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Bix was almost ashamed by his self preservation instinct. He'd lost track of the group when they'd worked through the catacombs, running without looking back or looking for friends. When they'd come back together he snapped back into it, looking for his bros, looking for the girls.

"Molly? Fini?!" He yelled out, just checking on them, though it didn't stop him from moving. He didn't dare turn around for Sandy or Barney. He could hear them... he knew the score. As trainees they had to get out, survive, or their sacrifice would be for nothing.

The platform had been shaky and so slow. So very slow. But it had been taking them up. Sandy, Barney, Wilson and the others had saved their skins. They'd been headed up. But so was the water. When it had started rising around their feet, Sherry had not panicked. They were still headed up. When the water reached their waists, Sherry had to fight hard not to panic. The rising water had reminded her of that terrible room during the trails. Even though it was just water, this time it was real, and there was hissing. Sherry knew death was upon them in that moment. Then, Sandy had given them orders.

Sherry had clutched her weapon, and moved slowly along with the other trainees. The water, the snakes, the darkness...it was frightening, but they were not dead yet. Then Sandy gave the order to jump.

And Sherry did jump. She jumped and ran. Ran as fast as she could toward that exit, toward that portal home. The heat of the jungle practically smacked her in the face as she exited the cavern. The sight of the tent was comforting, a piece of home that said she was still alive. Looking around her, it looked like the other trainees had made it out, too. That was good, very good.

Sherry turned and solemnly looked at the cavern. Images of the last few moments replayed in her mind. Sherry had caught a glimpse of something, and she was fairly certain she could name at least one Hunter that was not going to follow the trainees out. She dipped her head slightly at toward the cavern, a bit of respect and thanks, before turning to move closer to the portal.

Despite the heat, Sherry felt rather cold.

For a while there was the adrenaline rush of having made it. The arrow had barely grazed her, enough to leave a scratch- but she'd made it back to the platform, back with everyone else. The thrill of a questionable success was almost exhilarating, the feeling of, well, still being alive- it was amazing.

But then came the fear, the paranoia, the wait. Reine had no idea who they were waiting for, but the unease crept up in the back of her mind, lurking. Were her friends all here? She looked around, squinting in the dim light to try to make out faces-- and then there was the water. From the bottom of the room, first up past her feet, then to her knees. Her waist.

Reine could not move, even if she wanted to- while the water wasn't nearly as cold as it had been before, she was frozen, terrified. Wherever the bravado from earlier had gone, it showed no sign of returning, not as long as she couldn't see, not as long as the hissing sounds continued. Even on Sandy's command she could not tear her foot away from the ground to make the first step, not until Alynthe screamed at her, speaking up for the first time in weeks.

And then she ran, until she was outside, until the heat from the rainforest brought the feeling back to her legs, pain and all. It felt like running on jelly, now, each step erratic, threatening to send her lurching into nearby foliage. At some point in time her brain shut down, her legs moving mechanically step by step, towards the portal and into it.

Eventually she found herself sprawled out on the grass in the training fields, staring at the clouds. Everything hurt, all at once, and she could barely force herself to sit up, to look at the surroundings. There were enough people out that she recognised- surely no one was hurt, no one had been left behind.

Reine closed her eyes.

Truth be told, it was a good thing that Otto decided to pull her along. The moment the elevator began to move, her heart filled with dread, and when the water and the snakes followed...

Eva was surprised to feel Otto suddenly grab her, pulling her along as they were given the order to escape. At first, she didn't resist him--who would willingly remain in a pool of poisonous snakes?--but then she made the mistake of looking her shoulder. "What--wait, Puppy! Otto! Sandy and Barney are still--! We can't--!"

She tried to pull free, but not only did the teen have a good grip on her arm (undoubtedly due to his own fear and adrenaline to get out of there), but Chara immediately snapped at her that, if she wanted to help the two more experienced Hunters, then the only thing she could do was not waste their sacrifice.

Eva followed after Otto quietly after that.

When they were finally safe--safe?--the girl let her gaze sweep over the trainees who were present. Did everyone...did everyone else make it? "Reine?" What about Gale? Jude? Eva's head whipped around as she searched for individuals among the familiar faces.

Candace sighed with relief when everyone made it through. Everyone she could remember the face of, anyway...she hoped that was all the trainees who had arrived. She hoped. You remember what Clarice told you. Six years was like forty years for a Hunter. Long careers aren't expected. Candace winced and looked up at the ceiling, her first clenching tightly around her flashlight. Stay calm. She looked again to remind herself everyone was okay, though many of them were banged up a little they were okay. Poor Sandy, she was trying so hard. Stay calm, Candace. Focus. She had too much pride to let anyone see how nervous she was despite her shaking hands, singing softly under her breath while there was enough noise to cover her voice.

