After exploring more of the building, the group eventually found a room with a series of beds, or at least a series of thin mattresses propped up on pieces of wood. Everyone eventually went to sleep for the night except the Doctor, who as a rule only sleeps when she has to, and so took the duty of periodically sonic-ing lights on and off to prevent the monkey spiders coming back.
The next morning, the team made their way off the farm, the Doctor using a Pathfinder to recall K-9, and journeyed onwards.
"So d'you think those monkey spider things killed whoever owned the farm?" Graham asked, as they trudged through something that looked like snow but was warm to the touch.
"Probably," the Doctor allowed. "But they never act on their own. Monkey spiders are fairly placid up until you give them something to hunt and kill and then they become ruthless predators."
"So something else was controlling them? Ozymandias?" pondered Yaz.
"That note did say he gave a threat," said Ryan.
The Doctor stopped to pull up her socks a little more as they waded through even more of the snow-like substance. "Or maybe just a warning."
The snow eventually gave way to dark green rocks that littered a stone floor. The walking was much easier, but everyone's legs were already tired and sore.
From afar they could see a quarry that dipped down out of view. Although each of them began giving each other sceptical looks, K-9 led them down a winding slope that eventually led to the quarry's base.
He scooted up to a large hole cut into one of the malachite walls and turned to the others.
"You have reached your destination, mistress."
The Doctor, not wanting to outwardly criticise her recently revived friend, peered curiously into the opening in the rock.
"Did I set the wrong destination?"
"Negative. These caves lead directly underneath the Palace of King Ozymandias."
"I was expecting, like, big palace gates or something," Ryan said, slightly unhappily.
"King Ozymandias's palace is surrounded by 564m high fences, each constructed from a highly compressed form of carbon that is both near-indestructible and capable of transmitting a large electric shock to anyone who touches it. King Ozymandias, as a rule, does not like visitors," K-9 explained.
"Good job we're sneaking in to his palace and asking for wishes then, ain't it?" sighed Graham.
"The King respects those who try," K-9 replied.
"Right then, on we go," the Doctor announced.
"I will not be accompanying you further, mistress. My navigation software is not capable of below-ground routing."
"What if we get lost?" asked Yaz.
"My data files indicate that mistress is good in hopeless scenarios 99.67% of the time."
"We don't talk about the other 0.33%," hand-waved the Doctor.
"It's been great having you around again, old friend," she said, kneeling down to K-9's level. "I promise to build you a new shell soon."
"The mistress may have a different body, but she is still incapable of telling mistruths," K-9 stated, before fizzing back out of existence.
The Doctor sighed before standing back up.
"I'll miss that old mutt," Graham said. "He reminded me of the dog I had when I was kid. She talked back a bit less, though."
"Let's go," the Doctor said quietly, and led the team into the darkness of the cave opening.