Track 9: Born to Be Wild

[Mr. Handy]

Liz hands over her machete too. She still has her mace in case these guys try anything. "He's also much shorter than you," she says. "I'm a scientist as well, though quite the opposite of portly."

[VictoriaSilverwolf]

Zara searches her memory for the name as well. Meanwhile she says, "If it's not a place for tourists, what brings you here?"

Spoiler:

INT 11; Perception not really relevant here[dice]0[/dice]This fellow's name doesn't ring any bells.

With a smile, Ramon replies "Nothing very romantic, I'm afraid. But quite profitable. Bat droppings, to be exact. Guano. Nasty stuff, but quite valuable as a source of fertilizer. On the south side of the island, if you haven't been there already, there's quite a large bat cave, formed many years ago when part of the volcano collapsed; or so the volcanologists tell me. Thousands of bats, all feeding on insects and fruits and messily producing their treasure. Not a pleasant place; I suggest you stay well away from it, for the sake of your good health."

[VictoriaSilverwolf]

Liz hands over her machete too. She still has her mace in case these guys try anything. "He's also much shorter than you," she says. "I'm a scientist as well, though quite the opposite of portly."

"Indeed! And what makes you think this fellow might have wound up here, of all places? Oh, and where did you say you were dropped off? I am not aware of any decent harbor on the island other than the cove in which we are now moored."

[jp1885]

"Oh, my employer is a man of many resources," says Tony vaguely. "He has intelligence that the chap has set up some kind of laboratory here."

He smiles disarmingly, limping backwards a little.

"Well this has been pleasant, but I fear we are keeping you from your guano and we really must press on with our search. I bid you good day gentlemen."

[SunlessNick]

"Yeah, you can trust us not to go wading in your bat poop," Zara says (trying for a companionable rather than sarcastic tone).

[If this is the only good harbour, like he says, is there any sign of the submarine?]

[Mr. Handy]

"Quite," says Liz. "Have you met any natives?"

[VictoriaSilverwolf]

"Yeah, you can trust us not to go wading in your bat poop," Zara says (trying for a companionable rather than sarcastic tone).

[If this is the only good harbour, like he says, is there any sign of the submarine?]

During the approach of the zeppelin to the island, there was no sign of the submarine, nor of a large enough cove for it to be secured.

[VictoriaSilverwolf]

"Quite," says Liz. "Have you met any natives?"

"Why, this island is uninhabited, of course."

[VictoriaSilverwolf]

"Oh, my employer is a man of many resources," says Tony vaguely. "He has intelligence that the chap has set up some kind of laboratory here."

He smiles disarmingly, limping backwards a little.

"Well this has been pleasant, but I fear we are keeping you from your guano and we really must press on with our search. I bid you good day gentlemen."

"As you wish. I believe you are wasting your time, and I suggest that you contact your employer and leave here as quickly as possible. The jungle is full of dangerous wildlife, you know.

"Bruno! Keep a close watch, and make sure that our guests depart safely."

[SunlessNick]

As soon as they're far enough away not to be overheard, Zara quietly says, "Translation: keep an eye on us and make sure we don't try anything. So is he just taking the mickey, or does he really expect us to believe he's on the level?"

[jp1885]

“Quite so my dear. Both parties are lying and the other knows it full well. At least we avoided boarding the yacht - I’ve a suspicion they wouldn’t let us leave,” Tony muses.

[SunlessNick]

"Hopefully he doesn't have enough people to go looking for the zeppelin right now. Is anyone else thinking 'Most Dangerous Game' about this?"

[Mr. Handy]

Liz retrieves her machete as she leaves. "Quite," she says again, "and I don't fancy playing Fay Wray's part."

[VictoriaSilverwolf]

For a while, as the investigators travel away from the yacht, they are aware that Bruno, sporting a pair of binoculars, is following them at a moderate distance. Eventually tiring of this assignment, he wanders back to his original post.

As there does not appear to be any direct threat from Delgado and his men at this time, the investigators have several choices as to how to proceed. They might wait for nightfall, and try to sneak back to Delgado's location unobserved; they might continue forward, to check out the alleged bat cave; they might head back the way they came, and move on to the freshwater lake; or they might try to reach the as yet unknown east side of the island, either by following the base of the volcano (clockwise or anticlockwise) or by climbing back into the caldera and then down again, a shorter but more difficult route.

[jp1885]

Stroking his muttonchops, Tony considers the various options.

“I suppose if I lived on this island, I’d want to be somewhere near the lake. It seems to be the best source of fresh water. Shall we explore their first?”

[SunlessNick]

"Yeah," Zara agrees. "If that cave's even real, he wouldn't tell us about it if there was anything there. And I wasn't lying about not wanting wade in guano."

[Mr. Handy]

"Right," says Liz. "The lake it is, then."

[VictoriaSilverwolf]

The path back to the lake carries the investigators past the watchful eye of Bruno. He does not greet them as they go by, merely observes.

Once past the low-lying crop fields, an easy, gentle slope leads slightly upward to the lake, allowing the crudely dug irrigation canals to flow with gravity. The water is very clear, allowing one to observe a large number of fish of all shapes and sizes within it. There are also colorful birds flying from tree to tree as well as turtles and lizards crawling about. A lazy trickle of water drains the lake into the nearby sea, where the outflow runs through a sandy beach between high rock cliffs. Seen from a distance, there seems to be some sort of debris just off shore, moving in time with the waves.

Drawing closer, the investigators observe a small bamboo shack, barely large enough for one person to enter, hidden among tall plants. It seems to have been built simply by sticking bamboo poles side by side, then cutting a low opening on one side, through which one would have to crawl to get in.

[SunlessNick]

Zara's the smallest, so she volunteers to take a look inside. ("But cover his eyes while I'm at it, Liz.")

[jp1885]

Aghast that Zara would even think he would consider such a dastardly deed, Tony pointedly looks away. Nonetheless, he remains ready to leap into action should she get into distress.