She didn't realize there was water filling the room until it began to seep through her shoes; they were still wet from escaping so it was hard to tell what was new and what was old. She heard a hiss and she gasped, pressing back against the wall of the lift and pointing her flashlight down at the floor. Had those cracks always been there? The hissing had her heart racing, trying to back away further from it but she just pressed back against the wall again. She had left that room, damnit! She was finished with it! The hissing got stronger when the water was at their waists and she stifled a whimper, clamping one hand over her mouth. I'm right here. You'll be okay. Shhhh...just don't draw attention and you'll be okay. Remember, they didn't attack you in that room no matter how many times you ended up in there? Candace nodded, closing her eyes and lifting the light of her flashlight away from the water. As delightful as it is to feel you afraid, I don't like it. Try to think about something else. She shook her head. That was kind of difficult to do right now. She did as she was told, summoning Atropos and filling the water around her with a dull purple glow. She could feel the serpents brushing against her legs as she ever so slowly slid along the wall toward the exit, stopping tensely when one got too close. Was that a head? Ohgodthatwasaheaddon'tbitemedon'tbiteme..!

Sandy finally yelled an order and Candace moved immediately, or she would when it was clear to do so. Stay calm. Stay ca--screaming. Sandy was screaming. She looked back one last time before climbing through the exit out of the lift. She stopped, looking back toward the exit. Move. Now! Atropos barked, really not liking Candace's behavior. Candace nodded and ran for it, unsummoning Atropos simply so she could really run.

She stopped just before the portal, hands on her knees and eyes trained on the entrance of the cave. She had to make sure everyone got out okay. She needed to see it before she went back to Deus. Candace couldn't just leave them behind.

Everyone had made it onto the elevator. Everyone but Sandy and Barney, and <********> Sandy's screams had stopped but Jordan could still hear her, and he'd wanted to talk to her later, ask her - <********>, this was being a Hunter, it was possible and maybe even probable that that was the face of his own death, a willing and conscious sacrifice to allow others to live -

There was a sharp pain in his palm, his fist clenched so tightly that his blunt, short nails cut into the skin and drew blood. He swallowed hard and made himself uncurl his hand, reaching mentally for Ferros. The dragon was there, as he always was. Always would be. Metal and flame curled around Jordan's mind in a fierce protective coil, silent except for the soft constant rumble of the weapon's presence.

Jordan took a deep breath and opened his eyes, waited until everyone else had gotten off the lift; if anyone froze up, he could get them moving again. They'd left Sandy and Barney behind, because they'd had to. He wasn't letting anyone else stay back.

Other trainees kept bolting in, another, another. Everybody had gotten separated. Another ******** with Caelius at the stern, who was surprised. And Caelius had completely disappeared. There was no telling how many people were still fumbling around the catacombs when the doors slammed shut.

The room was crowded, and Harrison could see a few familiar faces in the gloom as water spilled around their ankles.

Maybe he would have been better off in the caves.

But then the room lurched upwards, towards the light. Something was moving in the water. Sandy was telling them to be quiet and stay still. There was a reptilian hiss... and he could see them, now, fat heads filled with poison and swimming quickly into the chamber. They're just animals, he thought. Don't bother them, and... but they probably weren't. They were monsters, like everything else here, and he just had to hope they decided to take a chunk out of somebody else.

B0nez was still mourning the lost experience points from whatever the monster down there had been. If we'd been prepped, he said, knew the dungeon and ran the instance...

That's what the last group tried, Harrison thought. The tablet was heavy in his pocket.

Didn't matter, because now- no, he would make it. Even if he was the only one. He wasn't going to die from a snakebite in a stupid elevator. The light was so close, now, they could probably- and Sandy shouted a command, and everybody that could jumped and spilled out into the jungle and the waiting portal. Harrison didn't wait around to see what happened to the ones that didn't.

Deryk could hear the hissing of the serpents nearby, and it was making him really uneasy. There was a decent chance that the snakes were either venomous or large enough to eat them. Maybe both. He moved along as he was told, with Tooley ready. One wrong move and he could easily end up dying in some mysterious jungle.

And when Sandy shouted at them to jump, he did so, launching himself from the platform for the exit. He didn't look back. No, he had assumed that the two older hunters would be alright in this. And he kept going on until he had reached the gate.

It was then that he finally turned around, seeing other trainees with him. But none of the senior hunters were present.

"G-Guys? Sandy? Barney? A-anyone see them?"