Merriweather told us his father had buried his most precious map under Scorpion Rock, in a cave filled with... well, it's not called Scorpion Rock for nothing. :p There was even a giant scorpion queen which took moons to take out. Needless to say, we had a lot of patching up to do.
Unfortunately, it seemed someone else had gotten to the piece of the Map before we did, and it WASN'T the Armada. "Who's this Captain Blood?" I muttered.
Old Scratch shivered in fear, not easy for a skeleton. "Captain my Captain, Captain Blood is a dark undead monster who is filled with dark magic. Even us shamans shiver at his name."
"Maybe Merri can enlighten us," I said.
Sure enough, Merri had some information about this guy. "He's been seeking my daddy's map for ages! The sheriff would know."
 |
| (Actually, I think I got Quinn later, but to heck with that.) |
Sure enough, the Sheriff, Rooster Cogburn, knew. He offered to join my crew in hopes of bringing the vile scum to justice and I accepted with a smile; my crew was getting crazy big. (Actually, he made us bring in a whole posse of law-breakers from all over Cool Ranch, including some of the more infamous ones like the Duck With No Name.) Also, Nurse Quinn joined my crew too after I went to see how she was doing. It was nice to have her - she was a great medic and could help patch up our group after a nasty skirmish. (Yes, you actually get a side-quest chain with the sheriff of Cooper's Roost which involves a lot of tough boss battles. If you beat them all, he'll join your crew as a companion! Also, don't forget to pick up Nurse Quinn the medicine chicken now - she'll join you as a companion after you rescue Corporal Sanders in the Hidden Valley Ranch but only if you are a Swashbuckler.)
After talking with Bill Peacock, Jane's partner in the Silver Star Saloon(I recognized him because he gave me an ice cream sundae as I liked it during my birthday visit), I talked with a nice chap from Marleybone who apologized by calling me a Wizard(he has a cousin who tends the library in Wizard City) and told me about Captain Blood - he was the most ruthless pirate in Cool Ranch and met an untimely end but came back from the grave to terrorize the people again. And he wants El Dorado too. But where could we find him?
"If you want my advice, young Pirate," said Desmond Argleston. "Your best bet is to find the arch nemesis of Captain Blood, El Toro!" Brass music played from thin air and I looked about a bit. "El Toro is the protector of Santo Pollo. I have a confidant I am working with there, Professor Diaz. Deliver these letters to him and he'll tell you what you need to know. Follow the red windline north and you'll reach that place. Take this writ and show it and the Frogerales will let you pass their checkpoint."
So it was onto Santo Pollo. The guards at the checkpoint quickly said nothing and opened the gates for us and we headed into a new area... and our ship was brazenly blasted by banditoad ships. Some how, I had the feeling that these jerks were a big problem in this area. I quickly boosted and made way to the village of Santo Pollo.
We delivered our letters as I spoke up. "We seek El Toro."
"You seek the great El Toro?" cried the Professor and that music played again. "Nobody knows how to contact him. But if you must know more about El Toro(music), talk to Father Cluck at the chapel. He knows all the lore." (I later helped Diaz out a bit - after being saved by a Storm Wizard, I felt I owed Wizard City big time by collect sky snake fangs for them.)
Father Cluck, the chicken priest, did indeed know all about El Toro(music)(stop that :( ) and told about how he protects Santo Pollo and how now the banditoads were preying on the people and how El Toro(pause - nvm) was facing a grave evil.
"Great, we can help him," I said. "Do you know where he is?"
"Did you not hear what I said?" said Father Cluck. "He is a man of mystery. Nobody knows who he is, or WHAT he is. But... if you must seek his aid, speak with Don Rodrigo. He is the wealthiest land owner in Santo Pollo and his house overlooks the village. He has allied himself with El Toro many times in the past."
I admit, I had my suspicions when I met Don, acting like a Spanish playboy with his fancy suit and glass of wine, but I held my tongue and spoke plainly. "I seek El Toro."
"You seek El Toro?"(music) he said. "I could try to contact him, but he may not answer. El Toro(music) has many enemies, all who could seek to lure him to his doom with false cries for help. If you seek El Toro(music) you must prove you are as worthy of heroism as he is."
I sighed. "Very well, what do I have to do?"
I was directed to the mayor of Santo Pollo and she asked us to investigate the church. Bonnie and Ratbeard joined me but luckily the banditoads had been long gone, though they left the church a blazing mess. I saw a tapestry with a giant "T" on it. "That must be the mark of El Toro," said Bonnie.
Father Cluck smiled. "El Toro must have driven off those banditoads. It is no problem to clean up the church."
I spoke with the mayor again and she pointed to someone else in need of help...
Sugar. Seirously. Banditoads stole the sugar to a wedding cake.
I had the feeling I was not about to leave Cool Ranch anytime soon. I felt a major migraine coming on. This had better be worth it.
[To be continued...]
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