Ahoy there, matey! Today, our heroes are going to the high seas to get their next mask!
Salty Wharf (1717)
Exiting the rift, Dragnarok, Bandicoot, Coco, Aku Aku, and Lani-Loli found themselves on a dock, which lend to a tropical island. Near the dock was a broken pirate ship, which had numerous humanoid rats and sea creatures in pirate gear scurrying around it.
"Pirates, huh?" Dragnarok asked. "Better find the mask before they do."
Our heroes then pressed forth, quickly finding a cave that the pirates were as a base.
Going through the base (And finding another VHS tape), our heroes found a rope support, which they grinded along, leading them into a town of sorts.
The rope ended in front of a iron gate, guarded by four rat pirates.
But before anyone could do anything, a cannonball suddenly hits the pirates and the gate, sending the former flying into the sea while destroying the later.
?!
With a shrug, our heroes entered through the destroyed gate, which lend them into the town. Going trough it, as well as avoiding being sliced and diced by various pirate, they soon found a cave, where a massive vault can be seen, being guarded by numerous pirates.
"This must be where they keep their treasure." Coco analyzed.
"Maybe Akano is in there?" Dragnarok suggested.
"Wouldn't hurt to check." Coco said with a shrug.
Fighting their way passed the guards, our heroes soon reach the vault.
Opening it, they found all sorts of gold and jewels. However, there was no Quantum Mask in sight.
"Well, that was a bust." Dragnarok said as he steps into the vault. "At least we can take a souvenir, right?" No one responded. "Guys?"
Turning around, Dragnarok was met with a flintlock pistol aimed at his face. Holding it was Ladybug in pirate gear. Next to her was Cat Noir in pirate gear, holding a cage with Aku Aku and Lani-Loli inside. And right behind them was Rena Rouge, Carapace, King Monkey, Viperion, and Pegasus, all wearing pirate gear, holding an unconscious Bandicoot and Coco.
"Hello." The pirate Ladybug said before hitting Dragnarok in the head with the butt of her pistol, knocking him out cold.
Waking up with a groan, Dragnarok found himself in front of the pirate versions of his comrades, allow with an army of humanoid rats and sea creatures, with his hands, feet, and wings bounding in rope.
Beside them where Bandicoot and Coco, tied up and hanging upside down in rope, with the cage holding Aku Aku and Lani-Loli hanging next to them.
"You must be very brave, or very stupid to try to steal from me." The pirate Ladybug said. "Those who steal from Captain Plunderbug have very short lives."
"Look, Miss Plunderbug, we're not interest in your treasure, we're just looking for a special mask is all." Dragnarok said, trying to reason with his captor.
"What about the fact you were interested in taking a souvenir?" Captain Plunderbug asked, causing the draconic hero to gain a sheepish look. "Still, this mask you speak of, is it like them?" She then points to Aku Aku and Lani-Loli.
"Yes. I'm sure you noticed that these weird rifts are appearing all over the place, right?" Coco asked, causing the pirates to look at her. "We need those masks to close those rifts."
"So what you are saying is that it's magical, therefore, valuable." Captain Plunderbug said with a smirk. "I think we'll be taking that mask off your hands." She then faces Aku Aku and Lani-Loli. "Along with these two."
"What?!" Dragnarok, Coco, Aku Aku, and Lani-Loli shouted while Bandicoot gives a shocked look.
"First-Mate Gold-tooth Cat!" Captain Plunderbug shouted, causing the pirate Cat Noir to walk up to her. "We have found our next treasure! Lower the sails." She then points at Dragnarok. "But before that, set up the plank. The scaly one is going overbroad!"
"Aye-Aye, Captain." Gold-tooth Cat shouted, with a smile, revealing his golden fangs. He then faces Dragnarok. "The sharks will be happy to have lizz-ert!" Then faces the the crew. "Get it? Like dessert and lizard?"
"We get it." The crew said in a annoyed tone.
"At least something is the same." The draconic hero mutters to himself.
We then find ourselves on the deck of a ship, with Dragnarok, still bound in ropes, was on the plank.
"L-look, can we make a deal?" Dragnarok asked nervously as looks around, trying to find a way out. He did noticed other ships following behind, all bearing Plungerbug's flag, but thought nothing of them.
"Here's a deal for ya." Captain Plunderbug said, pointing a cutlass at the draconic hero. "You jump, and we keep the masks."
