Chapter Forty Three

Memories of the Past

Stumbling forward as I tripped over rocks and the like, attempting to navigate this labyrinth of passageways shooting off in multiple directions and wide open spaces in the hope I'd find Jeanne and Mashu. I hadn't noticed it when we were following Scathach, but this place was far larger than I had originally thought, and I'm sure Jeanne and Mashu hadn't noticed either. I still didn't know as to why Jeanne and Mashu had run off in the first place. They both had looked nervous back there so I figured I'd pull out my flashlight to light things up so we could see, but instead Jeanne freaked out and smacked the flashlight out of my hand causing it to hit the ground and break before running off along with Mashu. Not to mention I had been separated from Scathach who had kept on going, no doubt oblivious to our absence. Realizing now I was completely and utterly lost without Scathach, I found myself in quite a bind.

Taking a glance around did little to help my predicament as there wasn't much to go off of with no distinguishable features to indicate if I had come this way before, and even if I could make out anything it's not like I had been paying close attention since I had thought we'd be in and out of here. That'll show me for trying to think something wouldn't go wrong. My problems only compounded by the fact I had no idea which direction Mashu and Jeanne had gone off into, did they run off down one of these side passageways or had they managed to make it back out to the other side. I very much doubt they had pulled that off given the state of panic they were in when they fled, and they probably hadn't been paying attention either. What to do, what to do? My options were limited, I could always try and rectify my mistake and retrace my steps back to where I had come from and hope Scathach found me, or I could risk continuing to search for Jeanne and Mashu which might wind up with me more lost or even worse.

The one thing I could give a try again no matter how slim its chances were, and that was to call out to the others in the hope they might hear me. It couldn't hurt to try again I guess, unless of course there were ghosts to be found here or worse, Bears. Which in that case I guess I wouldn't have to worry about being alone for long.

"Mashu!" I called her name out as loud as I could. "Mashu if you can hear me, please respond!" I anticipated her response, but instead heard my own voice echoing back at me. After a few moments I made another attempt, this time calling out for Jeanne. "Jeanne!" I yelled her name out. "Jeanne, Jeanne! Where are you? Respond if you can hear me!" I shouted again, but no luck so far. Well, I can say I'm fresh out of ideas. The only thing left now was to try and retrace my steps and hope I can bump into Scathach or she bumps into me, it shouldn't be too hard since I don't think I went down any of the branching paths, or did I? I prepared to head back the way I came as I turned around, but not before stopping dead in my tracks. I heard a faint laugh coming from behind me, and it sounded feminine. Spinning around to face the source of the laughter I instead found nothing waiting behind me.

"Huh…?" I murmured, as I tried to peer into the veil. Again a pointless endeavor as I could barely see my own feet let alone make out anything. "Mashu! Jeanne!" I called out, but again no response. Scratching my head in confusion I prepared to write this off as me just hearing things, but before I could do that I heard that damn laughter again. Quickly glancing from side to side my eyes darted all over the place looking for the source of the laughter, but at this point I should have known better than to try. What is going on with this cave? The weird part is that laughter sounds familiar, and it didn't sound like it belonged to Jeanne or Mashu, nor to Scathach, but instead someone else I know. My mind was drawing a blank however and before I could think of who it might be that laughing returned. It sounded like it was coming from deeper inside the cave and from behind me. Should I even be thinking about pursuing the source of the laughter, this was obviously a bad idea, but what if it turned out to be Mashu or Jeanne? I hesitated for a moment.

"What? Are you afraid of the dark Chris? Come on!" The voice mocked. Clicking my tongue, I unslung my rifle and brought it to bear before stepping forward in the direction the voice was coming from. Flicking the safety off I prepared for whatever horrors possibly lie ahead.

I ventured onwards further into the cave with little to go on other than the familiar giggling that for some reason invoked a strong reaction in me.

"Come on, this way!" The voice called out again. This time urging me to keep pressing forward. There was no sign of the source behind the voice, yet sounded like it was far off and at the same time close by. This was just getting stranger by the minute and I was still struggling to think of a good reason for why I was following the voice. Yet it was the only lead out of here I had at this point and the voice sounded familiar. At this point I don't think it belonged to others, since why would they be giggling and telling me to come this way? So who did the voice belong too if not them?

