As Ivar, Tan, and Faye fought Luka on the isnd’s shores, Otso kept Talia distracted in a makeshift tunnel. As Otso battled below, Rufus stands on the surface keeping up his barrier to hold back the cloaks. Meanwhile, inside Fiona battles the cloaked figures, knocking them out one after another until none are left standing. As the st one falls, she picks up her ax and Rufus lowers his shield, slumping over and panting with exhaustion.

  “You're getting used to casting prolonged spells. That’s good.” Fiona says.

  Rufus gives her a thumbs up as she looks towards the hole.

  “I’m going in. You rest until you're ready, then as soon as you can come, join us. We’re taking this one out here and now. Of course, we may take her out before you can hop in.”

  Rufus nods, still unable to speak as Fiona dives into the underground.

  In the underground tunnel, Talia swings her sword toward Otso, who dodges the attack only for a beam of light to shoot from the bde slicing through the tunnel. He digs as fast as he can, avoiding the other attack as he surfaces and slices at Talia. Before he can hit, she blocks him with her bde, the force of the attack shooting back to Otso and sending him flying.

  “You know, once you figure out the pattern, it makes fighting you so easy I could do it in my sleep.” She says.

  Otso nods. “That’s why I typically stick to scouting. But when they say I need to fight, then I gotta do it.”

  “I can admire your resolve in that case.” She grabs the hilt of a bde on her waist. “Be sure to enjoy that feeling when you pass from this life!”

  Before she can draw the sword, she switches, drawing another short sword as Fiona smashes her ax towards her. The sword blocks Fiona’s attack as it takes the energy from the attack and glows with a bright light. As her bde glows, Talia smiles and kicks Fiona back. She pnts her sword into the ground and its light spreads across the tunnel.

  Otso tries to dig into the walls only for some unseen power to block his attempt. “A barrier?”

  “That’s right. I’m done charging and I’m done pying cat and mouse with the bug. I’m squashing it and then I’m killing the girl who just walked in!” She yells drawing two long swords from behind her back. “Now who has what it takes to even attempt at my head? Bring it on here and now!”

  “Fine, then!” Fiona yells smming herself into Talia. “I’ll end this sooner than you can think!”

  “Good, now bring it on!”

  The two csh with Otso watching from the sidelines. Talia pushes Fiona back with a swing of her swords with an odd energy radiating off of the bdes. With every swing, the energy thickened and as if a bck smoke was enveloping the cavern. Fiona cannot sense any of the gathering power charges ahead as recklessly as always. As she comes in close, Talia thrusts her sword forward with a thick, bck haze stemming from the bde. She ughs as she smokes fills the cavern with Otso and Fiona covering their mouths trying to not breathe in the smoke.

  “What is this stuff?” Otso asks.

  “Oh, don’t worry. This isn’t poison. This smoke is just that smoke. But considering the smoke is taking up the air, the breathable air is slowly running out.”

  “You’ll suffocate!” Otos yells.

  “Oh, I won’t. This body has long given up its attachment to breathing. But I love watching my opponents squirm. Watching as you slowly die as the air from your lungs fades away. It’s an exhirating sight!”

  Fiona rushes in, swinging her ax and smashing it into Talia’s head. Talia holds strong as she draws a dagger and breathes into it. It shines with a green light and she thrusts it towards Fiona. She stumbles back from the wound as her skin turns purple from the wound. She pulls out the sword only for the green color to spread around her wound.

  “Damn it.”

  “That one is poison.” She ughs.

  Otso gres at her and then turns to Fiona. Fiona nods as she holds her hand over the wound. He takes in a deep breath and can feel the Piece inside of him pulsating wildly.

  “Oh, what do you pn to do? Show me! Show me!” She yells at the top of her lungs.

  Otso takes his sword and plunges it into the ground only for it to bounce off of the barrier. Talia ughs, as Otso only smirks.

  “I still haven’t figured out just how to use this the right way. But thanks to that Elf, we have one hell of a crazy trick.”

  As the short sword flies into the air, it breaks apart as wood and bark explode from within the metal. It spreads across the cavern, filling the area as Otso climbs onto it. Fiona follows him as she makes her way towards the top.

  “What’re you doing!?” She asks.

  “You just made our pn a lot easier to pull out now that he’s ready. We just need to get rid of this barrier!” Fiona holds her ax as she reaches the top and calls upon a monstrous strength.

  She smashes through the barrier, opening the hole as she and Otso flee through it.

  “Cowards!” Talia yells as she grabs her sword, only to see a figure standing at the entrance to the underground cavern.

  Rufus stands holding his staff as fmes coat his body. Without uttering a word, he fires off fireballs in rapid succession into the cavern. The fmes eat away at the wood, using it as fuel as the air in the cavern is eaten up. Talia screams out in pain as her body burns in the fmes. Something inside of her mouth tries to flee, but the light of the fmes keeps it trapped inside, as the being can only scream out in agony.

  Rufus, Fiona, and Otso stand over the fming pit as they catch their breath.

  “Well, that worked,” Otso says.

  Fiona nods. “Yes.”

  “What’s that?!” Rufus yells, looking at Fiona’s festering poisoned wound.

  “Oh. I guess I need healing.”

  “Why didn’t you say so earlier!” Rufus yells, rushing to her side as he focuses his efforts on healing her from the poison.

  Otso smiles. “Now we just have to hope Ivar and the others pulled it off.”

  “Yeah, and with Boss dealing with the Dragonoid, we’re going to turn this into an absolute win for our side!” Fiona says.

  “We will if you stop moving. You’re making the poison spread faster.”

  As the three sit exhausted, something leaps out of the fiery pit. Still cloaked in the fire burning at her flesh, Talia screams and runs into the forest. After a moment, the light of the fmes disappears in the forest's darkness, with everyone watching cautiously.

  “We should’ve made another barrier,” Otso says.

  Rufus nods. “Sorry, Fiona’s wound distracted me.”

  “My bad. But she’s beaten and I doubt she’ll be in fighting shape for a while, so still a win. Just not one as permanent as we’d have liked.”

  The two nod. “Who’s reporting this to Sam?”

  “I already saw,” Sam says, walking off of the enemy’s ship. “I cleared the ship. And I smashed the wheel and ruined the sails. No one’s sailing this thing away from here, so no backup for them.”

  “Except for the one that can fly,” Fiona says.

  Sam sighs. “Yes, aside from the one that can fly. But Miller will take care of her.”

  “Now sit still so I can heal you.”

  Sam nods. “Let’s rest for a minute. I think we all could use a break.”

  “Right.” Everyone says at once.