isleofavalon | closed ❖ our minds are troubled by the emptiness

Yeah, that was kinda weird.

[ Why would the map not identify it? It might seem like an unimportant detail to a human cartographer, but to scanner units like him, it's inconceivable to leave any information out of a scouting report. It's been bothering him for a while, even if he is enjoying this moment with 2B right now. Camping is pretty fun...!! ]

It could be uncharted territory. I know we have our mission, but we can't just leave it unmarked either...

[ Is he being a responsible scout or just overly curious right now? Could be a bit of both! ]

[She hopes it's the former!

Never one to stray too far from their mission, it's rare that 2B ever agrees to do so, but she does make exceptions every now and then.]

I agree.

[There could be a very legitimate reason that the cave remained unmarked, or it could be as simple as the humans missing it when building the map. Either way, it's better that they do check than not, and knowing 9S, something like this is exactly the type of thing he would not stop thinking about until it was solved.]

They may not know that it's there, or it could be that it's too dangerous to map out. But we have some time before the sun goes down.

[She thinks, anyway. The night and day cycle is still something she's getting used to here.]

"Affirmative. The time until sunset is approximately three hours and twenty-two minutes."

[ He's visibly surprised at her compliance, although very relieved that he doesn't have to negotiate her into going along with him. Not that he'd have much sway to begin with... perhaps pleading to be allowed to explore would have been a better word for it. ]

Aw, c'mon, you just really wanna know what's in there, too, right?

[ She's definitely not built like him, but he cannot imagine someone not being curious... ]

Why don't we make it a game and try to guess what we'll find? You should go first, 2B!

[His question is met with silence, and his suggestion gets a glance in return.

She is a little curious to know what's going on with it, and why the map has been wrong since they got partway up the mountain, but her intentions mostly lie in wanting to protect the city from whatever it could be that's living in there should it prove to be dangerous.

But that doesn't mean she won't humour him a little. She pauses to think about it for a moment, her hands lowering from the fire.]

An large animal of some kind. [The next words come as if it's a completely foreign concept to her, and the air quotes are audible in her voice.] A "mama bear" and her cub.

[She only really knows about them after meeting another girl with a bear for a familiar, and she'd explained what it was and that there was such a thing as a "mama bear". It was the first time 2B had ever seen one, so needless to say, she asked some questions.]

Maybe the humans didn't want to disturb them.

[As she rises and brushes her dress, she gestures to him.]

And you?

[ Oh... he kind of wants to see this mama bear and her cubs even more now, not quite considering that doing so might actually cause the unwanted disturbance. It's typical of a hacker to have no regard for privacy, after all. Besides it'll only be a quick peek... for intel gathering! Nobody's getting hurt!

As for what he speculates it could be? He stands up after her, facing her directly with the utmost sincerity. ]

Oh, I already know. [ He doesn't, but he's pretty sure: ] Pirate Treasure.

[ That's what he expects to uncover! ]

They must have a copy of the real map that leads directly to the hidden cave. I mean, I wouldn't hide my loot on a marked map either. Not that I'd need one, of course! Though I wouldn't mind if it ends up being a mama bear.

A pirate treasure?

[2B doesn't mask her disbelief, huffing out loud with a laugh. Of course he'd think it was something so out there. His mind tends to run away with ideas like that, doesn't it? Ah, to have the imagination of a scanner model... She's only ever heard of pirate treasures in the archives. Pirates were a popular trope among human entertainment, so it wasn't hard to come across.

Plus, the ships looked interesting.

She turns on her heel towards the path leading away from the camp and back in the direction of the cave.]

If it's a treasure, then that means there will be pirates looking for it, too.

[And as she's walking, her heel digs into the dirt in just the right way to make her slip and almost fall, but she catches herself and keeps moving, as if it never happened, leaving her playfulness behind and replacing it with the cold demeanor she typically carries herself with.]

We'll need to stay sharp.

Y'arr, 2B!

