Relavation part 2

The Pathway Towards Japanese Palace

"Come on, we got to go!"

"Wait!"

Roth groaned as he turned around to Cap dragging the body of the burned yet unconscious Hino-Enma in a makeshift sled. He pulled her to the side inside a nearby cave before he threw his shield atop the ledge above, bringing an avalanche of boulders in front of the entrance.

"Don't want to risk her getting the best of us while we save Sam and the others."

Captain America aided Roth with his shoulders as they progressed through the forest. Roth could hear the slight heavy breathing from the Living Legend and assumed that the battle against the female Yokai took quite a bit from him.

"Hopefully there aren't any more surprises in store for us." Roth joked mirthfully, much to Captain's chagrin. "What?"

"I really wish you didn't say that." His enhanced hearing picked something from ahead before he threw Roth at a nearby tree as he took his shield off his back, wielding it with his left hand. "Okay, let's do this."

Captain America hid himself behind some thick bushes and foliage as he waited for the pack of Solarii to walk past his location. Crouching lowly, Captain leaped at the Solarii and kicked one of them, sending him flying through the row of his brothers. The Solarii quickly recovered and looked at the one responsible before they quickly surrounded him.

Smirking at their loose formation, Captain dashed at one of the Solarii, bashing his head with his signature shield. Grabbing the dazed Solarii, he threw him at another who was ready to fire at him. The three remaining Solarii charged at him with their machetes but Captain parried each of their strikes easily before throwing the shield at one of them.

He angled the throw as the shield ricocheted of a Solarii's and hit the last two with swift precision. Captain raised his hand to catch his shield as he walked towards the tree where Roth was hidden but his path was suddenly blocked by the Oni-bi that formed out of nowhere.

"Great…" Captain threw his shield once more, easily defeating the floating head as they disappeared. "That was surprisingly easy." He then face-palmed himself as soon he said that. "Damn it!"

The ground shook like the rhythm of a heart monitor and it got worse as it seemed to approach his location. Captain America turned around when the shaking stopped and his eyes widened at the mere size of the new creature that stared down at him…literally staring down at him.

"I fought a lot of creatures in my time but you…Just…wow" Captain America said as he observed the hulking creature before backpedaling to avoid the rapid thrusts from the Onyudo.

Roth watched from his position in the tree line as the Living Legend was dodging each of the Yokai's attacks. Wanting more information, Roth pulled out his radio. "Patronus, come in…" No answer came from the hooded hero. "Lara, come in."

Another round of static crackle only concerned Roth until Patronus's voice came through in a whisper.

="What is it, Roth? Did Captain defeat that Hino-enma yet?"=

"Along with a group of Solarii and those floating heads." Roth answered. "But now he's fighting a Yokai with a long tongue and bulged out eyes. Ring any bells?"

="I fought one of those things not too long ago. That's an Onyudo. Nasty but strong."=

"Oookay~" Roth drawled out at the hero's incessant tone. "Any weaknesses?"

="Their massive builds for one. They're slow so they compensate that with their strength... although…"=

"What?"

="They might have surprise attacks."=

"Like what?"

="I don't know."=

Cue an almost face-fault from Roth before he recomposed himself. "Aren't you an expert on these things?"

="I read about them and I just fought one pretty easily since I'm awesome."= A sweat-drop fell on Roth's head as Patronus continued. ="I got to go. More Solarii incoming."=

With a sigh when the radio link ceased, Roth saw the Onyudo stomp its right leg like a sumo wrestler as miasma leaked out from its frame before crossing the smoking arms and charging at Captain America like a bull. Captain though saw this coming and waited until the last moment before he jumped to the right.

An inhuman groan came from the Onyudo as Captain America looked and saw it clasping the head after crashing into the wall. This was his chance. He charged at the hulking Yokai and landed several hits with his fist and shield at the legs.

Captain backpedaled when the Onyudo stood up before he rolled backwards to dodge the incoming attack. He did not expect the Yokai's long tongue lash out and wrap around his body. "Oh craaaa—" The Avenger screamed as he was whirled around a few times before being slammed into the ground.

The Onyudo reached out with its large hands before retracted them when bullets hit the back of his head, directing attention onto the human hiding in the tree before walking towards it.

"Come get some!" Roth taunted as he fired more bullets from his dual pistols. His ire grew when the bullets didn't faze the Yokai at all and he revealed his location to it. Nevertheless, he fired and reloaded onto the Yokai, hoping to buy time for Captain America to wake up.

Groaning from his position, Captain rose within the crater and looked for the Yokai he battled. His eyes caught the Onyudo shaking the tree where he hid Roth at as the latter held onto it for dear life. Captain dashed towards the Yokai and shoved his shield's edge directly against its back, eliciting another groan from the creature.

Leaping high and landing on its shoulders, Captain wailed onto the Onyudo's head, forcing it to release the tree and attempt to grab him. The Avenger saw this and jumped high in the air to dodge the hands before falling back down at the Onyudo and hitting its head once more with all his strength into the shield.

A small shockwave blew from the contact as the Onyudo's head had snapped down while Captain America landed in front of him. Still active and planning, Captain threw his shield once more at a nearby tree, felling the trunk onto the dazed Yokai, trapping it under the weight.

"Captain, look!"

Heeding Roth's words, the First Avenger saw the Onyudo was about to rise from the tree and dashed at the creature before decapitating it with his shield. He watched the Yokai dissipate into ash as relief soon washed over him.

"Brutal…" Roth observed as he began to climb down the tree while Captain stood by the base.

"Time called for it." Captain muttered before helping Roth by the shoulders as they continued their way to the palace.

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Mountain Descent

After crossing a bridge, several torii along the way, Patronus and Lara slowed their pace when Solarii voices rang to their ears.

"Damn, this is the good stuff."

"If you show up at the ceremony drunk, Father Mathias will slit your throat." The second Solarii warned his drunk friend.

Patronus and Lara approached the small party of three and made quick work of them via the former's shuriken and the latter's arrow. They walked to the other side where a big gap was between them and a Japanese house on built on a cliff in the other side. Lara fired a rope arrow and slid the zipline followed by Patronus as they landed expertly.

Seeing the wooden reinforcements, Lara blasted it away with her shotgun before she and Patronus entered just as her radio crackled with Sam's voice.

-"Oh God, that was close. Lara, are you there?"-

"I'm here, Sam. Are you okay?" Lara asked after pulling out her radio.

-"What do they want with me, Lara? A fire ritual?"- Patronus and Lara walked to the end of the deserted house where they saw the visage of a palace far below their eyesight as it was mostly covered in mist. –"This is fucked up!"-

"Listen. W—" Lara was interrupted when Patronus pointed at himself and shook his head. "I'm going to get you out of there!"

-"Please, please help me, Lara."- Sam whimpered through the radio.

"I promise. I promise, Sam." Lara answered softly. Then peace was shattered when she heard the Solarii voice through the radio. "Sam?! Sam?! Stay away from her bastards! Stay away!" She cursed at her carelessness before looking at Patronus. "Why did you make me change my sentence about us?"

"So far the Solarii think I'm dead. Let's keep it that way. Element of surprise will work for us." Patronus explained as Lara slowly nodded as they began their descent to the palace.

After jumping down a zipline, they found themselves behind more Solarii that was inspecting a tank of gas. Patronus lowered Lara's bow when she raised and whispered to her. "I got this." He cautiously approached the trio and went to work.

