The Elusive Treasure
Chapter Twenty-Two
The Final Battle
The hatches gave way with a mighty splintering crunch, as the kids broke out on deck brandishing a fearsome array of sharpened steel. Sam chopped away the bonds that held Roderick as Twister retrieved for the young Dutchman his katana. Reg and Scott brought up the rear, wielding fearsome partisan pikes, as the squad moved in on the conflict.
Scott brought the blunt end of his weapon into Pi's belly, then pivoted and shoved him to the deck with his foot. Bringing the weapon around so that the pointy end faced Pi's throat, he was able to gain the hoodlum's surrender. He and Reg flipped the teen over and bound his wrists with plastic restraints Scott had brought for the eventuality.
When they released Roderick, Otto and the rest of the gang heard the metallic noise of the sword fight. When they looked, they were really surprised (and terrified) to see Iggy actually fighting Lorenzo with a cutlass.
"What the..." - said Otto in disbelief, pointing to Iggy - "What is he doing? And where did he learn to fight with a sword like that?"
"Who?" - asked Riley, looking in the direction indicated by Otto's extended arm.
She couldn't believe it. She considered Iggy a very good friend of her - after all, he was one of the few persons with whom Tesoro was really comfortable with.
Just then she saw Lorenzo land a very powerful blow on Iggy's blade, who raised it in high to cover his head. The strength of the blow was such that it forced Iggy to fall to his knees.
"Iggy!" - she screamed, and dashed to the rescue
"Riley! WAIT" cried Reggie, but to no use.
Riley jumped down the forecastle to the deck where the fight was being carried out, and without notice jumped on Lorenzo's back, just in time to prevent him from landing another massive blow on Iggy's blade
"What the..." - cried Lorenzo, startled and loosing his balance, giving Iggy a chance to stand up and get in an in-guard position again
"TAKE HER OFF ME!" - cried to his men.
Riley jumped from his back, ready to fight, when she felt someone grab her by the back of her bandanna.
"Hey, go easy on the 'do," she said, thinking it was the other Lopez brother.
Riley was strong for a girl of her build, but no amount of struggling seemed to loosen the boys' grips.
She found herself being dragged away from Lorenzo. Animal roughly shoved her to her knees.
"All taken care of, Captain!" - mumbled Animal, holding Riley from her shoulders - "What do you want us to do with her?"
"MAKE HER WALK THE PLANK WHILE I TAKE CARE OF THIS PEST!" - yelled Lorenzo, resuming his unequal fight with Felipe.
----
Lou lay in his hospital bed, grateful that the institution subscribed to a full spectrum of cable TV. He had a visitor, a girl who might have been mistaken for a big sister of Twister.
Debby Hollister had been out of town camping with her mom and dad, and on reading in the Ocean Shores Gazette what had happened over the previous couple of days headed straight for the hospital to look in on Lou.
Her and Scott had been going steady for a little bit, and she had kind of adopted Lou as her "big brother".
The two munched out on the cheeseburgers she'd brought up, and brought each other up to speed on the latest gossip. "And Scott and those guys from over Ozone Street--what are they up to right now?" she asked.
"They're checking out that cave beyond the Glowing Pool at Explorers Park," Lou replied. "Supposedly checking out a lead on some ancient treasure."
"I've been in that cave before," Debby replied with absolute confidence. "There's nothing in there except a couple of weird old monuments like a twenty foot long pair of hands, and a marble archway without a door, just a wall of solid rock. I even wrote an article for Reggie's Zine about it."
Lou finished sipping on his iced tea. "If only you knew what I've become privy to..." he said, just as his phone rang.
Its display displayed an overseas number he did not recognize. That probably meant...
"HIYA SPORT!" boomed a mature male voice, full of pride and confidence.
"Uh, Hey Dad," acknowledged Lou. "I... imagine you heard all about what happened, huh? I know you're probably worried, but I'm feeling better and doing okay."
Thanks in no small part to my friends' charity and courage, he thought about saying, or not saying.
"I'm glad you're okay, Lou," replied Mr. Crumpacker."
But, this wouldn't have had anything to do with some rumored treasure over in the Tierra Perforada? Me 'n a couple of other guys tried once..."
