The Elusive Treasure
Chapter Twenty-One
On the Battlefield
Everyone looked in horror at Lars - Lorenzo and his croons. Their faces were pale, and their eyes were glowing red. Their voices sounded... hollow, empty, and an aura of sheer evil emanated from them.
When the fight exploded, the three teams charged. The 20 kids were fighting with each other with all their might
Soon it was clear that the pirates had the advantage, though. In spite of being severely outnumbered, they fought like so many devils with their daggers and cutlasses, making the rest of the gang keep a good pair of steps behind.
Scott was really concerned about the safety of all the kids, but particularly about Rod and, in good measure, about Iggy and Riley, even though the little Dutchman and the treasure hunter did a very good job defending themselves.
Tesoro was also participating in the fight. As if she knew exactly who was the enemy, the kitten jumped to Sputs' face and started slashing it with her claws, making the teenager cry in pain and run all over the ship, trying in vain to get rid of that ferocious cat, and speaking clearly for once in his life due to the pain and fright he was experiencing.
As for Oliver and his crew, after a couple of close encounters with Lorenzo's cutlass, had abandoned the fight and run for dear life, abandoning the Lopez bros and the treasure hunter.
Izzy looked at them and cursed. "Cowards! Come back!"
"They're gone, bro!" - said Iggy, ducking behind his brother (who was safely watching the fight behind a stalagmite)
"So much for Oliver Van Rossum and his crew... that will teach you never to trust geeks for a real man's work, Iggy!"
"B...but... it was you who hired those guys!"
"Shaddap! We'll discuss that later; now we must find a way to get a hold of that chest!"
So, the battle soon became rather balanced. The four pirates (Sputs sporting a fresh set of scars, courtesy of Tesoro) were fighting the six Ozone Street regulars, plus Riley.
The battle had to end somehow, and unfortunately, Roderick was feeling really tired - it was not easy for him to keep active for so long. Suddenly, Roderick slipped and fell on his back on the wet mud. He was exhausted, and was breathing fast. Lorenzo did not lose this chance, and put his boot on the boy's right arm, immobilizing him.
He was ready to give the final blow when something happened.
"YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRGGGHH!"
"What the...?" - said Lorenzo, stepping back in confusion and releasing Roderick.
He had to react really fast to stop the blow Scott dealt him. It was evident that Lorenzo was a very good swordsman, but the intensity of the attack took him by surprise.
Scott, with one of the blades the gang had confiscated, charged directly at Lorenzo and swung, nicking the possessed teen's chin.
Lorenzo put his fingers on his chin, and noticed they were covered in blood. He licked it, and his eyes glowed even more in anger.
"This will cost you dearly!" - said the possessed
"OUT, UNCLEAN SPIRIT!" the Sanchez boy commanded with a frightening voice.
"It takes a lot more than a simple scratch to make me leave this body! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!"
Lorenzo charged Scott with all his might and fury. He was a very good swordsman, and immediately used all the attack positions he had learnt when he was young.
He started with a direct blow in first position, aimed right to Scott's heart, but Scott blocked the blade with a deft movement of his cutlass.
Lorenzo retreated and attacked again, this time aiming to the teen's face. Scott again blocked the blade, causing sparks to fly from the steely weapons.
"You could have avoided all this trouble by letting the kid go to pay off papa's creditors," taunted Scott.
"And let him take away the key to my treasure chest? NEVER!"
"That mushroom the little brat tried to steal from me holds the key to my treasure chest!" - said Lorenzo, as he dealt another blow to Scott, who deftly stopped it.
"So that's what that mushroom was for!" - thought Felipe, surprised - "No wonder he got so mad at me when I took it. But yet..."
"What!" Izzy hissed, reaching into his pocket. He pulled out the fungus in question, which was still glowing. "You mean to tell me this thing has a use, after all?"
Scott shifted his weight and lifted a knee into Lorenzo's groin, then pushed him towards the floor with all his might. He reached for the stunner in his pocket, aimed, and fired.
"Hey bro. If we have the key, couldn't we just get the treasure right now?" Iggy whispered, not keeping his eyes off the battle.
"Of course we can." The elder brother scoffed. "But if we go for it now, they'll come after us. We gotta wait for the right opportunity."
Lorenzo got a direct hit from the stunner. For a moment, Lars' body crackled with electricity, but, to Scott's surprise, the pirate raised immediately on his feet, still cracking.