The hooded hero grabbed two Solarii's heads and bashed them together before he sent the last one with an uppercut. Lara flinched when the airborne Solarii crashed through the roof behind before she looked at Patronus. "Who are you?"

"A hero." Patronus blankly answered before another voice rang out.

"What the hell's happening up there?"

"Stay alert, we'll check it out."

Patronus looked at Lara as he extended his Pivot Blade before charging towards the approaching Solarii. He stabbed one in his leg and hit him with a reverse elbow, smacking against a wall while the other Solarii was shot in several times by Lara's pistol.

They followed the path the Solarii took and found one more running towards them although it ended with a kunai that stuck him to a wall like glue. As they approached the torii, Lara glanced back at the Solarii dug in the wall before she gazed at the one who was pinned by the kunai.

"That's some crazy strength to do that. Is he one of them?" She was brought out of her thoughts when she heard another gunshot and looked up to find Patronus holding the Solarii above with one arm. "He's got to be one of them."

With a scoff, the hooded ninja choke-slammed the Solarii into the ground with a loud 'boom,' which made Lara cringed. That was when she noticed how ruthless Patronus had gotten against these Solarii lately. What changed his methods? He wasn't like this before the pilots… "Oh God…"

Lara stared at the back of the Bostonian hero as he gestured her to follow him. "He blames himself for their deaths. I wouldn't blame him since I too did the same thing." Then again after what happened with Sam on the radio, ruthlessness could be what they need now. "I could learn a thing or two about and from him."

They came across rough and raging waters from a waterfall above as Lara pondered their next step then couldn't find a way around it. "We got to swim across it."

"Okay then." Patronus answered simply before picking Lara on his back, much to her surprise. "Let's go."

Smacking his head, Lara was not happy at this approach. "Hey put me down! I'll be fine!" She smacked him several times but he did not yield to her words while crossing the raging waters. "Do you hear me?!" The water was up to his chest and since she was on the hero's back, there was a bit more breathing room for her.

"Yeah, yeah…" Patronus drawled out since the water didn't bother him in the slightest due to the pelt. As for his steady pace, it was his better chakra control since the Water nature was his second-best element behind the Wind nature in his arsenal.

However, he didn't take in account of the rocks his feet passed by nor the one that caused him to lose his balance.

"Waahh!" Lara screamed out as both she and Patronus were suddenly dragged along the current, clinging onto his frame for dear life as they fell down the big waterfall.

Once he got their heads up, Patronus began to stir his body out of harms' way as they passed by a stone formation before he turned his body to the right side to avoid a malfunctioning engine's fan. The duo then flung off from a big drop to a lower when Lara noticed a wooden trench in their way. "Shit!"

"Fire, fire!" Patronus ordered, immediately regretting his decision a second later after Lara fired her shotgun as his left ear rang loud inside. "Damn that hurt!"

Their literal water slide ended when both of them entered rather forcefully inside a broken plane as Patronus face-planted on its glass front window. He was about to move when a familiar yet dreadful sound reached both his and Lara's ears.

"Patronus, don't move." Lara warned him as the glass continued to crack. "Stop moving!"

Barely glancing at her, Patronus whispered sharply. "I'm not!" Then something caught his eye and he gestured his head toward it. "Lara, behind you."

Lara did and saw a hanging unused parachute but there was one problem. "There's not one for you, Patronus."

"We're gonna have to share it." Patronus answered as the glass continued to crack more prominently every second.

"How?!" Lara asked both shocked and surprised.

"…How strong are your legs?"

"Huh?"

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(Minutes Later)

Shantytown, Yamatai

"Uh…That was wild."

"Yeah…"

Both Lara and Patronus laid next to each other after a wild parachuting ride through the dense forest away from the mountain and ended with the hero being the mat against both a tree and the ground. Lara had to carry Patronus with her legs and they had no other choice at the matter. After a moment's rest for the archer, they walked some distance until a spectacular sight was beholden in front of them.

It was a Japanese palace consisted with prominent structures connected with a bridge as the ground level was that of an old village from ancient times except it was littered and retrofitted with debris over the years.

Hearing a gasp, Naruto looked at Lara and saw her clasping her stomach. It was bleeding arterial red. "One of the branches got you." He stated rather than asking as Lara nodded with a grimace. "Let me look at it."

With some hesitance, the archer removed her hand enough for Patronus to see the open wound. It wasn't deep but she needs first aid to prevent infection. It was times like this that he regretted for not learning Medical Ninjutsu whenever he had the chance.

"We got to find something to clean it." Patronus ripped off a portion of his haori's bottom half and tied it around the wound, clasping it slightly as Lara winced loudly. "Sorry."

"I need disinfectant." Lara winced again as a rush of pain surged through her briefly. "I think we can find some in there."

The duo walked to the entrance of the town before Patronus carried Lara on his back once more as they slid down a muddy hill, using the hero's body to break through a steel wall consisting of separate parts. He set her down before Lara walked behind him to ensure her safety.

After a walk through the tunnel, Lara pointed at something ahead of them as Patronus followed her finger and found an abandoned helicopter. "Might be supplies on board."

"Okay, wait here. I'll be back." Patronus ordered quietly before Lara stepped on his haori, causing him to face-plant on the ground. He got back up and glared at the glaring Lara. "What was that for?"

"I'm not staying here. I'm going with you." Lara answered resolutely despite a wince just now.

"You could barely walk let alone stand. It's too dangerous for you now." Patronus countered, trying to make her see reason.

Lara shook her head as her eyes remained determined. "Sam is in danger. I'm not going to stay here while she's there, scared and alone by those bastards! I'm going even if you bound me here!" She huffed slightly at the hooded hero.

A tsk came from the ninja. "…Damn it. I'd done the same thing if it was one of my friends." Patronus turned around and started walking towards the pathway of the helicopter. "You're really okay in my book, Lara."

For some reason, Lara smiled when he said that. It was probably the first time since Roth that anyone recognized her for who she is and what she is capable of. Patronus didn't baby her throughout their time together; he stuck by her and although he may be annoying most of times with his remarks, the hero didn't underestimate her at all.

Using his Kitsune Sense, Patronus found a way through underneath a watery tunnel. He flinched when the smell reached his nose. "Gah, that's gross!" He glanced at Lara. "Keep your wound closed as much as you can while we go under there."

"Got it." She followed Patronus underneath the water as it reached her chest before sharing her companion's earlier sentiment. "*Groan*…the smell."

"I told you." Patronus informed her.

A Solarii voice ordered through the floor above them as they traversed the water tunnel. "Where's the old man?"

"I don't know what you're talking about…please…" A different voice responded although it wasn't a Solarii.

"You're lying… I know escaped with him."

"Please…I…don't…*cough*I…don't…"

"Maybe I need to loosen your tongue." The Solarii taunted throughout the hall.

Lara and Patronus reached the end of the tunnel and founded a stronghold of sorts. "Okay, I'll handle the ones on foot. You take out the bastards on the rooftops and any coming my way. Got it?" He asked, getting a nod from Lara as she already had her bow ready.

"Ready."

"Let's go."

Patronus, followed by Lara in a good distance behind him after taking care of the Solarii on the rooftop, sneaked up on a Solarii and covered his mouth before stabbing him with his Hidden Blade, dropping as his comrade noticed them and charged at him. Lara saw this and let loose an arrow into his brain as two more Solarii charged at them.

Instead of ranged defense, Lara took the offensive approach as she shoved against one of the Solarii, stunning the armed man before hitting his head with a rock while Patronus flipped his enemy with one hand to the ground and knocked him out with a punch to the cranial.

