Twisted Wonderland 2

Seeing Things

You and Grim make your way up the hill to the mines. When you reach the cave entrance, you don't see any of the clubs there.

Grim glances around, scratching his head. "I don't see anyone around the mine. I thought someone would be workin' on the magestone challenge." He groans. "And we wasted all that time hikin' up here."

"Why, hello there, recordkeepers."

Turning around, you see Vil approaching with his club.

"Oh, hey Vil!" You wave to him.

"You're here rather early." Azul smiles to you as he and his club haters at the mines as well.

Grim tilts his head. "Azul's here too? Actually, this is pretty much the same crew that was foragin' firewood yesterday. Are your two clubs workin' together or something?"

"No, we just happened to run into each other." Vil states.

"Yes, my group took on the magestone assignment by complete chance." Azul looks to Vil with a grin. "This is a difficult challenge, though. Maybe we should work together, Vil. I know you'd be a tremendous asset."

Vil only rolls his eyes. "No offense, but I'd prefer not to babysit another club."

Azul chuckles. "Come now, where's your spirit of cooperation? Coach Vargas never said clubs couldn't work together."

Vil quirks an eye. "And if I still say no?"

"Then we'll simply complete the challenge on our own, as we did yesterday." Azul shrugs, a calculating smirk on his face. "It was purely a suggestion, of course. I just thought that working together would save both of us valuable time and energy. After all, the Film Research Club hasn't split up, and this is your first stop. A few extra pairs of hands wouldn't hurt, right?"

Vil sighs and waves a hand dismissively. "Fine, as long as you promise not to interfere with our work. Come, Film Research Club. We need to find a two centimeter magestone, and quick."

"Thank you kindly, Vil." Azul follows him into the mines. "We'll head in now as well."

Walking into the mines, you see a massive pile of rocks has collapsed and block the way further down the mines.

Vil stops, tilting his head. "What's this?"

"What's what?" Grim asks.

"The ceiling collapsed." Vil says. "A bunch of rocks and debris are blocking the path that leads further in."

You hold your arm. "That's not good."

Azul hums in thought. "It must've happened overnight. Everything looked fine yesterday, though."

"What's the plan, Azul?" A Board Game memeber asks. "There aren't any magestones left around here at the entrance, right?"

Azul walks over to the collapsed wall, examining it curiously. "If we cleared some of the rocks, we could make enough room for one person to squeeze through. But there's always the risk of another collapse, and it would be exhausting work. So that's not the most pragmatic option."

Vil spots something. "Look. I can see a narrow tunnel on the other side of this rock."

Azul walks over. "You're right. Perhaps it will lead further down. But the walls and ceiling have collapsed beyond this point as well, which is an added wrinkle. It's already too easy to get lost in here."

"What do you think the right call is, Vil?" A F Research member asks.

"Getting lost is certainly a concern." Vil says. "But the fact remains that we won't find any magestones that meet the requirements here. We'll need to take a risk and proceed further in. Let's make some torches and split into teams. When we encounter a fork in the path, the teams will split off and check each passage. Once you hit a dead end or another path, report back with your findings. I brought a notepad, so I'll draw a map based on what you tell me. That should help avoid anyone getting lost. Now let's get this done as quickly and efficiently as we can."