"Heh, heh, heh. Nice try, kid. But those... toys can't affect a dead man. Now it's my turn..."
"Woah! That guy can fry people?" Iggy gasped, looking at Scott in shock.
Lorenzo charged again at Scott, who didn't have time to completely block the blade.
"Keep it down!" Izzy shushed. "Hmmmm... I must admit, I didn't know they'd be so well prepared."
"I thought you had everything under control, bro."
"Pffft, of course I do. We got the key, remember?"
"Right." Iggy nodded.
They went back to watching the fight.
Lorenzo then brought his free hand down. It glanced off of Scott's helmeted head, and onto his shoulder. Scott, gritting his teeth in pain, slumped to the floor as Lorenzo withdrew his blade from Scott's shoulder. The lad fell to the floor, muttering several four-letter words..
"Ouch... Looks like that guy couldn't do it." Iggy said, looking at Scott mournfully.
"Hmmm..." Izzy didn't have anything to say.
"SCOTT! NOOOOO!" - cried Roderick, as he jumped to confront the pirate.
The boy made a quick forward jump and hit Lorenzo's hand with his right foot, just when the pirate was preparing to deal the final blow to Scott.
"TAKE THIS, YOU MORON! KIAAAHHH!"
Rod hit Lorenzo's right hand, making the pirate drop his blade.
"Woah! That kid's good!" The elder Lopez Brother said, looking at Rod with wide eyes.
"Yeah... I wouldn't wanna mess with him." The younger one agreed, nodding.
But the boy, in his despair, had forgotten a basic rule of Karate: Never let your feelings cloud your judgment. In his effort to protect his friend, he got too close to the pirate.
"HAH! GOTCHA!"
Lorenzo grabbed Roderick by the neck of his shirt and soon immobilized him-
Scott began struggling to his feet, glancing at Sammy--Otto--Reggie...
"HEY! LET ME GO!" Roderick tried desperately to free himself, but soon Lorenzo put a dagger to his throat.
"Looks like it's over, bro..." Iggy said sadly. Izzy just watched in interest.
"Now, listen carefully, you lowly rats! If you don't want to see this little brat pay a visit to his ancestors, you better drop your weapons and surrender to us!"
"Don't listen to him, guys! He... he can't get the treasure! Remember what Felipe told us!" - cried Rod, struggling to free himself
Scott uttered a word that drew the Lasers' attention. "Parlay."
"Shaddap!" - said Lorenzo, crashing Roderick violently against the mast of the ship, stunning him. "What you say, kid?" - said Lorenzo, looking at Scott
"What's 'parlay?'" Iggy asked.
"I think it's some kinda pirate term. I remember hearing it in some movie." Izzy answered.
"If we cooperate, and assuming you're a man of your word," coughed Scott, "what's in it for us?"
"Heh. I don't think you are in a position to negotiate, kids. But I am a man of honor, and you've fought well."
"That's new." Izzy commented. "An honorable pirate?"
"If you cooperate, I will let you live. But if you continue causing trouble to me and my men, I swear by Beelzebub, I'll make you all reunite with your ancestors, starting with this little kid!"
Lorenzo drew the blade a bit closer to Rod's neck, making a slight cut on it, to mark his words. Scott discharged the remaining energy in his stunner harmlessly into a large puddle, and tossed both it and a cutlass at his feet.
"For the moment, I'll take you at your word. But if me or any of my friends does not survive this day, each of you will eventually answer to God Himself. Good fight." Scott resumed his reclining position on the ground.
"They're giving up?" Iggy asked incredulously. "And it was getting good too..."
"Hmph. It seems like things are going in our favor." Izzy said.
Lorenzo saw as all the kids made the same sign. One by one, Otto, Reggie, Twister, Riley and Sam dropped their weapons to the ground, and stood there, looking both nervous and defiantly to the pirate.
"Very well, kids. A wise decision" - said Lorenzo, putting the knife away from Rod.
"Wha? How can you say that, bro?" The shorter brunet hissed.
"Gentlemen" - said Lorenzo - "Accompany these... kids to the hold, and lock them there!"
"Simple. Things are going in our favor." The older brother repeated.
"But they got Riley and Kitty!"
"Meh."
"..." Iggy gaped at him.
"Hey! What about Roderick?" - said Twister, as Pi pushed him down the stairs - "You said you would free him!"