[ He doesn't think it's wise to point out that pirates don't need to look for their own treasure they stashed, not when 2B's own booty nearly marked a spot in the ground. Thankfully she managed to stop herself from falling, but 9S is determined to bring back the playfulness the moment she lets her guard down again!

He stomps out the camp fire with little concern of the soot it leaves on his fabric, and quickly picks up his trademark bag of mystery supplies before catching up with 2B.

Thankfully he can be just as mission-driven from time to time, especially when it pertains to his own curiousity, which means their journey to the cave's entrance is a fairly straightforward one. No chatter, no distractions, androids at their best. ]

It's hard to get a reading of what's inside, we're gonna have to go all the way in for this one.

[ In normal circumstances, when they're not dealing with anything magical or biological, he'd sense some kind of signal. Machine, android, ancient robots... there is nothing of that sort inside the cave. However, it doesn't mean it's uninhabited, which makes him worry all the same.

Without much prompting, his pod unit turns on the light and beams it towards the darkness of the cave. ]

Mama bear, I hope you're a heavy sleeper...

Quiet. We shouldn't let it know we're here.

[Although she never was a master of subtlety. The pod's light shining in is what draws her into the cave first, the tapping of her heels echoing off the walls. If anyone's going to let it know that there are guests, it'll be that, but she never did think much of it.

The cave itself dives deeper than she expected it would. It's darkness as far as her eyes can see, and even with the added preciseness of her visor, it's difficult to make out where the end of it is, and the further in they go, the worst it gets, especially when it starts to lead downhill, and that's when Pod 042 shines its own light.

At some point, they will find the end, made obvious only by the piles of rocks and large... are those bones? The latter being what stops 2B in her tracks. She lifts a hand to halt 9S and takes a protective step back until she bumps into him. She doesn't like the looks of this...]

Do you think mama bears would do that?

If I had to guess, that looks more like the remains of a mama bear.

[ Kind of depressing if it is, but he doesn't let it get to him for longer than a moment. It would have happened a long time ago, so there's nothing they could have done to help the bear.

With not the same awareness for danger like his partner has, he manoeuvres around her and steps closer towards the pile. ]

I'll need to analyse further, it won't take long!

[ As he does so, a giant axe is flung out of the darkness, thrown right in their direction. ]

[2B had approached the remains, cautiously curious about what they could mean, but something else tickles her senses. A presence, and a giant—shit!]

9S!

[The sound of a large weapon splitting the air is all too familiar a sound to her. She doesn't even look at what it could be, but her first instinct is to dive at her partner, bodychecking him out of the way so that he's on the ground beneath her while a giant axe flies over them, barely skinning the hair on her head while she cradles his in her hand. Both her swords topple from her back and scatter across the floor out of her reach, and when she looks up...

There's two giant feet bigger than the axe coming at them, footsteps so large that they shake the cave. With the light shining in from behind it, it's hard to make out what exactly it is that's come for them, but it's big enough to block them into the corner she's pushed them to.]

I think I know what happened to mama bear.

[The minotaur roars back in response and reaches down to pluck 2B up into the air from her foot...!]

Same thing that's about to happen to us?

[ By the time he gets his banter out, 2B is already in peril when the horned creature picks her up by the boot. He's barely had enough time to get to his feet when she bodied him a moment ago, and now it's his turn to get her out of a pinch.

As his eyes dart the room for something he could use against their enemy, he locks in on the only thing that's strong enough to put a dent on it: the giant axe! Of course, he's not nearly strong enough to pick it up with his bare hands, but his mastery of kinetic magic is enough to send it back flying at the minotaur.

The blunt end of it connects with the monster, momentarily stunning it, which should give 2B a chance to break free. ]

2B!

[It's almost a hollow plunk! when the axe makes contact, and Simon the Minotaur grunts and blinks, trying to set his vision straight again, but it does give 2B enough time to flip herself out from his loosened grip, landing on her feet like a cat. It doesn't buy them much time, but it's enough for her to rush over and give 9S a once-over, searching for any injuries from that fall.

