It felt like an eternity since Quote had woken up in this cavern, even though realistically it was closer to several hours since he rebooted here. He'd be slowly moving down the jagged slopes of the cave before he'd come back to the familiar wooden bridge to the door on the other side. A bit of nervousness settled in as he started to walk across the wooden planks of the bridge, soon entering into the gunsmith's once again.
The old hermit was now wide awake, searching around the premises of his small workshop to look for something. Quote hesitantly gave a small knock on the wooden frame. "E-excuse me? Mr. Tetsuzou?"
"Eh?" The old man would say, getting up and looking at Quote. "What do you want?"
"I-I'm here to make a delivery for you, sir..." Quote spoke, pulling out the capsule with the stars in it he had gotten from Chaba. "I believe a Chaba fellow wanted me to deliver this to you?"
The hermit would take the module, looking over it a bit. "Ah, yes, I did order this from him and I was wondering when it'd get here. Though fat lot of good that does me right now..."
"Why's that?" Quote asked.
"The gun I was going to have this augmented with. The incomplete one at that." The hermit merely responded, still looking around his abode. "I'm almost certain at this point someone had pilfered the gun while I was asleep! Bah, if only I had kept the gun in my chest pocket had I known that had been the case..."
Suddenly Quote felt a lot worse for having borrowed the Polar Star near the beginning of his entire adventure. "Sir?"
"What now?" The hermit grumbled.
"I... think I know what might have happened to it..." Quote spoke, the guilt rising in his chest.
"And what would that be?" The hermit spoke.
Quote would let out a distressed sigh, unholstering the Polar Star and handing it out to the gunsmith. Needless to say, he wasn't exactly too pleased...
"What are you doing with my gun?!" The hermit yelled, taking the Polar Star away from Quote. "I didn't make it for you!"
"Sir, I'm sorry, I..." Quote spoke, feeling guilt about taking the gun in the first place.
"Hmph! You've certainly put a good amount of wear into it..." Tetsuzou said, looking over the gun before he fell silent.
"...sir?" Quote spoke.
"...I was raised to believe that a weapon of defense should be crafted by oneself." Tetsuzou spoke, starting to pace a bit. "That one who fights with another's weapons and considers that force his own is witless. Growing confident with powers that were never their own to begin with... then blaming their own shortcomings on the equipment they use. Complete fools!"
Quote would be silent as the hermit would continue.
"However... seeing you, having used such an imcomplete gun to this degree... it... it touches me, in a way..." Tetsuzou would fall silent, thinking about something before he spoke again. "Ah, pardon my ramblings. How about this?"
"Y-yes sir?" Quote asked.
"I'll give this back to you..." Tetsuzou spoke, soon grinning. "After it's completed of course!"
Quote suddenly felt a lot better on the inside knowing the old hermit's work wasn't going to be going to waste. He took a seat as Tetsuzou started to work away at the weapon, minutes passed by more and more...
Finally, the gunsmith spoke again.
"It is complete!" Tetsuzou said, grabbing Quote's attention as he handed Quote the improved gun. While still keeping the general feel of the Polar Star, it's shape had been elongated to what appeared to be an inbetween of a pistol and a sub-machine gun. The casing was still the cobalt color, but the star was now engraved and moved to the middle of the gun's side. The most interesting aspect of the completed weapon, however, was the lack of any sort of cylinder in it, unlike it's predecessor.
"Is... is this it?" Quote spoke, recieving a nod from Tetsuzou.
"This... is the Spur." He answered. "It is thanks to you I have learned to open my eyes a bit about the balance of creation. So long as there are people that respect the work put into creation, the effort is well spent."
Quote would nod, shaking Tetsuzou's hand. "Th-thank you sir..."
"It is nothing, dear lad." The gunsmith spoke. "Now, as a heads up, the second trigger activates the Whimsical Star module. Remember that."
Quote would nod, thanking the gunsmith once again before he returned to Arthur's house to see Booster and Jenka.
"Ah, there you are again!" Jenka said. "Where did you run off to?"
"Sorry, had to tie up a loose end." Quote spoke. "What's wrong?"
"We've just found Sue's note here." Booster spoke, handing the paper to Quote. "Have a look for yourself." Quote would take the paper from Professor Booster, reading over it.
'Hey, in the off-chance you're reading this, well, we could possibly be captured. If we're not however, head for the Egg Corridor. Kazuma just went there not too long ago to hatch the Dragon Egg so hopefully you can meet us there so we can try to get off of here. If I'm captured however... I just want to apologize, since it may be most likely I'll never see you again.
-Sue'
Quote would be filled with a new determination. "I'm heading for the Corridor." He spoke, walking past the two and getting the teleporter set up. "I have a friend I need to rescue."
"You be careful now." Booster spoke.
Quote would nod, stepping onto the teleporter as he warped away...
The loud alarm screeching would not be what Quote was expecting when he came out the other side of the teleporter. And it wouldn't take a genius to see why; the entire corridor was completely leveled, several destroyed walls and shattered glass all around the hall. The ceiling had massive cave-ins, points barely being held up by their supports. The eggs were destroyed, dead dragon corpses littering outside of them...
