El Dorado, And Related Cities

Chapter IX-XII

IX: The Quest

“In a location that's neither too close nor too far from here, a fierce dragon-like beast is guarding a cave. Inside that cave is a lake, and in the center of the lake, a chest. Now. What do you think is inside that chest?”

“Really, how should I know?” snapped Huaca.

“Alright, fine. I'll tell you. The Scepter of Pachacuti.”

“Okay. And?”

“And if you acquire said scepter, than you will become Queen of the Inca for the rest of your life.”

Huaca thought this over. She thought deeply, and considered every possible point.

“No thanks.”

“Pardon?”

“I said 'No thanks'. I have no desire to be Queen of the Inca. For the rest of my life or otherwise.”

“Hmmm. There was nothing in the contract about her not accepting!” the skeleton muttered to himself.

“Contract? What contract?” Huaca asked.

The skeleton looked nervous for a brief instant.

“Never you mind, woman. But you should know: you must accept the quest.”

“Why?”

“Well, do you have anything better to do?”

Huaca considered this. In a way, he was right. She was terribly bored, and this quest, though its rewards did not suit her, seemed wildly better than anything else that had come up.

“Okay. Fine,” she said.

“Excellent!” with a theatrical poof of smoke, the skeleton was gone.

Huaca sat down on her bed, glanced at her suitcase, and yawned. For some reason, she had accidentally taken a small brown satchel with her, and it fit so uncomfortably in her bag. Too big a challenge to pack with that tonight. There would be time for packing in the morning.

X: Lost

“Goncalo?”

“Yes?”

“Remember when we passed that fork in the road about fifteen minute ago?”

“As you say yourself, it was fifteen minutes ago. Of course I remember.”

“And you recall how there was a pile of hundreds of corpses around the fork?”

“Yes, Francisco. I am not likely to forget such a sight.”

“And that sign that said, 'follow this path and die'?”

“Which we took,” said Goncalo, radiating pride.

“Well, I think we've dropped off the map.”

“You would put your trust in a map, eh? Well, let me teach you something, young Francisco. El Dorado will not be found through a map.”

Yaguarete, normally silent, inserted himself into the conversation, “The jungle is enormous. If our plan is to wander around until we just happen across El Dorado, we most certainly will die here.”

“We?” asked Francisco.

“Oh, alright. Fair point. I can't die, I'm already dead. So, that should have been, 'If our plan is to wander around until we just happen across El Dorado, you two most certainly will die here and I will continue being undead until boredom finishes me off.'”