Escape 2 - Result?

Good, I can see light! At last, we shall be able to make it out ofWait, what's this?

Tch. What a dreadfully unpleasant turn of events...

...We can't go through this light. Which means

This is the Prison Field.

Uh. Now what?

It seems our hands are tied.

Does this mean the barrier actually reaches this far into the ground...?

I figured there was a chance this could happen...but we're still kinda getting shafted here.

Let's head back to Gorgon's cell and plan our next move there.

Hehehe, hahahaha! Oh, this is turning into a wonderful day!

How does it feel, learning that all your efforts to escape were for nothing!?

Oh, please do tell me. I'm just a monster locked in her tiny cell, so I would love to know how it feels, even after you begged for my help.

What was the point of such celebrated Heroic Spirits scurrying around underground like so many filthy rats?

Grrr...! I'm SO happy that our predicament amuses you so much. You look as happy as if you'd just killed an oni!

I believe I know that delight better than anyone else. I would be glad to demonstrate my technique here.

And of course the best demonstration...would be in a live combat demonstration.

Heh. Why not? I am in an excellent mood after seeing your forlorn faces. I could be persuaded to help you vent!

Hey, stop that!

We don't have time for this sort of nonsense... Ugh, I swear! You should listen to your elders, you know!

I am most impressed that you are able to say such things to both a monster from the Age of Gods and heroes from ancient times, Helena. Most audacious indeed.

However, it is precisely those sorts of heroes who tend to die young.

In that sense, it is entirely plausible that she is the eldest among us, at least in terms of mental age.

...MY mental age? Hahaha, don't be silly! My body may be fifty-something, but my heart is still in its teens!

If anything, I would like nothing better than to continue singing the praises of youth now and forever! Feel free to encourage me in this pursuit!

Are you done getting that out of your systems? Now that we all understand one another, let's get back to business.

You mean, back to the fact that the Prison Field extends all the way down into the ground?

As a god of the underworld, I understand how important the subterranean domain is, but still...

I knew it was possible that might be the case, but still...I didn't actually think it would be.

I mean, it's a HUGE waste to keep such a powerful barrier on all the time AND have it extend into the ground.

Uh. Wasting energy...is...bad. (Frown)

Very bad. (Nod)

It must be a spherical barrier that surrounds the entire prison, so we won't be able to get around it by just digging in another direction.

Which means we're right back where we started: having to do something about the Prison Field itself.

So we weren't able to avoid the core problem after all, huh. I had a feeling that might happen.

Then we need to come up with a way to remove that barrier! You seem like you know the most out of anyone here; what do you think?

Hmph. I already told you. The only way to do that is to cut it off at its source... That means killing Medb.

That does look like the only option. But...

Thanks to that barrier, we would have a very hard time fighting her on even ground in this prison.

After all, she possesses the power to completely dominate everything here.

Her very existence is on an entirely different plane, like we pharaohs and the common masses.

Much as it pains me to admit that!

Then we have no choice but to kill her on uneven ground. Namely...assassination.

Hehe, fortunately, I know a lot about that, since I've been on both sides of that particular coin!

I'm afraid I don't see how assassination would improve our chances.

Whether we tried to cut off her head or poison her, there's no guarantee that it would actually work on her in this place.

If Medb had some sort of weaknesssomething we could exploit that we could be sure would kill herthen the situation would be different, but

...She DOES have a weakness.

She does!? And you didn't say anything earlier? Well, come on! What is it? What is it!?

I've only heard her mention this once.

There was another prisoner here who attempted to escape by trying to kill Medb, much like you lot are doing.

Of course, he was quickly defeated, but as Medb made him crawl along the ground so she could step on him and make him lick her shoes...

...she laughed and said "If you really wanted to kill me, you should have shot some ... at my head."

...Sorry, I didn't quite catch that. What was it he should have shot at her head?

Cheese. Her weakness...is projectile cheese.

Cheese. Her weakness...is projectile cheese.

？！

For a second, I was thinking the same thing...

But it's true. According to legend, it actually was a hunk of cheese that killed Medb.

After Medb killed her sister, her nephew took it upon himself to avenge his mother.

One day, while she bathed, he launched a hunk of cheese at her with a sling, and it went right through her head...

Some hard cheeses CAN be tough as rocks... I'm not sure even my shield would be able to deflect them...

？！

Let us ignore this one as she rolls on the floor laughing and answer me this: Are you certain this will kill her?

...Well, I definitely think it's possible.

If that kind of cause-and-effect fate is engraved upon her existence, it would result in a rule she cannot escape.

It wouldn't even matter how strong the Prison Field is, because while it may be able to neutralize attacks, it can't do anything about that sort of thing.

