Broken and ruined machinery fell below. Under the rubble lay a catacomb of dead drones, their eyes still flickering as they continued to send data to their Mother.
"So? Which one of you wants to die first? Don't pretend you didn't hear me! I can give both of you a painful death!"
Tanuki trembled from fear. There was the depth below, the immovable object before him, and, worst of all, the uncertainty of his friend.
He had a flicker of hope in his heart that still kept him from believing this would be the end of his run. There's always a way out of every situation. There are no exceptions to this rule.
Tanuki was the type of who'd never back down in online games, not even when his defeat was certain. He had this mentality that so long he hasn't lost, there's a way to win.
But is it true in real life? Is there really an escape from every bad situation?
This mentality while a good one alone, one has to remember his teammates. That was something Tanuki was very bad at. He was a bad speaker who had a hard time persuading anyone even of the simplest of truths.
How could then he make anyone believe in his mentality? A way of perceiving things that only those with the same mindset could understand?
That was the true error of his plan. There was no telling that Maduka wouldn't back down and surrender to the greater opposition.
Tanuki snapped out of his thoughts when Exhibition raised her voice.
"I'm going to count down from ten. If neither of you wants to be the first to die, I'll just choose one of you randomly!"
The countdown began.
"Ten!"
"Nine!"
"Eight!"
Tanuki's eyes raced everywhere for a possible escape. The other wings of the crane were far apart, so he couldn't jump over to any of them. There were also no lifts he could use to lower themselves down into safety.
"Seven!"
"Six!"
When he looked around, another question came into his mind. Why wasn't Exhibition killing them already? Why was this whole countdown thing necessary?
"Five!"
"Four!"
Why did he feel like there was something he hasn't noticed?
"Three!"
Something was missing. A part of this puzzle was before his eyes, hidden in plain sight. But what was it?
"Two!"
Safety. The words echoed in his mind as he realized both them and Exhibition were very careful not to fall down.
"One!"
Finally, he realized what Exhibition feared the most.
It was that the wing would break.
Their weapons, especially his bore the power to destroy this wing. A badly aimed attack with his ink and the whole thing would fall.
Still, even if that was true, it didn't help him in any way. Falling down from such an incredible height would be lethal for any of them.
Suddenly, Maduka approached Exhibition.
"Worm thingy!"
Exhibition had a smile of excitement on her face. She was beginning to enjoy playing with her victims.
When she spoke, her agression turned into the excitement of a gameshow host.
"Yes! Intruder Maduka! Speak your words! Do you want to be the first to die? Or perhaps you want to make a heroic sacrifice for your friend? The choice is yours, the choice is yours!!!"
Tanuki was taken aback, both by the sadistic snake and the sudden act of his friend. What was Maduka doing?
Did she want to betray him?
"M-Maduka…"
Tanuki reached out to her, but the goblin denied him. Instead, she walked in front of the snake.
A frown coated her eyes. Her hands were shaking from fear.
"What is da worm's name?"
"It's Exhibition, my dear! My creators' named me such because my being is the showcase of technology's fullest potential! A living, breathing, but immortal machine!"
"T-The Creators sound very good! What other did they make...?"
"O-ho? How great of you to ask! Absolutely great! Great-great-great! Amazing and wonderful!"
Tanuki was baffled by the two. Did Maduka wish to learn more before her death, so she decided to ask Exhibition about her past?
No. There was more to it.
While Exhibition was celebrating her love for the Creators and happiness that she could finally talk about them, Maduka threw a sneaky glance at Tanuki.
She didn't know what Tanuki was thinking, but she knew that he's one to be trusted. Be it improvised traps or tools, he always had a way out of every situation.
What Maduka did just now wasn't to get on Exhibition's good side, but to buy time for her friend.
"M-Maduka…"
Tanuki didn't want to disappoint. He looked around, frantically searching for anything that could help their survival.
Still, he didn't see any way out of this situation. The snake blocked the only way out of here, beside the lethal depths below.
Depths.
When Tanuki looked down, something caught his attention.
"The rope that got entangled with my leg… It's still attached to me!"
He knew what he had to do. Even if that was related to one of the many extreme sports he wished never to try, bungee jumping seemed far more promising than ever before.
He took a loud gulp and braced himself.
Meanwhile, Exhibition was finishing up her tale.
"…They also made mechanical flowers, mechanical bugs, and mechanical trees… Oh, and did I mention the chip in my brain? The whole core of my being?"
"Woah! Maduka really likes bugz! Can she have the weird bugz?
"Huh? Is that the only thing you heard from my whole monologue? Besides, you wish to steal what the Creators have made?!"
"What? No! M-Maybe a bit..."
"How foolish!" Exhibition raised her head. "I thought you were one to appreciate fine technology, but you're just another imbecile! Die!"
At that moment, Tanuki rushed forward, held onto Maduka, and jumped down.
Exhibition was shocked. She was even more when she saw Tanuki use Kurohyou to cut the wing under her tail.
"What are you––"
She too has began to fall.
Now all three of them were approaching their death.
Maduka screamed as she looked below, while Tanuki used his remaining mana to send ink towards Exhibition.
They were his thickest, largest attacks, but even a liter of ink was too little to hurt the snake.
"Observe the fruit of your foolish deed! My body can handle a fall from this height but yours cannot! Don't worry though, I'll make sure your body never hits the ground alive!"
Tanuki let out his thickest, meanest spat, right in the middle of Exhibition's face. She wiped it off and lunged forth with a savage attack.
"You… Analphabetic monkey!"
"I don't know what that means, but I like the 'Anal' part!"
Before her attacks could've reached Tanuki, the rope on his leg stretched to its fullest. Suddenly, their bodies snapped away from Exhibition's attack, who continued her fall down the mine.
She was surprised at first, then even more angered when she realized she had been outplayed.
Still, this drop won't be lethal. Her armor might break and her sensors might need some time to repair, but she'll still have everything to burrow herself underground.
Then, she'll be safe until recovery.
"Hah! Do you fools really believe I will be so easy to kill? Think again––"
Out of nowhere, something hit her head.
"Huh?"
When she looked up, a bunch of different lifts and broken machinery were falling after her.
"H-How?! I made sure not to knock down anything when we fell!"
One of the ropes fell by her side. She noticed a strange clean cut where it would connect.
When Tanuki spent his remaining mana to attack, he wasn't aiming at her, but the things surrounding them. His plan wasn't to kill Exhibition, but to crush her with falling rubble.
And Exhibition walked, or rather slithered right into his trap!
"W-What? No! How is this possible? I'm meant to be the epitome of technology! My whole existence is a testament to the craft!"
Her back hit the ground. When she looked up, her whole sight was covered with falling objects.
"This can't be happening! I can't be defeated by a human––"
She didn't get to finish her words. Weight in the tens of tons crushed down on her, shattering her internal parts and breaking her skull in half.
Exhibition's corpse was buried by the rubble.
Not that anyone would've wanted to see it. Especially not Maduka.
Still hanging upside down, she spat down into the depths, right onto the ruckus hiding the snake's corpse.
"Ya' got what ya' deserved, ya' stupid worm!"
Tanuki was next to her, but he remained silent. His expression was far less celebratory. His eyes were melancholic and something troubled his hearth.
"What she deserved..."