Tulio was the first to wake up, instinctively rolling over to try and find his partner and son, only to yelp when the map floated down onto his face. As he moved it away from his face, he frowned up at the giant rock they'd landed in front of., wondering why it looked so familiar.
He looked between the map and the giant rock, slowly coming to a realisation.
"Miguel." He nudged the other man in the side, encouraging him to wake up, "Miguel. Eugene. Wake up. We're there."
Both Miguel and Eugene's eyes flew open and they shot into a seated position, both with identical beams on their faces.
"We found it?" Miguel shot to his feet, "Fantastic! Where is it? How far?"
"Right here."
"Here, where? Behind the rock?!" Miguel and Eugene moved around to the other side of the rock, frowning in confusion when they found nothing.
"No, no." Tulio gestured at the rock, "This is it."
"Give me that!" Miguel snatched the map from his hands, glancing between the two, "This ca- What?"
"Apparently, 'El Dorado' is native for GREAT. BIG, ROCK!"
The yell echoed through the foggy area, as Eugene and Miguel flinched backwards, watching as Tulio climbed back onto Altivo.
"Hey, but I tell you what, I'm feeling generous, so you can have my share!"
"You don't think Cortes could've gotten here before us and- "
"And what?" Tulio plastered a look of fake outrage on his face, "Taken all the really big rocks? The scoundrel!"
"Tulio, you- "Miguel took a deep breath, pulling Eugene closer as the child shivered, "- We have to think about this! We've come all this way and we-we should really, you know- "
"Get. On. The. Horse!" Tulio reached down and plucked Eugene off the ground, placing him in front of him as Miguel climbed on behind, "No, no, no, not with the face. Stop." He cleared his throat, "Looks like there's a pass right over there, I've- "
Suddenly, a beautiful young lady, dressed in very little clothing ran right into them, crying out in shock and alarm as Altivo reared back. Backing away, the trio glanced to the left, to see several armed man burst through a nearby waterfall, all heading straight for them.
"Cool!" Eugene leaned in for a closer look, only to be pulled back to safety.
"Not cool! Not cool! Move Altivo!"
The guards surrounded them, as Altivo reared back once again.
There was a tense silence, before the woman on the ground, suddenly grabbed her bundle and threw it at Tulio, who fumbled to catch it, before throwing it back.
She threw it again, as did Tulio.
This continued for a few moments, before Tulio believed it was over, turning to address the armed guards
"Uh, hello." Tulio waved nervously, "Is this your rock? Sorry, we were just looking. We're, uh- "
"-We're tourists!" Miguel quickly interjected, keeping Eugene close, even as the child tried to see what was going on.
"Tourists!" Tulio agreed eagerly, "We-we lost our group. May we go now?"
He tried to make Altivo move, only for the guards to dart forwards, thrusting the spears closer to their faces, as Tulio shuffled slightly to the right, making sure the spears wouldn't accidently hit his son or partner.
"Ha." He nervously smiled, "Spears."
The guards seemed to have a silent conversation, before they grabbed the woman from the ground and violently gestured for the trio to follow them.
And by violently gestured, they came very close to being stabbed in the sides.
They were led over to the waterfall and pushed through it, to reveal a river on the other side, where several boats were waiting for them. Silently, they were 'encouraged' to get off the horse, and get into the boats, with the young woman.
"Where are we going?" Eugene asked quietly, burying his face into Miguel's chest.
"I don't know." Miguel and Tulio caught each other's eyes, both seeing how concerned the other was.
And then the light glinted off the bundle in the woman's arms.
A flash of gold.
Their eyes widened, as sunlight shone through vines.
"It's- It's El Dorado!" "El Dorado!" Whispered Miguel and Tulio in unison as the boat drifted through the final curtain of vines, to see a gleaming city of gold.
Everything seemed to be made of the stuff. Simple homes that could had fed an entire family in Spain for the rest of their lives. Temples that rose high into the sky. Even the pavements seemed to glimmer and shine in the sunlight.
People lined the streets, all going about their daily activities, and yet when they saw Miguel, Tulio and Eugene (who were back on top of Altivo), they all stopped in their tracks, many dropping what they were carrying in shock.
"Well…" Tulio whispered, not wanting Eugene to over-hear, "… it was nice working with you, partner."
"Tulio, I just want you to know… I'm sorry about that girl in Barcelona."
"So- you-you- " Tulio turned to glare at his partner, about to say something vicious, when a loud voice called for complete silence
"Behold!" A shirtless man stepped forwards, face painted as he raised his arms up into the air, "As the prophesies foretold, the time of judgement is now!" There was a moment of silence as the man chuckled, before he spoke again, "Citizens! Did I not predict that the Gods would come to us?!"
Gods?
Tulio and Miguel glanced at one another, and smirked, both already coming to the same idea in their minds.
"My lords!" The strange man continued, bowing lowly, "I am Tzekel-Kan, your devoted high priest and speaker for the gods!"
A much larger man stepped next to him, "I am Chief Tannabok. What names may we call you?"
Again, Miguel and Tulio turned to one another with identical smirks.
"I am Miguel."
"And I am Tulio."
