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Nervape Saga - Pirate Story Part 2 of 2 - Tentacles of Terror 🐙
Deep in the middle of the night, Riche, aboard Captain’s pirate ship, set the Golden Ape on deck. He muttered a few words and placed his hand on the ape’s head.
The ape glowed and a screen appeared on the back of the ape.
It revealed Riche’s whale shaped mansion damaged by wind: cracked windows, lodged debris, bent ornaments. He could see outside his home palace guards with ropes, attempting to enter his home through the broken windows.
“No, they shouldn’t be able too get in, unless they have magic…”
He zoomed in on one old-fashioned looking ape muttering an incantation.
“Zorba,” Riche said with a frown.
Riche tapped the Golden Ape ape’s head one more time and the screen switched to a camera from inside the mansion.
“Empty? So Snooze must have been successful…”
“O hoy there matey, no sleep for ya?”
Riche tapped the Golden Ape and the screen flashed off. He turned to Captain.
“Just doing some research before bed.”
“Argh, I see. Well, make youseself at home. We should be at Vega in da mornin’. By the way, you see dat beauty over there?“
Captain pointed at Lady Luck, a large pirate ship some distance away.
“That over there, that's me second crew, under the auspices of Lucky, my second in command. She’s a good one. If anything happen’, she’s gots our backs.”
Riche nodded. “Good to know.”
Riche then turned to watch the night shift pirate crew cleaning the deck, checking the sails, and one ape practicing with his sword.
“Seems you run a tight ship, Captain”
“That’d be truth,” Captain smiled, “But it not be all fun and games.” Captain tapped his wooden leg and then gestured to the scar on his cheek.
“Not all pirates be as welcomin’ or as nice as we. Consider ya self lucky.”
“That I do.”
Sammy, the big ape, came rushing over.
“Captain! There be another ship coming from behind us!”
Captain rushed to the stern of the ship. Sure enough, a red pirate ship with the initials SB painted on its hull was closing distance behind them.
“SB agents…” Riche muttered to himself. He went up to Captain.
“Captain, that ship, I believe…”
“It’s Red’s ship! Everyone, battle stations!” Captain yelled to the crew.
Soon, everyone was up and the ship was bustling with movement with apes loading cannonballs into cannons and others passing out muskets.
“Alert Lady Luck! Tell her to keep her distance!”
A red flare was fired into the air followed by a purple flare.
BOOM.
Red’s ship fired a volley and a cannonball hit the side of Captain’s ship.
“Ahhh!”
The ship shaked violently and Riche was throw over the side railing. He gripped the railing.
Sammy grabbed Riche and pulled him back onto the deck.
“Thank you,” Riche gasped as he clutched his satchel.
Sammy did not respond. He was looking at something in the water.
Riche followed his gaze.
There in the water were two gigantic eyes peering back at them. A violin tune pierced the air. A fast, rapid melody that floated into the air from Red’s ship. Upon hearing this melody, the two huge eyes squinted in anger.
ROAR!
A gigantic octopus, with huge tentacles, arose from the depths of the water, it’s huge round head towered over the ship.
Sammy grabbed Riche under his arm and rushed over to Captain.
“Krakky! Red is using Krakky! Everyone get back!” Sammy yelled.
The violin tune grew louder.
Krakky, the giant octopus, shot out a huge tentacle and grabbed the main mast. Its other tentacles smashed onto the deck, breaking the flooring. Seawater poured into the ship.
Sammy and Riche fell to the ground.
“Argghhh!”
A tentacle grabbed Riche by the leg and dragged him along the deck.
SLASH.
The pirate ape with the sword, slashed at the tentacle.
Krakky roared in pain.
The tentacle let Riche go before slithering away.
Another tentacle grabbed the ape with the sword.
“Arghh!”
The ape was dragged along the deck towards Krakky.
Riche quickly pulled out the Golden Ape and tapped it’s back quickly twice.
“Everyone, cover your eyes!”
Riche tapped the ape one more time then covered his eyes. The Golden Ape began to glow, brighter and brighter, and then…
FLASH.
A blinding golden light emanated from the figure.
ROARRRR!
Krakky, blinded by the light, let go of the ape with the sword.
Captain rushed over and picked the ape up.
