Author Note: Hello again! DangeresqueOnIce back to post another chapter of Uncharted: A Fox's Legacy and NOT Chapter 1: Cut to the Chase as it was apparently called for about a day (I'm new to the FFN system, sue me). Anyways, should be on track to continue posting once a week until this version is all caught up. And again, if you don't feel like waiting to read the rest of it, you can check it out over on my AO3 account (Dangeresque_On_Ice). Anyways, here's chapter 2, hope you guys like it. :)
"Michael McDingo?"
"No, Fleetwood Yak?"
"Can't say I have, Fluff, maybe Kenny Hoggins?"
"Nope, not him either, how about Guns N' R- ACK!" Judy yelped in surprise.
"Guns N' Rack?"
Nick heard a bunch of sputtering before the rabbit finally spoke up again. "Sorry, got slapped in the face by a branch." Some more sputtering followed before she continued, "I think I got some of it in my mouth..."
"Gotta be more careful, Carrots," Nick chuckled. "Never know what you'll run into out here, from nasty pitfalls to surprise attacks from angry plants."
They had been trekking through the jungle for nearly an hour now. Finding a good spot to moor the boat once they reached the beach was easy enough, but searching for whatever Sir Francis had found out here proved to be a far more difficult task. That was the problem with searching for long-forgotten sites in thick jungles far from civilized society, you couldn't just punch in the GPS coordinates, and whatever guides or maps you used were probably vague and out of date.
While they eventually managed to find an ancient path that hopefully would lead them in the right direction, the thick brush throughout the jungle and even covering the path itself made the area difficult and exhausting to traverse. The stubborn vegetation combined with the intense heat and humidity of the jungle pressed down on them hard, but Judy and Nick had been coming up with random activities to help distract themselves from the oppressive conditions. Discussing the bands each of them listened to was just their most recent activity before the plant's surprise attack. Finnick, however, hadn't shown interest in any of their activities, instead just following them and occasionally grumbling about how much he needed a cigar.
Nick looked up and saw an opening where the thick vegetation seemed to finally let up. "On the bright side, you won't have to worry about being menaced by plants anymore," he pushed through the last of the bushes and descended into a rocky gully with a flowing stream at the bottom.
The fox stopped for a second as he waited for the others to catch up. His fur was probably a sticky mess at this point and he could feel his tails and ears starting to sag, so a relatively easy hike through the gulley was definitely appreciated. As he splashed some water in his face to help cool off, he saw a noticeably tired yet determined Judy break through the bushes behind him, still struggling to shake off loose twigs and leaves that had managed to get caught in her muddled fur.
"Hey, Judy! Think fast!"
"Huh? EEK!" the rabbit squeaked in surprise as water from the stream was splashed into her face.
"Aww, didn't think fast enough," Nick laughed.
"You're lucky that water was exactly what I needed, or I'd be furious right now." Nick's surprise had left the rabbit dripping from her ears down to her waist. She seemed partially annoyed but mostly refreshed by the blast of cool water. "So I'll let it slide this time."
"Your mercy is appreciated, Fluff."
There was more rustling in the bushes as Finnick finally pushed his way through and into the gulley, looking to be in a miserable state. While the desert fox generally did a good job of hiding it, his age had definitely slowed him down over the years and it was obvious how exhausted he was.
"Hold...up...you two!" Finnick forced out between exhausted pants, "I'm not as young as I used to be."
The older treasure hunter looked like a wreck, his fur was a ruffled mess with his tail sagging against the ground and his large ears limply hanging from his head. He was bent over at the knees, looking like he was about to keel over from the exhaustion. Given his age, having to push through a jungle filled with vegetation that frequently towered over him couldn't have been easy. That being said, the stubborn old fox always managed to keep up despite all the wear and tear, something that Nick had always admired about him and would often find a way to compliment him on in a back-pawed manner.
"You weren't too old for that otter bartender back in Bochi," the red vulpine chuckled.
