Pirate Legacy
Chapter Ten
As we reached the end of Corsair's Channel, we soon spotted a small island with a ramshackle house built on the greenery in its center.
As we dropped anchor, I along with my trusted associates, as I will be calling Rena, Bonnie, Emmett, and Jack from now on, entered Captain Gunn's old house.
It was a simple one-room affair, plainly furnished. A cask sat in the corner of the room.
"Here's the cask Captain Gunn wrote about." I said as I used my sword to pry it open.
"There's a note inside the cask." Rena said as she reached inside the cask and brought out a folded piece of parchment.
"Welcome, Pirate, to what was once my humble home. A ship is a wonderful thing, but sometimes a Pirate needs a home to go to when tired of the sky." Rena read aloud.
I briefly thought of Port Regal and Nikolai's general store at the statement as Rena continued.
"To find my next lesson, sail to the lighthouse on Buccaneer Isle. Follow the trails through Shady Hollow to the grave of Honest Ned, my first mate."
"It looks like we're heading back to Flotsam Skyway." I said, remembering the lighthouse we passed by on the way to Corsair's Channel.
As we boarded the Aquila, we sailed southeast to Flotsam Skyway, where we soon saw the lighthouse, which was made of stone, and had long since been out of use.
"Bring her in, full stop!" I called to the sail handlers. As we made port, the crew set down the gangplank, and I and my trusted associates stepped onto the island.
We walked to a broken stone bridge, where a smaller wooden one bridged the gap in between the two halves.
As we made our way across the chasm in between the islands, we followed a sandy trail to the jungle at the heart of the island.
Luckily the dirt trail was clear of vegetation and obvious, so we didn't get too lost in the jungle. Blue-feathered Scarakeets were perched high above us in the trees.
We found a tombstone at the base of a great mossy tree.
"Here lies Old Ben Parkinson: the Pirate's life he found was fun. Quick to fight and slow to run – one cannon blast and he was done." Bonnie read aloud. "Wrong grave – let's find another."
We continued our way through the jungle, and I couldn't help but be in awe of my surroundings. I wondered if all of Skull Island was like this before the great powers arrived.
We soon found another grave near two large shrubs.
"Pity poor Lieutenant Mark – he went to dinner with a Shark." Rena read aloud. "We'll have to keep looking."
Not long after, we soon found yet another tombstone, this time near a small pond.
"Here lays our own Wesley Moore, buried on this distant shore. Bravely he went off to war, but won't come back: no Wes, no more." Emmett read aloud. "I pity the poor lad. Let's keep going."
We found a fourth tombstone near another great tree, and Jack was the one to read the words on it.
"Pity poor departed Jed: a great big rock fell on his head. On we go, Captain."
"There's only one place left to look. I hope we don't have to read any more poetry." Jack said, pointing to a sandy trail, blocked by some vines.
We chopped through the vines, and we soon entered a more swampy part of the jungle, littered with tombstones, where a skeleton with a short staff topped with a dark purple gem, was waiting for us.
"Barge into me home, will you? Now I an' I show you why you afraid of the dark!" The skeleton called.
He still had milky white eyes and black dreadlocks tied back by a purple bandana, even though he was dead, so I guess his hair had strong roots. He wore a tattered gray vest, a loincloth, and black boots.
He raised his staff and it glowed with a dark purple energy, and zombies and skeletons rose out of the swampy ground, a whole horde of them.
We drew our weapons and we rushed into battle. I grabbed one of the ribs of the skeletal pirates and I threw him into a trio of zombies.
I then grabbed the lifted sword-arm of a zombie that was about to slash me, and stabbed him in the heart.
Those of us with swords began to cut our way towards Old Scratch, but there were too many of them, and soon their superior numbers began to tell.
Apparently the leader was a witch doctor, as he was hurling curses at us with hoodoo, something I had only heard sailors whisper about.
"Bonnie, aim for his staff! We'll cover you!" I called. Bonnie nodded as she reloaded her sparquebus.
Bonnie began climbing up a vine-covered tree to reach the highest point possible, out of sight of the undead leader.
As she reached the highest branch, she aimed her sparquebus at the leader's staff. She pulled the trigger, and the dark purple gem shattered to pieces.