Quote's mind was racing as he took in the surroundings. What happened here? Where was Kazuma? Where... where was anyone here?
His answer would come as soon enough a barrage of flames would be thrown at him. Quote would dodge-roll to the side off the teleporter, out of the way of the oncoming flame shots as they collided with the teleporter, destroying it entirely. Looks like Quote's was back was gone for the time being. Gritting his teeth, he'd look up to see his attackers; a twin pair of tan-scaled dragons, glaring at him with green eyes, looking not too happy about the destruction of the corridor. The one let out a roar as it soon divebombed at Quote, the robot rolling out of the way as he made a break down the corridor. Fighting these two things now wouldn't be the wisest idea; he had to find Kazuma.
The twin dragons would then open their mouths again and let loose another jet of flames at Quote. The robot would tense up as he pulled the Spur and opened fire back on the dragons. The energy bullets that game from this weapon were much thicker, looking to make much more impact than the Polar Star's shots did. While not piercing, the Spur's shots definitely stunted the two dragons a fair bit as the recoiled backwards in pain from the blunt force alone. The one roared in pain before blasting a massive fireball straight for Quote. The robot tensed up as he accidentally pulled the second trigger, a burst coming from the end of the gun as three small stars would now be orbiting him like an atom. Quote slightly smirked internally. So this was what that Whimsical Star thing Tetsuzou told him about was...
He'd soon turn his focus back to fleeing from the two dragons as he ducked into the observation room as the large beasts tackled the door, trying to bust in. Quote would grit his teeth as he rushed to the other end of the room, drawing the Spur and pointing it straight at the door, before noticing the small gauge on the top of it along with three lights. Upon pulling the trigger and holding it down, he'd notice the weapon would charge rather quickly the three lights coming on one by one before all three lights were on. With no time to react as one of the dragons burst into the room, mouth open ready to breath fire. Quote would release the trigger before a thick searing white beam shot forth from the gun's barrel, tearing right through the dragon's insides from its open mouth, killing it in almost an instant. The other dragon would break into the room as Quote charged the Spur again, unloading another Level 3 laser straight into its open mouth as it collapsed to the ground, smoke billowing from its mouth.
Quote would get out of there and keep running, soon reaching the room that held the massive egg labeled No. 00. Throwing open the door, his hopes would fall as he'd find the massive egg's shell was shattered, the dragon gone... Quote would rush to the computer screen, seeing the text displayed on it.
/INCUBATION SUCCESSFUL.
Quote would soon hear what sounded like a door opening as he grabbed the Spur and aimed it at the door... only for Kazuma to come through it.
"Oh... it's just you." Kazuma spoke, looking away. "I wasn't sure if you were safe or not..."
"Where's Sue?" Quote spoke, almost as if he was demanding.
"Not here. It's only me." Kazuma would sigh. "After you left for the Sand Zone we secured and sped up preparations for an escape plan. I came here to hatch the egg... and then the Doctor had attacked here, leveling the entire place. Sue was kidnapped, and Professor Booster, he disappeared somewhere..."
The room was silent before Kazuma spoke again.
"The Doctor has apparently acquired all the seeds he needs for his plan." He spoke. "But... I'm not blaming you." He'd turn to look at the massive eggshell. "The Doctor's victory was certain from the instant he got his hands on that Crown..."
Something about the way Kazuma said that struck a nerve in Quote... and not in a good way.
"It's only a matter of time before he and the enraged Mimigas are ready to attack the surface..." Kazuma spoke. "If that happens, it'll be futile at that point to even try and stop him... even for you."
Quote's inner anger started to rise; here Kazuma was, ready to outright give up on the entire situation when the Doctor hasn't even secured his victory? When there was still hope?
"There's no choice but to run from this place... There's a possible escape, but it's only aboard a Sky Dragon. That's why I came here by myself..." Kazuma spoke.
And then came the line.
"Would you like to escape with me?"
Needless to say, Quote was livid.
"Escape with you?" Quote spoke, anger in his voice. "Escape with you?! Do you even know what hell I've gone through just to get here?! This entire time, I've been stuck down in the pits of the island, worrying about any of your group being okay for when I get back, and now you're wanting to take the fucking coward's way out and just run?!"
"What oth-"
"THERE IS A CHOICE GODDAMNIT!" Quote yelled, his fists tightening. "I stay and fight for what's right; for everyone on this damn island! There are people counting on me here. If I take your goddamn escape offer, not only will I be dishonoring King's final request, but I would be dishonoring Professor Booster's final request to make sure Sue is safe and sound!"
"But-"
"And how do you think she'd feel if she found out you just decided to up and abandon her? Leaving her here to die?!" Quote yelled, tears starting to form in his eyes. "You really think how she'd want to remember her brother?! Just abandoning her and leaving her to die without so much as a second thought?!"
"..." Kazuma would be silent as Quote shoved his way past him, heading for the door Kazuma had come through.
"You might be content with taking the coward's way out, but not me." Quote growled, getting his Spur ready. "I'm heading straight for the Doctor and ending this nightmare. Permanently."