"Actually, yes. Believe it or not, one of those kids over on Ozone Street literally stumbled across some new information, so I think something's gotta be there. I should be hearing from Scott in a little while..."
Lou caught his breath, continuing: "Him and the other guys are searching an alternate route to the probable location of the treasure. Any way, I'm sorry that your trip got interrupted..."
"Aah, don't worry about that," spoke an older female voice.
"Between rain, and muddy water, and power failures...Heh. Santosha will always be there. But we'll be glad to see you. We should be there in a day, or three, luv."
"Alright Mom. See you guys then, and keep Dad out of trouble."
"Alright Louie. Take care! Love you." Mrs. Crumpacker kissed, then hung up.
Lou cringed briefly at the thought of his mishap becoming a global news story, but such coverage was practically inevitable these days, especially given the instrumental role of some extraordinary kids in his survival.
"I think I'm gunna take a nap now, Debby," said Lou. "I'll give you a callas soon as I hear from Scott. "He extended his fist, and she tapped it with hers with a smile as she left.
Riley had a brief flashback to a painting her parents owned, which depicted Felipe on the edge of the plank. She knew panicking was a bad idea, but couldn't help herself. Riley reached behind her back, trying to undo the ropes. She struggled for several minutes, getting nothing but a sore shoulder.
"Hey, can one of you guys untie me?" she asked.
The others shook their heads. They were too far away to be of much help. Riley had a suspicion that Lorenzo wasn't going to keep his end of the bargain.
Lorenzo was fuming now. All his men had been defeated and captured by those landlubber rats, and now he was outnumbered.
And to make things worse, that rat Felipe had proved to be a very good swordsman. Yeah, he was weaker than him, but he had learnt his moves very well, and still remembered them clearly in spite of all those years.
But he was still controlling the situation. He noticed that Felipe's host was getting tired quickly. Lorenzo smiled evilly when he noticed Iggy panting. 'The end is near', he thought. 'As long as the others were busy trying to dominate his men, he would stand a chance.
"You better surrender now, Felipe" - said Lorenzo, giving another blow to his brother's blade - "your host is really tired now. If you surrender I might only execute you, and leave the others alone!"
"Huh? Tired?" Izzy blinked, looking at Felipe. Indeed, Iggy's body was shaking and heaving. It didn't look like he could last much longer. He blinked again and said to Felipe. "But wait. I thought you were controlling him! How can only he be tired!"
"Well, I'm dead, remember?" - answered Felipe. "On the other hand, your brother is still alive, and his body is getting really tired with all this... WHOA! ... effort!" - added as he dodged another blow.
"Ugh!" The elder Lopez Brother slapped his head. "Ya really didn't think this through, huh?"
"Hey, give me a break! I've been dead for 300 years! I... YIKES! ... I kinda forgot how easily you get tired when you are alive!"
Right then, Iggy tripped and fell to his knees. He was very tired, and couldn't stand up as fast as he would have liked.
"AHA! GOTCHA!" - cried Lorenzo, preparing to give the final blow to his brother's host
Izzy gasped. "Iggy!" He then glowered. "Hey! Watch it with him, Casper!"
"I-I-Izzy... Help...help me..." Iggy's voice was heard groaning as Felipe tried desperately to move.
"I-I-Iggy...?" The taller brunet paled as his eyes widened.
He then started to remember what Oliver told him that night at the hospital. That his need to save his brother only showed his love for him. But he couldn't actually care that much about him! ...Could he? He shook his head when he noticed the kendo stick strapped to his leg. He grabbed the hilt and held it at arm's length, trying to figure out what to do. He had to save his brother! But he could die in the process, not to mention lose the treasure.
"Izzy!"
"Huh?" The boy blinked and turned to Sam, who delivered that call.
"Do something already! He's your brother!"
Izzy glowered at him. "Duh! I know that, ya idiot!" He blinked and looked to his side. "But I..."
That was when something sparked inside him like a small ember growing into a flame and then into a towering inferno. He had no idea where this sudden rush of rage came from, but he wasn't going to let go to waste. He looked ahead at Lorenzo, who was only mere feet away from Iggy. Drawing a breath, he clenched the wooden blade with both hands and charged forward.
