Lepidoptera
Mother of Monsters, Unverified Impuritas Civitatis
- Location
- Indeterminate Unknown
Back into battle, then.
Machine Learning: A Cave Story Quest
- Thread starter Lepidoptera
- Start date
- Action
Back into battle, then.
File 2, Entry 5 - Pentalagus Furnessi
Lepidoptera
Mother of Monsters, Unverified Impuritas Civitatis
- Location
- Indeterminate Unknown
Machine Learning - File 2, Entry 5 - Pentalagus Furnessi
You silently raise a finger to your mouth, asking Arthur for silence. He nods without a word of protest or confusion. His eyes are narrowed, harsh and defiant in the same way they were when you first met. But none of the heat is directed at you. It burns in the open air, waiting for an outlet.
The buzzing gets louder. Closer. You and Arthur slowly creep behind the stone anchoring the platform to the bottom of the Island, careful not to disturb anything that might make noise. It may be a pointless endeavor. You don't know why the Gaudi are here now, but the two of you were not quiet in your approach. They will know that somebody, at least, is here. But it would still be unwise to stand out in the open.
The buzzing gets louder. It's a low, droning noise that layers into itself many times over. You don't dare peer around the corner to see if the Gaudi are in sight. By the sound, there's more than one. You can't tell exactly how many. Their wingbeats blue together, joined in an ominous, all-consuming thrum.
You have fought in worse battlefields than this. Not willingly, of course, but sometimes unfavorable situations are unavoidable. You have solid cover in the form of the anchor to the Island's bottom, and there's a wide open distance between you and Arthur and the structure where the Gaudi are presumably coming from. But your gun is damaged and won't load properly and you have no chance of retreating or repositioning if things turn poorly. Arthur is here, but with only a sword fighting on a tiny platform surrounded by open sky you are skeptical of how effective he'll be.
Gaudi are demons, a wide label which is applied to any sapient species which intrinsically function and exist only due to magic. Their biology has many key differences from the insects they share an appearance with, but not enough to account for the fact that they can exist as they do. They are faster and stronger and tougher than any ordinary creature should be. Not stronger than one of your model, but able to compete with the lesser machine soldiers without trouble. Maybe able to compete with you now that you are damaged.
Arthur's breathing is careful and slow. You do not breathe at all. And the buzzing of wings grows closer.
The ovaloid shape of a Gaudi enters the corner of your vision, flying out from under the platform you stand on hanging from below the Island. Two more follow, fanned out against the rolling sea of clouds. Their bodies are unarmoured, just rust-brown chitin. These are dedicated scouts or forerunners, then. Armor and weapons weigh the Gaudi down too much to fly freely, and they're strong enough to be dangerous without weapons. But it also means they're limited by their reach. For an ordinary person, Gaudi fly too quickly and too erratically to hope to stop them from closing distance.
You are not an ordinary person.
A spray of gunfire pierces the closest target, the Gaudi directly ahead. Their body reflexively twitches and then tumbles into the cloud cover below. The Gaudi to the left panics, moving erratically as they try to find somewhere to take cover. The other makes a sharp turn charging towards you. Two bullets streak past them, but a third lands just above the leg and the unfortunate insect is sent spinning back. Even from a weapon like yours, a single gunshot isn't enough to kill a Gaudi. But in the air and without any leverage the force of the impact is overwhelming. The metallic echo of gunfire sounds in another short burst, and the two Gaudi both begin their descent to the earth below.
A scraping noise cries out behind you. You turn to see Arthur sliding his blade down the claw of another Gaudi that landed on your platform and burying it in the demon's chest. It cleaves through the creature's body in the same motion. The two Gaudi standing behind it step back, but only one makes it to the safety of the air. The other is torn cleanly in half in a single verticals stroke. Arthur glares at the remaining Gaudi flying just outside his reach.
Seeing his battlefield ability from a distance is almost more impressive than experiencing it. You reassess your earlier doubt regarding Arthur's usefulness in this environment. There are still advantages to using a ranged weapon, though.
You shoot the remaining Gaudi in the chest three times and they crumble. Looking further, you see more approaching over the gap between the platform and the entrance to the structure. Another six, but no more behind them.
They scatter when you open fire, spreading out in all directions but up. A bullet clips the wing of an especially unfortunate Gaudi, and they begin to fall towards the planet's surface along with the others. You aim at the next-closest, but two missed shots and the gun only clicks when your finger presses down on the trigger. Right, you have to reset the loading mechanism manually now. That'll take some getting used to.
As you unlatch the ammo synthesis chamber and try to get all the parts back in place, two of the Gaudi land on the platform. One does so just within Arthur's reach and dies without ceremony a moment later. The other immediately takes to the air again and barely avoids Arthur's swing. His blade's tip scrapes across the surface of the Gaudi's chest, leaving a thin groove behind in the chitin.
One you can see still in flight between the platforms. The other two are unaccounted for. Where?
A quick glance around reveals nothing. Then-
You turn just fast enough to see the two Gaudi emerging from below the platform directly in front of you. Your machine gun's loader snaps back into place, but the chamber is still empty and synthesizing need rounds isn't instant. You can't shoot, not fast enough to matter here. So you do the next best thing.
