In Ratbeard's apartment…
The crew made it there too late as Ratbeard squirmed out of the window with the will burning!
"No!" Isabel gasped as she tried to capture her former captain while the others were trying to put out the fire and save the will.
"Yar-har-har-har!" She heard Ratbeard cackle as he slipped from her grasp.
"He got away… again," Isabel muttered with anger.
He slipped through her fingers once again, after all the horrible things he's done to the crew, to her and Lasko, to Mustang Sally, and to the Water Mole Tribe who once helped them, and he escapes justice again. Isabel will not allow Ratbeard to get off scot-free, she will hunt him down and get the answers that she needs. If he's after the will of Captain Gunn himself then she just needed to follow the map itself and catch him there. Isabel then turned around to see her crew to try to salvage what was left of the will that Ratbeard burned.
"It's mostly gone, Captain. All that is left is this sentence here." Bonnie Anne sighed as she presented what was left of Captain Gunn's Will.
"Whoever reads these final words, congratulations to you! I, Captain Gunn, being of sound, Mind, Boddy, and Will shall pass this treasure to any of you. A king's ransom is here you must find, to claim my treasure you must be strong, smart, and kind. To find my treasure, a lesson you must take. To prove if you are a true pirate or a fake. To start your test, find my refuge on Corsair Channel, it's new no dribble. Find my home and begin with my first riddle-."
"The rest is gone." Egg Shen informed the girl.
"But we got a good lead. Let's head to Corsair Channel!" Lasko proclaimed as the rest of the crew got prepared.
On Gunn's Refuge on the Corsair Channel…
The Golden Scorpions sailed to the island as Isabel was being careful not to crash her ship into the rocks as she spotted the island.
"The refuge is just ahead!" The Marchioness bellowed while they were sailing towards the island.
"Where our first test of Gunn begins." Itzen Kaan declared with a voice of pride.
"May the spirit favor us." Nanu Nanu breathed as they knew the adventure would be the most epic, they would experience yet, for it would take them to places they have never experienced before.
At Gunn's Refuge Estate…
The knob on the door was being jiggled while the rust prevented it from opening.
"It's stuck. Nanu Nanu!" Isabel called for the Water Mole.
"My spear is ready. YAH!"
Nanu Nanu charged as the door was forced open (Or more knocked down onto the dusty floor) as the Golden Scorpions entered the abandoned house.
"Man, this place is a refuge… a refuge to dust bunnies and cobwebs." Emmet coughed as everyone walked around the area in search of the clue that Captain Gunn was talking about in his will.
"Search for anything that could be the clue, hopefully Ratbeard hasn't gotten here, yet," Isabel ordered her crew.
"Weird, there is no trace of him here. He got that lead on us…" Lasko hummed as it found it all strange.
Where was Ratbeard-?
"Over here! Find something on this barrel!" Emmett whistled as the entire crew rushed to his side, presenting a book.
"Gunn's diary…" Isabel uttered as the group began to read it.
"Welcome home, Dearest Pirate. I hope the search did not leave you irate. You know, a ship is a wonderful thing to possess. But it is better to be home sometimes, I confess. It is a sanctuary to escape your home in the chaotic sky. In your second trial, you must leap, dance, and fly. Sail to Buccaneer Isle. Search for the trail of Shady Hollow and greet Honest Ned with a smile."
"Honest Ned? Didn't he meet his end long ago?" Bonnie Anne questioned the book's words.
"So, it is a grave we seek," Emmett concluded as Lasko shivered.
"I've heard about this place; Shady Hollow is cursed. They say dark forces seeped so deep into the soil that even the dead rise again." Lasko shivered at the rumors.
The crew looked at each other while Izzy frowned. Her scorpion purred to her, Izzy thought she heard a tiny voice telling her to keep going…
"Look, whatever we face, we can do it together. We are a team, a crew, it's all for one and one for all." Isabel proudly declared as she brought encouragement to her crew.
"The captain is right; we have come this far! It will take more than the undead to keep us from the treasure!" Gaspard declared while the crew cheered!
"Let's head to Shady Hollow!"
To Buccaneer Isle…
Everyone needed to be very careful as the wreckage of other ships was all over the place.
"I wonder what happened to all these ships. It looked like something ripped them apart." Bonnie Anne gasped as the destruction looked extreme.
"I have a feeling we're going to find out." Lasko gulped as the ship was anchored.
"Alright, Nanu Nanu, Itzen Kaan, and Marchioness stay with the ship. I don't want to risk anything destroying it, especially if it's undead." Isabel ordered them.
"Understand Captain." Marchioness saluted as did the others.
"The rest of us are finding Honest Ned." Isabel declared as her crew nodded.
"Hopefully still in his grave."
Inside Shady Hollow…
It was truly nightmarish!
The undead were rising from their graves and slumping about the forest in search of fresh meat.
"Oh, this is something that will haunt my sleep." Lasko fretted as the skeletons and rotting pirates were moaning and groaning.
"Why do I have a feeling they are not friendly towards the living?" Isabel shivered.
"The undead are running wild! How are going to find the grave?" Bonnie gasped in horror at the sight.
"We will need to be stealthy. Otherwise, we may need to fight the undead horde." Egg Shen advised the others.
"Don't worry, guys. We got this."
"Hopefully, the grave we need to find is not empty." Gaspard trembled as the undead were truly frightening.
And thus, they began searching the graves, trying to get past the undead.
"Let's see… Here Lies Harkinson Ben, the Pirate's Life was Fun. Quick to fight, and slow to run-one cannon blast, and he was done. One grave, need to find another." Bonnie read.
They then check another one.
"Hmm… Pity pour Lieutenant Mark: he had dinner with a shark. Funny yet grim, not the grave we are looking for." Egg Shen read while the crew continued.
Then the third as they drove deeper into the Shady Hollow. Isabel soon felt that they were being watched.
"Here lies our Wesley Moore, buried on the distant shore. Bravely he went off to war, but he shan't be back, no Wes, no more. Pity, let's find the next grave Captain. Captain?" Emmett read but noticed Isabel was acting strange.
"Izzy, you okay?" Lasko asked his adopted daughter.
"Huh? Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. Just had this feeling we were being watched." Isabel answered.
"We probably are. All the more reason to keep going then leave." Emmet advised as the crew kept up their guard.
"I found another grave!" Gaspard yelled before the crew hushed him, "Right, right. Let us see…"
Isabel then noticed the shadow in the distance, large, muscular, hunched over with pinchers and-and… a stinger tail?
"Pity dear departed Jed, a great big rock fell on his head. Close but not Ned. Captain? Captain?" Gaspard informed.
"Oh? Another wrong grave? Right, right, let's keep looking."
The crew began to frown.
"Izzy, what's going on?" Lasko questioned the girl, "You look like you've seen a ghost."
"Truth be told… I don't know what I saw. It looked like a man with scorpion parts."
Goldy squeaked and looked around. The crew did the same but not as frantically.
"Well, I don't see anyone like that now, Captain. Maybe the woods are playing tricks with you." Bonnie suggested while Goldy returned to the captain whimpering.
"There are no more graves here, Captain. We may need to go in deeper." Gaspard informed as he pointed to a strange clearing in the forest.
"Sounds good. Let's head there."
The crew then entered the woods, not knowing someone was watching them… no, someone was watching her.