"Hurry and find me!" The voice teased. Well now I certainly knew this voice didn't belong to any of the others. No way would they be playing hide and seek in a situation like this, least of all Scathach. Yet the voice's familiarity was what kept drawing me in, like I knew it from somewhere, so I carried on chasing after it. Still unable to see anything I cautiously crept forward with one hand tucking my rifle into my chest and the other out in front of me as I felt around for anything I might bump into. I should have put a light on my rifle back in Chaldea but the idea I'd be fighting in low light conditions hadn't crossed my mind. Shizuka would no doubt criticize me for not being prepared for any situation, but to be fair I had a flashlight prepared, until it broke. "Excuses! You should be prepared for unexpected equipment breakage out in the field whether intentionally or unintentionally, and thus plan accordingly!" I imagined Shizuka's response in my head. I bet that woman had a swiss army knife with every possible tool along with several spare lighters and batteries in her pockets. Letting out a sigh, much as I hate to admit it she was right. Well I don't have my phone on me so I guess I better try and remember some of the magic I was taught. Now what were the words for casting the light…

My foot would meet a piece of outcropping rock before I could recall the spell, causing me to tumble to the ground uncontrollably. All I could do in that moment was twist my body mid-fall to take the brunt of the force in my back instead of face forward. A jolt of pain shot up my back upon hitting the cave floor followed by even more pain as I hit my head against the rock. My head screamed out to me as it pounded furiously and before I knew it my vision began to blur. I laid there clinging onto my rifle motionless as I stared up into the void for several minutes.

"Watch your step out here." The voice snickered, seemingly amused at my suffering. I cursed the voice under my breath. The yearning I had felt from early was now little more than annoyance.

"Sitting there making that face won't help you find me any faster." The voice now openly mocked. I sat up with a groan before scratching the back of my head where I had hit my head. There was no sign of blood when I felt around so that was a good sign, the last thing I needed was to crack my head open.

"Come now, pick yourself up and come find me." The voice called out to me. First they mocked me and now they encourage me to pick myself up? Still unsure of their true motives I was left with little choice but to pick myself up and carry on.

I had been walking now for what had felt like several minutes and the damn voice hadn't stopped giggling the entire time. Not once had I caught a glimpse of the person behind the voice and was beginning to have my doubts. Was the cave playing tricks on me? Or was this the doing of an enemy mage? Yet they were guiding me somewhere, but where exactly they were guiding me was the real question

"You're almost there! Just a little further now." The voice teased me once more. What does that even mean?

Where was there? Where am I? I scanned my surroundings with my rifle but still couldn't make out a damn thing. How could they possibly know how far away or close I was to them? Perhaps they have some way of keeping tabs on me. "Come on, don't be afraid!" The voice called out again. Fear... was that what they thought I felt? If so they had it wrong, sure the prospect of finding out the source of the voice had me curious, but fear wasn't the word that came to mind. Rather, the desire to put an end to this charade once and for all and reunite with the others so we could get the hell out of here.

"Chris..." The voice called my name. I clicked my tongue at the voice's antics. Just what were they playing at? And why me of all people? They had no reason to single me out like this and the fact they seemed so familiar yet I couldn't put a finger on it was really pissing me off. "This way!" The voice now calling out to me from my left which in turn caused me to come to a stop before facing that direction. Barely able to make out what appeared to be a passageway, a diversion from the straight path I had been following thus far. Taking a step forward I leaned in closer to peer inwards in an attempt to see if I could make out anything. Still can't see a damn thing just like everywhere else in this damn cave. Fuck it! What other choice did I have at this point? I reached my hand out, feeling for the wall, while still gripping my rifle in my free hand. I entered the passage with the hope it wouldn't just wind up being a dead end or worse. As I made my way through the passage, its walls began to narrow, forcing me to turn sideways just so I could fit. It was tight, real tight and I briefly found myself worrying if I'd even be able to turn around incase of emergency or what would happen if I ran into an enemy. As the walls tightened and closed around me, so did my sense of anxiety as I continued down this passage. It had felt like several minutes since I had first stepped into this passageway and now began to have doubts. What if this was all a ploy by some mage or something else, and had led me down here so they could attack me. I could have been walking into an ambush and at the worst possible time. I should turn back now and try to find Scathach. No sooner had the thought crossed my mind did the walls of the passageway finally let up and opened up into yet another small cavern. As I emerged from the passage I nearly missed the figure that was sitting down on the ground in front of me with their head down and arms wrapped around their legs. Had I finally found the source of the voice? I steadily crept forward with my rifle at the ready. The closer I got the more the figure's appearance became clear and soon recognized their soft violet hair.

