POWER: A Tale of Greatness

CHAPTER 41

"Stand straight! Move with pride! Smile!" Words sharpened by the exclamations louder than any shout Rocky has ever heard pierced him deep. "Your image will greatly impact my political career so don't you dare put a shame on my name, boy." His son's back bends straight as he does his father's commands, with a tear about to break from the edge of his eyes.

"You never cared about something just as you did to your image and hunger for power."

"Wipe that tear!" The senior Ironheart smacks a stick on his son's lower hind. "One day, your little mind will see that there's something better than playing and running like fowls chased by their predators."

***

SPLASH!

"Fowls."

Hours had passed, Rocky traversed through the rugged edge of the river unknown to his knowledge, following the words that came from the one he manipulated. Cliff walls on both sides, defining the ravine he is in—steep, deep, scaling is never possible, and the darkness of the night never helped.

"This place... I really don't like being in this kind of place, but if I can't find the cave, I can never be the strongest." Wind blew from almost all directions, as if it were trying to stop him. It became stronger as he stepped deeper and deeper into the treacherous ravine. "Strongest. Ahh, will forever remain as a word unless I prove it."

"Nothing can stop–" Rocky suddenly slipped on a rock and fell into the unknown depths.

"Argghhh!" He exclaimed as he smashed his chest into the wet floor. "Brilliant, my knee!"

The rushing waters from the river echo inside from where he fell—another path.

The bats flew out after his pained scream.

"Where... am I?" Rocky asked himself as he crawled towards the edge of the path, looking over at what's below him. "Not lost, just... misdirected by the path." The river below whistles and ripples more than crashes and rushes.

The scent of rotting flesh and bat guano stabbed his nose, quickly covered by his left hand as he recovered his footing.

"For such a long time, I found some progress: A wound on my knee and a cavern of dung." But as he tied a handkerchief on his knee, a realization hit him like a train. He quickly limped toward the direction of the scent, growing stronger with each step. Ignoring the twisting foliage that he failed to notice to grow more thicker with each stride we take.

"Guano. I'm sure it is guano." He took his machete and swung it through the obstructing vines. But his swing became uncontrolled and got stuck on a crevice below. "How inconvenient!" He knelt and tried to pull it but the next second a row of spears stabbed from the wall, just right above his head.

"Of course, traps." He smiled after seeing the rope his machete might have slashed through the vines. "Brilliant."

After the spears retracted, Rocky sheathed his machete and carefully traversed the leafy passage, he noticed how the river began to grow quiet as he went deeper through the darkness.

Moments later, a smile erupted from his lips, "I have found it. This is the cave!" He exits the passage and enters the cave with a grin on his face. "Ammonia. I must not use anything that can cause ignition." He began to walk deeper into the cave, with nothing but his eyes.

As he went deeper into the cave, his eyes slowly adjusted. "According to my readings, this cave is full of traps, but I can't see anyth–" Rocky tripped his leg on an object and fell to the ground.
"Arrgghhh! The relief from the pain reliever's fading off and I keep on falling!" He mentally exclaimed.