With that, he'd shove the door open, soon finding himself on what appeared to be a metal runway on the side of the floating island itself. The moon was high in the sky as it bathed the side of the island with its pale light, the clouds below passing the island by. Looking up, Quote would get a view of the sheer size of the island itself; massive steel framing would be attached to the outside of the island, smaller blocks held on steel piping sticking out and creating some sort of pathway upwards. Steel scafolding would be held up by piping, leading to large rounded metal structures that clinged to the underside of the other part of the island, of various metal colors. Quote would grip the Spur tightly as he started his ascension.
It wouldn't be far before he had met resistance.
A large spectral figure would soon appear as he began his climb, looking like a large feline animal in a sheet, tracking his movements as he scaled the precarious scaffolding. It had put its paws over its mouth before it let loose a volley of white projectiles towards Quote. The robot boy would duck behind a block barrier as the projectile would plink off it, disintegrating entirely. Gritting his teeth, he charged the Spur again before letting loose another giant laser blast as it tore right through the creature to shreds. At the cloth tatters would fly by, Quote continued his upwards ascension. The wind was howling as his scarf whipped behind him, and making use of the Booster v2.0 he had gotten from the Professor wasn't exactly easy either. The wind would soon throw him against the wall, causing him to land onto the sand...
Wait, sand...
Quote would scramble as he soon was perched on top of the Sandcroc's jaws, just out of harm's way. Grumbling to himself, he'd continue higher and higher up the Outer Wall, drawing closer to the large dome-like protrusions from the underside of the island. Soon enough he'd see his opening; a small hatch on the underside of one of the giant domes. With the Booster v2.0 giving him support, he'd rocket into the hole above and land in a corridor. Keeping the Spur readily nearby, he'd keep his guard up as he'd soon find a much more advanced door than any other ones he's seen so far. Upon trying to force the door open, the door would let out a denied buzzer, which agitated the scout robot. Deciding he wasn't going to take any crap from the system, he aimed the Spur and blasted the locking mechanism open, the door opening by itself as the robot would walk in.
"EEEEAAAAAHGHGHGHH!" A voice yelled before Quote would turn to the source, a Mimiga cowering in the corner of the small storage room.
"Sir?" Quote spoke, approaching the cowering Mimiga.
"P-please! Don't kill me! I'm not a Mimiga!" The Mimiga squealed. "I was a human turned to a Mimiga by magic!"
"I'm not here to hurt you!" Quote said, causing the Mimiga to stop cowering.
"E-eh?" The Mimiga spoke, turning to face Quote. "You're not one of the killer soldier robots? You startled me so badly by coming in so suddenly... are you here to save all of us?"
Quote responded with a nod. "It's why I'm here."
The Mimiga would nod in response. "I'm Itoh, one of the scientists that came to the island with the Sakamotos. That witch gave me this Mimiga appearence."
"So where am I right now?" Quote asked.
"This is the storage unit right next to the Plantation of the island." Itoh spoke. "That's where the Doctor is growing those horrid hibiscus."
Quote would nod, walking to the next door before blasting it open with the Spur, startling Itoh again before Quote entered into the new locale. The new location was vast and verdant, rather hollow for the inside of a floating island. The light would give off a green glow on the cavern, small amounts of fireflies flitting between areas. The mlarge farming areas would be situated between certain hollow point structures of the cave, old wooden bridges interconnecting them all to eachother was well as the far back areas of the Plantation. Down below would be a massive reservoir, and Quote would notice a small alcove...
Curiousity piquing him, he'd drop down to investigate it, and his robotic heart almost skipped a beat when he saw Curly lying on the bed down there.
"Curly!" Quote cried, rushing up to her.
"..." Curly didn't seem to respond well.
"...Curly?" Quote asked again.
"Who... are you?" Curly would ask, causing Quote's heart to drop.
"It's no use right now, child." A voice said, before Cthulhu had stepped out of the shadows. "Her mind is gone, she doesn't remember a thing."
"Nothing...?" Quote breathed.
"Well..." Cthulhu spoke. "There may be something to help her..."
"What, what is it?" Quote asked, anxious.
"There is a certain kind of mushroom that is able to restore the memories of a person..." Cthulhu mused, thinking. "It is known to be in a graveyard somewhere on the island... but sadly, I cannot think where..."
Quote would think, before nodding to Cthulhu. "I'll find it. For her."
"Such tenacity." Cthulhu spoke. "Well, I wish you luck on saving her..."
Quote would leave the alcove as he started to look for a way back to the village. He had remembered there was some sort of graveyard there, maybe that might be his luck for finding that mushroom? Skidding his way down to the reservoir of the gigantic cave, he'd soon see a familiar fishing rod Mimiga sitting out on a lone dock in the water. Leaping across the floating stones, he'd reach the dock where none other than Kanpachi was sitting, casting his line out for a hopeful bite.
"H-hello?" Quote asked, walking up behind Kanpachi.
"Hm?" The Mimiga would respond, turning to look at Quote. "Ah, you again. Was wonderin' when you'd be coming around here."
"Hey, you know any way to get back to the village?" Quote asked.