After the area was cleared, they traversed over a lone beam to the ridge and jumped across a gap to the other platform.

"What the hell was that?" A Solarii warned ahead before making themselves known to the duo. "It's—" He was silenced by Lara's arrow while the other was put to sleep by Patronus's sleeping toxin-dipped shuriken. They followed the curve pathway where there was another Solarii guarding the rear of the helicopter.

"What the—" Before he could react, the Solarii stared in shock as he was lifted in the air by a glaring Patronus. He tried to free himself but the hero's grip wouldn't budge.

"You bastards are the type of people I hate most in the world." Patronus said aloud before he kneed the Solarii's stomach, forcing out the air out of his lungs and sending him to unwanted sleep. "Luckily for you, I'm the merciful type…barely." He stated quietly.

Seeing the bundle of rope on the helicopter's rear door, Lara fired another rope arrow and pulled it with a single heave despite her pain. The rear door opened, leaving the inside open to them as they entered within the vehicle.

Both Lara and Patronus went to work and searched for medical supplies to heal the former's wound. So far, they haven't found anything much to their displeasure, especially Lara as she went to the front of the plane.

"Sorry about this." Lara apologized to the dead pilot as she inspected the body for anything but only found a lighter. She tested it to see if it worked and the small flame emerged from the small device.

Patronus heard a thud and turned around to see Lara sitting on the floor while lighting the arrowhead with the lighter. He put two and two together before running towards her, kneeling in front of the archer. "Are you about to do what I think you're going to do?"

"Yes, I will and I'm not going to like it." Lara said weakly as she was about to do it before Patronus clasped over her arm. "Patronus, there's no choice." She argued to the hero.

"I know." Patronus sat next to her as he offered her his hand. "I assume it's gonna hurt like hell so…" He gestured his hand to her face and she didn't like it one bit.

"I don't like this at all." Lara complained slightly as she had her teeth barely touch Patronus's gloved hand. "You ready?"

Patronus chuckled slightly. "I should be asking you that." Lara responded with a chuckle of her own before she placed the flaming arrow into her wound.

Stifled screams echoed through the body of the helicopter after Lara bit down on Patronus's hand as hard as she could to fight the pain as much as possible. The ninja grunted loudly since the girl has a set of hard teeth and it reminded him of the very unusual burst of strength Saeko used on the same hand during the twins' birth.

The stifled screams ended for a little while until she let go of the arrow and Patronus's hand before darkness took over.

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(Some Time Later)

Helicopter Hill, Shantytown

"…To—rl…ain—Ruto."

"…Wh—Who…Who is that talking?" Lara's eyes began to open slowly as she blinked.

"She…tinues…ess…me, Kur…ma. Surprised…you're…by her."

"Patronus?" Her eyes began to clear as she began to get up slowly. "Wh-who…"

Before her eyes cleared completely, Kurama had already returned within Naruto's seal, leaving the duo alone as it was just them the whole time. Fortunately for them, Patronus had taken off the communication device before summoning Kurama out in case it had secret features in the eavesdropping department.

"Wakey, wakey~" Patronus greeted cheerily when Lara woke up now, looking a lot better now than before. "You look good."

"Excuse me?" Lara asked defensively, mistaking his comment as flirting.

And Naruto caught it as he put his hands up in a defensive manner. "Whoa, take it easy! All I meant was that you look better since you closed your wound and got some sleep." He sighed in relief when Lara glare lessened. "Are you ready?"

"Yeah." Lara answered as she exited the helicopter followed by Patronus. She then began tinkering with her bow, which caught her companion's attention.

"Whatcha' doing?" Patronus asked as he reattached the S.H.I.E.L.D. device on the inner side of his right Hidden Blade bracer. His answer came in the form of Lara's bow being modified with the lighter attached to it. "Oh I see. Fire arrows to burn the bastards…I like it!" He gave it a thumbs-up and Lara laughed at him, which shocked him from there.

She laughed? No comment or remark of the disdain type.

"Sweet." The hooded ninja raised his arm and activated the S.H.I.E.L.D. touch screen. "Cap, come in." No answer came from the Legend. "Captain America, can you hear me?"

="Patronus, can you hear me?"=

It was Roth, not Cap.

"Roth?" Patronus and Lara exchanged looks. "Where's Cap?"

="He's talking with S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters in Osaka. From what I understand, they received his SOS and boosted the signal of his radio with the satellites and at base. They're discussing extraction points throughout the island."=

Lara was surprised, so surprised that she barely could held herself up. "We're going to get out of here? Thank God." She said with great relief in her voice.

="Lara! Are you okay?"=

"I'm fine." The archer answered with slight exhaustion still present.

="You don't sound fine."=

Lara insisted firmly this time. "I'm fine."

"Other than the wound in her stomach and cauterizing said wound with a flaming arrowhead, she's totally fine." Patronus inputted jovially, causing Lara to glare at him intensely. "What, I'm just agreeing with you."

After a small debate/praise session with her mentor, Lara got down to business through the shared frequency after Roth asked for their location. "Patronus and I are in some kind of a shanty town, near the fortified palace."

="Captain and I are still coming down the hill. How did you two get there so fast?"=

Both Patronus and Lara looked at each other before saying, "Long story."

="…Okay, Cap and I can see the town from here now… Are you two near that large gate?"=

"We're heading towards it, old man." Patronus replied casually before sensing negative emotion ahead. "Crap, trouble!"

"It's the outsiders! There!" A Solarii warned before firing a solar flare in the sky, alerting his brethren in the area about their presence.

"Shit!" Lara put away her radio as she prepared for battle. "Time for my new weapon!" She lit the arrowhead with the lighter and fired at the men in ground level, specifically the gasoline tank behind him as it soon exploded from contact, incinerating the Solarii.

"Watch out! She has fire!" The wave of Solarii shouted as they took cover behind several buildings around them.

Patronus smirked as he brandished three kunai before standing up. "She's not the only one." He expertly threw them at three separate locations where the Solarii had taken cover.

"…"

"…What the hell is this?" They all took a closer look and failed to notice the tag around the kunai was smoking. "Oh crap!"

*Boom-Boom* *Boom-Boom* *Boom-Boom*

Lara, after recovering, stared in shock at the destruction of this exploding kunai. She would've stare more if it wasn't for the nudge from Patronus. "Lara, they're going to try to pin us from all sides! I'll take care of the right flank, you keep them down with suppressive fire or light them up!"

"Okay!"

Lara fired another fire arrow at a Solarii at one of the tall buildings in front of them, lighting him up before releasing another yet non-aflame arrow that shot through another Solarii's head. Patronus ran to the right flank and leapt at his wave of Solarii who met his charge with waving axes and machetes.

"Big mistake!" Patronus exclaimed as he grabbed their heads and slammed their bodies to the ground, using both his and their momentum to knock them out. He continued his charge before he slid on the floor and tripped another duo of two Solarii with a kick. "Like pain?" He stabbed them both with his Hidden Blades in their shoulders, causing them to scream. "Good!"

A new group of five Solarii charged at him and he was ready to slice them with his blades. Well, that was until they were picked off by Lara who switched to her machine gun from the bow/arrow. Patronus sent her a thumbs-up which Lara responded with her own.

After a brief recon to make sure it was safe, Patronus gestured Lara to come to him. They cautiously made their way to the gate Roth had mentioned and chose to stick close to the buildings until they find it to the gate.

