There existed a way to make the situation even worse, and that is if Ace had decided to equip his secondary job instead - except it hadn't been discovered yesterday that Chocobos and cave exploration do not go together too well, so thankfully it wasn't a case.

He let Minato take point without objections, and the small grunt of frustration that accompanied his failed attempt was drowned by the heaviness in the air. Cold was slowly beginning to seep into his senses, leaving him with no choice but to send the lantern in his hand to the ground with a loud clatter, all while trying to shield his ears from the ominous sounds. He could no longer hear the music pouring out of Minato's headphones, nor he was familiar with the exact technology the other used, but he wanted to trust his judgment, unable to do much more, really.

"We need to... retreat. Now."