"Hmmmm..." Kanpachi would think. "Not one that I would know of, but..." He'd indicate to the door at the other end of the reservoir. "Last I heard that's a teleporter room over there. You might be able to hook it up to the one at the village and get back that way."
Quote would nod, activating the Booster before boosting over to the other shoreline, walking to the door and opening it. Inside the small stone room, the robot boy would see a teleporter sitting in the middle of the room, a computer set up next to it, along with a Droll, currently passed out off to the other side of the teleporter. The Droll was snoring loudly, meaning Quote currently had some leeway with activating the device before the creature woke up. Moving quickly, he had made his way to the teleporter's computer, linking up the destination with Arthur's house in the village before he stepped on and activated the teleporter, warping away to Arthur's house as he soon rematerialized. Professor Booster and Jenka were not within the house; they must have left for somewhere. But that wasn't important to Quote right now.
What was important was finding that mushroom.
Making his way back through the abandoned village, he would soon find another cave entrance that he had missed on his initial trip, near the Assembly Hall. After a short trip through the connecting tunnel, Quote would soon find himself in a bit of an expansive cavern, graves would line the area as there would be a hanging storehouse at the far end of the Mimiga's final resting place. The scout robot felt unease as he crossed across the graveyard, moving past the many headstones and wooden crosses making the eternal slumber locations of the perished creatures until he got to the hanging storehouse, using the Booster v2.0 to get that bit of extra height to reach the door before he snuck in.
The storehouse area was small and damp, not a whole lot room inside of it, aside from two small mushrooms sitting near the back-center room, both purple in color and having what appeared to be black beady eyes as they seemed to talk to eachother about something...
"Uh... excuse me?" Quote asked. "I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"
"Eh?" One of the mushrooms said, looking over to Quote. "The heck are you and what business do you have?"
"I'm looking for a kind of mushroom that's able to restore memories." Quote asked. "Do either of you two know where I could find one in this graveyard?"
"Wha?" The other one said. "Look, stop wasting our time and get lost."
Quote would cross his arms, flabbergasted as to why the mushrooms were not wanting any sort of business with him. Though deciding he wasn't going to get any sort of answers from the two, he activated his scanner and scanned the two mushrooms.
/Name: Ma Pignons
/Scientific Classification: Agaricus Memisporus
/Phylum: Basidiomycete
/Class: Euclid Fungi
/The Ma Pignon is known to be an extremely rare breed of fungi, only being able to grow in damp, dark locales where other mushrooms are unable to. It is said they are to be sentient, although this has not been known to be confirmed as of current research. DNA tests show that the Ma Pignon has a serum labeled as RTM-I, a recently discovered type of amino acid that is able to re-replicate the electronic signals in the brain of a person's lost memories. Studies have shown that upon the consumption of this amino acid, a person's memories are able to be restored in merely a few seconds after consumption. Side effects in humans are shown to have nausea afterwards from memory recovery overload; it is unknown what happens when a robot consumes one.
Quote couldn't believe his eyes from the scan log; these were the mushrooms he was looking for! The one he could use to restore Curly's memory...
"Hey," Quote said. "I need both your helps."
"The heck do you need us for?" The one mushroom said.
"My friend, she's lost her memories." Quote responded. "I-"
"OOoooooh no, I see where this is going!" The other mushroom said. "We're very rare mushrooms bub! We're not just something you just flaunt around to restore memories! Don't think for a second we're gonna let you eat us!"
"There's no need t-"
"IT'S ON YOU METALHEAD!" The mushroom roared before lunging for Quote soon biting down hard into the robot's wrist. The robot yelled in pain before shaking his wrist harshly, trying to shake the mushroom off onto the ground before he pulled the Spur out, pointing it directly at the mushroom as it lept back away from him, bouncing around the room.
"Please, can I ask that-" The other mushroom was trying to speak before the attacking one interrupted.
"I'M NOT BEING FOOD!" The attacking one roared as it charged straight for Quote to headbutt. In a blind panic, the scout robot aimed the Spur at the mushroom and charged before firing quickly, not giving the Spur the chance to get to Level 3, only to 1. A thin white beam, unlike the thick laser blast of the Level 3 charge, shot out of the front of the gun before piercing the mushroom straight through, the fungus collapsing to the floor dead.
Quote went wide-eyed, the gun dropping from his hands as the weight of what he just did set in. "I-I... oh god..." He breathed.
"..." The other mushroom remained silent.
"I-I didn't want to kill it, I swear!" Quote said. "I jus-"
"Stop." The other mushroom said, looking at Quote. "I know you're only trying to do what was best for your memory-less friend. It is okay."
"Wh-wha-"
"Listen. Do what you need to do." The mushroom said. "Go ahead and pull the trigger on me, as long as it will help you on your quest."
"...a-are you sure?" Quote spoke.
"I know when someone is on the brinks of despair; where you are right now." The mushroom said. "If it means consuming me, then so be it."
Quote would feel a knot in his stomach as he aimed and pulled the trigger on the other mushroom...
The scout robot would feel uneasy as he stepped back onto the teleporter to the Plantation, a knot in his gut that he definitely felt bad about what he had just did. Though, his thought process would be soon interrupted as someone yelled.
