Not always the opposite, but appropriately disappointing.

Much like you, fortunately I always look the same. To host, that's all that counts. The 500 year old vampire loli is fine too.

"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.

Aside from Miss Loose Cannon, I think this was a communication error. Yeah it would have made more sense to go either up North on the left tunnel or go East.

Imagine we could have 2 cats with lamps and a wasp with Light in the air. 3 scouts / distractions. Instead Cat and Ashley will run into another ambush. I guess this is how the game is, huh? I assume Ashley really wants to turn into a cyborg after all.