Chapter 48: Battle for the Mask, Mayan Temple
"Looks like this Plumber isn't quite ready for retirement."
Max's eyes darted to the rearview mirror. A sleek, black stretched limousine was tearing down the highway, riding the Rustbucket's bumper. He reached under the dashboard, flipped open a concealed metal panel, and punched a blinking red button. The RV's auto-pilot engaged with a heavy mechanical clunk.
Without another word, Max pivoted and marched into the tiny bathroom.
A few seconds later, the door slid open. Ben, Gwen, and Klein stared. Max had swapped his usual Hawaiian shirt for a sleek, armored, dark-blue uniform—the exact same Plumber tactical gear Phil had worn earlier.
"Kept it around," Max muttered, catching his grandchildren's wide-eyed stares. "Figured it might come in handy one day."
CRASH!
The entire RV shuddered violently. Metal shrieked against metal as the limousine slammed into their side, pulling up parallel to the Rustbucket. Max stumbled, catching himself against the counter.
Through the side windows, Klein watched the limo's sunroof slide open. Two figures clad in heavy, medieval-style armor rose into the rushing wind. Forever Knights. They leaped across the gap, landing heavily on the Rustbucket's roof.
A second later, the ceiling sparked. Two glowing energy swords plunged through the metal plating, carving a jagged, smoking circle. The roof panel caved in, and the two armored knights dropped into the cabin.
Before their boots even hit the floorboards, Max moved.
He launched himself forward with the speed of a man thirty years younger, tackling the first Knight around the midsection. They crashed into the dining booth. Max twisted, ripping the energy sword from the armored gauntlet, and instantly spun to parry a downward slash from the second Knight. Sparks showered the cramped interior as the energy blades clashed.
"Uh... Grandpa?" Klein leaned against the kitchen counter, his voice cutting through the chaos.
Max didn't even look back, his jaw locked in a fierce grimace. "Don't bother me!"
Klein sighed.
A pulse of bright pink mana flared in the cramped space. Gwen raised her hands, her eyes glowing with Anodite energy. With a casual flick of her wrists, a kinetic wave of pure magic slammed into the two Forever Knights.
The armored men didn't even have time to grunt before they were violently yanked backward, launched straight up through the very hole they had just cut in the ceiling, and sent tumbling onto the asphalt behind them.
Silence fell over the RV.
Max froze, his stolen energy sword still raised in a defensive guard. He slowly turned around.
Klein offered a dry, helpless shrug. "I was going to say, we could just handle it."
Ben and Gwen crossed their arms, glaring at their grandfather. None of them understood why Max was suddenly acting like a lone-wolf action hero, charging into a brawl without a single word of warning.
Max avoided their gazes. He tossed the energy sword aside, his expression hardening into a grim mask, and marched back to the driver's seat. He slammed his foot on the gas, pushing the Rustbucket to its limits to leave the battered limousine in the dust.
Inside the swerving limousine miles behind them, Enoch sat in the plush leather seat. The leader of the Forever Knights held a sleek tracking monitor in his gauntleted hand. A single red dot pulsed rhythmically on the screen, moving steadily away.
"The Sword of Ekchuah is mine," Enoch murmured, his voice a cold, metallic rasp behind his mask.
During the brief, chaotic struggle inside the RV, the first Knight Max had tackled hadn't just been flailing. He had slipped a micro-tracker onto the collar of Max's Plumber uniform. With Klein, Ben, and Gwen entirely focused on their grandfather's sudden burst of aggression, and Max entirely focused on the fight, the tiny bug had gone completely unnoticed.
Enoch pulled a secure communicator from his belt. "Bring the helicopter around."
...
High above a dense, sweltering Central American rainforest, Stinkfly beat his four translucent wings, panting heavily. His six legs were wrapped securely around Max's shoulders, hauling the older man through the humid air. A few yards away, Big Chill glided effortlessly on the thermal currents, carrying Gwen bridal-style.
They were following a glowing, three-dimensional holographic map projected directly from the Mask of Ah Puch, guiding them toward a hidden Mayan temple.
"Ben, can you go any faster?" Max demanded, staring intently at the glowing green projection.
"Grandpa... this is... the fastest... I can go!" Stinkfly wheezed, his bug eyes drooping. After hauling a full-grown, heavily muscled man across miles of jungle, his wings felt like they were about to snap off.
Gliding alongside them, Big Chill—Klein—let out a soft, icy breath. He glanced at Max's intense, unblinking expression. If Grandpa had a whip right now, Klein mused, he'd probably be lashing Stinkfly like a rented mule.
"This is getting ridiculous," Big Chill whispered to Gwen, his voice echoing with a ghostly double-timbre. "Did he get possessed by an ancient spirit or something? He doesn't look possessed."
Gwen tightened her grip on Big Chill's icy robes and nodded vigorously.
Big Chill looked back at his exhausted cousin. "Hang in there, Dweeb. Just a little further. I can already see the drop zone."
It was a blatant lie, but Klein figured Stinkfly needed the false hope. Otherwise, the bug was going to pass out mid-air and drop their grandfather straight into the canopy.
