I followed closely by Jack's side, walking back to the party of the undead. Some of them were passed out and the rest looked ready to collapse. Jack reached down for an abandoned cup and sniffed it, pulling his head away and shaking back into consciousness. There was something odd in his expression; something he was trying to figure out.
"This isn't just lotus flower," he took his hat off and took out a small pill swallowing it fast. He drank a very small amount of it, pulling it away. "Son of a bitch, it has some uppers in it. Possibly cocaine or something similar. The Lotus Eaters have resorted to drugging people now."
"Are you okay?" I aaked, staring at him.
"Oh yeah, cocaine was all the rage in the 1800's," Jack answered, standing straight and walking off like he hadn't just drank from a Lotus plant.
"No, The Lotus Jack. You just drank Lotus Flower," I practically shouted, pointing at the coconut cup.
"Oh yeah! Here," he threw me a pill.
I caught it immediately, looking at the round white pill. It looked like any typical prescription drug you'd get at the pharmacy, I took out a water bottle from my side and took the pill and washing it down with the water. A wave a nausea came over me, I crouched down and coughed hard.
"Oh yeah, they're a little different. But they make you immune to most poisons, hallucinogenics, and alcohol for about….8 hours," Jack shrugged. "But it makes you nauseous and your throat dry."
"No. Shit." I coughed out, standing up.
We walked through the massive crowd, looking around and we spotted a couple of lotus eaters who didn't belong to the crowd. Two servers who were trying to keep people up and drinking, a male and female, they wore grass skirts and were both shirtless. Jack quickly drew his pistol, and got close to the man. He put the end of the barrel under his jaw, moving back with him until the man was against a rock.
"Your chief! Where is he?!" Jack yelled.
The man, got off guard, muttered a thousand different things in what was easily 5 different languages. The woman dropped her tray and froze in fear. Jack grew tired and pulled the hammer back on his revolver.
"Wait! Wait! English! English!" The man shouted, practically crying.
"Yes yes, I speak English. Now!" Jack pressed the barrel down harder. "Where. Is. Your. Chief."
"Up the hill! Please don't shoot!" The man cried.
Jack backed off, continuing to walk up the hill. Holstering his gun as he did so, I followed right behind. I turned back to see the woman crouched over to help the man Jack had threatened.
"They don't eat The Lotus, do they?" I asked.
"Not all of them, no. When I ran into them, only the higher ups ate and drank Lotus. They lurer people here under the illusion of food and drink, drug them, and capture them. They've switched the cocktail, but the method is the same," Jack sighed, looking around at the island. "Most of them eat regular food, after Odysseus blinded the cyclops Polyphemus they took food from him and have lived off of that. However, the Lotus Plant remains a delicacy to those who call this island home."
"So they aren't The Lotus Eaters anymore?" I asked as we started to come up to a clearing.
"No, they're slaves lured away by a hypnotic. Where I was born, we fought for freedom. I was too young then, but I'm old enough to fight for it now," Jack had answered, his expression hardened as his eyes began to look like steel.
He walked into the clearing and we saw a small oasis housed in the jungle, men and woman with glowing eyes and dressed in armor milling about. By a large lake sat a throne, slightly covering a waterfall behind it, and a large ancient man on it. He carried a spear, and had a Lotus Eater at his side serving him drinks.
"Jack Silver, you're back! Come to challenge me to another sword fight!" The man shouted, watching as Jack marched towards him.
"You wish," Jack smiled, as The Lotus Eaters surrounded us. "I believe the terms of our contract was I get to chose the next duel should I come back, and I chose gun fighting."
The chief stepped from the throne, stabbing his spear in the ground. "Oh but I don't have a gun," the man smiled, showing deep pink stains on his teeth.
Jack took his hat off, and reached in pulling out a gun and throwing it at The Chief's feet. The gun was gold with an ivory handle, ornate decorations lining the barrel and cylinder. Jack also pulled out a speed loader, and strapped it around his waist perfectly level with his hip. As he fiddled with the preloaded cylinders I heard the distinctive click from the hammer on his revolver.
