(A/N) School's almost out, so more updates should be coming along soon~ And all you silent readers: I get more reviews when I don't update than when I do DX. Any feed back is great. Enjoy, and tell me what ya think!

Disclaimer: If I owned, [insert witty comment about what I'd do with ToS here], but I don't. Don't sue me.

Chapter 31

Mithos leaned forward on his knees, causing the small raft to bob in the water. As soon as high tide had hit, the jet stream that was the Potamos had become a gentle ripple, much easier to transverse by sloop with a handy rod to push alongside the river's floor. A kind villager had volunteered to take them to the mine, so he was left with nothing to do. His gaze drifted along the shoreline.

Caves could be seen peeking out from the jutting rocks. Old, used-up mining entrances littered the riverside, leaving black holes rimmed with rubble boring into the landscape. Mithos preferred the caves, decidedly, as the mines were far too artificial. It was unnatural.

He shivered, sensing the cool mana disrupted in irregular chunks across the mountainside. They must've been aiding their digs with supplemental magitechnology. He fumed at the thought, but it was only one mere side effect of the technological 'breakthroughs' that came with the war effort.

His body still ached from their exploits the evening and morning prior, but his mind was only sharpened by the thought of their adventure. He had an ominous feeling prefacing their trip, and he couldn't place why. He wasn't scared. Somehow, Mithos could only really feel guilty for not feeling concerned for the trapped miners. He could muster up a bit of haste, but unfortunately that was devoted solely to the promise of a Summon Spirit's presence.

From what he knew of the Summon Spirits, which was derived solely from his experience with Volt, they were lethal, yet he was excited. A low rumble like laughter flit through his head briefly, in that timbre he associated with the sparking spirit. He decided to try communicating once again.

What's so funny? He thought-spoke, feeling odd about it. However, the method seemed to work, because his question warranted a response.

You have no sense of self-preservation, boy. The corner of Mithos' mouth twitched up, unnoticed by the others sharing the tiny raft.

I do, too. I just have a bigger sense of adventure, is all. The grumbling he got in response was almost funny. Was this the same intimidating entity? Why do you care, anyways? Mithos added, genuinely curious.

You made your vow, and I am bound to see it fulfilled by using any power I may have to aid you in reaching it. If you die, I revert back to an inactive state with no say in this world's crisis.Volt seemed annoyed at the prospect. Mithos scowled lightly.

So you don't want to help me at all? I'm just a vessel for your power to manifest itself through? Perhaps that's what a Summoner did; Mithos didn't have the slightest idea.

Your vow was noble enough. However, you alone would not have defeated me. You owe this contract to your companions, not skill or virtue. It is because they desire to change the mana balance that I did not use my full force. Mithos' mood soured even further. Clearly he wasn't good enough.

I want to fix what's broken just as much as they do! I'm sure I've gotten stronger, too. His attempt to argue with the being fell on deaf ears, however. It was evident after a few moments that Volt was done talking.

Whatever. He thought spitefully, twisting his head to the side to see Kratos and Yuan speaking lowly to one another at the front of the raft. Martel had a faraway look on her face, but Mithos' eyes fell on the lank form of Zerai.

The raven was idly trailing his hand in the clear water as they drifted, spinning up a small wake behind it. He still seemed exhausted, but Mithos saw a bit more of the person rather than the convict. The silvery eyes were lost and dull, and Mithos kept his distance. Only having heard a few of the charges against the Sylvaranti, Mithos already felt a hefty dislike for the human. He stood against everything honorable Tethe'alla stood for with his deceptive sabotage. And while Mithos knew that the degree of honor was little in this war, he still admired many things about his country. All the same, it kept him wary to have the man nearby.

Pointedly ignoring the complacent Sylvaranti, Mithos glanced up to Kratos and Yuan. They were speaking too softly to be heard, but Mithos tried to hear anyways. Whatever was being said was in full confidence, and it was likely that the whispers were only due to the unfriendly man behind them. Mithos hoped so, it grated against his skin to be left out, and he was still rather sore about the conversation with Volt. It was solely because of Kratos and Yuan that they'd been successful? He still found that hard to believe, despite their skill. Perhaps the Spirit had just been messing with him.

