The debris fell to the sides as a large, 6-meter-long snake raised its head to observe the intruders. A black metal covered the robotic beast, whom red tubes decorated from head to tail, carrying a strange liquid that bubbled as it moved.
The beast opened its mouth and four arm-sized fangs appeared before its long metal tongue.
"Intruders! Identify yourselves!"
This was no joke. Tanuki reached to grab his Kurohyou, but his weapon wasn't there. When he looked around, he noticed one of the flying orbs looking down at him with Kurohyou in its hand.
Tanuki stayed silent. The robots held onto the rope so he couldn't just lower themselves into safety.
He looked around without moving his head, searching for a possible escape out of the cave. Unfortunately, there seemed to be none.
The best he could do was try to talk his way out of here.
"Oh, sorry! We didn't know you were sleeping there! I guess it's best if we just leave now, yup!"
He tried to lower themselves, but once again, the flying machines didn't let go of the rope.
The snake slithered closer to inspect the two intruders.
A primal fear overcame Tanuki. He felt his heart pound in his throat and the cold sweat crawl back up his forehead. But when he looked over to Maduka, a different sight greeted him…
She remained utterly emotionless, if maybe a bit confused.
"What is wrong with this girl? How is she not scared of a gigantic snake?!"
Maduka scratched her head.
"What animal is ya?"
The snake repeated the same line as before.
"Intruder! Identify yourself!"
"Maduka's name is Maduka. But what is ya? A big worm?"
Tanuki was on the verge of breaking down. He didn't know whether to cry or laugh.
"Intruder! Name… Maduka! Searching for pairs… No pairs found!"
The snake panned its head over to Tanuki. As it did, the boy nearly threw up from fear.
"Damn it!"
"Intruder! Identify yourself!"
"It's Tanuki! Hachiro Tanuki! You won't find me in your database, but I mean no harm! We didn't know you were here, we were just looking around. We're very sorry for disturbing whatever you were doing, we're more than happy to leave!"
Instead of repeating the same procedure as with Maduka, the snake stopped midway through inspecting its files.
Something was off about this creature. It became even more apparent as it spoke again but with a much more human voice.
"No… You are not the Creators…"
The flying machines moved according to the snake's head. It was clear that the smaller robots had no free will, but instead, they were droids controlled by a large Mother.
Tanuki recognized the sadness in the robot's voice. He was curious about what bothered the beast, but he wished much more to survive.
"C-Creators? Who are they? Please! Tell us!"
Even if the creature won't be as friendly as he'd hoped, this would still buy them some time. Meanwhile, his eyes danced around frantically as he searched for a possible escape.
"The Creators are who brought me to life. They carved this hole into the mountain to gather its minerals. While these gems might not be valuable to an everyday man, the right combination of certain stones can result in the creation of something much more powerful. Through experimentation and hard work, the Creators were able to create a mind. I came to being through such incredible achievement."
"Woah! Maduka heard shiny rocks! Can Maduka have 'em?"
Both the snake and Tanuki raised their heads.
This was bad. Very bad.
"Intruder Maduka, do you intend to steal the Creators' technology?"
"No! She doesn't. Don't listen to her, she's just a child who likes shiny stuff!"
It seemed that the creature accepted this answer, however, not without gaining more suspicion of the two.
"Intruder Tanuki, state your intentions!"
"W-What? My intentions? Oh yeah, intentions…"
He wanted to buy more time, but the drones drew closer as the snake was losing patience.
He had two options, either to lie or tell the truth.
Lying was the way to go, but he was too scared to go down that path. The danger of his situation was greater than ever before and if he can't play his words right, the snake could easily bite off his head.
It was time to tell the truth. He clenched his fists, closed his eyes, and spoke with a powerful voice.
"We're here for a flower, it's called cloud moon. I hoped it would grow on the top of the mountain, but seeing that this is private property, I wish to not disrespect any laws and leave this place as soon as possible."
A formal success!
There was no question about it, this was the epitome of respectfully handling things. Even the snake saw that as a satisfactory answer. It was clear that the two intruders intended no harm and they didn't mean to make any new enemies.
"Understood. You two disturbed the Creators' mine by accident and cannot be blamed. This place has seen far better times and I understand why you might've thought this was just an abandoned excavation site. There is no question about it, you are innocent."
"Thank you! Now, if you allow us, we don't intend to disturb you anymore…"
Steam emitted from the snake's robotic body. If machines could sigh, this is what it would look like.
There was a clear sadness in the snake's posture. Its crimson red eyes darted over to Tanuki, its gaze bearing a desperate venom.
"However, even if the two of you bear no ill will, I cannot let you out of here."
"W-What?"
A sudden buzzing grew to Tanuki's right. When he looked over, one of the drones flew his way with a propeller aimed at his throat.
Maduka grabbed her spear and struck the drone just in time before it could've hurt her friend.
She pulled the drone to the ground, stomped it, then recoiled when the creature released not blood, but oil.
"Huh? What is wrong with da flying bug's blood?"
Another drone flew their way.
Tanuki raised his hand and revealed a leather belt on his wrist. It was the dormant Beginners' Shield, which he activated and aimed the drone's way.
"Come get some!"
The drone struck the shield at its exact middle point. As it did, an incredible lightning of electricity was sent through its body. It didn't hurt the robot in any way but rather staggered it, rendering its body frozen as it fell down into the depths of the mine.
The snake shook its head with disappointment.
"How sad… If only you would've remained still, I could've given you a quick, painless death…"
"Well screw you, asshole! What happened with us being innocent?"
"Intruder Tanuki… I suppose you possess human organs. Is that correct? Then, you must possess a human heart. I wasn't given a human heart, but my Creators programmed me to possess the ability to feel every possible emotion. That includes the greatest kind of sadness, loneliness. When my Creators left me, I…"
"Shut up!"
Tanuki cut the snake's speech in half.
"Can you hear me? Shut up! I don't care about your tragic backstory or anything that has to do with your stupid creators! I'm sick of people pulling me down because of their own shortcomings, then trying to justify it with being sad! It's sickening! Do you understand me with your dumbass human emotions? I'm sick of you! I'm sick of people like you!"
A vein bulged on the side of Tanuki's forehead. Maduka saw his anger and immediately recognized it as the same she saw when Tanuki used Heifers' Mask too many times.
However, this time his emotions were genuine and not the cause of magic.
The snake accepted the boy's answer without any greater wrath. It remained silent as small silos opened on the side of its body, releasing a dozen drones into the world.
The red liquid in the tubes gained momentum. The snake's entirety began to glow and energy sparkled clear in its eyes.
Only now did Maduka start to understand the danger of her situation. She tightened her grip on the spear and aimed it at the drones. She couldn't decide which one to be more cautious of as they surrounded her from all sides.
Suddenly, Tanuki poked her side.
"You take care of the drones, alright? I'll deal with this stupid snake…"
"Huh? Snake? What is a snake?"
Tanuki stepped off the lift and onto the platform.
"I didn't get your name, so could you spit it out already?"
The snake slithered closer, so close in fact that their foreheads almost touched.
"My creators named me Exhibition. I wear this name proudly."
"Fitting name! Remember that when I exhibit the innards of your robotic skull!"
"Fine then!"
Exhibition turned to the skies.
"Creators! Watch as your loyal servant defends what you've left behind! I'll regain your love and put an end to my inertia status!"