"Mashu!" I exclaimed. Dropping to one knee I placed my hand on her shoulder and gave it a shake. She raised her head slowly revealing the tears that had been swelling in her bloodshot eyes.

"Senpai!" Mashu cried out, and before I could even blink her hands reached out and latched onto my body and pulled me in. "I'm so sorry!" She apologized profusely as her voice cracked. She clung onto me as if her life depended on it and began to weep. I wrapped my arms around her, hugging tightly as I patted her back. "I'm sorry, Senpai! I didn't mean for any of this to happen!" She pleaded, her eyes red from crying and her nose sniffled.

"What are you apologizing for, Mashu?" I asked her, trying to calm her down.

"All of this!" She gestured to the cave. "I ran off, causing you to come find me, and now look at us, lost and separated from the others! We have no idea where we are and the worst part is, this is all my fault! If I hadn't panicked none of this would have happened!"

"You can't blame yourself." I attempted to reassure her.

"But it is my fault, Senpai!" She countered.

"Stop. None of this is your fault." I reaffirmed patting her back softly. "You're not the only one who took flight." I told her.

"Jeanne…?" Mashu looked surprised as she pulled back.

"Yeah, she ran off as well." I nodded. "I've been trying to find you guys for what must have been an hour or so, but it's like a maze in here." I said. Looking behind me her eyes searched for signs of someone else before looking to me for answers.

"Surely Lancer didn't run off as well? Where is she?" Mashu inquired

"No, at least I don't think so." I shook my head. "When I turned around to look for her, she was already gone. So If I had to guess, she carried on ahead without noticing our absence." I explained, or at least that's what I assumed happened.

"That sounds like her alright." Mashu murmured.

"Best be careful she doesn't hear you say that." I said which earned me a faint chuckle in response. "More importantly, what happened? Why did you run off all of a sudden?" I asked after a short pause. Her expression stiffened in response as did her grip on my shoulders as the fabric of my jacket twisted in her hand. Lowering her gaze she avoided making eye contact.

"... I-I'd rather not talk about it." Mashu murmured.

"Hey, are you sure?" I asked.

"I said I'm fine!" Mashu snapped. Her sudden change in tone threw me off guard a little, but after a moment I reached up and patted her on the head.

"...I'm sorry Mashu. I won't press you on the subject any further if you don't want to talk about it." I said softly. Immediately her gaze shot up to look up at me, tears once more swelling, her eyes filled with regret.

"No, I'm the one who should be saying sorry, I didn't mean to raise my voice!" Mashu apologized profusely. "I-I just don't do well in dark places." Mashu murmured.

"It's okay Mashu, everyone has something they don't want to talk about." I reassured her, doing my best to console her. Mashu leaned into me taking several deep breaths and I felt her grip loosen as she relaxed. "Are you feeling better now?" I asked.

"Yes I think so…" Mashu looked up at me nodding.

"Do you think you'll be able to manage until we get out?" I asked next.

"I'll try to endure until then." Mashu answered.

"That's all I can ask of you." I smiled in response and patted her on the head affectionately. "Because the only flashlight we had is now broken after Jeanne smacked it out of my hands." I added.

"I'm sure she didn't mean too." Mashu murmured.

"No of course not, but we're out a flashlight till we get out of here." I told her.

"Well now I'm curious how you managed to find me?" Mashu asked. I opened my mouth, about to answer, but paused. What exactly should I say to tell her? That a voice along with a bunch of giggling led me here? Mashu would surely think I was crazy, even I thought I might be going a little crazy, hearing voices telling me to follow it. Then again the voice had led me to Mashu when I otherwise wouldn't have found her on my own…

"You almost found me, but not quite!" There was that voice again, teasing me. It had remained silent up until now, just when it was on my mind. Mashu, aware of my growing silence, tugged on my sleeve.

"Is something wrong?" Mashu asked.

