Challenge 111- Don't Rock The Boat!

[bethany.hopkins]

Another week, another cool challenge :) This week, Ivan took Jan-Piet and Charles on a science expedition and inevitably they found their way to the Emerged Island. Now, I haven't taken Charles to the Emerged Island very much, and when Charles's presence triggered some new options in a certain encounter on the Island I just fell about laughing. That encounter reminded me so much of the tale of Rock Charles from two weeks ago that I couldn't resist making it into a story. So in this story, Ivan, JP and Charles look for shelter in the aftermath of their titanic battle against the King Crab. But when they stumble on a hut in the jungle, will the inhabitant be more than they bargained for? Please enjoy :)

Challenge 111- Don’t Rock The Boat!

“So, has anyone heard the story of the deadly llama curse of the Andean Empire then?”

Ivan just kept marching silently along.

“No” said Charles immediately. “But then again, I’ve never had any particular interest in stories in which people are rendered magically …………hirsute. Have you, Jan-Piet? Do tell.”

Jan-Piet glared daggers into Charles’s back. “As it turns out” he said, with ever so slightly more of an edge of sarcasm to his tone “this specific curse doesn’t make you look like a llama. It just gives you the ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ sunny personality for which llamas are justly noted the world over. And the reason I bring this up is…. Hey, Ivan! What’s the problem?”

Ivan had stopped dead at the edge of the jungle, and was staring impenetrably into a swamp.

Jan-Pit stared at the swamp as well. It just looked like a swamp full of insects and supply-consuming quagmires to him.

“Ivan” he said, as cheerfully as he could manage. “You know, this might be easier if you’d just tell us why you bought us along and what you want us to do. Because I’ve been racking my brains trying to figure it out-“

“Ivan is no longer present, fool” said a familiar voice. “God, I hope no-one never permitted you to stand watch on any kind of ship because your situational awareness is frankly-”

As much to escape Charles’s tirade as for any other reason, Jan-Piet charged deeper into the swamp after Ivan.

They found Ivan amongst some mangroves, looking thoughtfully at a squadron of unhappy local wildlife. He took in the arrival of Jan-Piet and Charles.

“Crabs” he announced unhelpfully. Jan-Piet looked at Ivan curiously. Did he sound faintly disappointed? But there were other things to worry about now.

“Do you happen to know how to fight crabs, Ivan?”

And miracles of miracles, Ivan was still feeling communicative.

“Make ‘em mad. Get the big one.”

At that, Charles brightened tremendously. He bounded happily forward and started yelling insults

“Inferior crab! Your swamp is repulsive, your tactical awareness is substandard and your shell looks like it was decorated by a colour-blind macaw.” At the last comment, the crab swiped viciously at him and Charles stepped away still shouting cheerfully. “Ha! Not likely! You’ll have to get up earlier than to lay pincers on an Englishman!” He turned back to Jan-Piet who was eyeing the crabs suspiciously. “Come along, Mr Corneel. Are you going to hit the crabs , or are you waiting for an engraved invitation? Chop chop, my boy, chop chop!”

Jan-Piet sighed and hefted his oar.

At the end, Charles brushed off his collar and stood back. “Well, that was bracing. And Ivan has even acquired a dead crab to deliver to the science chappies into the bargain. I’m sure they will be very pleased. And with that , we can depart from this island and repair to civilisation. Isn’t that right?”

There was no sign Ivan had heard a word Charles said. Jan-Piet glanced around. He was going to get yelled at next, unless he came up with a distraction. His eyes lit on a hut in the distance. “Look!” He called out. “People! Who might have food! Hurry!”
As they got nearer, they could make out a sound coming from within the hut. Almost but not quite the sound of digging, maybe more the sound of a hammer striking stone. Jan-Piet was too caught up in the promise of food that Charles hadn’t cooked to care.

“Hmph. Do you think you can stop drooling long enough to explain our presence? Clearly not. Allow me.”

Charles opened the door and strode into the hut.

“Hello, young islander. We are explorers on a very important mission that you cannot possibly be expected to understand, and we require your assistance in oooooh is that a statue?”

Jan-Piet decided his assistance was required, after all. The interior of the hut was dominated by a half-finished sculpture of a man in a tricorn hat with a luxuriant beard, and Jan-Piet glared at it too on principle. The islander noticed him, and shot him a stricken look.

“Er.” , said Jan-Piet. “Er. Is that Captain Roche? Wow, you’ve done a marvellous job on his beard. And the tendrils of ectoplasm look great, too. The swirly parts must be tricky, but you’ve done it. He looks just as terrifying as he does in the flesh. Er, what I meant was..”

But that was apparently exactly the right thing to say, because the sculptor grabbed his hands.

“Oh my god, finally someone who gets me! I’m so tired of making sculptures of ghosts. One living subject, that’s all I ask for, but nooooo it’s always Captain this and ghost pirate that and one of these days I swear I’m going to….” He continued in this vein from some time and Jan-Piet looked over at his colleague.

“Charles…” he began to say slowly.

“Yes” said Charles without hesitation. “A capital idea. One that in fact Jan-Piet my good man, I was just about to suggest myself.”

Jan-Piet blinked in confusion, and Charles addressed the pirate sculptor.

“Young man, you must thank your lucky stars. Because today they have delivered me to you, and I, Charles Templeton, Renowned Explorer among Renowned Explorers, graciously agree to model for one of your statues. Long have I searched in vain for an artist worthy of my likeness, and…”

Jan-Piet gave up and decided to let whatever happened happen.

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1317921003

Sometime later, someone nudged him.

“AHEM. Behold! An artwork- are you beholding, Mr Corneel- an artwork for the ages , an artwork compelling pure admiration , an artwork that at long last is truly worthy of the vaunted and noble name of Rock Charles.“

At times like these the only safe thing to do was take a leaf out of Ivan’s book, and so Jan-Piet beheld the statue in careful silence.

“Of course,” said Charles eventually “We can’t take it with us.”

Jan-Piet still didn’t trust himself to say anything.

“It would weight down the hold.”

More silence.

“So, Jan-Piet. You will have to assist me in bringing all the other explorers to view this in situ. Specifically, you must convince Miss Haas to take a trip to this island. Obviously, she needs a proper example of correctly executed representational art to guide her progress and this will be very edifying for her. And I’m sure Miss Rodriguez will find it very edifying as well. Since it’s a little more dignified that those newspaper photographs she’s always parading around. And they should be accompanied by , hmmmm, Mr Walker. Frankly, he needs all the edification he can get. Come along, now. The sooner we get back to London the sooner you can get started.”

And once again Jan-Piet found that words had deserted him.

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1317921751 
……………………………………………………….
Sometime later, on the Albatross

Jan-Piet still had one question that needed answering, and he found Ivan on the deck of the ship looking at the stars.

“So why did you bring us along, Ivan?”

Ivan stared into the darkness for a long time. Just as Jan-Piet turned to leave, he started to speak.

“Heard about a flying ship on the Emerged Island. Thought you and Charles might like to sail it. But there were crabs instead. Sorry.”

Jan-Piet opened his mouth and then closed it again and joined Ivan at the rail. He closed his eyes and imagined Hildegard, Maria and Harry getting a look at that statue.

“You know, mate. Even with the crabs and all, I think things turned out pretty decently. In fact, as far as this expedition’s concerned I’m glad I came.”

[Flamestalker]

Aww, Ivan is such an adorable giant