Post by New Brotherhood on Nov 27, 2023 11:57:01 GMT -5
Egyptian Turmoil
Kevin returns to his office after the fruitless meeting with Sable and slams the door shut only to see Owen Knight sitting at the obsidian desk drinking a soda.
“Really, Diet Mountain Dew is the best you can do?” Owen says breaking the tension in the room. Bishop can’t help but crack a smile but his frustration is even stronger as it breaks through the levity.
“You know, Owen, I’ve spent my life building the Brotherhood and now this New Brotherhood facility. All I’ve ever wanted was to help people. And I wanted to be fair. This isn’t a dictatorship, this is a team effort. If we work as a team then we’re more likely to be successful. But then I think maybe I should have taken this whole thing on myself. My way or the highway.
I’m sorry. Let me explain. I found a lead to finding a cure for Darren. To be fair, this wouldn’t be the first one, and the other ones haven’t gone well. This one I found in a book and Sable says that the evidence isn’t clear enough to send a team. But I know this is the one, Owen, I know that this is what is going to crack the case of how to get my son back.”
Kevin explains what he found to Cipher. In his pursuit to find a cure for his son’s demonic coma he stumbled across a cryptic lead into the Ancient Libraries of Alexandria. In an old, dusty tome filled with mystical knowledge, he discovered a passage that hints at a forgotten ritual believed to hold the key to awakening those trapped in otherworldly slumbers.
The passage speaks of a hidden chamber in the heart of the Sahara Desert, concealed beneath the shifting sands and guarded by enigmatic beings. It tells of a celestial alignment that occurs once in a millennium, unlocking the entrance to this chamber. The key to deciphering this information lies in decoding a series of celestial maps and ancient hieroglyphs.
“What d’ya say, fancy a trip to the other side of the world?”
Cipher nods in approval. He had never stepped out of North America, yet alone on this ride he was about to embark on. With a predator handshake the men embark on their journey to Egypt where they must navigate the complexities of ancient mystical knowledge, face the guardians that protect the secrets and ultimately unlock the doorway to the elusive chamber that MIGHT hold the cure Bishop so desperately seeks.
Although much faster than the journey would take on a normal flight the time leaves the men contemplating upcoming tasks. The infernal architects still quietly terrorize the Underside and threaten to creep topside. Meanwhile the thought of Karma sitting by the bedside of Darren day in and day out leaves Kevin restless to say the least. Not to mention the task of the Betterment of the AW Tag division, a task that has been met to their satisfaction as they held a Battle Royal to determine the number one contender’s for the titles.
“Amazing that they had to force people on us in a Battle Royal. No one was prepared to answer the call to action, so the management made a call to put everyone to task. Just the small taste of what would happen if they didn’t respond put their asses in check and forced their hand to make a decision. Isn’t it amazing what some determination and a little bit of mayhem can accomplish.” Kevin bragged as he sipped his bourbon.
“I’m not always on board with your methods, but I can’t argue that they bear results.”
“Owen, before you met me you were struggling to make end’s meet. You joining AW was kismet. I had been skulking around for the right moment to step back in that ring and when I saw you in that ring the style was undeniable. Your Uncle Darren trained me better than I could have imagined, so much so that I named my son after him. I often looked at him like a father figure of my own.”
“Uncle D was a good man. He opened my eyes to a lot of things.”
“Without him neither of us would be here. I would probably be digging a ditch somewhere in New Mexico…”
“And I would probably be dead by now.”
“But you’re not, and we’re here. On a plane to fucking Egypt. And after that, god willing, we’ll be fighting in a top tier match at Turmoil putting OUR titles on the line. We stepping into this smoldering crucible of a ring and putting our everything on the line, our names, our prides, and these AW Tag Team Titles. We need to be 100% focused.” Bishop began to sweat as he talked about being focused, knowing that his mind often lay elsewhere. But Owen wrangled him right back in.
“Uncle Darren who saw something in you and I long before I glimpsed it myself can serve as a guiding force. Every move, every calculated risk we take is a tribute to his mentorship, and as we venture into the unknown we know that that his lessons will echo in the the caverns of our minds. As we begin to falter his words will propel us forward with an unyielding drive.” Cipher donned his mask as he felt the descent and looked out of the window of the plane to see the pyramids underneath. He continued.
