Travels with a Yellow Bird Part 10: Jungle Fever

>Last Time on Travels with a Yellow Bird

>You sailed to the mermaid town of Dredge and enlisted the help of an old sea witch

>In exchange for your hospitality, the kind old crone healed both the mermaid and your prisoner Elsa.

>Now you return to the reefs

In the morning I wake to my head throbbing in a hangover's tempo. Rolling out of my bed, I sneak past Flit's blanket nest on the floor and abscond to the brig alone to check on Elsa.

The lizardgirl's bright red eyes light up when she sees me through the rusty iron barrier. Her face reddens with excitement, and her pointy ears prick up. Jet black talons flex nervously into the folds of her dress. Fiery red hair cascades down her back, carefully combed overnight by her claws. "It's good to see you." She smiles with laughter and leans her shoulder against the door.

"You've done more for me than I ever could have imagined, than I could dare hope. Even returned to me the eye I've been without for most of my life." The lizardgirl's emerald scaled tail pendulates, swishing her skirt. "I am yours. Do with me as you please." Elsa shrugs apologetically. "An old Lizarda Secondarius may not be much help. Nevertheless, I am utterly at your service."

Elsa is on the verge of tears as she reaches for my right hand. She grasps it gingerly in her own claws and sinks to one knee. "I never thought the day would come when a worthy man would best me, a shameful worthless girl relegated to guarding boats from street rats. I, Elsa Slavefather, hereby renounce my home, my family, and my country and pledge to you, my lord."

I open my mouth when I see the tears rolling down her cheeks. She stops me by gripping my hand tighter, the sharp keratin drawing beads of blood. "Allow me my second favor now."

I nod without thinking, shocked by her display of raw emotion. Then I catch myself. "I'll hear it." I offer gently.

“I just wish to say this once, and for you to take it to heart. Never forget it.” She takes a deep breath and starts slowly. "It's impossible for words to describe what is necessary to those who do not know what 'monster' means. Monstrosity has a face, and you must make it your face. It is the face of your enemy and the only face they fear.

The focus fades from Elsa's eyes as she remembers. "When I was a barely more than a little skink, a small Lizarda village rebelled against the Dragoon. They protested against the treatment of men as property since the fall of the knightly order. Softhearted fools, but a fine example to make for the rest of the tribes. It wasn't long before the army was dispatched. We arrived in armor and waves of fire. We killed every scale, the warriors, the farmers, the women and the children. Weeping men were dragged from their family's bodies, bound and rounded up like animals into cages. It was a statement to all Dragoon. Men were property, and they could be seized like any property from any who would flout our rule.”

Elsa gives me a crooked smile as she comes back to the present. “My Lieutenant took my eye that day when I called her a coward.” The Lizarda rubs the old scar below her rejuvenated orb. "You've heard similar stories from cities in your homeland, but know we have done that to our own. Realize they are stronger than you. The Dragoon fight with all their hearts. Some have families filled with love. But never forget they have the strength to do that. “

The former Dragoon pierces my very heart with her blazing eyes. “If yours is any less, you will fail.”

A few moments of silence pass and I see her face crack as her facade starts to fall apart. She starts to cry. "I love you. There are so many things I want to do with you. But I just can't. You need a soldier most, one with a clear head, one who can kill without encumbrances. That's what I must be to you. Your crew needs your unwavering strength, and you need mine. S-so my favor is this. Please, please, do not look on me as a woman. Treat me as your knight, and I will serve you faithfully until my dying breath. ”

Elsa sniffles. “I beg this of you. My heart is weak. Every instinct I have is telling me to take you away and never look back. Even holding your hand now, I crave more. I nearly lost control every time you were close while I was blinded. I can’t forget your taste, your smell. Let me hide in my armor. Let me fight and offer counsel. But don’t let me in your arms, or I will never leave. That will doom you out here.” She finally lets go of my hand, bloody scratches down my wrists. “I refuse to let that happen.“ She whispers.

