(Yeah, still not catching up - Agnes is halfway through Cool Ranch and I ran out of pre-paid time for the account so I had to wait a while to add more time. But hey, it's all good. At least I have the pictures. You can tell I enjoy this world and it's my favorite one in Pirate101. I had a lot of fun making up dialogue for these next updates. Enjoy!)
(Added: I do intend to keep updating my three KingsIsle blogs - this one involving Pirate101 and my two Wizard101 blogs detailing the adventures of my two female wizards - Sierra Fairyfriend the Tightwad Conjurer[who has a story] and Christina Dawnblade[who does not, but she shows up in Sierra's story to replace Grace. Maybe once I have a job, I can update Grace...]. I feel like I must update Sierra's story because she is Myth and Christina is following the path Zenmaster Blue is taking - so both have a connection to Blue's walkthrough series. If you are curious check them out in the links below. For now, more Pirate101!)
The Tightwad Conjurer
The Sorcerer's Workshop
I cursed my ill luck - the Armada had claimed the piece that had been hidden under their noses. So now we both had one piece of the Map, and I had met the second of the Elite under Kane's personal circle, the jester Phule. Still, we did get a new Windstone which seemed familiar. Steed told me not to let it get to me - failure is always an option when dealing with the Armada.
I won't let that happen again, we have to get the remaining five pieces before the Armada does, I thought to myself. "Do you know of any other leads to Marco Pollo or the pieces?"
"Alas, no..." said Steed. He then paused. "Wait, I do. His first mate, Varo, would know something about the Map. Marco Pollo only let his closest crew know about the Map to El Dorado. From what I heard, Varo has become a monk in Monquista."
"Saaay," said Ratbeard, stroking his beard. "Didn't we see a unicorn in St. Bonobo's Abbey?"
Indeed we had, though I hadn't thought about it at the time when I saw the unicorn monk there. I wasn't going to risk Avernus again - it was only a thousand gold to get the Krok sage to teleport my ship to St. Bonobo's Abbey.
We returned to Monquista and no sooner did I enter the abbey when the unicorn next to me spoke.
"Marco Pollo told me he had found the fabled city of El Dorado," said Varo. "He warned me never to let it slip, he told me El Dorado must never be found for it harbors such terrible secrets, secrets that would destroy the Spiral itself if they were unleashed. Even the Song of Creation would be a mere lullaby compared to the terrors inside of the City of Gold!"
"So he told you about the map, right?" I asked, turning to him. "Do you know where it is?"
"That he did not tell me," said Varo, bowing his head. "But I know who might know..."
"You can keep your secret with me," I said, hand to my heart. "I have a destiny to find the map to El Dorado and make sure the Armada never finds it as they are searching for it now."
"Oh no," said the monk, clearly afraid. He nodded and leaned into my ear to whisper. "Christopher Clark, Marco Pollo's navigator, drew all of his maps. If anyone drew the map to El Dorado, he did. But Clark has retired and is living in..."
"Cool Ranch," I said aloud in awe. I felt like I was eight again and blushed.
"Cool Ranch?" said Gaspard in shock. "That's one of the Corners of the Spiral! It's a long trip!"
I looked down at my compass and shook my head, grinning like I was eight years old again. "No it isn't, not for us. The Blue Windstone we got from the catacombs of Granchia, just before Phule appeared, will allow us to go there from the Stormgate in Floatsam Skyway."
"How do you know?" asked Sarah.
I turned and smiled, wiping a tear from my uncovered eye. "My parents, bless their souls forever, took me to Cool Ranch for my 8th birthday, a year before they were slain. I saw the color of the Windstone they used to get us there. It was blue. Come on, we've got a hootenanny to go to!"
I felt I was young again, traveling with my parents to my birthday celebration as I saw the rustic buildings and windmills of Cool Ranch rise up before the ship as we approached the world. Unlike most of the Spiral, this world was more modern than them, having a Wild West theme to it.
We entered and I saw the herds of buffaloon bouncing across the Cooper's Rest Skyway as we arrived. The sun was in a glorious rise as we docked into Cooper's Rest. This place had changed little from my youth - it was a bustling boom town.
I greeted the local deputy, who directed me to the saloon. I slowly pushed aside the doors and halted the piano player as I waltzed in with my chest out and hands to my blades. Smirking, I nodded to the piano player and he continued his playing, filling the saloon with ragtime notes. It felt GREAT.