"Now you die!" The pirate declared, raising his sword above the younger Lopez Brother's head. "Now the treasure is mine!" He readied his sword.
"AHHHHHHHHHHH!"
"Wha...?" Lorenzo turned towards Izzy, who made that mighty roar.
Before he knew what was coming, the boy in the blue hat jumped as high as he could with the kendo stick drawn above his head and brought crashing down onto the captain's head, knocking him face first into the hard earth. Lorenzo bounced off the floor with a sickening thud. Before he could retaliate, Izzy followed up his strike with a great upper swing, knocking him into the air. He then leapt towards him, spun once as if performing an Ollie, and swung hard, connecting with Lars' chest. Sam and everyone else watching gasped in shock as Lorenzo landed a good five to ten feet from the other brunet. They then turned to the elder Lopez Brother, who was panting. His head was hung low as he stood in front of his brother's body, holding his sword in a defensive stance.
"Heh, heh. Not bad, kid" - said Lorenzo, standing up and wiping a drop of blood from the side of his mouth - "But in case you don't know it, my host is used to fight and win. So I'm afraid I'll take care of the both of you right now" - added, taking his sword again and preparing to resume fighting as if nothing had happened.
"Possessed or not..." Izzy started. He then looked up with a look that nobody, not even Iggy, ever seen on his face. It was a look of determination, pure rage, and what seemed to be...love? "Nobody hurts my little brother!"
"Yeah, whatever. You still have a chance to leave and let me finish my pending issues with that lowly rat of Felipe; or else..."
Izzy didn't even bat an eyelash at the threat. "Never. No matter what, me and my brother will defeat you!"
"What am I, chopped liver?" Felipe muttered as Iggy struggled to his feet.
"Oh, well. it's your choice. en guard!"
Lorenzo gave a series of quick blows to Izzy's katana with his cutlass. No matter how hard the wooden sword was, it was obviously no match for that old, yet strong steel blade.
"Ack! Maybe I'm way over my head!" Izzy shouted, desperately trying to defend himself. The pirate's thrusts were like lightning. It was extremely hard to evade and block. He even got cut a few times.
"Well it's too late!" Felipe yelled, joining in the effort. "You chose to fight and Lorenzo won't give up until we're both gone!"
"I wish I knew that sooner!" The taller boy yelped, barely dodging Lorenzo's latest strike.
The battle continued with neither side gaining an advantage. The duo and the captain were at a stalemate. Both sides got in some hits, but the majority was blocked by either of the two spiritual brothers' swords. Soon, the late comer was found at a great disadvantage when Lorenzo managed to slice his kendo stick in two, rendering it useless.
"Bwahahaha! It will be doubly funny to terminate you again, Felipe! And this time I'll make sure you have some company!"- said Lorenzo, preparing (again) to deal the final blow.
"Ah great!" Izzy groaned, inspecting his weapon. "What're we going to do!"
"Ack..." Felipe moaned, kneeling. He puffed as he drew in small breaths. "I'm too tired and your weapon is broken. We're finished..."
"Time to say goodbye, brats! AHHHH!"
"Not yet. I got an idea." Izzy said, standing in front of Felipe with his arms held out.
"What are you doing!" The one in Iggy's body demanded.
The other boy looked back. "It's simple. When he gets me, that'll be your chance to destroy the one thing responsible for this."
Felipe blinked. "You mean..."
"Yeah." Izzy nodded looking ahead. "It's gotta be that hat of his. It must be the key, right? So when he attacks me, that'll be your chance to end this."
"But you'll—!"
"Yeah, I know. Please do this. I..." The taller one lowered his head. "I don't want Iggy to get killed, ok? Just... Just do this for me. Please..."
Felipe gaped at him and gulped. He then nodded.
"Very well." He smirked. "I guess I had you figured out all wrong."
"Well? Are you ready, brats? Who wants to go first?" - said Lorenzo, mockingly
"Yeah, yeah. Just get ready... And tell Iggy good bye for me..." Izzy shut his eyes, ready to accept what's about to befall him.