"I never said that, Felipe!" - answered Lorenzo - "This kid will stay here, with me. That way I'm sure you won't try anything against us"
"My name is Mauricio... I mean, TWISTER! I'm not Felipe!"
"Yeah, yeah. Whatever."
"Hey, who's Felipe?" Iggy whispered, watching the scene.
"How should I know!" Izzy hissed.
'Unless...' He thought idly.
Lorenzo made a dismissive sign with his hand, and the three pirates escorted the kids down to the hold. Soon they returned to deck; they had locked the kids in the hold. Pi was carrying a length of rope. He tied Roderick's hands behind his back, and then secured him to the mast.
"There. That way you won't cause us any trouble, you fistful little brat. Now, tell us. Where is the key to the chest?"
"I... I don't know anything about that key!" - Said Roderick, trying in vain to free himself.
"Good thing he doesn't know about us." Izzy said to Iggy. "If he's anything like you, he'd probably blab."
Iggy just stuck his tongue out at him in response.
"I see. Well, I have time. Sooner or later you or your friends will tell us. But you better do it fast; as you can see, the tide is rising. I'll give you one hour to think. If you don't tell us where the key is..."
Lorenzo pointed to a protruding plank firmly fastened to one of the edges of the deck. Roderick gasped; it was --- It had to be the same plank from which the pirate had executed his brother.
"... You'll all keep company to my good-for-nothing little brother. HAH,HAH,HAH,HAH,HAH,HAH,HAH,HAH!"
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.
"I... I can't believe it... It... It's happening again! Oh, god! Please, don't let Lorenzo do that to the kids. It's... my fault... I must... I must find a way to help them!"
Felipe looked in disbelief at the terrible scene. Watching Roderick tied to the same mast, and menaced to suffer the same fate... it was too terrible.
"Alright, Iggy. Now's our chance." Izzy said stepping around from behind the stalagmite. "With those idiot pirates busy with Blondie and the others, we'll grab the treasure and get outta here."
"But what about that kid and the others?" Iggy asked, following him.
"Eh," The elder brother shrugged. "I'm sure they'll get outta here. Eventually."
"How can ya just say that! We can't just leave 'em here!"
"First of all, keep ya trap shut already! We can't let them know we're still here!" Izzy hissed. "Second, why shouldn't we? I bet if we were in the same situation, Blondie and the rest of them would just leave us here to croak."
"No way..." Iggy said with a gaping expression.
"I wouldn't put it past them." The taller brunet nodded. "After all, you remember how ruthless they were the day we met, don't ya?"
"B-b-but that guy tried to save that kid..."
"Doesn't mean they'd treat us the same way." Izzy crossed his arms. "Like I said, they'd leave us to get killed by those guys."
Soon, they arrived at the massive chest that almost claimed their lives a few moments earlier.
"Now let's see..." The older brother muttered.
Down in the hold, or what was left of it...
Scott was speaking quietly, as the others listened. "We are now faced with a question of survival. Eventually, someone is going to open up that hatch and come down that staircase. He will expect us to be afraid. But, we must be willing to accept the possibility of having to kill someone in order to get freedom for the rest of us. There are more than enough of us here to be able to do this to one, or maybe even two, people. Just remember to ask to speak to Johnny Cochran if any of you are questioned, if this gets messy..."
He grunted as Reggie tied a makeshift dressing around Scott's wound.
"Anyway, for what it's worth, I love each of you as brothers...and, uh, sisters. And I'm sorry this got out of hand. I really wasn't expecting a battle royale against the unknown."
"Scott, do you think Roderick is all right?" - said Reggie, really concerned.
"I... I don't know, Reggie. To be honest, I do hope he is well."
"He is all right" - said a voice, remarkably similar to Twister's - "At least for the moment"
"Felipe?" asked Scott.
All the kids looked at one corner of the hold. They all see Felipe slowly materialize in front of them. The ghost seemed to be terribly sad, and anguished, and his sadness moved all the kids.
"I'm... so sorry this happened, kids. It's my fault. I should have never involved you in this quest. If... if I had kept those boxes hidden..."
"You mean, you let us find those boxes, Felipe?" - asked Sam.
"Yeah... I did... See, I've been waiting for over 300 years now, until someone... brave, with pure heart... could find this cursed treasure and release me from my watch. Many people have tried to find this chest, but none of them were worth of it. And then, I saw you there, playing on the beach. I immediately noticed how close friends you are, and how brave and noble hearts you have, and thought you were the persons I've been waiting for.
