Author's notice: This story has been revamped and undergone retconning to fit with the current canon of the Zootopia/SMITE lore I have made. Earl Lupis and Logan Lupis belongs to Shiryu Rex/Squdge of the GRC and ZooPlay Group.
Chapter 1: The Dromon
Time and money have been spent to organize the trip down to the Yucatan Peninsula in search for the lost city of the Mayans, the mythical city of gold which every mammal would gladly kill for. All would be sacrificed for the gold of Mayans and all the share of the loot and plunder will be nothing more than lies to maintain the cohesion of the group until the loot has been found. And yet, they have always been nothing more than mere tropes of fictions, none of them can prepare a real explorer, adventurer and archaeologist for a real trip to explore the unknown.
It couldn't be more true to Angie Flufferrson and her boyfriend Logan Lupis, they have been spending their time researching and preparing themselves for the second adventure to a world lost in time and forgotten by history. With Logan's skill as a scout and guide with all his fancy robotic gizmo, combined with Angie's foremost knowledge of the civilizations of the ancient world, the couple can pull through the dangers that await them.
Well that is if their journey hadn't been interfered with by a secret society, whose members worship a primordial god of chaos.
Since her first adventure in Ewegypt, Angie and Logan have prepared themselves accordingly with survival gears and a supply of archaeological equipment for the job. They entered the Yucatan Peninsula days ago by plane, they then subsequently catch a bus to a Mayan city covered by thick rain forest and thousands of years old dirt road giving off minor hints of a city built by civilizations before the ages of discovery. Both Angie and Logan carefully trace their steps in the thick jungle, going through foliage and keeping to the dirt road leading them towards the city known by the local name of City of Gold. "We are only about a mile away from the city, so hang in there Angie." Logan said while clearing through the thick foliage with his Bowie knife and monitor his Augmented Reality HUD's mini map and compass.
Following him closely from behind was Angie, who kept her muzzle up as she examines the book regarding the legendary El Dorado and where it would most likely to be found on the map if it were real. "Glad to hear, any ideas where those cultists might be?" She asked. Paying close attention to the map and hints of possible enemy placements, Logan assessed that they might head into heavy enemy concentration. "We're most likely heading towards a dense collection of armed hostiles. Those Cult of Apep guys must be really desperate for cash."
She sighed at the prospect of having to fight cultists mad for cash and riches of the world, a desperate mammal is the most dangerous one, without a doubt. Trailing the Sacbe through the forest and thick vegetation, they came across what appeared to be an old abandoned fishing village by the coast of the Peninsula, the huts were emptied of occupants, decay were shown to be visible on the walls and potteries were left behind by its owners, probably because of their large oval shape might hinder the carriers. The scene was something out of a haunted movie, an abandoned village with its occupants gone for good and no sign of re population in sight. "Oh my god, look at this place, it's like the village was cleansed by a plague." Angie muttered, her speculation didn't take long to reach Logan's ear. "You tell me, they probably left after seeing a Megalodon setting up real estate here." He sarcastically remarked at her.
Of course, since their encounter with Anubis and Apep in Ewegypt, Angie find his sarcasm might not be too far off either. "Come on, let's go take a look at their boats, maybe it'll give us a hint at what might had happened to the village." She said, yanking his muscular hand with a paw, the two wolves went down to the dock of the village to inspect the fishing boats. Much to their surprise, the boats were mostly intact with some showing the signs of age and broken planks on them."This is odd, all the boats weren't attack or damage by any aggressive action. So there is no reason for the villagers to leave so sudden." Angie said as she inspects one of the fishing raft with nets still intact.
But as Logan took another step forward to the far side of the village's dock, he caught the sight of an out-of-place vessel, a dromon of all types! A Bisontine dromon caught ashore, its form was unmistakable with the Bireme design and a trio of large triangulated masts. Its numerous oars had broken or were rotting away under the sun and rain of the Peninsula. "Angie, you might want to take a look at this!" Logan called out, and she subsequently dashed over to his side, catching the sight of the Bisontine ship with her eyes. The female arctic wolf dropped her jaw in pure shock and awe, the ship from the old world, an ocean away had somehow managed to get itself wash ashore on the Yucatan Peninsula.
There was no word that can describe the amount of awe she was experiencing, a sight such as this can only be a hoax for archaeologists like Angie. But to be absolutely certain and intellectually sound, she must inspect all the nooks and crannies and interiors and the intricate designs, protocols of the ship. Angie quickly leaps into action and scale the hull of the ship and to the deck of the Dromon inspecting its work space. Logan followed closely behind her but he was significantly much faster than her, consequently, when she made her way to the deck, he was already by the center mast inspecting it.