You punch the closer Gaudi in the chest. Their exoskeleton crumples under your fist. Not a fatal blow, but enough to send the wounded demon staggering back. Unfortunately, they weren't alone. The second Gaudi lunges at you, clawed limbs extended. You dodge back too slowly, too clumsily, and the insect's talon sinks into your shoulder. Not deeply, but enough to send a signal of the damage hissing through your mind. You'll have to go easy on that arm until it's repaired.
You kick the Gaudi away. Their arm slides unevenly out of the gash in your arm, tearing the metal further. You don't care. It will heal. A faint click emanates from your machine gun, alerting you that it is fully reloaded.
The Gaudi you kicked stumbles back and takes flight again, hovering out of reach above the open air. You don't understand why. Did they already forget? Whatever the reason, it's a poor choice. You squeeze the trigger and the metallic cry of gunfire echoes again. The Gaudi falls like the rest. That leaves-
The Gaudi you punched throws themself at you. The sheer ferocity of the movement catches you off-guard. You stumble back into the pillar at the centre of the platform hard. A thin cloud of dust and a few pebbles rain from the rocky ceiling above. The Gaudi keeps going, a flailing mess of stabbing limbs that strikes you as utterly unprofessional. Were they trained at all? Even in your damaged state, you can push yourself in past the Gaudi's effective reach and deliver a second punch to their chest. The already-battered chitin buckles and the insect demon is left staggering away. Before you can even move to finish it off, a flash of silver cleaves the Gaudi apart.
Arthur's breaths are heavy and quick, far too quick for any healthy person. The faded red of his eyes looks a shade darker than usual. Or maybe you've just taken more damage than you thought. A quick internal diagnostics check, returns only the damage you expected, but when you return your focus to your traveling companion the bloody hue is gone. Arthur's expression is still murderous, staring down at the rippling waves of silver-gray cloud below.
The air is once again filled only by the sound of howling winds. The battle is over.
"Those were only scouts. Poorly-trained, as well." you point out. None of them tried to retreat and find a more well-equipped group. Their formation was easily broken and only a few even considered using the territory to their advantage. These were barely even real soldiers.
"So what does that mean for us?" Arthur asks. His voice is still thick with lethal intent, masked as it is under his usual inflection.
"If there is nothing more to the situation, we will be able to proceed with less difficulty than expected. But it is still odd." you say.
What has happened since you were unconscious? What has changed? Where is the rest of your team?
You'll find your answers soon enough. One way or another.
\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\
The Wind Fortress
Occupied by poorly-trained Gaudi
[x] Proceed onward
-[x] …without drawing attention if possible
-[] …without hesitation
[] Rest here
[] Go back
-[] Where?
You silently raise a finger to your mouth, asking Arthur for silence. He nods without a word of protest or confusion. His eyes are narrowed, harsh and defiant in the same way they were when you first met. But none of the heat is directed at you. It burns in the open air, waiting for an outlet.
The buzzing gets louder. Closer. You and Arthur slowly creep behind the stone anchoring the platform to the bottom of the Island, careful not to disturb anything that might make noise. It may be a pointless endeavor. You don't know why the Gaudi are here now, but the two of you were not quiet in your approach. They will know that somebody, at least, is here. But it would still be unwise to stand out in the open.
The buzzing gets louder. It's a low, droning noise that layers into itself many times over. You don't dare peer around the corner to see if the Gaudi are in sight. By the sound, there's more than one. You can't tell exactly how many. Their wingbeats blue together, joined in an ominous, all-consuming thrum.
You have fought in worse battlefields than this. Not willingly, of course, but sometimes unfavorable situations are unavoidable. You have solid cover in the form of the anchor to the Island's bottom, and there's a wide open distance between you and Arthur and the structure where the Gaudi are presumably coming from. But your gun is damaged and won't load properly and you have no chance of retreating or repositioning if things turn poorly. Arthur is here, but with only a sword fighting on a tiny platform surrounded by open sky you are skeptical of how effective he'll be.
Gaudi are demons, a wide label which is applied to any sapient species which intrinsically function and exist only due to magic. Their biology has many key differences from the insects they share an appearance with, but not enough to account for the fact that they can exist as they do. They are faster and stronger and tougher than any ordinary creature should be. Not stronger than one of your model, but able to compete with the lesser machine soldiers without trouble. Maybe able to compete with you now that you are damaged.
Arthur's breathing is careful and slow. You do not breathe at all. And the buzzing of wings grows closer.
The ovaloid shape of a Gaudi enters the corner of your vision, flying out from under the platform you stand on hanging from below the Island. Two more follow, fanned out against the rolling sea of clouds. Their bodies are unarmoured, just rust-brown chitin. These are dedicated scouts or forerunners, then. Armor and weapons weigh the Gaudi down too much to fly freely, and they're strong enough to be dangerous without weapons. But it also means they're limited by their reach. For an ordinary person, Gaudi fly too quickly and too erratically to hope to stop them from closing distance.
You are not an ordinary person.
A spray of gunfire pierces the closest target, the Gaudi directly ahead. Their body reflexively twitches and then tumbles into the cloud cover below. The Gaudi to the left panics, moving erratically as they try to find somewhere to take cover. The other makes a sharp turn charging towards you. Two bullets streak past them, but a third lands just above the leg and the unfortunate insect is sent spinning back. Even from a weapon like yours, a single gunshot isn't enough to kill a Gaudi. But in the air and without any leverage the force of the impact is overwhelming. The metallic echo of gunfire sounds in another short burst, and the two Gaudi both begin their descent to the earth below.