"Ha! Well, that was different, although I must admit, equally exhausting."
Judy was staring at the two foxes with a perplexed look on her face, her head tilted in confusion, "What are you two talking about?"
Nick jabbed a thumb in Finnicks direction as the small fox was bent over the stream and throwing water into his face, "Well, Ol' Gramps here just so happens to be quite the charmer when it comes to the ladies, he's always got a story or two to tell as long as you don't mind some vivid details."
"Ah Marisa, that otter was one hell of a sweetheart, had a smile that would melt your heart and a muzzle like you wouldn't believe," as Finnick talked, Nick noticed a pink tint on Judy's face and a steadily increasing look of dread as she realized just where the diminutive fox was going with this. "A real firebrand too, those claws of hers weren't just for show, and she sure as hell wasn't afraid to use 'em it if she ever caught you messing around," Finnick continued, his muzzle starting to curl into a nostalgic smile. "Wee little thing as far as otters went, but oh mam, even for a mustelid, the way she could twist that body of hers was a marvel to behold, they called her 'The Spinner' cause of the way she'd use her tail to-"
"Okay! Okay! That's enough! Cheese and crackers, that's not something I need to hear about!" Judy cut in, holding her ears against her head in embarrassment and her face positively glowing red beneath her wet fur. "I'm sure you and this 'Spinner' had a wonderful time together, but I'd rather not hear the details, thank you very much!"
Finnick shrugged, "Your loss sweetheart, I've got tons more you'd be missing out on, like this one time-"
Nick cleared his throat, putting an end to his mentors reminiscing, "As entertaining as the prospect of watching Fluff die from awkwardness would be, I think it's about time we got back to the whole treasure hunting thing." He turned and started making his way down the gulley, Judy catching up to him while Finnick followed behind.
"Wasn't he just about to pass out a few minutes ago?" the reporter whispered to Nick. "Now you'd think he was never tired in the first place."
Nick nodded his head in Finnick's direction, "When it comes to bragging about his past conquests it doesn't matter how tired he is, Ol' Gramps will always find his second wind."
"Hey, I don't just talk about conquests, I take pride in all aspects of my work," Finnick beamed as the other two kept walking. "Like that time I pawned a phony Santo Hedeta idol off on Big back in Zootopia, pretty risky move, but by the time he figured it out, I was...Hey! Are you two even listening?"
"Hanging on your every word, Gramps."
"Bah, why waste my breath..."
Things were quiet for the next few minutes as they just appreciated the easier hike in silence and occasionally splashed some more water on their faces before Finnick finally spoke up again, "You really think Sir Francis came all the way out here? We're a long way from the Pine Isles."
"Well the map says he came this way, I don't see why he'd lie about it," Nick answered as he continued forward, scanning the trees and visible horizon for any signs of mammal-made features.
"Well, if he's your ancestor, then I figure he's probably as full of crap as you are and just made it all up to impress a girl or something."
Nick snickered at the jab, "If he was like me, then he just wanted to show everybody else how awesome mammals like us are." It was then that he noticed a structure that was poking out of the trees in the distance. He pointed out the ruins for the others to see, shooting Finnick a smug grin as he did, "and to show what idiots everybody else is for doubting us."
Upon seeing the structure in the distance, Judy immediately sped off running, briefly turning around to face the two foxes and hop with giddy excitement. "Come on guys! What are you waiting for? This could be one of the greatest archaeological finds in years!" She turned around and sped off again.
Nick shook his head with a smile, "Huh, guess that's what gives her a second wind then. Can't remember the last time you were ever this excited about finding something."
"Yeah, well, I'll save my excitement for when we've got something that actually pays," Finnick grumbled.
"Well then, better make sure you can keep up if you want your cut old timer," Nick snarked before rushing on ahead. Finnick let out an irritated sigh and ran after him.