"Now!" A Solarii ordered as the gate was suddenly closed shut.

Patronus and Lara followed the Solarii traversed the multiple ziplines that led to the direction they just came from, except it just exploded and blocked their way out.

"Holy shit!" Lara exclaimed with fear and shock.

"Get ready!" Patronus proclaimed as he used the pivot attachment on his left Hidden Blade and drew Tenkaichi. "Here they come!"

Lara readied a regular arrow but noticed the oil drums in the pathway in front of them and chose to use a fire arrow as she took cover behind a barrier. She waited until a couple Solarii passed by the drums before firing it, smirking as the flames consumed the bastards. Sensing an attack from above, she dodged it and fired a regular arrow at a Solarii on one of the rooftops.

"Here I come!" Patronus charged at one of the armored Solarii and swung his sword, cutting through the latter's shield.

"What the hell!?" The armored Solarii exclaimed in shock, leaving him open to a knee in the face.

"They're kicking our asses here!"

"Cover them from the side!"

Patronus smirked as he charged the Solarii archers, scaring them as they hastily tried to get an arrow ready. He stabbed their legs with the Pivot Blade and Tenkaichi before he slammed their heads with dual elbow strikes while Lara pulled out her shotgun and charged at another armored Solarii which she named the tanks.

The Solarii tank swung his machete at her but Lara dodged to the side, leaving him open to her shotgun as she fired it, bringing him to his knees. Said Solarii cursed as he looked up to see the female archer hit his head with a toolbox.

"Get them!"

Another wave of Solarii archers and tanks came at him as Lara and Patronus nodded at their current roles. The hooded ninja charged at the tanks and dual kicked their shields hard, sending them through a nearby wall and another building. "What the hell?"

That distraction provided Lara to put two fire arrows at the archers, ridding the world of those two for good.

The duo quickly regrouped and stood back-to-back as they waited for another wave of Solarii. One more did and they were brought down by the dynamic teamwork between Patronus and Lara. They looked back at the gate and Lara noticed the white tarp-covered beam that served as a lock.

"You see it?" Apparently, Patronus did so as well.

Lara nodded as she continued to look at the gate. "Yeah." She fired a fire arrow at the beam, burning it by using the tarp as the catalyst. The archer walked to one of the stations and used her axe to turn it as the gate began to open.

"You need help?" Patronus asked despite knowing the answer from Lara, which was a shake of the head. "Okay then."

They crossed the gate and saw another campfire before Patronus heard an exhausted sigh from Lara. "Okay, let's rest here a bit."

"No!" Lara answered back as she turned around to face him. "We keep going."

Patronus shook his head as he placed his hands on her shoulders and forcefully pushed Lara to the ground. "You're no good to Sam if you're dead. What we just went through, it takes a lot so rest is needed. Five minutes tops!" He declared as Lara sighed exasperatedly since she knew it was the right call. "Good…Do you think Roth and Cap are heading on their way here now?"

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(With Captain America and Roth)

"How the hell did we get into this situation?!"

"You're asking me?!"

"You're the one who got us into this mess!"

Captain couldn't help but feel sheepish as he turned around and saw the massive hordes of Yokai chasing after them. All he wanted was to go number one in the forest but somehow had stumbled upon the group of Yokai feasting on their catches of the island's wildlife. Hence their current situation.

"I'll not live this down." Roth hissed distastefully.

Why? The old man was being carried by Captain America…bridal-style.

Captain nodded his head stiffly. "This stays between us. We take it to our graves!"

"Agree!"

The Avenger threw a couple of grenades that exploded near a boulder and fell several trees, ending the Yokai's pursuit and giving them freedom.

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Ancient Gate, Shantytown

"Just when I think things couldn't get any worse." Lara remarked with sorrow.

Patronus looked at her as she sat by the campfire to rest a bit from their recent squabble. "What do you mean?"

"'What do I mean?'" Lara repeated incredulously. "Just what were those things in the monastery?" She began to list her observations about the creatures. "They were dressed like the Stormguard, and the sounds they made, almost…inhuman. Great, now I sound like Dad."

"What's so bad about your dad?" Another glare came from Lara and that told him all he wanted. "Never mind. Personal stuff, I get it."

"…My father…He was a renowned archeologist." Lara said softly, catching Patronus's glance at her. "But…throughout my entire childhood, his reputation fell year by year."

"Why?"

"Take a guess: conspiracy theorist, nut head, delusional guy."

Patronus noticed that despite her harsh tone about her father, Lara's eyes showed remorse and sadness. "She misses him." He stated obviously. "Well… five minutes passed. Let's go." The corner of his right eye noticed movement ahead before he looked and saw three Solarii descending on ziplines in the distance. "Keep your eyes and ears sharp. Solarii are ahead of us."

"Got it."

They traveled down a small hill and passed muddy waters through a block of sorts as they heard a voice familiar to Lara.

"Get your bloody hands off me!"

Lara gasped. "Oh my God, Grim!" They hurried cautiously across the bridge to the other side as the Solarii shouted 'prisoner escaped' for them to hear. The duo found a modified tower where two Solarii were climbing the ladder. "Here bastards!" She fired a regular arrow at the first one and a fire arrow at the second.

"Lara, you're here!" Grim shouted from the tower.

"Grim, you escaped!" Lara answered back as she was about to climb the ladder.

Hearing something unfamiliar, Patronus looked for the origin and saw a stick of sorts land near the ladder and Lara. "Watch out!" He threw his rope dart and wrapped it around Lara before pulling her towards him just as the stick exploded.

"Crap, they have dynamite, Lara! Take cover!" Grim warned.

Both Patronus and Lara took cover behind two crates as they used their respective senses to locate the Solarii. Once they found them, Lara fired her machine gun at one section while Patronus threw an exploding kunai at another section of the row of buildings they occupied.

"What the hell?" A Solarii asked with surprise before he and two of his comrades was set aflame by the exploding tag.

"Those two have dynamite too?!"

"Let's blow each other up then!" A Solarii shouted as he threw another dynamite. Patronus saw this coming and jumped in front of the dynamite before he grabbed and threw it back at the Solarii. "Crap!" He cursed before being blown away by the exploding object.

Lara smirked at seeing the Solarii being blown to bits by their own weapons as Patronus leapt at the building, climbed it and took down several more of the Solarii with Jutjitsu takedowns, palm strikes and of strength never seen before. She ducked behind the crates as a body flew over her before looking at it, staring with widened eyes.

The Solarii's chest had massive bruises through his body with the chest cavity being the most prominent. If she had taken a closer look, she would've noticed an impressive imprint of Patronus's fist in the left abdominal section.

"Holy crap, did you see that, Lara?" Grim asked gruffly as Lara and Patronus looked up after the skirmish was over.

"Yeah I did." Lara answered with awe as she turned around to see Patronus walking to her. "I'll say it again: who are you?"

"Now that's just getting old." He answered tersely as his eyes looked up the tower and saw an elderly man with white hair under a brown cap-like object. Grim wore a sweater vest over a buttoned shirt and black dirty jeans. "I take you're Grim then."

"And you must be Patronus." Grim gave him a nod of respect. "I heard you on Reyes's radio a while back. Good to see a face to the face…somewhat. Anyway, thanks for keeping an eye on Lara here. She's special."

Patronus chuckled while Lara blushed from the comment. "You don't have to tell me that. She can handle herself well against the Solarii."

"Where are the others?" Lara asked the elderly seaman.

