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| Agnes: What the heck? Joseph, you are NOT at sea in broadside combat! |
The trip back to the main home was uneventful for the most part. Capt. Avery was stunned when he saw Ratbeard with me and I explained - without mentioning too much into the details of him killing off his own crew with poison - that he had tried to get the gold for himself and failed to realize that the Waponis were more interested in using Capt. Gunn's treasure for a sacrifice to their evil fire god than the economy and status of it, and we managed to recover it. Ratbeard told Avery what he said to me, that he was joining my crew and gave the treasure to me. Even now, what I couldn't use for coin I put in my bunkhouse, for the time being until I was able to purchase my own island to store my gold.
I quickly quelched his questions by handing over the chalice he wanted. "As promised," I said. "You get the chalice and I get the rest of the treasure. That was our accord."
"Indeed!" said Avery. "What a fine piece of work! I have need of it... and another task for you if you are so inclined." He handed me the chalice back. "This chalice is the prized possession of the Ortega Family in Puerto Mico, the Monquistan settlement on the Tradewinds Skyway, just near the Stormgate to Monquista. I would like you to give this to Governor Ortega there, he will be most happy to have it back... and a treaty."
"A treaty?" I asked. "But we are not at war with the Monquistans."
"No, it's a trade agreement," said Avery, smirking. "For years I have aspired to make Skull Island a governing republic which would be a part of the Spiral economy. We're getting our foot in the door by having the Monquistans live in Puerto Mico... but this agreement will allow us to trade freely with the world of Monquista, and once that mighty power opens up trade with us, it won't be long before other worlds see our desire to trade..."
"And it goes downhill from there," I said with a wicked grin. "I see. Well then, of course I will gladly help you out in this diplomatic mission."
"Here, you will need a passport to be allowed to speak to the Governor," said Avery, handing me a ratty old passport book. "This will let you in the door. Go to Puerto Mico and give this chalice to Ortega and the treaty agreement. I think it will be a rather tame mission after that treasure hunt."
"I don't mind, I would like to relax a bit," I laughed. "Deal."
As we left, Ratbeard pulled me aside. "Captain, if ye don't mind, I'd like to ask ye a favor. Can we park our tails at the Kraken Skulls?"
"Okay, I could use a nice stiff drink after saving your hide from the Waponi," I said.
"Captain, when I was going for Gunn's gold," he said. "I needed some overhaul to buy me crew and pay off the Waponis. So I sold me best blade and finery to Bill Bobstay at the One-Eyed Screw in Scrimshaw. If ye don't mind, I reckon it's time I got them back!"
"Okay, deal," I said, shocking Sarah most of all. I coughed. "Calm down, I know where Scrimshaw is - my parents took me on a vacation to Puerto Mico when I was young and I saw the giant dead fish skeleton with the town in its ribs across the wind-lane. It's not that far of a trip."
"Aye, Captain," said Gaspard, twirling his mustache. "Your parents did do some business in that fetid place, so I know where you speak of. Still, can we trust Ratbeard?"
"I'll know if he's leading us to our doom, Gaspard," I said.
"Aye, I see ye still don't trust me," muttered the rat.
I glared at him. "Let's just say you're lucky I am one for second chances. Had it been a more ruthless woman, you would be roasting alive in that volcano now." I winked slyly as he tugged his collar.
I did do a few more requests for people all over Skull Island, Jonah Town and Flotsam, and one of those requests led me to face a dark undead foe... Bobby Bones, the Grim Reaver. But I had no choice - he had cut a poor lad's arm and the curse was going to claim the lad if I didn't act!
(Actually, I got this side-quest after I got info on the Isle of Doom, but I put it here because I want to keep this update short. It's a very difficult quest but Agnes was Level 14 by that point and had gotten some decent gear from the bazaar. Agnes is still stuck with the Shrimpy Garnet Necklace she got as a drop from the Master[because it gives the Rouse power and only Bonnie Anne can heal right now] and the Dutchman's Amulet from the Floating Duchman[because it gives her a second Sneak Attack and having two Walk In powers to hide her + Sneak Attack makes her a boss-killer. ^_^)
Eventually, I got to the Tradewinds Skyway. I decided to stop in Puerto Mico first. I smiled as I recalled the vacation I had taken as a little girl - I used to sneak into the tiny dollhouses where the Monquistans lived and play hide and seek with my imaginary friend, until my parents spanked me for being intrusive and scaring the poor monkey men. And now I could over the roofs of the houses on my giant mount, which clearly spooked the merchants as they fled into their stalls and hid.
