Warning: In this story, there is a rape attempt but is stopped in time. So, this was a reminder for possible trigger warnings.
Derek Lowell: a College student who embarks on a solo adventure from Shanghai to the Gobi desert.
Angie Richardson: The girlfriend of Derek who is in a long-distance relationship with him.
Niko Lowell: Derek's cousin two years younger.
Batu Khan: The leader of the largest criminal empire in Mongolia who desires to expand his empire.
Extended summary
During a museum heist, Cassie Drake tries to stop the thieves only to end up getting arrested herself. The item that was stolen was a map that leads to the Peaches of Immortality. With Cassie in jail, Derek embarks on a trip from China to Mongolia to the Gobi to get the Peaches of Immortality before the crime boss of the largest criminal organization in Mongolia does.
Warning: There is some attempted rape in this story but nothing graphic.
Chapter 1: Hospital
The key to immortality is first living a life worth remembering.
Bruce Lee
January 2032
Maui, Hawaii
Derek Lowell was feeling an extremely queasy feeling in his abdomen. He felt sick. He knew he should just pull the car over, but he couldn't because he was on the highway.
"Damn," he cursed to himself. As soon as he was off the highway, he pulled up at a gas station with the intent of buying medicine. Parking near the front, he gets out of the car so he can go inside, and while inside, he jokes to himself, Let's hope, I'm not pregnant. Mpreg sounds weird to me. He shook his head. Nah, wrong genre.
Inside the gas, it was kinda crowded but nothing he couldn't get around. It was only Sunday and a lot of people were given time off due to Martin Luther King Jr. Day coming up.
He goes up to the counter to buy some stomach medicine and some other cold medicine. "How much?" The cashier typed on the register instead of scanning the prices. He pays the cashier with a ten-dollar bill and tells him to keep the change. After putting the medicine in the grocery bag, he leaves the store.
He couldn't keep his friend, Cassie, waiting. This is why he took his stomach medicine now and waited for thirty minutes in his car for it to take effect and he stalled by drinking from a strawberry smoothie. After that, he drove off to his destination, the Natural Museum of History.
Then, he felt an even more stunning pain in himself and the thing was it wasn't his stomach where the pain originated. It was farther down than he thought it was.
"Man, what is happening to me?" Derek asked himself. "My groin!" He never felt such extraordinary pain before.
Finally arriving at the Natural Museum of History, Derek parked his car near the entrance and walked into the building. He told Cassie he had something to show her, and it was related to Mongolia.
"Cassie!" Derek called upon seeing her near some kind of Mammoth that had been stuffed and put on display. Cassie walked up to him and patted him on the shoulder with a grin. She quickly picked up on him hunching over. "Are you all right?"
"Yeah, I am just fine," he reassured in a voice of agony. He was not fine; he was in so much pain right now.
"You're going all blue, man. Are you sure you're okay?"
"Yes." Derek sat against the wall, his backsliding down with squeaks. "I just have a...a...a…" He loses consciousness and passes out.
"D-Man, are you alright? Wake up!" She shakes him in hopes of waking him up. He was in physical pain over something, she just had to find out what it was. She takes out her phone and calls for an ambulance.
"Hello, my name is Cassie Drake and my friend Derek Lowell has just passed out from some kind of physical pain and he won't wake up." She waits for a response. After hearing it, she tells the ambulance where she was, at the Natural Museum of History.
Five minutes later, the ambulance arrived and they loaded Derek onto a stretcher and took him to a hospital.
"Derek, I hope you're alright," she whispered to herself.
Derek had awoken hours later in a groggy state but the pain was gone. He felt a lot better. He found himself wearing a hospital gown on a bed and he was hooked up to an IV bag with clear fluids. A tall and skinny doctor enters the room with a clipboard.
"Mr. Lowell, how are you feeling today?" the doctor asked.
Derek rubbed his eyes as he asked, "What happened, why did I pass out?"
The doctor showed him an X-ray scan of his body. "You have acute orchitis, which is massively inflamed testicles."
Derek's face blushed red instantly, never felt this before. "I'm so embarrassed, I can't believe I passed out in front of Cassie."
"Don't worry, Mr. Lowell, you have been taken care of. We should get you out of the hospital in less than a week. Orchitis is easily treatable."
"Before you leave, at least tell me that Cassie doesn't know."
Then the door opened and the devil walked right in. Derek's face blushed even more. "Oh god."
"How's your family jewels feeling?" Cassie joked with hopes of making Derek feel better but it backfired instantly.
Oh, God! She knows. He takes the pillow from behind his head and sinks his face in.
"Mr. Lowell, you are eighteen years old right?" the doctor asked again.
"Yes," Derek muffled through the pillow.
"Do you wish to have medication?"
Derek looked up from the pillow, narrowing his eyes at the doctor. "Of course I do; I am in pain just thinking about my bean bags!"
The doctor turns to the door and walks out to get Derek's medication.
"What happened, D-Man?" Cassie asked once it was just the two of them in the room.
"I can't believe I passed out in front of not only you but everybody at the Natural Museum of History."
Cassie recognized her friend's vulnerability and decided not to take things any further. "Don't be humiliated, I won't make fun of you. We'll make it through this D-Man. We always do. We made it through our Easter Island adventure."
"It was three months ago but yeah, we sure did." Derek gave a slight smile. "Y'know, now that I am feeling alright, you want to see what I was going to show you?"
She nodded, "Of course." She then handed him his phone.
"I wanted to show you this in person rather than through text." Derek took back his phone and clicked his camera app. He shows her a few pictures of ancient Mongol writing on an ancient piece of paper that turned brown over the years. "Bought it at an auction. Mongols, sixteenth century."
"What is it about these ancient Mongolian writing?" Cassie asked as she took her seat in a chair.
"This ancient Mongolian writing is not just words, but it is alleged to be a map."
"A map of what?" Derek smiles. "You are thinking of something, I can tell Derek," Cassie continued with an equal smile of her own.
"Have you ever heard of the Immortal Gods from Chinese mythology?"
Cassie listed the Immortal Gods from Chinese mythology: "Yeah, Shiva, Ganesh, and Parshuram."
Derek shook his head. "Wrong gods. The Eight Immortals. "The Immortal Gods, the ones who never died. This map is alleged to be one of the maps that the Eight Immortals used to obtain this fruit that is supposed to grant everlasting life to whoever consumes it. I'm pretty sure you've heard of the Peaches of Immortality."
Cassie's eyes widened.
Chapter 2: Museum
Five Days Later
"Shouldn't you be in bed?" Cassie asked, "Waiting for your swollen balls to heal up?"
Derek chuckles. "Nope. If I can get through Easter Island with my ribs partially fractured, I can get out of bed. Plus, didn't you start throwing punches when you had a broken finger?"
She wags her finger. "Not broken anymore, thank you very much."
Derek was sitting on a bench at the Natural Museum of History and Cassie was sitting beside him, they were gazing at the scroll with the Mongolian writing in his hands.
"So, this little thing, this scroll that was discovered in the Gobi Desert of Outer Mongolia in 1532, is a map to the Peaches of Immortality?" Cassie asked for clarification.
"Yep, it sure is," Derek said, nodding, "I tried to read it, but it's indecipherable."
Derek gave a long sigh before Cassie said, "I know that sigh, Derek. It's a sigh of annoyance." She lightly punches him in the shoulder.