"But I... didn't expect Lorenzo to be freed too. It was... something unexpected. As soon as that kid with the missing tooth appeared, Lorenzo took him as host. Please forgive me, kids. I swear I will do anything I can to help you out of this situation."
Meanwhile...
"Iggy, keep watch while I try to figure this thing out." Izzy said, inspecting the treasure chest. "If anybody comes, tell me so that we can run for it."
"R-r-r-r-r-right..." Iggy trembled. He knew that they were in big trouble and all his brother could think about was getting rich.
Izzy soon found a key hole shaped strangely like the mushroom. Snickering evilly, he pulled out the fungus and inserted it into the hole. He turned it twice before hearing the lock's tumblers do their thing. With a quick click, the chest opened, causing the boys to be engulfed in a golden light. He reached inside and prepared to grab his just reward.
A few moments passed before a horrified gasp was heard. The brunet pulled his head back and slammed the chest with a thunderous roar.
"I-I-I-I-Izzy...?" Iggy shuddered, backing away from the apparently cheesed off brunet.
Izzy trembled in rage as he slowly thought over this current chain of events. His veins bulged as his face turned a deep, dark red.
He breathed slowly, trying to calm down, but it was quickly becoming apparent that he was about to blow in a gigantic fit of curses.
"M-m-m-m-m-m-my treasure..." He turned to Iggy, his eyes red and full of flames of great hate. "A BOTTLE!"
The younger boy was scared for his very life as Izzy advanced towards him, thirsty for blood. He backed Iggy up against the wall and prepared to strike him down. Just as Izzy was about to end it, he stopped and took a deep breath. He relaxed his body, causing his veins to retreat back into his body and his face to return to its normal, tanned look. He breathed for a few more moments before sighing.
"Excuse me a sec." He said, walking towards the other end of the cave. He pulled a mallet seemingly out of nowhere as he walked off camera.
"Not the face! NOT THE FACE!" A voice screamed.
SUPER ULTIMATE KRABBY PATTY SUPREME HOLD THE MAYO WHAM DELUXE!
"Ahhhhh... I feel cleansed..." Izzy sighed, walking back into the cave, holding a half broken mallet over his shoulders. He then looked to the right with a dark glare. "NOW FIX IT!"
(Prince Izzy: Stumbles around X.X Jeeze... Can't take a joke... Faints)
(Mike2000: snap!)
The brothers turned towards the treasure chest as a cloud of smoke emanated from it. They walked up to it. Like earlier, Izzy gripped the bottom of the lid.
"Now, let's try this AGAIN!" He roared.
Again, Izzy grabbed the lid and pushed it open, causing them to be engulfed a second time. When the light died down this time, Izzy and Iggy gasped. The chest was filled to the brim with gold and jewels of all sizes! Spanish doubloons, gold bars, crowns, scepters, rubies, sapphires, and emeralds as far as the eye can see!
"WOAH! WE FINALLY HAVE IT!" The older brother bellowed with a grin so huge, it's amazing he didn't stretch out his mouth to its limit.
"Yay! Yay! Yay!" Iggy cheered, forgetting his guilt. "Look at those gigantic jewels! They're bigger than the Master Emerald!"
"Yep! And it's all ours!"
"But wait... What's this thing?"
The younger brother reached into the chest and pulled out what seemed to be an old pirate's hat. It had a skull and crossbones knitted into it. A red feather was sticking out of one corner of it. It looked almost like the hat the infamous pirate Blackbeard wore. Izzy snatched it out of his hands and gave it a look of disgust.
"Blech! A ratty old hat? Among my treasure? Pfffft!" He tossed it to his left. "We don't need some stinkin' hat when we have all this gold!"
Unfortunately for all parties involved, the piece of headwear landed in the worst possible place!
Lorenzo's feet.
"Bwahahahahahahahaha!" The ghost laughed as he picked it up. "Thank you for opening my treasure and freeing my precious hat."
"Huh?"
The brothers turned towards the voice and saw the possessed brunet and the rest of his crew standing a few feet by them. Pi, Sputz, and Animal had their swords held menacingly towards them while the one formally known as Lars inspected his hat.
"Hmmm... Seems to be in alright shape..." He muttered, giving it one more look over. He then smirked at the siblings, who trembled slightly.
"Now that I have what I've longed for over three hundred years, I can finally claim this body as my own and rule as the king of all pirates!"