A scraping noise cries out behind you. You turn to see Arthur sliding his blade down the claw of another Gaudi that landed on your platform and burying it in the demon's chest. It cleaves through the creature's body in the same motion. The two Gaudi standing behind it step back, but only one makes it to the safety of the air. The other is torn cleanly in half in a single verticals stroke. Arthur glares at the remaining Gaudi flying just outside his reach.
Seeing his battlefield ability from a distance is almost more impressive than experiencing it. You reassess your earlier doubt regarding Arthur's usefulness in this environment. There are still advantages to using a ranged weapon, though.
You shoot the remaining Gaudi in the chest three times and they crumble. Looking further, you see more approaching over the gap between the platform and the entrance to the structure. Another six, but no more behind them.
They scatter when you open fire, spreading out in all directions but up. A bullet clips the wing of an especially unfortunate Gaudi, and they begin to fall towards the planet's surface along with the others. You aim at the next-closest, but two missed shots and the gun only clicks when your finger presses down on the trigger. Right, you have to reset the loading mechanism manually now. That'll take some getting used to.
As you unlatch the ammo synthesis chamber and try to get all the parts back in place, two of the Gaudi land on the platform. One does so just within Arthur's reach and dies without ceremony a moment later. The other immediately takes to the air again and barely avoids Arthur's swing. His blade's tip scrapes across the surface of the Gaudi's chest, leaving a thin groove behind in the chitin.
One you can see still in flight between the platforms. The other two are unaccounted for. Where?
A quick glance around reveals nothing. Then-
You turn just fast enough to see the two Gaudi emerging from below the platform directly in front of you. Your machine gun's loader snaps back into place, but the chamber is still empty and synthesizing need rounds isn't instant. You can't shoot, not fast enough to matter here. So you do the next best thing.
You punch the closer Gaudi in the chest. Their exoskeleton crumples under your fist. Not a fatal blow, but enough to send the wounded demon staggering back. Unfortunately, they weren't alone. The second Gaudi lunges at you, clawed limbs extended. You dodge back too slowly, too clumsily, and the insect's talon sinks into your shoulder. Not deeply, but enough to send a signal of the damage hissing through your mind. You'll have to go easy on that arm until it's repaired.
You kick the Gaudi away. Their arm slides unevenly out of the gash in your arm, tearing the metal further. You don't care. It will heal. A faint click emanates from your machine gun, alerting you that it is fully reloaded.
The Gaudi you kicked stumbles back and takes flight again, hovering out of reach above the open air. You don't understand why. Did they already forget? Whatever the reason, it's a poor choice. You squeeze the trigger and the metallic cry of gunfire echoes again. The Gaudi falls like the rest. That leaves-
The Gaudi you punched throws themself at you. The sheer ferocity of the movement catches you off-guard. You stumble back into the pillar at the centre of the platform hard. A thin cloud of dust and a few pebbles rain from the rocky ceiling above. The Gaudi keeps going, a flailing mess of stabbing limbs that strikes you as utterly unprofessional. Were they trained at all? Even in your damaged state, you can push yourself in past the Gaudi's effective reach and deliver a second punch to their chest. The already-battered chitin buckles and the insect demon is left staggering away. Before you can even move to finish it off, a flash of silver cleaves the Gaudi apart.
Arthur's breaths are heavy and quick, far too quick for any healthy person. The faded red of his eyes looks a shade darker than usual. Or maybe you've just taken more damage than you thought. A quick internal diagnostics check, returns only the damage you expected, but when you return your focus to your traveling companion the bloody hue is gone. Arthur's expression is still murderous, staring down at the rippling waves of silver-gray cloud below.
The air is once again filled only by the sound of howling winds. The battle is over.
"Those were only scouts. Poorly-trained, as well." you point out. None of them tried to retreat and find a more well-equipped group. Their formation was easily broken and only a few even considered using the territory to their advantage. These were barely even real soldiers.
"So what does that mean for us?" Arthur asks. His voice is still thick with lethal intent, masked as it is under his usual inflection.
"If there is nothing more to the situation, we will be able to proceed with less difficulty than expected. But it is still odd." you say.
What has happened since you were unconscious? What has changed? Where is the rest of your team?
You'll find your answers soon enough. One way or another.
\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\
The Wind Fortress
Occupied by poorly-trained Gaudi
[x] Proceed onward
-[x] …without drawing attention if possible
-[] …without hesitation
[] Rest here
[] Go back
-[] Where?
Last edited:
Lepidoptera
Mother of Monsters, Unverified Impuritas Civitatis
- Location
- Indeterminate Unknown
Sorry for the brief delay on this one, my family was around and I wanted to spend some time with them.
- Pronouns
- He
Not at all, spending time with people you like is important, especially for people nerdy enough to write (or read) quests.
[X] Proceed onward
-[X] …without drawing attention if possible
Poorly-trained is good but who knows how many of them there are? Better to stay quiet as much as possible.
[X] Proceed onward
-[X] …without drawing attention if possible
-[X] …without drawing attention if possible
Lepidoptera
Mother of Monsters, Unverified Impuritas Civitatis
- Location
- Indeterminate Unknown
Going in quiet.