"KILLER ROBOT! SMASH!"
The next thing he knew, he was knocked out cold from a massive orange vegetable.
The water dripped off the stalactites as the three Mimigas sat in wait for what was the inevitable of the Doctor needing them. Sue was still fidgeting around the place with anxiety before she heard the cell door open. Knowing that it was most likely a Droll, she didn't try to fight against it... but was then surprised as then a familiar white-skinned robot was thrown into the cell, collapsed in a heap. Misery had been right the whole time.
"!" Sue said, running up to the robot. "H-hey! You alright?"
No response.
"Hey! Wake up!" Sue yelled, starting to slap the robot before Jack ran over.
"I don't think that's going to work Sue!" Jack said. "He's completely unconscious!"
"Then what do I do?!" Sue snapped.
"What Misery told you!"
Sue fell silent as she nodded, quickly running to grab a piece of paper and a pencil as she quickly and hastily wrote down what she was going to explain. She had just finished slipping the written note into Quote's pocket before the cell bars opened again.
"Ah, Sue..." A voice said as Sue was soon enveloped in a red field, a Droll coming in and grabbing Jack. Fear grew in Sue's heart as she recognized the voice.
The Doctor.
"Your appointment is now." He spoke, soon snapping his fingers as all the figures disappeared, except for the robot boy and the large Mimiga eating in the corner.
Quote would slowly awaken, his head still swirling as he sat up, mumbling something to himself. "Nnnnnghhh..."
"Ey, you awake now pal?" Mahin had spoken from his eating corner, grabbing the attention of Quote.
"Wh-where am I?" Quote asked.
"Plantation jail cell." Mahin responded. "One of the Drolls threw ya in here unconscious. Sue was in a fritz trying to wake ya up."
The mention of Sue made Quote tense up. "Is she okay? Where is she?"
"You just missed her." The fat Mimiga said. "The Doctor just came by to take her and Jack away." Quote's heart sank as he heard those words.
"She left something in your pocket though." The fat Mimiga said, returning to his food. Curious, Quote would check his pocket to find a letter of some kind, opening it and beginning to read it.
"Hey, it's me, Sue.
I don't remember telling you anything about us. We came to the island as a research group.
It was me, my Mom, Kazuma, Professor Booster and Itoh.
...The Doctor was with us, too.
He was supposed to take care of our medical needs and did, I guess...
But that all changed when he found the Demon Crown...
That Crown used to belong to the master of this island- and grants immense magical powers to the person who dons it.
The Doctor knew about it well before coming to the island. It's the reason he forced himself onto our group.
After he grabbed hold of the crown that was pretty much it, we couldn't do anything about it.
The only thing we could do was continue the research of the island under his command.
He seeks to rule the surface using the island as a flying fortress.
From what I can tell, he plans on attacking the surface with the enraged Mimiga army.
I was able to escape, however, I don't know about most of the other's fates at this point...
Of course, he's using the innocent Mimiga to grow a large quantity of the red flowers.
And once he's ready to attack... He's gonna send the Mimiga into a state of insane rage by feeding them red flowers.
With his powers from the crown he'll control them and possibly me, too.
If you can get out of the jail, please look for a hidden safe house somewhere within the Plantation.
If my Mom is still alive then she'll be there working on a plan of her own to beat the Doctor... if Misery isn't lying to me about it, that is.
Please, help her as much as you can.
Before I forget, the password to get into the safe house is "Litagano Motscoud". If Misery is correct about all this, my Mom is the only shot you might have left...
-Sue"
The last part of the letter confused Quote. Greatly. Wasn't Misery allies with the Doctor? Didn't she have no choice in helping the Doctor's plans succeed? If that was the case, why would Misery be telling Sue that her mother was alive if it truly wasn't the case? It just didn't seem to add up...
Though that was the least of his worries right now.
He needed to get out of that cell.
Grabbing ahold of his Spur, he'd take aim at the bars of the cell, charging up to the Level 3 power before letting loose on the bars, the blocking structure falling to the wayside as he made his escape back into the Plantation. Remembering where the hole Curly was situated, he'd waste no time as he was soon back down that hole by her side, taking out one of the Ma Pignons he had obtained.
"Hey..." Quote said, handing her the mushroom. "You feeling okay?"
"I... think?" Curly spoke, looking at the mushroom. "What's that?"
"Something to help you." Quote said. "Go on, eat it."
"Uuuh... okay?" Curly spoke, taking the mushroom as Quote took out the other. "What... is this?"
"Just trust me, okay?" Quote spoke, taking ahold of his mushroom.
"A-alright..." Curly spoke as she took ahold of the Ma Pignon handed to her and ate it as Quote did with his.
The next thing that happened to the two robots were their processors sparking wildly...
The roaring sound of helicopter blades deafened the interior of the chopper as the hulking craft made its way towards the floating island. The interior was filled with the active soldier robots, most of them grey in color and model, looking threatening as they communicated to eachother about the mission to the island. There'd be two robots that stood out, however, sitting on one of the benches near the back wall of the chopper, one male and one female. The female was wearing a red cap, covering a bit of her blonde hair, while the male had a green metal plate with a heart on it attached to his belt.