...
"Finally... finally... we're here."
Stinkfly collapsed onto the ancient stone steps of the Mayan temple, his limbs splayed out like a squashed bug. He gasped for air, utterly spent.
Max didn't even offer a word of thanks. The moment his boots hit the stone, he marched directly toward the massive, vine-choked entrance of the ruins, his eyes scanning the ancient carvings.
A flash of crimson light illuminated the jungle clearing, and Stinkfly reverted to Ben. He groaned, rubbing his sore shoulders. Big Chill touched down gracefully beside him, setting Gwen on her feet before offering Ben a pale, clawed hand.
"Thanks," Ben muttered, pulling himself up.
Max was already running his hands over the massive stone doors, completely ignoring them.
Big Chill tilted his head, studying the weathered stone of the temple walls. His moth-like wings folded into a cloak around his shoulders. Slowly, his icy blue body turned translucent. Without a word, he simply walked forward, phasing straight through the solid rock and vanishing into the temple.
Because Ben was busy jogging after Max, only Gwen noticed the phantom departure. "Cousin?" she whispered, blinking at the empty space.
Up ahead, Ben stopped behind Max. He noticed the Mask of Ah Puch hanging from Max's belt. An idea sparked. He reached out and snatched the artifact.
"Hey—" Max started.
Ben ignored him, lifting the heavy stone mask and pressing it against his face. He peered through the green, crystalline lenses set into the eyeholes. "If this creepy thing brought us all the way out here, it's gotta show us how to get inside."
He was right. Through the jade lenses, the ancient stonework lit up with hidden energy lines. Ben reached out and pressed a specific sequence of carved bricks.
Boom!
Dust cascaded from the canopy as the massive stone gates ground open, revealing the dark, cavernous interior.
"Cousin?!" Ben jumped back.
Standing casually in the middle of the dark corridor, waiting for them, was Big Chill.
A flash of ghostly blue light illuminated the shadows, and Big Chill reverted to Klein. He dusted off his jacket and offered a lazy smirk. "Intangibility, Dweeb. Keep up."
"Alright, enough dawdling. Follow me," Max ordered, brushing past them and marching into the gloom.
Klein, Ben, and Gwen exchanged a long, collective look of pure exhaustion. They shrugged helplessly and trudged after him.
"Stay alert," Max warned, his voice echoing off the damp stone walls. "The most dangerous thing about ancient Mayan architecture is—"
Click.
"Traps!...Ah!!!"
The stone beneath Ben's sneakers gave way. He plummeted downward, but Max's hand shot out with lightning speed, grabbing Ben by the collar and hauling him backward onto solid ground.
Ben collapsed onto his back, panting, staring at the black abyss that had just opened up inches from his toes.
Max immediately reached down—and snatched the Mask of Ah Puch from Ben's loose grip.
"Phew," Max breathed a sigh of relief, inspecting the artifact. "Good thing the mask didn't fall."
Klein stared at Max. His eyes slowly drifted down to Ben, who was still trembling on the floor. 'Were you adopted too?' Klein thought, utterly baffled by the old man's priorities.
That was the last straw.
Klein stepped forward and grabbed Max by the shoulder, spinning him around. "Grandpa, what the hell is wrong with you?!"
Max blinked, startled.
"Ever since we got the signal from this stupid piece of rock, you've been acting like a completely different person," Klein snapped, his usual lazy demeanor entirely gone.
Ben scrambled to his feet and stood beside Klein. Gwen joined them, her arms crossed tight. Both of them glared at Max, forming a united front.
Max's brow furrowed. He tried to brush Klein's hand away. "There's no time to explain this right now. The most important thing is—"
"I don't care what the most important thing is!" Klein slapped Max's hand away, his voice dropping to a dangerous, icy register. "I only know that if you don't give us an explanation right now, I will personally level this entire broken temple to the ground!"
The silence in the corridor was absolute.
Max stared at his eldest grandson. He could hardly believe his ears. It was the first time he had ever seen Klein drop his detached, sarcastic shield. The sheer, protective intensity in the boy's eyes hit Max like a physical blow.
The obsession that had been clouding Max's mind suddenly shattered. He looked at the mask in his hands, then at the three kids standing before him—his family. Guilt washed over his weathered face.
"I'm sorry," Max whispered, his shoulders slumping. "I... I don't know what came over me. Maybe this mask is just too important to my past, or maybe I let the pressure get to me. But I promise you... I won't act like this again." He looked at each of them, his eyes filled with genuine remorse.
Ben's anger melted instantly. "Welcome back, Grandpa," he said, rushing forward to wrap his arms around Max's waist.
Gwen smiled, the tension leaving her shoulders. She stepped sideways and threw her arms around Klein in a sudden, tight hug.
Klein stiffened for a second, then let out a soft breath. The dangerous edge vanished from his eyes, replaced by a faint, familiar smirk.
"Well," Klein muttered, gently patting Gwen's back. "Let's go find this stupid sword that made us run halfway across the world."
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