"Yeah, I wanted to know where the Peaches of Immortality were," Derek agrees, "By the way, the Peaches of Immortality are Chinese, not Mongolian," he points out the error.
She chuckles a bit at this before reminding him, "I know, but the stories can be inaccurate at times. Like Daedalus building one labyrinth when in fact he built three and his nephew, Talos, built the fourth one in China." She remembers her father's Fourth Labyrinth adventure.
"Yeah, hopefully, the Protectors of the Hidden Word aren't protecting the Peaches of Immortality."
She laughs lightly at his comment. "I doubt it, but we are steering off-topic."
"Yeah, right." He focuses and puts the scroll down on the bench.
"Quick question, D-Man, why are you so interested in the Peaches of Immortality?"
He hesitated to answer. "I think we could save a lot of people. Once we learn to harness the Peaches of Immortality powers, we could save thousands of people. We could save their lives." He looks back at the scroll. "I'm trying to figure out how we are going to find the Peaches though. Even to someone like yourself, who can speak twelve languages, the scroll is indecipherable."
"Thanks for the update," she deadpans. "I can still try to read it. All I need is thirty minutes. One hour tops."
Derek looked around the museum to see if there was anyone around and there was nobody. "We'll decipher it at home."
"You sketch it, you have a photographic memory and drawing skills. You could sketch this baby to a T. You are a painter after all."
"All right. Get me a pen and paper."
Cassie reached into her back pocket and pulled out her journal and a pencil. "Take as long as you need, D-Man."
Derek takes the journal and pencil. "All I need is five minutes, that's all it'll take."
Cassie chuckled a bit. "Five minutes is all it will take." She smiled mischievously. "Good to know; I won't even have to take my top off."
"You are so immature." He pauses to consider himself. "Although I am too. So I guess I should be used to it." Derek opens a blank sheet to sketch the plaque. "You can move around freely if you want. I work better without an audience."
Cassie paces around the museum for the next five minutes, looking at other exhibits that might be cool. In the corner of her eye, she wore she saw something. It looked like some kind of man, although she had no idea who. Not a civilian or a guard.
But trouble.
Cassie suddenly and spontaneously lunged forward towards the man. The only thing that Cassie knows is that if she had a sixth sense for something, it was detecting danger, and ever since she walked into this museum, that creepy guy had been stalking her and Derek.
Peyton Piers has been stalking you back on Easter Island, she reminded herself. Trust your instincts cause if I'm wrong, then I could be looking at a pretty hefty lawsuit.
He does not see her coming and she tackles him to the ground. However, he managed to come out on top of her and he punched her hard in the nose causing her to bleed.
He punches her twice in the jaw, causing her to cough up blood. She desperately reaches out for anything to use as a weapon and finds nothing. He punches her one last time, in the left eye. She hit her head against the ground and was given a concussion.
The man cracks his knuckles and prepares to punch her once more. She looked up at the man. His face was now hidden by some balaclava, but she noted that he had an oval-shaped head and brown eyes with a hawk nose. His skin also appeared to be tanned, although it was hard to tell cause the only skin she could see was the one the holes didn't cover.
She prepares herself to get punched again, bracing herself for the pain, but the punch never comes.
Derek tackled the man off of Cassie and he began punching the man in the head. He puts the man in a chokehold. Then, Derek felt something hard against the back of his head. There were two assailants. The second man had hit Derek in the head with a glass vase (that somehow did not break) and gave him a concussion.
Cassie sits up and observes the two men. Besides the scarf, the second man looked exactly like the man with the hawk nose. The scarf he wore covered his mouth nose and neck, so it was harder to identify him. But he did have jet-black hair and that was his only noticeable trait.
Hawk Nose stood straight up and kicked Derek in the stomach. Jet Black did not harm, although when he saw Cassie, he did reach down to touch her shoulder, Hawk Nose pulled his hand away.
It looked like Hawk Nose was trying to stop Jet Black from touching Cassie, but it turned out that he wanted her all to himself. Hawk Nose leans forward and reaches for her chest. Unnoticed by either villain, Derek was filling up with anger from the incident happening in front of him. It was made pretty clear that both Hawk Nose and Jet Black were going to rape Cassie.
Jumping to his feet, Derek snatched the vase from Jet Black's hand and smashed it into Hawk Nose's head, causing the vase to shatter this time. He gasps in pain and Hawk Nose collapses. Jet Black turned to Derek and punched him hard in the face.
Hawk Nose groaned in pain and turned to see Jet Black beat up Derek. Hawk Nose turns back to Cassie after getting back on his feet. He grabs her by the shoulder and pushes her against the wall. She wanted to run, but the concussion, she was suffering from made it impossible to.
Hawk Nose said something in a foreign language. "Songokh, amidrakh esvel ükhekh." Cassie couldn't even understand. She feels something grope at her waist. She looked down to see that Hawk Nose was groping at her belt buckle. He smiles through his balaclava, punching her in the stomach, and causing her to double over. Now that she was on the ground, he yanked her jeans off. She was now in her panties and kicking to try and keep away Hawk Nose. Terror overtook her.
Chapter 3: Jail
When he saw that Cassie was about to be raped, his rage overtook him again. He uses all his strength to break Jet Black's wrist before headbutting him in the nose and shoving him into Hawk Nose. They collide with each other and collapse on the floor.
Suddenly, Derek heard something behind him. He turns over his right shoulder and sees another masked thug shoving the scroll into a bag. Derek wanted to pursue him, but he had to make sure that Cassie was alright.
Hawk Nose and Jet Black were already running off in the third masked man's direction and as it turns out, this entire time, Hawk Nose and Jet Black were merely a diversion. Whoever these guys were, they wanted the Peaches of Immortality desperately because they had just stolen Derek's scroll.
Derek had pursued them but in the ensuing chase, Hawk Nose, Jet Black, and the Third One had escaped from Derek. He wanted to continue to chase them but he lost sight of them as soon as they ran out the door.
"Goddamnit!" he cursed under his breath. When he went back inside to check on Cassie, he found several security guards putting Cassie in handcuffs, but none of them noticed Derek. He wanted to save her, but if he did, then he would be arrested and he could never stop Hawk Nose, Jet Black, or the Third One.
He decided to slip away, how he would save Cassie, he would figure out later, but he was determined to save her.
"Don't I get a lawyer?" Cassie asks sarcastically. "I mean, isn't that in my rights?"
"Not our problem," the security guard told her, "we're just holding you until the police get here. After that, you're their problem."
Cassie's lips quiver. Oh my god, I can't believe that almost happened. I was pinned down and a man was going to rape me. Oh god. She breathes heavily and turns her gaze to the ground. I never should've attacked that guy. No, those guys stole a map to the Peaches of Immortality. I should've… I've fought in a life-or-death situation before but it has always been luck that saved me. I need to pick my fights CAREFULLY next time.
She squeezes her eyes shut. Oh my god, it's still playing in my head. Thank you, Derek, thank you so much for saving me. But… Derek can't always be there. If I want to become a legend like my parents, I need to be able to take care of myself.
If I'm going to juvie, or at the very least, a holding cell before everything clears up, then there is a possibility I might get into a fight. But, if I do that, I could stay in jail longer. As much as I want to be like my parents, I do NOT want a criminal record on my charge. No way at all.
She opens her eyes.
