Here's what I've come up with so far. Lemme know what you think. I don't usually write things based in normy hooman land. I'll probably more of this later tonight, or tomorrow. Or something.
1
“It’s so hot,” Kim complained as she fumbled with getting a large leaf out of her face. “And wet. And hot.”
Kim lamented having spent most of her time in university sitting around and never exercising. Her chubby body didn’t want anything to do with the jungle, even though they had only been walking for the most part.
“Goodness, can’t you keep your composure for five minutes?” Professor Lara questioned her student. “I told you what sort of expedition this would be. You could have made up your credits some other way.”
The aged woman was faring much better than her pupil, stepping over obstacles and taking to climbs with ease. Lara had been on a few expeditions in her time and enjoyed every second of it.
“Not likely,” Kim replied. “None of my extra curricular projects have worked out. I’m too far behind and my grades are too low. Just need to make it back alive from this field work. Then I’ll be good.”
“I wish I could go on an adventure for school, rather than doing quizzes,” Jennifer said, ducking under a leaf with her tiny stature.
Jennifer followed along easily with her endless youthful energy pushing her forward. Her curiosity for the world around them and the mysteries they would uncover constantly drove her to join auntie Karen everywhere. No matter the peril or risk. A fact that bothered Becky to no end.
“You know how I say we shouldn’t bring children along?” Becky asked Karen, kicking away a rock with her boot as she marched. “We really shouldn’t have brought your niece along, this time. This is an unexplored area and the locals spent a good amount of time telling us about curses and death.”
“Everyone tells us about curses and death, Becky,” Karen replied. “That’s why we have your military expertise around to beat the tar out of everything.”
Karen and Becky had spent the better part of a decade exploring the world for lost treasures. Whenever they caught the whispers of lost relics or hidden cities they dropped everything in their lives to investigate. Karen had always had such a need for exploration ever since she and Becky were children. But where Karen had become an archaeologist, Becky instead joined the military and had seen heavy action. Years later when her war was over, the two joined forces and Becky’s own curiosity for adventure grew. Their reputation put the women on the lists of many who would not like them finding things first.
The middle schooler, Jennifer, would always tag along when given the opportunity. Her parents had failed miserably in their duties to the child, succumbing to alcoholism and gambling. Luckily, they were perfectly fine with leaving Jennifer’s care to her aunt, who was incredibly protective, if a bit reckless.
Professor Lara was on their current expedition as the purveyor of the initial tip. She enjoyed the ancient Mayan cultures greatly and when a letter from her secretive group of explorers and historians came telling of a long-forgotten talisman, she demanded to be taken along. Kim had just happened to come to the classroom at the opportune moment when Lara read the letter, pleading for some way to salvage her poor schoolwork.
“It should be just up ahead,” Akna told the line of adventurers behind her. “We’ll get up this hill, then down to where the ruin should be.”
“It should be?” Kim questioned. “Aren’t you our local native guide? We’re following you so we don’t get lost!”
Akna turned around with a sour expression to her face. The mighty woman stood taller than any that were present and was quite muscular as well. There weren’t too many women Becky had been intimidated by, but the Mayan woman was certainly one of them. And she looked back at her party with a machete in her hand.
“I’m not a guide by profession, I just live nearby,” Akna said flatly. “I didn’t claim to be an expert on my ancestors. I’m not even fully Mayan.”
“Okay, okay,” Karen said, trying to cool the situation. “Kim, shut your damn mouth. Akna, she didn’t mean anything by it. She’s just a whiner.”
Akna glared at the student who winced at her gaze before she went back to leading the group up the hill.
“So, Professor, what’s the story behind the talisman again?” Becky asked.
“According to my colleagues, it’s a mysterious circular bit of gold with the image of Kinich Ahau upon it,” Lara explained. “Not too astounding by description, but there are a few debatable bits of text that mention a small talisman that certain warriors on important tasks from their superiors would keep. The talisman would grant them great strength and resilience in battle, but they were to always return it when they were done with their task. My colleagues and I believe this ruin must hold that talisman.”
“So, kind of like if a whole town only had one gun and everyone would borrow it?” Becky asked as they reached the top of the hill.
“I suppose that’s a good analogy, yes,” Lara replied, taking a helping hand from Becky.
“How did such an important artifact not set fire to the archaeological community?” Karen questioned. “Usually, when a new temple is found it’s a big deal. Why isn’t this big news?”
“Well, the ruin was discovered a few weeks ago by independent explorers and they noted a depiction of the talisman, but they wouldn’t investigate the ruin,” Lara explained. “The temple seemed to have been built underground, hidden and locked away. The explorers found it by way of a cave system that very well might be under us right now. They saw the outside of one of the walls and broke in. Where we’re headed is the supposed main entrance. Although, apparently, a trap in the temple killed one of the men and they then refused to continue.”
Becky’s jaw dropped.
“What!” the veteran exclaimed. “Karen!”
“I didn’t know that part!” her explorer friend replied. “I wouldn’t have brought Jenny if I knew that! Lara, why didn’t you say that before?”