I strode over to the barmaid. "Heyyup, Jane Canary," I said.
The chickadee gasped and gave a huge grin. "Why if it ain't ol' little Agnes! You were knee-high to a scorpion when I last saw you, your parents bringing ya in with a big old cake from the bakery. How are you parents doin'?"
"You'd need a shovel to find them," I sighed.
"Sorry to hear that," said Jane.
"Wow," whispered Bonnie. "Captain knows a lot of people here."
"Don't go whispering like that, it's rude," scolded Jane. "Her parents brought her here for a couple weeks vacation to celebrate her eighth birthday, don't ya know. Her parents were well known by the law, they did 'business', but kept their noses clean. It's sad to hear they're gone."
"But enough of me," I said, laughing. "How's old Candyman?"
"Candywho?" asked Fan.
"Christopher Clark," I corrected. "I was fast friends with his son, Merriweather, while I was having my birthday vacation here in Cooper's Roost. We're childhood friends. Whenever I played at his house, his father gave us penny candy." I smiled and closed my eyes happily.
Jane shook her head. "You'd best bring a shovel if you want any more penny candy from him."
I opened my eyes and sighed, putting my hat on my heart. "Sorry to hear that he's gone too."
"He's dead?" grumbled Ratbeard. "Now what? We needed his help!"
"Is Merriweather here?" I asked Jane.
"Why yes, he's still living at his father's house," said Jane. "You can find it at the top of the hill overlook, if a tornado hasn't torn it down by now. You take care now."
I tipped my hat and put it back on.
It was nostalgic to see the place still standing, but I knew I had work to do. Old times would come later, when I held the piece of Marco Pollo's map.
"Out, I figured as much," I muttered as I saw the note nailed to the front door. "He was always leaving the house, when we played we ended up watching stars or clouds together. He's an eager meteorologist, you see."
I went with my group to the clinic and found another familiar face - Doctor Ph.D Elmoore Coop, the only doctor in Cooper's Roost. Because of that, he was a GREAT doctor - one time in my birthday vacation I had angered a swarm of bees and was stung on my hands, and Merri rushed me to him. Dr. Coop removed the poison from my hands and bandaged them - I got an earlashing from my parents (both of them, they were both very overprotective with the jobs they had) - but I remembered the face as clear as day.
"Do you know where he went?" I asked. "I need to talk to him."
"Sure, he went to Junction to visit his professor friend from Marleybone, Professor Murgatroyd," said the doctor. "I assume you know where it is."
"Yes, my mom took me there for an errand," I said.
Junction was a mining station in Arroyo Grande, a sky chasm rich in minerals. It wasn't hard to find Professor Murgatroyd - he was in a camp in the tunnels leading to the mine shafts. The Windlanes weaved across the air in these scorpion-laden tunnels.
"Where is he now?" I asked.
"Well, he said he was going to Elder's Bluff to study some cloud patterns," he said. I gasped.
"Not Big Sky!" I said. "Big Sky is Sky Hunter territory, his father warned me NEVER to go there! The Bisons are xenophobes!"
"He said he was going to do some research at the Burial Grounds. You can catch him if you go now."
I nodded and left quickly.
The ship took forever to get to the floating island cemetery marked with totems. The Sky Hunters were a group of bison-men who worshipped nature spirits and respected the dead. This was where they were buried. No sooner did I leave the boat when I heard a blood-curdling scream from a nearby cave. "Come on!" I said, rushing inside.
I recognized the medicine chicken - Nurse Quinn had been a bit younger when she had nursed my hand back to health, but it was still her, and she was being held hostage by a Bison. I recognized the huge frame, hairy mane, and horns. He saw us. "More defilers!" he roared. "Go, destroy them!"
His fellow Hunters came at us like galleons, but we fought hard and prevailed.
"Spirits of my ancestors," chanted the head bison as the last warrior fell unconscious. "Arise and punish the defilers of your tombs!"
Ghosts of dead warriors rose up around me and I whipped out my daggers and attacked.
(For some reason, this was hilarious - the enemies appeared around Agnes and the battle didn't start until she moved. I HAD to take a photo of this. ^_^)
The ghosts fell as quickly as the living bisons. "Spirits of my ancestors' pets!" roared the bison. "Arise and punish the defilers!"
