Troggy trouble
Ashley steered Boochbeard's ship to the docks of Skull Island. His crew took up arms and prepared fastening the flying ship.
'' Skull Island,'' Boochbeard barked.'' Ye can start here. This is a haven for pirates, ruled by captain Avery. Mr. Gandry will get ye set up so ye wouldn't be widdlin' about the island like a chicken without it's...'' he stopped himself, Ashley and Subodai being halfway down the gang-plank.
'' You, Amber horse,'' Boochbeard pointed to Subodai.'' Ever been here?'' when he replied with a simple shake of his head, the captain continued where he left off:
'' ...Like a chicken without it's head,'' Boochbeard waved to his crewmen to hurry up with some barrels of whatever.'' I've done what I can to help you two, everything else is up to you I'm afraid. We came here just to refuel and we're setting off in a few hours. Any questions?''
'' Yeah,'' Subodai wasn't surprised to hear Ashley say.'' About, er, Wizard City. What do you mean you don't have direct routes to it?''
'' The City's in the middle of the damn Spiral. Even the wizards don't just waltz through the stormgates to get wherever they need. I don't know how or why, never settled in on that thought. The only known ships to have ever managed to visit Wizard City were the trading ships of Grizzleheim and they keep their secrets closer than their claws,''
'' Stormgates?'' Ashley narrowed her eyes.
'' That's how you travel between the Spiral worlds. But you'd need a specific Windstone so they'd throw you to the safer windlanes, unless you're looking for an easy way of suicide,''
The girl shook her head.'' Windstones? Windlanes?''
'' Listen, if ye want to get technical, then I'm really not the pirate for the job. I'm sure you'll figure out everything else on yer own in time. Mr. Gandry!''
The monkey led the two through Skull Island's docks and up the shores. On the way, he explained how to deal with pirates and what sort of haven they're on. He also mentioned there was something of a pirate school up in Avery's courtyard and that Ashley should think about joining if she wanted some insight into the world and how to defend against it.
Just in case, Ashley interrupted him by asking if they raided any passing ships. The answer was - of course, they're pirates after all! Ashley wasn't sure what to make of all that info. The pirate school was the one thing that stuck out the most in her mind.
They walked up the sandy hill, the white sand already starting to fill up in Ashley's Puma sneakers. The island was basic, as far Ashley knew about islands: there were a few springs and steams of water on the shore, with normal seaguls and normal crabs bathing in the afternoon sun. The island's greenery was that of a jungle - palm trees, other sorts of trees, ferns, some other plants Ashley couldn't identify. Apart from seaguls, Ashley heard a good variety of parrots, some tucans, hornbills, saw a few kingfishers among the bright flowers...
As they got up the hill, a small pirate town opened up to them. There were mostly merchant shops, Ashley spotted a tavern, a ship with a mermaid figurehead settled next to it, some steps leading, what seemed, deeper into the jungle.
Mr. Gandry steered them to one of the shops.
XXX
'' Ohhh no...you won't catch me wearing that hillbilly outfit,'' Ashley protested when she picked up a patched up blouse the monkey handed her. Gandry had lured her and Subodai to a outfit shop. The horse was looking exactly like Ashley, when her mom dragged her out shopping for clothing. He just stood in the corner and scowled at the view in front of him, which was a teenage girl arguing with a monkey and the salesrat behind the counter. The poor bastard, he thought.
'' You need it to blend in!'' said Gandry.
'' I thought you said Fair's famous! How could I possibly blend in?!'' The rat interfered:
'' Well, I could check for some eye-patches or...'' Ashley gave him a look that would make a puppy yelp.
'' Right...'' said the salesrat, taking a glimpse at the rapier,'' Shutting up,'' Ashley then looked at Gandry with the remaining bits of outfit. She put the patched up blouse on the counter.
'' One reason. Give me one good reason, mate,''
'' Blood and thunder, do you want to be killed out there?!'' Subodai burst out. Ashley looked up at him, slightly startled by his tone. She then remembered his promise back on Boochbeard's ship and another question popped in her mind:
'' Why would anyone want to kill me?''
Gandry didn't waste his chance.'' To start off, if you dress up to look even remotely like Fair, people would think she came back from the dead and steer clear of you in fear...or...'' he just got a second thought.
'' Or?'' urged Subodai.
'' Or...they'll see the price on your head and hunt you down,''
'' You mean the Armada already has a price on my head?'' Ashley's eyebrows raised.
'' If they don't, they sure will have in a few days. By that time you have to settle in one of the pirate classes, raising your chances for support and protection,''
Ashley rubbed her eyelids and muttered some comments about her life under her breath. She then looked up at the wooden ceiling and sighed.