I headed to the Governor's place right away and was greeted by the Majordomo who stood guard over the door. He asked for my passport and I gave it to him. "Ah yes..."
Ratbeard laughed at the irony when I saw the passport picture. "Ha, looks just like ye, Captain! Har!"
I slapped my forehead and groaned. "Avery!" Why did Capt. Avery give me this? At the very least, if he was going to supply me a fake passport, it would at LEAST be that of a WOMAN! I was going to have WORDS with him later but for now.
"Ah yes," I said in a deep voice. "I apologize for my, uh, looks... haven't feeling all that well lately..."
"It is fine," said the Majordomo. "Well, even with this letter of introduction, I am afraid I cannot let you see the Governor, not in those clothes. Go speak to the tailor Bernardo Sastre in the market, he will supply you with a proper outfit."
I sighed but knew that the monkey men had their own customs and I wanted to at least honor their culture so they wouldn't throw me out immediately. Avery was depending on me having this treaty.
(But he could have at least given me a half-decent picture!)
I was beginning to realize that the Monquistans didn't have "humility" in their dictionary but I bit my tongue and agreed to help the tailor get three bolts of Mooshu silk from the Guzman ships.
With that bitter taste in my throat, I decided that it would be easier to stomach a trip to the seedy Scrimshaw and help Ratbeard get his goods back. We accosted the dog who Ratbeard pawned them to and followed the lead to a warehouse...
Where we beat up some hounds who had bought the clothes off of Bill. Ratbeard joined us in the vicious fight. "Fine, take your stinking clothes!" snarled the leader. "They smell bad." (Ratbeard forces himself into this battle even if he's on orders, replacing your third party member briefly.)
"Well, of course," I said with a sneer. "Rats are infamous for their smell." I nodded to Ratbeard. "No offense, mind you."
"None taken," said the former captain with a grin. "Now let's get me sword back!"
Bill pointed us to One-Eyed Jack, so we went back to the tavern in Flotsam and found that the rabbit wasn't doing ill, he did it so he could give it back to Ratbeard when he came looking for it. He directed us to one of his rental cabins, and I touched the blade...
And got a visitation. It was the ghost of Lasko, Ratbeard's former first mate. He was furious.
"You! Agnes Thatcher!" hissed the rat ghost as he drew his spectral dagger. "You betrayed my trust! You vowed to avenge us, and instead of killing that black-hearted fiend, he joined your crew!"
"Please Lasko, I can forgive," I said sadly as three dead spirits appeared behind the angry ghost. Just then, I saw Ratbeard's face grow pale in shock.
"Lasko!" gasped Ratbeard. "What happened to ye? I did poison ye food but I only meant to put your to sleep, not... put you to SLEEP!"
"That made no sense whatever," I sighed as I drew my own daggers. "And Lasko is too furious to listen to our reasons. We must put him to rest... by force." I then whispered. "Forgive me, Lasko."
We put the ghosts to rest and I put my daggers through Lasko's heart. "I wish I didn't have to do this," I sighed as he groaned.
"How... can ye..." Those were his last words as his spectral form collapsed and melted away.
"I am so sorry, Lasko," I sighed.
Ratbeard was abashed. "I never intended for them to die! But then again, it explains why I didn't hear hide or hair of them until now."
"Whoever gave that poison to you must have deliberately mislabeled it so you would think it was sleeping poison, but instead it was something fatal." I shook my head. "Whether to discredit you as a black-hearted fiend or because they had an enmity against any of your crew, I do not know, but..."
"Enough," grunted Ratbeard, picking up the sword - it was a large bulky blade with a large frame. "Let's go get a drink at Jack's place."
I nodded, this was too much for me to stomach now.
He excused himself briefly and came back to get his drink dressed in the moldy-smelling garments we got from those dogs in Scrimshaw. He looked much finer now than before, like a true pirate.
"Captain Agnes," said Ratbeard. "I never intended for those lads to end up like that. I swear... when I find the scurvy dog who gave me that poison..." He smacked his fist. "There will be a reckoning."
"And I will help you avenge those rats," I said. "I had made a vow to avenge Lasko."
"How can you be sure he's being honest," murmured Subodai.
I turned to the horse warrior and smiled. "Ratbeard has nothing to gain from feigning ignorance. I've been around pirates for as long as my parents were alive to learn what words are honest, and trust me, Ratbeard is telling the truth. I saw his face when he found out about what happened to the crew and facial expressions do not lie."
