They stand at the end of the tunnel, an opening to a subterannian world. Gnashing of teeth and roars come from all sides. Hundreds if not a thousand Lizardmen call this place home. Hanging, a series of stalactite drips its dew into a large basin of crystal clear water, as several Lizardmen collect and drink.

Others feast on the opposite side of the cavern. A mountain of bones collected, lining the coarse walls,

the party sits and watches, high above. Small formations serve as cover for them to safely watch from, a timeworn path leads down and around, next to the water.

Smaller lizardmen chortle and fight with each other far underneath their perch. They stand tiny next to the towering stalagmites laid around. Growing for millenia undisturbed, until the beastial rabble crashes through them as though they were paper.

Serah's face had turned white. Her confident bravado dropped like a porcellain mask, shattered on the floor. With all of her training, she would likely only crack one of these pillars. It was almost effortless in their mind, merely a consequence of playing.

Despite this, Cana and Kain stay calm. What did they know? Was the divide between their strength as mage vs adventurer so vast? Or perhaps they did not see the same display. Cana watched below, the water basin. Kain watched beyond, the den. They may have been focused on their goal rather than what had occurred in front of them.

Mika lays a gentle hand on her shoulder, speaking in a hushed whisper.

"I've seen Kain in action, he's incredible. He won't let a thing happen to us."

The pit in Serah's stomach subsides, slightly. Her palms sweating, she crawls over to Cana.

"There's a lot of them, huh?" her voice trembles for just a moment, but it's enough.

Cana smiles. With unwavering confidence she stares deep into Serah's eyes.

"This is nothing. Once we get a plan going, just stand back and watch. You'll see."

She turns back to watch. Her attention unwavering. The unsettling silence from her shadow begs for more reassurance.

"Serah, where did we just come from?"

Confused, she failed to answer. A series of 'ums' and 'uh's is all she can speak.

"What's behind us?" Kain rephrases the question.

"Oh. Uh, the tunnel? The way out?"

Cana giggles.

"Yes, notice how cramp it is in there?"

Between just the four of them, there was plenty of room. No shoulders rubbed. No toes stepped on.

"Looks pretty wide open to me.."

"True, how many do you think could stand shoulder to shoulder in there, though?" Cana etches a number onto the stalagmite in front of her, then turns her attention to a series of nooks. Several lizardmen sleep and dance around bonfires.

Her eyes narrow, an eyebrow raised slightly.

"Umm.. You're thinking about using the caves as a choke point?"

Kain sarcastically claps, paying special care to not make any noise.

"Now what are our specialties?" he adds.

Controlled on a central point, Fire Magic can cut rock and iron. But if spread out, a concussive blast is the result. With enough power behind it, that concussive blast is no different than being crushed.

Ice magic can be used in a similar manner. It can instantly freeze a susceptible target, or slow down a group. With enough power, it could freeze them to the very ground they walk on, or stop a retreating foe with a wall of thick ice, as hard as any metal.

If used in conjunction, even the mighty Lizardmen could have their legs torn off, their organs liquified, and their bones shattered.

"Holy shit."

Her jaw dropped. She grins like a fool.

"Holy shit that could work!"

"But-"

Cana interrupts

"We can't take them all on. Not alone. At least.. Not normally."

She sits in silence for a few moments. She tapps her teeth with her left hand. Staring at the ceiling.

"Think if you laid some mines, and I froze the ceiling, that would create enough pressure?"

"Depends on how far below ground we are... They're mindless beasts but they know when they're under attack. And such a move would burn through a lot of mana.."

"Just say it doesn't work."

"It'd work if we knew..."

"One way to find out?"

They continue to go back and forth, determining the best move. The more effective the method, the larger the risk. If they were stronger, this wouldn't be an issue. Any C Rank mage could easily take out a Lizardman, or a dozen. Kain holds an elemental advantage over them, as they're cold blooded creatures. Their scales allow for resistance to Fire and Physical damage.

The ceiling above can collapse. There's no question. But how much force would be needed? What's above? If they could figure out where they would be above ground, they could use all their strength to destroy it. As it stands, they can't risk it. The cavern ceiling may be too thick, or a village could sit above.

"I have an idea."

Mika speaks up.

She shares her plan. A more controlled version of the collapsing ceiling. It'd require less time, less mana, and even if it failed they'd be able to escape the horde.

"Less mana... smaller margin of error."

"More attempts... heightened chances for success?"