He gave another evil laugh as he removed the gray beanie on his head and put the pirate's hat on. Instantly, black lightning crackled around his body. He groaned slightly as he clenched his fists, feeling the power of his full spirit returning to him. The other members of his crew enjoyed a similar sensation. The dark energy came out of the very ground they were standing on and engulfed them, empowering them.
Izzy and Iggy, watching the scene in horror, clung to each other for safety.
"I-I-I-Izzy!" The latter shouted over the noise.
"Wh-wh-wh-wh-wh-wh-what!" The former replied.
"D-d-d-d-d-didn't that ghost thingy say not to let the pirate with the missing tooth reach the treasure!"
"Y-y-y-y-yeah...! What about—" Izzy slapped his head. "Aw crap! I knew I was forgetting something!"
Soon, the noise quieted down and the lightning stopped flowing. Remnants of electricity floated in the air. The Lopez Brothers remained clung to each other as they studied the four forms in front of them.
Instead of their normal clothes, they were now wearing pirate outfits. Pi, Sputz, and Animal were wearing tattered shorts, patched up shirts, and bandanas. Lars, however, was fully decked out. He was wearing a black uniform that had many gold buttons and various other decorations on it. A scabbard, which had a sinister design on it, was strapped to his side, by a brown, leather sash. He was also wearing a pair of polished boots. Finally, his hat looked more authentic than it did when Izzy tossed it aside.
All four of their heads were facing the floor, but that soon changed when they looked up. Their eyes looked normal for the most part. But looking closer, one can see the differences immediately. They all had a sinister, deadly look in them, not to mention a faint, but lethal, red tint in the depths of their pupils.
"Finally!" Lorenzo shouted, stretching his arms and legs, along with the rest of the crew. "I'm alive again!"
He stretched for a few moments longer before glaring at the siblings who were still shuddering in fright in front of the treasure.
"Now step aside unless you want to die a painful death." He growled. Both brothers gulped.
"R-r-r-r-r-r-r-right a-a-a-a-a-away, M-m-m-m-m-mister. Pirate man, sir..." Izzy trembled.
He was about to move when a great light engulfed the room, causing the pirates to back away.
"Ugh!" Lorenzo grunted, covering his eyes. "That light! It can't be!"
"Huh?" The brothers raised confused eyebrows at them. It seemed that they weren't affected by the light.
Izzy turned and noticed that the mushroom was the cause of the sudden brightness. While the pirates were preoccupied, he reached over and grabbed the fungus from the keyhole.
"What's going on, bro?" Iggy asked strangely.
"How should I know?" Izzy demanded. "I got lost after the boss pulled that stunt with that stupid bottle!"
"I can't believe you two!" A familiar voice boomed inside their minds.
"Ahhhh! The ghost!" The smaller brother screamed, hiding behind Izzy. The older brother looked around.
"Oh great! What else can go wrong?"
"I told you not to let Lorenzo get the treasure!" Felipe shouted.
"But ya didn't say anything about a stupid hat!"
"When I said 'the treasure,' I meant the WHOLE treasure! Now I'll have to take care of things. I only hope your body will be adequate."
Izzy didn't like the sound of that. He lifted the mushroom and looked at it suspiciously.
"Whaddya mean?"
"What do you think I mean? I'll possess your body and fight my brother."
"Hey! Don't I get a say in this!"
"Of course not. It's your fault this happened in the first place!" Felipe answered. "Now stand still. This'll only take a second."
Izzy looked around frantically. He didn't want to get possessed! He had to get rid of this thing and fast!
"Aw man... What am I gonna do!" He yelled desperately.
That was when he realized there was a solution to his dilemma. He smirked evilly as he turned towards Iggy, who was huddled against the stalagmite they were standing by moments ago.
"Hey Iggy!" He shouted. The boy looked up as Izzy held back the mushroom. "Go long!"
With that, he pitched the glowing fungus towards his sibling. As the mushroom spun through the air like a football, Iggy ran, trying to stay under the "ball." It soon descended towards the boy, who held his hands up.
Annnnnnnnnnnd... He catches it! TOUCHDOWN, LOPEZ BROTHERS! And the crowd goes wild!
"Yes!" He cheered, dancing around with the mushroom held up. "I caught it, Izzy! I can make a really good baseball player!"