'' Fine, give it here,'' she walked off to the other room to change and tried to do it quickly because she knew how irritating it was for someone to wait in a clothing shop. That someone was Subodai.
In a few minutes, to his relief, Ashley walked out with a long, violet jacket, trimmed in gold along the edges, the end of the sleeves being quite big and fastened with gold buttons, and the patched up blouse being under it all. The waist was bound by a slightly torn, azure and white striped sash, the remaining bit of it beating between her knees as she walked. Around the sash were two belts - one holding the rapier and the other - a small pouch. There was another hidden belt holding up her brown trousers. Another belt was crossed over Ashley's chest, assuming holding the leather shoulder pad on her right. The one on the left didn't seem to need any support like the right one, but it did have an opening for something small to fit in. On both of her arms were leather cuffs. Finally, Ashley wore leather boots with gold trims sown on the top and small little bronze skulls on the lower front. Ashley's old clothes were hanging from her forearm, with the sneakers being held up by her other hand's index and middle fingers
Subodai raised his eyebrows. He thought the unevenly cut hair made the girl even more dashing and believable. Meanwhile, Ashley thought she could take some cosplay shots with the overly believable pirate outfit. It felt a little weird to her. She might need time to get used to all the leather.
'' St. Bonobo,'' whispered Gandry. The salesrat's jaw dropped.
Ashley let out another sigh and asked:
'' Good enough?'' Gandry nodded, his own jaw ajar. He then blinked, like he wasn't sure why he nodded, shook his monkey head and nodded again for good measure. He said something in French and payed the rat. Outside the shop, the monkey gave her directions where to find Avery and gave her a jingling pouch. When Ashley looked inside she found, not the regular pound sterlings or even pennies, but a handful of gold and silver coins, with skulls engraved on each of them. Real pirate currency, who would've thought?
Ashley thanked the monkey for everything. Gandry gave her a bow and went off, pleased he had done his assignment.
Ashley and Subodai set off to look for Avery. They passed the town and went up the stone stairs, where a courtyard opened up to them. On both sides, from where they stood, were dorms (the signs indicated so), one for girls and the other for boys. In the middle of the court stood a fountain, which looked a lot like a mini Cleopatra's Needle. Around the fountain were different houses with banners - the one that looked like an old British house with a balcony had a black banner with a blue wheel and a yellow telescope across. The other house, which was split from the British one by a wide, stone staircase, had more wood on it and a dome, held up with two, decorative, wooden swords. It's banner was black with a skull on a blood red flag and a blue cutlass crossing over both. Little more to the right stood a neat house with vines decorating one of it's sides, with a dark purple dagger and an orange rose crossed on it's banner. Next to the villa was a cave, completely captivated by jungle flora, something green and terribly scented coming out of it. The banner was dark green with a green voodoo doll.
Turning for the stone steps across the court, Ashley suddenly caught a bad feeling and instinctively pushed Subodai back. A cannonball rammed into the side of the stone steps and remained there, steaming.
'' Just when I thought we had enough of cannonballs for one day...'' Ashley commented.
'' There's never enough,'' The girl wasn't sure if that was a joke coming from the horse or a plain fact. They heard more cannon fire up ahead. Running up to look, something whizzed past the two.
'' The hell are ye doing!?'' It said. That something was a scarlet-haired girl...actually, two scarlet-haired girls about Ashley's age. From what she could tell, they were twins, loosely guessing from the identical outfits they had. That's all she could make out of them before they vanished in the smoke, circling the western bastion of the court.
'' Shove off!'' she still heard them say in a duet.'' Who taught you how to aim?!''
Between that and the eastern bastion, which had another banner with an orange gun and a green vapor coming from the tip, was the main building, next to which stood a statue of a ship on waves, with a boy pirate sitting on it and a girl pirate thrusting her sword towards whatever destination they had set as stone carvings on a stone ship.
The doors of the main building ripped open by a rather old, but energetic man, wearing a black hat with a white feather attached, a long, parakeet green coat with a golden trim, black trousers, high, white socks in fancy black shoes. He had one wide belt on his waist and one across the chest, holding up his gilded cutlass. His face - weather-beaten and scarred on the left cheek, with small green eyes, currently angrily narrowed. He had a graying, but lush anchor beard. To hide his hair he wore a brown periwig.
'' TAYLORS!'' he shouted, waving his gloved fist towards the western bastion.'' Not the Fuel Powder again! You can't waste that if...'' he was cut off when there was an ear-shattering blast from the bastion. In a few split seconds, the man's expressions changed from angered, to disappointed, to astonished and, finally, to a admiring smile, that showed off a single gold tooth, when there was a far far away explosion.