Lepidoptera
Mother of Monsters, Unverified Impuritas Civitatis
- Location
- Indeterminate Unknown
Apologies for the delay in the chapter's release, I've been having headaches recently and it's made it hard for me to sit down and write. The next update should still be in the next day or two.
File 2, Entry 6 - Holland Lop
Lepidoptera
Mother of Monsters, Unverified Impuritas Civitatis
- Location
- Indeterminate Unknown
File 2, Entry 6 - Holland Lop
Without another word, you step to the edge of the platform. Another carefully-aimed leap takes you from the small scaffold through the opening in the hand-carved stone and into the Wind Fortress. You stumble as you land. It's still difficult to move around like you used to. You glare at the stonework under your feet. Unsurprisingly, it does not respond in any way. The inside of the structure is lit the same faint monotone all throughout, with no visible sources of light. The ground, walls, and ceiling are all obviously constructed, composed of large slate-white blocks each denoted by faint grooves where they are joined together and marked with small carved patterns along their edges. The brickwork is seamless, no space left between each block. The actual room itself is much less impressive. It's a plain tunnel, roughly thirty metres long and half as wide and tall. The inside is completely undecorated. The small outcroppings of rock on the ground hint at some sort of structures that used to stand here, but time and the presence of the Gaudi together have left only spots of rubble. At the end of the room, the clean-cut stone gives way to the rough mouth of a cave winding up and out of sight. A paved stairway traces the path up. Your don't remember this room. The Wind Fortress is only remembered in snapshots, moments and pieces of clarity that begin and end without any sense of order. You can pick out the places, the flow of the overall battle, the arrangements of enemy forces, but actually determining what leads where is beyond you. It's frustrating.
Worse is the ever-present thought that you could ask Arthur about this place. He recognised it. Not as directly as you did, but he knows things you do not. Ancient Mimiga structures are barely even a concept, and you have the opportunity to gain an expert's perspective on one. You could learn how the place was constructed. The brickwork is too well put-together for what's supposed to be an ancient structure. Further, the positioning would make the Wind Fortress extremely difficult to build. Why place it on the bottom of the Island? Was there cultural significance? Religious significance? Did it serve a certain purpose that only this location could provide? Was it built at a time before the Island was formed? The lighting is clearly abnormal, is it magic or some unknown technology? Or perhaps just a special material used in the structure? You were curious about the mechanics behind it during your first visit to the Wind Fortress. None of your teammates shared that curiosity, though. Responses ranged from "Some magic bullshit" from Paren to "I don't think it really matters right now" from Curly, though Quote at least just said he didn't know and left it at that. Would Arthur be any different?
You have so many questions, but only say one thing to Arthur as he lands behind you:
"Stay quiet and move quickly. We can't afford to be overwhelmed."
Arthur grunts affirmatively. His eyes aren't on you. An incautious decision considering how circumstantial your alliance is. You aren't letting your guard down around him unless it's necessary.
The Mimiga warrior's eyes are a shade lighter than dried blood, narrowed to slits. His shoulders are forward and his ears are pulled back, forming a sharper silhouette. Between that and the stains and dirt now covering his body, he could be rabid. But the grip on his sword is too purposeful for a mere animal.
…asking questions would be pointless even if you had the time. Arthur is focused on the mission ahead. You should be, too. It'd be shameful if you underperformed compared to a regular person.
Arthur moves more quietly than you do down the empty hall and up the stairway into the caves. Padded feet are good for stealth. Your footsteps ahead of him click against the stone floor. Your shoes were padded at one point both for quiet and to soften the force of bearing your full body weight, but the weathering you've suffered has worn that away. Something rattles faintly inside you as you move. The earlier fight must have knocked a part loose. Internal diagnostics are clear, so it isn't an important part at least. It'll heal on its own.
The noise remains an irritant as you proceed deeper into the Wind Fortress. Arthur never mentions it, so it must not be too loud. But you can't not hear it. It's another reminder of how much less you are right now. You should have been able to stand on your own feet against Arthur. You shouldn't have taken such sloppy injuries against the Gaudi earlier. You shouldn't be alone right now.
The cave only breaks out into a proper room a few times along the path. Both are like the entry room, any details they might have had roughly removed. The cave itself splits off along its winding path more than once. Most of these side-routes are sealed off or simply blocked by stacks of stone and boxes, but some are only partially closed. You and Arthur just keep following the main path. You remember those tunnels, and they don't lead anywhere useful.
It's not long before the sound returns. The buzzing, crowding noise of wings. You wordlessly signal to Arthur and then break into a careful, stilted sprint back down the cave. He hesitates behind you a moment before following and quickly passing you. Luckily, the Mimiga understands what you were aiming right away.
Arthur ducks into one of the cave's offshoots with you trailing behind him. You press yourselves up against the rocky wall. Its rough surface brushes against your body. You and Arthur both shift further back as the sound of the Gaudi gets closer, eventually nestling yourselves together in a nook that really isn't big enough for two people. Arthur must be smaller than he looks.
So close, it's much more apparent. The cloak makes Arthur look larger, but he feels oddly thin. Unhealthily so, even. Could it be a side-effect of the Demon Flowers? Or maybe whatever he's done that slowed their effects so intensely? Admittedly, Mimiga biology isn't your area of expertise. It's barely a field at all, and you've never needed to know more than you do. Another question you can't ask.
