Welcomed by the Subterranean World

It looks like you've safely arrived at the Rayshift coordinates. You're so lucky that I spent all that time making sure everything was in order.

Fou, Fooou!

Your surroundings look to be in fine shape too! I've rarely seen Fou so happy to have tagged along!

Physical and mental state, all green. Your values all appear to be within normal parameters, but...

How are you feeling, Senpai? Do you feel sick, or short of breath?

If you experience any numbness, headache, stomachache, or terrible, wrenching heartache at the idea of not having your kouhai with you, let us know!

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Huh, it's not like you to be so vague, Fujimaru.

From what I can tell, there isn't anything particularly distressing about your surroundings. Is there something on your mind?

I don't think that's it, acting commander. There are some things you can't tell from scan data alone.

Remember, Senpai is the first person to set foot in a place that has been completely unknown to humanity.

We may have tried to find out as much about it as we could ahead of time, but there is really no way of knowing what sort of effect that could have on someone.

Good point. I know I certainly wasn't expecting to see this much greenery in a subterranean space.

In fact... Hmm. There IS something strange about this place.

It's...that there's nothing strange about it. This place is several kilometers under the surface...

We should be dealing with extreme heat and air pressure, and yet there's nothing of the sort as far as I can tell.

Where is the air that Fujimaru is breathing right now even coming from? Plants? If that's the case, how are they here? How do they have light for photosynthesis?

I know we've seen the underworld, but that could only exist in the Age of Gods, not the year 2000.

So how can this underground world be so lush!?

Even a universal genius like me has no explanation!

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Then...perhaps it's a type of luminescent moss?

You'd think so, but that type of moss only collects ambient light through its lens-shaped cell structure.

As much as you'll see it in fiction, it's not really possible for plants to emit light equivalent to the sun's rays.

I see... So...we really don't know what's going on here...

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It doesn't seem like the Aztec underground world Xibalba that Quetzalcoatl once told us about either.

It seems like you're in an actual subterranean space rather than an alternate dimension for the afterlife.

All we can say for sure, Fujimaru, is that this place is...bizarre.

Put differently, this place doesn't seem to quite be following the laws of nature as we understand them.

In a sense, it may be best to think of that underground space as a different, independent world.

Hmm... A whole new world... I think it deserves a better name than just "underground space."

From now on, I'm going to call it "Agartha."

It's the name of a legendary subterranean kingdom from occult myth. Pretty fitting, wouldn't you say?

Yes, I feel the same.

Although...wasn't Helena the one who told us about that?

Mahatma? You mean, Helena Blavatsky?

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Now that you mention it... Yes. She did write about Agartha back when she was alive.

As I recall, she said it was one of the most important elements of occult historyan ideal underground paradise, located at the center of the Hollow Earth.

While it's too soon to say if the object of her research has anything to do with this place...

...there are at least some similarities with this strange underground world.

No doubt Helena would have been overjoyed to see this for herself.

In fact, I thought she'd be interested in hearing about this situation, but she's not here, is she?

...!

...Master, acting commander, I'm so sorry.

I forgot to mention that back when we first confirmed Agartha's existence...

...It was reported that a number of Chaldea's Servants have gone missing.

And one of them is Helena Blavatsky...

Well well, and here I was only half-joking. Maybe she's already there.

Of course, this is Helena we're talking about. She may have Rayshifted there on her own after hearing about the place, or she may have been resummoned there automatically for a completely different reason.

After all, she is the hereticI mean, hero of the occult world, with ties to UFOs and everything.

I don't think she'd be able to keep away from a place like that with how connected it is to the occult.

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Y-yes, I did... We've confirmed three so far: Heracles, Fergus, and Drake.

Hmm. I can't think of any connection between them.

It's possible that, with the Incineration of Humanity having been stopped, they just chose to end their contracts on their own.

But...I'd bet there's some kind of connection to this, even if we can't tell what it might be yet. Anyway, we can worry about that later.

Right now, all we can say for sure is that Helena, and maybe a few other Servants, might be there.

If you can track them down, I think you should try to rendezvous with them. They should be willing to cooperate, since you already know them and all.

I agree. And if Helena really is there, we may be able to learn something useful from her, since she knows so much about mythical underground worlds.

That would be a great help in keeping Master safe. So if she's there, I hope you find her soon!

Don't you worry about a thing, Master!

You have other capable Servants who are willing and able to accompany you wherever you go, however strange or dangerous!

