ITT: We're Animals in a Post-Apocalyptic Town

The adolescent raccoon muttered. "Just saying."

"Alright. Just come with me," Anton says to Wisk. "Jack, do you want to come?"

"I'm not sure..." Jack looks around at the others. "We were planning on leaving to do Professor Diggs' job soon..."

"Okay, nevermind," Wisk says, "Iss'll go looking around for clients."

"Suit yourself, dude."

"All right, then," says Diggs. "If you folks are ready, shall we get going? Adventure awaits!"

"Ready, Professor," says Peter.

"Ready!" says Jack, wagging his tail a little.

Edited by DrNoPuma on Aug 8th 2019 at 8:57:11 AM

The group then bids farewell to Anton and moves to the town gates, where the guards allow them to cross to the fields outside. It's a fairly nice and sunny day, and a road stretches in front of them into the distance.

"All right, our mission begins now!" says Peter. "Where do we head, Professor?"

"Here you go," says Diggs, handing Peter a map. "I've marked the location of the ruins on this map. They're located in a small grove about an hour's walk west from here."

"All right," says Peter to the group. "I'll lead the way, then, if that's okay."

Eh, sure, you go ahead, I guess. (Wanda says to Peter. She feels she would get lost easily anyway.)

Jack has been quiet since they got out there. He was so confident having a bunch of new friends with him on this trip, but now that he's actually in the wilderness, he's uneasy...

"Yeah... I'll be right behind you. We'll stick together, right?"

"Of course!" says Peter.

The group then begins following the path away from the town. After a while, once the trail has led them into the woods, Peter stops and looks at the map, then at the trees surrounding them.

"All right... according to the map, our destination should be straight west from here, but this is the part where we'll have to leave the path. Be careful, guys."

Jack shudders. "It looks just as dreary as I remember it," he says, only half-joking.

The group then starts to move through the trees. The forest in this area is quite dense and it takes a bit of effort to move ahead, but everything around them is quiet.

After about ten minutes of walking, they reach an area where there is a bit more room to move around. In front of them is what appears to be an enormous mass of vines. After closer inspection, they may notice that the vines are actually covering the walls of a very old stone building. It seems to have been almost completely taken over by the forest.

Is this the place? (Wanda asks the others. She seems a bit nervous since she's never been on one of these excursions before.)

"Yes, this must be it!" says Professor Diggs. "It's my first time seeing it myself, but there's no question about it. Incredible... to think that it was here all this time..."

"Wow... that's just... incredible!"

Yeah, no kidding... (Wanda agrees, continuing to look up and down the building.) How do we get in? Are these vines covering a door?

"Hmm," says Peter. He approaches the wall and pulls at some of the vines, revealing the stone underneath. "This doesn't look like a door... maybe if we look around, we can find an entrance..."

"Aha!" says Diggs. As Peter turns to look, the professor is already moving to a part of the building some distance away where the wall has collapsed, leaving an opening big enough for them to enter.

"We should be able to get in through here!" he says. And without another word, the professor has disappeared into the building.

"Wait, professor! Careful!" Jack, in a panic, scrambles through the entrance after Diggs.

Edited by DrNoPuma on Aug 11th 2019 at 7:32:04 AM

(Wanda looks nervously at the others before running after Peter, Jack, and the professor.)

After crossing the entrance, the group sees that the building they have entered appears to be a temple of some sort. The room they are in is quite large and appears to be the main hall. The ceiling is at least twenty feet above them; many parts of it have collapsed by now, but this at least allows some sunlight into the room. Professor Diggs is already some distance ahead of them. There appears to be an altar near the back.

"Wait for us, Professor," says Peter.

"Oh, do pardon me," says Diggs, who is already taking down notes as he looks around the room.

Jack is relieved to see no monsters.

"Huh... what can you tell us about this place so far, professor?"

"The building itself is quite old," says Professor Diggs. "Several hundred years old, at least. I'm certain that it predates even the monsters, though judging by its state, it's been abandoned for a very long time."

Peter watches as Diggs continues examining the room for a few minutes, muttering to himself and taking notes. Eventually, the professor moves towards the altar at the back.

"Ah, there's a staircase here leading down!" he says. "The building must have an underground level... Hmm, I can't wait to see this... shall we head downstairs?"

"Ah, well..." says Peter. "It looks pretty dark down there... Do you guys want to come?" he asks the others, a bit nervously.

Edited by Bluethorn on Aug 12th 2019 at 9:14:12 AM

(Wanda takes in the sight of the interior. She has never seen such sights in her life, not having traveled far from town.)

(She looks over when the Professor gets their attention.) Oh, yeah. Looks pretty dark down there...there a torch or something we could use? I mean, maybe I could light a stick?

"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea," Peter tells Wanda.

Right... (Wanda gets down on the ground and begins searching for a stick.) There has to be one around here somewhere...oh, here we go!

(Wanda jumps back up with a small, but thick stick.) Okay...which one was it...oh yeah, Blazing Hot!

(The entire stick bursts into flames, startling Wanda so much she drops it.) Eep! Ow!! Crud, wrong one...I swear I knew that one... (She says, blowing on her claws.)

Edited by kablammin45 on Aug 12th 2019 at 9:37:25 AM