He laughed heartily for a few seconds before he gasped and looked at the "ball." His eyes bulged when he noticed he was holding the MUSHROOM! He glared at his brother.
"HEY! NO—"
He was cut short as the mushroom's glowing intensified, engulfing him completely. He screamed as he through his head back. His shouts echoed throughout the entire cavern. Soon, his body no longer glowed. Iggy looked downwards as Izzy observed him. The younger sibling looked the same. The only difference was the pure white scabbard that was where his kendo stick originally was. A few seconds passed before he lifted his head.
"Hello, brother." Iggy said, opening his eyes.
Izzy gasped when he noticed three things. One, his eyes showed an expression of pure, full-blooded determination. There also was a faint golden glow within those orbs. Two, that wasn't Iggy's voice. It sounded just like just like Twister! Third, he was facing Lorenzo, who had recovered from the light display.
"Now what are the consequences of what I just did?" Izzy asked himself, holding his chin. He then shrugged. "Meh, at least I get to have front row seats."
"So, you actually decided to take your own host, huh?" Lorenzo asked as Iggy--erm, Felipe walked towards him. "And just what do you hope to accomplish?"
"You won't leave this cave with that treasure, Lorenzo!" Felipe barked, drawing his sword. "En guarde!"
With his good arm, Scott extracted a blue and silver can from a pouch on the side of his trousers. He opened it and drank some of the tasty stimulant. Soon he could stand, then, haltingly, walk. "You were right about this stuff, Otto," he remarked. "It does give you a ...boost when you might need one." Cautiously Scott began to examine their surroundings inside the hold. As he pretty much expected, it was not quite as solid as their captors might have hoped. There was a false bottom underneath the part of the floor where the cajon had been laid.
A creaking of hinges was heard from a corner of the hold. "Twist! Check this out," Otto whispered hoarsely.
The one in the winged helmet did so. "Spiky poles, and swords, and..." The others gingerly stepped over the creaky floorboards to look on.
"...And a few single-shot flintlock pistols, if I'm not mistaken," Scott observed.
"Which would be next to useless, unless we had a supply of gunpowder and lead balls," Sam noticed.
"Even so, there's always the element of surprise and intimidation," noted Reg. Scott went back to the area he'd been scrutinizing. He pulled up the false bottom, which revealed a small wooden barrel, painted red, and a small open box containing small blobs of blue-gray metallic substance. "I guess we're in luck, and I hope we don't need it," stated Scott.
As the others rummaged through that hidden armory, they came upon a couple of extra-long crowbars. "We could pull this brig apart as though the hull were made out of hundred-year-old spaghetti," observed Riley. Sam and Scott were already busying themselves decanting the black powder into a couple of hollowed-out cow's horns made to carry the stuff, and carefully loading each of the four relatively intact firearms they'd located with the proper smidgen of powder and one projectile. Were one of the weapons to be fired, it would take about a minute to reload; but in a worst case scenario, they seemed to agree that at most two shots might need to be fired.
"Now or never, guys," urged Riley, Tesoro perched nervously on her shoulder as she toted one of the giant tongs. Reg dragged the other bar up, and the gang readied themselves to break out.
Meanwhile, outside the ship...
The situation was extremely tense. Lorenzo and Felipe stared each other down, their eyes showing intense concentration and focus. Both brothers were about ten to twenty feet away from each other. The one in Iggy's body was stationed right in front of the immense treasure chest, prepared to defend it, no matter what the cause. He held his sword with both hands as if there was a trace of doubt in his mind. He glowered at Lorenzo, trying to figure out his strategy.
Lorenzo, meanwhile, had an air of confidence around him as if he was sure of his victory. He held his sword with one hand as he sized up his younger sibling. He used the other to pick lint off his uniform. From the moment he saw the doubt in Felipe's eyes, he knew that he had no reason to be afraid. After all, he killed his brother once. There's no reason why he couldn't do it again.
As for everyone else present, the ones formally known as Pi, Sputz, and Animal were standing behind their captain, ready to defend him and overwhelm his brother if the situation called for it. Izzy was standing on Felipe's left. The pale, shaky look in his eyes showed that he was confused and scared. He clearly had no idea what to do. After all, his own brother was possessed by a real life ghost, who was about to fight the pirate for the coveted treasure. The one HE has been trying to find for the past five days. He was well aware that he should just make off with the great riches while the ancient seamen fought. He'd have it all for himself and be wealthy beyond his wildest dreams!