"What in blazes?" said Ratbeard as ghostly jackaloupes appeared.
"Careful, their bite is worse than their bark!" I said. Battle was joined a third time, but we finally defeated every ghost and found that the attacking Bison was gone. I sighed in relief.
Quinn came up to tell me what had happened but afterwards she saw my face. "Agnes? That you? You've grown big! You eating right?"
"I'm fine, nurse," I said. "But that's beyond the point. Where are they holding him?"
"Probably Elder's Bluff," said Quinn. "That's the Hunter's main camp and it'd be too long to take the trip to their village."
"I'll take you back to Cooper's Roost and then go after them," I said.
After delivering Nurse Quinn safely back to Dr. Coop's clinic, I took my crew and docked at Elder's Bluff, which I found easily thanks to a map Merri had given me of Cool Ranch when I was visiting last. It was drawn in charcoal but I could follow it well enough. "Sarah, you come with me. Everyone else, stay here. I don't want the Bison to get on the warpath and worsen the situation."
I found the chief's tent and entered, trying to parlay, but he wouldn't have it.
His two braves were met by me and Sarah and we beat them with the flats of our blades until they were on the floor, groaning in pain.
"Hmmm... you fight well, smooth ones," said the chief. "Maybe we should listen to you."
Just then, a hot-headed brave called Thunder Hoof challenged us... and quickly got smacked. I put the blade to his neck, then sheathed it and made a gesture.
"What's that?" asked Sarah.
"Well, remember when Bonnie Anne made parley with those crabs that we rescued Captain Gordon from long ago?" I said. "This is the Sky Hunter gesture for parley."
Seven Storms spoke about grave-robbers amongst the "claw feet", and I assumed that Merriweather was caught up in it. "I know the Claw Feet I know had nothing to do with your suffering," I said. "Please, let me speak with him."
"Very well, but if you stow him away, you will be sunk to the ether," warned Seven Storms.
I knew well he meant that - the Sky Hunters were powerful hunters and brought in tons of resources from the sky creatures, even the powerful Buffaloons.
Merriweather was older but I recognized his face. "Are you okay?" I asked in worry. "Did they hurt you at all?"
"No, they didn't hurt me, thank goodness," said the chicken. "If they aren't as honorable as I knew them to be, I'd be chicken soup now!" He then lit up. "Little Aggie! You came to save me?"
"Yes, we're still friends even when we are apart," I said, smiling. I quickly related my life since we last met. He was a bit sad that my parents were dead but he understood being an orphan now that his father was gone as well.
"Sounds like you've been on quite some adventures," he said, tipping his hat.
"Yes, and we came to you to find out about the Map," said Sarah. I shushed her.
"Map? Excuse me for not being able to remember due to my current situation!" said Merriweather, who got instantly angry.
"It's okay," I said, holding his hand. "Look, I'll get you out of this mess. Do you have any leads on who might grave-rob the Bison?" I let his hand go.
"Well," he said, rubbing his chin. "I've seen the Red Sash gang lurking about the burial grounds..."
I sneered. "You mean them no-good varmints who would sell their mothers' souls for a penny?" Merriweather and Christopher had told me stories of the various bandits crawling the skyways. Cool Ranch was well known for its lawlessness and banditry. "I'll hunt down every boat that flies the Red Sash banner until we find the charms."
"Please hurry," said Merriweather, a bit panicked. "I don't know how long these Bison will wait!"
I hurried and those foul bandit ships were brought into pieces... though they kept boarding us. Sadly, the Rosa Francesca was starting to show its weakness - the ships here were much stronger than the Armada vessels prowling the Aragorn Skies. No wonder my parents stayed near the Windlanes when we traveled between Cooper's Roost and Junction!
On one side note, I was glad to see Prospector Zeke here. I was sure this was where he was born and raised. One of his friends asked him to look for little chickadees called the Dixie Chicks and I agreed to help him out.
(Really, KI? You going into COUNTRY musicians now? 9_9)
[To be continued...]
Progress: Agnes is now Level 22. Monquista and Valencia don't really give great EXP. But by the time we get to Mooshu, she'll be Level 33. Trust me, this place is loaded for bear.