"There, it's mainly decorative but it shoots. Now what's your wager?" Jack asked, watching The Chief pick the gun up.
The Chief examined the gun. "Hm, the girl-"
"Try again." Jack's smile vanished with those words, "The girl goes free regardless."
"Your hat then, and your freedom. How about yours?" The chief stared at me, the gun resting at his side.
"The freedom of all on your island, and some purple lotus," Jack answered, turning his body keeping his gun out of sight.
"Deal." The Lotus Chief answered, mimicking Jack's stance.
They both stared at eachother, their faces carrying hate for the other. Jack's hand hovering over his holster as his foot dug in, his boots losing their soles to the dirt. Silence filled the conversation, leaving only the crashing waters from beyond in the air. Then I noticed Jack's eyes darting as Lotus Eaters readied weapons, drawing swords and grabbing spears. He breathed in deep as both of his hands mirrored eachother, shifting slightly as he watched his opponent. The Lotus Chief moved fast and had his gun aimed fast, I turned away as a shot rang in the air and covered my ears. I heard shouting as I slowly turned toward the duel, Jack's whole body had turned as he held his revolver in his hand. The chief laid dead, bullet hole in his forehead, and his revolver remained fully loaded.
Lotus soldiers moved toward him as he holstered his revolver and pulled out another, one I recognized as a Remington 1858, and fired another shot at a soldier. The gun spun in his hand as the hammer cocked and he fired another shot. He continued firing until all six shots were gun, he took out the round cylinder and placed in another from his speed loader and fired two more shots until all the opposing Lotus Eaters stopped. It felt like mere seconds of chaos before the conflict settled, Jack stood aiming his revolver at the nearest Lotus Eater.
"I got four more bullets in the cylinder and more than enough bullets to kill all your kind, make good on the deal or I will commit a small genocide until there is no trace of you left!" Jack shouted, his eyes had hardened once more like steel.
I saw a man try to take advantage of the distraction and sneak up on Jack. I drew my revolver fast and shot him, the bullet landed in the side of his head with a loud deafening bang. My ears rung for a bit as I shook my head clear, I looked up at Jack who hadn't taken his eyes off of the main group of Lotus Eaters who seemed more impatient. I turned back to the man I shot and he laid there, body twitching slightly, as a pool of blood was soaked up by the earth. My hearing came back as shouts and commands came from the Lotus Eaters.
I raised my hand and used the water from behind the lake to grab them, my wrist tensing as columns of water surrounded each lotus eater in swirling lake water. I began to close the columns as each Lotus Eater got entrapped in the high pressure.
"IN THE NAME OF POSEIDON! YOU WILL FULFILL YOUR END OF THE DEAL NOW!" I shouted, making my lungs burn.
A Lotus Eater struggled against the column "Poseidon has no rule he-"
I closed my fist, crushing the Lotus Eater in a river of pressurized water and blood. "Anyone else have objections!"
I watched as they surrendered and let them go, the waters I had used going back to the lake. A few Lotus Eaters walked off, as one gave Jack the purple lotus flowers he requested. Jack holstered the Remington in his speed loader and walked off as I followed at his heels, walking down the hill with him.
"Did you fight for the Union?" I asked.
"Hell no, I was robbing them. Then again, I didn't care to much for the confederacy either I helped burn their cities in 1864," Jack smiles, handing me the purple lotus. "Here, poison The Lotus supply and save your friends. I gotta get going, have some ex-slaves to see freed."
As I took the lotus plants, Jack took off running. I went back to the party area, and most of the crew was passed out or wearingly dancing. I looked around and saw giant wooden tanks full of glowing liquid, I ran to them and studied them quick. The two cats seemed to have two levers, one emptied them while another filled them with the lotus base. I dumped the contents of both out and refilled them looking at the two lotus plants, I threw them in the respective vats praying I was doing everything right. I fired my gun twice in the air, hoping to get the crowd's attention. A few people woke up while others stayed asleep, to drowsy and drugged to stay awake.
"Ladies and gentlemen!" I shouted, jumping up on a stump. "Who wants a refill!" I smiled, pointing at the vats.