“You didn’t ask before!” Lara said.
“I don’t want to die!” Kim joined in. “I’ll just fail! It’s okay!”
“No one is going to die!” Karen argued. “Look, it was only a couple hours walk, we’ll just backtrack and leave the kids safe in town. We didn’t even get to the ruin yet.”
“Actually, it should just be down there,” Akna said. “You just can’t see it because of the canopy. And because it’s underground.”
“Akna, please,” Karen replied.
While the adults argued over the fate of the younger ones, Jennifer stood helpless and let her eyes wander. Before them the ground sloped down in a huge circle. Like a crater, the trees ahead were far below them and hid anything that might be in the jungle ahead. Shifting idly, Jennifer’s foot hit something hard that refused to move. There was a strange stone object that had been covered in the ground but had revealed a corner of itself over time.
With curious wipes of her hands, Jennifer revealed a small rectangular bit of stone with a curious face carved into the middle. She wasn’t terribly educated on ancient culture, but she would have bet anyone that it was Mayan. When her hand touched the carving, the stone shifted slightly. With a push she revealed that the block had been barely clinging to what looked like a large stone button set into a base. The curiosity was too much. She pressed down upon the button with all her might.
The ground shook. The discussion of turning back was interrupted by deep booms underneath their feet and the panicing of birds rushing to take flight. Trees ahead and below them began to shake. Then they began to fall. The ground below swallowed up the jungle into a deep pit and everything on the downward slope followed. Everyone fell over as the ground suddenly rushed forward. All manner of plant and soil and rock slid down into the pit.
With screams of terror the adventurers scrambled and crawled upward. Their panicked progress kept them away from the pit, but as the jungle passed them by, they were left with only the cracks between the smooth stone slope to hold onto for dear life. Without the jungle cover, the drop was incredibly steep. Finger strength was fading quickly.
“Karen!” Jennifer cried out. “Save me!”
The young one had managed to grab hold of ancient Mayan stone much higher than anyone else, but the gap she held onto was sharp and Jennifer couldn’t pull herself out of her outstretched grasp.
“Don’t worry, I’m coming!” Karen yelled up to her niece.
“Oh yeah?” Becky said, groaning at her one-handed grip on stone. “How do you figure that?”
Becky and Karen had managed to find holds halfway down the slope, but the other adults had fallen much farther. Akna was holding onto the stone down from them with one arm while she held onto Lara with the other. Kim was only a about a body’s length away from the pit. The student held onto a crack with her fingers and cried silently as she put everything she had into her hold.
“What do we do now?” Akna said through the strain on her muscles.
“I’m thinking!” Karen replied. “Hook and rope?”
“What if you hit Jennifer?” Becky questioned.
“I won’t hit Jennifer!” Karen argued.
“Kim!” Lara called downward. “What’s that below you?”
The teary-eyed Kim looked over to her right to see a large opening in the slope. It was sizeable enough for her to fall into and avoid the pit, but she couldn’t tell what was inside.
“I don’t know!” Kim called upward.
Karen unraveled her rope and dangled with her left hand hanging on. Swinging a large metal hook tied to the end, she looked up to her niece and hoped silently that she would avoid her. Letting loose the rope, the hook flew upward and landed in the brush. As Karen pulled it back the hook dug into the ground and held still.
“Can you see what it’s in, Jenny?” Karen called upward.
“I don’t know!” the little one replied. “I think it’s got the Mayan stone!”
“Guys I can’t hold on much longer!” Kim called out.
After testing the rope with her body weight, Karen quickly threw down the rest and the rope slid passed the others within arm’s reach. Grabbing hold, Akna and Lara gave themselves better grips on safety, while Kim looked at the rope nervously.
“Just grab at it really quick, Kim!” Becky instructed. “Grab it with one hand then use that extra grip to bring the other!”
Kim tried to make herself brave. She breathed deep several times in mental preparation before she reached. As her hand right went out, the left failed to hold. Kim slid down but found the rope in panic, swinging over slightly and falling into the dark opening.
“Kim!” Lara cried out in despair.
Then Jennifer lost her grip. As the young one fell she reached desperately for the rope but could not reach. Jennifer slid down helpless with a yell of terror but Becky and Karen were ready and capable. When the child came the adventurers grabbed hold of her clothing with a free hand and stopped her fall. Jennifer did her best not to continue her panic.
“We got you,” Karen told her. “Come here and grab the rope. Becky needs it too.”
After recovering from a fall and tumble, Kim poked her head out from the opening in the slope and waved.
“Hey!” she called out. “This is a set of stairs!”
“So, are we all going to stay then?” Karen asked the others.
“Yes!” Jennifer answered. “I want to continue!”
“Um, yeah, okay,” Kim answered. “I guess it can’t get much worse, right?”
“I can’t believe this,” Becky said with a heavy sigh.
“Everything will be fine,” Karen assured her worried friend. “Everything is always fine. This isn’t our first encounter with death. Remember that big spiky ball in Egypt?”
“Stop talking and make your way down the rope!” Akna reminded everyone.
