Dusty Preston and the Shadow of the Damned! Part III
November 12th - Quicksand and Natives.
We were sitting in the local watering hole, healing up, resting, and going over the information we uncovered from the ancient puzzle. It seems we have half of the solution here, the other half is missing. Clyde dug up a rumor that there was a temple in the South that may hold the rest of what we need, so we’ll be heading that way.
That’s when a woman approached us, asking for help. She was attractive, but also looked like she was more than capable with the guns holstered on her hips. She said her name was Abbie Whitaker, a pilot, she was here to fly a researcher from Oxford in search of ruins. It seems the researcher, a Dr. Charlotte Wade, had wandered into the jungle alone and hadn’t returned.
“I'm really sorry to hear that, but it’s not our problem lady.” I leaned back, dropping my hat over my eyes. Some dame sauntering onto the jungle isn’t something we’re here to deal with.
“She was looking for some idol” she continued talking to the others. “She said it had the other part of the map that she recovered from a temple.”
“Well now”, I sat up, tipping my hat back. “We might just be able to help find that girl after all.”
The section of jungle the woman wandered into is littered with pits of quicksand. It’s likely that she got caught in one. If we, and she, are lucky she’s just stuck in one. If not, well, we’ll never find her.
My team, now including Pedro filling in for Willis, reached the jungle location early in the morning. It was already hot. It’s always hot. Abbie insisted on coming along, but agreed to follow my lead.
We split up to search for the researcher. Steve and Clyde heading one way, Abbie and I the other. Pedro and Paul remained behind, ready to come running to anyone that needed them.
Also unknown to us, but very fortunate for us, the natives were having a hard time with another puma, and lost one of their men to it.
Meanwhile, we had been finding and checking quicksand pits, but finding no sign of the woman. We did eventually find the natives, or they found us. Either way, as is pretty much always the case, a fight erupted.
I’ll say this, Abbie doesn’t carry those guns for show, and she certainly knows how to use them.
Clyde caught an arrow while checking one of the pits, dropping him pretty quickly.
Steve was close by, but couldn’t help. Another puma (the same from before maybe?) leapt from the grass, but Steve wasn’t about to go out like Willis. The Puma was killed in a brief scuffle.
Abbie was close, but couldn’t reach him in time to prevent it. Her guns quickly barked out vengeance,though. The pit Clyde was heading for was the right one, the researcher was in there. Stuck, but alive.
I arrived just after Abbie, my pistol driving off the last of the natives. It seems we found our missing lady, but maybe at the cost of my friend’s life. Not a good trade.
Making our way out of the area, I convinced the researcher that the information she had from the temple was the way to repay us for her rescue. She agreed happily. Well, not quite. Begrudgingly is a more accurate word, if maybe a bit too polite of a choice.
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Paul is promoted to Adventurer!
Bringing on an unarmed Follower. Clifford Walker.
Sold the Armband for 2 F$. Our gems turned out to be worthless.
“Meet my old Buddy!” - Campaign event, add an Adventurer. Chuck Sanford. Mechanic, with the Leadership Skill.
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