You'll be alright, Cassie, you WEREN'T raped and you know to be prepared next time. Derek, I don't know what you're going to do but good luck out there.
XXXX
A day later, Derek had visited Cassie in the Juvenile Detention Center. Since she was still seventeen turning eighteen in June, she was put in juvie. He came to visit her in her cell. If she had a prisoner sharing a cell, he could not see her.
"How are you doing in there, Cassie?" Derek asked, putting his hands on the bars.
"Pretty good, I haven't showered yet, but I am still managing," she answered nonchalantly. "Why do all Drakes have to go to jail?"
"Oh yeah, and about that whole incident yesterday, with...Hawk Nose...almost raping you…"
"Don't say it, Derek," she cut him off.
"I won't." He sighs deeply. "Those three thugs got away, but I may have a theory where."
Cassie narrowed her eyes at Derek. "Where? Tell me, D-Man."
"That guy, Hawk Nose, when he was about to touch you, he said 'Songokh, amidrakh esvel ükhekh,' which translates as 'Choose, live or die' in Mongolian." Derek licked his lips. "These guys, or at least Hawk Nose, are Mongolian. The scarf that Jet Black wore on his face had Mongolian writing. It read, 'For Batu Khan' and in Mongolia, I heard that Batu Khan is the leader of the largest criminal empire in Mongolia. And if you looked carefully, like I did because I am extremely observant, Hawk Nose had a belt buckle that said 'For Batu Khan' in Mongolian as well."
"So, you're saying that this entire time, crime boss Batu Khan is the one behind the robbery and the one who wants the Peaches of Immortality?"
Derek nodded slowly. "Yes, and now you are paying for the crime they committed."
Cassie gives another deep sigh. "Derek, you have to do something. I can't get out on bail until Saturday, which is in six days."
"So, what now?"
"You still have the sketched piece of the map, do you?" Derek nods. "Okay, how about this for a suggestion, you go look for the Peaches of Immortality without me. As much as I want to go with you, I'll be here behind bars. If Batu Khan gets his hands on the Peaches of Immortality…"
What Cassie said shocked him. He never went on an adventure without her and he could not believe what he was hearing. "It would be the first adventure I would go on without you. Honestly, it wouldn't be the same."
"Derek, we've been on enough adventures as a duo already. I don't want anything bad to happen to you but we can't let those peaches fall into the wrong hands."
"I agree," Derek nods. "But you have more experience in hunting these kind of things."
"Well, if you get through this adventure, you can level up."
He looks down at his shoes. He was determined to do something. He couldn't afford to wait. So his only option would be to go after the Peaches of Immortality without her and get the Peaches before the crime boss does.
"I promise to defeat Batu Khan and his entire criminal organization. I will get the Peaches and I will keep them as far away as possible from Batu Khan. And I promise to come back."
"You promise?"
"I promise." Derek nods.
Oh shit, I'm going up against an ENTIRE criminal organization. I gotta do something.
"Oh, and uh, don't eat any of the peaches, because you're already a peach." Cassie smiles awkwardly. "Was that a good delivery?"
Derek laughs. "Yeah, and thank you. And I have no intention of eating the peaches."
"Good, because if there's one thing I know about the peaches, it's that eating more than one will cause you to die."
"Good to know."
Chapter 4: Airplane
On the plane ride from Hawaii to China, Derek spent the time deciphering the sketch. He sketched it so perfectly in his journal that it should be a replica.
Derek was examining the sides of the scroll very carefully and checked for the symbols. He wrote down the names of the Eight Immortals. "He Xiangyu, Cao Guojiu, Li Tieguai, Lan Caihe, Lu Dongbin, Han Xiangzi, Zhang Guolao, and Zhongli Quan." He writes the names down.
If he could switch the words around, the surname of the first Immortal would spell A Gun XI. What does 'A Gun XI' even mean?
Derek began flipping through several pages to find out what 'A Gun Xi' meant. He did find out that the XI is not a Roman numeral, but an ancient Mongol text. It wasn't 'A Gun XI,' it was Xia, and Gun was shortened for Gunju; so far, all he got was Gunju Xia, and that wasn't even the name of one of Genghis Khan's wife. But maybe it meant something.
"Maybe Gunju Xia or Xia Gunju is the name of a historical place." He began typing on his computer. He looks up any places in Mongolia for Gunju Xia or something that has the name, Gunju Xia.
"Okay, Xia is referring to the Xia in Chinese history while Gunju is referring to the name of one of Genghis Khan's wives." He begins putting all the pieces together. "Okay, the Eight Immortals from Chinese mythology, according to this scroll, kept the Peaches of Immortality in Mongolia, and they left the clues in this scroll. Gunju and Xia. Xia refers to the Xia Dynasty while Gunju refers to a wife of Genghis Khan."
He breathes deeply as he continues, "Xia is Chinese, but could also be referring to the Western Xia conquest, and Gunju is Mongolia. If I didn't know any better, the Peaches of Immortality are in Mongolia."
He writes more down notes. "Okay then, but where in Mongolia?" He smacks himself upside the head. "Alright, Western Xia, wife of Genghis Khan, and in Mongolia." He begins going deep into his thoughts. "Western Xia, Gunju Khatun, and Mongolia," he repeats several times, "Western Xia, Gunju Khatun, Mongolia."
"Okay, so, the clue is somewhere in Western Xia, involves the wife of Genghis Khan, and is located in Mongolia." He suddenly deduced: "The Gobi Desert. That's where the Peaches of Immortality are, in the Gobi Desert. All this time, it was in the Gobi Desert." Derek smiled; he finally figured out the piece to the puzzle.
"Let's hope that dickhead, Batu Khan, doesn't find out in time. Speaking of which." Derek takes out his phone and calls for Cassie down at the prison. She was given five to seven minutes to talk on her one phone call.
"Cassie, you are not going to believe this, I found out where the Peaches of Immortality are."
"Where?" Cassie asked.
"They are definitely in Mongolia, but they are in the Gobi Desert. I figured it all out and I have a theory: The Eight Immortals who used the Peaches of Immortality must have hidden the Peaches of Immortality in a place that was called the Gunju Xia, which is an uncharted trench in the Gobi Desert. It's uncharted, but people have explored it. It is big and at least a twelve-mile long trench, but it seems most likely."
"Good job, Derek, I knew you could crack the code. What are you going to do when you get to Mongolia?"
"I don't know, but I am going to need a guide into the Gobi Desert, so that is why I'm going to call these two friends I know who are staying in China for an internship at different jobs each. One is named Niko Lowell, my cousin, and the other is named Angie Richardson."
XXXX
Three Hours Later
Shanghai, China
Derek had landed in Shanghai, China just thirty minutes ago and he was searching for his cousin and friend, Niko and Angie. He decided to wait on the bench for them after texting them that he had arrived at the international airport in Shanghai. He knew what Niko and Angie looked like. Niko was the name of his cousin so he couldn't bear not remembering his cousin. Angie was about the same age as him and he shouldn't forget what she looked like, because they started dating when they met at the University of Paris barely one year ago.
Derek scooted over when he saw two people wanting to sit on the bench that he was sitting on. He looks to see who these people are. It was Niko and Angie.
"Niko, Angie, it's me Derek Lowell," he introduced himself to his cousin and girlfriend.
"Hey there, Derek," Niko cheered before he hugged his cousin tightly; this was the first time they had seen each other since Derek's graduation from high school.
