Threaded Mode | Linear Mode

B.O.B. D · (02-29-2020)

You wouldn't normally expect someone who was afraid of heights as much as I am to ride in a helicopter, let alone one flying high above a mountainous landscape in the middle of nowhere. The thought of death stuck deep in my mind, as the Kobe Bryant crash was still a fresh wound on the sporting world. We'd already lost one great to an unfortunate accident, losing another in similar fashion would certainly devastate fans and loved ones around world.

But, much like Kobe needed to get to his daughter's basketball game, I had something that needed to be done and fear wasn't gonna prevent me from achieving it. My pilot, Gilbert, was an expert in his field and I trusted him with my life completely. He'd flown 'copters for a good 25 years, devoting eight to the Mexican military and the other seventeen to hospital services. There wasn't a day that went by where he wasn't flying a patient across the border to an American facility, where they'd get much better treatment than even the 'finest' hospital Mexico had to offer.

As Gilbert descended towards the top of the mountain, I thought about my previous attempts to find what I'd been looking for. This wasn't a small scale search, like trying to find your car keys; no, this was a quest that had spanned the entire globe. I ventured through the massive Amazon jungle, high atop the Great Wall, and even deep within the Egyptian pyramids, but it was all for naught. No matter where I looked, I just couldn't find what I was looking for.

"Do you see it?" Gilbert asked as he angled the helicopter in a way for me to see the mountain tops.

I peered through the glass, searching the snowy peaks for any lead I could find but to no avail. "I don't see it," I replied with a sigh. "We might have to get closer."

Gilbert turned around and shook his head. "Ain't no way, èse," he said with a frown. "I'm already cutting it closer than I'd like to be."

I was frustrated, but trusted Gilbert's wisdom. Just as I was about to lose faith, I spotted something on one of the mountains in the distance. "Do you see that?" I asked, pointing to it.

"Si, senõr," Gilbert confirmed. "Shall I take us over there?"

"That's what I'm payin' ya for," I chuckled, patting the pilot on the shoulder.

We made our way over to this particular mountain, trying to figure out what we'd seen. As Gilbert flew the 'copter closer, we could make out what appeared to be giant words written in the snow. My hopes rose, as they very well could've been exactly what I'd spent the entirety of the past week trying to find. Those hopes quickly dissipated once we were within reading distance of the mountain top.

I'M ALMOST DONE DAMMIT!

My heart sank. These words meant nothing to me, nor were they the object of my desire. It reminded me of one of those Easter Eggs you'd find in a video game going somewhere you weren't supposed to.

"Should we call for a rescue?" Gilbert asked, breaking my train of thought. "Could be some sort of S.O.S."

"Nah," I responded with little care. "Something tells me whoever wrote that is already dead to everyone they know, anyway."

Gilbert looked at me with confusion but I casually waived my hand forward, motioning for him to fly away. He shrugged and did as ordered, not wanting to miss out on his hefty payday. As we left the mountain range, I banged my head against the window in frustration.

"'ey, don't give up, hòmes," Gilbert said in an attempt to raise my spirits. "I'm sure whatever you're looking for is out there."

I pressed my head harder against the glass. "I don't know, Gilbert," I exhaled, fogging up part of the window. "There isn't a stone left unturned."

I looked ahead and could see Gilbert's face reflecting in the windshield. He looked like he had something to say, but was hesitant to speak.

"Or is there?"

His face tightened up, as his mouth became lopsided. I could tell he was hiding something.

"If you don't tell me what's on your mind, you won't get paid," I lied, hoping my idle threat would get him to open up.

"There MAY be one last place," he finally spoke. I could see how nervous he was in the reflection, as he hesitated to continue. "There's a temple, deep within the heart of the South American jungle, where no-one has gone before."

"Oh?" I was intrigued, as well as annoyed at the fact he waited til NOW to mention this.

"However, it's VERY dangerous," he explained. "Many men have tried to explore it and failed. Nobody knows what lies within the temple, but the rumors are enough to cause countless adventurers to die in search of it. If you truly need to turn over EVERY stone to find what you're looking for, you'd be doing yourself a disservice not to consider it being stored deep within the ruins of Temple de Diablo."