'' Well look at that...'' he slightly chuckled, then noticed Ashley and Subodai a couple feet from his doorstep. One looking confused and the other alarmed. '' Ah, Holystone! A pleasure,'' he tipped his hat, delighted to have these guests at his door. Ashley, on the other hand, was a little surprised by the gesture. She exchanged looks with Subodai.
'' Uh, captain Avery?'' Ashley checked. Avery nodded several times and waved to come trough the door.
'' Come in, come in, before one of the opposite ammunition ignites again,''
That main building, that was between the bastions, was one big office full off things Ashley assumed Avery either received as gifts or stolen for himself from his early days of pirating. There was one long, blue carpet leading up to Avery's desk. The carpet had something of a kraken sown on to it. Avery seemed to divide his place into sections for corresponding artifacts and treasures. For example, there was a corner just for Chinese and Japanese based stuff, around which was a repeating symbol that Ashley couldn't recognize, but the times it showed up in that one corner could mean it was important.
To give a quick summary of what the two found in the office: Paintings and portraits (two of which were Boochbeard's and Gandry's), gilded armor and weapons, flags and banners with more unrecognizable symbols, Egyptian ankhs and a sarcophagus, crowns, scepters, goblets, a bone in a bottle...
A white cockatoo screeched on it's fancy perch by Avery's desk and stretched it's neck to look at the visitors. It cocked it's head curiously, tightly pressing the green-white crest. The black beak had a gold ring shining on it.
Ashley noticed that there was white dust here and there on the office floorboards.
'' Pardon me if my office is a mess, those Troggies have been quite the menace,'' Avery was quick to explain. '' You haven't caught me at my best, I'm afraid. Nonetheless, I'll always find time for my favorite guests. Now then, Yum or...ah, of course, you don't drink,'' he stopped and corrected himself.'' What about moolong tea? I've recently received a fine shipment straight from Hamamitsu's teahouse,''
Subodai loudly cleared his throat. Avery paused to look at him, then smiled warmly.
'' My apologies, perhaps her companion would like a beverage, too?'' Subodai declined with a slow head shake. The girl next to him took a deep breath. Ashley began with her identity, which forced Avery to lower the two goblets he had ready. She explained about Earth and her suspicions on how she got here, the fight on the clockwork ship, mentioning Deacon, and Boochbeard's offer to visit Avery in the first place.
'' I...see,'' by the time she finished, Avery sat back in his comfy chair behind the desk. He was resting his chin on his clutched hand, leaning against the chair's armrest. Ashley sat on one of the wooden chair in front of the desk.'' I must admit, you do seem a little too young to be Fair. Besides, I highly doubt anyone would survive that squid attack without a few scars to show off,''
Avery's white eyebrows furrowed when there was another big hit of the day and his office ceiling let another cloud of dust cover his fine carpeting.
'' What is that?'' Subodai asked, nodding to the direction he thought the cannonball hit.
Avery sighed heavily.'' Troggies. One of my...willful crewmen,'' he sounded somewhat ironic saying that.'' Fin stole a Jade amulet from me and hid in the troggy encampment across the bridge. I don't know how, but he also managed to turn them against us while he's at it and now there's a bombing party out my window!''
This probably won't be the stupidest thing Ashley will do today, so she said:
'' Can we help?'' Avery gave her a look, then he turned to Subodai.
'' How well does she fight?''
'' Well enough,'' the confidence in the horses voice was so strong, Ashley felt a little modest and ashamed. Avery nodded to both of them askancely.
'' Oh, at this point I'm accepting all the help I can get,'' scowled the old captain. '' Alright, if the Twin of Fair Ashley Holystone comes back with my amulet and in one piece, then I promise her a place in my pirate haven. Go ahead and talk to chief gunner Rigby at the West bastion. He'll get you across the bridge,''
Closing the office's double doors, they set out. Or at least they thought they did, because after a few steps, Subodai stopped and looked back at the stunned twelve-year- old girl standing halfway to the bastion.
'' What is it?''
'' I'm starting to regret ever saying anything,'' Ashley pushed out through her tensed lips. She was standing stiff as a log, hands clutched and close to her sides, like someone before jumping off a crow's nest for the first time.
'' Well,'' the horse just barely shrugged.'' The only reason I went with your idea was because I thought you had something planned,''
'' You mean besides getting blasted into smithereens? Not in the slightest,'' Ashley snickered nervously.'' Sheesh...this has got to be the weirdest day of my life,''
'' We can do it,'' Subodai assured, patting her on the back a few times.'' We escaped the Armada after all,''
'' Yes well, that doesn't say anything to me since I don't know crud about your world,'' Ashley frowned.
