And the party finally reaches the icy cliffs above the town. The music stops. Bannan is somehow here even though he didn't walk up with everyone else. There's limited space to maneuver, making this an ideal defensive position. After a chance to equip everyone and save, the player splits the fighters into three groups.

There's a lot of fighting coming up (unless you dodge around most of it), so good equipment and viable parties are important. To start with, I recommend giving everyone a Green Beret, which combines good defense with a small but useful bonus to max HP. As noted previously, fighting the Satellite enemy in the Imperial Army Encampment allows you to get these in unlimited quantities on the Beast Plain with a little patience.

Tina functions best as a mage here, and should wear a Silk Robe to complement this. Feel free to also use normal attacks as the situation warrants to conserve MP. Equip and use Celes similarly, except that she can also defend against certain attacks and regain some MP in the process with Magicseal Sword. Don't give either of them the Rune Blade (Rune Edge). Its guaranteed criticals just aren't worth the MP they burn through, so stick with the Greatsword (RegalCutlass).

Edgar and Cayenne are stuck wearing either the Iron Armor with its agility penalty or the much weaker Leather Armor. Either way, weapons don't matter, since both should spam skill attacks, specifically the Bio Blast (Bio Blaster) and Blast Voice (NoiseBlaster) for Edgar, and Fang (Dispatch) for Cayenne.

Mash should similarly spam skills. Use Houou no Mai (Fire Dance) if you have it, and Aura Cannon (AuraBolt) if you don't or against single targets.

Lock can't match the others in skill attacks, but he's still speedy and can Steal, attack, or pass out items as needed. The Air Knife (Air Lancet) is surprisingly powerful for this point in the game, or he could wield a Main Gauche (Guardian) for agility. Or, if you got the Genji's Bracer (Genji Glove) from the Returners earlier, he can use both. Regardless, avoid the Iron Armor's agility penalty.

Gau is unpredictable as usual, but can devastate groups with Wind Scythe (Wind Slash) from the Guard Leader (Marshal) Rage, or take large chunks out of single targets with Cat Kick (Catscratch) from the Stray Cat Rage. Even his normal attack isn't bad, it's just nothing special.

If you stripped Mog and Shadow of their equipment earlier, you have some choices to make. Mog's Mithril Shield is useful for anyone, but since Mash and Gau are the only characters here who can't use a Large Shield, one of them should get it. Lock, Mash, and Gau are all able to use Shadow's Shinobi Garb (Ninja Gear), so give it to one of them and let the others wear Kung Fu Suits. Edgar can use Mog's Mithril Spear, but it hardly matters since he should be using skills anyway.

Consider using the Earring accessory to boost damage for anyone using magic-based attacks, the Giant's Bracer (Altas Armlet) or Hyper Wrist for anyone using any physical attacks, the Black Belt for anyone with a good attack power, the Gauntlet or Genji's Bracer for anyone using weapon attacks (mostly Lock), Hermes's Shoes (RunningShoes) to boost someone's speed, and the White Cape to help dodge. There isn't much else in the way of useful accessories at this point.

A moogle offers to explain what to do.

And with the explanation complete, it's time for some action...

1-23 "Save Them!", an energetic tune suited for an extended battle, starts playing. Cefca walks in at the bottom of the cliffs.

He laughs one of his trademark deranged Cefca laughs, and a large group of Imperial soldiers file in behind him.

And the soldiers begin advancing. But with three parties, it's quite simple to block off every possible approach. Each party, if chosen fairly well, has relatively little difficulty dispatching whatever attackers come at them, with group attacks particularly useful. It's the endurance factor that's the challenge here.

...though as several people attempting low-level games or speed runs have found, it's possible to avoid every battle except the one with Cefca. I don't personally recommend it, though, since you'll miss a number of monsters that way, and you do want them all to appear on the Beast Plain, right? At least fight the Hell's Harley just before Cefca, and steal a Mithril Plate (common) or Elixir (rare). Or if you really want more, just steal, lose intentionally, and come back for another round, since losing a battle here doesn't mean Game Over as long as none of the enemies reach Bannan.