Lorenzo prepared to thrust his sword and finish off Izzy. He took impulse, drew his arms up and prepared to deliver the blow to the boy's head when...
"BANZAAAAAAAAI!"
"Huh? what the...?" - said Lorenzo. He couldn't finish the sentence. Another fury attacked him.
Roderick had grabbed a rope hanging from one of the masts and, wiggling out of the hold of his friends who tried desperately to restrain him, he grabbed the rope and balanced to the lower deck, hitting Lorenzo's chest with his feet and causing him to fall back on deck... again.
"Ugh! Don't you ever get tired, ya munchkin?" - asked Lorenzo, trying to stand up again.
"Wha...?" Izzy opened his eyes and looked at the boy that just saved his life.
"What're you...?"
"I won't let you hurt them, Lorenzo! These are my friends!" - said Roderick, standing in an in-guard position. His expression was cold and steely, a sign that he was really angry. He wasn't carrying any weapons - and he wouldn't need them for a while.
"What you think you're doing, kid? I've defeated you once, and will do it again!"
'Friends...? I don't even know this kid...' Izzy thought. He shook his head and stood by Rod's side.
"Not if I have anything to say about it!" He spat.
"No, you won't. I made a mistake last time; I still thought you were Lars, my friend. But Lars would never try to hurt or kill his brother."
"Heh. So be it. I can still defeat you, kids!"
Lorenzo prepared to attack. Izzy and Iggy were ready to continue fighting, but Roderick made them a sign to stop and stay behind. He had some... personal issues to settle with that ghost first.
"You sure about this, kid?" Izzy asked, falling back.
Lorenzo charged towards Rod, thinking he would defeat him easily, not seeing him carrying any weapons, but...
"KIAA!"
Roderick showed why he had been about to be promoted to black belt. He received Lorenzo with a high kick to his chest, causing him to lose his breathe. Then he made a quick jump and turned in the air, kicking Lorenzo's hand with his feet and causing him to lose his weapon. When he landed, he gave Lorenzo a series of quick punches to the stomach until the pirate, severely stunned, began to stumble backwards.
"Yeah, Rod! Keep it up!" Otto cheered.
"Ya got him on the ropes!" Twister supplied.
"I won't forget you for making Lars do all this evil, Lorenzo! I want you out of his body NOW! KAIA!"
Roderick continued punching Lorenzo with all his strength. It was impressive to see this small and seemingly frail kid doing all that harm to the much taller and stronger teen. Lorenzo was confused. He was now trying desperately to cover his body from the unending rain of kicks and punches the boy was giving him. Finally, when Lorenzo was against a bulkhead, Roderick made an uppercut and hit Lorenzo's chin. Everyone heard a small cracking noise and saw Lorenzo fall to his knees, apparently knocked out.
"Woah... He did it..." Reggie said amazed.
"No way..." Izzy blinked. "How'd that little kid do all that?"
"I hope this teaches you something, you big Sea Weenie!" -yelled Roderick, holding his left hand, with a hint of pain on his face. He was panting. He had hurt his hand with that last blow, and he had trouble moving his wrist.
"Rod! Are you alright!" The gang shouted, running over to him.
'Damn!' - he thought - ' I missed that punch.'
"Oooww!... hey, what's he doing?"
Felipe looked and readied his sword. "I was afraid this would happen."
Izzy gave him a curious look. "What? What's going on?"
"Heh, heh, heh. So you want me out of this body, huh? Well, I'd say you really earned it. Besides, you rendered my host's body useless, so..." - said Lorenzo in a very somber, diabolical voice.
A small earthquake could be felt shaking the cave, while Lars' eyes turned bright red. Scott, Riley and the others saw the same effect on the rest of the lasers.
"Everybody get back!" Felipe shouted.
A very dark aura surrounded Lars and the Lasers, as some small rocks began to fall from the ceiling.
"W-w-w-w-w-woah!" Everyone else yelled, running from the rocks.
"What's he doing?" Izzy demanded to Felipe as they ran to one of the sturdier stalactites.