'' This is not my world,'' Subodai said solemnly. '' My world is Mooshu,'' he turned to look at the girl, to see her gazing up with an unexplainable expression. Ashley thought that that word, Mooshu, was just a stupid thing she'd created. And here's the third guy of the day confirming that it's real. And that he's even from it.
Ashley felt a little less tense now that Subodai forced her mind to think about something else. Instead, she awkwardly stepped around in that one spot she was in, feeling a little guilty seeing her partner's face.
'' Hey,'' she tried to strike up something.'' I told you about Earth. What...what's it like in Mooshu?''
He didn't answer at first. In fact, Ashley saw that he was doubtfully searching for an answer. The girl tried to remember a little more about Mongolians, then she connected a few dots, remembering what Boochbeard had called him - Amber horde - and then connecting what she knew of the Twin similarities, she began wondering if places and events could've also been similar rather than just people.
'' Were you part of the Amber horde?'' Ashley risked asking. He just gave her a nod. Subodai was relieved when she then added.'' Ok, then you don't need to say anything,''
As glad as Subodai was for that, he couldn't help but feel curious about how much the girl truly knew of his world. He nodded for Ashley to go upfront so he could see her in case she thought to stop for another sanity check.
XXX
'' Ahoy there!'' they heard a scratchy voice of a man yell to them through the gulf of gunpowder smoke. When they managed to clear some up from their field of vision, they saw the owner of the voice fiercely waving his hand for them to duck down. '' Keep yer head down, unless ye're lookin' to be blown up!''
'' Chief Rigby?'' Ashley shouted through the noise of pirates shouting orders, setting up cannons and firing them. The gunnery chief murmured something under his breath. The guy was buff, but not as much as Boochbeard. He had a black mustache, an eye-patch on his right, a three-sided hat over his head, a black shirt with red trims, a hook on the left hand and brown trousers buckled by a double belt. His good hand was really dusty with black powder.
'' We need to get over the bridge!'' Ashley nodded towards the long thing, connecting the island they were on with the one having that mountain, shaped like a skull Ashley only saw from a distance when sailing Boochbeard's ship. Ashley thought the mountain could've been man-made, just by how smooth the white stone looked.
'' Get in line! I've got my hands full by keeping the musketeer sisters in check already!''
'' Captain Avery sent us!'' Subodai spat at him.'' He told us about Fin and that's where we're going, you can help us or get out of our way before I wash my blade with you!''
'' Aye?'' Rigby didn't seem too intimidated, but he was thinking about what the horse said.'' If ye want to get to Fin, then first we need to stop this bombardment!''
There was a set of cannon fire being let loose towards the opposite side of the bridge.
'' Tell ye what, we'll give ye cover as much as we can from 'ere and once ye're across - go find Bonnie Anne. Her team is in charge of sabotagin' the Troggy fire,''
'' Got it. Come on!'' Ashley waved to Subodai. She went first, checking almost every step if the planks are secure. The way the long bridge kept rocking side to side, Ashley had to pause a few times in fear it'd suddenly turn over. She tried to comfort herself with the thought that Subodai was keeping close watch on her, in case anything of the sort happens.
'' So!'' she suddenly said, a little more than a quarter past the middle.'' What are Troggies, exactly?''
'' Could you not leave that after were off the bridge?'' Subodai shouted back.
'' I'm a curious girl!''
'' I noticed...'' he sighed. After a few more steps, he replied to the young girl's question.'' They are hostile frogs, living mostly in trees, practicing shamanism...also, their skin is severely poisonous,''
'' Oh...'' Ashley didn't have to think about that too much to know what kind of animal-human a Troggy is.'' Poisonous tree frogs,''
'' That's one way of putting it,'' Subodai said, a little disappointed he couldn't sum them up as easy as his partner. He didn't know Ashley was just linking the species to Earth's zoology so she had a better way of finding out about what to do when she'd encounter them. Currently, she wished she had done more research regarding the poisonous frog venom for biology class. Maybe if she did, she would've found something about counteracting the poison if the need came to be.
Ashley took the last step with a wobbly leg. She fell on the grass, groaning a little too loudly in frustration.
'' I'd say I was glad that's over...but then I remember the bridge is also our only way back,'' she wasn't scared of heights, oh no, but a trip over a long, rocking bridge wasn't on her To-do list today. Then again, none of what happened that day was on that famed To-do list.
