Pirate Legacy
Chapter Three
"So who're you then?" Bonnie Anne asked in an accent I recognized from a few sailors in my uncle's crew as we stood in the center of the small pirate encampment at the base of Skull Mountain.
Bonnie Anne was a Fox with amber eyes wearing a maroon bandana and scarf, a white blouse, a belt with pouches full of ammunition, a blue plaid skirt that reached down to her knees over black pants and leather boots. A sparquebus rested across her shoulders.
"I'm Matt Exeter, and this is Rena Raden." I answered. "Captain Avery sent us to find Fin and to help you fight off the Troggies while we're at it."
"Avery sent you? Good – you've come just in time! Fin's a wily one. He riled up the Troggies until they were mad as badgers." Bonnie Anne said.
"The slimy devils raided us last night – took half our powder stores. Now they're flinging it back at the town! I've managed to find the locations of the giant slingshots they're using, so help me soften them up a bit by blowing them up."
"Very well then, lead on." I said. We followed Bonnie to the outskirts of a clearing near the edge of the island, where one Troggy was pulling back the band of the slingshot for another to load it with a gunpowder keg.
They had orange eyes, blue skin speckled with white marks, orange hands and feet, and they wore simple loincloths.
Bonnie had drawn her sparquebus and was aiming for the gunpowder kegs near the slingshot. She pulled the trigger, and the gunpowder kegs exploded, sending the Troggies flying off the island.
"That's one down, two more to go." Bonnie said as she got up and gestured for us to follow. We destroyed the second one without incident, but on the third and final one was where we ran into resistance.
"That's all of them." I said after I had tossed a torch into the gunpowder kegs. "Now let's get out of here before the Troggies…"
A squad of Troggy warriors, some wielding crude spears and shields while others with bamboo blowpipes, leapt out of the surrounding bushes and surrounded us. I counted ten in all.
"…Find us." I finished as the Troggies leapt towards us. Bonnie blasted one of them with her sparquebus, and I dodged the spear thrust of another.
As the Troggy brought it backwards for another thrust, I grabbed his spear and used the butt of the spear to hit his face and knock him. I then used it to parry another warrior's strike, and then slammed the butt of it full-force into his face.
As another Troggy rushed to attack me, I also grabbed hold of his spear and kicked him away from it, and while he was helpless on the ground, I slammed the spear onto his head, and then moved onto the next target.
As the Troggies raised their blowpipes to their lips, I grabbed hold of one of their comrades to use as a shield and their darts, which I knew from previous run-ins with them on other islands were tipped with poison that render a person unconscious, ended up knocking their comrade unconscious.
One Troggy warrior had a key on a string around his neck, probably stolen from a defeated pirate. I took it from him and I regrouped in the middle of the clearing with Rena and Bonnie, who had already defeated the other Troggies.
"Good job, now let's report back to Lieutenant Smollet." Bonnie said, panting a little.
"Well done, Pirates. The bombardment's over and Skull Island is safe." Lieutenant Smollet said as we returned to the pirate encampment.
"Well done indeed – you're good to have around in a fight. I said I'd help you find Fin, and I'm a girl of my word." Bonnie said. "Do you have room for another on your crew, Captain?"
I smiled. "Of course, Bonnie, welcome to our crew."
"Now that the Troggy artillery is out of action, we can look to getting Captain Avery his bauble back. Fin fled up the trail. I'd wager he's hiding in Skull Cave. I sent two of my best scouts, Livsey and Shepherd, up the trail to see. They've been gone for hours. Go see if the Troggies got them. If Livsey and Shepherd are alive, they'll know where Fin is."
"I know where the Troggy village is. Follow me." Bonnie said. We followed her to the outskirts of the Troggy village, where we could see a frog, different from the poison dart frog Troggies, in a bamboo cage with a metal lock, totally unguarded, probably because his guards were sent to combat the Pirate looking for Fin Dorsal.
"Are you Livsey?" I asked the frog, who nodded.
"Thank heaven you're here! You need to get me out of here, and right quick, before the Troggies return to their posts!" Livsey said hurriedly.
"Will this work?" I asked as I pull out the key I took from the Troggy warrior I defeated earlier. Livsey gasped. "Thank you, Pirate! I thought I'd never get out of here!"
"We're looking for Fin Dorsal. Do you know where he is?" Rena asked as she took a look at Livsey's wounds. Livsey had apparently not gone done without a fight.