By the time the foxes had left the gulley and caught up to Judy, she was standing at the edge of a chasm, waving her camera around as she took in the scenery. On the other side was a dull grey wall that was concealing most of the structure they had seen earlier. The stonework on the wall appeared to have been expertly crafted, sporting various symbols and carvings, but the ravages of time had worn them down to the point where Nick couldn't even tell what most of them were supposed to be. There was one symbol, however, that was more common than the others, some of those carvings were still intact enough to see that they depicted some sort of flower.
"Well this looks promising," Nick remarked, eyeing their newfound discovery, "now how do we get over there?"
"It looks like there's a set of doors on the other side," Judy pointed to an arch on the wall with some heavy looking doors. "I'm betting there's some sort of bridge across."
"More like was," Finnick pointed to bits of stone rubble that looked like it had fallen into the chasm below. It was in pieces and decayed, but it still resembled the cracked remains of a bridge. "Probably collapsed into the chasm ages ago."
"Okay, so guess we can't just walk across," Nick pondered, "Not like it's ever that simple in these types of jobs.
"Does that mean you have a plan?" Judy's question drew Nick's attention, he briefly glanced in her direction to see that her Pandasonic was pointed at him before he turned his attention back to the chasm. A large branch hanging overhead caught his eye, it looked like it might be sturdy enough to support his weight.
"Of course I have a plan," Nick turned back to shoot the camera a toothy smile, "I always have a plan."
"No you don't," Nick's smile changed to a frown at Finnick's interruption.
"Come on, Gramps! You know I've always got a plan up my sleeve."
"Improvising is not a plan, Kid."
"Whatever, I have an actual plan this time," the red fox grabbed a rope with an attached grappling hook from his belt. "Now watch as my totally awesome plan gets us across this chasm and one step closer to that payday you won't shut up about." He looked over at Judy, flashing another cocky grin at her camera, "Ready to see how it's done, Fluff?"
"The viewers and I will be waiting in anticipation!" Nick had the vague suspicion that she was mocking him.
"Perfect," he loosely gripped the rope, spinning the hook in place several times before throwing it. The hook sailed through the air towards its target and struck dead on, a throw that would have been quite impressive if not for the fact he had been trying wrap the hook around the branch. Instead, Nick watched with mild embarrassment as it bounced off and fell into the chasm below, being left to dangle by the rope gripped in his paws.
"Nice..." the unimpressed tone in the bunny's voice caused Nick's ears to twitch as he fought the instinctual urge to flatten them against his skull. Despite what his instincts were telling him, he seriously doubted that it would actually make him small enough to escape her notice. It was times like this he was glad his fur was so red though, it did a pretty good job of hiding his embarrassment.
Still doesn't change the fact you made a complete fool of yourself...
"That...was on purpose…" Nick stammered, trying in vain to salvage his ego, "I….just wanted to show you what not to do first!"
"Of course," the rabbit said in an annoyingly unconvinced tone, the smug look she was shooting the fox made it clear how thoroughly he had botched his attempt at showing off. The unimpressed look Finnick was flashing him definitely didn't help matters either.
"Now let me show you how to do it properly," he continued, trying desperately to push down the embarrassment he was feeling. He pulled the hook back up and threw it a second time. Luck was on his side this time as the hook sailed over the branch, wrapping around it several times before locking in place. "See? Nothing to it."
"Hey Kid, if you're finished embarrassing yourself in front of the bunny, how about we get going?" Finnick deadpanned.
Nick rolled his eyes at the smaller fox, "Yeah, yeah! I'm on it." He tugged on the rope a few times to make certain it wouldn't break before leaping forward. He felt the air rush through his fur as he swung in an ark, loosening his grip on the rope just before reaching the peak of his swing and using the gained momentum to carry himself the rest of the way to the other side.
As he landed, a sharp pain shot up through his footpads and into his legs as he hit the surface harder than anticipated. He let out a pained grunt as he stumbled over, but still managed to catch himself as he landed on all four paws.
"Are you alright?" the rabbit called out, her voice laced with concern.