"Yeah, I did intend to cheat the crew of their share," laughed Ratbeard. "But then again, I'm a pirate, that's how things are done."
"Well, not on this crew," I warned. "And although I no longer hate you now that I know you had not killed your crew intentionally, you still have much to work for after making me chase you all over the skyways for that treasure!" I sharpened one of my daggers. "Remember, we're watching you."
(I love the promotion quests as they give a bit of story behind the companions - Ratbeard isn't my go-to companion but the fact that he makes you chase him all over the place, gets the gold before you do, and then has to be rescued from the Waponis and begs forgiveness, then this quest show that he's not as horrible as you might think.)
With that out of the way, I was of sound mind to blow up ships... unfortunately, I found to my dismay that the Guzman ships(and the Marleybone ships I had to fight to get roses for some guy in Puerto Mico) were not pushovers like the Cutthroat vessels - they boarded us constantly!
(Yeah, this is where the broadside combat starts sucking - the ships use all sorts of deadly attacks to bring you down to yellow health and then board you if you're too close. If you aren't... well, hope you bound to a life fountain because you'll have to spam your Mojo potion as you'll get sunk many times. The ships are THAT dangerous and it's because you won't have a good enough ship to sink them yet. This gets REALLY annoying if you do a sidequest later, which I'll point out next update. Best bet: Board them instead of trying to sink them as they will sink you first with their powerful attacks. The Marleybone ships for the roses sidequests have an attack that hit you with multiple lighting bolts!)
(Oh yeah, you're going to have to destroy Marleyboners[no pun intended, get your mind out of the gutter] to get out of Skull Island. Ugh!)
We finally sank enough ships to get the silk Bernardo needed and he made me a suit... which was very painfully humiliating. Ratbeard laughed at me and Bonnie Anne told me I was a fool. "Made a monkey of me," indeed. (sigh)
Also, I discovered that Governor Ortega had been overthrown and now some guy called Governor Medina took the chalice and treaty and told me to speak to the Majordomo.
"Ha," said the majordomo. "Our governship is too polite to refuse, but I can assure you, the answer is no. Your offering was pathetic... but... you were the ones who raided the Presidio, right? The ones who lived stammered on about an 'unattractive giant who splattered their blood on the walls?'"
I blushed in shame. "Uh yeah, I was sort of..."
He stopped me. "We could use someone of such ruthlessness as you. Go speak to the head Bishop in the cathedral, he will tell you more. If you do well, we... may consider your treaty."
As we left, Fan scoffed. "I say we tell them to screw it, Captain. We're pirates, no need to give them what they want just for the sake of..."
I stilled her tongue. "Look, I know we're being humiliated, but I want to get back on their good side, and Avery needs that treaty. If we 'tell them to screw it', they'll most likely consider it an act of war and declare war on Skull Island. You saw those ships blow ours to cinders! There would be a massacre. Avery would consider us idiots and things would go to pot for us fast. Let's at least hear what the Bishop has to say."
We met Bishop Hidalgo in the cathedral and told him about what the majordomo said. "I am glad you are here, child," said the Bishop. "I recall a certain girl who looked like you hiding in the Cathedral many years ago..."
I blushed. "Sorry, I was a child back then."
"Well, I forgive you that," he said, smiling. "I am glad you came to me. You see, I fear that if this mission the Governor asks of you goes through formal channels, it is doomed to fail."
"Lay it on me, brother," I said, laughing at the joke I made.
Hidalgo told me about the legendary Monquistador Gortez, a mighty gorilla who cut through the swaths of the Isle of Doom(which he claimed was named after a Baron, but I had a feeling they were sugar-coating the danger) to claim tons of gold to make Monquista even more of a fat cat, so to speak. However, terrible rumors began to fly about Gortez when he did not return to Monquista and then four months ago, a raving soldier sick with fever babbled about how Gortez had taken over the Island and become its king, and something about a Gold Monkey.
"I wish for you to capture Gortez, find this gold monkey, and bring both back to the Governor here," said the Bishop. "This sort of thing would never be possible for any Monquistador, but you..."
"Let me guess, you need us to beat him black and blue and drag his body back, huh?" I said, smirking with a hand on my hip. "Well, you've got the girl for the job."
He directed me to the provisioner, who gave me packages of rations for the workers in the gold mines which were on the island. Looks like I had a lot to do, but the Bishop promised that if Gortez was recovered and brought back to his people, the Bishop would ensure that the treaty would go through.
And that was all I needed to motivate my crew to sail towards the Isle of Doom.
{To be continued...}
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