It takes little time for the source of the noise to reach you. Eight Gaudi, flying in short bursts and then landing briefly before leaving the ground again. The two in the front gleam in the strange light of the Wind Fortress, cobalt-blue armour clearly visible. These are actual soldiers. The rest following behind them are unarmed. If the others were here, this would be an easy engagement. The Gaudi are paused outside the cave branch where you and Arthur are hidden, hesitating. If you moved in now, they would be dead before they could even begin to respond.
You can't fight forever, though. You've already been injured in what should have been an easy battle. If you draw attention here, how many Gaudi will you have to kill to reach safety? There were hundreds in your memories. Gunfire is too loud, too obvious not to be noticed. If you wanted to fight and avoid getting swarmed, you'd have to rely on your own physical ability and Arthur's assistance. Neither are things you'd stake your survival on right now.
Arthur doesn't agree. He pushes you aside, careful but forceful, and takes a step out towards the patrol of Gaudi. His Blade gleams in the dark.
You grab his collar with your good arm and pull him back. It's not worth it, and you won't have somebody else's overeagerness interfering with the objective. It's like Paren's still with you, causing problems without actually being present.
Arthur's body twists to break your grip. His sword arm rises, an instinctual response to a perceived attack. When your eyes meet, his lips are pulled back to show short fangs. It only takes a moment for the wrathful expression to be shut away, but the Mimiga warrior's frustration simmers in his narrowed, hardened eyes and thin mouth.
'Not yet' you sign out, remembering late that Arthur isn't part of your team and wouldn't necessarily know sign language. To your surprise, he hisses out a breath but nods and steps back into the alcove. His grip on the Blade's hilt is crushing.
The Gaudi chatter for a moment, but elect not to spread out into the side-passages. It strikes you as odd, but convenient. The scouts proceed down the cave and first out of sight, then eventually out of earshot.
Arthur exhales loudly. The tension in his body drains down, weighing on that imposing frame and dragging his Blade's tip towards the earth.
For a moment, it's not him, but Chevron standing next to you. If it was Chevron, you'd say something. Just a reminder, to stay focused on the mission, to not get burdened by things that don't matter. That you all need one another to stay strong and do your jobs.
But it's not Chevron standing next to you, so you say nothing and keep moving. They barely listen to you anyways, so why would Arthur?
\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\
The two of you pass a second patrol group before coming to the room. You remember this. A massive empty space, stretching out and up in equal measure. Struts, scaffolds, and catwalks run through the open air in a tangled web, overlooking large platforms held by massive stone supports. Below, the space where the floor should be opens out into the rolling ocean of clouds below. It held vehicles halfway through being scrapped when you and your team first arrived. This was a hanger of some sort before the Gaudi took it, and their claws aren't a good fit for vehicles. Now, no trace of that old machinery remains. Gaudi buzz through the air, resting and returning to flight as necessary with the aid of the various platforms dotting the wide-open room.
Your eyes trace the short lip of ground l where you and Arthur have entered. It connects to two nearby catwalks, both of which are tied into the platform network further ahead, but you don't even consider them. The Gaudi would stop you instantly if you want out there.
Instead, you hurry along the side of the room and duck through a familiar door. Arthur follows, unquestioning. A strange comfort settles through your mangled body in response to that fact. Even under the present circumstances, somebody recognizes your authority. It's not somebody who actually falls under that authority, but-
It's right. It feels right.
You gesture to Arthur, whose Blade slides cleanly through the back of the first Gaudi in the room and then cleaves the second in half. It's a small room, the low ceiling and tight walls a sharp contrast to the open air just behind you. More importantly, it was filled wall-to-wall with computer terminals during your first raid on the Wind Fortress.
Only one of those terminals remains now. Paren was with you when you found it, and her idea of "disrupting enemy operations" was… straightforward. But she left one behind so Curly could take it back to the base. You don't remember why it ended up left behind, or why Curly wanted another computer in the first place. But the end result was a single computer terminal remaining.!Until just a second ago, a Gaudi was accessing it. It's still in use. The rest have been cleared out, leaving rows of unoccupied desks behind. The Gaudi took the chairs, too, because their legs don't bend right to sit in them. But this one terminal is still here, its cool blue glow radiating faintly into the air.
"Watch the door" you sign to Arthur before grabbing the keyboard. Time to find out what's been going on here.
\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\
Data Retrieval
You only have so much time. Pick any number to read in a specified order, but you may be interrupted if you take too long.
[] Most Recent Entry
[] Plantation Reports
[] G Clone Data
[] Sand Zone Scouting
[] Balcony Anomaly
[] Map Data
Without another word, you step to the edge of the platform. Another carefully-aimed leap takes you from the small scaffold through the opening in the hand-carved stone and into the Wind Fortress. You stumble as you land. It's still difficult to move around like you used to. You glare at the stonework under your feet. Unsurprisingly, it does not respond in any way. The inside of the structure is lit the same faint monotone all throughout, with no visible sources of light. The ground, walls, and ceiling are all obviously constructed, composed of large slate-white blocks each denoted by faint grooves where they are joined together and marked with small carved patterns along their edges. The brickwork is seamless, no space left between each block. The actual room itself is much less impressive. It's a plain tunnel, roughly thirty metres long and half as wide and tall. The inside is completely undecorated. The small outcroppings of rock on the ground hint at some sort of structures that used to stand here, but time and the presence of the Gaudi together have left only spots of rubble. At the end of the room, the clean-cut stone gives way to the rough mouth of a cave winding up and out of sight. A paved stairway traces the path up. Your don't remember this room. The Wind Fortress is only remembered in snapshots, moments and pieces of clarity that begin and end without any sense of order. You can pick out the places, the flow of the overall battle, the arrangements of enemy forces, but actually determining what leads where is beyond you. It's frustrating.