>Grant her favor
>Refuse her favor
>Other

I rub at the itching scratches on my wrist, smearing my arm bright crimson as I take a hard minute to phrase my answer.

"Elsa, friend or enemy, warrior or woman, I only know to see you as you earn to be seen. Act as my ally, fight as my knight, and that is who you will be...in time."

The lizardgirl dries her eyes, mouth split in a toothy wicked smirk, fangs glistening. "Cautious, non-committal, untrusting. You are learning. Good. You'll need that."

Elsa jerks her powerful talons beneath her and vaults upright. She looks me in the eye searchingly then slowly turns her back to me, face hidden. "You'll also need to learn to fight Dragoon. With your permission, it would please me to train your rabble in hand to hand. They will never be able to stand up to frontline troops, but merchant marines and poor militia are another matter."

I nod my assent and take my leave. I'll have some men take her out of the brig for training later once I clear my plans with my bird and the crew. I pause on my way down the hallway. A faint repeating noise pricks my ears, the sound of stifled sobbing. I really cannot make sense of that 'goon. I ignore it and head back to my cabin to talk with Flit.

“If Limus taught me anything, it's that the wilds are a forbidding place. I can ill afford lose more men while we search for a mast.” I go over the charts again, praying I've missed some clue. I can make out references to wearing wet cloth over the mouth and nose for protection, and keeping blades sharp and lit fire for oil grenades. It seems like part of some standard kit. I find no listing of the kit itself. There's no written reasons what these items are needed for, like the cartographers and authors assume everyone knew.

Flit paces behind me in consternation, pulling at feathers with her teeth when she forgets I'm looking. "Most feral monsters fear fire. Sharp blades are necessary to blaze a trail through the underbrush. But the mask, for the smoke? No."

The harpy was able to to weasel some information about the jungles from our little mermaid guest while I was entertaining the sea witch. Unfortunately all she knows is that it's dangerous and dark there, and that the things that weave nets and traps on the shores eat mermaids.

The next two days pass slowly. Elsa, clad in her black armor, puts the crew through their paces with poles and gaffs in place of sword and spear. There's bruising and a couple busted heads, but all learn firsthand what the strength of a Dragoon is up close. The two female pirates fare best. Our goliath pirate even breaks Ela's practice weapon in two before succumbing to the Lizarda's chokehold. Stan rushes to her aid as soon as the match is over. The big man always did like big tough women and it seems the two are growing closer. I see her give him a smile as she takes his offered hand to stand.

By the time we reach the reefs and said our goodbyes to the sweet mermaid, my men have assembled enough improvised jungle kits for five men, a small pile of torches, and camping gear.

We're down to almost half our supplies. I'll need to take on some proper ballast when we lay anchor.

As I look out at the green foliage beyond the shore, I know I'll need to make up my mind on who to send on this perilous task. Elsa, the goliath, and Stan can all use the three crossbows we have. But we will need one to stay behind at the ship at least in case they have to set sail. Flit can either stay and act as a lookout or come with the shore party as a scout. And should I go? I'm responsible for these men. But what will they do if they have to carry on without me?

>Assemble your shore party, you have 5 slots.
>7 regular men (1 pirate cabinboy)
>Tall strong pirate woman
>Vicious short tatooed northern pirate
>Elsa
>Flit
>Yourself

The lagoon shimmers in the tropical heat as our amazon-like pirate hauls the iron longboat up on the sandy beach by herself. I disembark with my other three companions and we take our packs. As soon as I step into the shelter of the trees I can already feel the wind die. The hot humid air hangs thick and oppressive, not something a caveman from cool mountains is used to. I don't know how Elsa can stand it in her heavy cotton padding and black steel armor. She holds her crossbow at the ready, scanning the treeline.

