The Explorer's Quest

The Gate

Johnny was pulled out of the truck. Two men dragged him outside and faced him in front of the large gate placed in the side of a cliff. The gate was absolutely huge. It would take multiple people to push it open.

Brutus was already admiring (thinking of how close he was to the treasure was a more realistic term) the gate, smiling and laughing. "The keys! Where do they go?" he asked after patrolling the gate for what seemed like half an hour. "I don't see any keyholes."

After what felt like hours of standing and watching Brutus think, the mercenaries were commanded to set up a base camp so they could rest for the night. They set up one central tent where Brutus could stay by himself, and five surrounding tents where the others would sleep. All the remaining mercenaries that couldn't sleep in the tents slept in the trucks.

At around midnight, Johnny was awoken by a man and told to enter the central tent and speak with Brutus. He stood up out of his sleeping bag, put his shoes and coat on, and silently walked outside. It was as cold as it was back inside the tent, but he powered through it and walked straight into Brutus' tent.

The lamp was still on (leading Johnny to believe that Brutus had been up all night) and as he drew back the curtains to walk through, Brutus welcomed him with a strangely humble voice. "Ah, there you are," he said.

"Why do you want me here?" asked Johnny.

"I think it's time for you to know what this is all about."

"Meaning?"

"By now, I'm sure you have suspected that we're not just looking for the gold," he said.

"Maybe I thought so at one point. Why do you bring that up?"

"This isn't about the gold. For us. I don't know what you've been after this whole time."

"Just the gold," Johnny began, "Is there something more to this that I'm not seeing? What is it exactly that you're after?"

Brutus walked over to a small table covered in papers and notebooks. "Have a seat," he said. He motioned towards a metal fold-up chair in the corner. Johnny walked over, picked up the chair and moved it closer to Brutus and the table. He set the fold-up chair down and sat. "Are you familiar with legends concerning the Cintimani Stone?" Brutus asked.

"No. No I don't think I am," replied Johnny.

"It's a powerful artifact, originating from Buddhist mythology. Described as a 'wish-fulfilling jewel' and said to give whoever holds it the wisdom and power of Buddha himself."

"And you think that this Cintimani Stone is inside the same temple where Marco Polo's stolen gold is?"

"Just wait, let me explain. According to mythology, the Stone was one of four relics that came in a chest from the sky during the reign of King Lha Thothori Nyantsen."

"What were the other three relics?" asked Johnny. He wanted to prove that this theory was all wrong, that there are no magic stones in his future.

"I've only found one other through all my research, and that's Buddha's Bowl. But never mind that, the Cintimani Stone is what I'm searching for."

"Okay, what has you believing that the Stone is in the Temple of the Great Khan?"

"Because of the Great Khan himself," Brutus said with great confidence.

Johnny was confused. "Explain," he said.

"What do you think made the Great Khan great? How was he able to conquer so many nations? Surely it wasn't just luck! I think he had some supernatural help. Or, if we're thinking even further back, King Solomon. He's known to be the wisest man to ever live, and how do you think he got all that wisdom?"