Gage Wachter

ENGL 2270
March 12th, 2015
Words: 1401

Road To Ruins
You rolled down the few steps leading off of the platform, gasping in pain. The
entire place was coming apart! You looked down and could see the blood stain and rip
from where you had been stabbed. Well, it happened just like you had thought. Why
didn't you act in spite of this? You really dropped the ball here.
There was no time to sit around and feel sorry for yourself, however. With a
grunt, you raised yourself up to your feet and began to stagger out of the chamber, the
world around you shaking violently. With every labored step, your mind tried to go over
the last few days. Where did everything go wrong? Where did you slip up? There had
to be something you didnt notice that would have allowed you to avoid this whole
mess
************************
So this is the place was a lot easier to find than I thought, Giovanni said,
looking up at the uneven stone walls, covered in faded markings and smooth carvings.
You didn't bother answering him, instead focusing on the collapsed entryway
before you. You weren't sure why you were with them still... this job you received from
the museum back home was suppose to have been a solo mission, retrieve the staff of
storms and get out. Yet on this day you found two shady characters waiting to join you
as you closed in on your target in this hidden valley.
Giovanni and Summer were their names, and they didn't seem to pleased to
have met you as well. They both claimed to have been sent from the same museum as
you, but you knew something was off when they claimed such a thing. This had never
happened before during your work with them, so why would they decide to send off
others now when they knew you were more than reliable?
It just didn't add up, but you weren't particularly in any position to send them off,
for they knew exactly where you were going as well, having talked to one of the local
tribes in the surrounding land about this ancient temple. Even if you had sent them off,

they still would have followed, so now you were in a sticky situation, stuck with two
people you didn't know anything about. Great.
You reckon it's in there? Summer asked you both as you and Giovanni began
to move stone after stone from the entryway. It was tough work, and already your arms
and back were aching.
I don't see why it wouldn't be, you answered quickly and coldly.
No need to be so bitter, friend, Giovanni smiled, trying to diffuse your
suspicious behavior.
You only shook your head at the gesture and focus on moving the stones out of
the way. I still don't know who you two really are, I've never seen you before around the
museum.
Oh? Is that it? Giovanni shrugged at this. I guess you could say we were new
in town, we've went around and worked for other places, you know. This isn't our first
rodeo.
That I can tell, you grunted, careful not to drop the chunk of large stone onto
your foot.
The rest of your work remained relatively silent as you spent the majority of your
time moving stone after stone, from the entryway to the temple that had been
embedded into the side of the mountain here within this valley.
You now stood in the entrance hall, and the place was surprisingly well
preserved. It was quite shocking, you figured that the rest of the place would have
followed suit with the entrance, but you figured that the mountain must have provided
enough support for everything.
You and Giovanni took the point while Summer lagged behind, and for some
reason that made you uncomfortable, you didn't like eyes on your back, you made note
of this, just in case they tried anything. The temple had a basic design, a large hallway
lead to the main chamber, with a collection of rooms and anterooms lining each side of
hallway. It tooks a few hours to go through all the rooms, and you did find some
interesting things, such as ceremonial trays, what seemed to be some type of coin, and
other things that you couldnt quite identify. All went into your bags though to be brought
to the museum. They only wanted the staff, but you were confident that they would
appreciate the other stuff as well. It was all icing on the cake at this point.

When you finally came to the main chamber, it was pretty straightforward. It was
clearly designed with religious worship in mind and the altar in the center of the room
dominated from every angle. There, upon it laid what you could only guess as the staff.
It was surprisingly plain looking. It was just out there in the open too so you knew it
wouldnt be that simple.
Watch your feet, make sure you know where youre stepping, you told the two
as you moved across the stone tiled floor. Regardless of your mistrust of them, you
couldn't help but say these things. Too often did others get clumsy. You had seen this
all before, and it wouldn't be too hard to move across the chamber like countless times
you had prior.
You moved with determination and confidence, every step was thought out and
calculated. You identified several pressure switches along the way and avoided them. It
wasnt long after that you found yourself standing before the altar where the staff laid.
There it was right for the taking.
You outstretched you hand, ready to grasp the shaft of the staff when a hand
closed around your wrist. In an instant, you were tossed aside and staggered back. You
looked to see the two standing before you with looks of intensity, both towards you and
the staff. They had followed your steps all the way to the altar and had tossed you
aside. Figures.
What are you two doing? You asked, even though you were quite sure what
was going on.
Were taking the staff, Summer said, her expression condescending. Were
going to see just how much this can be sold for.
I can't say I'm surprised honestly, you grumbled.
Im sorry, but we cant keep doing this for whatever pay the museum gives us,
he sounded truly apologetic, but it just made you angrier, angrier at yourself more
specifically for not bothering to outsmart them yourself, when you knew this was going
to happen!
Summer suddenly reached for the staff and you rushed forward to stop her, but
Giovanni suddenly pulled out a knife and slash at your leg, cutting into the thigh. Now
that, you had not seen coming, and you staggered backwards, clutching at your leg.
The chamber began to rumble. You should have known that the staff itself would be on

a pressure plate! Damn them!

You fell back as the two bolted out towards the chambers exit, leaving you to
tumble down the steps that lead up to the altar, your head swimming with regrets and
self loathing.
*********************
As you rushed out of the temple just in time to avoid the entrance collapsing
once again, this time likely for good, you couldnt help but just feel happy that you made
it out alive. It wasnt long before that thankfulness bubbled away to more anger as you
noticed the jeep you pulled up in was gone.
Where did you go from here? You had to go after them report them to the
authorities or something. You weren't going to fail a mission now, right? You never had
before, and you weren't about to now.
You checked your bag for the map, and found it still there. Well there was at
least that You could likely backtrack your way to the nearest village, and then get
directions to a larger town then eventually get to some sort of airport. Needless to
say, you had a lot of walking to do, and you wished you got cellphone reception out
here.
There was really only one way to go out at this point though, and so you followed
the road, knowing that no matter what happened, you were going to get that staff back,
both for yourself and for the museum.