“Ultimately this boils down to a personal quest. A quest to obliterates any self imposed limits we or anyone else puts on us. Odin Balfore will be standing across that ring from us, a man who has conquered far more than either of us could imagine right now. His legacy has been made already. His respect has been earned from years of stepping into danger and emerging unscathed.
But he is mortal. He is nothing but human and nothing is unstoppable. Despite any reservations we may have about entering combat with a fierce rival like him, we cannot let his legacy dictate our emotions. Because just like when we faced the Gunns, and like the Punishers and just like when we stripped the titles from Cedrone and Angelo at XIII we are entering as a unified unit. We have something that Odin and Cedrone don’t have, and that’s a common purpose. Not just a goal. Winning the titles was the goal, but the purpose is much larger. You taught it to me, and I was hesitant to allow it to reverberate but it’s message could not be clearer.
The Betterment of the AW tag division…
You’ve spent so much time worrying about the Betterment of everyone else, Kevin, just remember that there are people out there worried about the Betterment of you as well. No matter how you feel at this moment. The trepidation, the nerves, whatever it is, use it. Use it to your benefit because no one knows how to harness those things as much as you do and to create something better for all involved.”
The plane’s turbulent landing reminded them that they were starting something exciting. The doors opened up and the sand particles carried a faint muskiness of sun baked clay, an olfactory journey taking them to the endless dunes neither man was prepared for. As they stepped off the plane onto the surprisingly firm surface of desert sand Kevin looked at Cipher.
“This is as close as the plane can take us. We don’t want to shift the sands by where we need to go or we may never be able to find the entrance. It’s about…” He looked at his watch… “3 miles that way… you ready?”
Owen nodded and on they went. After about an hour of navigating the desolate terrain, both trusting that Bishop knew where they were going they stopped at an unassuming patch of sand.
“Eyepet Reesyt.” Bishop said looking at the patch of sand. Nothing happened. “I know this is the place… hold on. IPET RESYT!”
As he repeated the words more clearly the sand moved magically in front of their eyes revealing a large opening within.
“This is ‘cave of wonder’ shit right here…” Cipher said.
“Come on, let's go.” Bishop motioned them towards the entrance. As they walked through the hovering pile of sand the inside became illuminated with rows and rows of books holding the ancient mysteries and fragments of forgotten knowledge. And as they completely crossed the threshold the sand collapsed behind them. “That’s normal.” Bishop hoped.
“Remember, we’re going to stay together, not like last time.” Cipher said and Bishop nodded as he navigated the aisles.
“Lucious would have a field day in here. I knew Sable was going to regret passing up on this.”
They continued forward until they encountered a doorway. Slowly they went towards it and a golden doorway greeted them from the other side of the room. Inside the room lay 4 sarcophagi and upon closer inspection each contained a wrapped figure.
“Talk about Mummy issues... get it?” Cipher said and Bishop grinned diabolically as he inched closer to the door.
“AIDEN says that the chamber is beyond this door… but I don’t see a handle on it anywhere. How do you open this thing?”
He scoured the door for any way to open it. He ran his fingers through 4 slots in the door that ran up the right side and were right on top of each other. Each one had a number of strokes next to it 1, 2,3 and 4, and then a hole underneath it where he could fit is hand. He reluctantly reached his hand knowing it was a bad idea but nothing happened. He turned and saw Cipher looking closely at one of the mummies.
The opened sarcophagus didn’t put Cipher at unease at all. He was curious looking at the amazing embalming work that must have been done to keep these bodies from decomposing for hundreds of years. He looked closely and saw that each mummy was holding a plaque with a word on it. He tried to read it.
“Narmer.” He said aloud. “Why are these letters in English, shouldn’t it be in Egyptian or something?”
“Narmer?” Bishop repeated, ignoring the question, and then like a bolt it hit him. “The Unifier… Narmer was considered the unifier of Upper and Lower Egypt. The first Pharaoh! I bet that’s the key!” He walked to the other mummies and grabbed another plaque. “DEN!” he said excitedly. "The fourth Pharoah. That must mean that those two are Djet and Djer!”
Cipher grabbed the other two plaques and read them. “They both say Djet on them.”