"Yeah…" Nick muttered in a pained tone as he pulled himself back up onto his feet, "didn't quite stick the landing..."
"Way to fumble the rope, Kid."
"What?" Nick turned and saw that the rope was now dangling in the middle of the chasm out of the reach of all three of them. Great… he thought to himself, must've slipped out of my paw while I was stumbling. He knew the rope was strong enough to support his weight if he was just swinging, but he never bothered to check if it would support him if he tried jumping to grab it.
"Okay, so jumping back to grab the rope would be too risky, stay there and I'll see if I can find a way to make a path across." Nick turned to the wall and started piecing together a plan, "These ruins are pretty old, maybe I could find a pillar large enough to-"
The fox was interrupted as he heard the tapping of footpads as the grey bunny jumped, he turned around to the sight of her swinging across the chasm and landing next to him with the rope in her paws.
"Oh…that works too...I guess..."
Judy had a look on her face that was somewhere between giddy and smug. "Not bad, huh?"
Nick tilted his paw from side to side in an unimpressed gesture, "Eh, it was sloppy."
"Sloppy, huh?" the doe challenged, "What does that say about the big time treasure hunting fox who hurt himself trying to get over?"
To his immense frustration, Nick stood there for what felt like entirely too long trying and failing to come up with a snappy comeback. "Just give me the damn rope," he finally conceded, grabbing it out of the rabbit's paws. This was not his day, he certainly wasn't expecting to be shown up by a reporter and a bunny of all things.
And now you're underestimating the bunny again, Nick silently chastised himself. How the hell are you not dead yet Wilde?
"If you two are done flirting, maybe you can toss me the rope now?" Finnick yelled from across the chasm, his arms folded and a look on his face that was a mix of irritated and impatient.
"Alright Gramps, here it comes." Nick threw the loose end of the rope back across the chasm to Finnick. "You sure you don't want me to find you another way across?"
"Don't coddle me, Kid, I ain't dead yet," the diminutive fox growled as he grabbed the rope before swinging across to the other side. The small fox sailed through the air and landed on the other side, the rope still held firmly in his paws.
"Nicely done!" Judy clapped excitedly.
That was enough to lift the grumpy mammal's mood, a smile creeping onto his muzzle. "Ha! Still got it!" he boasted as he tugged the hook and rope loose from the branch before tossing it over to Nick.
Nick proceeded to wrap up the hook and rope and reattach it to his belt. "Yup, you still got it old timer."
The three of them turned their attention to the set of doors in the archway blocking access to the rest of the ruins. Like the wall, there were patterns carved into the wood, but they had become too faded to make out any of the details.
Nick scratched his head as he examined the door, "Well this looks like the way in, but I don't see any way to get it open from this side."
"I'm guessing they didn't want just anybody wandering in there," Judy speculated as she walked up to the door, filming it with her Pandasonic. "This wood looks pretty rotten, maybe we could just force the doors open if we pushed?"
"Worth a shot," Nick came up to the door, pressing his weight against it and pushing while Judy followed suit. "Hey Gramps, mind lending us a paw here?"
"Sure thing, Kid," Finnick started pushing against the door.
The three of them grunted in exertion as they shoved with all their might. The wood creaked and groaned under the pressure, but despite their efforts, it wouldn't budge.
Realizing the fruitlessness of this plan, Finnick stepped away from the door, rubbing at his sore arm. "No way we're moving that thing."
"Yeah, I don't think so," Nick agreed as he and Judy took a step back, looking the door up and down. "Whoever these guys were, they certainly built their stuff to last." He looked past the arch to the wall itself.
Hmm, back in its heyday, this probably would've been too smooth to climb, but now…
"You know, this wall is pretty worn down, I might be able to climb to the top," the wear and tear had caused a number of imperfections such as cracks, holes, and small ledges to form that could probably act as decent pawholds for an experienced treasure hunter like himself. "I could drop down into the temple grounds and see if there's a way to get that door open from the other side."