'' Gunnery base,'' said Subodai. Ashley jumped back up and turned around, still trying to figure out which was her right leg and which was her left. The place actually looked too small for a gunnery base, supposedly the jungle really limited in it's development. Men and animal-people were running around with guns, some were carrying their injured mates, others - planning attacks and resource management.
'' Look for a female pirate,'' Ashley told Subodai, walking into the base. Few steps in, Ashley started feeling people looking at her. Subodai noticed that in advance, as the people they passed had baffled, startled, denying and even hopeful faces on them. And most of them were directed to the purple-dressed girl in front of him. Some respectfully turned away, once they realized they were gazing in complete awe at a teenage girl, rather than doing their assignment, only to throw several more glances before focusing back to whatever they were supposed to do.
'' They believe you are her,'' Subodai whispered.
'' I know, it's unsettling,'' Ashley frowned. She wondered just how much Fair was known and what she had done to gain such respect and recognition, apart from seemingly returning from the afterlife, completely unharmed and even a few years younger.
Subodai poked Ashley's shoulder and nodded to a female fox, who was bandaging her comrade. She had a scaramanga musket over her back, a really dusty white blouse, showing of her furry orange shoulders, a red scarf around her neck, with a blue band crossing over the shoulder, attached to a gunpowder horn on her side. Held up by a wide leather belt was a dark blue, the texture resembling the grampian police tartan skirt. Long leather boots were up to her knees, leather gloves protected her hands and forearms, and a brown bandanna was tied on her head, letting the pointy ears to stick out.
Those pointy ears tensed up when the two approached. She finished up a knot on a schnauzer dog's arm and turned her hazel eyes to see who needed her.
Bonnie Anne took a good look at them, before realizing they weren't part of her squad.
'' So who are you then?'' she asked a little disapprovingly in her Irish accent.
'' I'm Ashley Holystone and this is Subodai,'' Ashley said, nodding towards her friend. '' Avery sent us to retrieve an amulet Fin had stolen, but I can see you've got some problems of your own,''
'' Ye have no idea,'' Bonnie rolled her eyes, which paused to look what was the situation over the bridge to the Troggy tribe. Her muzzle twisted in irritation.'' That Fin,'' she said.'' He's a wily one. He riled up the Troggies till they're mad as badgers! The slimy devils raided us at night, took half our powder stores and now they're flingin' it back at the town,''
'' What about return fire?'' Subodai asked.
'' Lieutenant Smollet is in charge of that,'' she nodded to a man a bit further ahead. He was the one who kept shouting orders when to fire and when to fall back to the poor sods who risked to go up against the poisonous frogs.'' We're trying to fight back, but there's just too many of 'em. Check in with Smollet, maybe you two will figure out how to soften 'em up. Maybe I'll get enough of a break to join you if you do,''
The lieutenant was conducting a slightly different plan of attack and defense when Ashley approached.
'' We need to get to those slingshots,'' he was saying to his men.'' If any of you actually manages to spot any of them and come back alive with just one swollen arm, then the whole tavern's on me, but until then...''
'' Lieutenant Smollet,'' Ashley waltzed in the middle of the conversation.'' Ashley Holystone and Subodai reporting for duty,'' she was just in the mood to say that to make her presence look a little more professional. A German shepherd pirate nudged his human friend next to him and whispered something. The man looked back at him, as if he had made a confusingly bad pun, and strictly disregarded whatever the dog just said. The dog's eyes widened as he nodded towards Ashley again, wanting to prove whatever point he was implying to his friend. Subodai ended up cutting their silent conversation short with a sharp Mongolian grimace.
Lieutenant Smollet was a young human pirate with a chiseled chin and a high forehead, on which dropped shortly cut black hair, tied with a red bandanna. Smollet wore a black shirt with iron buttons, the sleeves - rolled up above the elbows. A red sash over his waist and his green trousers were stuffed in black boots.
He sighed and started explaining like he had tree times already.'' Right, so, the Troggies are using three great slingshots to hurl bombs at the west bastion. The town's defenses are wearing thin, if we can't find and mark the remaining slingshots for the musketeers, they'll pummel us completely,''
'' Why are they having trouble pin pointing their locations from that distance?'' Ashley asked.'' By following the bomb trajectory and with some help from a few snipers checking their scopes, they'd have them in minutes!''
'' It's the jungle, the Troggies have them strategically hidden, plus, the third slingshot seems to be out of range for the cannons,'' Smollet gestured for the German shepherd to give Ashley a map of Skull Mountain grounds.'' Your assignment is to take down that third slingshot and, if you can, mark the other two. Any questions?''
'' None whatsoever,'' Ashley replied, examining the overhead view of the map. She then looked up at her companion.
'' Ready?'' she asked.
'' Always,'' replied Subodai.