"Gee Angie, you really need to tell me when and where will you go the next time." He smirked sarcastically, she smiled back and gave him her one-liner. "Maybe, if you were an emperor." He continues to smirk at her before finally turning his attention back to the center mast of the ship.
He gently tapped the mast with his fingers, testing its durability over the years. The feedback, which went through his fingers sensitive paw pads tells him of immense Growlleek durability still remains within the wooden mast pillar. "This ship is around 1500 years old and the mast is still as good as the day it was erected, bet your nickel that Justinian christened this ship after the mule of a wife, Theodora." Conversely, Angie herself was looking over at some belongings and artifacts on the ship with great interests, these include a sheathed sword for Marines and various other artifacts such as spoons, clothing and jars for water and wine. She picked up a cross made of gold with fine jewelry decked out on it. The intricate details on it obviously screamed Bisontine's craftsmanship with attention to details, decor and placements of gems.
"This one appears to be made in the reign of Emperor Justinian the Great. Hmm, the cross seems to have been through some violent storm." Angie monologues to herself as she inspects the damages and rusting on the surface of the cross. Logan knelt down next to her and took interest in examining the details of the Holy Cross as the way it was scratched and the apparent dried blood on its surface suggest its former owner might have seen a gruesome end at sea.
"We might be able to find some more of its kind under the deck." He suggested. Angie nodded before turning her attention to the hatch leading down to the lower decks for the oars mammals and cargoes.
Unfortunately for her, the hatch was tightly shut, apparently whatever damages the ship had endured rendered the hatch shut tight and she must find an alternate entrance. Angie looked on the deck of the ship for a moment, before noticing a hole on the deck, it was large enough for her to slip her hand through but not enough for the young arctic wolf to drop into the lower deck. Accordingly, Logan gently planted some breaching charges on the deck around the hole, he then withdraws to a safe place behind the steering wheel with Angie and detonated the charges. The ensuing explosion blew a circular hole on the deck, granting them access to the interiors of the ship.
"Well, that was an interesting way of making an entrance." Angie said, examining the hole. "What can I say. I love a nice demolition romp." Logan coyly twirled his demolition tool around in his paw before jumping down with Angie. The lower decks were cleared of any corpses that might be left behind, only the dark shadow and spider webs remain. "Gosh, it's dark down here, good thing that we have our chemical lights." Logan exclaimed sarcastically, faking an expression of fear and awe under his tone.
"Logan, stay focus, I have a feeling that we're not the only ones who heard your little firework show." She scolded him while leading the way. The two of them eventually came to a door left opened by its occupants. The room on the other side was a cargo hold with a single chest emptied a long time ago.
"I guess the villagers took everything they could from the ship. I wonder what did they find useful in all of those trinkets." Logan said as he examined the barrels and crates.
Some barrels had the stench of Romammal wine, the scent of grapes came out of the barrel and assaulted Logan's chemical receptor, which was his nose. "Bare necessities, Romammal style, I would say definitely after Justinian's tenure by a year." He said as the forensic results came in for him to view. "Hey Logan, look at this, a journal by the Magister Militum of the Eastern Empire." Angie showed Logan a book with leather cover and golden ornate on its surface. When he flipped open the book, he found it to be written in Growlleek instead of Pig Latin. "That's odd, the Romams used Pig Latin, not Growlleek." He said sounding rather dumbfounded. "Yes they were using Pig Latin, but Eastern Empire were predominantly Growlleeks and used Growlleek as an official state language." She explained to him in a calm and thoughtful manner as they began to read from the book.
"My Emperor, Justinian the Great, he who married a whore of a wife and nearly rejuvenated the Empire that was the Paragon of Civilization. With his death came an opportunity, to enrich our pockets and to declare one's self as ruler of the World. Our is a political system fractured and plagued by corruptions, factionalism and treachery. Without a strong leader holding the reign, it would shatter. And shattered it did, the generals are now in an uproar, declaring themselves successors left and right before killing each other just as much as they let their blades taste the blood of barbarians and the Sassanid. I know what they want, we all want the Golden Paw, its touch render unto us all worldly wealth. Therefore, I shall take it to Tingis, hiding in a barbarian kingdom, biding my time before bringing the light of civilization to drive away the barbaric darkness that has fallen on us for so long."