Judy craned her neck up to look at the wall. Judging from the twitching of her nose, Nick guessed she saw such a task as more than a little daunting. "Really? You think you can climb that?"
"I'm a treasure hunter Carrots, this sort of thing is pretty much half the job."
As Nick moved to start climbing the wall, the clicking of a lighter caused his ears to flick, followed by his nose twitching as it was suddenly assaulted by the smell of smoke. He already knew what it was, but he looked over at the source anyways, Finnick leaning against the wall with a lit cigar in his paw.
"Now? Seriously?"
Finnick shrugged, "Not like we're going anywhere until you figure out how to get past those doors. Sure as hell beats standing around doing nothing."
"Fair enough," Nick turned back to the wall, cracking his paws in anticipation. "Well, Carrots, you have fun down here basking in Gramps and his cancer-inducing glory, I've got some climbing to do."
The fox then started his climb, grasping at any holes and ledges large enough to support him as he pulled himself further up the wall.
"Are you sure this is safe?" a nervous sounding Judy called up to him.
"Nope!"
It was tiring work, but Nick had spent so much time jumping around old ruins and cliffs that it had become second nature to him at this point. He moved quickly at first, practically gliding from one pawhold to the next, but the further up the wall he went, the more difficult it became as decent spots became harder to reach and he found himself frequently having to reach dangerously far out or even make small jumps just make any progress. He hoped he wouldn't have to be doing too much of this today, it was pretty physically demanding stuff and his muscles were already starting to ache. He finally came to a narrow ledge that jutted out along the wall perimeter. Pulling himself up on top of it, he started shimmying along, keeping his body as flat against the wall as possible as he looked for a decent pawhold and tried not to imagine what would happen if he slipped from such a great height.
This seemed like such a good idea down there...
Finally, he found a gash in the side of the wall large enough for him to firmly grasp that was only slightly out of his reach. He steadied himself, getting ready to jump up and grab for the pawhold. He took a deep breath and tried to leap only to end up experiencing a dropping sensation and the sound of splitting stone as the ledge gave out from under him.
"Oh, shit!"
As the ledge cracked and fell away, Nick instinctively unsheathed his claws, digging them into the wall just short of the gash. His claws scraped against the stone wall, assailing him with a harsh grating sound reminiscent of hooves against chalkboard like back when he was a kit still going to school. Shaking that thought loose, the vulpine quickly shot his left paw up as far as it would go and managed to successfully grab onto the ledge above while his other paw remained jammed into the wall by its claws. He let out an exasperated laugh, conflicted feelings of relief and panic racing through him as he heard pieces of the collapsing stone ledge smash against the surface below.
"Nick!" Judy shouted in alarm.
"Son of a bitch!" Finnick cursed as he dodged the falling debris, "You alright, Kid?"
Not willing to further test his luck, Nick wrenched his right paw free of the wall and reached up to grab onto the ledge with both paws. "I'm okay! Ha,ha...I'm alright...Think I kinda messed up my claws though, they don't tend to get along well with solid stone."
"Cheese and crackers Nick, you had us worried!" Judy called up in a relieved tone.
"Yeah, be more careful next time, Kid," Finnick added. "You made me drop my cigar."
Nick rolled his eyes at the desert fox's comment, not that he'd be able to see it from all the way down there. "Glad to know you care, Gramps," he pulled himself up the last few pawholds to the top of the wall. Finally stopping to take a look at his paws, he saw that several of his claws had been chipped away during the debacle. He would've preferred to have them in good condition in case of an emergency and he found himself needing to claw some asshole in the face, but then again, his claws wouldn't have done him any good if he had fallen several stories and splattered himself on the ground so he couldn't really complain.
"What do you see up there?" Finnick asked once he saw that his partner had reached the top.
From up on top of the wall, Nick had a much better view of the ruin in question which consisted of a raised structure reminiscent of a black ziggurat. There was a terrace level raised above the surface that contained the only visible entrance, all the others seeming to have either collapsed or been blocked by rubble. Like the wall, it was covered in worn looking carvings and symbols, and likewise, the flower symbol was the most common one.
