The Mask of Medusa: Interlude 2
The Mask of Medusa: Interlude Two
Preparations

Guybrush woke from a light nap on one of the Sea Cucumber's window seats just at sunset. Across the room, Chariset commented, "Ah, you're up. I was just about to come wake you."

The trip to Monkey Island had been accomplished the previous night without any real incident, though Chari had been rather understandably alarmed to find him unconcious on the floor in a kitchen filled with smoke. Now they hovered just out of sight, resting and preparing for their midnight invasion. The crew had been informed to hide the ship in a hidden cove on the far side of the island while he and his sister rowed over to the head of the island where that insidious carnival was still in full swing. But when they arrived, the ships were so closely packed into the docks that Chariset changed her mind and directed them to simply hide among all the others and stay low.

He stood up and stretched, while she returned to her previous task of brushing out her hair. That accomplished, she pulled it back into a ponytail and bound the length of it with a long strip of green cloth, creating a short rope with a bushy brown end sticking out. The Necromancer's amulet lay on the dressing table at her elbow more like a favorite piece of jewelry than an item of incredible magic power. Her sword and a long boot knife lay on the bed along with a long red hooded cape and his own equipment. The atmosphere in the room was all quiet anticipation.

Guybrush pulled on a pair of long boots that the Barbery Coast pirates had given him, slipping a second knife into one boot and hiding a third in his sash. He personally disliked carrying a sword around, and the narrow tunnels in the monkey head probably wouldn't let him use it properly anyway. Chari set the amulet carefully over her head as he picked up the gray cape from the bed and fastened it at his throat. She slipped hers on a second later, and between the amulet and the red cloth, she looked like a cross between the Voodoo Priestess and Little Red Riding Hood.

"Are you ready?" she asked unnecessarily. He nodded anyway, and they carefully locked up the Captain's cabin on their way out. Nic was waiting for them on the way out, and she gave him the heavy keyring.

"Nic.." she began. "If....something happens...and we don't return, the ship is yours. Guybrush and I both agree."

He swallowed hard and nodded. "I'll go after Deadeyes m'self, Cap'n."

"I don't know if you'll ever be able to clear your names, and I apologize for that. When I come back, we'll set it all right," though Chari was trying to tie off all her loose ends now. "Until then, Godspeed, Captain Nicolas."

"Godspeed, Cap'n Threepwood," he replied.

Guybrush and Chari exchanged glances and she answered him with her eyes. Yes. Let's do it. Her crew lowered the rowboat and in silence they began their journey to the darkening shores of Monkey Island.

The Zombie Pirate LeChuck sat at his ease in a golden throne etched with faces in pain, some skeletal, some human, some impossible to classify. A large, grinning mask of some bestial human glared down from the top of the throne's pointed back, though the interior was comfortably padded. He might be the walking undead, but he still preferred his creature comforts.

Beside him, in a smaller but more elaborate throne whose back was mostly gold latticework sat his one and only, his lovely Elaine, grown only more lovely since she joined him in undeath. Her small hand in a delicate red glove was clasped in his own, and he occasionally brought it to his purple lips for a kiss. Her other hand wore his enchanted ring like a badge of honor. When she had become an immortal, it was the happiest day of her life, she'd said, and he knew it had been the happiest of his own endless existence. It had. He had everything he wanted and now there was nothing left to desire, no revenge to be taken, just endless centuries to come, growing in power, until the entire world was his. Big Whoop poured in more skeletal recruits every day, and more and more corrupt governors seemed willing to join in with him in return for keeping their little piece of power. And others, still others, were open to his powers of...persuasion. The most loyal, he would simply make immortal, like himself, and they would rule forever, while it was a ridiculously simple matter to permanently dispose of the rebellious.

LeChuck smirked through his burning blue beard. It was so easy to deal with those who only wanted more power. They were easy to predict and easy to manage. Those who didn't want power, now, they were tricky. Like that Guybrush Threepwood...

He must have stiffened involuntarily, since Elaine gently stroked his hand with her thumb. He made himself relax, reminding himself that her love was always his, no matter what. But he couldn't quite shake off a faint sense of uneasiness, a feeling of dissatisfaction that had been with him for some time now. What do ye do when ye've got all ya ever....?

"Cap'n LeChuck!" A skeleton soldier came running into the throne room, out of breath. The immortal didn't need to breathe, of course, but it took a while to get used to that. LeChuck straightened up, angry at being disturbed, while caused the soldier to quail, but he never faltered. "Two strangers came sneaking up onto the island in haste, carrying weapons and moving through the jungle like they know the area. It looks like some kind of invasion, sir."

"Show me," growled the zombie at a small, oddly colored patch of the throne room wall. It came to life and displayed a dark jungle wherein two cloaked figures with their hoods drawn up to hide their faces stumbled through the trees. One was in gray and moved surely, while the second, in red and slightly shorter, was having more trouble. They paused at an incline and the taller one wordlessly pointed out the direction, but just for a moment they turned and their faces were visible. Elaine's eyes went wide and LeChuck heard her gasp as Guybrush himself looked directly at them with a steely-determined look on his face, while next to him a young woman blinked in surprise, then settled her delicate features into an even harder expression. They must have just caught sight of the Carnival, some part of his mind realized.

They passed back into the jungle again, though not before the girl paused for an instant and seemed to look back at LeChuck. He felt a shiver that was part fear, part excitement, and part something entirely different, something he hadn't felt since...

He cut that thought off quickly. That pesky Threepwood must be brought inside and dealt with quickly. "Elaine, my love," he said to his bride. "An old friend of yours be comin' to pay ye a visit."

He never had to say anything more, because her eyes lit up with a lovely malice. "I'll take care of them, LeChuck."

"And that be what I love about ye, Elaine." He kissed her hand again. "Come back ta me soon...and bring them here alive."

Her smile boded ill for the two intruders as she slipped out the door. He relaxed into his chair..and thoughts...once more, as the mirror showed a trim figure in a brown cloak moving to intercept the two travellers. Yes...what a sweet reunion this was going to be.

Next>