They mull it over.

Kain takes out a notebook from inside of his vest. He flips through the pages detailing spells and their diagrams.

"Is Ice Magic really so complicated you need a book?"

Kain nods slightly as he passes by, headnig towards the mouth of the tunnel. Cana takes this as a cue to offer a real answer.

"You guys know Blaire right?--"

Blair Alain is an A Rank Ice Mage of Obsidian Regalia, and Kain's teacher before he graduated.

"--He's one of those mages that actually know what they're doing when it comes to crafting magic circles. Conjuration magic, like the Ice School, benefit from expertly crafting your circles."

Kain draws a rudimentary circle at the mouth of the tunnel.

"This one will seal the tunnel. They won't be able to retreat, and I won't be able to break it."

"So we'll need to get as many of them in the tunnel as possible.... Wouldn't you be out of range to activate it, though?" Cana counters.

"That's what the etching is for. My magic will seek it out."

"Ok. You two, run down the tunnel a ways, just incase."

Serah and Mika run to a safe distance, careful not to run out of view of the action about to unfold. Cana struts to the end of the walkway leading down to the den.

Her chest fills with air, to the brim. She lets loose a shout that echos around the cavern, so loud it threatens to bring down the ceiling. Each syllable was longer than the last.

"HEY YOU UGLY FUCKING ANIMALS COME GET YOUR HOT MEAL I'M RIGHT HERE"

She catches her breath, before turning to run down the tunnel after Kain.

Caught up to the twins, they wait.

"Are they coming?"

The pattering of steps starts as a trickle, like the moisture running down the walls. At first only a handful show up, before long the very ground starts to shake.

Cana blasts them backwards. Then a dozen. They, too, are blasted backwards.

Suddenly. Hundreds are being pushed back by Cana. Her concussive blasts stun and disorient, as more and more Lizardmen show up. Suddenly, her blasts have no effect, as the rioting lizardmen asks for more than her basic strikes can deliver.

Clapping her hands, she forms another circle, imbueing her body with the rage of a dragon.

She spews out flame from her mouth, pushing the horde one final time, as they move to retreat further into the tunnel.

"YEAH! Take that you scaley assholes!"

She giggles, having the time of her life.

Kain turns around and draws a runic circle around him. His hands extended fully outward, and crossed. His index and middle fingers extended, with the rest retracted. After a few moments, he releases the charge.

ICE BASTION

His mana shoots through the lizardmen force, to no effect. Suddenly, all air flow ceases, and the temperature drops considerably. The tunnel is now perfectly sealed off. A large, thick sheet of blue ice covers the exit to the cavern, rooted in place like a plant.

"Cana!"

She casts another Dragon's Rage, this time at much closer range. Each of the lizardmen are thrown to the rear of the tunnel. A pile of angery beasts wriggles and writhes free of each other, screaming and roaring.

GLACIARALIS

Glaciaralis cools the air to subzero temperatures, the lizardmen slow to a crawl as fatigue sets in. But they still climb to their feet.

"Let's make this work. I won't have much mana left after this."

ICE RAM

A large structure of ice sits before them, it lays on wheels, for mobility. But the wheels are constructed in a way prohibiting movement any way other than forward. A purposeful design by Kain.

"Cana, your turn."

She places several orbs around the rear of the ram, as Kain forms a small casing around them.

"I've never used my bombs to propel something before!" she says excitedly.

Cana snaps her fingers. The bombs detonate, the casing holds as the pressure builds. It disintergrates after a few seconds, harmlessly venting into the air from where it came. The blast is released, and the ram flies into the lizardmen like two hands swatting an insect.

It careens towards the end of the tunnel, in a straight line it moves at an impressive speed. Nothing escapes its icy grasp, not even smeared blood is to be seen.

As it approaches the end, it rapidly decelerates.

"Wait."

Mika steps forward.

"Why is it slowing down? It's not supposed to slow down yet."

Within 20 feet of the exit, the ram stops. It had been designed to be perfectly air tight, to prevent it from wobbling and getting stuck. The blast was more than enough, the momentum and weight was calculated as well as could be expected.

Yet it grinds to a hault.

"They'll break through the ram soon."

They had thought of everything. What could have been overlooked?

The trap was physical, but the ice affinity would counteract that. Kains' Glaciaralis made doubly sure of it. Their strength was sapped, they couldn't push back. The ram was air tight, too. It would add increased friction, but nothing the wheels couldn't compensate for.