"Remember that structure we saw from the gulley?," Nick yelled back, "It looks like some sort of temple."
"Think it's what we're looking for?" Judy asked.
"Could be, hold on, I'm gonna climb down and see if I can find a way to get you two inside."
There were a number of bollard like structures on top of the wall that looked like suitable points to wrap his grappling hook around. After doing just that and making sure the rope was firmly attached, he climbed over the wall and started repelling his way down. His downward climb ended up being far less eventful as he quickly reached the bottom after several jumps without incident. "Huh, that was almost disappointing," he said to no one in particular.
Enjoy it while you can Wilde, knowing your luck, this just means something worse will probably happen later.
"I made it to the other side," he called out, pulling the rope loose and wrapping it up again once it hit the ground.
"Great, Kid!" Finnick called back. "Think you can get those doors open?"
"Not sure yet…" Nick looked around for anything that could help him. He noticed a number of odd-looking wooden barrels that definitely didn't belong. "Some old barrels over here, definitely not local from the looks of 'em."
"What's in them?" Judy inquired from the other side of the wall.
Nick stepped closer to one of the barrels. There wasn't much of a scent to it beyond some light notes of charcoal, so he pulled off one of the lids and looked inside. The black powder inside told him everything he needed to know. "They're filled with gunpowder. We're definitely on the right track, then. I'm guessing Francis and his crew brought them to blast through anything they couldn't open or get around."
"Great! Use them to blow the doors open," Finnick suggested.
Nick sighed and started pushing the closest barrel over to the doors. A strenuous task to say the least given that the barrels were at least a foot taller than him and probably two to three times his weight. "Sure Gramps, I'll just go ahead and start rolling some barrels at least twice my weight and chock full of centuries-old, super safe gunpowder," he mumbled to himself. "It's fine, really, my back could use the workout and that stuff probably won't blow me to pieces or anything."
"Hey, Kid! What's taking so long, you throw out your back or something?"
Nick let out a frustrated sigh, "In case you didn't know, Gramps, these barrels are pretty heavy, oh, and filled with gunpowder! So sorry if I'm holding you up because I want to take my time and do this without bits of fox being scattered all over the temple grounds!"
"Well hurry it up already, we ain't got all day."
Nick heard the sound of a slap followed by Judy's voice, but he couldn't make out what she was saying.
A few moments later he heard Finnick call out again in a more subdued voice, "Uh...I mean...take all the time you need, and be careful with those barrels."
Nick smiled, he'd have to thank Judy for that later.
"All right, Gramps, but only because you asked so nicely." Nick continued pushing the barrel until it was sitting next to the door. "All right got it in place, now stand back!"
Nick moved away from the door, gauging whether or not he'd be a safe distance from the blast once the barrel detonated.
This should be safe, he thought to himself.
Probably...
Maybe...
Okay, maybe I'll move a bit further back...
He backed away from the barrel a few more steps, and then a second time, and then a third time.
You know what? Maybe I should just go ahead and find something to hide behind...
He eyed a collapsed pillar that was just perfect and made sure he was safely behind it. "You guys ready yet?"
"Uhhh, are we sure we want to do this Nick?" Judy asked. "This is supposed to be an archaeological expedition, right? Blowing up old ruins doesn't seem like the sort of thing archaeologists would do."
"Then I guess it's a good thing we're treasure hunters and not archaeologists, Fluff," Nick replied. "Besides, unless you and Gramps want to climb that wall yourselves, we don't really have any other options."
There was a long awkward pause before the rabbit responded, "Point taken..."
"Okay, listen, I'm getting tired of yelling at you guys from the other side of this wall, can you two hurry up so I can get on with this?"
"We're ready, Kid, just try not to blow us up!"