Angie hugged her boyfriend next but her hug had romantic love hidden in it. "Been a while, Derek," she said, releasing herself from the hug. She then bestowed upon his lips a kiss, which he returned hungrily but was able to contain himself.
"So, when you called us and told us that you were coming to China, we were wondering why," Niko mentions.
"You two people are the only people I can trust. We might want to discuss this in private." Derek got off the bench and escorted the two to a nearby water fountain near the bathrooms.
"Alrighty then, what is it you want to privately discuss us with?" Angie asked sarcastically. That's what Derek loved about Angie aside from her strawberry blonde hair: her sarcasm.
He quickly made sure no one was looking or listening in their direction before he spoke. "Do you guys know the name of a crime boss named Batu Khan?"
Niko and Angie's eyes widened. "Batu Khan, the leader of the largest criminal empire in Mongolia?" Angie asked with a whisper.
"Yes, that Batu Khan," Derek clarified. "Listen, just a few days ago, Batu Khan had three of his thugs break into the Natural Museum of History in Hawaii and steal a scroll that I bought at an auction," Derek clears the air, "A scroll that was discovered some centuries ago."
"How much is this scroll?" Niko asked. "If Batu Khan wants it, then it must be worth millions of dollars."
"Billions of dollars even but I paid only seventy dollars for it. The scroll carries something that is much more valuable than any kind of money in the world, a map." He pauses. "A map to the Peaches of Immortality."
"The Peaches of Immortality?" both Niko and Angie whispered in question.
Derek replied to the two, "The Peaches of Immortality from Chinese mythology. The Peaches of the Eight Immortals? Yes, it turns out, from what I deciphered on a sketch of the scroll, the Peaches of Immortality are in Mongolia and the Gobi Desert."
"So, you came here to China just to tell us about the Peaches of Immortality?" Angie asked, incredibly offended that Derek was not here just to see her. She wanted to end this long-distance relationship with Derek for this sole purpose but she saw herself as a forgiving person and decided to give him a second chance.
"No, I need you guys to do something for me. I need a guide into the Gobi Desert. I would go to Mongolia but since Batu Khan has a very large criminal empire, any of his guides could be part of his 'little' gang."
"Okay, well we do know this one guy who has explored the Gobi Desert thousands of times and he is the most trusted guide we know. He can't be bought by any criminals and he can surely help you out in your quest," Angie helps.
"Thanks a lot, Angie." He had genuinely forgotten how beautiful Angie looked from the angle that he was standing at. He had to put relationships aside so he asked, "What's his name?"
"Chang," she answered without hesitation.
"Thank you so much, if you can call him, it would be much obliged. Next time I am in Shanghai, pizza is on me," Derek promises to Niko. "And I will make up my absence, Angie."
"You better, it's lonely here in Asia." Angie took out her phone. While the phone was busy, she quickly went in and kissed Derek on the lips again, savoring his taste. "Good luck on your quest, D."
"Thanks, Angie, I'm going to need luck," Derek smirked and put a hand through her silky strawberry blonde hair. "I am going to pay Mr. Khan a visit."
Right after I met this guide.
Chapter 5: Guide
The Next Day
Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
At a restaurant in the capital of Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar, there sat a short and chubby fifty-year-old man with brown hair, brown eyes, and bushy eyebrows at a table, taking very few sips of wine, making sure to stay sober for when his men returned to him with the scroll that he lost at an auction. He could not believe that he, Batu Khan, the leader of the largest criminal empire in Mongolia, lost a scroll at an auction for seventy dollars.
Then came three people into the restaurant. It was none other than Hawk Nose, Jet Black (with a cast around his left hand), and the Third One.
The three approached Batu Khan and bowed. Hawk Nose pulled out the scroll from a satchel at his side. "Good afternoon, Lord Batu Khan," Hawk Nose said in Mongolian.
"Welcome back, how was your adventure in Hawaii?" Batu Khan asked.
Jet Black answered this time, "It was good. A little rusty and somewhat mischievous, especially with this one girl we fought." He held up his broken wrist. "Somewhat hazardous."
"But we have the scroll for you, our lord, nevertheless," the Third One said dryly. The Third One signaled for Hawk Nose to set the scroll down on the table for Batu Khan to see. He regards it for several seconds.
"What did you guys find out from this little scroll?" Batu Khan asked the three but the Third One specifically.
Hawk Nose and Jet Black shrugged as expected but the Third One spoke, "We have discovered from some research on the plane that the Peaches of Immortality are somewhere in our country. My two brothers here have speculated that the Peaches of Immortality may lie somewhere in the Gobi Desert. It makes perfect sense if one thinks about it."
Batu Khan nodded. "I am guessing that you are correct, but we need more research done on this scroll. If we want to resurrect Genghis Khan's empire under my name, then we need to figure out the exact location of the Peaches of Immortality."
"Yes my Lord, I will have the historians and translators work on the plaque as soon as possible," the Third One said.
"Good. Now that my second-in-command and two lieutenants are here, why don't the four of you have a seat?" Batu Khan said more like a command than a question. Jet Black and Hawk Nose nodded and sat down at the table. The Third One nodded, but after giving the scroll to another man. This man was one of Batu Khan's henchmen. He took it to the back of the room with two others to study more of it.
"Now, let's drink some wine. As in as little as twelve hours, we will have a map to the Peaches of Immortality."
The Third One sat down and gazed at Batu Khan. "That is pretty optimistic my Lord."
"I'm a very optimistic man. Even in the most difficult situations."
Then, another man came into the room. Batu Khan, Hawk Nose, Jet Black, and the Third One stared at the man with contempt. He was not Mongolian or Asian at all. He looked to be North American. This North American man approached the table that Batu Khan and his three followers were sitting at. He sat down at the empty table and smiled at Batu Khan.
"Are you lost you non-Asian?" Batu Khan asked, clearly offended by the man in his presence.
"No, I am not lost. I am here looking for a man. His name is I believe, Batu Khan."
Batu Khan stared at the man with a glare. "That would be me. Why?"
The man grins. "My name is Derek Lowell."
"Mr. Lowell, I believe I heard a name like that before," the crime boss said. He was trying to remember. "I think I heard a name like that on Easter Island one year ago."
"Yeah well, I was on Easter Island last year with a friend and I was aware I made the news."
"What is the reason you are here, Mr. Lowell?" Batu Khan asked, cupping his hands together and waiting for an answer.
"A few days ago, three of your boys snuck into a museum and stole something from the past. I came here to buy it back." He feels sweat running down his right leg calf, which is also where a tape recorder was 'taped'.
"How much are you willing to offer?"
"One million dollars." Derek lied with proficiency and he was proud of it (to a slight degree). He gazed up at the tall and thin one that Batu Khan referred to as Tzi. There was something odd about Tzi. He then looked at the only girl in the group called Sarnai. He didn't recognize her with her dark hair, but he felt like he knew her. Then there was the other one, he heard his name as Ganzorig.
All three glared at Derek with intensity. It was like they knew him, but he didn't know them. Then, he finally realized something. Tzi was Hawk Nose, Ganzorig was Jet Black and Sarnai was the Third One.
He finally figured out their identities but made sure to hide his reaction, another thing he was good at.
