The Cost of Doing Business part 5

[Captain Lachlan Bellraven]

     As I thought to myself this cant get any better, my mechanic Rollie comes racing into the bridge"Sir" she struggled to speak as she caught her breath, " We gots trouble in the engines, I dont ...know how but the batteries are completly drained and we have somehow managed to bend the main drive shaft . Its gonna take at least a day to get it reshaped true." 

     I shot the old man a dissbelieving and hate filled look "I dont know how you did it, I dont even care " Turning back to Mr Steelcastle ,"WELL ! put on some speed ! lets get this lunatic off my boat!" catching him by the shoulder as he was leaving I leaned over and  whispered in his ear,"Have the dorsal gun raised and primed, man the port gatlings aswell." A few moments later myself , our insane passenger turned dark shaman, priest, whatever he wants to be ,and a group of well armed sailors were leaving the ship and walking toward what I was sure at this point might just be our tomb."Lets be quick old man, I got things to do besides stay here any longer that I have to"  

    "Rest assured Captain, you will leave here , " I hated how he said that , made me wonder what the rest of the  crew would be facing. As we walked towards what appeared to be a grand entrance ,the temple itself was like a pryamid of Babylon, stepped and heavy it  was overgrown with jungle vines and plant life as if nature was trying to cover this abomination up with everything She had. the outside of the facade came into view,the plantlife was somehow repelled from this area as if it refused to go any further, again the theme of the carvings on the temple walls were obscene , lust and sacrifice , people being wrapped up in what looked like giant tentacles and being pulled into a pit, and all the while the looks carved into the victims faces was that of joy not pain or fear, this place is both unholy and unnatural.As we made our way closer to the entrance a walkway of some sort of black stone with green and yellow veining , not marble but it projected a horrible regalness, began to emerge from the plantlife on the ground , it looked both ancient and at the same time was polished to a sheen the palaces of Europe would envy.The few sounds of jungle birds and animals quickly died away as we placed the first footfall on the stone walkway.The stentch that begin to come from the open building was like old fish and rotting meat and as we got closer the noses of the other crew began to notice it aswell.None of it seemed to bother the old man infact it seemed to invigorate him.

     "Do you notice it Captain, the very air calls to me" I answered coldly "Maybe you , you lunatic to me it says old fish and carcass"  

"My dear Captain please , such ill manners this is now MY house you are speaking of"

"You wanna stay be my guest you're here ,Im taking my men and leaving!"

"Now, now Captain, haven't I been cordial so far?" As he said this the earth began to rumble and suddenly as we looked back to the ship in disbelief  tentacles , yes tentacles the size of ancient trees erupted and began to ensnare the ship holding her fast to the ground. I could hear in the distance the screams of those aboard.

"Allright, allright, I said defeated, lets go" As we approached the final few feet to the entrance I could feel a prescence inside , no, not a prescence, alot of them all waiting and I did not like it at all.