"No promises!" Nick reached for the pistol in his shoulder holster and flipped the safety off. It was a pretty good sign that he'd gotten this far before he had to use it, he tended to prefer the jobs when there weren't quite so many bullets flying around. He popped up over the column and took careful aim at the barrel. He exhaled deeply as he squeezed the trigger and let loose a bullet, it proved to be enough as it struck the barrel and ignited the gunpowder within.
The fox's ears instinctively went flat against his head in response to the resounding roar of the blast as the whole archway was consumed in a giant fireball. Bits of stone and wood debris shot in all directions as the explosive inferno rapidly expanded before dissipating into scattered flames and embers. Even as he ducked beneath the pillar, he still felt a blast of heat briefly wash over his fur before he was completely concealed behind cover. After waiting a moment, he raised his head and saw the smoke from the explosion gradually fade away, revealing an arch that was now lacking in big, heavy doors.
His gaze was drawn to two sets of large ears, a long set and a pointy set, bouncing around as they moved through the cleared archway.
"Nice work, Kid!" Finnick laughed, "It ain't a real treasure hunt until we've gotten to blow some shit up!"
"Still seems pretty excessive," Judy mumbled under her breath, her ears drooping a bit with uncertainty.
Nick waved his paw dismissively in her direction, "You worry too much, Carrots, it was just a half-rotten set of doors and a bit of stone, the temple itself wasn't even touched."
"I dunno..." Judy's mood improved a bit, but she still didn't sound fully convinced.
Nick nodded to the structure behind them. "That's where our big find is gonna be, and once we have it, you'll be able to say you helped rewrite history!" He leaned forward and gave her an encouraging smile, "Sounds pretty good, no?"
That comment seemed to greatly improve her mood as she lifted her head and nodded vigorously, "Yeah! You're right! Uncovering long lost knowledge and helping to improve mammalkind's understanding of its own history? That's why I do this!" She jumped excitedly, pumping her fist into the air, "Come on, let's go!" The excited doe started running towards the temple only to stop and make an about-face. "Ooh, but first..." she gripped her camera in her paws, "Almost forgot to get a quick picture of the three of us celebrating our big find."
Before either of the foxes had a chance to say anything, Judy had already pulled them in and wrapped an arm around each of their necks. The camera was being held in an outstretched paw as she flipped it around to face them. On the side panel, it showed all three of them with Nick sporting a stunned look, Judy, an excited one, and Finnick, a scowl.
"Everybody smile and say cheese!"
Nick put on a cocky smirk but the annoyed scowl remained stuck on Finnick's muzzle. Noticing this, Nick nudged his head in the older fox's direction, "You heard the bunny, Gramps!"
"Come on, Kid, seriously?" Finnick objected.
"C'mon, say cheese!" the red fox insisted in a mocking tone.
The desert fox let out a frustrated sigh before finally capitulating. "Cheese..." he droned out half-heartedly, the irritated look still on his face even as the picture was taken.
Nick took a look at the captured image, chuckling at how the picture had managed to perfectly capture his partner's irritation which contrasted so nicely with Judy's energetic smile and his own cocky grin. "Quite the glamour shot, Fluff."
"Oh, this one's definitely a keeper!" Judy enthused as she took the camera in both paws and looked over the image.
"Yeah, yeah, if you two are done wasting time," Finnick growled. "I'd really like to get back to the whole treasure hunting thing."
Nick hadn't been paying attention earlier, being too focused on getting the door open, but it was only now that he and the others noticed just how many of those barrels were scattered throughout the temple grounds.
"That's a lot of gunpowder…" Judy noted in astonishment.
"No kidding." Finnick's ears twitched in thought. "Were they planning to blow the place sky high or something?"
"Maybe," Nick pondered, "Wilde might've not wanted to leave anything behind for others to find..."
"What, like a rival group or something?" Finnick speculated, trying to make sense of the situation.
"You don't get an empire as large as the one the Pine Isles had without making your fair share of enemies along the way," Nick pointed out. "Maybe some of them were even looking for the same thing as Sir Francis."
