Quick Note. - I have noticed a distinct lack of Ducktales stories where Louie is shown as brave, smart or capable, most Ducktales stories have Louie as a crybaby, who needs someone else to save him. I hate that. Which is way i'm asking everyone reading this to write your own story, where Louie is able to hold his own, he doesn't need to be invincible, or a genius, or even be the main character, just make him a decent character. And I ask you to add the Tag of 'BraveLouie' to it so we can find it and read it.
One of the only stories I've read with these characteristics is 'If Only You Knew' by Homo_Togo, but if you know any stories where Louie is smart or skilled, please comment it. Anyway on to the story.
After another 20 minutes of window-shopping in the sleepy town of Perilgro, Louie rejoined the group at the rendezvous point, Webby noticed him first and gushed about his new look. - "Woah! Cool coat Louie."
"Thanks Webby." - Louie said quietly, before moving away from the group and out of the sun, and into the shade of a tree. He sat down and closed his eyes, hoping that the tour guide would get here soon, and he wouldn't have to be on this adventure for long.
He was glad he found the coat, the heat was a lot more bearable in it then his hoodie, which he tied around his waist, he avoided any conversation with the rest of the group, by answering all their prompts with one word answers or just ignoring them.
Finally the tour guide arrived, rolling up in a battered old jeep, was a Blackbird who looked as old as Scrooge, dressed in some flashy wide suit and fedora, while also sporting a silver ball cane. - "Scroogie!" - The man called out theatrically, clasping Scrooge's hand and shaking it up and down energetically. - "It's been too long."
"Kids, meet Sir Arthur Torres, an old friend and a historian, specialising in mythical artifacts. He while be guiding us on this adventure."
"Lovely to meet you all, now if you get into the jeep, we will start the tour." - Louie noticed the small size of the jeep and came to a conclusion.
"Doesn't look big enough to fit all of us... One of us will have to stay back." - He remarked with a smirk.
Sir Torres turned to the jeep. - "Huh, Yes, there are more of you than I was expecting."
"I'll stay."
"No Louie," - Scrooge piped up. "this is your first adventure back. I'll stay."
"I'll stay Mr. McD. I was going to stay anyway." - Launchpad suggested.
"Yes! you stay Launchpad. The rest of you get into the jeep." - Louie cursed under his breath about Launchpad and his generosity, while the others cheered before he slunk into the back of the jeep, watching as Launchpad disappeared into the crowds of Peligro.
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" - And that's the legendary tale of the Sabre of Serendipity." - Sir Torres finished, and everyone clapped, except for Louie, having not listening to the blackbird's legend, having been too busy, zoning out and staring into the jungle.
Della turned to her youngest. - "Great story, Right Lou?"
"What?"
"The legend? It's a good story, right?"
"Huh. Sure." - Louie muttered turning to Sir Torres. - "How much further?"
"Not much now." - Louie nodded, ignoring Della's second attempt at conversation and turning back to stare into the deep depths of the jungle.
After another 20 minutes of travelling through the dense jungle and on the bumpy, dirt roads. The car stopped suddenly. So suddenly that when everyone in the car jerked forward, Louie almost flew through the windshield. - "This is where we part ways." - Sir Torres said, ushering everyone out of the jeep.
"Why?"
"I will never cross that line." - He said cryptically, gesturing to the line of salt that sat just past the jeep.
Scrooge stared at his old friend unconvinced. - "Why?"
Sir Torres took a deep breath. - "There is only darkness, past that line." - He responded in a grave tone. - "I'll meet you back here in an hour." - He turned the jeep on. - "If you're still alive that is."
After Sir Torres drove away, the rest of the the group, ran ahead, racing to be the first the temple. Louie moved slowly, and noted the chill that run up his spine, the moment that he stepped passed that line.
This was not going to be good.
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The temple was unremarkable for a Scrooge McDuck adventure, no unescapable deathtraps, where Dewey could prove how brave he is, or unsolvable puzzles, so Huey could prove how smart he is... just a crumbling building filled with long, winding corridors.
"Sorry your first adventure back isn't that exciting Lou." - Della remarked, scratching the back of her neck.
Louie just grunted in response, annoyed at the repeated use of that nickname. Lou. He hated it almost as much as he hated Lewellyn.
"Uncle Scrooge, I'm bored!" - Dewey groaned, dragging out the o in bored. - "Where's all that 'darkness' that guy was mentioning?" - He joked.
Della cheered. - "Yeah! We need some blood-pumping action!" - She sprinted on ahead again, with Dewey trailing behind her. Leaving the rest of them to catch up."
Following Della and Dewey's trail the rest of the group found themselves at the entrance to two diverging hallways. - "Which way now?"