Everyone felt their hairs sticking up on their necks, when they saw Lars' and the Laser's bodies levitating some inches over the deck. Soon they could see something really unbelievable! As the teens fell heavily on the deck, four dark shadows could be seen exiting their bodies through their mouths. The four shadows flew in circles for some moments, close to the ceiling of the cave, forming a small tornado. Some otherworldly groans and screams could be heard, and then the four shadows merged in one large black cloud. A very bright light shone on the cave, temporarily blinding all. And when the light faded, the most terrible sight awaited for the kids. Standing on the middle of the deck was the most dreadful spirit they could ever imagine. A tall, four armed skeleton, with the same hat on his head, was laughing hysterically, while Lars and the Lasers laid unconscious on deck.
"What the? Impossible!" Sam yelled.
"How can he do that?" Izzy supplied.
"Congratulations, kids" - said the skeleton - "You succeeded on expelling me and my crew from our hosts. But I swear by Beelzebub, you won't get out from this cave! Even if it takes me an eternity, I'll make you pay for this. Particularly you—" He pointed at Iggy. "—you—" He pointed at Izzy. "—and above all, you!" He pointed at Roderick, who was again in his in-guard position.
"Meet my brother's true form." Felipe addressed everyone. He then glared at Izzy. "THIS was why I didn't want him to reach the treasure! Happy now!"
"Heh, heh... Oops...?" Izzy offered in a meek voice. He then shook his head.
"Hey wait! How is THAT his form? You were in the one in the mushroom, terrorizing me and my brother!"
"Later!" Otto yelled. "First we gotta figure out how to beat that thing!"
"I can't believe it." Sam said. "How could he transform into a living, breathing version of Cortez?"
"Ummmm... Cortez?" Twister asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Who's that, Sammy?" Reggie added.
"Yeah, I don't remember hearing about any giant skeletons in my family's books." Riley said.
"Meow!" Tesoro mewed.
"That's because he's never been mentioned in any history book." Izzy said, turning to the others. He then flicked a thumb at the monster. "He just transformed into Cortez, a boss from a pretty popular game."
"Guys... I think we have some other things to worry about right now!" - said Roderick, still holding his wrist in pain and nodding towards the skeleton.
"Yeah." Sam supplied, walking forward. "He's from this one game, Paper Mario. He's a pretty tough boss. What I can't figure out is how he knew about that. Considering he's a ghost, he couldn't possibly have known about that."
"Obviously, he was the first one to have that form. The makers of that game just somehow knew about him." Izzy turned to Felipe. "And just when were YOU planning on telling us he could do that!"
"Erm... oops?" - said Felipe, grinning and sweating nervously
"Why you—!" The brunet advanced on him. "I don't care if you are in Iggy's body! You're gone!"
"Quiet!" Scott yelled. "We have to think of a plan!"
"All right, guys, let's do something. Izzy, Felipe and I will attack this guy; the rest of you go rescue Lars and the others. We don't want them to be near him, in case he tries to re-enter their bodies, ok?" - said Rod, stepping in front of Izzy.
"But I don't have anything to fight with, kid." Izzy reminded.
"Here. Take my katana" - said Roderick, taking the blade from Sam's hands and giving it to Izzy.
"But... Rod..." - said Sam, noticing the pain in Rod's face - "You... are injured!"
"And what are you gonna use?" Reggie asked as Izzy inspected the sword.
"Yeah, bro! There's no way you can beat him bare handed!" Otto supplied.
"Don't worry about me. I still have my legs and my other hand. Trust me, I am more dangerous with them than with a blade."
"Well, if you think you can handle it unarmed..." Felipe started. "We have to think this through." He turned to the brunet. "Yes, you're correct. After I died, I followed my brother everywhere. Soon, he and his crew arrived on an island outside the continent you call 'South America.' There, Lorenzo met a witch doctor. He had the doctor cast a spell on his hat, which allowed him to remain on this plain even after he died. Knowing this, I possessed an explorer from England and made him write everything I knew about that hat and its powers, which included his ability to turn into that." He pointed at Lorenzo. "I suppose the people that made that game got their hands on the information and used it."
"Hmmmm... So then that means we can fight him pretty much the same way you would fight Cortez." Sam hypothesized.