Then again... Although two spirits were about to clash, there was the little factor of Iggy being possessed by one of them. The elder Lopez couldn't just leave him behind! ...But the treasure...! And so that's why he was confused.
"I'll ask you again. What makes you think you can actually defeat me?" Lorenzo broke the stifling silence.
"I don't know, but I'm going to try! It's better than letting you get what you don't deserve!" Felipe shouted.
"Hmph! Have you forgotten that I taught you everything you know about sword fighting? You couldn't beat me even if you have eternity!"
"We'll see about that!" The younger ghost spat. "I won't lose even if we have to battle for a hundred years!"
The elder one smirked. "Even at the cost of your so-called 'friends?'"
"What do you mean?" Felipe asked, narrowing his eyes.
Lorenzo snickered. "As we speak, mine, yours, and my men's spirits are taking over our hosts' bodies. Soon, it'll be too late to leave them. We'll be born again, able to breathe and feel! They on the other hand will be thrown into eternal limbo! Muahahahahahahaha!"
Pi, Sputz and Animal joined in the laughing as Felipe and Izzy gasped.
"WHAT!" The latter demanded. "Get out of his body now!"
"I-I-I can't..." The former said solemnly, looking down. "I have to defeat Lorenzo... We can't let him get that treasure..."
Izzy blinked, his eyes widening. "But—"
"If we're through with the pleasantries, I believe I have a treasure to claim." The one inhabiting Lars' body said, getting into a defensive position. He then smirked. "Now either I can humiliate you at this very moment and destroy your host. Or, I can just wait until you completely take over his body so that I can kill you all over again."
"You'll do no such thing!"
Lorenzo hung his head low as he closed his eyes.
"Well then, if you really think you stand a chance..." He looked up with a blood red glare. "Then prepare yourself! YAH!"
With that, the crazed pirate charged right towards Felipe with his sword held high. The boy in the purple cap tightened the grip on his blade before running head-on as well. Due to Lars being much taller than Iggy, the gap closed fast.
Felipe barely had time to defend himself when Lorenzo brought his sword crashing down. The younger boy held up his sword to block the blow. As soon as the blades connected, a struggle began. Lars' body tried to force the sword down on Iggy, but the one controlling the younger Lopez Brother wouldn't have it. He pushed right back. However, it was soon apparent that Iggy's body wasn't strong enough to gain the upper hand. Before he knew what was coming, Lorenzo abandoned the struggle, causing Felipe to lose his balance. Taking advantage of this moment of weakness, the captain crouched low and knocked his brother off his feet with a sweep kick.
"Augh!" The boy yelped as he landed on the hard ground. He moaned as he tried to regain his bearings. He looked up and felt his eyes go wide as he saw Lorenzo coming in for a leap! His sword was aimed right for Iggy's heart!
Adrenaline pumping, he rolled out of the way just in time. Lorenzo's sword pierced the ground with a clang that echoed throughout the chamber. Unfortunately for the pirate, his weapon had become stuck.
"Ugh! Worthless piece of junk!" He cursed.
'Now's my chance!' Felipe thought.
He got to his feet and pounced on his brother. Lorenzo barely got his sword free when his opponent landed a hard punch right on Lars' cheek. He quickly followed up with a kick that was surprisingly fast.
'Heh, this "Iggy" is very agile.' He thought, chuckling as the pirate recovered from that last attack.
"That was luck, ya landlubber! You won't get another hit like that again! Count on it!"
Felipe got into an offensive stance as the duel continued.
Back inside the hold, as the gang was about to pry themselves out, Sam took Otto aside. "I want you to take my pistol, so you can fire as many as two shots."
The auburn one studied his bespectacled friend quizzically. Sam continued, "I scare easily and I can't hit the broad side of a barn. You're probably gonna want to take the fight right to the bad guys the second we get out of here, and I want you to be safe. You're the bravest guy I know. What I wouldn't give for a tenth of your courage."
"It's okay, Squid," Otto reassured, gripping the former's shoulder. "We're gonna pull through this..."
The others donned their sword-carriers and gripped at the tongs, preparing to break out. "On the count of three, guys!" commanded Reggie. "One..."
Twister crossed himself with eyes clenched shut.
"...Two..."
Otto prayed quickly for guidance and cojones to do what needed to be done in the next few minutes, confident in the dictum that if he should fall in a noble cause for his friends, his salvation wouldn't be in question.
"...THREE!"