"Still locked up inside…but I know where they are. Get up here and we'll get them out together."

Lara and Patronus looked for the ladder but saw that it was destroyed. Most likely by one of the dynamite the Solarii threw at him.

"We can't get up there." Lara informed as Grim cursed at their misfortune.

"Well, they got some kind of setup for haulin' cargo." Grim pointed to his right, showing his companions to the station of said cargo haul. "Maybe you two can come around the other side?"

Patronus and Lara surveyed the scene before them and saw that it would take some time to reach the other side and to Grim's location. "Okay, we're on our way and Grim…" Patronus tossed something at Grim who barely caught due to the unexpected weight of said object.

Grim inspected it and saw that it was tri-bladed knife of sorts and it certainly wasn't something he was familiar with. "Thanks. Hope to see you two soon."

"Let's go." Lara said as she took the lead once more, amusing Patronus as he followed her.

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Near the Windmill

After climbing three buildings and three ziplines including the one that was leading them to the tallest structures in the area, Patronus and Lara ran across a platform before they swung forward from a beam to the next platform where they saw the pulley station that controlled the gondola lifts.

"The outsiders are here! Warn the others!"

And more Solarii for the matter of fact.

Patronus sighed loudly as he jumped down to a level below. "This is getting tedious." He used his hands this time and landed on the next platform while Lara kept the Soalrii under fire with her machine gun.

After making sure that they were held back, Lara followed Patronus before kicking the wall in front of her for boost, hoisting herself up as Patronus was beating the hell out of a Solarii. Another Solarii nearby didn't notice her which was good as Lara sheathed her bow and brought out her axe.

"Ah!" Lara shouted with effort as she dug the axe's head into the unaware Solarii's head. Pulling it out, Lara watched her enemy fall to the ground as Patronus headbutted his Solarii.

"Hurry up! Kill them!"

Patronus and Lara shared smirks as they jumped to the next building while avoiding the slow giant fan. The Solarii on their level were taken aback by the bold approach from the duo as Lara swung her axe into one of their legs while Patronus cut another's leg before delivering an uppercut that sent the Solarii's head to the ceiling, displaying his body like a chandelier.

"Burn in—" A Solarii was interrupted when the aflame bottle burst in his head courtesy of Lara's pistol.

As the burning Solarii fell to the ground, Lara fired three more bullets from her pistol before following Patronus to the upper floor where she saw him kick the last two Solarii off the building, sending them to their doom below.

Once they secured the station, Patronus and Lara jumped onto one of the gondola/cargo shifts as it turned to the direction of the station on the opposite side. When they were halfway, Patronus nudged Lara to call for her friend and so she did.

"Grim! Are you there?" Lara shouted across the area.

What they got was a hectic Grim running away before he was caught by two Solarii. "It's a trap, you two. Show them your teeth, Lara! Give 'em hell!" He shouted as he was dragged by the Solarii back to one of the buildings.

"Crap, we got to get there!" Patronus said as he and Lara dislodged themselves off the lift.

They heard more kills orders and saw more Solarii traversing the ziplines to their platform. Two of them made it but Lara killed the rest who were still on the zipline as Patronus kicked one Solarii's leg to knock him while redirecting the other Solarii's punch to his downed companion.

"Hahaha~" Patronus smirked before he bashed their heads together.

Another wave of two Solarii reached their location via another zipline. This time, Lara intercepted them while Patronus dealt with the long-ranged Solarii archers and gunmen.

Dodging the machete, Lara decided to use the same movement Patronus used several times against the Solarii as she cut his leg to bring him down and roundhouse-kicked him in the head before swinging her axe into his chest, ending his life. Her eyes darted to the other Solarii who hesitated and that gave her the chance as she jumped at him.

"G-Get off you bitch!"

It was all for naught as Lara dug her axe through his throat, watching the life in his eyes leave his body. Patronus watched the whole thing after taking care of the last Solarii across with another shuriken without looking. They were about to cross when three more Solarii revealed themselves with Grim held hostage.

"Drop your weapons or we kill your friend!" The Solarii holding Grim hostage ordered while Lara had her bow directed at him.

Grim shouted back. "Don't fucking do it." He grimaced when the Solarii dug his machete slightly against his skin, drawing blood.

"Okay, okay, okay." Lara complied as she had her hands and bow up in the surrender gesture.

His fists creaked under his strength, Patronus inhaled deeply. "Grim, do you still have that kunai I gave you?" He got chuckles from the Solarii as one of them pulled the tri-bladed kunai.

"You should've seen him wielding the thing. It was pathetic and funny at the same time! Why'd you give this to the old slime to begin with?"

Lara had a look of worry as she pondered the significance of the kunai while Patronus chuckled loud enough for all to hear and the last words the Solarii ever hear.

"So, I can do this." Patronus answered before disappearing in a yellow flash, shocking everyone.

"What the—" The Solarii looked before they heard screaming and turned to see the hooded man just kicked one of their own off while taking his kunai back before he charged at the two.

Grim saw this as his chance and elbowed the man's stomach while Patronus grabbed the second Solarii's machine gun, held the barrel and swung it like a bat at the former wielder's head, sending him through two walls. The last Solarii charged at Patronus and swung his machete in hopes of striking him down.

His hopes were shot down when the hooded ninja grabbed his wrist, stopping the blade in motion. The Solarii grunted in pain when Patronus twisted it enough to force him to drop the machete as he looked inside the latter's hood. Fear was struck within him as he saw red eyes with slit pupils.

Before he could plea for mercy, the Solarii groaned when Patronus shoved his Hidden Blade through his throat, gurgling blood as it flooded his lungs until air was no more.

With a grunt, Patronus released the grip as the deceased Solarii fell on the floor. As he flicked the blood off the blade, Naruto jumped across the gap easily as he grabbed a shock-struck Lara before jumping back to the platform Grim stood on.

"Come on, let's get moving." Patronus said after releasing Lara, only for his arm to be pulled by said latter.

He turned around and met a glaring Lara with a wary Grim behind her as she asked one question. "Who. Are. You, Patronus?" She asked tensely as Grim picked up a machete and a machine gun. "Tell me!"

"Not now." Patronus answered simply but Lara wouldn't let up. "All you need to know is that I'm here to help. Now you can doubt that and stay here or we can stop wasting time and rescue your friends." A few moments later, Lara softened her glare as she released his arm. "Don't worry though since there's plenty of more where that came from."

"More?" Both Lara and Grim asked before they followed Patronus to the upper floor.

Once on the floor, the trio found a zipline post connected to a cliff on the other side. "Okay then. Grim, get on my back." Patronus ordered as he lowered himself in front of the old man.

"Are you daft, boy?! I'm not doing that!" Grim answered hotly.

Patronus gave him a blank stare. "Can you climb the rope and a wall?" A second later, a dejected Grim was on his back as the ninja brought his Pivot Blade and Hirashin Kunai before he jumped across the big gap and sunk his blades into the wall. "You good, old man?"

"I'm a'ight." Grim answered before he looked back at Lara. "Come on, girl!"

Lara nodded before she began to climb to their location. However, their respite ended when two more Solarii appeared behind the tower as one of them began shooting at Lara while the other cut the rope.

"Lara!" Grim and Patronus shouted with worry as Lara swung towards the wall and held herself with her axe. The ninja gauged her distance about 30 feet below him before he tilted his head to dodge an arrow. "Lara, climb up now!"

"Kill them!" One of the Solarii demanded before taking one in the head. The other Solarii cried out in surprise as he took one also in the chest.