Still... Cheese, huh... I almost feel sorry for her.

If I'd gone out like that, I'd have to wipe out humanity to get out from under the sheer humiliation...

Hmm... I understand how important the element of surprise is in assassination, of course, but still... Cheese...?

I knew it. People can die in all kinds of ways, even from things that seem harmless. How dreadful...

At any rate, let's say that we can kill Medb by bonking her on the head with some cheese.

She obviously knows what her weakness is, so she'll almost certainly be guarding against it.

In all the time we've been here, Medb has rarely shown herself to prisoners like us.

And when she does, she makes sure to surround herself with so many Celtic warriors who could block any airborne cheese projectiles or the like.

Correct. She may be lax about the prison when it comes to anything that isn't the barrier, but she always makes sure that she herself is well protected at all times.

So, ideally we want to take our shot when her guard is down. Where and how does Medb usually spend her time?

She usually seems to stick to the warden's office. It's the room on the top floor of the building that looks like a palace; you can see it from the courtyard.

I don't know how she spends most of her time. All I know is that she always takes a shower in her office at the same time every day.

Even if she's in the middle of whipping or riding prisoners in the courtyard, she'll always drop whatever she's doing to return to her office at that time.

I see. So that means there's one time every day when we can always be certain of where she'll be.

...

Of course, as prisoners, there's no way we could go to the warden's office ourselves. But we do have a decent number of chances to go out to the courtyard.

In which case...wouldn't it be possible to snipe her from there? Her bathroom must have at least one window, right?

It sounds interesting in theory, but I have my doubts about its practicality. In a situation like that, the single most important thing we would need is measurements.

The distance from the firing point to the target, the angle, the weight of the payload, and so on... Everything is ruled by numbers.

Yes, we'd certainly have to run a lot of calculations. And while Medb's nephew may have gotten away with a sling, we'd probably have to build a small-scale catapult.

My apologies for asking the obvious, but...isn't that all something we would be able to do, one way or another?

After all, there are a number of people here who excel at calculations and invention.

Of course, I have already made all the necessary calculations. That is precisely why I have doubts, as there is still one thing we lack.

As shady as this gentle-criminal may be, I have a much easier time agreeing with him than I do with that half-witted alternating current eccentric.

He is right. I believe there is still one person that we lack.

Indeed. The direct current ogre here may be a fool, numbers are numbers, no matter who comes up with them.

At the very least, we would indeed need one more person.

One who not only possesses the same calculative abilities as we do, but who also knows the precise dimensions and details of the prison's structure.

We have not been imprisoned here for very long. While it may be theoretically possible for us to acquire all the data we would need for such a shot on our own, we simply don't have enough time.

So, basically, we need to find someone as smart as you three, who also knows the prison inside and out?

...Heh. Hahahaha!

Oh, I know what that laugh means!

You're pretending to be happy about seeing us go to desperate, doomed lengths to escape...

...all while secretly planning to give us 100% reliable information out of the kindness of your heart!

I've got to say, you're really rocking some pretty high level "moe" here!

...

Sorry about how dense my partner is.

As an ace Saber with a much higher social IQ, I'll keep her in check for you, so don't let her stop you.

Man, now that there's no race to focus on, I really don't have much to do...

Guess I'll just have to bide my time and wait for a chance to catch this new Saber off guard. (Staaare)

(She's staring...really hard...)

Hmm, this is not a good sign.

That self-proclaimed heroine is eyeing my dear daughter much the same way a snake would a frog, or would a butcher a plump pig.

...If things take a turn for the worse, make sure you hide out inside my body.

Okay...

So, uh, Gorgon. Just pretend all that never happened and answer me this: Do you have any idea where we could find someone like that?

...Very well. I have only heard rumors about them, but there are supposedly other prisoners here besides me that are kept in special solitary confinement cells.

One of them is a cunningly dangerous criminal who is kept deep beneath the prison and is monitored at all times.

Yet even in confinement, they still know all there is to know about this prison...or so the rumors say.

Is that so... I did not think such prisoners existed. Can we reach them from here?

Why you... How dare you ask me for directions as though I have nothing better to do than provide them to you!?

Still, I suppose I can't have you thinking I don't know, so I'll at least tell you the general direction.

Perhaps you'll find them if you keep digging that way, and perhaps you won't.

I look forward to seeing you return here in failure again!

Nicely done, nicely done♡ A heading should be enough for us to make this work. Now let's go ahead and set a new destination for our tunnel-digging race...

Your next checkpoint is the solitary confinement cell where this dangerous criminal is being kept!

Remember, this is still a race. I expect to see you all digging your fastest as you try to beat the other teams.

Okay, just one more leg to go. It's time for some more tunnel-digging fun!