Logan blunk a couple of times reading this. He however remembered a story he had glimpses of when he was a younger wolf. "Golden paw… Paw of… Midas?... The one that turns everything into gold? Or at least the guy who has it." Logan said think on what he was reading. It seemed to him a lot of conflict had happened in the past. Much of it being a greed and political conflict for the mighty relic. He seemed to be in shock reading the excerpt knowing much of it may have been true seeing the ship from another ancient civilization here.
Angie nodded to Logan as she flips the page of the journal, the second page was also written in Growlleek but it was much more revealing than before. "I guess Anubis was right when he said that we will find stuffs that redefine the knowledge of history." Said Angie as she reads the page of the journal by the Magister Militum.
"We have left Constantinople as planned, but now the journey's true peril began. We must dodge the rival fleets that prowls the Aegean Sea and the coast of Judea Province. Our first stop was the isle of Rhodos where we pick up our supplies, then we continue across the Mediterranean Sea towards Carthago where our arrival was disguised as a normal patrol and inspection, the guards there have been asking questions regarding our cargo hold. Clearly someone must have realized our departure. Thankfully we were able to shrug off the questions and left, Tingis was just some days of sailing away, when get there, we will be safe."
"Well guess he didn't arrive there as he planned, his other members could have made it but him...well his corpse said it all for us." Angie commented and put the journal down on the table and leave it be. The commander's cabin was apparently rotting away to the point that it was going to be nothing but woods drifting in the sea. The cabinet and metal craftsmanship of the decoration on the wooden drawers and cupboards was rusting away, some of the gold remains but most of it had rusted away long ago.
The gold was much to Logan's disappointment seeing it in a less than salvageable state currently. He sighed, but recalling the story some questions were left unanswered. "Doesn't sound like the full story. "Sounds like these guys were being really sneaky when they wanted to go. It must have been some kind of bad or good luck this thing-" Logan tapped his foot on the rotting wood. "-ended up here. Doesn't explain what happened to the village around here though. Looks like we are getting deeper into this though. What do you think?" Logan asked.
"I think they must have hit a tidal wave or caught in a typhoon and left maroon the ocean. It's a miracle for the ship to wind up here. Maybe some of the survivors got into the village and live with the Mayans." She suggested, her observation may have some merits as it is likely for a stranded, shipwreck bunch to seek refuge in the nearest settlement possible to sustain themselves. But the hope for them to return to their home and intended destination maybe impossible by that point. "Let's go inside the village, I have a feeling that they may have some clues for us." Said Angie as she went out of the ship's hull with Logan.
Logan followed closely, but looking around the forest, and the abandoned village gave him some feeling of unnerve. Walking off of the derelict ship, and back to the village he took in more details of what was giving him the creeps. "You ever get that feeling you're not alone?" He asked, but shook his head out and gave a less than confident chuckle. "Or maybe it's just me. I think anything can happen at this point. Or I watched too much TV about abandoned places like this." logan said recalling his life watching perhaps the wrong type of television.
"Actually, since Ewegypt, that may not be too far fetched." She remarked as they entered a mud house, it was a rather spacious one and its size can clearly tell them that this home belongs to an official or government worker. "This home must have been belonged to a overseer or maybe a government agent sent to inspect the village of the province." Said Angie as she inspects the stone and wood furniture of the house, some of the painting and depictions on the wall seems to show them a feathery green serpent flying in the air. The serpent has four wings with what appeared to be a plume on his head. "Kukulkan, Spirit of the Nine Winds. Mayan legends say that he created the world and blessed it with the elements, he keeps the wind to himself." She stroke the painting, dusting off its depiction of the Plumed Serpent and gave Logan a good look at it.
Logan looking at the image however raised a brow to the image. More of his television and movie watching side came back to him once again. "You say, uh… kul- kel? Ku? Kul- uhhh whatever he's called. I call him "Q" or I think Quetzalcoatl. I remember an 80s film where a more lizard like one with a beak and bird wing went on a rampage in Zoo York." The movie he recalled gave him a bit of nostalgia since it was thrill to watch at least for him. Images of horror as unsuspecting mammals were snatched from the towers of Zoo York and swept away. "Maybe a different deity since the movie I watch said an Aztec cult worshipped Quetzy. Not Kukulky." Logan said.
"Actually they're the same deities just with different names depending on the culture that worships them." She remarked, apparently giving him an immense mind blown upon learning that they are the same deities. "I think I have found something here." She picked up a stone tablet on the floor of the private studies, the tablet is apparently carved with Mayan scriptures that Logan may not be able to read but Angie could.