When the low murmurs ceased, Mithos' eyes were drawn back up. Both the soldiers had grown mute and attentive, eyes fixed ahead. He followed their gaze and felt a tingle shoot up his spine.

They were there.

Yuan thanked the man that had been kind enough to direct them to their destination as the villager spun his raft around to return downstream. He had mentioned something about fetching larger rafts for the survivors, and Yuan didn't have the heart to explain that there probably wouldn't be too many after this much time.

He turned his back to the Potamos, now fully facing the gaping breach in the stones. The vast amount of rock pressing on the artificial cavern was held up by slender wooden struts within, and Yuan sighed. It was no wonder a cave-in occurred even with the smallest of tremors- the support was planned horrendously. The halfling stood on the bank of the river, eyeing the dusty trail that disappeared into the mine.

It was then that Yuan felt Kratos join his side, but when the Tethe'allan looked up, Yuan saw him visibly start. To anyone else, it may have seemed as if the man was restlessly shuffling his feet, but Yuan knew better.

"What is it?" The halfling's eyes darted between the Tethe'allan and the open maw of stone. He spotted no danger.

"You don't feel it?" Kratos tightened his grip on his hilt, russet eyes narrowing. "The mana is...unsteady." The word was said as if it were an extreme understatement. Yuan reached out with his sensory abilities, exploring the cavern the best he could. All he could feel was an underlying tumultuous energy, nothing resembling the insecurity Kratos had mentioned. "It's dangerous to enter." He hissed. Yuan was surprised at how tense his companion was.

"It feels fine to me." Yuan shrugged, taking a few steps towards the entrance. Kratos, in an uncharacteristic display of apprehension, grabbed his arm.

"Well, it's not safe. There is no doubt in my mind that there will be another collapse somewhere within." This garnered a skeptical look from the Sylvaranti.

"It's not like we're going to let that stop us." Yuan tipped his head in the direction of the mine. "There are people in there." At this point he was mildly concerned. If Kratos was this unsettled, whatever ominous instability was present must be foreboding indeed.

"Very well." Kratos conceded, stiffly following. "Just be on your guard." Zerai had been listening in and snorted at the last warning.

"How is it that you can tell that sort of thing, anyways? You're human." The fugitive asked as he stretched his arms behind his head. While the man's question should have elicited a response, Kratos' gaze didn't so much as flicker from the mine. Yuan was instantly keyed into the fact that he had no intention of answering, so he addressed Martel.

"Are we ready?" He could spot irritation creasing the raven's brow, but he continued. "Monsters are rumored to prefer this side of the mountain. However, if we follow the cart railings, the villagers said that we should be able to reach the trapped workers." Mithos blinked owlishly.

"You mean there's not just one tunnel?"

"No. They said that the main tunnel will get us there, though. There are smaller ones branching out deeper within the mountain- it is a mining operation, after all." Yuan felt like he had been the only one listening when the rescue plan was sketched out.

"Then let's get going." Martel finally spoke up, the first words she had uttered in a while.

"Hn." Kratos hummed, grudgingly leading the way down the well-worn path. Yuan couldn't help but watch after his friend in confusion. Kratos was always prone to recklessly risk his life for the sake of others. What had changed? The halfling drew his butterfly blade with a flash of green light and trotted alongside the royal. An idea struck him.

"Is it Mithos?" He asked low enough that those in step behind them wouldn't hear. From Kratos' sigh, Yuan could tell that he hit the mark.

"If it were just you and I, I wouldn't think twice about going into this death trap. But forcing a boy into what promises to be a grave scenario doesn't sit well with me. The odds that we won't succeed are too high." Yuan shot the human a sideways glance.

"I never thought you liked kids."

"I acknowledge that we would be cutting a life far too short." The retort was half-hearted, and Yuan found that Kratos really did care more than he let on.

"We worry what a child will be tomorrow, yet we forget that he is someone today (1)." Yuan threw a glance back at the blonde halfling, blue eyes determined and shining with anticipation. "He picked this, Kratos. He's allowed to make that choice." Kratos' shoulders relaxed a bit more, and Yuan figured that was as close to comfortable as the Tethe'allan would get on the subject.

"It doesn't mean I have to like it."

"You know, if you keep this up people might actually get the idea that you have feelings." Yuan chuckled lightly.

