"He may be part machine, but it's also part alive, he's not a tool isn't that right Mr. Bigglesworth?"
The cat stares blankly, like he's seen things he can't un-see, like the weight of the world is on his shoulders, like he's been beaten and stabbed, bludgeoned and crushed, torn apart, eaten, chopped in twain and blown to bits. Those eyes have seen things no mortal being should have even seen in one lifetime.

Alice rolls her eyes
And yet, you keep coming back! If your fate is so bad, maybe talk to the girl that summons you and sends you to your deaths?

Mrs. Bigglesworth looks at Alice with quiet disobedience.

Alice stares back at the cat.
Useless!

"It's not like they're getting paid to do this." Ashley quips.

Well, It's up to you to share your money with them then! What would a demonic mecha-cat buy with money anyway? And I'm not getting paid either! Alice does it for free!

[Ashley has denied the opportunity to add animal cruelty to your list of crimes.]

Demonic monsters of the Negative Plane aren't animals! And nobody complains when I'm torn apart either! Not even me!

Cat moves 5ft NE and carefully takes a peek around the corner North. Again there's a whole lot of nothing, dusty tunnels continue to branch, this area looks like it was heavily excavated.

To Alice's dismay, Ashley and Cat move into the 2nd tunnel
Cat, don't move too far ahead! Have you forgotten there's a 2nd Mormesk here?

To the South another ladder heads up to the unknown, again these passages are the result of years of excavation and prospecting.

Hey, we mustn't forget to examine where that ladder leads to!

The remnants of veins are left on the walls in some sections including the precursor stones for Platinum, Copper, Silver and a very lustrous ore filled with speckles that are as shiny as polished metal. The metallic tone is clear for anyone to see, the low grade ore chipped away at as thoroughly as possible, but left for structural support, is in fact unmistakably Mithril. Ashley attempts to find any part that might yield good enough ore for a sample, but in this area it's well picked clean, leaving only low grade ore at best.[/i]

Alice runs her hands over a vein.
Low grade is good enough for me. The more other trace metals, the better! I'll absorb this when we have time!

Grudgingly, Alice moves into the tunnel leading N to get out of the passage leading further East.
This mine is a maze. I hate underground places! When was the last time I saw Sunlight? I can't even remember...

]
Yulya stares at her irrational comrade who prioritizes her immortal monster summons over fellow humanoids in disbelief and shakes her head. Then she trots after the others who are disregarding anything she says as usual.
This is insane... Or am I the crazy one? We will all die here...

Alice looks at Yulya with pity.
No, you were right. But Ashley's Ashley. Just let her be. She'll do her own thing anyway.

Mrs. B knocks the lantern over with her tail before running after Ashley, causing it to flicker out.

Alice's eyes narrow
I will not forget this!

She puts up the lantern again and re-ignites it before following the others.

"Excuse me? I'm from the negative plane in case you don't remember, I was summoned here as far as I can tell. Does that make me unworthy of care and kindness? Sheesh, sometimes I wonder if you're even emotionally genuine. Humph!"

Alice is genuinely puzzled
Haa? I thought you're a human who somehow ended up being summoned into the Negative Plane? You're clearly not a being of the Negative plane itself. They're thankfully not stable in this world just like your summons. At least not under normal conditions I believe. And no, as you act right now you're clearly unworthy of that! Get yourself together and show a minimum of cooperation! We have a drow elf head to collect!

You make your way North, blindly following a catgirl Barbarian into clear and present danger. Ashley waits where she is.
She looks East and sees more unstable tunneling, unlike the neatly cut and shored areas that have been stable for hundreds of years, Cat sees an intersecting tunnel that seems to be bored with teeth and claws rather than dug with tools, like a giant gopher came through, not caring to clean up the rubble and pressing it aside as it went. Relatively fresh surfaces are exposed including areas where veins have been completely ignored. A bright metallic and green vein of Mithril and copper ore glints in Cat's lamp light. Whatever dug this didn't do it with any regard for stability or prospecting.

Alice has no idea what a gopher is but tries to imagine what the animal or monster who dug this tunnel might look like.
That must be a big creature! The two fundamental questions are:
1) What does it taste like?
2) Does it have ears?
I guess we'll find out one way or the other. Where do we go, Yulya-sama? Do we continue on or take the lower tunnel eastwards? I don't like either but I think I hate the Western one a little less!

Alice follows to wherever Yulya decides.

Yulya tries her best to ignore the bickering but the lantern is something she cannot ignore
Ashley thats enough! If your summons  are only here to play pranks on us despawn them. We do not have the luxury to fight among ourselves down here.
Cat set up a lantern at your position and fall back! I do not like these tunnels at all. As there is no immediate danger north let us continue eastwards along the tracks!



Yulya casts LIGHT on a rock and tosses it into the tunnel
Alice please go check out the cacerb with the ladder you mentioned! If that cavern is safe we can move there.

If the alternative scout summon named Alice finds no danger Yulya moves into the cavern with the ladder.

Cat, don't move too far ahead! Have you forgotten there's a 2nd Mormesk here?

Cat stops in her tracks and looks around with unease
N-Nya?

Cat set up a lantern at your position and fall back! I do not like these tunnels at all. As there is no immediate danger north let us continue eastwards along the tracks!

Okay Nyaa!
Cat is slightly relieved to be going elsewhere. She puts the lamp she received earlier down at her position to keep the tunnel lit and carefully moves back to the lower tunnel heading East. Cat again readies her bow and stares into the tunnel.

Mrs. B! That wasn't nice, as punishment, I'll allow Alice to pet you, and you better be nice!

Alice sighs
There you go, was that so hard?

Alice looks at the distraught cat
We'll save that for our next rest. Don't give me that look, is being petted by me a fate worse than death?



Ashley wanders off again on her own

"Seriously guys, this place is dead, literally." Ashley wanders into the next section with stealth and peers into the darkness. She finds only more dusty crates and barrels and no signs of anyone passing through here in perhaps centuries.

Wouldn't count on it! You saw the fume drakes, shrooms and that ghost wizard pop up out of nothing. Even if there is not a living thing, there might be undead or otherwise odd ones. Lets move on East!

Alice uses stealth and carefully goes to inspect the rubble the burrowing animal left when it crossed the human-made tunnel

Just as Yulya hopes the severe in-party drama is resolved Ashley unexpectedly wanders off.

Ashley please join us we need you here!

Yulya holds her position for now - nervously looking in all directions and highly distrustful in the current peace. She casts GUIDANCE on Cat as she is passing by. This should aid her sniffing.