Miguel climbed down from the horse, getting his foot tangled in Altivo's reigns, which he tried to play off, "And they call us Miguel and Tulio."
"And… the boy?"
Tulio and Miguel glanced up at Eugene, who was still looking around in amazement.
"This is Eugene… an orphan boy we have chosen to raise as the next generation."
It was a flimsy explanation, but one that seemed to work.
"Your arrival has been greatly anticipated!" Tzekel-Kan bowed again
Chief Tannabok nodded in agreement, "My Lords, how long will you be staying in El Dorado?"
Before either of them could answer, Tzekel-Kan suddenly darted forwards, pulling the young girl out into the open, "Aha! I see you've captured this temple-robbing thief! How would you have us punish her?
"Oh, no, no, no, no, no!" She begged, "My lord, I am not a thief. See, the gods sent me a vision, to-to bring them tribute from the temple to guide them here."
It was a good lie, it couldn't be denied.
"My only wish is to serve the gods!" She glanced up at Tulio and Miguel, silently begging them to intercede.
There was a brief pause, before Tulio raised an eyebrow, "Release her… don't ya think?"
Tzekel-Khan didn't look happy, but forced a smile onto his face, shoving the golden head back into the girl's hands. "Then you will begin by returning this, to its rightful place."
"My lords…." Chief Tannabok broke the slightly uncomfortable silence, "… why now do you choose to visit us?"
"Enough!" Tzekel-Khan glared at the Chief (who didn't look very impressed), "You do not question the GODS!
"That's right!" Miguel eagerly piped up, "Do no question us, or we shall have to unleash our awesome and terrible power! And you don't want that!"
"Well, yes! Yes, we do!"
Miguel deflated at the answer, hand dropping by his side as Tulio and Eugene slowly turned to look at him. "You… do?"
"Of course we do!" Tzekel-Kan beamed, gesturing at a seriously unimpressed Chief, "Visit your wrath upon this nonbeliever! Show us the truth of your divinity!"
"Divinity!" Tulio forced a smile onto his face, placing an arm around Miguel's shoulders, "One moment…" He turned them both around, one hand on the back of Miguel's neck, "… Miguel, you know that little voice people have, the one that tells them to quit when they're ahead? You don't have one!"
"Well, I'm sorry, I got carried away!"
"Way away!"
"Maybe we should tell the truth and beg for mercy?"
As the pair bickered, Eugene noticed that the volcano in the distance was rumbling threateningly.
"Umm, Papa- "
"Are you nuts? We'd be butchered alive!"
"- Dad?"
"Yes, but they're getting suspicious, and if we don't come up with some mega-cosmic event- "
"- I'm trying! I'm trying! I can't think with all these distractions!"
When Tulio started to hit Miguel on the forehead, Eugene snapped.
"STOP IT!"
The volcano came to a sputtering halt.
There was a brief moment of tense silence, before Tulio lifted Eugene into the air, everyone falling into a desperate bow as the two men strode confidently towards the temple, Eugene in their arms.
"Don't make him start it up again." Miguel raised an eyebrow at a nearby guard, who had frozen in shock, "'Cause he will."
As everyone kept their eyes on the ground, Tzekel-Kan moved to meet them, a beaming smile on his face.
"O mighty lords! Come, let me show you to your temple." Him and Chief Tannabok turned and started to head up the stairs, ignorant to the thrilled looks Miguel and Tulio were giving each other at the mention of their very own temple.
The many, many stairs.
By the time they arrived at the top, all three of them were exhausted (although, Eugene not as much as he was carried most of the way up). However, when the Chief and the Priest turned back around, they all acted like nothing happened.
Like the walk was nothing.
Altivo wasn't as fortunate.
As they led inside, Tzekel-Kan spoke up again. "To commemorate your arrival, I propose a reverent ceremony at dawn."
Just before Miguel and Tulio could accept this offer, the Chief stepped forwards. "Perhaps I could prepare a glorious feast for you tonight?"
"Which would you prefer?"
They couldn't pick one or the other… that was just going to end in a fight.
"Both?" Miguel began, as Tulio nodded in agreement.
"Both."
They turned to the pair and said in unison, "Both is good."
They both seemed pleased at this reply, bowing as low as they could.
"My Lords." "My Lords."
The curtains closed behind them, and the three were left alone. For a moment, they were silent, before busting out into whoops and cheering, Altivo joining in eagerly.
"Tulio, Tulio!" Miguel could barely keep himself contained, "They actually think we're gods!"
"It's an entire city of suckers! We just have to keep this up long enough to load up on the gold and then get the hell out of here!"
They couldn't contain their excitement, with Miguel lifting Eugene into his arms, throwing him up into the air. "Tulio, we'll be living like kings!"
"Miguel, Tulio and Eugene!"
"Tulio, Miguel and Eugene!"
"Mighty and powerful Gods!" Eugene finished, giggling.
"…. Hello?"
The trio yelped, jumping onto a throne, spinning around to see the girl from earlier staring at them, the smile on her face growing until she burst out into pearls of laughter.
"Depart mortal!" Tulio commanded, "Before we strike you…. With a lightning bolt!"