"Ahhhhh!" - Dewey's scream echoed down one of the hallways.
"That way."
Sprinting through the confusing hallways, the group found Della and Dewey ducking behind a large rock, which had so many crossbow bolts sticking out of it, it resembled more of a pin cushion.
"Duck!" - Webby shouted, tackling Louie to the ground, as a another bolt stuck right where his head would've been. - " I owe you one." - He thanked as the pair scuttled behind the rock with the rest of the group.
Scrooge poked his head out, and watched as a gang of skeletons dressed in Conquistador armour shot his top-hat off his head and pinned it to the wall. - "Curse me kilt's!"
"What do we do?" - Della shouted over to Scrooge.
"We gotta stop these blasted skeletons!" - He shouted back, smacking the closest one with his cane.
"Let's do this!"
"No!" - Louie commanded, drawing the rest of the group's attention. - "We go out there and we'll be skewered like shish kebabs!"
Della picked up and discarded spanish shield. - "Don't worry they won't be able to hit us." - She said, charging at the skeletons with all her might, everyone but Louie followed her example and grabbed the closest thing to protection they could find and rushed at the skeletons with zeal.
The confidence they had quickly diminished, and the group retreated back behind the rock where Louie sat cooly. - "There's too many of them! Where are they all coming from?" - Webby yelled.
Huey surveyed the situation and noticed the problem. - "There!" - He pointed to a large drawbridge style gate which was letting in all of the skeletons. - "If we can break the chain, the gate sill drop and stop the skeletons from entering."
"How do we bust the chain?"
Scrooge grabbed a crossbow that one of the skeletons had dropped. - "With these." - He fired the bolt and it just missed the chain, Dewey, Huey and Webby grabbed their own crossbows: Dewey shot instantly and since he didn't aim, it wasn't even close, Huey spent his time trying to calculate the perfect shot, but didn't even get to shoot, as Webby's first shot snapped the chain, slamming the gate shut on the attacking skeletons.
With the skeletons cut off, the remaining few that were in the room were quickly swept up and obliterated, the bones turning to dust once they were defeated, leaving a bunch of conquistador armour scattered in the room.
"Look!" - By sheer luck, the group had found the Sabre of Serendipity. It was sitting at the top of a pillar, which in itself was surrounded by other pillars. Louie found it annoying to scale the pillars, wishing he still had his grabble gauntlet. When they reached the top they found the sabre, beingheld in pace by some rocks, acting as a crude display method.
"How do we know if that even is the sabre?" - Louie questioned, as everyone else marvelled at the sword.
"Only one way to find out." - Scrooge plucked the Sabre from it's holder, and felt it's power course through his veins. - "This is it... The Sabre of Serendipity." - The ground began to shake beneath them, as the pillars around them, began to collapse, one-by-one.
"RUN!" - Someone shouted, Louie didn't know who, he was too occupied with the blood pumping in his ears... for the two years he was gone, he hadn't had to deal with insane, ancient deathtraps, he'd dealt with vicious gangsters, ruthless politicians, and rival thieves. But they didn't compare to the danger he was in and the moment.
The group separated and began their own paths to the ground, Webby unfortunately didn't have the best luck, the 2nd pillar she landed on, began to crumble, taking her balance with it. She was able to catch herself on the edge, but couldn't pull her self up due to the pillar's constant crumbling.
A large chunk of the pillar fell into the abyss below, taking her left hand's grip, leaving her dangling by only one hand, she had to thank her Granny for all those push ups she made her do, to build upper body strength. The pillar crumbled further, her other hand lost it's grip and she she began to plummet.
She didn't drop though, looking up she saw Louie had caught her hand and was pulling her back up, the pair crouched on the remains of the pillar. - "We're even." - He said with a smirk before leaping to another pillar and continuing his descent. Webby took a second to breathe before leaping down herself.
When Webby reached the ground she saw everyone running for the exit. "Come on!" - Scrooge commanded, holding the door open for her, everyone else having passed through.
The McDuck clan regrouped outside the temple entrance, seeing Sir Torres sitting in his jeep just past the salt line. - "I was worried when I heard the temple collapse. I thought you'd gotten trapped inside."
The group climbed on to the jeep, each covered in a fine lair of dust from the rubble, and relaxed as they drove back to Peligro. Meeting back up with Launchpad who'd somehow come upon a plane, while not as beg as the one scattered through out the jungle, had more than enough space for everyone.
The first adventure back. - Louie thought. - A temple full of deathtraps and monsters trying to kill me. All for a treasure I'm never going to see? Nothing had changed.
Thanks for reading Ch.12 of 'Destiny!", Next chapter will see the arrival of Donald! And the chapter will hopefully be out quicker than normal. Anyway hope you comment, vote and read Ch.13. - MM