“Fall back!” Captain, along with the ape with the sword, was now beside Riche. Captain motioned his crew towards the escape boats on the other side of the ship.
“Nice trick back there!” Captain said to Riche. “You bought us some time. Follow me!”
Captain hobbled over to the escape boats.
Riche put the Golden Ape away and followed close behind him.
“Get in the boat! Sammy and Slash too!” Captain pushed Riche, Sammy, and Slash, the ape with the sword, into an escape boat hanging from the side of the ship.
Other pirate apes guided the escaping crew onto the other escape boats.
“Captain, get on!” Sammy yelled.
Captain shook his head.
“Sammy, get to Lady Luck. Once everyone be onboard, tell Lucky go straight to Vega City. Do not turn back. That be an order. Ya hear?”
Sammy nodded, holding back tears.
Captain grabbed a rope and turned to Riche.
“Make sure Lucky get the payment you promise’d me. I’ll be collecting after I send Red’s ship into Davey Jones locker.”
Riche nodded.
He looked to Slash and gestured to the rope holding up the escape boat.
“Slash, do the honors will ya?”
Slash also with tears in his eyes, raised his sword then…
SLASH.
He cut the rope. The ship fell fast, dropping into the water while Captain was flung up into the air.
“Ho ho ho!” Captain yelled as he flew back onto the main ship.
In the water, Sammy, Slash, and the other pirate crew in the other escape boats, paddled with tears in their eyes towards Lady Luck which lay ahead of them.
Riche looked back at the ship.
Krakky was back again, crushing the hull of the ship with its tentacles.
BOOM.
Captain’s ship fired a volley and hit the red pirate ship.
For a moment, the violin tune paused, causing Krakky to release Captain’s ship.
Riche squinted to look at the red pirate ship. Red, the red pirate ape onboard, was knocked to the ground by Captain’s shot. Next to him lay a violin.
“That ape…he was in the clothing store.”
With the violin bow in hand, Red got up and picked up the violin and started playing again. His crewmates filled the cannons for a retaliatory shot.
Krakky, hearing the tune, wrapped its tentacles around Captain’s ship again.
“A magic user,” Riche said to himself.
A fog began to roll in as the escape boats reached Lady Luck. A rope ladder from the deck unfurled and Riche and the other apes climbed aboard.
A female, lavender pirate ape with a pirate hat and a gold doubloon on it greeted them.
“Sammy, where’s Captain?” she asked.
Sammy pointed back to the ship which was engulfed by Krakky’s tentacles.
“I’m sorry Lucky, he wouldn’t leave…”
“Are we still to keep our distance?”
Sammy nodded, “Captain says to leave him, head straight to Vega City.”
She nodded solemnly.
“We have to shoot back Lucky, we got to help Captain,” Slash spoke.
She shook her head.
The fog grew thicker around them.
“At this distance and with the fog, we won’t hit Red and can’t risk hitting Captain. Arghh, and with Krakky on the loose…I hate to say it, but Captain be right. We head straight to Vega City.”
Slash looked down in despair. Sammy placed a hand on his shoulder.
Lucky turned to her crew, “Ok y’all you heard Captain’s orders. Set sail!”
The crew of Lady Luck went into action, guiding the ship away from the battle.
Riche looked back to see fog cover up the two battling ships. The sound of cannon fire, Red playing the violin, and Krakky’s roar slowly fading as Lady Luck sped away.
The crew onboard Lady Luck gave Captain a solemn salute.
Riche bowed his head.
“Thank you, Captain.”
–
After sailing through the night, the Lady Luck approached the docks of Vega City in the early morning hours just before sun break.
Riche looked out at the metropolis that is Vega City: shiny buildings, brightly lit signs, bustling hotels.
They docked the ship. All the crew gathered on the dock to see Riche off.
Lucky tipped her hat to Riche. “Sammy tells me Captain made you a member of the crew and you saved Slash…”
“After he saved me first.”
“As expected of a fellow crew member. Before we send you off, what be your name?”
Riche looked at the crew. They all appeared downcast after the battle last night. He pondered how he should answer.
“My name is Riche.”
Lucky’s eyes widened. The other crew members looked up in surprise.
“You don’t mean…”
Riche pulled out a bag of gold coins from his satchel.
"I put you and the rest of the crew in danger and for that I am indebted. Lucky for you, I’m an ape that pays back all my debts–with interest.”