The girl just hummed, picking imaginary dust off of the golden idol face that she'd stolen earlier.
"Beware the wrath of the gods! Begone!" Miguel hissed, making a strange noise with his mouth.
"Save it for the High Priest honey, you're going to need it."
Miguel just kept making the hissing noise, silently encouraging Eugene to join in a well as Tulio rolled his eyes.
"Miguel, it's not working." Tulio rolled his eyes as Miguel and Eugene continued, "Miguel! We've been caught."
As Miguel trailed off, the girl waved her hand in dismissal, "Oh no, don't worry about me boys." She placed a hand on her heart, "'My only wish is to serve the gods'…. Remember?"
"… How?"
"Well, if you guys want the gold, then you don't want to get caught, right?" The girl smirked, "You're going to need my help."
"What makes you think we need your help?" Miguel scowled.
The girl raised an eyebrow, before mimicking the sound that Miguel had been making earlier. "Are you serious?"
For a moment, Miguel could only splutter, watching as his son raised his hand, "What's your name."
"More important question." Tulio interjected, "What's your angle?"
"No angle." The girl smirked, "I want in."
"In?"
"On the scam."
"There's no scam! Why would you think there's a- "
Miguel held up a hand to stop him, narrowing his eyes in thought. "Why?"
"So, I can get out."
Eugene turned to his parents in confusion, "I thought she wanted in?"
"She wants in this little… performance of ours, so that she can get out of here." Tulio explained to his son, who nodded in understanding.
"Ah, okay!" He paused, frowning again, "Why?"
"Think you're the only ones who dream of better things kid?" The girl smirked, "Of adventure…." She moved closer, practically pressing herself up against Tulio, "You've got your reasons and I've got mine. Let's not make it personal, okay… It's just business."
Miguel frowned at just how close she was to his partner.
"So…" the girl continued, "… when you guys are ready to go back to… wherever you came from, I'm going with you."
Finally, Tulio seemed to come back to his sense, prying one of the girls' hands off his shoulder, "Ah, no! Don't think so."
He tried to walk away, only for his wrist to be grabbed and for him to be yanked back into her embrace.
"Fine." She hissed, "After all, I'm sure you know all the proper rituals for blessing a tribute, the holiest days on the calendar." She reached up and tugged on Tulio's goatee, "Oh, and of course you know all about Xibalba. Okay?" She smirked and started to head towards the exit, with a jaunty wave, "Good luck… see you at the execution."
Just before she could open the curtains and step out into the sunshine, Tulio raced over, grabbing her by the arms and spinning her around to face him, "Wait! Ho- Would you- hold it!"
She smirked up at him, "Deal?"
Miguel made sure to stand right next to Tulio, pressing his shoulder against the taller man's, "Deal!" He held out his hand, only for Tulio to pull it away.
"Not yet." He frowned, "Let's just see how this works out."
The girl rolled her eyes, "Uh-huh, well then I suppose you'll be wanting these back?" She held out her palm, where two familiar red dice were sitting.
Tulio frowned, frantically patting his jacket, searching for the familiar lumps, "How- " He snatched them off of her, "How did you get those?"
"Where was she keeping them?" Eugene asked, tilting his head to the side.
"Call me Chel." She beamed, "Your new partner!"
"Partner-in-training!"
She ignored Tulio, picking up some clothes and throwing them at the trio, "Now, put these on. Your public's waiting." She took a seat on a cushion and stared at them.
"Ummm…" Tulio frowned, "… Do you mind?"
"No." Suddenly, she seemed to realise what she was doing, frantically getting to her feet and heading to the curtains that led to the outside work, "Oh! Oh! Oh! Right, uh, excuse me!" She cheekily smirked through the curtains, "Bye."
As Miguel went to help Eugene with his outfit, he smirked up at Tulio, "Mmmm, maybe they should call this place 'Chel Dorado'."
"Yeah, she's whooo- "Tulio trailed off, frantically shaking his head, "Whoa, she's trouble! Wait a minute!"
"What?!"
"The little voice- remember the little voice?" Tulio looked at them both, resisting the urge to roll his eyes, "Alright, just pretend for a second and imagine that you both have one. What would it be saying about Chel?"
When Miguel growled, Tulio groaned, flicking him on the forehead, before turning to Eugene, "Okay, what about you? We're all a team, right?"
Eugene nodded.
"And we have a plan remember?"
"Get the gold and go back to Spain."
"Yes! And we're pretending to be gods… now, put Chel in the mix. What is the little voice saying… listen carefully now."
"Chel… is bad for the plan?"
"Yes! Chel is bad for the plan!" Tulio lifted his son into his arms, "Now, we all need to shake on it."
They all nodded in agreement, shaking hands with each other as Miguel smirked over at his partner, "Besides, we're supposed to be gods. We must avoid giving in to temptation."
Tulio glanced behind him, just in time to see a brief flash of flesh before Miguel covered himself up.
"That's going to- that's going to be tough." He muttered.
"Tulio, relax!" Miguel grabbed him by the shoulders, leading him over to the curtains, "All you have to do is smile, act godly and follow my lead."
Showtime.