"Well, you don't know what the mask looks like." Dragnarok said while secretly using his tail's sharp tip to cut the ropes.
"That's why we're keeping your friends alive for now." Gold-tooth Cat said. "We're going to extract the information from them, the easy way, or the hard way."
To emphasize his point, he cracks his knuckles, causing Bandicoot and Coco gulp.
Managing to free his feet, Dragnarok then started to free his hands.
"Enough blabbering!" Plunderbug shouted with impatience. "JUMP!"
The captain then started stomping on the plank, causing Dragnarok stumble before falling to the ocean.
Hitting the cold water, the draconic hero quickly cuts through the bindings on his hands before swimming to the surface, where he found the next ship sailing past.
"Hang tight, guys! I will help you! I promise!" He shouted as the last ship begins to sail past. Suddenly, three shark fins popped up and began circling him. "Oh boy..."
Suddenly, a rope with a grappling hook springs from the mast of the last ship, which grabs Dragnarok and pulls him aboard.
Our draconic hero soon found himself face to face with a female bandicoot.
"So, your Dragnarok?" The bandicoot asked as she unties the rope on the draconic hero's wings.
"Um, yeah?" Dragnarok said before looking at the ship in the front. "Look, thank you for helping me, but I have to help my friends!"
"Funny, I want to help them too." The bandicoot said, surprising Dragnarok. "How about we team up?"
The draconic hero thought this over. While he did just met this person, he could use all the help he could get.
"Fine." He said before holding out his hand. "Can I get your name?"
"Tawna." The bandicoot said, shaking his hand before looking out into the distance. "Hang on, guys! We're coming!"
The two then jump down onto the deck, ready for action.
Tawna, using her hooked rope, fling any pirates that got in her way while Dragnarok blasted them with his elemental powers.
The two soon reached the bow of the ship.
"Hang on!" Tawna said as she grabs Dragnarok's arm before using her rope to sling them onto the back of the next ship.
Moving along side the back and side of the ship, the two fought their way pass more pirates before jumping to the mast of the next ship.
Fighting their way to the bow, the two jumped along some small rafts, while also avoiding being shark food before reaching the final ship.
"So Tawna, why do you want to help my friends?" Dragnarok asked as the two moved along the ship's masts.
"You'll find out." Tawna said cheekily before spotting Bandicoot and the others. "Eyes on target."
The two then slide down some rope before landing behind Plunderbug and her crew.
The pirates didn't get any time to react as Dragnarok fires an Ice Stream, freezing them in blocks of ice.
With the pirates taken care of, Tawna, using a cutlass, cuts Bandicoot and Coco down while Dragnarok breaks the cage, freeing Aku Aku and Lani-Loli.
"Thank you so much — wait. Tawna?!" Coco said in surprise. "But you're... different!" Bandicoot looks at Tawna from different angles. "You're not from our universe!"
Tawna points and winks in confirmation.
"It's good to see you guys. It's been a long time for me." She said.
"We lost touch in your universe too, huh?" Coco asked, causing Tawna to turn away and fiddle with the cutlass nervously.
"Yeah... you could say that." Tawna said nervously.
"Hehehe, what'd we like, die or something?" Coco asked in a joking tone, causing Tawna to whirl around.
"What? No! Nope! No! What! Ha! No! Definitely not! So how are things in your dimension?" Tawna asked before coughing into her hand.
Dragnarok noticed this behavior, but before he could ask...
"The usual. A bunch of evil scientists attempting interdimensional domination." Coco answered.
"Huh! So uh, watcha collecting? Crystals?" Tawna asked, causing Bandicoot, Coco, and Dragnarok to shake their heads. "Gems?"
"Masks!" Coco said.
"Ooh, fun. Well, good luck with that." Tawna said, surprising everyone.
"Wait, you're not coming?" Coco asked.
"Sorry, I fly solo." Tawna said with a shrug. "But I'll-I'll lend a hand where I can. In fact, I already have..."
"Wait, I thought there was something familiar about you!" Dragnarok stated with a look of realization. "You were the one who sabotaged N. Gin's rig, right?"
Tawna gave him a nod before using her rope to sling away.
Bandicoot and Coco had disappointed looks on their faces as they watched Tawna leave.
"So that's Tawna, huh?" Dragnarok asked.
He have never actually met the female bandicoot back in the original timeline.
"Yep." Coco said before spotting an island on the horizon. "Land ho!"
"I sense Akano on that island!" Lani-Loli shouted.