It's also interesting to note that the Heavy Armor enemies will kick off battles with Sorcery Barrier ('protect' + 'reflect') if Celes is in the party, apparently recognizing her and acting to counter her magic. You should have plenty of attack options from other characters that ignore both defensive measures, though.

If you take the defensive option, then eventually the only attacker left is Cefca himself. This lets you do pretty much whatever you feel like, including talking to the various player characters. It's interesting, so...

Enough stalling. It's time to take Cefca down... On average, two thirds of Cefca's actions will be magic, and while his spells aren't strong enough to call devastating, they still hurt, and some inflict status effects. Celes can absorb his magic if she faces him, and Lock can steal an Ether Turbo (common) or Elixir (rare).

If you prefer dirty tricks, Cefca is vulnerable to 'stop' status. Can't inflict 'stop' yet? Think again. The Alacrán (Areneid) and Acrophies (Primordite) Rages each have a no-damage attack that inflicts 'stop', and both are available now. Acrophies is slightly preferable, as Alacrán's Ice weakness against the possiblity of two different spells that strike it, both Blizzara as well as the weaker Blizzard, is worse than a possible Thunder against Acrophies's Thunder weakness.

Overall, he's really not that tough, all things considered. Cefca flees, dropping a Tranquility Ring, and the music stops.

Everyone (except Bannan) heads up to the very top of the cliff, where the Genjuu, still trapped in solid ice, rests on a large outcropping of rock...

Tina seems frightened and shrinks back. Lock steps between her and the Genjuu, and Edgar and Mash move to her sides.

The Genjuu starts glowing, and with a flash of light, Lock is tossed to the side, almost falling off the edge. Celes, who happens to be the closest, helps him back onto solid ground. Everyone crowds around Tina, because of course there's no possible way that could go wrong.

The wind noises stop. Another flash of light follows, and everyone except Tina is flung to the edges of the outcropping. A blue glow pulses, and Tina steps haltingly toward the Genjuu...

Why so surprised? Didn't they come here seeking a reaction in hopes of awakening the Genjuu? Maybe it's just a case of having to see it to believe it...

As in their first encounter, the screen switches to a combat view, with "Another World of Beasts" playing. The Genjuu pulses with light several times, and Tina glows too as if in response...

Both glow again.

And again.

And again.

And again.

Um, yeah. No comment.

And again.

And again. But now, the reaction grows more intense, as it did during the previous encounter. Only this time, there's no explosion. And Tina... changes...

...and as if that wasn't strange enough, the music fades out, and she takes off into the air and flies away with an unearthly noise... across the mountains and who knows where else. The screen fades to black. When it fades back in, "Awakening" starts playing, and Lock is lying in the same bed where Tina woke up near the beginning of the game, with Celes standing somewhat nearby. The others are out in the main room.

Celes has finally dropped the rough masculine edge from her speech, though she's still avoiding anything feminine.

Lock leaps out of bed, not quite literally.

Edgar walks into the room.

I know what you're thinking, Celes. "Does Lock promise to protect EVERY girl he meets?" Don't worry, it's only the especially pretty ones O:-). Now, Edgar, on the other hand... you can tell just how distracted he is—he's barely tried flirting with her at all!

Up to four of the six characters can go with the main group, and the rest stay in Jun's house. The player can switch members here, and only here, at any time, until otherwise noted. Whenever there are more than four available party members, those not in the active group have brief lines if spoken to. For now, they are:

And, unsurprisingly, Jun and Bannan have their two cents to throw in, too.

Outisde, one of the citizens proves especially supportive.

The house contains some money and uncommon equipment—a Reflect Ring, Hyper Wrist, Thief's Knife, and Thief's Bracelet—but that one chest just won't open.

Also check the shops for new equipment, including some row-ignoring weapons.