"So we gotta fight like we were in a RPG? Have you lost it, Blondie!" Izzy demanded. "We couldn't survive long enough to make a dent in him!"
"You won't have to." Felipe spoke up. Everyone turned to him. He pointed at the taller of the two rivals. "Like you said earlier, the hat IS the source of his terrible power. Destroy the hat and you'll destroy Lorenzo."
"Uhhhhh... So if you knew this, why didn't you just possess someone in his crew and slice up the hat then?" Twister asked. Felipe glowered at him.
"Because I would've gotten caught! He never took that hat off for any reason whatsoever!"
"Fine. So now we know what we gotta do." Izzy said, crossing his arms. "Now how do we actually get the job done?"
"Leave that to me. I'll distract him and try to knock that hat off his head, so you can destroy it with the katana. Now, let's get going; guys, rescue Lars and the others. GO!"
Roderick didn't wait for an answer he advanced resolutely towards the ghost (much to the latter surprise)
"What the? Aren't you afraid of me, boy?" - asked Lorenzo, surprised
"Believe me, I've had to face some more terrible demons in my life, and I've defeated them. I'm not scared of you! And, believe it or not, I am willing to help you!"
While Roderick faced Lorenzo, Otto, Twister and the others moved discreetly and rescued Lars and the Lasers, who were still knocked out. When he saw they were safe, Roderick smiled.
"Help me? You must be kidding. Now prepare!"
Lorenzo attacked again, but Roderick was very agile. He jumped and dodged all of Lorenzo's strikes, waiting for the pirate to make a mistake.
After some minutes, Roderick saw his chance. He noticed Lorenzo exposing his side, and he gave a quick kick there, hitting him on the ribs.
"Ack!" - cried Lorenzo, stepping back, stunned.
"BE PREPARED, IZZY!" - cried Roderick as he jumped in the air, kicking the pirate's hat with his feet, knocking it off his head.
"NOOO! MY HAT!" - cried Lorenzo. He lunged forward, diving madly for the hat.
: PLAM! PLAM:
Two thunderous booms reverberated in the cavernous chamber, breaking several of the apparition's bones and causing even more to fall apart behind him. Even then, his hideous power began to pull himself together...
But it was too late.
: FWIFF:
Ancient wool and felt yielded at long last to razor sharp steel. The mortals present could swear that the hat had bled.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUGH!" cried Lorenzo."
"Hah... I did it..." Izzy panted, the halves of the former hat lying at his feet. Having used up most of his energy, he kneeled on the cave floor. He looked up as Lorenzo gave a pain filled roar.
"NOOOOOO! Gyugggggggggarghhhhhhhh!" The monster screamed as black and purple beams of light shot out of him in many different places. Soon, his body melted into the evil aura. In several bright flashes, the spirits of Lorenzo and his crew materialized in front of the kids. They were kneeling in defeat, cursing those that caused them to lose their treasure.
"I swear..." The captain hissed. "I will get my revenge! Just you wait!"
"Yeah, yeah. That's what they all say." Otto retorted.
"BUST!" Everyone aside from Izzy and Felipe shouted.
"Why you... I won't stand for this!" Lorenzo sneered, standing up. "I'll—"
He was cut off by what sounded like a dozen or so voices echoing all around the cave. They were completely incoherent and squeaky, as if a million mice were all around them. That was when it happened. A great amount of shadows littered the walls and floor of the chamber. They were shaped like little devils you see in old cartoons. They approached the pirate crew, who was quivering, with an amazing speed. In almost no time, three of the strange spirits held each of the crew while the remaining ones formed dark puddles underneath each of them. The ghosts struggled desperately as they started to sink into the puddles.
"No! This can't be happening!" Lorenzo cried.
"What's happening to them?" Twister asked Felipe, who seemed to be smirking.
"They're being taken to Hades where they'll suffer for all eternity." He answered.
"FELIPE! I will not be imprisoned for long!" Lorenzo yelled. "When I get out of here, I'll have my revenge! Do you hear me? I'll have my—" He was cut off as his head sank beneath the puddle. As soon as the last pirate was gone, the portals disappeared. The group breathed a long awaited sigh of relief.