“Impossible.” Kevin said as he walked over there. They both were so old and worn from sand that the last letter was illegible on both. “Shit… ok, we’ll just have to guess.” He brought the plaques to the slots in the door. They were heavy and awkward to carry and lift into the slots. He slid in Narmer on the top and Den onto the bottom. “Djer is 2 and Djet is 3… I think this looks most like and 'R'…” He put the plaques where he thought they should go and reached into the hole again.
This time Kevin screamed in pain as it clamped on his arm and spikes dug into his forearm. “FUCK! Change the middle two, Owen!” Cipher reached and pulled out the second one and half of the third one before he was slammed into the wall from behind and tossed aside dropping the plaque.
The Mummies has risen from the sarcophagi and were hunting Cipher. 2 of them crept towards him as the other 2 crept towards Kevin.
“Fuck, fuck fuck…” Cipher said as he kicked one in the gut and the other two leapt on him. Meanwhile Bishop scrambled and pulled the third plaque out and put it into the second slot and one of the mummies stopped and turned the other way.
“Three right I guess.” Bishop said as the fourth mummy slowly got closer to him. The plaque Cipher dropped was on the floor and Bishop couldn’t reach it with his arm clamped into the vice grip of a trap that held him.
On the other side of the room Cipher kicked out and speared the third mummy tackling it hard to the ground. The other two mummies relentlessly jumped on top of him and Bishop grimaced as a loud howl was heard underneath the pile clearly of Cipher’s voice.
“OWEN, NO!”
A blue aura emanated from beneath the pile as the mummies were propelled from him. Two of the deformed wrapped creatures stood bow legged as a beautiful dark haired warrior woman wearing Egyptian Warrior garb emerged from beneath the pile as well.
“I am Menes, guardian of kings… I am at your service.”
“Do I have an Egyptian Guard now?” Cipher said to himself. “Stop that guy!” he ordered pointing at the mummy attacking Bishop. “I’ll hold these guys off.” He instinctively put his body on the line as he leapt towards the two standing mummies. Meanwhile Menes charged towards the mummy that was currently clawing away at Bishop and tossed him aside with ease. She followed and kept attacking the mummy.
Bishop shook off the encounter and saw the plaque on the floor. He reached for it with his foot and barely got a hold of it and pulled it closer. He just couldn’t reach all the way down to the ground to pick it up. Harnessing his hacky sack skills from college he wedged his foot underneath the plaque and used his other foot to stand it up onto his shin. Now he was able to reach it and pick it up.
His arm hurt as it bled from claw marks from his recent attack but he powered through the pain and hoisted the final plaque in place. As he did gears in the door could be heard as the door began to rise. He pulled his arm as hard as he could out of the door revealing deep wounds and scrapes on his arm before it was going to be pulled out by the door.
On the other side of the room the mummies returned to their resting places except for Menes who stood there solemnly. The three remaining soldiers breathed heavily looking at the other side of the door where the cure presumably rests.
“What’s the deal with her?” Kevin said.
“She bit me and then became hot.” Cipher said.
“I apologize for biting you, sir.” Menes said.
“She bit you?” Bishop repeated.
“Yea.”
“Savage.”
“Again, sincerest apologies, sir.” Menes repeated.
“We going in?” Cipher inquired. Bishop nodded. “Stay here in case they come back to life.” He requested to Menes who nodded back. Cipher walked over to Bishop who help up a hand.
“You’re bleeding.” He said.
“From the bite?”
“Yea.”
“SORRY!”
“Let me try something…” Bishop wiped his hand on Cipher’s blood and wiped it on his wound which instantaneously healed. “See, you have to let us study on you… imagine the lives we can save with this.”
“I’m not letting you drain me of all my blood, Kevin.”
“We wouldn't drain ALL of your bl...We’ll talk about it later. Let’s head inside.”
They walk into the vault and the only thing there is a fountain in the center. They walk closer and read a placard above the fountain.
