Stoke is Full of Mutants

Jolly Old Saint Nick - part one

Flora joined the rest of the party outside after five minutes. She looked like she was deep in thought. Steve was worried by such an unusual sight, "Aren't you feeling well?" he asked her. Flora told him that the Oracle had predicted that she would be struck down with a terrible illness. Craig scoffed, "What a load of old rubbish, don't go listening to that moron". Steve was confused, "you mean that Flora hasn't been speaking with the Oracle?!" Craig rolled his eyes, "what I mean is that there ain't no such thing as a fortune-teller, I mean come on, it's scientifically unpossible." Gramslinger wagged his tail in agreement and Kara stretched her frog legs as she murmured something about the time. Flora decided not to dwell on the prediction and to instead focus on the task at hand.

Kara informed the others that sensed danger and advised them to stick close behind her and to try to avoid making unnecessary noise. Gramslinger looked nervous, silently cursing that he ate a chocolate bar earlier in the journey. Chocolate always gave him wind. Kara crept over the marshes that lay next to Long Tong. It seemed as if someone, or something, was watching them. Yet they passed through the marshlands without incident and reached more crumbling ruins. Before the apocalypse the city of Stoke had many crumbling ruins, though had slightly fewer mutants.

As the party trudged through the ruins of Stoke, trampling over weeds and stumbling over cracked pavements, they noticed the temperature slowly plummet. It had been fair and bright day before now, but clouds now filled the sky and conditions became positively arctic. Gramslinger noticed that tiny drops of snow were falling from the sky, though he scarcely believed his eyes as he knew that snow could never fall during the warmer season. Yet the sky indeed began to fill with snowflakes whilst the party shivered and dithered in the freezing cold. A chill went down Craig's spine as he thought of the young boys. Had they really made it all this way in such grim conditions? What would they find at the Other Ark? Would Flora really fall ill?

Snow covered the ground as the party reached their destination. A large dome like building came into view, which from the description the boys had given seemed to be the Other Ark. Smoke was billowing out of a chimney towards the rear of the structure, giving the party hope that warmer temperatures lay inside. Craig marched up to the front door of the building and knocked loudly. The others huddled around him, fearing an icy death more than the unknown of the Other Ark.

Suddenly, the door swung violently open, nearly smacking into Craig in the process. What was standing in the doorway to greet the party shocked them to the core. A young woman, tall and slender, with flowing raven black hair that curled around a face of outstanding beauty. Her doe eyes were a deep brown, her lips were ruby red and her horns were nubile and delicate. For she, like all humans, was a mutant. Her mutation only accentuated her natural beauty. She was a captivating sight to behold. The beauty spoke: "Come in, my father has been expecting you".

All four of the party were in awe at the reindeer girl's beauty, leaving only Kara to step forwards into the Other Ark. As if breaking free from a trance, Steve stepped forward and greeted the girl. The others also entered the Other Ark and acknowledged her. She told them her name was Rose and that she had been assigned as their guide. Rose led them into a hallway, showed them to a bathroom area and explained that she would lead on once they were ready.

Having freshened themselves up, the party stood around Rose. Craig told her to lead on. Rose gave a slight bow and he watched as her long legs set into motion towards a grand looking set of double doors. She knew how to use those legs, he thought. Gramslinger, using his mind powers to read Craig's thoughts, said "Doesn't everyone know how to use their legs?" The question baffled everyone, though no one wished to engage with it, and the party instead followed Rose into the next room.

What awaited them behind the double doors they could never have fathomed. They stepped into a very large room filled with men and machinery. On closer inspection, the machinery seemed to form some sort of primitive assembly line in which many different small products and toys were being constructed. Instead of being men, the workers instead appeared to be small children with pointed ears and identical green uniforms. Rose did not explain the purpose of the room or it's contents and simply walked past all the inhabitants towards another grand looking door. Not wishing to appear rude or ignorant, the party followed her through the door and into yet another room.