"...Oh uh, I thought I heard something." I answered. "Did you by chance hear anything?" I decided to ask and see. Mashu took a moment's pause as she looked around and listened for anything. At this point though the voice had already stopped talking, but if Mashu hadn't heard the voice the first time she probably wouldn't hear anything now .

"No? I don't think so." Mashu replied. Just as I had feared, I was the only one who was hearing this taunting voice.

"It's nothing then." I shook my head before standing up. "Come on Mashu, we still need to find Saber." I offered my hand to her. Mashu took my hand and I pulled her up onto her feet where she proceeded to dust herself off.

"How are we going to find her?" Mashsu inquired."I'm not even sure how I got here, I just kept running until my legs gave out on me." Mashu looked around at our surroundings.

"Well I know we're not going to find her here." Taking a look around, it seemed like this was a dead end. "We'll need to go back the way I came and look for any sign of her." I told her before turning around.

"Understood!" Behind me I heard the sounds of her footsteps falling in line with mine. Making my way back over to the entrance of the passage I ducked inside and inched along, it was a straight path back to where I had come from but still better to be careful.

"The path narrows ahead, so watch yourself." I called over my shoulder, Mashu relayed her thanks for the warning and we continued forward.

Emerging out the other side I quickly brought my rifle up to my shoulder and proceeded to sweep the surrounding area scanning for any threats waiting for me. Not that I could make out anything in the dark, but I looked for any signs of movement that might catch my eye.

"Do you see anything?" No, there wasn't anything that stood out to me or drew my attention. It was just as it was when I left, the same eerie quiet remaining constant variable with a chill accompanied by a nipping cold on my face.

"Nothing so far." I answered Mashu.

"Which way should we go now?" Mashu asked. I paused before answering as I waited to see if that voice was still there. There was no response nor any taunts, and it seemed as if the voice had just up and left. Disgruntled, I clicked my tongue in response. Just goes to show that you shouldn't rely on the voices inside your head for help… But then when I had thought maybe I really was crazy I heard a faint chuckle. I twisted my body facing the direction the chuckle had come from with my rifle raised.

"Did you hear something again?" Mashu inquired.

"I think so…" I murmured with a nod. "Can you sense anything Mashu?" I asked over my shoulder, keeping my eyes forward, scanning for targets.

"I can sense two other servants in the cave," Mashu replied. "But where exactly, I can't tell. I'm sorry." Of course, that would have made things too easy if Mashu could have just led us to Jeanne.

"Well let's just hope there's not an assassin lurking about." I murmured.

"If there were, they'd likely have gone for you first." Mashu pointed out.

"At least that's one less thing to worry about." I sighed. "Come on then, let's head in this direction." I motion with my rifle in the direction I had heard the chuckle come from.

"Alright, I'll follow your lead." Feeling a familiar tug on my coat as she grabbed onto my jacket. Stepping forward, I continued my pursuit of the mysterious voice hoping it might lead me to Jeanne as it had Mashu.

As we ventured further I found myself pondering if it was really a good idea to be following the voice, I knew it was dangerous following something so unexplainable with so little intel, but it was the only lead available to me. Another train of thought that had repeatedly crossed my mind were the origins of the oh so familiar voice. Was my mental state deteriorating to such a state that my mind was creating the voice inside my head or was it something else. The voice chuckled in amusement in response to these thoughts, which only seemed to further back up the latter theory. I wouldn't say that I was afraid of the dark like Mashu or Jeanne, but I have to admit that this cave did have a feeling of uneasiness about it.

"If you keep hesitating, we'll never get home at this rate." The voice chastised me now. Home? That couldn't be further from the truth, and this seemed to only further disprove any notion that this voice belonged to any of the others if that wasn't clear enough already. Thinking about it, we were heading to France, Jeanne's homeland, but I doubt Jeanne would call Gaul her home. Either way it sounded like it was coming from up ahead so at least we were going in the right direction. With this in mind I kept moving forward cautiously navigating the cavern. As we reached what appeared to be the other side of the large cavern we came upon a passageway in the wall leading to presumably another part of the cave. The voice once again intruded upon my ears.

"Getting closer…" It urged me to enter in a soothing tone.

"Through here, it looks like it leads somewhere." I turned to Mashu.

"Right behind you." Mashu nodded.

