"Did I ever tell you how I lost my hand?" asks Manx
Manx buys the treasure map from the old man later that night, paying him much more than its worth. The next day, he asks the crew for volunteers to go with him on his latest treasure hunt- the search for the last civilized city. Besides yourself, only a few agree to go.
A couple weeks later, you and this small group are camped in the mouth of a cave at the base of the mountains indicated by the map as the mysterious city's hiding place.
Sitting around the campfire that night Manx asks:
"Did I ever tell you guys how I lost my hand?"
Everyone says they haven't, so Manx continues:
"I had been caught- kidnapped- and sold to the Bogeys- just like you were gonna be" he says, nodding at you. Everyone groans. Another campfire Bogey story? Please!
"No No, listen up... this is true!" Manx grins. "I wasn't much older than you. And the Bogeys sent me to work in one of their mines, digging out the Ruins with their other slaves. Well, me and another kid who I met there, we became friends, and together we figured out a plan to bust loose. It wasn't actually a very good plan, it mostly just involved us punching our way through alot of Bogey guards when they were looking the other way- but we made it! Almost, anyway. On the way out, I slapped away a Bogey club that was going to bash in my partner's skull, and wouldn't you know but that club had a nail sticking out'n it. We made it free alright, but my hand took some kind of Bogey infection off that nail, and it up and started to gangrene on me. Will, my partner, he doctored me up as best he could, but we could both see I was in serious trouble. And us both still on the run, with no where to hide out, as we were still well inside Bogey country!
"Well, Will, he knew a pass up into the mountains where he said no Bogey could follow us. I don't remember much about that day, but at the top of the climb, we met some strangers who took pity on us. They carried me up to their village in the mountains, and when we got there, I put down half of what I saw to being delirious."
Manx pauses his story there, and takes a drink, and a look out at the sunset, pretending to be done talking. He's playing his audience, the way you've seen him do many times. His crew won't put up with it though and everyone throws sand at him until laughing and protecting his eyes, he continues his story.
"They had gardens. Running water. Machines doing most of the hard work. Everyone healthy. Everyone busy, solving some problem or other. Electricity. Computers. Schools. Everybody trying to learn something new, everyday. Strange people, from all over. Even a Kaa or two, and not just there to observe or bargain like most Kaa do, but actually helping out. It was like the land where the Kaa Wars had never happened. Only, they said, it wasn't that at all. They said the world had come apart before the Kaa wars, and the wars were only the thing that tipped the balance. They aimed to fix the old world's problems, and someday when they were ready, they'd rebuild the world better than before. Until then the mountains kept them safe from Bogeys and Pirates and the like.
"They had radio too, and were in touch with other little cities like them, one in Europe and another in Africa, they said. They had plans to build or repair rockets and airplanes someday so they could meet up with these others, but that was a long way in the future maybe. In the meantime, they sent out recruiters and scouts to keep an eye on the rest of the world and bring back people they could trust. Slowly, of course, so as to keep the secret. Sometimes they'd help out with a little thing here and there when they could like helping a struggling village build a mill, or rescuing some kids from pirates, or doctoring up some idiot with gangrene, and fitting him with a robotic hand."
Suddenly a new voice from the dark interrupts:
"And then maybe that idiot would volunteer go out posing as a traveling motorcycle preacher slash trader and do a little scouting and recruiting on his own."
Everybody spins, and at least one pistol cocks, but Manx only stands up and laughs.
"Don't shoot" He says "Its an old friend. I'd like you all to meet Will."
A couple weeks later, you and this small group are camped in the mouth of a cave at the base of the mountains indicated by the map as the mysterious city's hiding place.
Sitting around the campfire that night Manx asks:
"Did I ever tell you guys how I lost my hand?"
Everyone says they haven't, so Manx continues:
"I had been caught- kidnapped- and sold to the Bogeys- just like you were gonna be" he says, nodding at you. Everyone groans. Another campfire Bogey story? Please!
"No No, listen up... this is true!" Manx grins. "I wasn't much older than you. And the Bogeys sent me to work in one of their mines, digging out the Ruins with their other slaves. Well, me and another kid who I met there, we became friends, and together we figured out a plan to bust loose. It wasn't actually a very good plan, it mostly just involved us punching our way through alot of Bogey guards when they were looking the other way- but we made it! Almost, anyway. On the way out, I slapped away a Bogey club that was going to bash in my partner's skull, and wouldn't you know but that club had a nail sticking out'n it. We made it free alright, but my hand took some kind of Bogey infection off that nail, and it up and started to gangrene on me. Will, my partner, he doctored me up as best he could, but we could both see I was in serious trouble. And us both still on the run, with no where to hide out, as we were still well inside Bogey country!
"Well, Will, he knew a pass up into the mountains where he said no Bogey could follow us. I don't remember much about that day, but at the top of the climb, we met some strangers who took pity on us. They carried me up to their village in the mountains, and when we got there, I put down half of what I saw to being delirious."
Manx pauses his story there, and takes a drink, and a look out at the sunset, pretending to be done talking. He's playing his audience, the way you've seen him do many times. His crew won't put up with it though and everyone throws sand at him until laughing and protecting his eyes, he continues his story.
"They had gardens. Running water. Machines doing most of the hard work. Everyone healthy. Everyone busy, solving some problem or other. Electricity. Computers. Schools. Everybody trying to learn something new, everyday. Strange people, from all over. Even a Kaa or two, and not just there to observe or bargain like most Kaa do, but actually helping out. It was like the land where the Kaa Wars had never happened. Only, they said, it wasn't that at all. They said the world had come apart before the Kaa wars, and the wars were only the thing that tipped the balance. They aimed to fix the old world's problems, and someday when they were ready, they'd rebuild the world better than before. Until then the mountains kept them safe from Bogeys and Pirates and the like.
"They had radio too, and were in touch with other little cities like them, one in Europe and another in Africa, they said. They had plans to build or repair rockets and airplanes someday so they could meet up with these others, but that was a long way in the future maybe. In the meantime, they sent out recruiters and scouts to keep an eye on the rest of the world and bring back people they could trust. Slowly, of course, so as to keep the secret. Sometimes they'd help out with a little thing here and there when they could like helping a struggling village build a mill, or rescuing some kids from pirates, or doctoring up some idiot with gangrene, and fitting him with a robotic hand."
Suddenly a new voice from the dark interrupts:
"And then maybe that idiot would volunteer go out posing as a traveling motorcycle preacher slash trader and do a little scouting and recruiting on his own."
Everybody spins, and at least one pistol cocks, but Manx only stands up and laughs.
"Don't shoot" He says "Its an old friend. I'd like you all to meet Will."
THE END
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