"Who's the one shooting?!" Grim shouted tensely, asking that same question for both Patronus and Lara.

Their answer came from the duo's radios. –"I got you covered, girl. You're clear to climb up"-

"Thank God." Lara muttered with relief as she and Patronus climbed up to the cliff.

Grim got off the young ninja's back and grabbed Lara's radio. "Roth, is that you?!" He laughed heartily as his old friend laughed with him. "It's good to hear your voice, my friend!"

-"You too, old bastard."-

"Where are you?" Patronus asked through his touch screen. A light glared brightly and he used Kitsune Sense to find Roth hiding in a Japanese building not too far away and on their height level. "I see you. Where's Captain America?"

-"He's going to meet up with you trio at the bridge."-

Lara took back the radio from Grim. "Can you cover us again on our way there?" Roth looked through his scope and gauged the distance of the entire bridge riddled with Solarii.

-"Yeah. I got a clear line of sight with my rifle until the palace wall."-

With that in mind, the trio climbed to the next platform with Patronus helping Grim along the way as their journey to rescue Sam and the others and escape from the island.

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Vista Tower

After they founded a small campfire inside of a building to provide shelter for them, Patronus and Lara's radios blare with another transmission.

-"Rescue chopper N888RC responding to SOS. Inbound from freighter Trinity."—

"A transmission!" Lara exclaimed happily as Grim sat down to rest a bit.

Patronus listened to Roth's response but there was no more transmission but he spoke to their frequency.

-"Lara, Grim, did you hear that? A rescue helicopter is inbound."-

Lara chuckled with relief. "Set up a signal, we're going in for Sam and the others."

-"But Lara…maybe I should—"-

"This isn't like the pilot, Roth." Lara answered solemnly as Patronus and Grim looked at her. "I got Sam and the others into this mess, I'm getting them out."

Patronus then spoke next. "And she's not alone, Roth." His arm was grabbed by Grim who wanted his turn.

"With me, Lara's got nothin' to worry." Grim said gruffly with a hearty laugh, causing Roth to chuckle through the radio.

-"You better keep her safe, you stubborn bastard or I'll kill you myself."- Roth joked as Grim laughed once more.

"Not while I'm here."

The trio looked for the origin of the voice and their spirits lifted as Captain America approached them from the back of the building.

"Captain!" Lara and Grim burst with joy while Patronus sent him a salute to the veteran soldier.

Cap surveyed the trio in front of him and saw that both Lara and Patronus had gone through the ringer since they last saw each other. His eyes stopped at the second oldest in the room. "You must be one of the survivors. I'm Captain America." He introduced himself as he offered a hand.

Grim happily took the hand and shook it many times while Patronus and Lara watched in amusement. It didn't last however as Captain told Grim to rendezvous with Roth.

"But I can fight!" Grim insisted as he held his machete and swung it a couple times. "Let me get payback on thos' bastards!"

Captain shook his head as he placed a hand on Grim's shoulder before saying the words that caused Patronus to fall to the ground, laughing as a result. "I say with the deepest respect…but you're old." He said with the blankest face.

What Grim responded made Patronus laugh even harder.

"I know~" The second oldest man responded weakly with slumped shoulders.

After a moment of silence between them as Grim offered a small prayer before he followed the trail Captain used to meet with them and regroup with Roth. The new trio of heroes commenced their next leg to the palace, crossing the long centuries-old bridge adorned with several torii and jumping the gap.

-"Alright you three, that bridge is swarming with guards."-

"Great. Any ideas?" Lara asked as they approached the tower's door.

-"It'll be tricky. But you can make your way across underneath."-

Lara sighed with her head slightly down. "I was afraid you were going to say that."

-"Don't worry, I'll be covering you the whole way."- They closed the links as the trio climbed inside the tower and the upper levels until reaching a large hole that led them beneath the bridge above them. –"Lara, I've got them in my sights."-

"Here goes…" Lara muttered as she took deep breaths before jumping onto the fence-wall, scaling it as Patronus and Captain followed her lead. They hoisted themselves up to a narrow trail of sorts directly underneath the bridge where they heard the Solarii's conversations above.

"What the hell's going on down there…do you think they got the outsiders?"

The participating Solarii in the conversation scoffed loudly. "Don't worry. If they didn't, then they'll come to us. Especially that girl."

"Sounds like you want her for yourself."

Lara like Patronus decided to ignore the disgusting slang in the pleasure sense as they continued forward quietly.

"Father Mathis will send us to the Oni if we don't find them, especially that hooded guy." The trio stopped when they heard about Patronus. "He's freaked out by that guy. I overheard him saying that freak killed all our men back in the caverns and that his eyes were red."

Patronus glanced at the crouched Lara who looked at him as he shifted his glance at Captain who had a conflicted expression. He nudged Lara to continue moving and she did, resuming their trek beneath the bridge.

"Yeah right like that guy is anything special. And speaking of the Oni, that's only if we fail. And we won't. The Sun Queen is with us."

The trio reached the end of their trail when a Solarii looked down at them from a door. "What the—"

*Bang*

He fell backwards as his brothers were now in a panic.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! What was that?! Who's shooting?"

"Sniper! Take cover!"

It was also a close call for the trio as the floor gave way but they saved them by hanging onto a beam as rounds of sniper shots echoed in the valley.

-"I thought I lost you three. Lara, are you okay?"-

"That was too close…" Lara answered softly as she scaled up to the bridge's side and hung onto the beams with Patronus and Captain beside her. She was about to jump when Roth warned her to do the opposite.

-"Wait, Lara. You can't jump or they'll see you…Wait"- She waited as a Solarii was shot, falling down in front of her to the ground below. -"Go now!"-

They repeated this cycle as the trio scaled the bridge to the other side with Patronus and Cap keeping an extra eye on the Solarii in case Roth missed them. They reached the end of the beam as Lara hoisted herself up on the bridge level.

"Thanks, Roth. I guess that makes us even." Lara sat with her back, completely unaware of a Solarii until she was put in a strangle hold.

"Lara!" Patronus hoisted himself up as Lara elbowed the Solarii to let go. He was instead brought down by a bullet courtesy of Roth, but unfortunate for them as the dead Solarii's body pushed Lara and Patronus over the bridge. "Crap!"

Their bodies hit a spiked-log platform that broke their fall but shifted into a wall as they quickly grabbed hold onto it. Patronus and Lara climbed it until they reached another platform that led to a series of buildings on the cliffside.

"Are you two okay?" Captain asked as he swung himself down to their position. He then brought his shield to deflect a hail of bullets.

-"Get out of there, you three. There's too many for you."-

There were no arguments as the trio raced and jumped across the cliffside buildings until they reached the last one. Their brief strand ended when the building was hit by a rocket, shifting forward and bringing them closer to a craggy wall near a waterfall.

Patronus, Lara and Captain jumped and climbed the wall with their Pivot Blade, axe and shield respectively as they made it safely and walked towards a tunnel.

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Cavern Entrance

"Roth, I'm going in." Lara informed, much to Roth's chagrin.

-"Are you sure about this, Lara?"-

"I'll get them…" Lara paused in her stride as she turned around and looked at the two heroes. "We'll get them. We'll come back. I promise."

"…She's something." Captain was impressed by the way Lara handled herself. He had to give her credit for her tremendous and unexpected bravery.

Patronus chuckled at the statement. "You have no idea."