..It's air tight. The viscera, the bodies, the surviving Lizardmen, the air itself couldn't escape. The pressure would continue building until it was stronger than the force of the ram, then it would balance out.

Mika made a grave error in her plan.

The ram explodes in shards, as the secured pressure and the strength of the remaining lizardmen proves too much for the construct.

"Kain! Let's go! You two, head for the surface, we'll slow them down and then collapse the tunnel, GO!"

Using what little of their mana they had left, they faced off with the remaining lizardmen. They still number in the hundreds, but they, too, were weakened. Exhausted, chilled to the bone.

Serah and Mika take their cue to leave. They had only a few kilometers to run, but the thoughts of their friends made them stop and look back, hopeful they're still ok.

The cacophanous roar of the horde echoes throughout the tunnel, even a kilometer away they could still hear the deafening effects. Just as they did, so did 3 Lizardmen that stood in their way, blocking their paths.

The trio stand taller than the sole Lizardman from the farm. They're bigger, with more imposing postures.

"Mika, we'll get out of this I promise."

Serah's face of worry and panic, turns to fear. Then to determination.

With all of her strength she kicks the forwardmost Lizardmen. She struck its head, sending it staggering into the tunnel wall. On instinct, she ducks, as the Lizardman to the right swipes. Swinging her leg backwards, landing a perfectly executed scorpion kick on its snout. Scorpion kicks are generally considered a flashy move. One with little application, it only looks good. Serah reasons that even a slap aside the head can daze an opponent, Scorpion Kicks have a similar effect.

It reels back, dazed. Serah remains focused on her two opponents, as she enters a readied combat stance.

Mika jumps in the fray, grappling the third. She twists the arm of her subject behind its back, and using momentum to drive it into the ground, face first. Standing on the center of its back, it tries to roll over but cannot. Wrenching its arm, she tries to break it. But cannot. The gap in strength is too great.

"Serah we should go!"

"Right!"

Serah had dropped her guard, and a Lizardman snaps its jaws around her shoulder. She screams in agony, dropping to her knees.

She's whipped around like a child's doll until her strength leaves her. Mika stands stunned in shock, as the free Lizardmen twists her off of his companion.

Snapping her arm like a dry branch, and is beaten furiously, thrown around like a toy doll. Screaming for her sister, the beast to her back constricts her. The life is slowly crushed out of her, inch by inch. Serah's vision turns red, then to black. The last thing she sees is her sister's clothes being torn from her.

It had happened again. Once more she will lay hopeless as her sister lays helpless. But there's no one coming. No hapless stranger, no means of escape. No distraction, nothing.

If she does nothing, she will die.

If she does nothing, her friends could die.

If she does nothing, her sister will die.

She thinks back to what Albain had said. About his student, and about how she wasn't ready.

The fresh meat on the cornstalks, it had to have been them. No two ways about it. The stench from the scene, it stank but not from the meat. Even in the cold, it would have dried up, or been eaten. These three likely watched them from behind, waiting for the right moment. Stalking them from afar.

The cowards.

A well builds inside of her. Burning.

Finding her strength, she takes action. The Lizardman chewing on her shoulder finds its jaws snap open upon colliding with the ceiling. Serah's elbow square in his gut. She drops down on top of the next Lizardman, cracking its skull with a falling axe kick, her heel dropping like a guillotine.

She stands tall, charging at her next foe. With beastial ferocity, she grabs the standing Lizardmen by its tail, and throws it into the tunnel wall as before. As it had done to her sister.

It stands unharmed, the brunt of the attack was spread out across its thick hide. Swiping and snapping at her, she dodges each blow deftly. Serah strikes its joints, its pressure points, trying to find a weakness.

Thinking back to the first Lizardmen, the one still stuck in the roof. It had only let go once she jabbed it with her elbow, in its stomach.

The one place where its scales don't cover. Dracolings take good care to cover their stomaches. They stand hunched over in battle, their arms serve as both a weapon and a shield.

The lizardman swipes once more, Serah dives to its side, unleashing a full force half-moon kick. A counter-clockwise sweeping kick to its stomach results in its organs being ripped out, the protective scales torn outward through its back. T

The first of the Lizardmen collapses, dead.

The Lizardman from before had at last stood to its feet, shaking off its daze. It notices the near bisected member of its hunting party, it inhales sharply and spits at Serah.