"Mana forbid that." Kratos rolled his eyes. Yuan snorted. The subtle quirk to his companion's lips revealed that his misdirect had served its purpose.

Having reached the mouth of the mine, easily fifteen yards across and just as many high, Yuan attempted to feel out any monsters skulking nearby. Martel must've been doing the same thing, because she called out from the rear of the pack.

"There's too much interference in the rock. All this excess energy is blinding me to malevolent presences." Her voice rang with frustration. Yuan agreed. He watched as the others prepared their weapons, even Mithos unsheathing his new short sword. One more appraising glance about the group, and Yuan was satisfied.

They entered the dry cavern, and darkness slowly edged out the light. The blocky shapes of boulders irregularly curved out the walls, and the ceiling was pressing over their heads like some great oppressive force. Yuan felt as if he was being crushed by the mountain above, and the pathetic wooden pillars did nothing to mitigate the sensation.

His eyes picked out the muted metal slivers that were once the tracks for the mine carts, and followed the thin line down the tunnel. The entrance had been abandoned as soon as monsters decided to nest in the perfectly dark enclosing, and now the trail was faint and dust-covered. He only hoped that the tunnels branching off could be easily distinguished from the main path. He whispered a few words to conjure a basic light spell, something he knew would not serve very well should they have to attack in such a confined space.

"Why didn't they light the place?" Zerai's voice drifted off behind him, interspersed with the soft clunk of their boots on the dirt-covered stone. Yuan observed the shadows cast on the walls as they walked, deepening the angles between stones and old mining equipment left to degrade. He stalled his steps to pick up a lumpy piece of metal, perhaps serving to answer the human's question.

"They did." What he held was a busted up lantern, crushed on one side as it had seemingly been ripped from its secure position fastened to the wall. "I suppose whatever lives here fancies the dark instead." He let the disfigured appliance slip from his hand and clang against the ground as they walked on, frowning as they came to a fork in the passageway.

Kratos' foot dragged over the soil, revealing the flashing metal only continuing to their right hand side.

"This way." He cast a final look down the dark, gloom-filled pass. They tread on.

"How lucky is it that we haven't run into anything yet? This isn't so bad."A cocksure tone scoffed, and Kratos spun to see a smile curving Zerai's face. He grimaced, spotting the dark fabric of Yuan's cloak suddenly still in the corner of his eye.

"Damn." The halfling in front of him sighed, tossing an accusing glare at Kratos.

"I didn't do anything, Yuan." He hissed back in response. Surely not everything was his fault?

"Maybe not in this life. But in your previous one, you must've done something awful enough to deserve living cursed with misfortune!" Yuan muttered indignantly.

"Like Hell I did!"

"How else can you explain it?"

"It's coincidence!" Kratos retorted.

"Every time?" Yuan raised a brow, his skin looking paler in the dancing light. Kratos had a witty reply on his tongue, but their bickering was cut short with a tug on his tunic sleeve.

"Can anyone enlighten me?" Mithos folded his arms, "What's going to happen?"

"Nothing." Kratos shot Yuan a glare at the same moment the teal-haired Sylvaranti spoke.

"Bull. We're going to be attacked any moment now. It's a proven science." The boy's golden eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"How does that make sense?"

"Kratos has rotten luck." Yuan poked a critical finger in the redhead's direction.

"It's a fluke, damn it!"

They all grew silent, however, as the slow scratching of movement sounded. Kratos swore under his breath, pushing the halfling child behind him as he readied his sword. From what he could hear, there weren't many creatures approaching, but the tunnel was narrow. He needed to know that an errant swing of the sword wouldn't injure the people following him.

"You really are that unlucky, huh?" Zerai asked as they all peered into the shadows that lay beyond the edge of their small circle of light.

"Shut up." Kratos realized that the reverberating sound was coming from behind them, and not in front. He turned around, sifting through the small group of people so he could front the attack. "Yuan, keep leading them on. Monsters must have sensed us from one of the other branches we passed. If we keep moving, perhaps we can avoid confrontation entirely." He got a grunt of acknowledgement from the halfling, and they continued shuffling forwards.

Amongst the subtle echo of pursuit, the five travelers broke the claustrophobic quarters of the narrow tunnel. It opened into a wider cavern, the edges carved roughly with pickaxes. Perhaps a vein of the desired ore had wound through this area, but whatever the case, the bracing of the ceiling with wooden struts split the room into columns. What they could see around the center was spacious, but the relief that came with space was tempered when three other paths were spotted, not counting the one they entered through.

