Ask everyone if they have any advice for the climb.

You sit at the campfire with your allies for a few minutes in uncomfortable silence, until you work up the courage to speak. “So, I get that I have to do this alone… but can any of you guys at least give me some advice before I head up there?” you ask, hoping one of your partners might be able to tell you something to make the journey at least a little easier.

Vince stands up and glares at you, clearly annoyed by your question. “Advice? You’re suppose to be the hero here and you’re asking for advice? Kid, I had to hike up and down Mount Wrestlympus every week for a year when I was building the city, and I didn’t have anything but my instincts and my own two hands and feet to help me! If you can’t even manage it once then there’s no way in hell I’m trusting you to take down Cena and get me my country back!” before you can respond, he marches off to his tent.

The Rock walks over to you, sits down and puts his hand on your shoulder as he begins to speak. “Look Gregory, I know Vince has been a bit harsh, but what he said is true… in a way. Every pro wrestler in Wrestlemania has done this trial, even Cena. If you’re going to stand any chance of beating him, then you’re going to have to take this seriously.” “Yeah Greggy,” Macho Man adds, “If you were just some normal wannabe wrestler I’d say you should pack it up now and come back after some serious training, but with Cena waiting up there we ain’t got the time.”

“Heyy, come on mi amigos, lighten up! I’m sure the climb isn’t as bad as I remember anyways! I mean, I made it up on my first try, and I only had to spend 3 weeks in the hospital after!” El Disgusto adds with a fake chuckle, apparently attempting to lighten the mood. The Rock interrupts before he can say anything else. “Right… what I think he means is that, wrestlers come in all shapes and sizes, Gregory. While you might not look like a wrestler on the outside, we all know you have what it takes to be one on the inside.” You nod your head in response, hoping what he’s said is true.

You and your three companions sit by the fire in silence for a bit longer, before you finally retire to your tent. You lay down and attempt to sleep, but the thought of the treacherous climb that awaits you keeps you up most of the night. After several restless hours you start to notice movement from outside your tent just as the sun is beginning to rise. Evidently no one else got much sleep either.

You exit the tent to find the rest of your party breaking down the campsite. El Disgusto is carefully packing all the trash in the area into a musty sack, The Rock is meditating by the remnants of your fire, and Macho Man already has Vince on his back. The group looks at you as you walk over. Vince is the first to speak. “I hope you slept well, because you’re gonna need it.” he says, irate as ever.

The Rock stands up and approaches you. “It’s best if you go now, while the day is young. We’ll take care of the camp.” He gestures towards the base of the mountain, where you notice a spot where the rocks are particularly eroded. “That’s the starting point. We’ve told you all we can, so it’s best if you go now. Waiting around will simply delay the inevitable.” You gaze at the mountain briefly, then silently nod your head in agreement.

As you walk towards the base, Macho Man approaches you. “Hey, you got this kid. We’ll be right there at the top waiting for you, don’t you worry.” He gives you a hard pat on the back, pushing you towards the mountain. “*I know you’ll be the cream, and rise to the top!” You grin at Macho Man, step up to the starting path, and take one last glance at your friends. The four of them each glance at you before continuing with what they were doing. As you take your first steps, you hear El Disgusto shout up to you. “See you at the top!”.

The climbing is difficult from the start, and only gets worse the higher you get. Each stone column is barely large enough to fit a single hand or foot, and many of them are so far apart that you need to practically leap from one foothold to the next. You climb for what feels like hours, the sea of clouds overhead making it impossible to gauge the passage of time, but no matter how far you climb your goal feels no closer. Eventually, you feel ready to collapse, the sheer exhaustion from your climb outweighing the protein in your veins, yet the end is nowhere in sight. Just as your mind begins to slip, you remember what The Rock said, repeating to yourself “I have the heart of a wrestler, I have the heart of a wrestler” and continue pushing forward.

Somehow, through your own sheer willpower you are able to continue your climb for what must be several more hours. Despite leaving at sunrise the fading light indicates that it’s already evening, yet it still feels like the peak of Wrestlympus is nowhere in sight. By this point, no matter how many times you repeat it, you’re quickly beginning to doubt if you really have the heart of a wrestler after all. However, just as you feel prepared to give up again, you notice a bright light illuminating you against the darkness of the approaching night. “A light?” you think to yourself, before it dawns on you. “Wait… a spotlight! The peak of the mountain was lit up by spotlights! If there’s one pointing at me, I must be nearly there!” This thought encourages you to continue climbing, the light getting brighter the higher you get. By now every muscle in your body aches, but with the light on your back and the words of your friends in your mind, you carry on climbing none the less.

Finally, after spending the entire day climbing, the end is in sight. With the very last of your strength you throw yourself up the remainder of the mountain, and finally your hand feels solid ground. As you prepare to pull yourself up, you feel another hand latch onto yours. You recoil, only to look up and see the ghostly face of Macho Man gazing down at you. You let out a sigh of relief as he pulls you up and sits you down on the ground.

“I knew you could do it kid, you’re a real wrestler now.”

The rest of your gang joins Macho Man in celebrating your achievement as you sit and catch your breath. While you are thrilled to have finally made it to the peak of Mount Wrestlympus, you begin to feel concerned as all you see around you is a plain, barren mountaintop. “But wait… where’s Wrestlympus?” you carefully stand up, aided by Macho Man and The Rock “The city I mean, I thought you said the capital of Wrestlemania was on top of Mount Wrestlympus?” Vince looks at you and chuckles, “Heh, what do you think I am, some kinda poser? When I do things I do ’em right! Wrestlympus City isn’t on top of Mount Wrestlympus, it’s above it!” He gestures towards a glimmering staircase you hadn’t noticed, coming out of the center of the mountain and leading directly into the clouds above. At this point, you’re too exhausted to question the logistics of a city in the sky and simply take Vince’s word for it.

“We need to be ready for what’s ahead, so we’ll take a quick rest here before we head up to the city.” The Rock says as he hands you a bag full of your belongings. You and your group sit down, and El Disgusto produces some energy drinks and protein bars for everyone from his musty sack, which you quickly scarf down without even questioning their origins. After maybe half an hour, everyone stands up and begins walking up the stairs. While you’re not thrilled about more climbing, the stairs are a breeze compared to the mountain before them, and in what feels like no time at all you reach the top.

“Wrestlympus, 12 o’clock,” exclaims Vince. You see in front of you a wondrous city of golden lights, the walls made of compressed protein powder bricks ordained with what appears to be intricate hieroglyphics. The main gate’s posts are made to appear like two wrestlers holding up a championship belt, which reads “CITY OF WRESTLYMPUS - POPULATION: BADASS.” You can’t help but shed a tear at it’s magnificent beauty. “It’s been a long time… Let’s see if I still know these streets,” says Macho Man. As you walk up to the golden gates, you see smoke rising from the city.

You reach the massive golden gates. The security booth is empty. You walk past and see rows and rows of houses, about half of which still have lights on. “This city never sleeps,” The Rock says under his breath. An eerie silence has fallen over the city. “If my memory’s not messed up,” says Macho Man, “we’ve got three paths to the palace. Directly through the shopping district, passing through the housing district, or sneaking through the canals. Up to you, Vince.” Vince smirks. “Let’s let the new kid decide this one. Don’t get us killed, Greg.”

What way will you go?

> Sneak through the canals.