(AN: As unexpected as everything else, it's time to dive into a new fanfiction! Welcome to Treasure Trove, my new Vecpio AU!

Before we get started, lemme just say I'm so thrilled to be writing this in a more better state of mind. If I'll be honest, I'm writing this as a somewhat damage control for Read All About It. See, that fic was not planned at ALL and just I'm really dissapointed with how it turned out, as I was going through a pretty rough time writing it. In fact, I kinda had to force myself to write cause if I didn't, I'd leave it abandoned, and I don't like to abandon fanfictions. So I really kinda did half-ass a lot of stuff.

But this time, things are different!

Now that I have my own idea document, and spent about a month planning this fanfiction, I think it's time I finally drop it!

And trust me, I'm glad, cause after what I feel is my magnum opus (Rooming In) when it comes to Vecpio AU's I wrote, I didn't know how to top it. Let's hope this suffices!

And so, now with that out of the way, I wanna thank the artist who drew the cover images for both Transfer and Rooming In, softlysharp, aka Dan, for drawing the amazing cover image for this.

So, without further ado, let's start the show!)

EDIT: I have edited this chapter heavily after some critique from a friend and a reviewer for this chapter. I deeply apologize for the lack of quality the original version of this chapter was, it really wasn't up to my level, and I'll make sure future chapters will have deep amounts of quality.


IN A PRIVATE COLLECTOR'S ROOM...

The sound of clanging bounced across the walls.

The air of the small room was hot and heavy, with no way to get cool due to all the treasure and knickknacks strewn across the walls and floor. However, no one wanted to collapse from exhaustion.

Five mobian treasure hunters stood shoulder by shoulder, waiting eagerly for the crocodile in front of them to get out an object they had been waiting weeks to see.

"Vector, come on! Don't tease us! Show it!" One explorer, an echidna, said.

"Yeah! We didn't come here for just anything you know," Another explorer, a female lemur, said.

The crocodile, named Vector, grinned as he finally found what he was looking for. "Hold yer horses guys, wait till ya see… this!"

Vector brought down the treasure he had hidden onto the table. The various treasure hunters in front of him had their eyes shining as soon as they saw it. A statue made of pure gold and rhodium, some of the rarest materials on the planet.

"Seventh century I'm guessin'," the crocodile said. He winked. "Go on boys n' girls, start namin' a price…"

"Uhh… 4,540!" The echidna hunter said.

"4,600!" The lemur said.

"5,000!" One pig said.

Vector's eyes had dollar signs on them as he let his tongue droop out. Oh, how the sweet talks of money get him excited…

"No, forget you all! This is going into a museum!" One female koala said. Everyone looked at her as she held one hand on her hip, and the other carrying a briefcase. She walked over to the desk, slamming the briefcase down and opening it up for Vector to see the cash piled inside. Immediately, it felt like he had hit the jackpot.

"Here, seven thousand. And the bad boy will be donated."

Vector looked at her and grinned. This… was just what he wanted!

"Ya got yerself a deal, lady."


Vector laughed as he drove back home. Yet another artifact sold for a large sum, and his own riches only grew from there. After all, when you were a TV host for a very popular treasure hunting show, and in your spare time, did the same thing, only with no restrictions, it was only natural you'd be hitting it big.

"And gawd, I can start with this car," Vector thought to himself. "Sleek red and black, comfy leather seats, smooth and quiet, and always usin' premium gas in this thing!"

As the crocodile finally drove up to his neighborhood, he punched in the code to open the gates (the neighborhood needed protection from thieves). Here he was; in one of Central City's richest neighborhoods. After driving through a few streets, he finally made it back to his house.

"And there it is, my beloved home…" Vector thought to himself. With so many commodities and rooms that even sometimes Vector wondered what he'd ever do with them, it was a house perfect for a man like him.

Turning off the car's engine, he got the briefcase and got out of his car. Locking the doors, he looked at himself in the shiny vehicle's reflection.

"Lookin' good as usual, Vector!" He said, snapping his fingers and shooting himself a sly grin.

Many of his detractors saw him as vain and egotistical, only caring about money. Vector only thought of them as an annoyance, wanting to say "Fuck you" to them.