"If his plan was to keep others from finding this place, then why didn't they go through with it?" Judy wondered.
"And why leave all of the gunpowder behind?" Nick added. "If there was a change of plan, you'd figure they'd take it with them."
"Maybe a rival group took them out?" the reporter suggested. "Everybody already thought he had just retired and went into solitude at this point, so the expedition was clearly a secret. If something went wrong and the empire decided to bury the truth, it might explain why nobody ever heard about it."
Nick shook his head at the idea. "I doubt it, if the expedition was destroyed, there'd have been shipwrecks out in the bay, but we didn't see anything."
"Well, either way, we ain't gonna figure it out by just standing around all day with our tails hanging in the wind." Finnick started making his way toward the temple entrance while the other two followed behind him.
As they approached the temple, they saw that the stairs leading up to the main entrance had collapsed, leaving the entrance out of their reach.
Judy perused the temple with her camera before turning to look at Nick. "Think you can find a way to climb up that?"
"Stonework is a lot smoother here than the wall, don't really have anything solid enough to grab on to." As Nick eyed the wall, he noticed a sizeable chunk of stone that had fallen loose from the temple exterior and was sitting on the ledge above them. "Not that we need any, I have a better idea."
"And what would that be?" Judy asked as Nick stepped up to the collapsed stairs and looked back at her.
"See that loose stone up there?" Judy looked up at the stone he was pointing to. "It should be big enough for me to use as a step to climb up to the second level."
Judy tilted her head in confusion, "But we can't reach it."
Nick sighed, "Well duh, I'm gonna boost you up to the ledge and then you can push it down to me."
"Are you serious?" Judy asked in disbelief, "That thing looks pretty heavy, how exactly do you expect me to get it down?"
"Don't be so dramatic, it's not as heavy as it looks…probably..." When that failed to convince the bunny, a smug look crept onto his face as he decided to try a different approach. "Or is that too much for a cute little bunny to handle?" A pretty risky move usually since bunnies really hated being called that. In this line of work, it wasn't uncommon for use of that word to result in somebody being shot, stabbed, or at the very least having a chair smashed over their head.
It still managed to do the trick though, the rabbit's nose started twitching in agitation as she shot the treasure hunter a dark glare. "I'll show you who's cute," she muttered as she marched up to Nick.
"That's more like it!" Nick bent his knees and cupped his paws together, silently hoping this wouldn't end with him getting kicked in the face again, it hurt enough the first time around and that was before he'd actually done anything to deserve it. Judy took a running start and stepped into his cupped paws, leaping forward as Nick thrust her upwards. Thankfully, the rabbit didn't kick him in the face as she was launched high into the air and landed on the ledge above.
"Nice jump, Carrots! Oh, and thanks for not kicking me in the face again."
"Already kicked you once, just try not to tempt me," Judy cautioned before disappearing out of sight. A few seconds later, Nick started to hear the sounds of grunting and stone scraping against stone.
The fox stepped back as he saw the stone moving and a pair of black tipped ears poking out from behind it.
"Look…out…below," Judy grunted between shoves with the last one causing the stone block to slide off the edge and land on the ground.
"Nice work," Nick climbed up on top of the stone block and pulled himself over the ledge. "Alright Gramps, your turn."
"Way ahead of you, Kid," Finnick was already pulling himself on top of the stone as Nick bent over and reached for him. The small fox leaped up and his paw was engulfed by the red foxes larger one as he was pulled up on to the ledge.
Judy pumped her closed paw in triumph, "We made it!"
"Yes, we certainly have," Nick looked to Judy on his left and Finnick on his right. "You guys ready?"
"I sure am," the bunny nodded.
"About damn time," the smaller fox grumbled.
Nick cocked a smile and flicked his tail in anticipation, "Well then, I think it's about time we finally got to see what it is our old buddy Francis found out here."
With that, the adventurers pressed forward into the darkness of the temple interior.