"I dunno Curly..." The male said. "My nerves have been flaring up ever since we were sent on this mission. What... what if we're not capable enough?"
"You're still worried about that Quote?" Curly responded. "We'll be fine. It'll be a simple in-and-out job on our end. We go in, destroy the thing, and get out before anyone else knows."
"But what if we fail?" Quote asked. "What if others find out what our plan is?"
"You're worrying too much Quote." Curly spoke, setting a hand on his shoulder. "We're a team, remember? We can do this."
Quote inhaled deeply before sighing. "I just hope we can pull this off..." Quote spoke. "You know we weren't originally built for combat!"
"Until our creator modified us. You know he had good intentions." Curly said, polishing up her crimson Machine Gun a bit. "As long as we stick together, we'll be able to do this."
Quote would still be tense... but Curly's words made him a bit less so. "Partners for life?" He asked, extending a fist.
Curly smiled, returning the fist bump. "True that." She answered. "So, are you ready for what's going to come?"
Quote nodded. "Ready."
"And hey..." Curly said, taking off the hat and putting it on Quote's head. "In case we get separated or something happens to me, keep this as a memento whenever you feel down."
Quote would nod, removing the metal heart plate on his belt and handing it to Curly. "Same to you with this."
Curly would sadly smile, taking the plate and hooking it onto her belt. "I'll remember it." She spoke, before a loud buzzer sounded.
"ATTENTION SOLDIER ROBOTS!" The intercom in the copter droned. "T MINUS TWENTY SECONDS TO THE DROP ZONE ON THE ISLAND! PREPARE FOR LANDING!"
"Welp," Curly said, cocking her Machine Gun. "No turning back now. You ready Quote?"
Quote would nod, grabbing his own gun. "Let's do this." He said, preparing for the landing...
The sparking would soon die down as both the robots eye's flashed of recollection, their memories flooding back to them...
And then Curly hugged Quote tightly, crying happily.
"O-oh my god, Q-Quote..." Curly sobbed. "I-I remember... we... we did it, didn't we?"
"We did..." Quote spoke, tears in his eyes. "We killed Miakid..."
"We stopped him from getting the chance to use the Crown..." Curly spoke.
Quote would nod, before being reminded. "We're not done yet though. The Doctor is still running rampant here."
Curly would nod. "And right now he's in possession of the Crown. So you know what that means."
Quote would nod, readying the Spur. "We take him out, just like our mission was years ago with Miakid." His smile disappeared. "First though, we have some business to take care of."
With that, the two would exit out of the hole and being their search around the Plantation for that safe house. With the Drolls increasing in numbers around the plantation, it made it hard for the two to exactly search for the safe house, bringing up a few close calls with the large orange creatures before Curly tripped through... a wall? At least, that's what the two thought it was, before finding out it was actually a hologram of a wall, a metal door with a hatch behind it.
"This must be the safe house..." Curly whispered, getting up. "Quite the elaborate setup to hide the place..." She would go up to the door and knock on it before the hatch opened up, showing a pair of eyes.
"What's the password?" The voice spoke, female and tired.
Curly started to open her mouth, and then she stopped. She didn't know the password.
But Quote did.
"Litagano Motscoud." Quote spoke to the figure behind the door, before the hatch shut on it. A few seconds later the door would crack open a bit, followed by a hushed woman's voice.
"In, quickly." The woman's voice spoke. Both Quote and Curly nodded before huddling into the small hideout. There wasn't much in the way of 'comfort' per se; the cave past the door was a somewhat small space, but still enough room for maneuverability around the area. In the center of the room was a white platform of some sorts, blue accents and white plating on a steel frame, looking like some sort of rocket platform, sitting directly under a hatch in the ceiling. Only a few lanterns illuminated the small room, also revealing a workbench and what appeared to be a white lab coat and black sweater thrown over a chair near a small laptop, wires running to the platform.
"This is... not quite what I was expecting..." Curly spoke.
"Apologies for the mess." The woman's voice spoke, the door shutting behind the two. "It's been a bit hard these past couple of days."
"I-it's fine ma'am." Quote spoke, before the two would turn around to see the woman that let them in; taller than the two robots with a toned body, green hair tied back into a ponytail, wearing only a black tanktop and jeans with boots, a bit of dirt and grease staining her tanned skin.
"So, you two must know of others resisting the Doctor?" The female spoke.
Quote would nod. "We're here to help take him down." He spoke. "Mrs. Sakamoto I presume?"
"Yes." The woman, Momorin, spoke. "I'm glad you two could come here; I'm in need of help with something I'm working on."
"Does it have anything to do with the platform thing right there?" Curly asked, pointing to the metal platform in the center of the room.
Momorin nodded in response. "There's a hole in the ceiling of the cave that leads right up to the Balcony of the island, where we first landed. The platform should be able to transport at least two figures up there, but I'm missing crucial components in order to finish it..."
"Like what?" Curly asked. "I'd think we'd be willing to go out and grab whatever's needed for it."
"I'm unsure that the Plantation here would have spare rocket boosters lying around in here." Momorin spoke. "The place is kept under tight watch; no supplies in or out of the place unless its the hibiscus."