After crossing a narrow slightly underwater tunnel with a bit of breathing room, they reached the other side and walked through several tunnels leading to hopefully the palace.

And they were right.

"My brothers, hear me now!" Patronus growled as he recognized the voice. It was that Mathias freak back in the caverns. "Out in the world, we were nothing. But here…here, we are the Solarii, the Sun Queen's children." Mathis preached in the massive cavern.

Patronus, Captain and Lara barely looked out the hall they were in before they cautiously entered it without a sound.

"She brought us here for a reason." Mathis preached. "I know you want your freedom. I know you want to escape this place."

The trio separated from each other as they took behind different covers; Patronus behind a boulder, Captain America in a spire above and Lara stuck with the wall as they observe the preaching delivered to the huddle of Solarii while Mathis stood on a rock like a crazed leader.

"But to do so, we must release our Queen." Mathis continued, "Like us, she is a prisoner." He pointed behind him and revealed Sam roped to a post. "If we can free her, we can free ourselves!"

"Sam!" Lara whispered harshly as she wanted to charge in but Patronus gestured her to stay put as he observed the bounded girl.

Sam had black hair and eyes with slightly tan skin as she wore a red shirt with cargo pants.

Her fear grew when Mathias held a torch and was about to burn Sam, but she wouldn't let him do it. She fired an arrow but a Solarii saw it and took the death path instead as Mathis found her.

"Seize her!"

Lara fired another arrow at an incoming Solarii before she was overwhelmed by the horde of them. Patronus cursed and nodded at Captain America as they made themselves known by tackling the Solarii off of Lara, punching and kicking them away.

"Kill them! Kill them all!"

After securing Lara, Patronus and Captain America formed a two-man shield as they brought down wave and wave of Solarii. Cap bashed his shield against one before throwing it at another, watching his beloved weapon ricochet the walls and knocking more Solarii off their feet while Patronus was punching and slashing with his fist and Pivot Blade.

With an angry growl, Mathis raised the torch and lit the bundle of twigs near the post, setting it aflame.

"No! Sam!" Lara screamed in terror as Patronus and Captain stopped their barrage to see the fire.

They were about to retaliate further when suddenly a very powerful gust wind burst through the waterfall behind Sam, dousing the flames instead and sending the resistant trio against the walls with enough force.

"She…She's the one." Mathis muttered with relieved awe. "Soon my brothers…we will be reborn!" He turned to the Solarii behind him. "Take her to the throne room." He then turned back to see the trio being dragged towards him. "Your fight is over, creatures."

Patronus scoffed loudly, drawing attention from the old man. "Never say it's over until it's over. Our fight's just beginning, you old bastard!" He grunted when the Solarii hit him in the head. "You're going to regret that."

"Get rid of them." Mathis left with the hostage Sam while the three Solarii dragged the exhausted Lara and the slightly incapacitated heroes.

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Geothermal Cavern, The Pit

The trio of heroes were dragged over a narrow bridge and towards their cell but they had something else in mind. With a subtle from Captain America, the three of them lashed out differently. Lara stepped on her Solarii's foot, elbowed his nose and back-kicked the groin before finishing him off with a backhand punch.

Patronus headbutted his Solarii, forcing his head back and loosening the latter's grip as he swept the crazed follower's legs under him. The Solarii hit his head on the ground and that was it as Captain America got out of his hold and triangle-choked the Solarii's neck, cutting off any circulation as his movements ceased.

After Lara and Captain retrieved their weapons since Patronus hid his weapons while his sword couldn't be taken off. They looked around for a way out but voices of more Solarii approached, causing them to take a dip in the red river below.

And they didn't come up as more Solarii reached the bridge and saw their unconscious brothers on the floor.

"Did they escape?!" They looked down at the river of blood. "I don't think they survived that fall."

"Let's check it out."

The heads of Patronus, Captain and Lara slowly rose from the surface as they were completely drenched in arterial red from head to toe. "Let's go." Patronus said as they quietly waded through the river of blood until the end of it reached dry land.

Their trek on dry land ended when they found a tunnel filled with an aerosol of sorts.

"That's probably flammable. Stand back." Lara warned the others as they obeyed while she grabbed an arrow and lit its head with her lighter before firing. The tunnel exploded from the combustion before another burst of the flammable gas filled it, requiring another detonation by Lara's fire arrow.

"Well that could've been better." Patronus muttered sarcastically as they took a breather.

It wasn't long until they trekked forward through a narrow path as the trio reached a broken fence-like window that allowed them visage to a dirty and lightly ablaze cavern as a foreign voice spoke in a frightened voice.

"Wait, wait…what do you want me to do? Please!"

Lara gasped softly as a man was thrown into the room by two Solarii. "Don't struggle too much. *Chuckle* And hope they kill you fast."

"Oh God, no…" Lara whimpered softly as the man inside the large cavern was being surrounded by frantic man who began to eat him. "This is horrible."

Captain America glanced at her and widened his eyes when she readied a fire arrow. "Ms. Croft, no!" It was too late as she had already fired it, scaring the cannibals away.

"They know we're here now." Patronus informed as he readied both the Pivot Blade and Hirashin kunai in his left and right hand, respectively. "Get ready." Captain nodded as Lara pulled another arrow from her quiver.

They decided to do a formation that better suited their capabilities to keep themselves safe. Patronus was the lead so he could cut down anyone close to them while Lara took the middle to protect their area and take out any enemies with her long-range weapons as Captain America guarded the rear from attacks and unexpected surprises.

The trio cautiously walked down the moist tunnel and entered the central cavern with the dead man near them. Their ears soon heard maniacal laughter through the acoustics, probably the cannibals earlier.

"Patronus…" Said hero looked at Cap who pointed at the post near the gate which leaked a small stream of the gas earlier. "You thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Oh yeah." The ninja gestured the two to stand back as he cut the pipe cleanly, releasing more of the dangerous gas. Once he stood next to Lara who had already prepared a fire arrow. "Do it."

Lara released the projectile and the gate exploded from the gas, allowing them to escape the cavern and walking through another passageway in their established formation. They soon reached a small fork when Solarii made themselves known down the tunnel.

"Shhhush." Lara told her companions as they hid themselves behind a spire that made the forkway.

"Goddamn these caves…surprised this whole place hasn't gone up yet." Flashlights lit up the tunnel…three of them. "I might have to cap that vent in the pit again."

His partner then offered a suggestion. "If it's loose, let's just leave for the next shift?"

"Oi! Don't take too long down there. I want to finish the game." The third Solarii ordered from atop the stairway ahead.

"Yeah, yeah…"

Patronus and Cap looked at each other and nodded, knowing what to do as they sheathed their respective weapons. With a pat on the shoulder, Lara stood down as Patronus and Captain approached the Solarii from behind before they trapped them in a strangle hold, covering their mouths to avoid warning the others.

After dragging the bodies away from sight, the trio in their formation approached the stairway as Patronus and Lara sensed several presences around them. The hooded hero looked at his friends and held his fingers with five out, telling them there are five Solarii.

"Go!" Patronus leaped at the distracted two Solarii with his hands on their faces, slamming them to the ground.

"Intruders in the catacombs!"

With swift action, Lara pivoted on her heels at the Solarii on the slope above them and fired two arrows in succession while Captain jumped at the last Solarii before he bashed him with his shield. They regrouped in front of another gate where there was an opening above it.

"Cap…" He glanced at Cap who nodded before he leaned against the wall and readied his hands in front of them. "Lara, you go first."