Worse is the ever-present thought that you could ask Arthur about this place. He recognised it. Not as directly as you did, but he knows things you do not. Ancient Mimiga structures are barely even a concept, and you have the opportunity to gain an expert's perspective on one. You could learn how the place was constructed. The brickwork is too well put-together for what's supposed to be an ancient structure. Further, the positioning would make the Wind Fortress extremely difficult to build. Why place it on the bottom of the Island? Was there cultural significance? Religious significance? Did it serve a certain purpose that only this location could provide? Was it built at a time before the Island was formed? The lighting is clearly abnormal, is it magic or some unknown technology? Or perhaps just a special material used in the structure? You were curious about the mechanics behind it during your first visit to the Wind Fortress. None of your teammates shared that curiosity, though. Responses ranged from "Some magic bullshit" from Paren to "I don't think it really matters right now" from Curly, though Quote at least just said he didn't know and left it at that. Would Arthur be any different?
You have so many questions, but only say one thing to Arthur as he lands behind you:
"Stay quiet and move quickly. We can't afford to be overwhelmed."
Arthur grunts affirmatively. His eyes aren't on you. An incautious decision considering how circumstantial your alliance is. You aren't letting your guard down around him unless it's necessary.
The Mimiga warrior's eyes are a shade lighter than dried blood, narrowed to slits. His shoulders are forward and his ears are pulled back, forming a sharper silhouette. Between that and the stains and dirt now covering his body, he could be rabid. But the grip on his sword is too purposeful for a mere animal.
…asking questions would be pointless even if you had the time. Arthur is focused on the mission ahead. You should be, too. It'd be shameful if you underperformed compared to a regular person.
Arthur moves more quietly than you do down the empty hall and up the stairway into the caves. Padded feet are good for stealth. Your footsteps ahead of him click against the stone floor. Your shoes were padded at one point both for quiet and to soften the force of bearing your full body weight, but the weathering you've suffered has worn that away. Something rattles faintly inside you as you move. The earlier fight must have knocked a part loose. Internal diagnostics are clear, so it isn't an important part at least. It'll heal on its own.
The noise remains an irritant as you proceed deeper into the Wind Fortress. Arthur never mentions it, so it must not be too loud. But you can't not hear it. It's another reminder of how much less you are right now. You should have been able to stand on your own feet against Arthur. You shouldn't have taken such sloppy injuries against the Gaudi earlier. You shouldn't be alone right now.
The cave only breaks out into a proper room a few times along the path. Both are like the entry room, any details they might have had roughly removed. The cave itself splits off along its winding path more than once. Most of these side-routes are sealed off or simply blocked by stacks of stone and boxes, but some are only partially closed. You and Arthur just keep following the main path. You remember those tunnels, and they don't lead anywhere useful.
It's not long before the sound returns. The buzzing, crowding noise of wings. You wordlessly signal to Arthur and then break into a careful, stilted sprint back down the cave. He hesitates behind you a moment before following and quickly passing you. Luckily, the Mimiga understands what you were aiming right away.
Arthur ducks into one of the cave's offshoots with you trailing behind him. You press yourselves up against the rocky wall. Its rough surface brushes against your body. You and Arthur both shift further back as the sound of the Gaudi gets closer, eventually nestling yourselves together in a nook that really isn't big enough for two people. Arthur must be smaller than he looks.
So close, it's much more apparent. The cloak makes Arthur look larger, but he feels oddly thin. Unhealthily so, even. Could it be a side-effect of the Demon Flowers? Or maybe whatever he's done that slowed their effects so intensely? Admittedly, Mimiga biology isn't your area of expertise. It's barely a field at all, and you've never needed to know more than you do. Another question you can't ask.
It takes little time for the source of the noise to reach you. Eight Gaudi, flying in short bursts and then landing briefly before leaving the ground again. The two in the front gleam in the strange light of the Wind Fortress, cobalt-blue armour clearly visible. These are actual soldiers. The rest following behind them are unarmed. If the others were here, this would be an easy engagement. The Gaudi are paused outside the cave branch where you and Arthur are hidden, hesitating. If you moved in now, they would be dead before they could even begin to respond.
You can't fight forever, though. You've already been injured in what should have been an easy battle. If you draw attention here, how many Gaudi will you have to kill to reach safety? There were hundreds in your memories. Gunfire is too loud, too obvious not to be noticed. If you wanted to fight and avoid getting swarmed, you'd have to rely on your own physical ability and Arthur's assistance. Neither are things you'd stake your survival on right now.
Arthur doesn't agree. He pushes you aside, careful but forceful, and takes a step out towards the patrol of Gaudi. His Blade gleams in the dark.