Quote got an idea, taking off the Booster v2.0 and showing it to the green-haired female. "I've got this. Will this do?"
Momorin would take the Booster and look over it, examining it. "Given this is Professor Booster's work..." She spoke, a smile starting to come to her face. "This will be more than acceptable to work with the rocket technology to get this platform. I'll need a power source however..."
"No problem, I can grab one." Curly said, crossing her arms. "What do you have in mind?"
"There's a sprinkler or two out in the plantation that would work perfectly." Momorin spoke. "However, the Mimiga won't speak to anyone that isn't human unless its the Doctor himself." At that point she would pull a mask of a Mimiga head out from underneath the workbench before handing it to the female robot. "Use this disguise. I don't know quite what the intelligence is of the Mimiga, but this should be more than enough to fool them."
Curly would nod, taking the mask from Momorin and sliding it on, tucking her golden hair in to fill out the floppy Mimiga ears of the mask. Once all parts of her golden locks were tucked into the mask, she nodded to the green-haired woman. "Alright, I'll go to grab that sprinkler." She spoke, before heading out the door back into the plantation, keeping herself calm and collected as she kept her Machine Gun and Nemesis on her back as to not try to alert any of the other Mimiga. A couple of sprinklers would still be running as they were watering more of those demonic hibiscus, but Curly knew she couldn't take one of those; the Drolls would grow suspicious if she had taken one of those.
"Damnit, damnit, damnit, damnit!" A voice yelled, Curly identifying it as another Mimiga. She'd just crest over the hill nearby to see another Mimiga, angrily whacking an inactive sprinkler with a shovel. "Stupid fricking sprinkler!"
Curly would take notes of what's going on. She could assume the sprinkler was broken, which could mean...
"Hey, you!" Another voice yelled, which shocked Curly as it was another Mimiga nearby before it came over to her. "You a newbie here?"
"Uh... y-yeah?" Curly spoke, a bit caught off guard.
"Good, you're on time." The Mimiga spoke, looking to the other one smacking the sprinkler. "Ey, Mac! We got someone to take care of that thing!"
"Newcomer?" The Mimiga yelled, chucking the broken sprinkler to the two. "Have 'em take this stupid thing over to the camp and get a replacement!"
"Got it." The other Mimiga said, handing the broken sprinkler to the incognito robot. "Take this thing to the rest camp; ya can't miss it, just head to the right until ya see a tunnel into the little area!"
"A-alright..." Curly stumbled, starting to walk off to the right across a wooden bridge overlooking the reservoir below. The bridge lightly swayed from her weight as she kept walking towards the tunnel on the other side of the open chasm. Once across, she gave a sigh of relief as she soon carried the sprinkler through the tunnel and into the small camp. There wasn't a whole load of things within the camp; just a couple of beds, a few storage barrels and a couple of Mimigas scampering about. Near the back wall would be a massive array of sprinklers, one Mimiga working on an assortment of them. Figuring this was the Mimiga she needed to talk to, she approached the Mimiga with the broken sprinkler...
"Uh, excuse me?" Curly asked, setting the broken sprinkler down, causing a disgruntled mutter to come from the Mimiga before he turned to face her.
"Whaddaya want?" He said, clearly wanting to get this over with as soon as he could.
"I-I need a replacement sprinkl-" She was then interrupted as the Mimiga unexpectedly threw a new sprinkler into her hands, causing her to stumble backwards and nearly fall over.
"There, a fresh one." The Mimiga grunted, turning back to working on the other sprinklers. "Tell the buffoons out there to be more careful next time."
Curly would nod, even though she would know that he wouldn't see her nod and the fact that she had a fully-charged sprinkler; ripe for powering that rocket elevator platform. She left the camp without a word, starting back across the bridge...
*KRAK!*
Curly froze up. The bridge didn't make that sound earlier when she was crossing before...
She took another step...
...and then the bridge snapped as she plummeted into the cold water below. She hit the surface of the water with a loud smack; feeling pain course all throughout her body as she sunk to the bottom of the water with the sprinkler. feeling her feet finally touching the bed of the lake, she'd start to drag the sprinkler across the ground of the underwater reservoir as she neared the shore...
...and nearly ended up scaring the two Mimiga at the shoreline as she dragged it out.
"Oh my!" The one elder Mimiga said.
"AAAAAAH!" The smaller female one shrieked. Curly would look up to see a small young Mimiga and an elder Mimiga with grey bushy eyebrows and mustache.
"W-wait! I'm friendly!" Curly spoke, not even aware her masked had become waterlogged from her fall. "I-I don't mean harm! Honest!"
The smaller Mimiga was still shivering as Curly picked up the sprinkler, starting to carry it off. "The bridge broke back to the camp, so I gotta take this thing back to the group the long way!" Curly spoke, to try and deflect any sort of suspicion towards her as she started to make her way up towards where she knew the safe house was located. Keeping her confidence as high as she possibly could, she lugged the large sprinkler up part of the hill towards the one cave area before she ducked into the false wall, entering into the hideout after lugging the sprinkler next to the platform.