They must've been in the valley, now, because a long shaft of light had been let in through a deep cut in the overhead stone. It wasn't too far above, so it would appear that either they had unknowingly been traveling uphill, or the mountain had sloped downward. Kratos was willing to bet on the latter, and given what he knew of the trapped villagers, they had to be close.

"Which way is next?" Martel was scouring the floor for the trace of metal that would guide them down the proper path. Drawn to the central beam of light, Kratos gauged each option. They were of equivalent size, and seemed equally likely to be the main tunnel. He was saved the duty of figuring out when the lagging Sylvaranti called out.

"Yeah, so those monsters? They're here now." Though the words suggested it, the edge in his voice told that it wasn't a joke. Kratos was prepared in a moment's time, hands clenching his hilt, not straying too far from the scant beam of light. He preferred being able to see his enemy, after all.

When the beings finally entered the clearing, from between the pillars Kratos could spot more than a few. Dozens of rock golems, scaly reptiles, and enormous bats had all sensed their disturbance, and Kratos cursed his inability to detect their numbers. Quickly, though, he engaged the nearest lizard, slicing its leg clean off.

"If you can find the proper path, we can bottle them up." He called out to Yuan, who had just as rapidly become employed with several stone creatures.

"Run the gauntlet?" The halfling called back, earning a grunt of agreement from the busy swordsman.

Idly, Kratos recognized that Zerai had been swarmed by Vampire Bats, their leathery appendages driving him closer to the wall and forcing the human into a corner. While the Sylvaranti's swinging of his rapier was imprecise and wild, he was successfully holding them off. Kratos shifted to assist him, reducing several of the erratic demons to dust with sharp, swift slices as he ran. He got a nod of thanks, but was too focused on the next threats to respond.

He ducked to the side while avoiding the swinging club of one of the golems. His sword did little against unforgiving stone, and taking a hit was not an option. The maneuvers were taking him further from Mithos and Yuan, but Kratos figured Yuan knew better than to stray while he was too far to aid them. From the corner of his eye, he could spot the spinning arc of Yuan's blade and the sparks of Martel's defensive magic. They were holding their own.

Deflecting a heavy hit, Kratos slid between the legs of the monstrous boulder-being and forced water magic into his strike. The augmenting mana was enough to finish the creature, reducing it to dust and light, but more were quickly upon him. He had just begun to realize how dangerous it was to be fighting all out so near to the support pillars when he saw Yuan manage to drift towards one of the tunnel entrances. The halfling flipped over a small drake and redirected the oncoming flame with some well-placed wind magic. The beings were nearly extinguished when Kratos felt the waves of mana in the earth intensify to almost painful levels.

That was when the tremor hit.

"It's coming down!" Martel yelled out, voice drowned out by the roar of budging rock. A flash of green blossomed when Yuan activated his guardian spell nearest to her, and Kratos' eyes sought out Mithos across the room. The flash of blonde hair was darting away from the middle of the arena with a barrier spell already up. Kratos recognized that the entire room was going to cave, and he raced to the nearest tunnel to escape the impending collapse.

Slabs of stone were crashing down now, and his feet fought to maintain balance as the vibrations snapped wooden beams and shook the foundation of the mine. In half a second, there was only darkness, as the slight amount of light had been blotted out in collapse. A ragged boulder nicked his shoulder as it smashed into the floor, but Kratos continued stumbling towards where he thought the tunnel should be, the guardian only shielding him from the smaller fragments.

A heavy crashing at his heels sent him sprawling forward, but after the crescendo of chaos, it was silent. Pebbles trickled down as they settled, but the eerie calm was almost as striking as the noise. His breath coming out in harsh pants, Kratos took stock of the situation. Immediately, he expelled mana with a short light spell, the glyph glowing mutely at his feet and leaking white illumination to leach at the dark. He found that he had successfully made it to one of the three exiting branches off of the main room.

This was good only because of the mass of rubble occupying the pocket of space they had all fought in moments ago. The room was now an impassable wall of cracked debris. Cursing aloud, Kratos called out through the stone.

