I was thinking of making a special unrelated 'Halloween' edition for this chapter tonight than rather continue. Then I realized that it would have done better to do that last night. That, and by the time I updated it may very well be All Saint's Day. November second being All Soul's Day as well as Election Day for America. I'm old enough to vote. I just don't know if I can. I'm still confused about the day that I registered for something. It may have been to vote, or for selective service. I wish I knew.
Anyway, aside from that, I am continuing to the next story arc. This is the chapter that if you have liked the story thus far you have to thank. This was the arc I was actually just going to write for my next fanfic rather than NDS in full. I just felt it'd be better to go and write all of it. Anyway, here goes possibly a rather humorous chapter if I can do that.
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Jet threw the dice onto the roof of the craft. Gallows looked on. "I win." He announced with a straight face for once. The explosion of happiness had not exploded just yet until Jet would admit defeat and that last die stopped shaking due to the engine.
"I don't see a win anywhere." Jet balked as he fired his ARM at the other die to have it fling off the ship.
Gallows stood in outrage. "You cheat!"
"Where? I don't see a die, and so, I can't agree that I cheated. It simply rolled off due to the vibrations and the fact it had not finished rolling." Jet protested.
"I heard the gunshot!"
"Did you? I heard the engine backfire." Jet continued to lie with a perfect straight face.
"I see the damn mark on the ship."
"That dent was there to begin with."
"I know what I saw. Your ARM's hot!"
"Eww. Don't look at my arm and say it's hot." Jet said with a grin as he put his arms folded behind his head. "Now, I guess this was a draw."
"Roll the die twice. We can still play! I won't stop until you're in your underwear."
"C'mon Gallows, that was the second statement that would make me think you like me."
Gallows went red. Yosemite Sam would already have had the steam come from his ears and say various shouts. "Look, I-"
"What the Hell is that?" Jet observed as he pointed out a huge dust cloud up ahead of the ship.
Gallows looked to make sure he was not lying. He was not. "A sandstorm?"
Jet blinked a moment. "Hey...I've heard...that there were pirates."
"Pirates? You're telling me that's a sandcraft full of pirates?"
Jet nodded. "That's what it looks like."
The cloud of dust reaches them as they stand on the roof. They cover over as the sand passes by. "See." Gallows said after it had passed. "Sandstorm."
Jet looked upward. "Obviously you haven't paid any attention."
It was at those words that a young woman landed at the bow of the ship with a heavy thud. Standing upward the wind moves her honey brown locks about. The back in a ponytail that goes to her butt and the bangs on her side going to the same length. Her pale gray eyes open and shine the sun brilliantly in them. The black stripe on each of her cheeks come into view. Her black overalls with the skull and crossbones on the front.
"Whoa!" Gallows observed. "She fell from the sky! Is she an angel?"
"Pirate. She's a pirate." Jet said in annoyance.
Gallows let out a loud chuckle that picked at the emotions of the girl. Bring forth anger, and that was all before he said his next words. "Silly Jet. There are no such things as 'girl pirates'."
The young woman's growl was heard and Jet looked away as if he was not part of this. "I resent that remark!" The girl said in anger. "Evie's the name, plundering's the game. Now will we do this the hard way, or the easy way?"
Gallows continued laughing obviously not seeing the seriousness of the matter. "That's a good one."
"I'm not joking!" She yelled as to men landed behind Jet and Gallows. Pirates in their own.
"Hey! I wasn't the guy who laughed!" Jet noted.
"She's not joking." Gallows calmly admitted.
She scoffed. "For disgracing me I will not only take your valuables,"
"Like we had any." Jet let out quickly under his breath.
"I will take this ship!"
Jet snapped. "Uh-uh. This is our craft witch! You ain't taking it and we're not giving it up." He said boldly. He followed up his words by breaking free of the hold he was in and tossing the male pirate aside into the sea of sand to his death. It's hard to swim in sand. Quicksand apparently you can't drown in, but this wasn't quicksand. The guy was just heavy and sank.
"How barbaric!" Evie cried. "We don't play that way. We are civilized on my crew although we be pirates."