"Is that a working one?" Momorin would ask, kneeling down next to the machine.
"Should be." Curly spoke, taking off the waterlogged mask as her wet hair stuck to her face. "Might be slightly wet considering the bridge back broke..."
"A little water shouldn't hurt the engine needed for the platform." Momorin spoke, looking over the sprinkler. "Good, it's full on charge and it's not damaged; exactly what we need."
"So we just have to wait now?" Quote asked.
"Not quite..." Momorin said, starting to disassemble the sprinkler. "I'll need a controller from one of my old work associates named Itoh. It's going to be the only way this rocket will get off the ground."
A thought clicked in Quote's head. "I can go find him."
"Are you sure?" Momorin spoke.
Quote would nod in response. "I can find it in no time." He spoke, heading out of the hideout, leaving Curly and Momorin alone.
"You're looking a little waterlogged there sweetie." Momorin spoke calmly. "There's a bed in the back if you need the rest."
Curly would nod, stumbling to the back and flopping down onto the bed, shutting down into sleep mode as she gained some rest...
Quote meanwhile would reach back to the storage area of the Plantation where he had encountered the other Mimiga, entering into the room to find him again. "Itoh?" Quote spoke.
"That's me, yes." The Mimiga spoke. "Is something wrong?"
"Momorin is needing some sort of controller from you?" Quote spoke. "We're trying to build a rocket to get up to the Balcony, an-"
"Wait, she is alive and well?" Itoh spoke, hope starting to well up in his voice.
"Y-yeah, she-" Quote started before Itoh interrupted.
"Take me to her." Itoh spoke, earning a nod from a nod from Quote as the robot led the Mimiga to the safe house, entering into it after speaking the password again.
"Did you get the controller from Itoh?" Momorin spoke, not looking up from the rocket being worked on.
"He has done one better Momorin!" Itoh had spoke, causing the woman to turn around to see him. "It is good to see you alive and well-" He was interrupted as he was soon hugged by the green-haired woman.
"Thank the gods you're alright Itoh..." Momorin whispered, hugging the Mimiga tightly. Itoh merely hugged the woman in response as Quote moved towards the back of the cave, finding Curly asleep on the bed. Feeling a bit exhausted himself, he got onto the bed with Curly and powered down into sleep mode himself...
Nearly an hour later, Both Quote and Curly would power back on, feeling much more invigorated than before as they looked over to the rocket... which was now fully complete.
"Oh sweet, it's done?" Curly said, getting up as Quote slowly got to his feet.
Momorin nodded in response. "Everything should be ready for your ascent." She spoke, handing Quote back the Booster v2.0. "We'll try to follow after once everything is taken of down here, but time is running short."
Itoh nodded as well. "The Doctor has already amassed the Mimiga, meaning his plan must be coming close to its initiation."
"We'll stop him before that happens." Quote spoke, readying the Spur at his side. "I promise that."
"Alright." Momorin spoke. "Go ahead and step on the platform." Both robots would step on the platform; just enough room for the two to stand on it as the ceiling hatch opened above them, opening into the Plantation and revealing a massive shaft above them in the ceiling of the cavern. Both Quote and Curly steeled their nerves as they felt the platform below them start to rumble as the thrusters kicked in, starting to lift the two off the ground as they propelled towards the shaft in the ceiling...
...but would be unaware that their little rocket platform would end up tripping the security alarm system. Loud sirens blared as the rocket accelerated, the loud metal doors slamming behind the two one by one as the rocket barely managed to outspeed the dangerous crushing death...
...but would soon see their ride would come to an abrupt end soon if they didn't leap off. There were spikes dotting the ceiling right above where the rocket was heading for. Quote grabbed Curly and dotted off the platform with her mere seconds before the platform crashed into the ceiling, detonating as the last steel door slammed shut, the emergence lights coming on as they bathed the small cave in a red light.
"Nnnnngghh..." Curly groaned, holding her head. "Owww... gimmie a little warning next time Quote..."
"Sorry..." Quote spoke, before looking around the small cave room they were in. The cave was much colder compared to the rest of the island's caverns they had traversed; especially compared to the molten hot of the Sand Zone and the damp and darkness of the Labyrinth...
"Rurf!"
The bark would grab Quote and Curly's attention as they'd look over to see a dog on the other side of the room, wagging its tail with a Life Capsule in its mouth and another Life Pot near its left paw. Quote would immediately recognize the puppy...
"Nene?" Quote asked, approaching the dog, the canine tilting its head as it looked at Quote. "Is this for us?"
The dog nodded its head.
Quote smiled as he took the Life Pot and the Life Capsule from the puppy, it giving a small bark before it ran and squirmed through a small hole in the wall. With that done, Quote inserted the Life Capsule into his system, feeling himself growing a bit stronger.
No turning back now.
"Ready Curly?" Quote said, readying the Spur.
"As I've always been, Quote." She responded, giving a wink to him as she readied the Machine Gun and the Nemesis.
Quote smiled before the two rushed off into the last cave standing between them and the surface of the island...
洞窟物語
Cave Story: The Demon Crown Saga
Chapter 7 End