You grab his collar with your good arm and pull him back. It's not worth it, and you won't have somebody else's overeagerness interfering with the objective. It's like Paren's still with you, causing problems without actually being present.
Arthur's body twists to break your grip. His sword arm rises, an instinctual response to a perceived attack. When your eyes meet, his lips are pulled back to show short fangs. It only takes a moment for the wrathful expression to be shut away, but the Mimiga warrior's frustration simmers in his narrowed, hardened eyes and thin mouth.
'Not yet' you sign out, remembering late that Arthur isn't part of your team and wouldn't necessarily know sign language. To your surprise, he hisses out a breath but nods and steps back into the alcove. His grip on the Blade's hilt is crushing.
The Gaudi chatter for a moment, but elect not to spread out into the side-passages. It strikes you as odd, but convenient. The scouts proceed down the cave and first out of sight, then eventually out of earshot.
Arthur exhales loudly. The tension in his body drains down, weighing on that imposing frame and dragging his Blade's tip towards the earth.
For a moment, it's not him, but Chevron standing next to you. If it was Chevron, you'd say something. Just a reminder, to stay focused on the mission, to not get burdened by things that don't matter. That you all need one another to stay strong and do your jobs.
But it's not Chevron standing next to you, so you say nothing and keep moving. They barely listen to you anyways, so why would Arthur?
\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\
The two of you pass a second patrol group before coming to the room. You remember this. A massive empty space, stretching out and up in equal measure. Struts, scaffolds, and catwalks run through the open air in a tangled web, overlooking large platforms held by massive stone supports. Below, the space where the floor should be opens out into the rolling ocean of clouds below. It held vehicles halfway through being scrapped when you and your team first arrived. This was a hanger of some sort before the Gaudi took it, and their claws aren't a good fit for vehicles. Now, no trace of that old machinery remains. Gaudi buzz through the air, resting and returning to flight as necessary with the aid of the various platforms dotting the wide-open room.
Your eyes trace the short lip of ground l where you and Arthur have entered. It connects to two nearby catwalks, both of which are tied into the platform network further ahead, but you don't even consider them. The Gaudi would stop you instantly if you want out there.
Instead, you hurry along the side of the room and duck through a familiar door. Arthur follows, unquestioning. A strange comfort settles through your mangled body in response to that fact. Even under the present circumstances, somebody recognizes your authority. It's not somebody who actually falls under that authority, but-
It's right. It feels right.
You gesture to Arthur, whose Blade slides cleanly through the back of the first Gaudi in the room and then cleaves the second in half. It's a small room, the low ceiling and tight walls a sharp contrast to the open air just behind you. More importantly, it was filled wall-to-wall with computer terminals during your first raid on the Wind Fortress.
Only one of those terminals remains now. Paren was with you when you found it, and her idea of "disrupting enemy operations" was… straightforward. But she left one behind so Curly could take it back to the base. You don't remember why it ended up left behind, or why Curly wanted another computer in the first place. But the end result was a single computer terminal remaining.!Until just a second ago, a Gaudi was accessing it. It's still in use. The rest have been cleared out, leaving rows of unoccupied desks behind. The Gaudi took the chairs, too, because their legs don't bend right to sit in them. But this one terminal is still here, its cool blue glow radiating faintly into the air.
"Watch the door" you sign to Arthur before grabbing the keyboard. Time to find out what's been going on here.
\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\
Data Retrieval
You only have so much time. Pick any number to read in a specified order, but you may be interrupted if you take too long.
[] Most Recent Entry
[] Plantation Reports
[] G Clone Data
[] Sand Zone Scouting
[] Balcony Anomaly
[] Map Data
Lepidoptera
Mother of Monsters, Unverified Impuritas Civitatis
- Location
- Indeterminate Unknown
Whew! Sorry about the delay, this one just ended up taking longer than I expected. Too many interruptions.
[1] Map Data
[2] Most Recent Entry
[3] Balcony Anomaly
[4] Sand Zone Scouting
[5] Plantation Reports
[6] G Clone Data
[2] Most Recent Entry
[3] Balcony Anomaly
[4] Sand Zone Scouting
[5] Plantation Reports
[6] G Clone Data
- Pronouns
- He
[1] Map Data
[2] Most Recent Entry
[3] Balcony Anomaly
[4] Sand Zone Scouting
[5] Plantation Reports
[6] G Clone Data
[2] Most Recent Entry
[3] Balcony Anomaly
[4] Sand Zone Scouting
[5] Plantation Reports
[6] G Clone Data
cB557
voOOP
Are we sure we want to queue up everything? It sounds to me like we'll probably get attacked and half to stop partway through if we try to read everything, while if we only read some of it we might be able to get out before that happens. If we end up having to stop partway through one way or another, it'd be better for it to be because we snuck back out than because we were attacked.
- Location
- Maybe?
[3] Most Recent Entry
[2] Plantation Reports
[4] G Clone Data
[1] Map Data
Map data to secure our exit. Plantation reports because half metagaming and half in character interest about the red flowers. Most recent entry because it's a data log classic, and G Clone cause I don't know what it is. Cut at four for safety.
We just passed through the balcony, and presumably sand zone could be traces of squadmate, but that'll happen in due time anyways.