Riche handed the bag of coins to Lucky.
“There’s enough coins in here for a new ship and for each crew member here to receive a nice bonus. Plus…,” Riche pulled out another bag of coins. “Captain’s payment for his help. He said he’ll be back to collect. I believe him to be an ape of his word, as am I. Please give this to him when he returns.”
Lucky graciously took the bags of coins and smiled.
The rest of the crew, hearing Riche’s words, perked up, their eyes more hopeful.
"Thank you, this will help us a lot with getting our crew back up on their feet. Captain be tough. Don't worry, I'm sure he be finding a way back to us."
Riche nodded. He then rolled out onto his knuckles a special-looking gold coin, a bit larger in size than the regular coins with a strange design on it. He tossed it to Lucky.
Lucky caught it.
“When Captain returns, give that to him. It will help us keep in touch.”
Lucky nods.
“Will do,” Lucky said.
Sammy, Slash, and the other pirate apes shaked Riche’s hand before he stepped off the ship.
Riche set off to Bobo's Tropical Convention.
–
Riche stepped out of a Vega City suit store wearing a fancy suit and shades. He then followed a sign titled Boba's Tropical Convention. He blended into a large crowd walking towards the venue, a big, grand hotel with a large Bobobear icon flashing at the top of the building.
Inside the venue, Riche could see hundreds of booths lined up with vendors selling all kinds of wares and services. Arancian orange trees, palms trees, and other tropical plants decorated the interior. Inside was a cacophony of sound with sales-apes pitching their products and customers bartering.
Riche pulled out his map and looked for his destination. He slipped through the booths, made his way past a large igloo where a blue ape was selling igloo homes, and found himself in front of a miniature castle. He checked the map again.
“It should be just to the…”
He turned to the right to find a brightly colored booth with ape figures similar to his Golden Ape on display. The figures were in different colors and sat in various positions. Figures also hung from the palm tree that loomed over the booth.
Sitting at the booth, was an ape wearing a magnifying glass over one eye, carefully tinkering away at an ape figure.
“Meck.”
Meck looked up. He stared at Riche for a moment. He then pressed a button on the side of the magnifying glass. It whirled and scanned Riche. Meck nodded.
“You look different as usual. What brings you to my humble booth here at Bobo's Tropical Convention?”
“Well, I'm here to find you actually. I brought…”
He carefully pulled the Golden Ape out of his satchel and set it in front of Meck.
“I need your help activating this figure’s special power.”
“That’s sudden. Why?”
“The Outsiders, along with Pepper and Snooze, they’ve already made their leap.”
At the far end of the convention hall, Arancian palace guards led by Red the pirate ape entered. Other apes at the convention turned and stared at their arrival.
Riche noticed them.
“Darn, I'm not sure how they tracked me here.”
Riche tapped the back of the Golden Ape.
“These were the last coordinates I got from Pepper. Meck, I need you to release this figure’s power now!”
Meck nodded. He took the Golden Ape and tinkered with the arms. He then pulled out a smart tablet-shaped device and used it to tap the ape's head, arms and legs. Meck then whispered some words before pressing a button on his tablet.
CLICK.
A slow, whirring sound emanated from the Golden Ape.
Riche looked down the hall. The palace guards were only a few booths away now.
“Timing is critical, Meck. How much longer?”
Meck looked down at his tablet.
“Almost. Progress is at 95%.”
Red saw Riche from a distance and stared at him, looking very closely.
“That’s him!”
Red pointed vehemently at Riche.
Meck put the Golden Ape down.
“Okay, get ready!”
Meck moved the figure’s arms upwards, as if it was trying to push against the sky.
“Step back a bit. When the portal opens, jump in!”
Riche stepped back and nodded his head.
Meck pressed the button on his tablet again and moved away.
A bolt of LIGHTNING struck the Golden Ape then WHOOSH, a portal filled with bright light opened up overhead the Golden Ape.
“Thank you, Meck! See you on the Third Continent!”
Riche ran towards the portal.
BLAM.
Red the pirate, fired his musket. The bullet missed Riche and hit the Golden Ape.
The portal flickered and changed to a dark color.
“Riche, wait! The portal…”
Red reloaded his musket and took aim at Riche.
Riche jumped into the portal and disappeared.
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