"If we don't fight how do we keep our ship?" Gallows brings into question. Evie just smirks.
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Should I continue? That would be a great cliffhanger don't 'ya think? I have the time though seeing that it's nine now. I won't update until eleven. 'Hello City' by the Barenaked Ladies, and 'Sabotage' by the Beastie Boys just went on. I guess I can keep going just a little longer for you.
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"You what?" Emilia bellowed.
"I agreed to a competition with the pirates." Jet replies coolly.
"But if we lose...the ship is theirs!" Emilia replies and flips over the table that Virginia was sure was bolted to the floor in the kitchen. Jet remains cool.
"Well, yeah." That was your best reply, Jet?
"The ship...will be theirs!" Emilia yelled again just to make sure the message went through.
Jet blinked. Ignored her and continued. "The rules should be said, Gallows will do the honors."
"There are five of them, and five of us."
"Wait, explain this competition and maybe I won't get mad at you two for deciding an important decision without consulting us." Virginia interjected.
Gallows blinked. "Dunno...guess we'll find out when we get there." Everyone but Jet stares with gaped mouths. "So...let's get going."
Clive caught the jacket Gallows wore as he went to leave the kitchen. "You didn't explain the rules."
"Oh...right," Gallows coughed. "There really aren't any." All but Jet groan.
"All right!" Evie declared as they all met on the coast nearby the attack. "Choose one competitor from your group."
The five went into a huddle. Virginia spoke up. "I think it should be Clive. I think he is the best suited for the first trial. He has the mental and physical ability." They all nod.
"Understood." Clive replied. They turn back to Evie.
"The first one is the hardest...Monopoly!" Suddenly the game board is unfolded and the bank is set up as a nameless pirate takes his place on the one side of the board.
"I'll be the boot!" The pirate announces with enthusiasm. The Maxwell Gang falls over bewildered.
However...soon enough Clive makes an announcement that proves he's too into the game. "Ha-ha! My car just ran over your damn boot! In your face! I win! I'm a millionaire!" He goes off into his own world where he is actually rich and owns a chain of hotels, and even Park Place. That's pur Baltic Avenue!
Evie groans from the sidelines. "Fine! You may have won this one, but there is still two more competitions and this is a best out of three ordeal!"
"Uh...what is the next one?" Virginia wonders.
"Potato Sack Racing!"
Gallows stares at her. Waiting for the 'I'm just kidding, it's a battle to the death'. Nothing came. "You're...not kidding?"
Virginia and the rest went into a huddle. Clive could no longer play. He was out since he played his round and won. "Emilia and I can handle this one." She announces. "Though...I'm not sure I can do this."
The races begin. Neck and neck. Then Virginia falls. Emilia has already finished and is throwing her bag to the ground and running around like there is a crowd watching. Virginia gets up just as the first nameless pirate crosses the line moments after Emilia. Emilia desk him in excitement. Virginia sees this and gets a second wind. All she has to do is beat the other nameless pirate to win for their team. She gets up and falls flat on her face. She was not made for this.
"That's okay Ginny. You did your best." Gallows said to her with a pat to the back.
"We still have one more chance." Jet said in his own way of comforting her without saying it directly. "Now lets go fix this setback." Then he lost the brownie points he had collected.
Evie approached them with a grin. One win and it goes straight to her head, and she had not even gone yet. "Time for the final match. Ultimateopoly!"
Jet stared at her. "Don't make up words."
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Should I stop here? I should, but it's been only about ten minutes from the last AN so I might as well finish up the whole story for once rather than do parts. I hate parts too y'know. Unless...you like parts, because then I love them too.
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"Ultimateopoly is the greatest board game ever created." Evie said proudly.
They came to the ship that the pirates used. It was unfolded and now had multiple parts unfolding. "So...why is it so great?"
"Well, first, you're the game piece, second, you play on a huge board." She said with a smug smile.