I ducked my head as I slipped inside the passageway and crept forward. I kept my rifle pointing forward as I traced my hand along the wall as I felt the way forward with my other hand. Behind me I felt Mashu hand grab onto the back of my jacket again as she followed me inside. My heart raced in anticipation of what we might find on the other side and it didn't take long to find out. It was a rather short distance as after only a few moments we reached the end of the passage. Emerging out the other side I found myself in yet another cavern no taller than the one we came from. Before I could even take in my surroundings I caught a sign of movement out of the corner of my eye and jerked my body in that direction taking aim… But there was nothing and even if there had been I couldn't distinguish anything.

"Did you see something?" Mashu tugged on my jacket.

"It's nothing, just shadows playing tricks on me." I grumbled. Something felt off since we entered this place, like there was something lurking in the shadows toying with us and not knowing bothered me more than I care to admit.

"Calm down and take a deep breath, you're close." I was reminded by the voice all of a sudden.

Unaware that I had been holding my breath this entire time I saw my breath as I finally exhaled letting out a scoff of annoyance. Now that I had a moment to take things in I heard a dripping sound coming from somewhere in this cave and I inched forward cautiously. The dripping echoed off the cave walls. The source must be somewhere around here, but I couldn't pinpoint exactly where it was coming from. Moving around a column of stalagmite we found the source. In the center of the cavern lay a clear pool of water, crystal-like in its clarity. Water dripped down from the ceiling landing in the pool below. Laying face forward in front of the pool was a familiar figure.

"Jeanne!" Both Mashu and I exclaimed in unison. We rushed over to where her body lay and knelt down beside her where we rolled her over. She appeared unconscious and the first thing I noticed was the amount of blood caked on her forehead. It looks like Jeanne had fallen and hit her head and there was also blood on the spot where she had been laying. I placed my hand over her forehead and there was a glow of green underneath my hand as I recited the healing spell inside my head. That should take care of any visible injuries she might have. I placed my hands on her shoulder and gave her a firm shake.

"Jeanne, cmon wake up!" Mashu shook Jeanne's other shoulder. The two of us sat beside her for several moments and I began to worry after no response. My fears were put to rest however as her eyes slowly weaned open a

"Chris…. Mashu." Jeanne murmured, rubbing her forehead as she sat up. Looking back and forth between Mashu and I, her eyes lit up momentarily. "Chris!" Jeanne exclaimed as she threw her arms around my neck and pulled me into a hug.

"Haha you finally found me brother! Now let's go home!" Out of nowhere the voice suddenly exclaimed, its voice filled with glee.

"Sister…" My eyes widened in response. This entire time it had been the voice of my sister guiding me through this cave? No wonder why it sounded so familiar and so annoying at the same time, but why on earth was I hearing my sister now of all times?

"Huh, did you say something Chris?" Jeanne mused as she pulled back.

"O-oh, um no it was nothing." I shook my head. "More importantly, I'm glad we finally found you." I said.

"Yes, I'm sorry to have caused you so much trouble." Jeanne apologized.

"It's okay." I reassured her. "You weren't the only one I had to track down." I joked. Realizing that Mashu was also beside her she turned and pulled Mashu into a hug as well.

"Oh Mashu!" Jeanne exclaimed. "I didn't mean to forget about you. Je suis désolé!" She apologized as she squeezed Mashu tightly.

"... No No, I didn't take any offence, Jeanne." Mashu apologized. "Like Senpai, I'm just glad to see you're alright." Mashu patted Jeanne's back lightly. The two hugged for a few more moments before separating. We helped Jeanne to her feet and I proceeded to check the injury on her forehead.

"Any other injuries?" I asked.

"No, I don't think so." Jeanne nodded. "Just a little lightheaded, but nothing too serious."

"Well, we found you passed out with a pretty nasty gash on your forehead. I healed it, but be sure to tell me if anything else feels broken." I withdrew my hand back to my side. "So I'm assuming you fell down and hit your head?" I inquired.

"Just a little lightheaded, but nothing too serious." Jeanne affirmed. "And I think so. Everything is a bit of a blur now, but after I ran off I remember that I kept on running until eventually I tripped over something and then the world faded to black." Jeanne explained. Her story was similar to Mashu's other than the part about falling and hitting her head, but it seems like she didn't encounter anything or hear any voices.