"One million dollars is rather a lot of money." Batu Khan was catching onto something. He probably knew that he had some kind of wire onto him, which is why Batu Khan kept a very close watch on what he spoke about. "I am willing to trade it for something."
"What would that be?" Derek asked.
"The Peaches of Immortality itself."
"The Peaches of Immortality is a myth, Mr. Khan," Derek counters.
"If that is true, then why did you come from America to come to buy the scroll back from me?"
Derek hesitated to answer. This Batu Khan was much smarter than he anticipated. And he knows that he has a tape recorder on him.
"If you recall, I bought the scroll from the museum." Batu Khan then nodded to his thugs. They circled in on Derek. "And… Mr. Lowell, you are extremely stupid if you think that you were going to walk away from here alive."
XXXX
Two hours Ago
Derek stepped into the main office of the zoo and stared at the man sitting at the desk. The man looked over at Derek with a cheeky grin on his face.
"Ahh, it is always fun to have someone new enter my office." He leans in his chair. "Don't worry, my English is good. English is the most popular language in the world so it is only fair that I keep up with it, Derek Lowell."
"Did Angie mention me?"
"Yes, and she said some wonderfully stupendous things about you. I'm glad to have finally met you." He stands up. "Is it true what you said about going up against Batu Khan and the Peaches of Immorality?"
"Nope," Derek shook his head. "The peaches, no but Batu Khan, yes."
"Intriguing. Very intriguing and I can't wait to see how this battle plays out. You wanted me to guide you in the Gobi Desert?"
"Yes, very much."
"Well, I COULD do that but what of your confrontation with Batu Khan? Are you going to the Gobi before or after you meet Batu Khan?"
"Probably before."
"Not a good idea. If you give me some details on what it is you're looking for, maybe I can help you out."
Derek explains his intentions.
"Interesting, a map to the Peaches of Immorality. I believe in nature, not supernatural but if that's what you treasure hunters are for then by all means, I will help you. If Batu Khan has this map, I recommend getting Batu Khan out in the open. I've had my fair share of encounters with the man and understand that he LOVES gloating about his achievements. If there is a problem he doesn't want, then he will most likely take you out to the Gobi, gloat, and then kill you. You can kill two birds with one stone."
Derek narrows his eyes. "So, what is your plan?"
"If you can provoke Batu Khan into getting angry with you, he will take you to the Gobi Desert. Once you are in the Gobi, he will taunt you with his map before having you killed. I will put a tracker on you and will set up an ambush. You can kill Batu Khan and his men, take his map, and find whatever it is you're looking for. And this trench you're talking about, I know all about it."
Derek eyes the man. "If you know all about this about Batu Khan and the Gobi, then why do you just sit back?"
The man smiles. "Because some people just want to live their lives and not get involved; that's why."
Chapter 6: Almost Buried
Ganzorig puts his hands on Derek's shoulder while Tzi tied Derek's wrists together. Sarnai then used this opportunity to frisk Derek from head to toe. When she found a tape recorder taped to his calf, she checked inside to see if she could find the tape. And to her surprise, there was no tape inside.
"My Lord, he is clean," she tells him.
Derek smirked. The real wire was hidden in the sole of his sneaker. "Look, Batu Khan, I know you stole the scroll. It belongs in a museum."
Batu Khan shrugged. There was no point lying now. His guard was down. "Alright, I admit it, I stole the scroll, Ganzorig, Tzi, and Sanari, I sent to go steal it in Hawaii. Anything else?"
"Yes, you are crazy for going after the Peaches of Immortality, what do you intend to do once you find the Peaches of Immortality with that scroll?" Derek asked.
"You are smart, try and figure it out," Batu Khan challenged.
Derek had only one theory: "You want to resurrect Genghis Khan's empire, under your name."
Batu Khan nodded. "That is correct."
Derek felt the rage boiling within him. "You son of a bitch, Genghis Khan was not a good man. He, like other people like Hitler and Tamerlane, is evil."
"I know," Batu Khan nodded again.
XXXX
The Gobi Desert
A few hours later, Batu Khan and his three thugs had loaded Derek into a truck and Ganzorig and Tzi did the honors of driving him to the Gobi Desert for Derek to be executed.
It was just one truck and it was only Tzi and Ganzorig. They had the perfect plan to execute him. In the Gobi Desert, there were a few wild animals like the lions who roam freely and feed on anything they can get their hands on. So they were going to feed Derek to one of the lions.
"Hey," Derek called out to his captors, "Tzi, Ganzorig, how have you guys been?"
"Pretty good actually, I am about to become immortal and I finally get to finish what I started at that museum," Tzi answered with sarcasm.
"You seem to have this, big brother, do whatever you want with our little American friend," Ganzorig cheered before returning to the truck. He sat in the driver's seat and waited patiently for Derek's death.
"Tzi, what you were about to do to Cassie back at the museum, was the biggest and most unforgivable mistake you'll have ever made in your entire life!" Derek snapped at Tzi.
"Shut up, you American. All you Americans do is talk, talk, talk. Now let's go for a walk, walk, walk." Tzi pushed Derek forward.
Derek smiled. His plans were working out perfectly. He wanted to get caught so he and Chang could steal one of Batu Khan's trucks. They could have just stolen them at the restaurant, but Derek wanted to get proof that Bati Khan was the one behind the museum heist, not Cassie. He got solid proof that she was innocent and Batu Khan was guilty.
Tzi struck Derek in the back of the head, giving him a concussion again. He did not collapse to the ground though. "Tell me, does that pain feel familiar?"
Derek worked on loosening the ropes around his wrists, but they were too tight.
"Tell me, have you ever taken kickboxing before? I'm a brown belt. I had a record of nine wins and zero losses. Impressive, no?" Tzi spoke with a sadistic smile painted across his face. He kicks Derek in the kidney and Derek gives a yell of pain. "Time for a roundhouse kick." Tzi Roundhouse kicks Derek in his spine.
"Front kick." He kicks Derek in the back. "Spinning kick." Another kick to the back. "Time for a knee to the spine." He does a flying knee to Derek's back. Derek finally went down to the ground. "Have you ever played ice hockey before? I had one powerful swing." He bashes Derek on the head with his pistol. Derek refused to lose consciousness. "Time to score." He strikes Derek in the cheek with his gun. Derek went falling onto his back. But he finally loosened the rope around his wrist. All he had to do was wait for the right moment.
Secretly grabbing a handful of sand, he throws it into his attacker's face. The hot sand was burning his eyes. Tzi screamed in pain and clutched his eye sockets.
Derek used all his strength to jump up and tackle Tzi to the ground. He grabs the gun with his hand and points the barrel underneath Tzi's jaw. "Brains always defeat brawn!" He pulls the trigger. Blood and guts sprayed from the top of the villain's head. His eyes were wide open and his face frozen in terror. "This for Cassie."
Ganzorig stepped out of the jeep to see what was going on and saw Derek on top of his brother and his brother wasn't alive. When he realized this, he aimed his gun at Derek. "You killed my brother!" Ganzorig shouts in rage. Derek was frozen in fear and waited to hear a gunshot, but instead, he heard a scream of pain. A lion had just pounced on Ganzorig and ripped him apart like a mannequin. He screams in agony as his intestines are ripped out and blood is spilling out. Ganzorig was dead before his body went limp.
Derek thought that the lion was going to turn on him, but he spotted a figure appear from out of nowhere behind the lion. It was none other than Chang, the guide that his girlfriend called.
