Maduka wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed. However, that didn't mean she wasn't precautious.
She knew what Heifers' Mask does, she knew its drawback and she knew that giving it to an already angry man would cause things to spiral out of control. Thus, she stole the mask from Tanuki's side to defend him from killing himself.
Two drones flew her way.
Maduka masterfully evaded one and ducked under the other, then impaled it with her spear. The first one returned for another attack and Maduka threw her fist into the machine's face.
It wasn't effective. She pulled away her fist, it now pulsing with pain, while the machine suffered only a small crack.
"Stupid fly!"
She pushed the impaled robot off her spear and tried to strike the drone, which flew away from her attacks.
"Coward! Come back down—"
Another drone crashed into Maduka's back! She got pushed off the wooden lift and barely managed to hold onto it.
Meanwhile, Tanuki had to face his own enemy. Exhibition wasted no time and rushed him with a vicious attack that Tanuki blocked by raising his arms.
Exhibition tried to sink her teeth into the boy's flesh, however, something blocked her way.
"Wooden armor! Though weak, it can defend from lousy maggots like you!"
Tanuki slammed his elbow into the snake's face. She didn't budge, but Tanuki didn't give up with his attacks.
[ Exhibition ]
[ HP: 23/25 ]
It was effective. Even if Exhibition didn't want to let go of his hand, she felt her frontal shield giving up under the attacks.
She bent forward onto the boy's hand and pushed her tail under herself, striking Tanuki's side. He got launched ten feet away and Exhibition didn't waste any time not dealing another attack. She rushed after Tanuki and aimed at his head, but the boy had a surprise for her.
"Eat this!"
He pulled out an axe from under his shirt and struck the snake in its jaw. However, she retaliated once again by launching her tail at the boy and pushing him off the platform.
"Intruder Tanuki, defeated."
For a moment, it felt like time had slowed down. Tanuki saw the snake disappear as he turned his head and realized the incredible depths of the mine.
A drop from that height couldn't be survived, not even by the most skillful stuntmen.
Tanuki heard a voice scream on his left.
"Horn Mask, do da thingy!"
When he turned, he saw Maduka with the broken Heifers' Mask on her face and a small horn flying his way.
"Huh?"
The horn hit him right in the chest. He gasped as the attack pushed the air out of his lungs and pushed his body back, right onto a wooden lift.
The planks broke as he crashed through them. The ropes attached to the platform were torn apart, one of them being caught in Tanuki's leg and not let go.
His fall stopped. Tanuki didn't understand it at first, but when he looked up, he saw the rope attached to his leg. He tried to pull himself up, but the heavy armor weighed him down.
He couldn't move. Thus, he did the only thing anyone would do in that kind of situation, and he began to scream at the top of his lungs.
Maduka wasn't left unaffected by the Heifers' Mask. She possessed neither enough mana to use the mask nor the right conductor to not suffer any negative effects.
As her attack hit Tanuki, the mask pulsed with a crimson light before erupting in an explosion. She got blown away, right against the large crane towering in the middle.
The snake looked down, analyzing the two intruders. Calculating the distance and threat level, she has ultimately decided to recall her drones.
"Fine then. Drones, a new target is acquired! Focus the intruder Hachiro Tanuki!"
Maduka held onto a broken-off part of the heavy machinery. It was the crane that every lift and hoist was attached to.
She looked over to Tanuki and screamed as she saw a dozen droids flying his way.
"Nuki!"
There weren't any ropes that she could've climbed, no platforms to jump over to. All she could do was watch as his friend was left alone with tens of flying bots.
Or at least that would've been the case, were it not for a small orb of light that appeared beside Tanuki's head.
At first, Tanuki was surprised by it, but he quickly remembered it to be the same friendly creature that helped them in the pink cave.
"H-Hey! You're that friendly thing! Could you help me out? I'm kind of on the verge of death, so some support would be greatly appreciated!"
The small orb of light danced around his head before it flew towards Maduka. It brought Tanuki's attention to a ladder on the heavy machinery. Be it broken and dangerous, it connected to the head of the crane, which controlled every hoist and lift in the mine.
Tanuki's eyes widened from the revelation.
"Hey, Maduka! See that ladder? Climb up to the top of the crane and look for something attached to this rope! You can bring me into safety!"
The little gobbo didn't fully understand Tanuki, but she wanted to help her friend. Thus, she took the ladder and began climbing the large crane.
Exhibition didn't stay restless. She wasn't about to let Maduka have her way.
"How dare you lay your hands on the Creators' masterpiece! Oh, what will they think of me? I must avenge this!"
Exhibition braced herself. She made a fast calculation of the distance between her and the crane, and the speed required. When all her computers returned unfavorable results, she braced herself and still jumped.
This fight wasn't about her well-being. It was about regaining the Creators' love.
She jumped onto the crane and when she tried to grab the ladder with her tail, it broke off. Her sharp fangs still managed to hold onto the machinery, even if one of her teeth broke in the process.
[ Exhibition ]
[ HP: 21/25 ]
Red liquid began pouring down the side of her face. It wasn't blood, but rather liquified energy.
"Drones!"
Two smaller droids flew out of her side and went to pluck the wound in her tooth. All the while she bashed her tail against the machinery, forcing open a hole which she crawled into.
Maduka was looking down at Exhibition while she climbed up the ladder. Her threat became even more apparent, and when she disappeared into the machine, Maduka's heart sunk.
She could still hear her words echo from inside, getting louder as she drew closer.
"Look at what you made me do! I won't forgive this!"