After a few minutes of searching, one of the men finds a game trail into the jungle. Our large pirate takes the lead, slashing through obfuscating vegetation with quick chops of her shortsword. The deeper into the jungle we go, the darker and hotter it gets. After an hour I can't even see the sky beneath the canopy. I think about the mast as we light our first torch. Flit gave us very stringent specifications for the tree we would need. We would be using a plant to replace iron after all. The tree would have to be just right, old growth, tall, straight, but with enough flex to it.

I bring my mind back to here and now as we move into a wide barren patch of muddy earth. The forest is oddly quiet now. The birds have stopped singing, the very bugs are silent. It's so dark and hot, we've all given up on the bandannas covering our faces hours ago. It's hard enough to breath as it is. Only Elsa keeps hers on, jammed tight under her helmet. She remains an enigma to me. I can't read her face but occasionally I see her bright red eyes stealing glances at me.

"Hey, Captain! You won't believe this. Come over and take a look!" One of the men shouts to me. "I've never seen a mushroom like this!" The pirate and Elsa both freeze in their tracks. I can almost see the gears turning in their heads over a slow few seconds."Cover your mouth now!" the lizardgirl screams. She snatches a torch and dashes into the dark toward the crewman who called out.

I shove my improvised mask up over my nose and chase after Elsa. It's hard to see where I'm going in the deep shade, but her torch provides a point of light for me to follow. Even in her heavy armor, the monstergirl pulls ahead of me and I soon lose her in the jungle. My sides ache, and I'm out of breath. The heat and the darkness is getting to me. That's when I notice the smell even through my wet bandanna. There's something burning and something shrieking. After a few minutes Elsa returns, jar of oil missing from her pack. She's dragging the crewman behind her, inconsolable. The man seems out of his mind "She needs me, you don't understand! Let me go! I have to go back there! I have to see her." Elsa backhands him hard with her gauntlet, drawing blood. "The fungus is dead. Pull yourself together. You have a job to do."

The Lizarda pulls me aside. "His affected mind will heal in time, but watch him. And tell everyone to keep their masks on at all times. I was careless to forget the stories of Tango's in the jungle."

>Continue deeper into the ancient swampy basin
>Head toward the drier lands and older trees by the mountains
>Other

I consult my compass and decide to head out of the swamp. The cypress may be higher quality, but the danger of the Matango's and who knows what else is not worth it. There's old trees by the mountains as well, and god-willing, something that meets our needs.

As we trek south, the ground solidifies and the air clears. The vegetation is thick as ever. Even our inexhaustible pirate has to rotate with the rest of us to keep pushing through the greenery. I begin to notice wisps of white hanging from the trees. As first I dismiss the fine streams like the moss in the swamp, but as we travel deeper, it gets thicker. Whole curtains of the stuff string between branches. My companions search about warily but no material is close enough to the ground to identify.

In the foothills we finally find a suitable tree for our mast. It almost looks cultivated, straight and tall and old without scars or rot or big knots.

I order the axes brought out and put the crew to work. The thunks of chopping echo in the quiet. It takes the better part of an hour to fell the giant Yuzu, the smell of sour sap strong in the still air.

The tree finally collapses with a mighty crash that can be heard in the forest for miles around. I set my crew to cleaning the mast for transport. It will be the work of at least another day to remove the branches and set the harnesses to drag the valuable ship part out of here.

As night falls, I set a rotating watch. This place still has me on edge. Without the support of the ship's guns, we're almost naked out here. The night is silent, devoid of the calls of bird or beast. I can feel eyes upon us. Hours later, by the light of the campfire, I finally drift off into a fitful sleep.

A strange scratching sound wakes me in the middle of the night. My lethargic mind registers enough to to make a move.

>Go for your blade
>Call out
>Other

I grab for my sword, slinging the scabbard off into the dark. My eyes strain to see beyond the campfire's light into the dim night. I hear the watchman ask what's wrong just as I feel a stabbing pain in my shoulder. I swing my blade and feel it bounce off of something hard. "To arms!" I try to warn the camp. It only comes out as a burble. I'm losing the feeling in my limbs. Orange light reflects off of many shining eyes as I sink into unconsciousness.

