The Team makes an unlikely ally.
The Team could not believe their eyes. Somehow, the last Jumanji foe they'd fought had risen from the dead and made his way to Brazil.
Spencer instinctively stepped forward, shielding his teammates behind his large arms. He'd fought Jurgen just the day before, according to his reckoning, and was more than ready to do it again. Still, he'd seen the conqueror plummet to his death from miles up in the air. Why had the game resurrected the previous boss?
Jurgen seemed just as surprised to see them as they were to see him. "What are you doing here?" he demanded.
"What are you doing here?" asked Spencer in reply. His eyes glanced uneasily at the large machete Jurgen held in his right hand. It was covered with fresh blood, indicating that the other man had hacked something to death on the way up.
"I'm looking for an old friend," replied Jurgen darkly, "and you're in my way. I'll give you all one chance to leave peacefully before I feed you to the dogs."
"Screw you, *sshole!" shouted Grandpa Eddie. "You're gonna pay for what you did to my grandson!"
"Calm down, Grandpa Ed!" said Fridge anxiously. "We don't want to cause any trouble."
"Wise words, little man," said Jurgen mockingly. "I'm here on important business, so get out of my way and leave me alone."
"What kind of business?" asked Martha curiously. She had a sixth sense about human behaviour, and was strangely motivated to ask this question.
"Recovering stolen treasure and unearthing lost memories," answered Jurgen brusquely. "You couldn't possibly help me with it."
"Wait a minute!" said Spencer, struck by a certain possibility. "Lost memories? How exactly did you come back to life, again?"
Spencer's question seemed to surprise Jurgen. "Well," said he, lost in thought for a moment, "I recall you pushing me out of my zeppelin and falling thousands of feet to my death. The next thing I knew, I was back in the air, only this time I landed softly on my feet."
The others gasped. There could be only one explanation for this.
Spencer's mind was racing – his suspicions were being confirmed, now he needed one more piece of proof.
"Roll up your left sleeve, please," he said.
Puzzled, Jurgen did as Spencer requested. To the amazement of all, there were two black bars tattooed on his left arm.
Spencer staggered back for a moment, stunned by the revelation. This information changed everything they knew about JUMANJI.
"Oh my God!" shouted B1. "You're a player! You're not a bot or an NPC – you're an actual human player!"
"I'm a what?" sputtered Jurgen in disbelief.
"There's no doubt about it," said Spencer. "Jurgen, I hate to break the news to you, but the truth is that you're not a conqueror or the commander of an army – you're a person from our world trapped in a video game."
"No!" exclaimed Jurgen in horror. "You're lying! You must be lying! I would remember something like that if it happened!"
"You just told us that you were trying to unearth lost memories!" Martha reminded him. "Why should this be a surprise to you?"
Jurgen wasn't listening. He was pacing back and forth, his hands firmly on his temples as he tried to block out this new information. Eventually, though, he let out a sigh and rested himself against the base of the statue.
"I should have known," he admitted at last. "I've begun to suspect my life isn't what it seems. I remember nothing about my childhood or my adolescence. Instead, when I lie awake at night, a niggling doubt tells me my name isn't really Jurgen the Brutal. That's why I came here. If I can only find Spitfire Jayne, perhaps I'll be able to uncover the truth of my past."
"Spitfire Jayne?" asked Jake.
"My friend and partner," Jurgen explained. "We've known and worked together for years. In all of Jumanji, there's no one better in the use of firearms. At times, I even eschewed deploying armies in favour of sending her alone. And she never failed to bring home the goods."
"What happened to her?" asked Alex.
"That's the sad part," Jurgen replied, and an expression of genuine sorrow crossed his face. "After Dr Bravestone here stole the Falcon Jewel from me, I sent her to track it down and retrieve it. A few months ago, she sent word back to the fortress that she'd recovered the gem from the Avian Province. And then… nothing."
Fridge chuckled and shook his head. "You got played, man!" he told Jurgen plainly. "That girl pulled a runner on you – once she got the jewel, she must've turned tail and said, 'Bye-bye Jurgen!'"
