Chapter Eighteen - Back To The Museum
"I'm getting a strange sense of deja vu." Leroy stated as he looked up at the museum doors, licking his sugar-coated fingers."
"No kidding." Jade replied as she rolled her eyes. "Please tell me you're not going to buy a doughnut every time we visit a museum."
"Ooo...that sounds like a challenge to me."
"Oh dear."
"You want one?" Leroy offered.
"No thanks."
"You sure you don't want one of my...doughnuts?" He asked again while wiggling his eyebrows.
Jade raised an eyebrow.
"You are so immature."
Leaving a laughing Leroy behind, Jade headed for the museum entrance.
"Yo, hold on!" Leroy shouted after her with a mouth full of food. "Wait up!"
Walking into the building, the atmosphere was much more quieter this time round. However something didn't sit well with Jade. It wasn't the weekend and it certainly wasn't a bank holiday or anything. Why were there so many people here?
As Jade and Leroy began running back up the large staircase they accidentally 'bumped' into a man.
"Oh sorry." Jade apologised.
Strangely enough, the man just stood there. Staring at the two of them and not saying a word before continuing to walk slowly back down the staircase.
"What was all that about?" Leroy asked as he watched the man walk away.
"God knows. Come on, let's keep moving." She commanded as she grabbed his hand and pulled him up the stairs.
Walking back into the VonGuard exhibit, they began to search for any clues as to where the necklace was. They searched every chest, every pocket of every piece of clothing, they even studied every painting to see if they could find any clues from them. Sadly they could find nothing that would lead them to the location of the necklace.
"Maybe there's nothing here." Leroy suggested.
"No. There has to be something!" Jade protested.
"Have you ever considered that he might of hid the necklace because he never wanted it to be found?"
"If that was the case then why would he have left half a clue in his bag?"
Before Leroy could think of a comeback, they heard footsteps behind them. The two of them turned around to see another man standing in the doorway. Blocking their exist. With a stern expression, the man began to speak.
"Mr. Hadgrave sends his regards."
With a swift movement of his hand, the man grabbed a nearby pole and began charging towards them.
Without thinking, Leroy grabbed the end of the pole, pulled it and the man closer to him and head-butted him as hard as he could.
"How the hell did you do that!?" Jade exclaimed.
"I have no friggin' idea!" He shouted back in shock as he stared at the body of the guy he had just floored. Looking back up, Leroy saw two more men enter the room. "But it looks like we don't have time to find out."
Without thinking, Jade gracefully dodged the first mans advances and hit him with a high kick to the face (that was becoming a firm favourite of hers now) before kneeing him in his 'crown jewels'.
"You know.." She began, blowing a strand of hair out of her face. "I could get used to this."
"Alright for some!" Leroy groaned as he tried to hold the second man back with the same pole he had previously used to knock out the first one.
It wasn't long before the room was filled with half a dozen more men. Eager to get their hands on either Jade or Leroy.
"Three each?" Jade asked Leroy.
"What!? Are you insane!? There is no way I can take on that many guys at once, let alone you!"
With a raised eyebrow and a cocky smile, Jade brushed off her trousers.
"I think you underestimate me, Lee."
Jade snatched the pole out of Leroy's hands and in rapid succession, hit the three men with such force that they all fell to the floor, almost unconscious instantaneously.
With the three men after Leroy now distracted by Jade's sudden reflexes, Leroy took this as his chance to deal some heavy damage.
He swung his fist, causing it to collide with the one of the men's jaws. Sending the man rocketeering across the room and stumbling over one of the large chests.
Grabbing the second guy, Leroy throw him against the wall and punched him several times in the abdomen before giving the man a well earned uppercut.
Jade flashed Leroy a smile of approval before she suddenly found herself being tackled to the floor by the Leroy's third guy.
Perhaps she had overestimated herself after all.
The mans heavy, muscular frame crushed Jade as she tried to catch her breath. The man then wrapped his hands around her throat, pressing down firmly against her windpipe. Resulting in her temporary suffocation.
However, an arm wrapped around the mans own throat and Jade could feel her lungs filling with oxygen again as the man was yanked off her.
Placing his hand over the mans mouth, Leroy began to now suffocate the man. Not enough to kill him, just to put him to sleep.
After successfully achieving his goal, Leroy gently lay the mans limp body on the floor.
"Thanks." Jade huffed as she tried to catch her breath.
"You're more than welcome." Leroy panted back. "Now I've been in a fair few fights.." He continued. "....but this one is right up there as being one of the most intense fights I've been in. Not number one but close."
"What if this suddenly got a whole lot worse?" She replied.
As if on cue, a gigantic 'beast' of a man walked into the room. He was twice the size of Leroy, at least. And believe me when I tell you that Leroy wasn't exactly a short-arse.
"Okay... Now this has taken the number one spot." Gulped Leroy.
Like a monster out of some hellish nightmare, the 'behemoth' slammed both is fists into the table which lay in the middle of the room. Breaking it clean in half.
The next few minutes of the fight consisted of Jade and Leroy darting around the room, hoping that the 'giants' swing wouldn't come into contact with one of them. That was until Leroy looked behind him and saw something which gave him and idea.
Pulling the sword off of its display-case, Leroy proceeded to hurled himself towards the man and swing the sword into the back of his legs.
Success!
With the 'monster' now down on the floor, Leroy repeatedly 'slashed' him in the back. Luckily for the man the sword was blunt or else Leroy would have caused some serious damage.
With one last 'smack' the blade of the sword came flying off and the man fell face-first into the ground.
"Whoa! I've always wanted to do that!" Leroy cheered to a rather shocked Jade.
"What? Beat a man to death with a blunt sword?"
"Jade. He ain't dead. Just look at him." He responded as he pointed towards the 'machine' of a man.
Jade was going to retaliate when something caught her eye.
"Lee. What's that in the handle?"
Looking down at the handle of the sword he now held in his hand, he noticed that it was hollow, and inside lay another piece of paper. Pulling it out and unfolding it, he began to beam.
"It's in that strange writing again."
Jade rushed to his side and politely asked if she could take a look. He was right. It was in the peculiar language again but this time she had the advantage because this time, she could translate it.
Taking the translating sheet out of her own pocket, Jade began to translate the words.
"It.....Where My....Of The.....Began."
After a silent moment to reflect about what they had discovered, Jade asked Leroy to line up his half of the clue along with the paper. It was a long shot but maybe they were onto something here.
As commanded, Leroy took the clue out of his pocket and lined it up with what they had found. With astonishment, Jade read it aloud.
"It Is Where My Love Of The Sea Began."
Taking a step back, Leroy scratched his head.
"Yeah......I don't get it."
Much to Leroy's surprise, a smile broke out on Jades face.
"Oh course! Why didn't I think of this before!"
"What!? Think of what!?"
"Ha! Yes! It all makes sense now!"
"Not to me it doesn't."
Grinning, she began to question him.
"Where did VonGuard say he like to go to be alone?"
"I don't know...his bedroom?"
"Okay let's try this. Where did I say he spent most of his time as a child?"
"Sailing out at sea?"
"Exactly. And where did I say his favourite spot to sail was?"
It took a few moments for the penny to drop but when it finally did, his confused expression was quickly replaced with one that much resembled Jade's own.
"Are you telling me that the necklace is at.......Cats Cove?"
Jade didn't reply but her joy and excitement gave the answer away.
"Then what are we waiting for?" He quizzed as he placed a hand on Jade's shoulder.
"Lets head back to 'Cats Cove' and get your goddamn necklace!"