Servants like...MEEE!

Huh? Hehe... I dunno what you mean! Buuut...was that a compliment? Yaaay!

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Fou, Fooou!

Hahaha. Stoppit, Fou! That tickles. We both snuck along to accompany Master, so we should be friends!

Astolfo! As in Astolfo the Rider-class Servant, one of the Twelve Paladins of Charlemagne!?

That's meee! This looked like it was gonna be fun, so I thought I'd come along and help out!

Mash, could you tell the guy working the Coffins I said thanks for helping me stow away? Thaaanks!

Sure, he's right here. Astolfo says thank you, Mr. Meunière. Of course, I hardly need to tell you that this is against regulations.

You won't be fired since you did it to help Master, but I believe there may be some ramifications when it comes time to evaluate your bonus.

Woohoo! Hey, I was happy to help Astolfo out! Totally worth it!

Thanks, mister! I can't wait to start exploring this strange new world! It's the perfect playground for me!

After all, what Heroic Spirit knows adventuring better than me!? I've even been to the moooooon!

Weeell, that was maybe less about adventure than it was about Roland acting like a fool after he got rejected.

I've heard about that...but I'm still not sure if it actually happened or was supposed to be a metaphor...

Hold it. Did you think there was only one escort present?

Another Spirit Origin reading!?

So you snuck two Servants into the Rayshift? You'll be lucky to get any bonus at all!

Ooh, ouch! But to make d'Eon happy, I'd give up my bonus in a heartbeat!

Merci, Monsieur Meunière. I would not be here now were it not for your courage.

Good to see you again, Master. I shall join Astolfo as your escort.

There is no keener sword for the protection of nobility.

And as far as I am concerned, you are now French royalty.

Thus, I shall protect you with my life, on my honor as a Knight of the White Lily.

Chevalier d'Eon... Thank you. I'm glad to know you'll be accompanying Master.

Never mind the stowing away.

...I kinda feel like that makes it sound like you WEREN'T feeling so good about me accompanying him.

I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean it like that...

(I was just going to look the other way here, since it's never a bad thing to have trustworthy escorts...)

(But if Mash finds out I let someone get away with bending the rules for my own benefit, she'd never look at me the same way again. Better just keep quiet.)

At any rate, it's definitely good to know that two capable Servants like you are looking out for Master. But in the future, you need to go through the proper channels before you

Wait! I'm picking up hostile entities headed your way! From their movements, they look like wild beasts!

Fooou!

I should have known there would be wildlife down there. Part of me is dying to know more about this underground ecosystem.

But that can wait. Now that you Servants are there, there's nothing else to be done.

Astolfo, the crazy cavalryman with the mythical steed. d'Eon, the indecipherable Knight of the White Lily...

You may be complete opposites in behavior, but you're much alike in character deep down. You know what you need to do, yes?

Of course! I'll take these things out lickety-split! And then, Master will say:

"Oh Astolfo, I'm so glad you're here with me! You're the only one I need! Maybe you should change your name to Bestest-fo."

...or something like that! Hehehe!

Oui. My sword shall shine with all its light. Not that mere beasts will understand its beauty or grace.

A little beauty never hurt! Look at you, Fujimaru. You only just got there, and you've already got two blushing beauties at your beck and call.

Actually, if you count myself and Mash, that would make four.

N-no need to include me in that count!

Aw, you're so modest, Mash. At any rate, just make sure you're not so overcome by our beauty that you neglect your surroundings, Master.

All right, good luck with your first battle in Agartha!

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Hostiles eliminated. Well done, everyone!

That was easy-peasy lemon-squeezy!

Fou!

Astolfo disrupted the enemy's formation, while I kept Master safe. A surprisingly well-balanced strategy.

...However, we are lacking in destructive power, since Astolfo's Noble Phantasm is all bark and no bite.

We may need someone at the vanguard with more power. Maybe Sanson? ...No, he is a gentleman, and thus best set against people, not beasts.

The Queen and I are the same type of Servants... Amadeus? No, absolutely not.

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I couldn't agree more, Senpai.

Same. First, I'd like to hear more about your surroundings.

Tell us everything you can see and hear.

We ARE analyzing your video feed, of course, but it's helpful for you to give us your impressions as well.

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Hmm. So the ceiling is very high up, and appears to be made of stone. The floor is covered in plants, just like aboveground...