Was this tall tale true, or the delusion of a fatigued pilot? If Temple de Diablo actually existed, what were the odds it was home to the very thing I'd been seeking? Though I couldn't guarantee anything, whether it be my safety or even finding what I was looking for, I was willing to risk it all in order to find out.

"Do you know how to find this temple?"

"Si," Gilbert replied with a nod. "But I won't go inside. If you want me to fly you there, I will, but you can't pay me enough to go in with you!"

"Fair enough," I agreed. "Onward to Temple de Diablo!"

After some stops for fuel(both for the helicopter and us), Gilbert and I made our way to South America. We flew right to the heart of the continent and landed in an open area, away from civilization. As we descended, I could see the entrance to the temple in the distance, causing my chest to pound rapidly. Something deep down told me this was exactly where I needed to be.

As soon as we landed, I unhooked myself and exited the helicopter. I was mesmerized by the temple and wanted to get there as soon as possible. I'd spent all of my free time seaching(even over training) and if what I was looking for WAS in there, I didn't want to wait any longer to find it.

"Hold on a moment, èse!" Gilbert hollered from behind, causing me to stop and turn around. "You're gonna need this........."

The pilot climbed out of the cockpit and ran over to me. He had a whip and flashlight in one hand and a pistol in the other, which he offered to me. I smiled, appreciative Gilbert was looking out for me, before taking the items.

"Thanks," I said, before putting my hand on his shoulder. "If I'm not back within 24 hours, consider me a lost cause."

Gilbert nodded, as I shoved the gun in my pocket, tied the whip around my waist, and held onto the flashlight. I gave him one final salute before heading off for Temple de Diablo.

The trek to the temple took about half an hour, making me feel uneasy with the timeframe I gave Gilbert. The steps leading up to the entrance were in pristine condition, surprising considering how old the rest of it looked. As I walked up the stairs, I examined the orange sandstone that made up the place. There were cracks, but overall the structure seemed to be in fairly sound. It's been here for God knows how long, to only suffer a few cracks here and there was pretty impressive.

The further I got, the darker my surroundings became. Eventually I could no longer see the light from the entrance and was forced to use the flashlight Gilbert gave me. As I continued, shining the light on various carvings in the walls, I prayed the batteries were fresh because, if they weren't, I'd be completely screwed.

After a few minutes of exploring what seemed like an endless hallway, I began to notice certain blocks on the ground were slightly pushed in. It was at this point I noticed splotches of red staining the sandstone path I walked, some spots leading further into the darkness ahead. I pointed my flashlight from the floor to the walls, revealing certain bricks with holes in them. My mouth dropped open in shock at the Indiana Jones-like trap. The design was so intricate, even by today's standards, it was amazing how a people so far behind us in technology could create it. After taking a moment to appreciate the very thing designed to kill trespassers such as myself, I pointed my flashlight ahead and was met with the gruesome reason why the floor was coated in crimson: dead bodies.

My own blood curdled at the sight of all those who'd attempted before me and failed. The skeletons of explorers past had completely decayed, becoming nothing more than bones within various articles of clothing. There was no time to mourn them, as I had a mission to accomplish. Knowing there'd eventually be a point where no-one survived past, I racked my brain for a way around this elaborate trap. As I thought, eyes fixated on the corpses, a brilliant, if not disgusting, idea popped into my head. The plan was simple: strip every skeleton of its clothing and wear it in layers. If my hypothesis was correct, the darts wouldn't be able to penetrate the thickness of the cloth, or, at the very least, soften the blows.

I tried not to puke as I stripped the bones of their garments and put them on. After about the first five layers, the smell no longer affected me as much as the thought of what I was doing did. There wasn't a body in there whose clothes I didn't take, as I wanted to ensure my plan worked. It was a struggle to hold all the weight up, but it was either that or my life.

As quickly as someone wearing the clothing of about thirty people could, I moved ahead into the unknown. I did my best to shine my light ahead, but my arms were weighed down by everything I had on. On top of that, I didn't want to expose too much of my arm for fear of an arrow piercing it out of nowhere. With every step I took I expected the block under me to cave in and a rain of projectiles to propel at me.