𓇋𓈖𓏏𓇋𓃀𓀁𓅆𓇋𓏏𓇋𓈖𓈖𓀁𓈖𓏏𓇋𓅆𓃀𓏏𓇋𓈖𓇋𓈖𓈖𓀁𓅆𓏏𓇋𓈖𓏏𓇋𓇋𓏏𓇋𓅆𓃀𓇋𓇋𓅆𓃀𓀁𓇋𓈖𓈖𓈖𓀁𓅆𓈖𓈖𓈖𓀁𓇋𓅆𓈖𓏏𓇋𓇋𓏏𓇋𓅆𓃀𓇋𓈖𓈖𓈖𓀁𓅆𓏏𓇋𓈖𓏏𓇋𓇋𓏏𓇋𓅆𓃀𓀁𓇋𓈖𓈖𓈖𓀁𓅆𓈖𓏏𓇋𓅆𓃀𓇋𓈖𓇋𓏏𓇋𓈖𓇋𓈖𓈖𓀁𓅆𓏏𓇋𓈖𓏏𓇋𓇋𓏏𓇋𓅆𓃀𓇋𓇋𓅆𓃀𓀁𓇋𓈖𓈖𓈖𓀁𓅆𓈖𓈖𓈖𓀁𓇋𓅆𓏏𓇋𓈖𓏏𓇋𓇋𓏏𓇋𓅆𓃀𓇋𓈖𓈖𓈖𓀁𓅆𓏏𓇋𓈖𓏏𓇋𓇋𓏏𓇋𓅆𓃀𓇋𓇋𓅆𓃀𓀁𓇋𓈖𓈖𓈖𓀁𓅆𓈖𓈖𓈖𓀁𓇋𓅆𓏏𓇋𓈖𓏏𓇋𓇋𓏏𓇋𓅆𓃀𓇋𓈖𓈖𓈖𓀁𓅆𓏏𓇋𓈖𓏏𓇋𓇋𓏏𓇋𓅆𓃀𓇋𓈖𓈖𓈖𓀁𓅆𓈖𓈖𓈖𓀁𓇋𓅆𓏏𓇋𓈖𓏏𓇋𓇋𓏏𓇋𓅆𓃀𓇋𓈖𓈖𓈖𓀁𓅆𓏏𓇋𓈖𓏏𓇋𓇋𓏏𓇋𓅆𓃀𓇋𓈖𓈖𓈖𓀁𓅆𓏏𓇋𓈖𓏏𓇋𓇋𓏏𓇋𓅆𓃀𓇋𓈖𓈖𓈖𓀁𓅆𓈖𓈖𓈖𓀁𓇋𓅆𓏏𓇋𓈖𓏏𓇋𓇋𓏏𓇋𓅆𓃀𓇋𓈖𓈖𓈖𓀁𓅆𓏏𓇋𓈖𓏏𓇋𓇋𓏏𓇋𓅆𓃀𓇋𓈖𓈖𓈖𓀁𓅆𓈖𓈖𓈖𓀁𓇋𓅆𓏏𓇋𓈖𓏏𓇋𓇋𓏏𓇋𓅆𓃀𓇋𓈖𓈖𓈖𓀁𓅆𓏏𓇋𓈖𓏏𓇋𓇋𓏏𓇋𓅆𓃀𓇋𓈖𓈖𓈖𓀁𓅆𓈖𓈖𓈖𓀁𓇋𓅆𓏏𓇋𓈖𓏏𓇋𓇋𓏏𓇋𓅆𓃀𓇋𓈖𓈖𓈖𓀁𓅆𓏏𓇋𓈖𓏏𓇋𓇋𓏏𓇋𓅆𓃀𓇋𓈖𓈖𓈖𓀁𓅆𓈖𓈖𓈖𓀁𓇋𓅆𓏏𓇋𓈖𓏏𓇋𓇋𓏏𓇋𓅆𓃀𓇋𓈖𓈖𓈖𓀁𓅆𓏏𓇋𓈖𓏏𓇋𓇋𓏏𓇋𓅆𓃀𓇋𓈖𓈖𓈖𓀁𓅆𓈖𓈖𓈖𓀁𓇋𓅆𓏏𓇋𓈖𓏏𓇋𓇋𓏏𓇋𓅆𓃀𓇋𓈖𓈖𓈖𓀁𓅆𓏏𓇋𓈖𓏏𓇋𓇋𓏏𓇋𓅆𓃀𓇋𓈖𓈖𓈖𓀁𓅆𓈖𓈖𓈖𓀁𓇋𓅆𓏏𓇋𓈖𓏏𓇋𓇋𓏏𓇋𓅆𓃀𓇋𓈖𓈖𓈖𓀁𓅆𓏏𓇋𓈖𓏏𓇋𓇋𓏏𓇋𓅆𓃀𓇋𓈖𓈖𓈖𓀁𓅆𓈖𓈖𓈖𓀁𓇋𓅆𓏏𓇋𓈖𓏏𓇋𓇋𓏏𓇋𓅆𓃀𓇋𓈖𓈖𓈖𓀁𓅆𓏏𓇋𓈖𓏏𓇋𓇋𓏏𓇋𓅆𓃀𓇋𓈖𓈖𓈖𓀁𓅆𓈖𓈖𓈖𓀁𓇋𓅆𓏏𓇋𓈖𓏏𓇋𓇋𓏏𓇋𓅆𓃀𓇋𓈖𓈖𓈖𓀁𓅆𓏏𓇋𓈖𓏏𓇋𓇋𓏏𓇋𓅆𓃀𓇋𓈖𓈖𓈖𓀁𓅆𓈖𓈖𓈖𓀁𓇋𓅆𓏏𓇋𓈖𓏏𓇋𓇋𓏏𓇋𓅆𓃀𓇋𓈖𓈖𓈖𓀁𓅆𓏏𓇋𓈖𓏏𓇋𓇋𓏏𓇋𓅆𓃀𓇋𓈖𓈖𓈖𓀁𓅆𓈖𓈖𓈖𓀁𓇋𓅆𓏏𓇋𓈖𓏏𓇋𓇋𓏏𓇋𓅆𓃀𓇋𓈖𓈖𓈖𓀁𓅆𓏏𓇋𓈖𓏏𓇋𓇋𓏏𓇋𓅆𓃀𓇋𓈖𓈖𓈖𓀁𓅆𓈖𓈖𓈖𓀁𓇋𓅆𓏏𓇋𓈖𓏏𓇋𓇋𓏏𓇋𓅆
“What does it mean?” Cipher said.
"AIDEN will let us know." Bishop scanned the writing and it replied in her monotonous voice.
“There is no direct translation from Egyptian Hieroglyphics to English but the closest translation is “Drink the Elixir of Life but there will be dire consequences.”
“Ominous,” Cipher said.
“It’s worth it.” Bishop unflinchingly reaches into his satchel and grabs a vile. He goes to put it in the liquid in the fountain but Cipher puts his hand out.
“Wait, what do you think the dire consequences can be? Maybe… just take my blood. Maybe that’s the cure.”
“What if it’s not. I was sent on this journey, we encountered what we encountered. That woman tried to eat you…”
“SORRY”
“But we were brought here by destiny. There was a reason that just you and I came here, not just because Sable didn’t want to help, but he couldn’t. We needed to unite, just like Narmes, and we needed to do this together.
