A Pirate Story

Troggy Trouble

Foreman Salazar keeping to his promise tells Sally, Rachel and Warwick about Gortez.

"Gortez... I met him once. I don't know what has happened to him. There are, I think, things in these jungles that apes were not meant to disturb." Salazar said bothering his goatee.

"Like the Gold Monkey?" Rachel asks.

Sally glances over at Warwick who was a bit out of it since yesterday.

"The Gold Monkey? It is a statue, of solid gold, taller than a tree. An amazing find! But I hear that it is cursed- it may be Gortez's doom." Salazar explained. He adjusts his feet leaning to his other foot, "I can put you on the path his army took, nothing more. There is an outpost up the trail- talk to Criado there. He'll know where Gortez is."

Salazar gestures to the path.

"Thanks man." Rachel told him and leads the group.

Sally grabs Warwick's wrist dragging him along.

They reach a destroyed area where the Outpost was meant to be.

"The Outpost is gone ! Must've been some fight." Rachel mutters softly.

Sally observes the land, "Looks like the Troggies made short work of this place. Best look for signs of survivors, and where they might've gone." Sally said giving everyone the cue to look around.

Warwick aimlessly wanders around suddenly trips he looks down at sees a rock with a message on it. "What's this? There's a message carved on this stone!" Warwick told the girls.

They walk over and look over the message on the rock "Troggies destroyed outpost. Fleeing to cave southeast of here. Send help. -C"

"'C' for Criado, I recon? He's still alive! Let's go find this Cave of his." Sally said and the group rush off and find the crew and Criado.

A monkey takes notice of them when they enter a cave and rushes up to them.

"You have found us! We are saved!" Ramos yells out in relief.

"There is only you? You are not here to rescue us? This is bad. Very bad. We are doomed for certain. The Troggies will eat us all!" Ramos said in obvious distress.

"These Monquistans I swear." Warwick muttered.

"We aren't exactly here to help..." Rachel said looking down at the Monquistan.

"So why are you here?" Ramos asked confused.

"We're here for Gortez." Sally explained with a straight face.

"Gortez? He's east of here, but the way is blocked. Swarms of bees let no one pass." Ramos explained.

"And the Gold Monkey?" Warwick asks eagerly. Sally and secretly Rachel, were happy to see that he was back to his old self.

"The Gold Monkey? It is a wonder- a great tapestry of metal thread, hung with thousands of gold plates and countless emeralds! It is with Gortez." Ramos told him.

"We are trapped here- between the bees and the Troggies. Criado said he knew a way to pass the bees, but he is gone- the frog devils took him." Ramos explains.

'He sure does talk a lot.' the three thought zoning out a little.

"Criado may yet live- if you hurry to the Troggy Village, you might save him. And if you scatter the Troggies, that will be a boon to us." Ramos told them gesturing to a nearby pathway.

"Finally he stopped talking."  Rachel muttered as Sally leads them down the path using her family's compass that guides them to the place/person they want to get to.