The archer stiffly nodded before she ran towards Patronus who boosted her up the wall as she climbed up. Captain America soon followed suit with Patronus's help who climbed after him with his chakra and freerunning experience as they soon heard more Solarii ahead.

"Gosh damn it, I forgot about the smell."

Another Solarii ignored his complaint as he spoke next. "It's quiet down here. I don't think they're down here. Maybe we should leave?"

"Hey, what's going down here?" The number of Solarii had increased to three as Patronus rolled his eyes since there is no end to them.

The trio waited for the Solarii enter the catacombs they were just in through the gate before jumping to the platform across, lifting themselves up a level before scaling up a craggy wall. Once they reached the top, they resumed trekking through a tunnel, reaching another huge room with mists within while a Solarii was chanting something.

Patronus sneaked up on another Solarii before entrapping him in a stranglehold, releasing afterwards when the body went slack. He and the others hid behind rocks as there were rows of Solarii kneeling before the praying one in front.

"Your place is among the Solarii, brothers!" The Solarii finished just as Patronus and Lara fired an exploding kunai and fire arrow, igniting the fume behind the praying Solarii and blasting them to hell. The room shook from the shockwave of the explosion and the trio waited until it calmed down.

They walked to another gate where Patronus kicked it down just as a lone fire stream ignited the fumes behind them, causing an explosion and cave-in at the same time. The trio of heroes ran down the tunnel to the other side just as the floor gave in under the pressure, sending them on another slide to another room filled with the flammable gas.

Lara coughed due to the intense dosage and was helped by Patronus as they ran through the room and climbed up a narrow hole of an obstacle before taking cover behind a row of boxes, hiding from more Solarii who were observing something…or someone.

"Keep it up, you son of a bitch." A woman cursed at the men below whose voice was familiar to the trio.

"Reyes…" Lara whispered as she used her senses and saw Reyes along with her friends inside the suspended part of a plane in the middle of the room.

Reyes continued her threat ranting. "When I get out of here, I'm gonna shove one those arrows right up your ass."

"Hahaha, this one's got a temper." One of the Solarii taunted with his flashlight on the handmade cell.

One of his brothers chastised him. "Hey, don't rile them up, we're working here."

Patronus used his Kitsune Sense, seeing his environment change colors as he pinpointed four Solarii in the room and relayed that number to Lara and Captain who nodded in response. When the Solarii separated to patrol the room, the trio sneaked up behind the unaware enemies and took them out with strangleholds although Lara used her bow.

The fourth Solarii noticed Lara and charged at her, only to be sent flying by the combined force of Captain's shield and Patronus's shuriken. And their audience loved it!

"That was bad-ass, Lara!" Alex exclaimed loudly with relief. He was an average young man around Lara's age with glasses, brown hair and black eyes as he sported a white T-shirt that had the letters 'ESC' in a square with the shoulder parts being black and matching pants. "How the hell did you even get in here?"

On his right was a woman of African-American descent with short curly hair tied in a headband to hold it back. She wore a light blue sleeveless hoodie and blue jeans. Patronus assumed that this must be Reyes with the smart mouth as he looked at the last hostage.

He was the epitome of the gentle giant category as Patronus sensed his kindness with his power. It was far greater than he'd ever encountered in this dimension. He had cropped short black hair, full beard and a muscular frame as he wore a red sleeveless shit with a symbol and cargo short.

"I had some help, Jonah…" Lara answered with a tired sigh, answering the gentle giant as she gestured at Patronus and Captain America behind her, much to the hostages' surprise.

"It's true…Captain America really is here!" Alex practically squealed with excitement.

Patronus snorted annoyingly at being left out, much to Lara's amusement. Reyes however wasn't like her friend. "I take you're Patronus then." Reyes stated rather asking, getting a nod from the hooded hero. "Thanks for keeping Lara safe." She turned her eyes on Lara. "And Grim…Where is he?"

"He's safe with Roth. They're both outside of this place, hiding from the Solarii." Lara answered back. "Look, there's a rescue helicopter on its way." She hesitated slightly before asking it. "I know they're keeping Sam separately. Have you seen Whitman?"

Patronus looked at Captain with a confused glance. "Who's Whitman?"

"The lead archaeologist of the Endurance." Captain answered, much to the disguised ninja's surprise.

Patronus did a double-take before he looked at the archer. "Really? I figured Lara would be it since she's… well, knowledge from her earlier observations about tombs."

"Guess he didn't make it to the guest rooms." Reyes answered with a shrug of her shoulders.

Alex scoffed loudly. "Mr. Showbiz probably weaseled an upgrade."

"We'll find him, and Sam too, but we're not gonna do anything from up here." Jonah answered back as he took a knee next to Alex.

Patronus looked around the cave to find ways to free the hostages and noticed the counterweights that held the suspended cell. He looked at Lara who seemed to have noticed them as well as she looked at him, nodding at their silent partnership.

As he watched Patronus and Lara get to work to free the hostages, Captain America couldn't get rid of the uncomfortable feeling that something was on their way and they needed to remain on guard even more so from here.

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Deep Within Yamatai

"I sense him… he is here…"

The ethereal voice spoke from the sky to the ashen lands that was void of life. Trees were merely branches as a variety of animals whether terrestrial or aviary littered the lands. Her recently new army of Yokai dragged the unconscious and decomposing bodies of their catch while her loyal Stormguard kneeled before her despite not being physically present.

"My loyal Stormguard…Centuries you have served me valiantly, patiently…" The Stormguard growled lowly with pride at being honored by their queen. "Now the one who had a hand in our current situation. He is here on the island!" This time her loyal soldiers growled slightly louder at the mention of the person responsible for their queen's suffering. "Find him and bring him to me…"

The hulking Stormguard Stalker stood up and raised its massive stone hammer as it roared inhumanly, followed by his undead soldiers before he led the charge to find their designated target and bring him suffering worth centuries brought upon their queen.

Soon, the Yokai being the Yoki, Oni-bi, and Skeleton Warriors followed their Stormguard allies, determined to be free from this island just as them.

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The Cove, Homestead Grounds

It was a quiet night in the isolated home of the Uzumaki Clan. Its residents on the other hand were completely worried about the children and their husband. Their concern about him was high that one of them stood on the edge of the pier.

"Do you understand what you need to do?" Rhea asked the water as bubbles floated to the surface, apparently the being beneath the water answering her. "I know you're anxious to see him too." The bubbles ceased as a small head emerged from the water, revealing a horse head as it neighed loudly. "Are you ready, Sui?"

The Hippocampus nodded its head as its small stature swam to the bow of the Aquila where there were two thick ropes attached to the eagle figurehead. Sui then increased her size to half of her original size, being slightly bigger the brig-type ship while also biting down on the thick ropes, intending to drag the ship to its master's location.

"Take the Northwest Passage, Sui. It'll be even faster for you." Rhea informed her son's creation. She too studied the Assassins' history and accomplishments over the years, one of them being the secret route that is the Northwest Passage which connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean through the waters of Canada. "Be careful though, okay."

Sui nodded before she slid back inside the waters, dragging the Aquila with her full sails to avoid tearing the two masts as she swam towards the Northwest Passage, following the power signature of her master. It was faint but she recognized it enough from all their time together.

Rhea watched the ship disappear from her sight as she looked to the sky and prayed with her hands clasped together. "Please be safe, Naruto. Come back to us… Please." Rhea then walked towards the manor to get rest with the thoughts of her beloved on her mind.