"No!" insisted Jurgen emphatically. "Our friendship's stronger than that – I know she'd never betray me. Besides, in the letter she sent, she said she was on her way back to the fortress."
As proof, he handed Fridge a handwritten note. Opening it, the zoologist found that it read as follows:
Dear Jurgen,
I bring you good news. The Falcon Jewel has been recovered from the Avian Province. I have it safely in my possession and am on my way back to the fortress. Unfortunately, I was followed by some rival assassins and may need to lie low for a bit. Will reach Zhatmire in a month at most; please have my payment ready upon arrival.
Salutations,
Jayne
"Seems legit," said Fridge when he finished reading it. "If there's payment involved, she might bother to come back."
"And you said you received this letter 'a few months ago'?" asked B1.
"Yes," confirmed Jurgen. "Which is why I'm certain that something's happened to her. The moment she missed her deadline, I immediately set out to find her. I've also been having some strange dreams lately. In them, I was told that if I found Jayne and the Falcon Jewel, my life would be restored and I would go back to normal. That's why I've been so determined to get her back."
"But how do you know if she's even still alive?" asked Martha.
"I just know," replied Jurgen stubbornly. "Spitfire Jayne is alive and kicking somewhere in this world. That's what the clues that led me here have told me. But none of this explains why all of you are here."
Spencer and Martha exchanged glances, debating whether they should reveal their mission to their former enemy. Eventually, Martha gave her boyfriend a nod. Given that the Falcon Jewel was involved, it was probably best that they share their information with Jurgen.
"We've been running a parallel mission to yours, Jurgen," said Spencer. "Have you ever heard of Manjeet the Macabre?"
"The sorceress?" asked Jurgen with surprise.
"Yes," confirmed Spencer. "She's broken out of prison and is collecting Jumanji jewels. She already has the Jaguar's Eye; it's only a matter of time before she tries to get the Falcon Jewel too."
"We have our own jewel!" said B2 innocently. "It's a purple one called the Monkey's Egg."
"Bethany!" cried Alex in horror, quickly clamping a hand over his daughter's mouth.
"Peace, pilot," said Jurgen with mild amusement. "I'm only interested in the Falcon Jewel."
Spencer breathed a sigh of relief. "The point is," he continued, "we can't let Manjeet get her hands on all three jewels. You're looking for Jayne and the Falcon Jewel; we're trying to keep the Monkey's Egg away from her. I think we should call a truce. If we all work together, we stand a better chance at stopping Manjeet, and hopefully, we'll be able to help you discover who you are in the process."
Jurgen stroked his beard thoughtfully. Dr Bravestone's proposal seemed reasonable – he could always use some help in locating Spitfire Jayne.
"Very well, Dr Bravestone," he said at last. "I accept your offer. I'll help you protect your jewel, if you will aid me in my quest to find Jayne."
"It's a deal!" said Spencer enthusiastically, taking his former foe's hand and shaking it.
The rest of the Team cheered to see this. It was an unexpected turn of events, but not a wholly unwelcome one. At least now they had some extra muscle and an additional source of information to help them.
B1 turned back to her map. They had successfully found their 'saviour', now she waited to see what their next instruction would be.
Sure enough, the green circle on the map now contained a new poem:
The time has come to prove your worth,
Before you lie the paths of old;
So now arise, and journey north
Unto a city made of gold.
"What do you suppose that means?" asked B1.
"I know the answer to that question," said Jurgen immediately. "It's a place I've been planning to visit for a long time. We need to head north, as the poem says, to Lake Guatavita in the country of Colombia."
"Why there?" asked Grandpa Eddie.
Jurgen smiled knowingly. "Because that's the site of El Dorado, the fabled city of gold."
"I thought that place was a myth!" exclaimed Jake.
"After all we've been through, are you really surprised?" Fridge asked him.
"How are we going to get there?" asked Martha.
"Not to worry," said Jurgen, as a giant zeppelin began to rise from the jungle behind them. "I brought a ride."
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