"I got them from exploring the basement, specifically the elemental obstacle course in the south eastern area and the labyrinth in the south west," he said, responding to Ren's question. Then he handed a smaller sack to him."You should also keep the artifacts bundled up in this sack. Although they look pretty, I wouldn't rely on them in combat, since they seem more decorative than practical."

Turning to Celes, he said, "Yes, I have my bow and five arrows, which I'm proficient with." Boy was that an understatement. In his normal state, there was no way he'd miss unless he wanted to. If he shot at the target a hundred times then he'd hit the bullseye a hundred times. Archer wasn't the heroic spirit of the bow for nothing. And like he thought, the general brought up some good points.

"Right. I was thinking that I'd offer long-range support while you covered short to mid-range. That's why I think you'll be needing this," he said, extending the handle of his sword to her. Somehow, he had a feeling she'd prefer it over the bat. "Then you could give Ren the bat for self-defense, just in case."

Finishing up, he spoke, "Like the Celes said, we should try to conserve our energy. Our goal is to get past the monster, to the southern hall; not to defeat it."

He was very pleased that no one mentioned backing out, after he gave them the choice.