But none of this happened, instead I traveled with fright until I reached a gap in the stone. It was too wide to simply jump across, although by the looks of the few human remains at the bottom, people had tried. My hand grasped the whip around my waist, causing me to look up for anything it might be able to catch onto. On the other side were two stone pillars, most likely offering support to the temple. If I was to ever make it across, I would have to risk it, Harrison Ford style.

My first order of business was to take off all my layers as there was no way I'd be able to swing across with all the extra weight. It was a pain in the ass AND pointless, but I HAD to take the proper precautions. After that had been taken care of, I unwrapped the whip and gave it a couple practice 'cracks.' Feeling as confident as someone who'd never used a whip before could feel, I flung it in the direction of one of the pillars. By some miracle, the whip managed to perfectly wrap around the pillar as if I was Indiana Jones him-fuckin'-self. I gave the whip a quick tug for security before running forward and swinging across the gap like a true adventurer.

As soon as my feet hit the floor, I tumbled forward and rolled up into a ball as the whip fell beside me. It might've been a bit much, but I wanted to ensure I didn't accidentally fall backwards to my doom. After taking a minute to catch my breath, I stood up, wrapped the whip back around my waist, and trekked on. With each step, I expected to be impaled by a hail of arrows but it never happened. It was as if the designers of this great temple put all their effort into the beginning of it, not expecting someone as cunning as me to make it past their opening traps. Nevertheless, I stayed on guard for any sort of unexpected disaster.

After about a mile of walking, I came across an old, rickety bridge. On the other side was a rock with a golden box resting upon it. There was an inscription on it, but I couldn't read it from my current distance. Whatever I was looking at HAD to be the object of everyone's desire. I just hoped it was what I had spent so much of my precious time searching for, otherwise this entire adventure, as well as the past week, would've been a complete waste of time.

I slowly began to cross over, nervous that any moment one of the wooden planks beneath me would break, or that the entire bridge would collapse. Somehow, neither of those things happened and I made it across safe and sound. As soon as I was off the bridge, I made my way over to the golden box. I could finally make out what it said and my heart skipped a beat as it was EXACTLY what I'd been looking for:

FINN KUHN'S ACCOMPLISHMENTS

My hands shook as I picked the box up and ran my fingers over the engraving. I had searched EVERYWHERE trying to figure out what the hell Finn had done in the world of wrestling, and the answer was finally within my grasp. I held the object in my left hand and grabbed the top of it with my right, slowly pulling it off. I half expected my face to melt off from what I was about to see, the holy grail that made up Finn Kuhn's career. Inside of the box was a very small, almost fortune cookie sized, piece of paper with a single, lonely line of text:

1x XWF HEAVYMETALWEIGHT CHAMPION

"That's it?........"

I couldn't believe it, there was essentially nothing there. How could someone who refers to himself as 'Kaiser' have absolutely NO accomplishments to his name? Everyone knows the Heavymetalweight Title doesn't mean shit, hell, I won the belt before I even had my first official match! And it didn't take long for me to move on to bigger and better things such as winning War Games, multiple TV Title runs, AND an Xtreme Championship. All in less than a year. I may not have done as much as Sarah Lacklan or Robert Main, but when it comes to Finn Kuhn, I'M the one who HE should be calling Kaiser.

This entire tournament is about finding out who the TRUE King of XWF is. Not some nickname you give yourself to make you seem better than you actually are, the real deal. With Sarah Lacklan MIA and pitiful contenders like Robbie Bourbon struggling to maintain the spotlight, the winner of March Madness will be genuine royalty with the sad state of the XWF Main Event scene. Management will have no choice but to reward the winner with a Title shot and with a prize like that, there's no way I can let anyone else have it. This is my time to shine, much like I did here in Temple de Diablo. Finn Kuhn is unfortunate to have drawn me Round 1, otherwise he might've made it further. And that ain't no story, it's the Cold Big D Truth.

Threaded Mode \| Linear Mode Big D on the Hunt
Author	Message