"Hello there," Chang waved politely. A smile plastered his face, a creepy one, considering he was standing over a mutilated corpse.
Derek's eyes go wide. What is this guy's problem?
Chapter 7: Lion Guide
"Chang, watch out for the lion!" Derek screamed. Surprisingly, the lion, once it was finished with the corpse of Ganzorig, approached Chang and the guide stroked its head lovingly.
"Don't worry," Chang promised to the worried adventurer, "This is Shiva and she is friendly." He gestured for Derek to come forward towards him, which he reluctantly complied to do. "Pet her, she likes being petted on the head."
"Hey there, girl," Derek spoke in a soft voice. He petted Shiva softly on the neck and smiled at her. "Her name is Shiva, like the Hindu god? Like the name of that tiger on The Walking Dead? "
"Correct, I named her after that poor tiger. I love that show. She won't bite, so you can play with her."
Derek looked at Ganzorig's bloody and ripped-up corpse. Yeah, won't bite huh? He looked away from the corpse.
"Only if I tell her to bite, then she will bite," Chang continued.
"So, this the backup you told me about? I was expecting people with guns."
"Not how I operate, plus, she is a much more efficient fighter than any gunman." Chang petted Shiva again.
Derek looked at the corpses of both Tzi and Ganzorig. Two down, two to go. He turns back to Chang. "Listen, buddy, can you guide me towards the Gunju Xia Trench, I must go."
Chang put a hand on Derek's shoulder and said, "I won't be able to guide you."
Derek's eyes widened. "Why not?" Derek asked calmly.
"Before I arrived, I was so sure that Batu Khan had spotted me and I now sense that he is following me. If I take you towards the trench, then I will be leading him towards you and whatever you're after."
Derek stutters, "Maybe you can-"
"Shiva will guide you."
Derek stares with wide eyes at the lion. "This lion is going to guide me towards the Gunju Xia Trench? How?"
"She has traveled with me to the Gunju Xia Trench before, she knows the way." Chang then said something in Chinese to Shiva. She purrs and Chang pets her once more. "Trust me, follow Shiva and you will find the trench."
Derek gave a long and pensive sigh. He could not believe that he was going to bet his life on a lion that only lives to tear its prey apart but ever since Easter Island, things were always going to be unconventional. "Alright, if this lion will guide me to the Gunju Xia Trench, then I guess I have to follow." He narrowed his eyes. "Were you hoping for Batu Khan to be here?"
"Absolutely," Chang answers enthusiastically. "Greatly."
"Why? I thought you said you didn't want to get involved?"
"Some people don't want to get involved. I would love to get involved but I'm a gutless weasel and coward. So, I had to settle until some brunette teen with a wild imagination came up to my door. Sure, there is going to be a power vacuum that other crime organizations will try to fill but that's in Mongolia, no longer my problem. As long as Batu Khan is dead, well, then I don't care. I sincerely hope he comes out here in the Gobi and follows you so you can kill him."
Derek flinches. "What is wrong with you."
"There's nothing wrong with me." His smile remained frozen on his face. "I just am."
Chang suddenly hugged Derek and said goodbye to Shiva before he walked off into the desert, back to civilization.
"So, Shiva, I guess it is just you and I now. So, why don't we get in the truck?" He walks over to the dead Ganzorig and opens the driver's door. Shiva hopped in and sat down in the passenger seat. Derek looted both Tzi and Ganzorig before getting into the truck and starting the engine.
"Watch and learn, Shiva." He pets her once again before he puts the key in the ignition and shifts gear.
"Now this is how you drive a car." Derek puts his foot on the gas and drives off in the direction that Shiva is staring at.
After driving in the Gobi Desert for several hours, the car had broken down and the fuel was empty. "Shit!" Derek cursed at himself. He turns to the lion, "Guess what, Shiva. Looks like we are walking from here."
Derek opened his door and hopped out, Shiva followed right after. "Okay, Shiva, this is your turf now. Lead the way, girl."
Packing up two canteens of water and two bags of MREs, he follows Shiva into the Gobi Desert.
"Man, it is so hot," Derek complained. "How does my Egyptian friend Omaria stand this?" He hated being out here in this heat. "So hot. Shiva!" He calls out to the lion in front of her. "How can you be so used to this heat?" She did nothing but purr. "Just what I was thinking, girl."
Following very carefully in Shiva's footprints, he made sure that he would put a canteen of cold water on his head to prevent dehydration. "Why did I come here during the hot season?"
Shiva growled at something. "What is it, girl?" Derek asked as he stepped up beside her. He saw something in the distance. He and Shiva walk carefully towards the thing. It grew in the distance and then Derek saw what Shiva saw, a corpse of a man and a camel.
"What the hell happened here?" he whispers to Shiva before he examines the corpses. "The bite radius looks enormous." There was a huge chunk torn out of the camel's hump. "What the hell kind of creature did this? No pack of lions could have done this, they would have taken more than a huge chunk out of a camel." He turns to the man. He was an explorer like Derek, but there was something very odd about his corpse. His head and chest were gone and all that was left was guts spilling from his waist and his blood painting the sand around him red.
"What the hell is this? This is so grotesque." Derek looted the corpse for any clues as to what happened. "Looks nothing like any animal I have seen before." Derek began to avoid thinking rationally and started thinking supernaturally. 'Okay, no possible animal in Mongolia could have taken one huge bite out of these two." He began thinking about Mongolian folklore. "In the Gobi Desert…" he begins to Shiva, "...there is believed to be some kind of legendary monster that roams the Gobi Desert." He tries to remember the name of the creature. "The Mongolian death worm." He turns away from Shiva, who was growling. "Legend says that the Mongolian death worm inhabits the western or southern part of the Gobi Desert. It is barely two feet long and can kill anybody instantly. Either through touch or ejecting its venom at people. It hibernates every month of the year, save for June and July and it comes out when it rains and the ground gets wet. Up to date, people who have gone this far into the Gobi Desert have never come back."
Great, if it wasn't this lion that was going to kill me, then it would be this death worm.
Chapter 8: Lions and Worms
Shiva growls.
"It's alright, there is no Mongolian death worm here, it is just a myth," Derek told mostly to himself. "But, I've seen an underground world before on Easter Island and I heard all kinds of stories from Cassie's parents." He was starting to scare himself. "And all those stories did happen." He was scaring himself.
Shiva approached him and she licked his cheek after sensing his fear. "Thank you for the comfort, Shiva." Derek petted her. "Right now…" he looks around to see if he can spot anything. "Batu Khan and Sarnai are the least of our problems." He tries to comfort himself and Shiva.
Derek and Shiva continued moving forward. Derek looked up and saw grey clouds starting to form, the rain was indicated to come down at any moment. "Oh crap, it's starting to rain." Derek turned Shiva. "We have to get to shelter Shiva, especially since the Mongolian death worm might be hiding and waiting for us." He led Shiva in whatever direction he could. The rain was already starting to pour down on them. "WHY!" he cries into the sky, water drenching his face.
Derek and Shiva finally find this one place where they can take shelter. It was a large rock with an overhead ceiling that was big enough to cover them from the rain. Shiva sat down right next to Derek and began using her body heat to warm Derek.