"From what Mashu told me, she had a similar experience. Luckily though she didn't incur any injuries and was just a little shaken." I informed Jeanne. Jeanne smiled at Mashu in relief. "Now that we're back together, we need to get out of here. We still need to find Lancer and continue on mission." They both nodded their heads in agreement and we prepared to set out.

"There you guys are!" A familiar voice called out from behind. Immediately I spun around shouldering my rifle as I pointed in the direction it had come from. Scathach emerged from the darkness coming into view, and I lowered my rifle with a small sigh of relief.

"Lancer!" I exclaimed.

"I've been searching all over for you idiots." Scathach didn't look as pleased to see us as we were to see her, but that was nothing new. "One moment you guys were behind me and the next you guys were gone!" Scathach fumed.

"The next moment, or many moments later." Scathach frowned at my response.

"Tch, Now's not the time for jokes you idiot, this cave isn't safe." Scathach clicked her tongue at me.

"We noticed." I said.

"Why? Did you see or hear something? Did you encounter anything?" Scathach fired off multiple questions.

"Uh…No, why?" I replied, deciding against mentioning hearing my sister's voice, still unsure if it was even real or not.

"I hadn't realized it at the time, but this cave wasn't as abandoned as I had thought." Scathach finally said.

"Wait, what do you mean?" I raised an eyebrow. Scathach let out a sigh of exasperation, whether that was directed at me or someone else I don't know.

"Every single time I've used this shortcut to slip into Italy or France it's been abandoned, or it was being used by smugglers or other traffickers." None of which she hadn't already told us before. "...But an oversight on my part was that it seems during this period it's been occupied by fairies." Scathach murmured in annoyance.

"Fairies?" I said. "Like the ones in fairy tales?" I added.

"Yes, but they're very much not a fairy tale..." Scathach said.

"Oh wow." Mashu gasped.

"O-okay." I said, this revelation came as a bit of a shock. "...Um, are they dangerous?"

"It depends on the fairy…" Scathach replied. "Most fairies are harmless, and these fairies aren't the dangerous kind…" She trailed off for a moment. "... But they are the very mischievous and annoying kind." Scathach said bitterly.

"Mischievous?" I inquired.

"They're the type who like to play tricks on humans by preying on their emotions for fun." Scathach elaborated. "While it might seem harmless to them, they can end up causing great distress or harm to humans. However, trying to explain that to them is a wasted effort."

"Like what kind of tricks?" I asked.

"They're capable of all sorts of treachery." Scathach said. "Being of magecraft they can conjure up all sorts of tricks and often play on human emotions or memories, using them to trick their victims." Scathach explained. I furrowed my brow in response, that must have been a fairy using memories of my sister and her voice to lure me around. Although I'm not sure if there would have been much difference in a fairy doing it or my sister, since they both seemed to get amusement out of messing with me. My expression must have given me away as Scathach stared at me. "Are you sure you didn't hear anything?"

"... No, I hadn't encountered anything as I said." I lied. Scathach narrowed her eyes at me not looking convinced, but decided against pressing the matter. "What about you two?" Scathach asked, turning to the others.

"W-well I was feeling a sense of dread as we walked through the cave and it felt like the cave walls had begun to close in on me." Mashu admitted.

"I…" Jeanne cut herself off. "... I also had that sense of dread like Mashu before running off." Jeanne replied a few moments later.

"Unbelievable." Scathach murmured, shaking her head.

"So what now Lancer?" I asked.

"The threat is gone, I chased them off for the time being." Scathach answered. "They shouldn't be a bother anymore until we get out." Scathach explained.

"Thanks Lancer for dealing with them." I said and Scathach nodded her head in acknowledgement.

"I hope you all learnt something from this. Especially you Mashu and Saber, you two are servants and shouldn't so easily come under the effects of magic nor should you let the emotions get the better of you." Scathach said. They hung their heads as Scathach scolded them, feeling shame for letting their guards down.

"Well I learnt that we shouldn't take any more of your shortcuts, especially ones through spooky caves." I joked which earned me a chuckle from both Jeanne and Mashu.

"Tch." Scathach clicked her tongue at me. "It's not my fault, fairies should have retreated to the Reverse Side of the World by now…" Scathach murmured. The reverse side of the world? I think I've heard Scathach talk about that before, but I couldn't quite remember what it was.

"Regardless, let's just get out of here. We've wasted enough time in this cave." I said.