You and me, Owen. We fight in honor of Darren, and it’s this liquid that is our reward. This liquid will bring Darren back to me. And if something happens we’ll tackle it when it does. We fight together and as one, but I can’t do this without you. You’ve taught me just as much as I’ve taught you.
I’ve seen you battle through adversity. At XIII it looked like you were finished, but you powered through and you defeated Cedrone, knocked his ass out and pounded those turnbuckles. And that guy is not joke, he is a decorated champion, and a tough nut to crack. He vies for solid competition in the ring. We slapped him around in a hardcore match but now we’re in his temple.
The ring is where he calls home. He fights as mercilessly as Odin, but with more technical skill than any of the three of us in the match. Yet we know that with our forces combined we can take on this challenge. We know that it will be for the best. We know it will come out our way.”
Cipher looks at Bishop, sweating and near tears.
“We see frivolous things as important. We fight for what’s good and what’s right. We fight to prove to ourselves that we’re as good as others thought us to be. We fight for purpose and not just for cause.
We’ve fought demons, we’ve fought mummies, and in about a week we’ll fight 2 huge wrestlers in a match that we asked for. We asked for this, for the best challenge that we can get and the management at AW gave it to us. We said that we could achieve anything, that we could be the best. And this is how we’re going to do it there. If we can do it in the ring we can do it here.