"You know, if we both want to stay warm, we better build a fire." Derek removed the jacket he was wearing and folded it. Taking out his Zippo lighter, he lights the jacket in flames. "Better be worth it, I liked that jacket." He puts the jacket down and probes his hands around the fire. Shiva just stood as close as she could to the fire. "I'll just buy another jacket, am I right Shiva? Plus, you really shouldn't wear a jacket in the desert. I don't what I was thinking when I brought that jacket but I knew I should've."
Shiva curled up like a cat. Derek petted her sweetly. Derek just gazed at the beautiful fire and waited to fall asleep.
He was about to close his eyes when he saw something large protruding in the sand several yards away. Both Shiva and he stared at the thing wide-eyed (even Shiva). Something was sticking out of the sand.
It was the Mongolian death worm, real, alive, red, and slimy.
Derek yanked out his pistol from his waistband and shot at the death worm. He fired two bullets into it and the death worm wasn't fazed in the slightest.
Derek got a good view of the death worm. It was red, two feet in length but it was incredibly fast and had huge fangs that looked painful just looking at it. Derek grabbed his burning jacket, making sure to hold the part of the jacket that was not flaming. He and Shiva crawled out from under the rock and ran off. The worm was chasing after them. When it got closer, Derek waved the flaming jacket at the worm, keeping it back. Once the worm snatched the jacket away, Derek ran like hell out of there.
"Sweet Jesus help me! SWEET JESUS, HELP ME!"
All of a sudden, while running, Shiva ran in between Derek's legs and now Derek was sitting on Shiva's back. She ran as fast as she could, fifty miles per hour. Derek looked back and saw the death worm slithering as fast as sixty miles per hour.
Derek decided to shake off the monster by aiming his pistol at his worm. He fires three bullets into the monster, the result the same as before.
All of a sudden, Shiva yelled and collapsed. Derek went flying forward a few feet. He rolls onto his back, but when he stops, he aims at the monster. He fires several times into the monster. He wasted nearly an entire magazine into the worm. This time, it was fazed by the gunshot. The monster screeched in pain and dug back into the sand, retreating.
Derek stood up and dusted himself off. He heard a whimper. Shiva was lying painfully on her side, a red mark on her left hind leg that was starting to blister and bleed. "Oh no, Shiva, are you alright?" Derek approached her. He wanted to pet her, but remembered, that if touching a Mongolian death worm results in instant death, is it possible, that touching a victim of the death worm would result in the person's death? He felt really sad for not being able to pet her. "I am so, so sorry, Shiva." He could tell she was in a lot of pain. She was howling in real pain. "I am so, so sorry Shiva." He says again. Taking out the magazine in his pistol, he checks to see how many bullets he has left. He slaps the magazine into the gun and cocks the gun. He aims the gun at Shiva's head. "I will make sure you feel no more pain." He looks away as he pulls the trigger.
Several minutes later, he was still sitting on his knees and in the sand. He slapped in another magazine of bullets. He felt bad for shooting Shiva, but he felt glad for putting her out of her misery.
"What now?" He stands up and looks around. In the far distance, he saw something. Some kind of rocky structure. "What?" He gasps. "Gunju Xia." He smiles. "Shiva, I will make sure your death is not in vain."
Derek had traveled a long way from Shiva's corpse to the trench. It was larger than he even anticipated. Now he knows why this trench is still uncharted, because of the Mongolian death worm acting like some kind of guardian or scarecrow to frighten trespassers.
"At most beautifully," Derek said upon entering the trench. With his gun loaded, he keeps his guard up for the Mongolian death worm. "Wha-Wha-What did you say?" Derek began singing, "Mmm whatcha say, mmm that you only meant well? Well of course you did. Mmm, whatcha say, mmm that's all for the best? Of course, it is."
Derek began humming an old song by Jason Derulo as he walked into the trench. He was so amazed by its beauty.
"So this trench is twelve miles long." He recalled what he had learned about the trench. "No life, yet plants continue to grow. Pools of water, fresh and drinkable water most likely, and dates." He called out whatever he could find. There could be a whole town living here. An entire civilization hid from the world.
How exciting and grand.
Chapter 9: Dangerous Trenches
"Boy, I can't wait to tell Cassie about this adventure." Speaking of which, he decided to call her on his satellite phone and tell her all about it. She was still in jail so he had to accept some conditions before Cassie could talk to him but he accepted them without hesitation. He told her everything, leaving nothing out.
"That is amazing, Derek," Cassie says cheerfully on his phone.
"I am so close to finding the Peaches and to get back to civilization. Just hold on a little bit longer in that prison."
"Okay, I will bear with you for the next week. I am going on trial. That tape you recorded of Batu Khan will most certainly prove my innocence and his guilt."
"I know it will. As soon as I find the Peaches of Immortality, I am getting out of Mongolia and bringing you the tape for your trial."
"I owe you one Derek." Cassie was forced to hang up.
"Damn it, I should've called Chang and told him about Shiva. And… damn it, how am I going to get back? I don't know anybody's number in Mongolia. Hell, I don't even know the area code." Derek put his phone back into his pocket and continued to roam the trench. "Where the hell am I supposed to go."
Follow your gut buddy.
"Who said that?" Derek demanded to the voice.
It's me, your mind. You're talking to yourself, you idiot.
"Oh, so I am talking to myself?" He chuckled at himself. "Wait, I get to say what my mind says. I can keep myself occupied while I look for the Peaches of Immortality."
He was starting to laugh at himself for talking to himself.
"Okay, talking to myself is creepy." Derek slapped himself. "Stay focused, Derek." He kept himself occupied by humming music while also looking through the trench.
He then spotted something.
It was a very tiny hole in the wall, but he could squeeze through. He was considering turning back but when he saw a carving of Shiva himself, he decided to crawl right through the hole.
Going through headfirst, on the other side of the room was none other than a room of elaborate puzzles. A doorway actually, but surely a doorway to the Peaches of Immortality.
"End of the road." Derek begins approaching the door. He looks for any doorknobs but finds none. He was about to figure out the puzzle until he heard something. He had no time to react when the wall with the hole blew apart.
Derek dodged any debris that came his way. When the debris stopped coming his way, he found himself staring down the barrel of a pistol and who was holding this gun was none other than Batu Khan. Who came in after Batu Khan was Sarnai, who was holding a shotgun, and another man, who was shoving in a gagged man. It was Chang.
"Chang, what did you do to him?" Derek glared at Batu Khan.
"We did nothing to this Chinese man. He got himself captured and he told us where the Gunju Trench was," Batu Khan answered for Chang.
"Or maybe I wanted to be caught so I could lead you out here," Chang suggested, his speech muffled by the gag. "Or maybe I just have bad luck."
"Who the hell is the prick holding him hostage?" Derek asked Sarnai. She was wearing nothing but a pair of old boots, jeans, and a tank top that showed off her curvy features and Derek would be lying if he said he didn't like those curvy features.
Sarnai gestured to the older-looking man, who had brown hair and blue eyes and somewhat resembled Sarnai. "This here is Arban, my older brother."
"So, you are the American that killed my two brothers Tzi and Ganzorig," Arban spoke bitterly, "You are going to pay for their deaths."
"Patience Arban, Sarnai, we still need Lowell. It looks like he found some kind of door and he needs to open it for us," the crime boss appeased.
Sarnai and Arban were seething with anger, but unfortunately, Derek was still of use to them and they were told never to get rid of valuable items.