I don't know how long later, I hear a voice rouse me. "Wake up man thing. Wake up and look at me." The harsh low command stirs my addled mind. Something sharp hits me across my face, tearing up my cheek. The pain brings me alert. Warmth bleeds from the cut and I feel my face grow hot and numb as blood trickles down my neck.

I'm in some kind of cave. Bones carpet the floor. I'm propped up against a cool stone wall. Deliriously I think that it kind of reminds me of home. Something brown flashes across my vision again and I feel more paralyzing warmth slash across my chest. My assailant stares at me with three sets of eyes, two bigger than the rest. Her long segmented tail ends in a wicked poisonous barb. Claws clack by my shirt as she tears my bloody clothes away with brutal efficiency.

"You are lucky I came along, yes." The jungle scorpion coos. "Those cowardly arachne fear the fire, but not I, not in the dark. So you will have a strong wife. Yes, lucky for you." She jabs me in the thigh with her stinger, the sweet buzzing heat spreading and paralyzing my limbs. I can't hide my shame as I strain against my drawers, hard and hot while the rest of me lays limp. I can barely blink my eyes and work my tongue, much less fight back. The arachnid plants a hot kiss on my lips. The electric feeling is tainted when she bites my lip hard, drawing blood.

"I saw you were the leader, yes? So you are strongest. You will make me many many strong children, yes?" Her sadistic eyes leer at the terror in mine.

The tropical Girta shoves me hard agaist the cave wall, wrapping her sharp legs around my torso, rubbing her abominable moist slit against me. She sticks me in the neck with her tail, the poison marching happily through my jugular. Burning heat floods my head and chest and my heartbeat pounds in my ears. My nethers throb in rhythm, ready to burst. I can barely move my eyes to look at her as she takes my right hand in her own. My torturer rubs her dirty nails slowly over my palm. She kisses my knuckles. "You are mine husband now, yes? So I must show everyone you are mine." She opens her mouth and sucks gently on my ring finger, soft tongue twirling around sensually. I'm so filled with poison I barely even feel it when she bites down, when she severs tendon and bone. The Gita licks the blood from the stump, some chemical in her saliva stemming the flow. She smiles and chews happily, reveling in the horror etched on my face as she masticates my digit to a pink mush.

She makes a show of swallowing it with a look of raw carnal delight. "Now nobody else can have you yes? For they have no place to bind you." I feel my eyes roll back as I try to pass out. Her tail slashes across my face, the pain enough to bring me around. "No, man thing. You will be awake for our wedding night. You will remember." Her legs grip me tighter, drawing red streaks across my back. She licks my bloody face, and stings me again. Every touch sends shivers down my spine. I feel the wetness from my wounds more than the pain, as I lay there like a doll of meat, a hot corpse. She grasps my head in both hands and ogles me with her merciless black eyes as she forces me inside her with a victorious scream.  After that, everything becomes a blur. I remember heat, squelching sounds, and pain. I remember wanting to die.

This continues for hours, maybe days. I'm about to give in. I'm about to accept this hell when I hear familiar voices. The voices are shouting. I feel a new heat, a different kind of heat, the kind brought by fire. Blood splashes on me, not my own. I hear screams, the screams of my evil scorpion wife. And it makes me happy.

Soon it becomes quiet. I can only lie there and await my fate. I see a dark iron specter loom over me. The vision look into my eyes with dark ruby fire. It takes off its iron head and I see a melange of red and green, hair and scales. Tears drop onto my face and I hear its voice. It sounds insistent and far away. Are these tears, tears for me? Scaly hands pick me up. They carry me outside into the light, and I pass into a dreamless sleep.

I finally awaken days later. When I open my eyes and see the sea, I began to feel like a man again.

>Choose your route through Natans
>Thank Elsa and co. for saving your sorry ass
>Consult Flit on your options
>Resupply
>Finish repairs and take on ballast