LeChuck didn't look up as the stranger strode into his throne room. In fact, he barely seemed to notice - slumped in his voodoo throne, chin in his hand, staring off into space - why, he might have almost been asleep.
"Hello, there!" said the intruder cheerily. "Are you the great evil pirate LeChuck?"
LeChuck straightened up just enough to look at the young man properly. " I am - and who are ye, that dares t' intrude upon my solitude?!? Why have ye come here?"
"Why, I mostly came to see you, Your Voodoo-ness." The fellow avoided the identity question altogether. "What have you been doing lately?" He peered at the imposing pirate before him. "Plotting Threepwood's demise, perhaps?"
LeChuck snorted at that. "Not much point in that," he replied dryly. "Guybrush died about forty years ago, eaten by a shark - should've known better than t' go treasure huntin' at seventy, but th' fool insisted on livin' like he was nineteen. Stupid twit."
The young inquisitor seemed somewhat taken aback by that. "Oh," he said. Then, "Well, that means you must have finally caught Elaine, right?"
"No," said LeChuck, glumly. "She had a spell cast on her a while back - makes it impossible fer her t' be turned int' the livin' damned. It all seemed sorta' pointless after that. I heard she's still alive, still rulin' a few islands - although one of her gran'children is all poised to take over, once she finally dies." He sank back into silence, musing on his defeat.
"Oh," said the nosy man again. There was a pause, then - "Well, what are you still doing here, then?"
"What 'm I still doin' here?" said LeChuck in disbelief. "Just look at me, boy - I'm immortal! It's not like there's anything for me t' do anymore, with SharkFood and Elaine out of my reach - but I can't just up and die, either." He glared at the 'boy', apparently upset at having his situation 'rubbed in', as it were.
"Oh." The 'boy' thought for a moment more, then pulled something out of his pocket. "I wouldn't be so sure of that, actually." He aimed the gun at LeChuck and fired.
LeChuck stared in shock as the bullet hit his chest. Small golden particles spread out on impact, seeping into LeChuck's body. "How?" he asked, as his strength began to seep away.
"I have a friend of mine who's a voodoo priest," the boy said casually, putting away his gun. "He thought I might need this."
LeChuck grinned at him, pleased with his imminent demise. "Well, I'll finally be able t' stop hangin' around this place, lookin' for sumthin' t' do," he said, though his voice was fading quickly. "Why, maybe I'll even be able to catch up to Guybrush in the afterlife!"
"I wouldn't count on it," the boy called after the dying pirate, but his spirit was already gone. The boy looked at LeChuck's body, considered saying something else, shrugged, and then decided against it. He turned and headed for the exit, since there was nothing left to do here.
As he reached the doorway, he blindly ran into a tripwire. Fortunately for him, he did trip, landing hard on the cold stone floor - then staring up in surprise at the arrow sunk into the far wall ahead of him. From what little he could see of the tip, he thought it was glowing with an unearthly light. A voodoo boobytrap? That was strange; he hadn't remembered encountering any boobytraps on the way in.
He turned and looked back into the throne room. When LeChuck had died, his face had been left smiling - the boy had assumed at the time that LeChuck was just relieved to finally be dead dead, but now, from this angle, it looked more like he was grinning evilly.
The boy swallowed nervously, then turned back towards the exit. Maybe he would just crawl out of here.
Just to be safe.