Pupils then appeared in the undead leader's eyes, and the undead fell back into the swampy ground. As I walked over along with the others, the witch doctor fell to his knees.
"Have mercy, pirate! I beg you spare me an' I repay thee for the favor." The witch doctor pleaded.
"What's your name?" I asked.
"My name is Old Scratch." The witch doctor answered.
"Very well, I'll let you cling to whatever life you have left." I answered.
"I thank you for your mercy, and promise I will earn it. I an' I follow you, and all my mojo be yours to command." Old Scratch said as he got up and bowed.
"Are you sure we can trust this… thing, Captain?" Emmett asked uncertainly.
"I'm sure, Emmett." I answered.
"Very well, you're in command. But I'll be keeping my eye on this one." Emmett said, staring hard at Old Scratch.
"We're looking for the grave of Honest Ned, Captain Gunn's first mate." I said, turning my attention back to Old Scratch.
"It's a grave you seek? You come to the right place, Captain, my Captain. You want Ned the pirate's grave? He's buried over there." Old Scratch answered as he pointed to a nearby tombstone.
Old Scratch cleared away some of the dirt with his bony hands (no pun intended) to reveal a small wooden box. He handed me the box, and I opened it.
Rena reached inside the box and took out the folded piece of parchment in it, and began to read aloud.
"Here lies Honest Ned, the finest officer I ever had. Without him, I'd never have amounted to anything."
"This, then, is my second lesson: a Pirate is nothing without his Crew."
"Sail to Bounty Island, and find the Mermaid Statue. She'll show you the way to my tomb and treasure. X marks the spot!"
Old Scratch led the way back to the Aquila, and though he got a few raised eyebrows from the rest of the crew, no one said anything as he tagged along to Bounty Island.
As we sailed, Rena flipped through Poor Nikolai's Atlas and chuckled.
"What is it?" I asked.
"X really does mark the spot!" Rena said as she showed me a map of the island: a small atoll with greenery in the shape of an X.
Rena then flipped to the page showing to the page showing me its general location: near the Stormgate to a place called Cool Ranch.
I nodded and soon, we made port at Bounty Island, where an old Crab was hanging out.
"Who are you, and why come you to my island?" The old Crab snapped as I and my trusted associates, including Old Scratch approached.
"It was your island since when?" I asked.
"That's right, she's mine." The old Crab said, squinting at me, like he was trying to see into my motives.
"We're looking for Gunn's gold." Rena said, trying to appease the old Crab.
"Gunn's gold? HA! That's right funny, that is! I've spent ten years and more on this barren rock, digging for that treasure – look about you!" The old Crab said.
The entire island was riddled with holes and piles of sand and dirt near them.
"No one knows this island better than I! If I've not found the treasure, what hope do you have? Go ahead, look! Fairly warned be you says I. Ha!"
As we left the old Crab to grumble, we soon found the mermaid statue carved out of a rock in the center of the island. She held a folded piece of parchment in her hand.
"There's another note. Can't say I'm surprised. Read it, then." Bonnie said as I took the parchment out of the mermaid's hand.
"Welcome to Bounty Island, Pirate! My Treasure waits within my Tomb. Don't bother digging – the way is blocked."
"To pass the Gate and find my tomb, you'll have to prove you're a true sailor. Your first test: Gunnery, a discipline dear to any pirate's heart."
"Head to the north beach – there's a rope bridge to a nearby islet. Dig at the left post."
"More notes? Let's go and be done with it." Emmett said as we walked to the islet.
"There's a note here, wrapped around the post, Captain. Read it!" Old Scratch said as he removed the note and handed it to me.
"The Gunnery test: one of the Kegs on yonder islet still holds good gunpowder, the rest are spoiled."
"Any pirate who knows a Broadside from a Cowhide can tell the difference."
"Take the good Keg to my ship, beached on the far side of the island, and load the Cannon there."
"Well, we know two pirates who know the difference." I said, smiling at Rena.
"Let's go get David and Richard." Rena said. We fetched the Clutterbucks and we followed them to Gunn's ship near a metal gate as they hefted the keg with the good gunpowder and loaded the cannon.
