A different kind of Knight

Chapter 12

Surely, this must be the wrong cave in this location? Going inside this cave feels like I'm marching towards an execution, my execution. I must clarify with Alice if this cave truly is the one; anything will be done to deny myself from entering this cave! "Alice, are you sure this is the right cave?" The question was uttered with a mix of uncertainty and discomfort. She responds and tries to affirm that there ís nothing to fear as long as she is here since her friend wilI recognize her. Thus, ensuring hostilities shalI be nothing more than just a bit of banter, hopefully. "Luke! There is nothing to worry about while I'm here because we're buddies! Besides! He's friendly, and quite thick-skinned too in both metaphorical and literal. I just hope he still remembers me all this time." Wait, how long has it been since the last time they've met each other? "Alice, when was the last time you've established contact with this cave-dwelling friend of yours?" The vague answer from the cat-woman-xeno-friend only made my doubts more reasonable. "I don't know, maybe a few years? I don"t really know since I was made into a battery for that crazy old man. BUT! I'm pretty sure he still remembers me!" Ay! This feline is quite insistent! I will make one last attempt to alter her train of thoughts, perhaps she will finally see reason. "Alice... Are you really sure?" She answered with mild annoyance as if I was being unreasonably paranoid to the point where we wasted a considerable amount of time idling in the entrance. "LUKE! YES, I AM SURE! I PROMISE YOU THAT NOTHIN' BAD IS GONNA HAPPEN!" *sigh,* Well, into the inky blackness we go.
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We are enveloped by the same inky darkness that I resented after making only a short walk into the dark depths.
Left. Right. Left. Right. I have been walking for some time, I wonder how far I am from the cave's mouth?
*Whirrrrr.* The motor hums as gears churn to turn only the Knight's upper torso to look towards the entrance. Nothing. All I saw was nothing but black on my screen. Since I am no longer able to see the entrance then surely we must've covered a great distance after marching for some time! We only marched a short distance. 135 meters. After what seems like hours of marching did we onl- It was only 75 seconds of marching. *THUD! THUD!*
Alice must be getting impatient with me and my hesitations. This friend must've been a very important figure in her life. But I will put my trust in her. Alright,march! *Click.* Two bright beams of lights erupted from the illumination lamps mounted on boths sides of Chaosbane's chassis since the darkness seems to interfere with my senses. Now I am an obvious target. That isn't right. Something must be very wrong here. The Lights are supposed to be capable of illuminating 5 city blocks brightly but instead it was only able to shine about 10 meters ahead! Did I fail to properly maintain it? Bah! Impossible! Checked the power gauges and they all look fine and so is the condition of the reactor. What if... There is something here altering the environment at will? Wait, I hear voices. Not the ethereal kind that mocks the faithful servants of the Emperor, this one sounds more... Fearful. "Alice, do you hear somebody talking?" She responds with uncertainty. "Um, no?" There! "Look! There is a golem up ahead!" "Careful!" "I will need to shoot at its eyes and blind it. It's the only way we could get outta here alive!" Their whispered conversation tells me that their foolish actions will be the cause of their death.
I could send Alice out to meet them, but her troublesome history in civilized society would also have a chance to eradicate any forms of peaceful interactions. Maybe I should just go talk to them? "COME OUT AND PRESENT YOURSELF BEFORE ME! I DO NOT WISH TO BRING HARM!" The vox-caster absolutely screeched it aloud and they would be totally deaf if they hadn't heard it, I just hope that my attempts at communication hasn't driven them deaf. Need to listen carefully to their hushed conversations to see if that changed their minds. "It spoke! The golem spoke!" "Hush! Do not trust its words!" "But it wants to meet us!" "No! Don't go into its light! NO!" A figure slowly emerges from the dark and into my light. It's a woman, a very poor-looking one. Another figure follows after her and the same could be said about him other than having its weapon drawn which is nothing more than a pitiful crossbow. "Greetings! As I said before, I do not wish to bring harm upon any of you nor do I bear any ill intent against any of you." I spoke kindly, almost cooing at them. The woman could only stare at me in awe while the man levels his primitive armament towards me as if it had the ability to destroy this ancient relic from the Dark Age of Technology. Heh, I would like to see him try. I did not truly mean that and I was musing to myself on how he would neutralize me with that so much-more-ancient construction of wood and steel could take me down.