"It's over..." Felipe said with tears of joy. "It's finally over..."
To everyone's surprise, a blinding light engulfed him. The group covered their eyes as they struggled to see what was happening. The boy looked up at the ceiling as he felt a warmth he hasn't felt for over three hundred years. When the light finally faded, Felipe's ghost was floating before them as it had when they first entered the chamber. Iggy, having used up a great deal of energy, fainted immediately.
"Iggy!" Izzy ran over to the fallen boy and kneeled beside him, taking him into his arms.
"I want to thank you all, kids. You finally brought peace to Lorenzo's soul. And thanks to you, I'm finally free. I... I am allowed to meet with my parents again!"
"So it means you are leaving, Felipe?" - asked Sam.
"Yes. Thanks to you, my punishment has finally ended. But I want to give you something in exchange. You worked really hard for that treasure. Take it. It rightfully belongs to you all."
"I must leave now; I can't wait to finally see my mom and my dad again! I've been waiting for too long!"
"Please take care, my friends. And thanks a lot for all your help. You are a group of very good friends; please never let that friendship dissolve. That is one of the greatest blessings you can get" - said Felipe, as he slowly ascended to the roof of the cave and into a very bright light that had appeared there.
"Hey wait!" Izzy said. "Before you go, what was the deal with your brother appearing in those visions?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah. I guess I still have some explaining to do."
"See, I must confess it was my fault that Lorenzo appeared in your dreams.
When I first saw you all, I thought you were the people I had been waiting for so long. But then I remembered of Lorenzo's menace to destroy whoever got in his way, and tried to warn you. Unfortunately he... interfered. He also entered your dreams, so, when I talked, the only thing you could see was him in that... dreadful costume. He must have thought that he would scare you that way and that you would not dare to go looking for the treasure and, well... to help me."
"That was before he found his hosts" - he continued - "But then he saw Lars and his friends, and he decided to take their bodies. And the rest you already know."
"Oh... So that's it, huh?" Izzy smirked. "Heh, there's no way some ghost was gonna stop me from getting rich!"
"Did Lorenzo try to kill me and Lou in the first cave?" Scott asked.
"Yes, Scott. I'm sorry about that. I... tried to warn you, but Lou was the only one who heard me. Unfortunately he was moved by his curiosity and ventured even more into the cave. I'm sorry about that."
"But now, thanks to you this nightmare is over. And even though Lorenzo never repented for his sins, he will also get some peace now. At least he won't be trapped in this plain."
"Well, I'm glad we could help you, Felipe" - said Rodereick, holding his left wrist
"Ditto" - said the rest of the kids - "It was a very interesting experience"
"Thank you, thank you so much, kids! You really..."
Felipe was interrupted by a rumble and a big noise. All the kids saw in horror how the entrances to the cave collapsed and blocked all the escape routes. The earthquake caused by Lorenzo's transformation must have damaged the cave and it was now about to collapse.
"We're doomed!" - cried Sam in fear
"Felipe, can you help us? Is there another way to leave this cave?" - asked Otto, with a certain fear in his voice
"Hum... yeah. There's another exit. Through that tunnel" - answered Felipe, pointing to a dark tunnel north of the ship, blocked by several sturdy trunks forming a palisade
"That is by far the shortest route, and at this time it leads to a cave above sea level. But it is heavily armored. You will need a lot of time to open the tunnel, unless... you take the chance to blow the obstacles using the deck cannons in the ship.
Felipe looked up, and noticed the portal closing
"I really must go now, or I will get trapped in this plain forever. Take care, my friends! I'll be guarding you and watching over you!"
"Thank you, Felipe! Good luck!" - said the kids to Felipe as he entered the portal and dissolved in the light, a sheer feeling of peace finally greeted the pirate boy.
When he entered the light, it disappeared, leaving the kids alone in the cave.
"Well, I think we better start dismantling those traps" - said Reggie, pointing to the tunnel - "I'm sure there must be a way to get out of here without the need for those cannons..."
As soon as she said this, another earthquake could be felt, and some big rocks fell from the roof. It was evident that the cave had been damaged a lot more than they thought, and they needed to act very quickly!