"Yuan?" The amount of rock that would be between them if the halfling could've even heard him would be far too much. Kratos was entirely at a loss for the other's situations, and the panic was barely kept at bay. Had Mithos been with Martel and Yuan? Were they all still alive?

"I'm alright, if you care."

If Kratos had not been Kratos, he would've jumped out of his skin at that moment. To his credit, he only shifted to fix his gaze on the dirtied human leaning against the opposite wall. Zerai looked a little worse for wear, but all of the scratches appeared superficial to the Tethe'allan's analyzing eye.

"So you are."

Yuan did his best to squint through the darkness. His mind was hazy and sluggish, but he was alert enough to recognize that he had somehow come to be flat on his back on the cavern floor. His head throbbed in beat with his heart, and when he became fully aware, he realized that the pain was significantly higher than his initial diagnosis. He failed to suppress a groan as he tried to sit up, only succeeding in braving the wave of intense dizziness that followed. Left hand now pressing against his screaming skull, Yuan didn't feel any blood, but his fingers came in contact with an oversized lump.

What the hell happened?

The slower workings of his brain struggled to remember what had precisely led him to arrive in this unfortunate circumstance. Hadn't they been on the way to Flanoir? Bits and pieces trickled back to him in a painful crawl, but his thoughts were interrupted.

"Yuan?" A voice called out to his right, the soft sound still worsening his pounding headache.

"Martel?" He called back, a croak rather than a yell. The sound of footsteps padding in his direction was reassuring, and he attempted to heave his aching body to its feet. Immediate nausea grasped at his stomach instead, and the Sylvaranti stumbled as he doubled over. Vaguely, he noticed a bobbing glow of pale white light approaching, but he was focused on keeping his stomach's contents right where they were.

The reminder did serve to jog his memory a bit, and suddenly Yuan knew the others had to be trapped in the same way. It had happened so quickly, that they would be lucky to have survived.

"Are you okay?" The light had proven to be splaying through the glass of a holy bottle, clasped in Martel's hand. Her soft features were made austere in the faint lighting, but the pained halfling could still see the concern shift across her face as she took in his position. To his body's protest, though, Yuan stood straight.

"'m fine." He fought the urge to return his hand to his head, but the valiant effort was a lost cause, if Martel's face was anything to go by.

"No, you're not."

"We'll have to find another way around." Kratos growled in exasperation, seeing no break in the rubble, and no safe way to dig through.

"Obviously." The raven shrugged, "It's not as if we're going to die in here or anything." Perhaps his tone was meant to be joking, but Kratos only heard carelessness. It sounded lazy, laid-back, and blasé.

"Be concerned for the child that may or may not be alone within a monster-infested cavern." Kratos let his tone carry his disapproval. They had to find Mithos before he was brash enough to face the seal by himself, if he was even okay. Hopefully Yuan had been close enough when the cave-in occurred to end up on the boy's side of the rubble.

"Just lifting the mood." The man defended dryly, "Don't be so uptight." Kratos fumed to himself for a moment.

"It's a matter of life and death. You clearly don't care much about either." The response that was goaded out of Kratos at least drew interest from of the other. He usually didn't deign to answer such useless jabs.

"What's your problem?" the man sneered with a bit of mockery slipping into his tone. Kratos' eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Pardon?" It would take an idiot not to catch the razor in his tone, and his glare had the full weight of warning behind it. Evidently, though, Zerai had no intention of backing off.

"Is it because you think you're better than me?" A dark inflection tinged his words with a sense of vileness, "I've done nothing to garner such disgust from you, and I'll not take it any longer. I don't deserve this treatment." Kratos met the daring set of silver eyes and could feel the anger writhing between them.

"You deserved death, or have you forgotten so quickly? You admitted to a crime you had no business admitting to and were prepared to take the consequences." His words were icy daggers, hissed through grit teeth. "I have yet to see anything but underhanded tactics from you, thoughtlessness, and recklessness. The fact that you were willing to lay your life down on a lie tells me more about you than I ever wish to know."

"I get that you don't trust me, but there's no way you can just assume I'm a liar. You've got no proof, and despite all this self-righteous honor you're spewing, I don't see you getting any anytime soon." The folded arms and ignorant injustice on the man's face caused Kratos to snap.

