the others either." Cid says. "Lil Red and Baldy aren't responding and it's ticking me off."
"We should get them then." Kasic says.
The group turns to him.
He stands determined. "Let's save Cosmo Canyon!"
"Yeah. Once we get Barret and Nanaki's hands free, they'll be able to help us find Cloud." Yuffie suggests.

The Shera lands outside of the Canyon that Red XIII calls home. There are walking dead and skeletons piling into the canyon relentlessly. Everyone does what they can to plow through the hordes and enter the canyon. Unfortunately, most of them have to remain in order to safeguard the few that can squeeze through.
"The kids and I can handle the trip." Raine says, hoping to assure Tifa and the others.
Thus Kasic, Hariet, and Raine make their way into the dark depths of Cosmo Canyon as the village itself has been evacuated.
Deep within the dark caves, the group runs into a large poltergeist. They aren't able to defeat it with normal attacks but when Hariet casts a holy spell upon it, the poltergeist explodes and disappears.
"Damn undead... things!" Kasic blurts.
"Let's keep moving." Raine commands.
At the end of the cavern, the small group finds Barret and Nanaki battling back still more undead. Very few of the villagers remain and fewer still uninjured.
"Who the hell are you?" The loud and rude interrogation from Barret, who has pulled away for the moment, urks Kasic so that he trembles as he tries to control his childish instincts and avoid leaping at the one-armed man.
"I'm Captain Raine Rivers." Raine says, rushing into the battle. "I'm a mercenary sent to retrieve you and fight back... this." She gestures to the chaos around her. "Those are the Brunishka twins."
"Why are a coupla kids here?"
"Saving your lives!" Kasic says as he leaps into the action.
Kasic and the others help as best they can, but it's only by the help of a stranger that they are able to drive away the hordes. A necromancer has cast a spell on the inanimate remains of Nanaki's father, Seto.
"Who are you? What have you done to my father?" Nanaki asks.
"My name is Darke. The spell I cast to reanimate the dead will remain in effect until the source of the undead legion has been exed." Though Darke is aware of the group's suspicions, he does not offer any explanation for his sudden appearance or for his motives. "Know this: that no one necromancer could ever amass such a vast army of the undead, not even this one just large enough to plague Cosmo Canyon. Therefore, there must be a sect at work."

"Then Kasic was right." Tifa says when the group returns to the Shera. "We're not up against one monster. We're fighting to stop a group from tearing the planet apart with the undead."