'Then let's get going!" Dragnarok shouted as he flies to the stirring wheel, moving the ship towards the island.
Once they made landfall, our heroes jumped of the ship and followed Lani-Loli into a nearby cave.
None of them realize that the ice holding the pirates was starting to melt.
Entering the cave, our hero saw various traps ahead.
"Well, let's get going." Dragnarok said with a shrug.
Moving on, our heroes avoided traps like swing anchors, spiked bars, and rolling bars before reaching a river.
Looking at the river for a sec, Coco's eyes light up.
"Oh, that reminds me!" She shout before pulling out three small boxes from her pocket. Throwing them into the water, the boxes turn into jet broads. "I forgot I had these on hand. They'll be useful here!"
"Let's get a surfing." Dragnarok said he and the bandicoots hopped on.
Surfing through the river and avoiding small whirlpools, our heroes soon reached a dock attached to some ruins. (Where Dragnarok found another VHS tape.)
Packing the broads away, our heroes continued along the dock, avoiding more traps and pirates who were not happy to see them.
As they pressed on, Dragnarok could've he saw a bunch of tentacles pop out of the water nearby by before diving back in.
They soon reached the end of the dock, where our heroes took out their jet broads and continued on, surfing along the water.
Avoid more mini whirlpools, along with spiked mines and cannon fire, our heroes soon reached another dock, where Lani-Loli attaches himself onto Bandicoot's back.
"You might need my help moving forward." He said.
Using the mask's power to phase things in and out of existence, our heroes soon reached another dock.
Put their jet broads in the water as Lani-Loli detaches himself from Bandicoot, they surfed along the water.
Avoiding the traps along the way, our heroes soon found the exit... along with Plunderbug and her crew, who were waiting for them.
"Put me on ice, will ya? Well, you soon see why you should never cross me!" The Captain shouted before blowing into a shell horn. "Louise! Supper time!"
Suddenly, rising out of the water was some sort of sea monster!
"Oh boy..." Dragnarok said as Bandicoot and Coco gulped.
The sea monster, Louise, roared at them before trying to smack them with it's tentacles.
Moving around and avoiding before knocked off their jet broads, our heroes had to be on the defensive.
However, Louise soon managed to grab Dragnarok with one of it's tentacles.
"Dragnarok!" Coco and Aku Aku shouted as they, along with Bandicoot and Lani-Loli watched in horror as the draconic hero was slowly lifted to the monster's mouth.
"Remember Louise, don't forget to chew your food." Plunderbug taunted before laughing with her crew.
Thinking fast, Dragnarok releases a burst of electricity, frying Louise to a crisp.
Once the light show was over, Louise, now charred black and smoking, let's go Dragnarok before falling back into the platform Plunderbug and her crew was standing, breaking it and sending the pirates falling into the water.
Ignoring them, Dragnarok swam to the dock as the others surfed to it. They soon found Akano, who was sleeping on a stone pedestal.
"Akano! Old Dark Matter himself!" Lani-Loni said with excitement as Bandicoot walks up to the sleeping mask and tries to lift him, only to struggle. "Careful, Bandicoot, he's heavier than he—"
Bandicoot accidentally drops Akano, who lands on his foot.
"Ahhhhhh!" The orange hero cries as he leaps backwards to yank his foot out from under Akano, grabbing onto it and hopping up and down in pain.
Coco covers her mouth with one hand while Dragnarok visibly cringes.
Akano then wakes up and floats up into the air above the table.
"Oh, good, you're awake." Lani-Loli said with a smile.
Akano slowly floats forward, silently glaring down at the bandicoot siblings and Dragnarok. They stare back in fear, apprehensive.
"Alright! Two masks down, two to go! Feeling a little less panicked. I was at a 10 before, now I'm at a solid... let's say 9.78888." Lani-Loli said before before floating between Akano and the three heroes. ""Oh yeah, these bandicoots and dragon are here to help!"
"Ban-di-coot. Dra-gon ...hmm." Akano said before opening a rift and floating to it. "Follow."
"Short and to the point. Love this guy!" Lani-Loli said happily before following Akano.
The three heroes looked at each other with smiles before following the masks.
And that's that!
Two masks down, two to go!
Now, you might have noticed Nix not appearing in this world. Well, he's not going to appear in every world. I mean, Alternate Tawna, Dingodile, and Cortex don't have levels in every world.
Anyway, hoped you all enjoyed, and I'll see you next time!