Simon roars again, this time with more purpose as he picks up the axe, the sharp metal end of it scraping against the ground.

2B grits her teeth.]

Why wasn't this marked on the damn map!?

[The fact that it wasn't annoyed her enough, but knowing now that they've just gotten themselves trapped in the lair of... whatever this thing is? If this had been anyone else, it might have ended much more swiftly.]

We need to get past him...

[As if her anger were contagious, Simon rips the cloth from around his waist off, balls it up, and throws it at them like it's a baseball...! Leaving himself bare from the waist down...]

N-Not the treasure we were hoping for, huh?

[ Some data is just not meant to be recorded, and yet 9S regretfully catalogues everything he knows about Simon the Minotaur, from top to bottom.

Thankfully, this sophisticated battle android can dodge a balled up cloth that's hurled their way, and he trusts 2B to do the same. The bigger danger here is the giant enemy with an enormous axe. ]

That weapon looks like it takes a lot of strength to handle, but I bet he'll need to let his guard down when he's using it.

[ He's just relying on common sense at this point. He knows how slow those heavy weapons tend to be! ]

One of us is gonna have to intercept the axe while the other goes for the strike!

[He's making every desperate move it can to beat them down and keep them cornered—slamming fists against the walls until the cave shakes, slamming the axe into loose rocks, and stomping his feet—that 2B stops to wonder if the Minotaur is even looking for a fight, or if he's just protecting his home that they've just trespassed into.

It's short-lived, however, because 9S's suggestion has her whipping her head around to face him.]

I'm guessing I'm the one going in for the strike?

[Only because it doesn't need to be said that she doesn't doubt his Kinetic magic is stronger than hers, and she could say that it's pretty damn good for a battle android. If he can use it to intercept the axe, then she should be able to take this guy down no problem once he's unarmed.

There is one problem she has with it...]

It's a reckless plan. ... But if you think we can do it, I believe you.

It's the only one we have. It's gonna work.

[ Reckless, sure, but no cost is too great when it comes to making sure 2B is safe. Even if he were to crumble under the might of the axe, it would still give her an opening, and that's good enough for him.

It's going to work indeed... no matter what happens to him. ]

You'll know what to do!

[ He waits for her signal until they're ready to move in unison, even if their counterstrike means they have to do it apart from each other at the moment.

He makes sure to keep Simon's attention this time, switching out his sword for the polearm as he goes in for the attack. While his polearm is normally used for good reach in combat, this time it serves to block the giant axe as he grips his own weapon with both hands and clashes the rod part of his polearm against the sharp steel of the axe. Kinetic magic can only help him so much, but it takes a considerable amount of physical strength to ward off the minotaur's force, too.

He can feel his knees about to give in, but this is the opening he has created for his partner...! ]

[Watching him now, she wonders if it might have been better to swap roles in this plan, but there's little time to wish otherwise when he's fighting off a Minotaur with nothing but his spear and some magic. She growls under her breath when she sees his knees buckle under the axe, and that's what spurs her into action. And yes, she knows exactly what to do thanks to him!

2B is quick on her feet, dashing between the Minotaur's legs and using her momentum to wheel her sword around at the ankles, but with his thick skin, it barely scratches the surface. It does, however, do the trick in snagging his attention, and he lets up just enough that it should give 9S an opportunity to slip through and find a spot at her side.

Well, after he takes a swing at 2B for scratching his ankles, and with the sharp end of her large sword up, she braces for direct impact. Her own knees are buckling when she feels the weight of the axe bearing down on her, but she holds strong against it, roaring back at the Minotaur as he growls at her.]

9S!!! Go!

[Following the sound of her voice is the crunch of wood splintering, and the head of the axe is falling over her head, falling, falling...

Is 9S through!?]

closed ❖ our minds are troubled by the emptiness

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