"Want Fin, do you? He's up the trail, but he's not alone. There's a whole gang of Sharks up here – Cutthroats by the look of them." Livsey answered as his arm was bandaged.
"They set up a camp across the bridge. They're up to something. Shepherd and I found them, but the Sharks attacked and we got separated. I didn't see Fin, but he must be near. You attack the Cutthroats to draw them away. I'll sneak into their camp and see what I can find out. Meet me at the mouth of the Skull Cave later."
"Very well then, you go on ahead." I said. Livsey got up and ran off towards the Skull Cave. "Ladies, we're going to need a diversion for Livsey."
We managed to sneak past the Troggy sentries and on the outskirts of the Cutthroat camp, where several Sharks were eating, confident that the Troggies would keep any intruders away from their camp.
"Bonnie, why don't you shoot those gunpowder kegs over there?" I said. Bonnie nodded as she brought the sights of her sparquebus to her eye and fired, causing the gunpowder kegs to explode. "Nice shooting, Bonnie, now let's get out of here."
As we escaped into the mouth of the Skull Cave, we heard a familiar voice say "Over here! I've got something you might want to see."
A torch was lighted, and there stood Livsey, holding it. "Well done, Pirates! During your diversion, I found this note. Listen to this: 'Our buyer won't be here for a while. I'll be in the Temple. When the buyer arrives, bring him to me. The Temple entrance is in the Skull Cave.'"
"Let's get going before Fin can get away." Rena said decisively, and Bonnie and I nodded agreement as we stood up and readied our weapons.
"Thank you, Livsey." I said before following Rena and Bonnie into the Skull Cave. As we entered into the Skull Cave, we could see a treasure chest illuminated by the light streaming through the Skull Cave's eyes.
"Look, a treasure chest. Five silver coins that it's trapped." I said. Rena walked over and opened the chest. I half-expected Rena to be knocked unconscious by poisoned darts, but nothing happened. She pulled out a black three-cornered hat with faded leather that had been scorched by the sun and beaten by harsh winds.
"Hmm… It's not really my style. Do you want it, Matt?"
"Sure, thanks." I said as I dusted off the battered and faded leather and put it on.
"It suits you." Rena said. "But you owe me five silver coins."
"Thank you, but we'd best be on our way." I said as I turned my attentions to the waterfall to our right while handing her the five silver coins. As I walked down to the edge of the pond where the waterfall emptied its water into, I picked up a rock and threw it at the waterfall. Hearing a splash, but not a thud against a rock wall, it confirmed my suspicions. I walked over to the right side of the waterfall, and as I peered behind the water, I could see another tunnel. "I believe I know the way."
As we entered the tunnel behind the waterfall, we encountered vines across the tunnel, probably set up as a setback for anyone who came looking.
"It looks like we'll have to cut our way through." Bonnie said as she drew her hunting knife. We began hacking our way through the thick vines, and after five minutes of hard work, we managed to clear the passageway.
Inside the tunnel was an ancient temple, probably that of the Aztecosaurs, judging from the similarity of the architectural style to the ones I've seen in the books at Ms. Raden's shop, but the place was mid-shin deep in water. As we pushed the doors open to the temple, I led the way through the temple. Thankfully, there were no traps, and we soon came across a large doorway, but the floor at the foot of the stairs was submerged by water that looked like a stormy sea.
"That water's too deep and too fast – we'll never make it!" Bonnie exclaimed.
"We'll find a way. Fin mustn't escape." Rena said encouragingly.
"You there, come here, quick!" A voice said. We spun around to find a Dog wearing a hat with feathers and a coat over a shirt and trousers wielding a cutlass.
"Livsey sent us." I said. "Are you Shepherd?"
"Livsey sent you? Very good! When Livsey and I split up, I made my way in here. I've been here for hours, watching… and listening." The Dog said.
"Fin's across the way there, in the Throne Room. The girl's right, the water's too rough to swim. I overheard that Marcus, Fin's right hand Shark, knows how to drain the water. If you lower the water, I'll help you deal with Fin." Shepherd said. "Marcus is holed up in a tomb, straight ahead from the right that you took to get here."
"Thank you, Shepherd."I said before I began walking towards to where Marcus was. Fin Dorsal can hide, but he can't run from us forever.