[2] Plantation Reports
[4] G Clone Data
[1] Map Data
Map data to secure our exit. Plantation reports because half metagaming and half in character interest about the red flowers. Most recent entry because it's a data log classic, and G Clone cause I don't know what it is. Cut at four for safety.
We just passed through the balcony, and presumably sand zone could be traces of squadmate, but that'll happen in due time anyways.
It is the evil naked Curly Brace cloning machine in one of the bonus levels.
- Location
- Maybe?
Bonus levels? :googles: Oh I see, I never got through hell.
cB557
voOOP
[1] Map Data
[2] Sand Zone Scouting
[3] Balcony Anomaly
[4] Plantation Reports
Map data first since that just sounds like the most broadly practical thing. Finding out way around is important. Also it might not be able give us a big chunk of intel like some of the other options might, but location labelling can give us lots of little tidbits as well as lots of options for things to check out.
Sand zone scouting is a metagamey second pic, we the players know Curly is there so I wanna try and get our character a reason to go there. Plus scouting data seems just generally useful.
Balcony anomaly is also metagamey, there's a small number of things that could be and they're all pretty important so I wanna hear more. I think Bracket has mentioned being to the Balcony before, and it being a somewhat significant location, so an anomaly there might be something he'd be inclined to look into.
Getting the most recent information available seems important, but without knowing the topic of the most recent entry it's a bit of a mystery box. Could be important, could be trivial.
G clone stuff is weird and powerful, but I'm just not inclined to think of it as being super important in the grand scheme of things given that in-game it's just the boss of a bonus level. I dunno I might be being too hasty with that assessment, obviously this quest deviates from canon in some ways and the option probably wouldn't be put in front of us if it was useless, but I'm inclined to see it as an oddity that we might be able to turn to our advantage and/or a short term threat while we're in the area, and right now I want more general information about the island and the current conflict.
The plantation is obviously pretty important, but it's also pretty mundane and straightforward in a way such that I don't expect it to deviate from canon much, and that it'd be relatively easy for Bracket to find out what its basic deal is elsewhere. Just learning about the operations of the plantation might spur Bracket into action to hinder it much sooner than otherwise, and that might be valuable, but we'd still have to get there. I guess it might be possible to learn about the shortcut to the plantation from this if we're lucky. Or maybe get a hint about some of the possible friendly characters in the planation. And it might be pretty fun to see Momorin and Bracket interact. Actually yeah I'm talking myself into this one. Gonna bump most recent entry for this.
[2] Sand Zone Scouting
[3] Balcony Anomaly
[4] Plantation Reports
Map data first since that just sounds like the most broadly practical thing. Finding out way around is important. Also it might not be able give us a big chunk of intel like some of the other options might, but location labelling can give us lots of little tidbits as well as lots of options for things to check out.
Sand zone scouting is a metagamey second pic, we the players know Curly is there so I wanna try and get our character a reason to go there. Plus scouting data seems just generally useful.
Balcony anomaly is also metagamey, there's a small number of things that could be and they're all pretty important so I wanna hear more. I think Bracket has mentioned being to the Balcony before, and it being a somewhat significant location, so an anomaly there might be something he'd be inclined to look into.
Getting the most recent information available seems important, but without knowing the topic of the most recent entry it's a bit of a mystery box. Could be important, could be trivial.
G clone stuff is weird and powerful, but I'm just not inclined to think of it as being super important in the grand scheme of things given that in-game it's just the boss of a bonus level. I dunno I might be being too hasty with that assessment, obviously this quest deviates from canon in some ways and the option probably wouldn't be put in front of us if it was useless, but I'm inclined to see it as an oddity that we might be able to turn to our advantage and/or a short term threat while we're in the area, and right now I want more general information about the island and the current conflict.
The plantation is obviously pretty important, but it's also pretty mundane and straightforward in a way such that I don't expect it to deviate from canon much, and that it'd be relatively easy for Bracket to find out what its basic deal is elsewhere. Just learning about the operations of the plantation might spur Bracket into action to hinder it much sooner than otherwise, and that might be valuable, but we'd still have to get there. I guess it might be possible to learn about the shortcut to the plantation from this if we're lucky. Or maybe get a hint about some of the possible friendly characters in the planation. And it might be pretty fun to see Momorin and Bracket interact. Actually yeah I'm talking myself into this one. Gonna bump most recent entry for this.
I don't think we have? Pretty sure we've gone from the egg corridor to the wind fortress. Balcony is on the top of the island.
I think it's only in Cave Story+, so if you've never played that version you'd never have had the chance to see it.
Lepidoptera
Mother of Monsters, Unverified Impuritas Civitatis
- Location
- Indeterminate Unknown
The Wind Fortress is a bonus level accessible after you've cleared the game with the True Ending at least once. It's not nearly as hard as BSS, but it does have some difficult platforming and tough enemies. It also has basically zero information about it, so ninety-nine percent of anything about it besides the basic layout is going to be stuff I made up.
- Location
- Maybe?
Ah. - Yeah, you're right. I just got completely confused about the locations (because I didn't realize there were extra maps.)
Hm, I think I'll still stick with G-Clone as my fourth, since we're already in the area.
Lepidoptera
Mother of Monsters, Unverified Impuritas Civitatis
- Location
- Indeterminate Unknown
Cave Story just had its 20th anniversary! It snuck up on me and I don't really have anything planned, but it's not every day a game hits two decades.