"We found the strange ship stranded on the shore thanks to Kukulkan's great wind, there were survivors, a handful of mammals dazed by the sea and apparently whoever they are, they are in need of assistance. We took them in as slaves to a local noble family in Lagunita, they should be treated well with medicine, food and shelter for them. As for the ship, there is just nothing we can do to it but preserve it here as much as we can until we can find a purpose to it."
Angie's translation of the stone tablet apparently gave Logan some confusion upon hearing of the Slavery part being considered to be kind and generous of the Mayans. Perhaps his television and movie upbringing never told him, let alone hinting, at the ins and outs of the Mayan society save for the exotic tropes they use and plot devices made on the fly.
"Uh. Right so the slaves were treated as equals. Or better since they had free health insurance? And free food? That doesn't sound like forced work that sounds like a paradise. You know like being the only man in an amazonia place." Logan said both with a smirk and a confused look. Although, it seems the legend of Kukulkan may have had slight truths after beating and meeting Anubis and Thoth.
"Yeah tell me about it, the Mayans made slavery not too bad for their time more like mislabeled Social Welfare." Said Angie as she went about inspecting the estate's interior and a map on the wall, it was strange, the map wasn't ancient but rather recent one that has topographical element of the terrain they were operating in with markers for patrol paths. Something was definitely off about this.
It seemed Logan was more in tune with this map. "Wait. stand back…" Logan said with a cautious tone. Looking at the map the pronte seemed to be like a poster, and looked too recent. "Angie look around for anything else out of place… I don't like this. I don't think we're alone out here." Logan said with a chill. Inspecting the patrol paths Logan concluded someone else was searching for what they wanted as well.
"You got it Logan." She immediately went around the estate in search for something out of place as he said however, as she was climbing to the roof of the villa, she heard the rustling sound of a patrol coming towards them. Her ears twitched to the sound of grasses and leaves being brushed aside by someone, the sound of weapons clanging against the plastic and metal equipment of their users. "Shit...mercenaries." Angie cursed slightly before ducking down behind a crumbled wall of the estate, in front of her were 4 heavily armed coyotes, each one of them was armed with an Assault Rifle, model Heckler and Kot G36K with boonie hat on their heads and green jungle uniform.
"¿Cogiste ese cigarrillo de la sede central? Necesito algo ahora." Said one of the coyote in the middle. He was a bit lanky compared to the others with tannish brown fur. His point man at the front then handed him one with a light to smoke it.
"Lo quité de Pablo mientras él no miraba. El pobre hijo de puta está gimiendo en este momento." Said the front coyote who has dull grey fur pattern on him. As he was smoking the cigarette and enjoying the downtime, Angie immediately emerges from the low wall and fired her pistol on the point man of the patrol and immediately snap to the second coyote who was being careless while smoking.
"¡Mierda! ¡Emboscada!" The 3rd coyote shouted and immediately raised his G36K at Angie and unleashes a hail of bullets at her, his teammate immediately bolted to his left and went to flank her position.
"Not going to get pin down like this." Said Angie as she scrambles behind the concrete cover until she finally reaches a more favorable position by the living room where she exited the building's front.
"Ella se está moviendo afuera! Necesito respaldo inmediato aquí!" one of the coyote shouted and gestured for his teammate to move around the building's corner to cut her off. One of the coyote immediately went around the corner like his teammate ordered only to meet Angie ready and waiting for him with a Mayan war club. She bludgeoned his head, dazing him in the process before gunning him down in a double tap.
Logan in the meantime hearing the weapon fire and the sounds of Spanish shouting swore to himself in a whisper realizing that his fears of being in hostile territory were realized. "And here being alone was creeping me out…" logan said while looking down at the synthetic clothes he wore. Some part of him knew he was going to get into a fight today.
Soon Angie and the mercenaries heard a liquid like sound in the background. It was faint to them, but in the silence it seems to be coming from inside of the estate. What they heard next though sounded oddly like robotic whines and mechanical noises. Suddenly a hot humming sound was heard alerting the guards away from Angie.
"¿Que demonios?" The surviving coyote was alerted to the sound and his thoughts race from enemy remote control drone to the fantastic possibilities of seeing an enemy in exoskeleton suit. However, his thoughts were immediately squashed when he saw the crimson red robot wolf with fiery laser claws that clearly told him to disengage with the arctic wolf and run for his life. "¿Que eres?" He asked faintly before turning away from the battle and run as fast as he can up the sacbe footpath to his HQ, for some reasons, he can't radio his superiors, perhaps jamming? Who knows but who cares anymore. Angie took the opportunity and fired a well aimed shot at his leg, crippling the mercenary immediately and got him fell down on the ground.