The ship's opened fully and the said game board appeared before the group. A simple board with four start points with tiles to mix-matched start points on the other side which there are also four of, but not necessarily adjacent from the beginning point. In the middle there was a pool of water, and around the board where there was not tiles was grass and trees, all fake, but still nice to see.
"Is this like monopoly?" Gallows asked with enthusiasm.
"No." Gallows slumped his back.
"Good." Jet announced. "That game is too boring and long." He waited a moment. "What's the object of this game?"
"Just to get both of your team's players to the other side. There are traps however...that will try to stop you."
"I'm in." Jet states, although it was already known that it had to be Jet and Gallows by default. "So...two of us, right? Let's get this over with Gallows."
Gallows and Jet stand at the second and third start points. Evie and a nameless pirate take the other two. There are twenty spaces between them and the end. "By age," Evie begins. "My friend there is the oldest so, he will go first."
The nameless pirate rolls the giant die. "Okay, so I got a five." The man announces and passes the die to Gallows who is next in age. The man then sets out to his designated spot. He is flung by spring into the pond that lie in the middle.
"Too bad...Well, now I just have to worry about getting to the end alone." Evie shrugged.
Gallows looks to Jet each a bit pale. Gallows gulps and rolls his die. "Uh...six." He squeaks. He sets out for his spot, pausing on the fifth tile, and then steps on the next only to find it safe. He breathes a sigh of relief and wipes away the sweat on his brow.
"Lucky break." Evie states.
"I got four." Jet says as he walks to his spot. The tile opens and he begins to fall into the pit still with his cool demeanor. Evie's hopes rise up. Then she watches as Jet stands up. He had caught the edge of the pit and now stand on the slight ledge left to him.
"Hey!" She shouts. "Too bad it's legal." She rolls the die. "Six." She runs to her spot and nothing happens.
Gallows rolls and goes one space to find nothing. Jet rolls to get a six. Finding that a lucky number he runs to the tile near to a tree. The moment he steps on the tile though the tree branches strike outward at him and try to ensnare him. Quickly he uses his boomerang to bust the branches and fall back to the tile. "What was that?" He bellowed facing Evie.
She shook her head sadly. "Poor tree." She looked up. "Oh well, I have a two." She moves on to have nothing happen. Gallows rolls and gets a three. Nothing special on his tile.
Jet's turn comes along and a three brings him seven spots from the end. As he stands there ready to announce that fact he notices that he is getting shorter. "You bitch! Why did you put quicksand in this game?" He fights his way to the edge where he stops sinking. "Are you trying to kill everyone who plays your game?" A roll of four brings her to another tile of no consequence, and a roll of six puts Gallows two tiles away from the end. Jet picks up the die. "Say...why haven't either of you two gotten the trap tiles?" He questions.
"Just roll!" Evie demands.
He grits his teeth. Takes in a deep breath and goes calm. "Fine, a two." He moves forward and steps on his tile. Nothing. He grins. Then he notices the darkness slowly forming around him. A boulder falling at him he jumps, climbs it, and as it lands he lands with it. Him on top and panting for air. "That was definitely meant to kill me!" Another two turns with no anything from Gallows and Evie. Gallows only one spot from the end. He was so sad that he came up short with a one. Evie was seven though. Jet only five. Which is what he rolled this time around. He made it to the end and stepped on the first tile without anything happening to him since the start. "Finally!"
"Fine, you win, but you don't play fair. You dodged all the traps." She huffed. "But...You haven't won until Gallows makes it to the end!"
Jet looked to Gallows. Then to her. Then to Gallows. Back to her. "He's only one tile away. Anything he rolls will put him at the end." He remarks. "You'll need at least two rolls to get to the end. He wins. I win. You lose."
She balks. Gallows and Jet are shoved off the board by nameless pirates. Tears run down the woman who is one year younger than Virginia. "Fine! You win! I'm going home to my mommy!" The pirates depart in an instance leaving the Maxwell Gang behind in the dust.
Jet blinks. "Mommy?"
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And that was the chapter that inspired me to rewrite NDS as a WA3 fanfic. It may be lame, and I'm not sure Monopoly exists on Filgaia, but, whatever. It's fanfiction.