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Chapter 15 – Pimped to death!

The sun blazed down upon the crew as they sweated their way up the steep mountain slope.
“How much further is it?” complained Crooky, his freckles joining together, as the sun hit his pasty white skin.
“It’s just up there!” pointed Tim, holding the map, “I can see the entrance into the mountain.”
Mellie took a look through the telescope.
“Euch! Chavians!” she spat, “There’s several guarding the way in.”
“Then we’ll stick them!” cried Tim, wiggling his dagger.
“No, we may alert the rest,” warned Semenenko-beard, “Perhaps there is another way in.”
Morty pointed to a vent in the side of the mountain, “What about through there?” she asked.

Bird and Gadsby continued their trek through the jungle.
“Where exactly are we going?” asked Bird, for the seventh time.
“I don’t know!” hissed Gadsby, turned back to Danny fiercely, “But I’m going to find the wretched pirates who sank my pride and joy!”
Alice continued walking, still talking to Danny about the various things she would like to do to Adam Semenenko-beard, when she blundered into a dark silhouetted hanging from the trees by a network of vines. She screamed as it dropped down onto her.
“Relax Alice,” said Danny, pulling the body off of her, “He’s long dead.”
“Who is it?” she asked, shaking away the tension.
Danny carefully brushed away the cobwebs from the face.
“Well I never!” he gasped with recognition, “It’s Captain Perry! His ship has been missing at sea from over two years now!”
“I’m so sorry… Did you know him well?”
Danny wasn’t listening, he continued examining the strange marks on the body.
“Good Lord! The poor soul was… pimped to death!” he gasped.
A steady drum beat began from the direction of the volcano, which had begun belching flames into the sky. An ominous air filled the clearing.
“We should not have come here…” choked Danny, as he removed the tinted windows from Perry’s corpse and tried to arrange the body as respectfully as he could, “Something wicked is afoot!”

Morty spluttered on the noxious fumes as the drum beat became faster and more frantic.
“Quiet back there!” whispered Mellie.
“It’s ok, they wont hear us with the racket they seem to be making,” cut in Adam as the chanting rose.
The tunnel opened up onto a ledge in a large chamber, the crew crawled out onto it and looked down the source of the noise.
A large bubbling pool of lava was surrounded by a throng of chavians, chanting as drumbeats burst forth from large sound systems.
The attention seemed to be focused on the leader of the group, who was leading the chant behind a large lecturn.
“Blingor! Blingor!” he cried, the lava boiling, as if in response.
“I don’t see any treasure,” whispered Peg-Leg Mellie.
“It must be down there,” replied Morty pointing down to a doorway leading further into the mountain.
“Alrighty then,” decided Tim-Lad, “I’ll sneak down while they’re distracted.”
“Are you sure that’s wise?” asked Crooky.
“I’m very quiet you know,” replied Tim, shuffling his way along the ledge, “What could possibly- ARRRGH!”
Tim slid off the ledge, his fall halted by Crooky’s quick grasp at his flailing feet. Tim dangled above the angry lava pit.
“Pull him back before they see!” whispered Adam frantically.
The Chavians remained oblivious to the swinging pirate a few feet above their heads, as he was slowly reeled back to the ceiling.
“Bummer! My knife!” Tim’s knife dropped out of his pocket and fell gracefully through the air, out of reach of his best efforts to get it back. The pirates watched it fall, as if in slow motion, until it hit a speaker.
A shower of sparks and load boom could be heard as the sound system shorted out. Countless cropped heads looked up, as the Chavians finally noticed the intruders.
“Do ‘em over!” screamed their leader.
“Nice one Tim-Lad” sighed Morty as a shower of spears ricocheted off of the cave walls around them.
“Eat lead!” cried Semenenko-beard, unloading his pistols in their direction. The rest of the crew followed suit.
Wounded Chavians tumbled into the lava, but their advantage remained with the numbers. Another volley of spears flew through the air, impaling Matticus, who let out a dying cry to Gordon Bennet as he tumbled from the perch.
“Matticus!” bellowed Crooky, “You will be avenged!”
“No Crooky!” objected Adam, “We must retreat! We’re too outnumbered!”
By now the first wave of savages had scrambled up to the ledge, the pirates drew their blades and cut them down as they came. But for every one dispatched, two would take its place.
“Adam! Help!” screamed Morty, as a Chavian gripped him foot and pulled him from the ledge. He fell into a mass of Chavians, his beard inexplicably falling away from his face.
“It can’t be!” said Adam, rubbing his eyes and staring in disbelief.
With their new captive the savages pulled back to the doorway, carrying the unconscious form with them.
Adam leapt from the ledge and began to beat at the closed door.
“That’s suicide captain!” protested Crooky, “There’s too many of them in there.”
“But they’ve got her!” babbled Adam.
“Her?”
“Yes… Morty was Laura the whole time…” said Adam, “I never even realised.”
“Oh… really?”
“Right this door is starting to give!” said Adam, pulling out his cutlass, “Are you with me, men?”
“Yarr!” replied the crew.
“Against my better judgement,” replied Tim-Lad.
“Charge!”
The door burst open, and the pirates charged through the swirling volcanic vapours, towards battle and certain doom.

To Be Continued