"I don't need proof, I did it!" Kratos barked at him, furious at himself for letting that one guilt-laden sentence out. Encouraged by Mysan's newfound muteness, he turned his head to the side, "I've got enough death on my hands without adding an idiot looking to become a martyr to the list." The conversation was over, and he stormed off before he could say anything else stupid. Zerai, however, must not have thought they were finished, because he heard the sounds of pursuit not far behind him.

He did not turn to look.

Mithos rubbed his head in the darkness. His hand came away sticky with blood, but it was hardly anything severe. He could only just see the tunnel in front of him, barely distinguishing the solidness of the rocky walls with the blacker, emptier void of space. The last column of light from above must have been demolished behind him.

"Martel?!" He called out to the debris, hearing no response. She had to be okay. She was with Yuan when it hit, right? He would have protected her, wouldn't he? He had to. There was no answer, though, and he hoped it was just due to the space filled with stone between them. He stood still for a moment, silently listening for any sign of life beyond the cave-in.

Nothing.

"A little light would be nice, Volt?" He sighed softly, thankful that he wasn't completely alone. Volt's grumbling cackle illuminated the crude corridor with a flicker of electricity, floating like a ball of fluorescence in front of him. "Thanks," to any bystander, it would look like he was thanking the shadows that twisted into existence behind the angles of the boulders. Summoning definitely had its perks.

Is Gnome nearby?

You're lucky. It feels as if he is somewhere ahead. However, I don't think you are capable of breaking a seal alone.

Couldn't break a seal? Ha. He waived off the warning. Mithos would show him. If he broke the seal, he could repair the tunnel, couldn't he? No one would know until he tried.

A small fear settled in the pit of his stomach, eating away at his confidence. Was everyone all right? It would suck if the others were marooned where they were, assuming they were still alive. He didn't have the first idea as to where those side tunnels branched off to, if they branched off at all. What if they were injured? There were monsters everywhere just waiting to prey on helpless travelers.

That was when he caught himself. No matter who may have been hurt, none of them could be considered 'helpless'. The best Mithos could do to make sure everyone had come out unscathed would be to create a pact with Gnome.

Kratos did his best to cope with the aggravatingly silent man besides him. Of all situations to be forced into, he had to be stuck with that man. One of the few people he was positive he disliked. Now, Kratos was the master of aggravating silence, and the silence wasn't the issue. The issue was the open, unspeaking, unsettling stare he could feel on his back, examining and reevaluating him. Kratos did not want questions, he did not want the attention, and most certainly did not want to remain in such close proximity to the unsavory character.

"So why did you do it?" Zerai finally asked, voice betraying nothing but curiosity.

"What were you doing in Meltokio?" Kratos countered without missing a beat as they continued the crawling trek through the uneven tunnel.

"I was a sleeper agent." The man's voice sounded like a shrug, and Kratos' planned retort was cut short. Had he actually been answered?

"A sleeper. Were you ever activated, then?" Kratos kept his tone cool and collected, remembering their encounter in Tethe'alla's capital the first time. Obviously Zerai had fled once plans went awry, but his original intention? Kratos could only guess.

"Yes, I was." The Sylvaranti noted, "The mission was to be carried out the day we captured you instead." Irony twisted his words into a smirk, accusing and gloating all at once. "Now what were you doing there that day?" Kratos scowled. It appeared he would only get information if he gave it.

"Hn." And the line of inquiry was severed. This seemed to disappoint Zerai to some extent, but his attention was diverted to the loose stones they were forced to descend over.

The tunnel was steadily sloping downward, and though the direction was fixed and unchangeable, Kratos wished for another way. Going deeper would probably not lead them to rejoin with the others. Hopefully Yuan was still with Martel and Mithos. At this point within the depths of the underground, lurking monsters could easily hide within the tumultuous mana flowing through the rich earth. The halflings would have just as much trouble sensing mana signatures as he was currently, if not more. It would be rather difficult to track them down.

It could be worse, he rationalized weakly.

"But why did you do it?" The raven chimed beside him.

Screw it. This was Hell itself.

(1) An awesome quote by Stacia Tauscher, someone no one really knows about. Only the quote exists, and the title 'author'. People die, and words live on I guess. Still, weird or what?

(A/N) I particularly like this chapter for some reason. Idk. Review, please! Hopefully I'll get another one up soon.