Opening up the garage, Vector entered inside and shut the door once again, walking into the dark hallway. The crocodile wondered what he could do for the rest of the night. He COULD go out with some friends and treat them to something nice… he could stay home, watch a movie, and maybe order a pizza…

Or, as he yawned loudly, he realized he could go to bed and rest up for tomorrow. After all, now that he recalled, he was meeting up with the TV station he was a part of to discuss the location to film for the next episode of his show, "Vector's Treasure Hunt Quest".

As he walked down the hall and into the living room, he saw that the TV was still on. Vector decided perhaps before he went to bed, he could watch a little TV.

Turning off the lights, he got himself on the couch and stared at the device. A TV drama seemed to be playing.

"Jani-Ca, you know your lover did what he had to do-" One woman said.

"NO I DIDN'T! HE WAS JUST A… A SELFISH LITTLE BASTARD!" The echidna woman cried out.

Vector could feel himself doze off. Shutting his eyes briefly, he quickly awoke and realized he was far too tired. And so, he decided to just sleep on the couch for the night.

Getting a blanket from his closet, he spread it out and got under the covers, hands behind his head.

"Gawd… I wouldn't wanna change mah lifestyle fer anythin'…" He said. "Oh jeez, did I forget to set mah alarm? Eh, whatever. Wouldn't have been the first time I've been late, and it wouldn't have been the first time I've been reprimanded… just…"

Vector yawned.

"Good night, Vec…"

The crocodile shut his eyes and began to snore, the soft sounds of the TV being the only noise present in the living room.


THE NEXT DAY

That afternoon, Vector was at the HQ of "Travel and Exploration", the TV network that he was signed to. He was discussing the next episode of the show in the studio's conference room. Various executives from the network, including Vector's head honcho, Infinite, surrounded a table as the crocodile stood at the front of the room behind a promethium board, holding a remote.

"Gentlemen, I think it's time for this next episode, we gotta go big or go home. That's why I've been hearin' rumors about this one place that has somethin' valuable, somethin' that'll definitely cause public interest," Vector said, turning on the projector above him as he waited for it to heat up.

"Oh really? Well go on, Vector. Where is it and what is it?" Infinite asked.

"And what about it could possibly do that?" Another executive, a bat, said.

The reptile grinned. "Feast yer eyes on this!"

The projector finally heated up as it projected a picture of a ring on the screen, a scarab like design on the front of it.

"May I present the Scarab Jewel Ring, found only in the Dragon Kingdom."

As soon as he said these words, the other executives' eyes widened as they stood up.

"What?! The Dragon Kingdom?!" One executive said.

"Vector, don't be silly! You know the Dragon Kingdom has been abandoned!" The bat executive sputtered.

"N-Now now, Ixis…" Infinite said before getting interrupted.

"No one has been able to make contact with them for months, and everyone who's tried to enter has never came back!" Yet another executive, this time a skunk, said.

"Geoffrey! That doesn't mean-"

"Pick some other place, don't risk your life for something as simple as a ring!" One final executive said, a female spider.

"Ms. Arachnis… you really are-"

"Riskin' mah life? How do ya know they died?!" Vector retorted.

"PEOPLE!" Infinite screamed, slamming his hands on his desk. Everyone turned to face him.

Infinite took a deep breath and had a quick drink of water. "Ahem… apologies for my outburst…"

Clearing his throat, he began; "Vector… I think that's an interesting idea. You've avoided danger many times… plus, we can finally see why the place has long since abandoned. If you DO believe you know where the ring is, then I see no reason why we shouldn't trust you. Besides, it'll give the late-night talk shows and major news corporations something to talk about…"

"Mr. Infinite, be considerate!" A monkey said. "You really aren't thinking of putting one of your most valuable people in danger… just for ratings?!"

"Isn't this what this business is about, Coconuts?!" Infinite slammed his hands on the desk yet again, getting up from his chair. "Think about it… the ratings will be high… and we WILL be once again, not at the threat of having to pull the plug. Don't you remember how this station was before Vector signed on? Show after show was just terrible, terrible actors reviewing food from around the world or boring documentaries about said places! Vector saved this station, and you all are foolish enough to think this is a bad idea!"