But at what cost, Kevin? How many lives need to be lost? How many careers do we need to end before we say that we did it?”
“All of them, Owen. Each and every one of them! If we have to break the backs of every wrestler that steps into the ring with us for them to say that we’re the best then that’s what we’ll do. If we have to slay every demon that comes our way we will bathe in their blood. You’re only as good as your last moment. You’re only the champion until you’re not any longer. And there’s only one way to stay champion and that’s ruthless rage.
Owen, we need to stay on the same page. We need to take on these challenges together. Fighting for purpose means making hard decisions, and doing what’s best and facing the consequences. We need to make sure that when push comes to shove that we put our best foot forward and we fight for the Betterment of Action Wrestling.
But sometimes, like you said...
We need to do things for the Betterment of ourselves too.”
Cipher looks at Bishop and his hand on his arm. The scars from the claw marks of the mummy still remain on his arms, unlike the scars from the bite mark on his shoulder which has completely healed. Maybe his blood wasn’t the answer after all? He let go of Kevin as he put the vile into the liquid and filled it to the top.
As he did, a rush of necrotic energy burst through the room. Owen felt his cuts open up, and blood poured from Kevin’s arm. The energy passed behind them and Menes dropped to the ground and the world shook from above them. Sand began to fall from cracks in the ceiling.
“RUN!” Kevin shouted as torches fell from the ceiling starting a fire from behind them, which then followed them, as though chasing them. They ran out of the room and through the chamber with the sarcophagi. They ran back into the hall with the books.
“The books!” Kevin worried.
But they were gone. The shelves were empty and being eaten alive by the flames behind them. They finally got to the wall where they entered and there was no exit. They scrambled scratching at the door and turned around to see a wall of fire coming their way. They covered their faces, as though that would do anything and as the heat engulfed them suddenly they were embraced with cool desert air.
They opened their eyes and the dark summer air surrounded them. They felt their bodies and all was intact. Except…
“The vial!?” Kevin cried horrified as he searched his body for it. He dug through the sand trying to find it with no luck. His tears dripped into the sand leaving trailed of his memories and his chances of saving his son in the wind of the Sahara desert and the sweat dripping from Owen’s brow echoed the sentiments filling the air with a sense of foreboding and sadness all at once.
For about 2 hours they dug holes searching for this vile with no luck. It was gone.
“All of this was for nothing.” Kevin said defeatedly.
“Maybe this was the consequence?” Cipher started. “Maybe we were never meant to have it, but hope isn’t lost. We fought off the dead and came out. We faced a wall of fire but not even slightly singed. We can do anything. And we can find the cure for Darren.”
“I’ll never stop searching for one until I do…” Kevin said as they walked back towards the plane.
In the harsh realm of life victory is elusive, perseverance becomes the silent anthem that echoes through the souls of warriors like Kevin Bishop and Cipher. It's a refrain that whispers through the ethers, a testament to the undying spirit that refuses to be broken by the bone-crushing slams and heart-wrenching defeats.
For Bishop and Cipher, the wrestling ring is not just a battleground; it's a proving ground where resilience is measured in every drop of sweat, in every bruise earned, and in every cheer or jeer that reverberates through the stadium. They've tasted the bitterness of defeat, felt the sting of missed opportunities, but it's the fire within that keeps them standing tall.
In the face of formidable opponents, they've learned that victory isn't always about having your hand raised at the end of the match. It's about standing up after being knocked down, about facing adversity head-on, and about refusing to surrender when the odds seem insurmountable. Bishop and Cipher embody the indomitable will that characterizes those who choose to step into the squared circle.
Their journey is a saga of endurance, where each setback is a stepping stone, and every moment of doubt is a chance to redefine what it means to be a wrestler. Perseverance, in the context of professional wrestling, is not just about winning championships but about embracing the struggle, growing stronger with each challenge, and proving, time and again, that they are forged from the toughest steel of determination.
As the crowd roars, and the arena vibrates with the pulse of the match, Bishop and Cipher personify the unwavering spirit of those who don't merely fight for victory but fight because they refuse to be conquered by anything, especially not by the trials that come with the pursuit of the Betterment of Action Wrestling.