...and the terrain ranges from hills and forests to rivers.

That all seems to match our initial evaluations of the topography. However...

Right. Never mind how odd that all is topographically speaking. Fujimaru's impression of it doesn't add up either.

It's almost like a mosaic. Various features and environs are combined in ways you'd not expect to see in a single landmass.

It's as if a bunch of authors got together to all write one combined anthology of Agartha.

Ya think? I dunno, I'm an adventuring expert, and I've seen lotsa weird stuff up on the surface, too!

...In any case, this world's topography is not so important as our mission. We are here to find the Demon God Pillar, correct?

That's right. However, its signal has become muddled since Master's arrival.

We're still fairly certain that it's somewhere here in Agartha, but I'm afraid we can't narrow it down more than that right now.

Essentially, our readings on Agartha are oddly blurred and undefined, like in the results of our topographical investigation.

That's just one example, though. All the data we're collecting about Agartha will sometimes just shift to entirely different values with no continuity.

And yet, with things in your immediate vicinity, Fujimaru, the continuity appears to be perfectly stable.

In other words, the closer you are to the observation target, the more accurate our results will be.

Which means we have no choice but to have you continue to investigate on foot.

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It's hard to be certain with how erratic readings are, as I mentioned, but we're picking up what appear to be artificial structures in the area.

So, I wouldn't rule out the possibility of people nearby.

In that case, we should head for an area where we can get reliable data, and use that as our base of operations while

Okay, Master! Let's start by heading somewhere with lotsa people!

Don't worry, adventuring sense will get us there, piece of cake! Humm... This way!

A-Astolfo, wait!

...Huh? I thought he'd disappeared over that hill. He certainly came back quickly.

...Wait! What's this signal!?

Waaah! I-it's not my faaault, honest! They were already headed here when I spotted them!

More beasts, hmm? It would appear we missed a few earlier.

Although...it seems as though they're running away from something that frightened them...

Okay, let's see where those beasties' tracks lead... I wonder if there'll be any people?

Hehe, thanks, Master! It's nice to be trusted!

But of course. I will not let you down, Master.

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Hey, looky-looky! That was fast! Isn't that a guy there on the ground, over by that boulder?

The beasts' tracks continue on past that point. It seems unlikely to be a coincidence.

Perhaps this man was unwittingly caught up in their stampede, and fled there for shelter.

Let's wake him up and find out. Hellooo! Are you alive?

...Nnn...

Oh good, he is. Eh? Hang on. Isn't this guy...

Wait! I'm getting a Servant reading! Master, that boy is a Servant!

But... Huh? This Spirit Origin pattern...

Nnn... Who are you guys?

Yup! We pretty much just got here. How are you doing? You were conked out!

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I...think I'm ok. Thank you.

Just the fact that you bothered to ask tells me you're good people. I'm glad to have met you.

I was going to ask if you live down here...but if you are a Servant, it seems there would be little point in doing so.

So instead, let me ask you this: do you know much about this underground world?

No, I don't. All I know is that I was summoned here.

I know that I'm a Servant, but that's really about all I know.

Did you say "underground world"? That explains why I can't see the sky.

Still, I don't get why a fledgling like me would be summoned here in the first place.

Are you? A fledgling, I mean.

I'm afraid so. The whole reason you found me collapsed on the ground like that...

...is because I was helpless against those Demonic Beasts that came stampeding out of nowhere.

I wonder if those were the Demonic Boars they say every Celtic warrior should fight at least once in their lives. If so, I can die without any regrets now...

Master...um... This is very hard to believe, but that boy is...well...

Oh? Are these friends of yours druids?

Something like that. We're helping those guys out from behind the scenes. Don't worry, you can trust us.

Now, let me see this Spirit Origin pattern for myself... Oh? Oh!?

That IS interesting. I can see why Mash is at a loss.

You're all good people, so I believe I can trust you.

This unshakeable trust I feel must come from another, different version of me having met you before.

I'm sure of it.

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...I apologize for asking this out of nowhere, but would you mind if I joined you?

To be honest, I still have a long way to go to become a full-fledged warrior.

I can't promise I'll be of much help, but I can promise I won't get in your way.

...I believe the way my heart is racing right now means going with you is the right thing for me to do.

Of course, I'm aware that that alone won't merit your trust, so as a sign of good faith, I'll tell you my True Name.

I'm Fergus mac Róich, a member of the Ulster royal family.