"Cannon's ready, Captain. And look… I found a Note." Richard said as he handed me another folded piece of parchment.
"Important as Gunnery is, there's another skill even more vital: Rigging. A Pirate who doesn't know his way around sails and ropes is doomed."
"Here's your second test: go to the western beach, and find the barnacle-covered rock. There's a Rope buried beneath it."
"Tie the Rope to the Anchor and run it over both the masts. Hoist the Anchor up and tie the other end of the Rope to the Cannon's Platform."
"When you're finished, both Anchor and Cannon should be hanging in the air. You know how to tie a strong knot, don't you? Good luck!"
"Here we go again! Good thing Squinty never dug up any of these notes." Bonnie said.
"Even if he did, I doubt he could read them even if he squinted as hard as he could." I said, and we all laughed.
We soon found the rope, still in good condition despite its age, and we soon had the anchor and the cannon hanging in the air.
"Look! There's another note, on the bottom of the platform here!" Bonnie called as she plucked off the note from the bottom of the platform. She began to read it aloud.
"Your final test is at hand, Pirate. Go to the eastern beach, and find the parcel I've hidden in a Cask."
"There's another test, eh? Let's go." Jack said. We ran down to the eastern beach, and we pried the cask open to find a spyglass and another note.
"You've tried your hand at Gunnery and Rigging, now we shall see how well you fare with Navigation."
"Take the Spyglass back to where you started, and put it in the Mermaid's hand. Then orient the glass South by Southwest, ten degrees below horizon."
"I've had you load the Cannon, set the Rigging, and orient the Spyglass. If you have the skills of a true Pirate, my gold will be yours. Good luck!"
"Well then, what're we waiting for? Go!" Emmett urged on. We reached the Mermaid Statue, and I put the Spyglass in the Mermaid's hand.
A beam of sunlight burst from the wide end of the Spyglass towards the rope holding up the anchor, burning through it.
"Ooh, look at that!" Bonnie called as the anchor fell through the deck and the rope swung towards the cannon's fuse and the cannon blasted through the gate.
"Ha! We did it, Captain! The gold is ours!" Jack cheered. We all went through the gate and down a wooden trapdoor into a huge cavern.
A few scattered gold coins were on the sandy floor, and Gunn's skeleton sat upon a stone throne, his skull resting on the right armrest with his hat still on.
"Wait… The treasure's gone! Ratbeard beat us to it." Rena said darkly.
"You little whelp!" A familiar voice shouted angrily. We spun around to find Squinty the old Crab surrounded by ten giant regular crabs.
"How dare you! This tomb was mine to find, mine! I'll teach you to cross me! Get them, my crawlies!" Squinty shouted as the crabs moved to attack.
Bonnie, Emmett, David, and Richard fired their guns, stunning six of the crabs, but more were coming.
I flipped one over onto its belly, exposing a chink in its armor, and I stabbed it, and the crab stopped moving. Rena and Jack began doing the same, and I finished off the last one.
"This treasure… it's gone! Our quarrel is for nothing! Why, I wasted ten years and more picking over this rock! I'm done! Goodbye!" Squinty cried as he stormed off and up the ladder.
As Squinty left, Old Scratch then spoke.
"The treasure be gone, my Captain, but we can still learn what happen here. Captain Gunn, he'll tell us himself. Let me work me art…"
Old Scratch waved his staff, and the bones glowed with a blue energy.
"Look at that. The dead one may have uses after all." Emmett remarked as we walked over.
"I can talk to you! How unexpected. I would congratulate you, pirates, for being the first to find my treasure, but sadly you aren't." Captain Gunn's skull spoke.
"After all the trouble I went through to write my lessons and engineer this amazing tomb, a cheating rat comes along and spoils it all!"
"Ratbeard sent the Waponis, detestable creatures, to swim in through the flooded tunnel and steal my gold. I knew I should have sealed that passage!"
"The Waponis were going to give the gold to their Fire God. That must be the volcano at Waponi Wu – take my treasure back, and teach them a lesson!"
"I will, and Ratbeard too." I promised. I swear, if I get my hands on Ratbeard, I'll throw him into the volcano myself.