Logan, as it turned out, was the robotic entity the mercenary had seen. It didn't take long, however, for Logan to dash out of the estate, and begin a mad dash through the thick foliage to catch up with the coyote before he could crawl away. Logan as he bolted through the foliage hacked away at it with grace and fury slicing at the plant life.
He then jumped in the air and landed above the mercenary with a foot displaced to the left and right of the grunt. Logan then grabbed the mercenary' shirt and pulled his face towards his own to let the merc have a fearful look into Logan's bionic face. "Okay pal. Who sent you. In english dammit…" Logan said.
"Ay Caramba...please don't kill me! I got nothing on me for you to take!" The coyote pleaded as Angie came close to him, she pulled up the shirt of the mercenary and found a tattoo of Apep's cult, the revelation wasn't too surprising by this point but judging by the manner of the coyote, he seems new to his job. Angie immediately shove her pistol's muzzle up to his temple at point blank range and prepare to fire, a death threat that anyone can understand.
"Screw it! You know who you're working by that tat, so you better spill the bean or I'll have your brains splatter all over the ground and vultures can enjoy the rest." She threatens him with a growl as her finger was inching closer to pulling the trigger.
"No no no! Please spare me! We were ordered to go on patrol from a fort to the dromon, our comandante didn't tell us much about what we were supposed to do. I think he didn't expect to see you here." He shuddered a bit and winched his face away from Angie's muzzle, fearing that she was going to shoot him out of her impatient attitude.
"Fort? What fort? Where is it?" She questions him, poking the muzzle of the gun closer to his head.
"It's a Conquistador Fort! 16th century from the look of it. We have our base there and our comandante is coordinating an excavation effort from there. That's all I know." Said the mercenary as he winched further away from Angie. He muttered, in Spanish again, praying that he would live through the ordeal before he finally heard the deafening sound of Angie's pistol shot somewhere. He fell to the ground from a heart attack and anxiety strike.
Turns out, Angie's bullet was aimed to graze him slightly and struck the ground harmlessly, the coyote would live for now but it would be wise not to cross her path again. Angie then proceeds to strip them of their weapons and equipment. While working on him, she happens to find a map detailing the route they were to take and the excavation site deep in the jungle around 6 kilometers away from the fort.
Logan during the whole ordeal came to respect angie more seeing her aggressive side, and gulped. He scratched the back of his head, and made a throat clearing sound. "Not sure if the poor guy was more afraid of me or you Angie. Never thought you had that side to you. Only in bed." Logan said with a nervous snicker. He however looked to the map and took a glance of the fort followed by the brighter part of his optic, acting as a pupil, to look of to the excavation site. It seems his hud was also able to for out various strategies for battle. One such being a plan to remain stealthy and proceed straight to the excavation pain, another to sneak into the fort signaled by a blue snaking arrow and raiding the place for weapons and supplies with his hud showing simplistic weapon logos in grey and black. "Okay it looks like my plans are limited to a stealth game. Which is hard since my frame is red." Hus optic squinted however thinking of the other uses for his liquid metal. "Wait. Unless I…"
Logan reached to the ground, and placed a flattened hand on the soil. Some pieces of grass and fallen leaves are present, but seemed to aid to his idea. He then let some of the liquid metal pour out from underneath his armor, and then immediately rise back up his arm. THe shiny chrome armor then turned brown, and began to imitate the ground with simulated pieces of grass and leaves making him blend it. It faded and tapered off leaving the rest of him red, but he reside a digital eyebrow to Angie. "How about this for sneaking? I can mimic everything around me!" Logan said sounding excited about an ability his body can do now. It seemed he finally may be getting acquainted to it much to Angie's relief.
Angie's expression lighten up at Logan's development and his ability. "Oh yeah you can do that to sneak inside. But of course I'll need some camouflage gear to do that since well...I'm not covered in liquid metal that can impersonate others." She shrugged and looked back down at herself before went out to pick up some camouflage net from the mercenaries and put it over herself. "I think this should do considering what we have to work with." She said as she puts real leaves and vegetation on the net to cover herself in the jungle. "Let's go, the fort shouldn't be too far out." She patted his back and went up the footpath with Logan towards the fort to search out the excavation process.