Serah slides her legs outward, lowering her body to dodge the spit, landing on the floor behind. Fizzling, chewing through the stone.

Attempting to spit again, Serah takes the opportunity to deliver a quick kick to the Lizardman's jaw, slamming it shut, then comboing it with another axe kick, dropping it to its hands and knees.

"No."

She grabs it by the tail, and throws it towards the ceiling. It slams hard, before falling down into Serah's final blow. Her 'Ascending Drill Kick,' a move using her upper body strength to propel herself into her opponent feet first. She had tried it back at the farm, and it failed to perform. But unlike then, this time the lizardman's entrails explode outward. It is fully bisected, cut in half as her body pierces it. It coats the walls in gore, pieces of scale and bone fly like shrapnel.

The tunnel shakes as Serah lands on the roof, feet first. But it was not her doing.

The vibration shook loose the ceiling-bound Lizardman, as it woke. Serah leaps towards it from the ceiling, and crushes its chest with her bare hands.

She stands, her rampage ended, and stares lustfully at her hands, scored with blood, as her senses comes back to her.

"Whoa."

The remains of the lizardmen trio paint the walls. Bits and pieces lay everywhere, silent. The dripping of viscera matches the pattern of hurried footsteps from Cana and Kain, who approach the scene, breaking from their sprint.

"Damn, Serah, nice job. Where's Mika?"

Her eyes rip open as she had completely forgotten. Her sister lay unconcious, injured. She slides her hands under her neck and knees, picking her up. Mika's injuries aren't severe, save for her arm.

"She's hurt. But she's ok."

They journey back outside. Kain's slide remains at the tunnel entrance, but it would never serve as stairs. Before he could do anything with it, Serah jumps from wall to wall, leaping out of the tunnel and hurries outside to the intrigue of the rest of her party.

It's evening now, the sun had already started to set. She lays her sister down on some clean hay bales in front of the barn and tends to her injuries. Her face is swollen and full of cuts. Parts of her dress are torn or ripped off.

"I'm sorry but this has to be done."

Placing a hand on Mika's shoulder, holding her in place as she yanks on the broken arm. She writhes in agony as her swollen appendage is stretched, but the bones are successfully set.

The Farrows leave the cellar, as Kain uses Cana for support. He's barely able to sit down on a neighboring hay bale by himself, but he's alive.

Serah picks through her satchel for balms to use. Cleaning rags, anything.

She rips a clean part of her tunic, and dips it in a rain barrel, before washing Mika's face.

Cana watches her every move.

"Are we just gonna sit in silence?"

Serah had completely spaced out. Her focus was on her sister, as it was frequently when they were younger. She hadn't even noticed the arrival of the Farrows, despite walking around them the entire time.

"Huh? Sorry."

Cana smiles.

"So, three whole Lizardmen? You guys did pretty good."

Serah stares at Mika, woefully, before putting on a face of pride.

"Yeah we kicked their asses, the two of us. Together."

Cana notices the gaping holes in her tunic.

"They got you pretty good. Let me fix you up while you work on Mika."

She undoes Serah's tunic just enough to get at her wound. The bite marks were placed right around her clavicle, shoulderblade, and humerus, straight through to the bone.

"Looks like if it bit any further right it could've torn your arm off from the shoulder. Let your guard down, huh?"

"I still beat them, didn't I?"

"Sure did."

"Looks like 6 new scars to add to the collection."

Cana rubs some ointment on the wound from one of Serah's containers.

"Where'd this one come from?"

Cana points out a scar that looks not dissimilar to the letter 'J'

Serah thinks for a moment.

"Albain put me through a tree. Landed on a sharp rock, tree fell on me."

She giggles.

"Ouch! That must've hurt."

She pulls down more of her tunic.

"And this one?"

She places a finger on a scar underneath Serah's shoulderblade. It's a straight line, that curves at the right end.

"We were hunting, my Dad and I. We- ...Can we change the subject?"

"Sure. Of course."

Kain sits up, barely able to keep his eyes open.

"We're staying the night here. I doubt either of you want to carry me back to Elysia."

"Is that ok?" Cana asks,

"The Farmers aren't around anymore, it'll be fine." Serah reassures.

"Ok, I guess we'll sleep here."

Serah stands and washes her hair and face. Covered head-to-toe in lizardmen. This will have to suffice for now. She carries her sister inside the farmhouse, and places her in a bed.

She sleeps on the floor by her Sister's side, holding her hand.