"You're right, my Lord," Sarnai says slowly and carefully to her leader.
Arban nods with her, "Yes, you are."
"Good, now Mr. Lowell, you open that door or else I have Arban put a hole in Chang's head."
Derek did not hesitate.
"Alright then." Derek turns to the door. A single rotating knob was all there was. But it had symbols on it. "Okay, three symbols, three Hindu rulers. Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva." He says to himself and begins wondering if Chang is aware of Shiva's fate. He rotates the knobs several times until he hears a click which causes him to flinch.
"What just happened?" Batu Khan asked, clearly feeling threatened.
"Patience, I am trying to figure out this puzzle." Derek rotates the symbols a few more times. He was rotating it so Brahma was on the top and the Shiva on the bottom to open the door.
"Hurry up!" Batu Khan commanded impatiently.
"Patience, Batu Khan." He finished putting Vishnu in the middle and a louder click happened. The door opened. Everybody was amazed at what they found inside. Some kind of ritual room with lamps.
Batu Khan shoved Derek forward, indicating he wanted Derek to go forward to take any possible dangers. He did as he was told. "Alright, calm down."
"Don't tell me what to do."
"Can we kill him now?" Sarnai was getting impatient. Arban was behind her and pushing Chang forward.
"Yes, when the time is right, then you have permission to kill Lowell," Batu Khan told them. Although both Sarnai and Arban were angry and vindictive, they were still patient.
"Yes, my Lord."
What Derek saw in the middle of the room was nothing. But what he saw on the wall on the opposite side was a hole. He took a few steps closer to get a better look. Inside, were the Peaches of Immortality.
Chapter 10: Peaches
Derek was amazed at what he saw. Three small peaches of the richest gold color he had ever seen before were hidden within a hole less than ten feet away from him.
Unfortunately, Batu Khan saw what Derek saw. He stared at the three small peaches in the hole and laughed. "Beautiful."
Derek felt something being shoved into his back. Batu Khan was shoving his gun into Derek's back. "Do the honors of retrieving the Peaches for us."
Derek was about to refuse until he saw Araban chamber a bullet into his pistol and jam the gun into Chang's head. "Wait, don't hurt him!" Derek pleaded, "I will go get the Peaches of Immortality."
Chang stares at Derek with a solid glare behind his eyes.
Derek had to think of something. He could distract them long enough to engage them, but he was outnumbered three to one. And they had leverage. Before he reached into the hole, he had noticed that there was something in the hole. Red skin that surrounded the gold-colored Peaches. It looked just like the skin of the Mongolian death worm. If he touched the skin, he would die instantly is what he was theorizing. He had devised a plan. He may be outnumbered, but he wasn't outwitted.
He reached in, being very careful to avoid touching the skin, and pretended to reach as far as he could. "I can't reach it." His voice adopted the demeanor of an impatient child.
"Oh for God's sake." Sarnai went to the hole. She pushes Derek out of the way and reaches inside. She felt something slimy inside, and then a massive wave of agony flowed through her body.
She pulls back her hand and looks at her fingertips. They were covered in a reddish substance. She collapsed onto her back and coughed. She was coughing up a lot of blood. "You trickster." She glared up at him. Her eyes were bleeding red and so were her nose and ears. Arban just stared at her in horror, unable to react in any way. His sister was dead.
"Tell Tzi and Ganzorig I said 'hello'," Derek told Sarnai's corpse mockingly.
Arban was furious now, his sister had just died right in front of him. He never felt such rage before, he was now going to kill Derek, whether Batu Khan wanted him to or not.
"Lowell!" Arban shouted and aimed his gun at Derek. He flinched as he heard a gunshot. Derek was looking at his chest to see if he could find any gunshot wounds. He looked at Arban and saw his chest was bleeding profusely.
"No killing, Arban." Batu Khan aimed his gun at the floor, Derek noticed that the barrel of his gun was smoking, indicating that he was the one who shot Arban. Unfortunately, Arban was still alive, but lying on the ground in a puddle of his blood.
Chang looks down at the bodies, his face growing a smile through the gag.
"Grab the Peaches for real this time," Batu Khan ordered before firing in Chang's direction. The bullet missed Chang's head by an inch but it wasn't a kill shot, it was a warning shot.
Derek, reaches in very carefully, without touching the skin, and grabbed a peach. Putting it in his free hand, he reaches back into the hole and grabs the second Peach. Putting the two on the floor, he reaches in to grab the last one. When he looked back, Batu Khan had snatched the two Peaches and consumed them ravenously.
Derek stared at Batu Khan in horror just as he pulled out the last Peach.
Then, something went wrong.
Batu Khan had his veins protruding and they were appearing on the tip of his fingers to his neck. Derek was shocked, something was dreadfully wrong with Batu Khan.
Pretty soon, Batu Khan's fingers where the protruding veins had appeared, began falling off, leaving nothing but blood squirting out of his wounds. He screamed in terror, not pain, as the horrifying realization sunk in: He was falling apart. Pretty soon, his entire body became unstable and he collapsed into a puddle of his blood, melted away in a puddle of his blood.
Derek stepped over Batu Khan's corpse, still holding the Peach, and went to untie Chang.
"What the hell happened?" Chang asked, confused.
"Overdose," Derek already had an answer based on the myths, "There was a myth that if one consumes too many Peaches of Immortality, then they would fall apart. Eat one, you're immortal, eat two, you die."
"Yes," Chang laughs heartily, "he's dead, he's finally dead. Finally." He looks over at the peach. "That's not a Peach of Immortality; that's just a poison peach and whatnot."
Derek considers something. Now that I think about it, we didn't exactly see anyone become immortal as a result of eating these peaches. Maybe they're poisonous peaches. Either way, after seeing what happened to Batu Khan, I have no intention of finding out for myself.
Holding the very last Peach of Immortality in his hand, he throws it to the ground and lights it on fire with his zippo.
"The World is full of myths. Who's to say what's a myth and what's historical?" Derek said. "The only real way to achieve immortality is to leave a legacy behind." He and Chang were about to leave when they heard a groan on the ground. Arban was still alive.
He was crying in pain. When he saw Derek and Chang tower over him, he said only one thing to them: "Kill me, please. Put me out of my misery and reunite me with my siblings."
Derek hesitated, but grabbing Batu Khan's pistol, he aimed it at Arban's head, and fired, killing the last of the siblings.
XXXX
Maui
Just as he promised, when Derek returned to civilization, he bought pizza for Niko and Angie before he took a plane ride home (he had sex with Angie one last time as well). Using the tape he still had hidden in the sole of his boot, he played it during a courthouse, revealing Cassie's innocence and Batu Khan's guilt.
Derek had fallen asleep on Cassie's shoulder while the two of them were getting massages for their feet. Cassie would have woken him up, but he hadn't slept since he left for China and Mongolia.
She found it to be so cute that he was sleeping on her shoulder. He still got the foot massage, but he was sleeping right through it.
"Had a rough time in Mongolia, Derek?" Cassie asked her sleeping friend, "I thought so."
Cassie was already feeling sleepy. She hasn't gotten a good night's sleep since she was arrested. But, she did not want to fall asleep yet, she was getting a foot massage right now, she did not want to fall asleep now.
She leans back into her chair. She took out her phone and scrolled through her messages. There was one from her Uncle Sam. He was in Iceland.
The End of Chapter 2