"Agreed." Scathach nodded her head. "I know the way out, just don't get lost this time." Scathach turned her back to us not waiting for a response as she took off. I nodded my head in response and turned to the others who relayed their affirmation with a nod. We set after her, following her back into the welcoming arms of the abyss.

The remainder of our time spent in the cave was one of prolonged silence as we followed behind Scathach making sure this time to stick close. There weren't any more interruptions nor did any more flight risks take place. I wasn't certain how much time had passed, but it felt like it must have been an hour or so. Eventually however we reached the literal light at the end of the tunnel so to speak where I no longer struggled to see a few feet in front of me as the passageway lightened upon rounding a corner. It was a straight shot the rest of the way as the tunnel progressively became brighter up until we reached the end. Emerging from the tunnel I was met by a cool breeze against my exposed skin and visibility improved if only slightly. Looking up I saw the full moon up in the sky and I took a glance at my watch to see what time it was. It didn't do me a whole lot of good since I was constantly forgetting my watch was still set to the time back home. I took a look at my surroundings and saw we were still on the mountain, but here the terrain sloped downwards at an angle that could be easily walked down. This side of the mountain was covered by rocks and various trees and other greenery.

"Finally…" I sighed, and took a moment to catch my breath.

"Operatives come in, come in!" All of a sudden Olga's voice bombarded my eardrums.

"Umm yes Director, we read you loud and clear." I replied and I heard the Director sigh in relief.

"Finally!" Olga exclaimed. "We lost contact with you once you entered the cave and haven been trying to reach you for hours!" Olga explained.

"Ah, apologies, Director." I said. "It seems the caves were not quite as abandoned as we were led to believe and ran into some issues." I explained.

"Oh?" Olga said. "I look forward to reading your report detailing what transpired while you were inside the caves." Olga said.

"Of course, it'll be in my report." I said. "For now though everyone is safe and accounted for. We just reached the other side of the mountains and are getting ready to survey the area." I informed her.

"Good, continue on task then." Olga affirmed. "Once you've carried out your mission and helped Nero break through, we'll check in and plan out our next move." Olga informed me.

"Understood." I nodded my head and was met with silence.

"So what's our next move?" Jeanne asked as stepped out in front of me looking around.

"Well first we need to carry out some recon." I told everyone. "Let's head further down the mountain and find somewhere that we can scout out the area." With everyone nodding their heads in understanding we started making our way down the mountain. We had to watch our footing as we traversed the side of the mountain as it was made up of loose rocks and various other sized rocks, along with keeping an eye out for any scouts of enemy servants. Eventually we'd come upon an area on the side of the mountain overlooking the valley covered in a loose group of tall trees and grass. Cautiously we approached the ledge while looking for any enemies, but there was little room for the enemy to hide in here. I dropped to my knees and the others followed suit and continued to scan for enemies as I pulled my bag off my back.

"This looks like a good place to carry out some recon." I pulled out a pair of binoculars. I laid down on my stomach and crawled towards the cliff, Mashu and Jeanne went prone as well and followed me as we pushed aside some bushes and looked down at the valley below. Scathach stayed knelt behind us behind the bushes as she kept a lookout.

"This should be a good spot." Mashu said.

"I agree, you can see the whole area below from here." Jeanne pointed out.

"Yeah, but can you see the enemy?" Scathach asked from behind. I hadn't even had a chance to use my binoculars yet. I pulled them out from underneath and brought them up to my face.

"Let's take a look…"

Authors Note

Hi again Readers I'm not dead and neither is Fated Destiny. Again this took way too long for what it is, and I don't have any excuses for you. I'll try to get some more chapters out before the year is over, but I guess we'll see. I hope you'll still consider leaving a favorite and follow the story to be notified when the next chapter drops. Or feel free to leave feedback on what you think about the series and what you think I can improve on. If you want to keep more up to date on what's happening with Fated Destiny you can head on over to the Discord using the Invite Code below. You can find channels to talk about FGO, post memes, and other gacha games like GFL or talk about Blue Archive. A reminder: The best time to check for chapters is on Saturdays or Sundays.

The Fated Destiny Discord Invite Code is: 5F2T7H7

Just put that code into a Discord Invite Link and you should be good to go. There you'll be notified whenever a new chapter drops or I have an update.