The jackal took a deep breath as he got back into his chair. "Vector… I am trusting you with this… You WILL be very careful right?"

"Yeah! I mean, what's the worst that can happen?"

"Well, may I remind you of the-" Ms. Arachnis began.

"Dun wanna hear it!" Vector raised his hand as her face. "Honestly, this place doesn't seem that bad. If there REALLY is someone, or somethin' killing people out there, then I ain't afraid of it! And if I do die, well, suck. But… I got confidence."

Ixis got back to his chair and shook his head, taking a whiff of his cigar.

"You young people have no concept of safety…"

"Alright, here's the plan. I get you a crew, you come back with some great footage. Do we have a deal, Vector?" Infinite said.

Vector slyly grinned. "Deal."


That night, Vector stayed up late in his computer room. He was thinking about what the other executives said that day at the meeting. The Dragon Kingdom… was it really as uninhabitable as they made it out to be?

Scratching his chin, he had been looking online for anything about the kingdom. But… there wasn't much…

He was growing more and more curious about this place. He decided to call the person he heard the rumors from.

Grabbing his cell phone, he punched in the number and put it on dial. Waiting for them to pick up, Vector sat back in his seat as they finally picked up.

"Hullo?..."

"Hey, Rouge? It's me, Vector."

"Vector?... You do know it's… quite late at night," Rouge yawned.

"Yeah yeah, listen. This is urgent. Do you know about the Scarab Jewel Ring of the Dragon Kingdom?"

"That thing? What about it?"

"Well… I'll be honest, I've had my eyes set on that thing. I… I wanna get it on the show."

"Okay… where do I come in?"

"Well, yer the one who told me about this thing. What else can ya tell me about?"

Rouge sighed. It was clear she was just waking up. "The thing is though, information on the Kingdom has been scarce for a while. No one has been able to figure out why they've cut off contact."

"Well how did ya find out 'bout it?"

"Apparently, someone's body washed ashore in Holoska, holding a ring in his hand. It seems to be one of the Scarab Jewel Rings, but according to sources, it might be a common artifact from there. The thing is, because of how difficult it is to get there, naturally, those rings are worth a fortune."

Vector shuddered when he heard Rouge talk about the body. He wasn't someone afraid of death, but what was lurking in the Dragon Kingdom where someone could just wash ashore up north?

He decided to press a little more. "Jeez," The crocodile said, "Lemme go on 'bout that dead body thing, did anybody figure out what happened?"

"Slit throat. Authorities thought it was an accident, so did his family."

Now this only shook Vector to the core more. Now this same thing could not only make his body wash up ashore up north, but also slice his throat?

…maybe he was having second thoughts.

Vector shook his head. Yer in a business fer Chaos' sake! Pull up yer big boy pants, stop bein' a pussy, and focus on getting' that ring! He thought to himself.

"My question is, why would they think so? I mean, ya don't just wind up in the ocean dead when yer gettin' a ring."

"Don't ask me you dunderhead. I'm just telling you what I know."

"So… what's the deal with people not wanting me to go?"

"You can slit your throat on stuff."

"Well, BESIDES that, Rouge."

"I dunno, Vector. Maybe it's the fact that everything there is dangerous and since we don't know a thing about it, anything could be out there. Or maybe it's that I know about the ring's location, and how I'll get there before you do!"

"In yer dreams, princess. Good night."

"Now hold on! You know how I feel when you!-"

Vector hung up. He didn't have of an idea what to do from here. Rubbing his eyes, he left his room and went to one of the many bathrooms he had in his house, looking at his reflection in the mirror. He proceeded to turn on the knob for the bathtub as the hot water came running out from the faucet.

"Rouge said all these horror stories 'bout the kingdom, but… it ain't real. She's just tryna scare me from gettin' that ring and getting more famous. Tch, the nerve of these fuckin' hunters. They might be cool one day, but they wanna one up ya cause they're jealous yer popular and they're not."

Taking off his clothes, Vector dipped his feet into the bath before sliding in.

"Yeah, that's it. Watch, I'll find that ring, come back well and alive, and tell everyone to bite mah ass…"

Vector grumbled for the rest of his bath.


THE NEXT DAY…

With his TV crew preparing cameras, lights, microphones, and other commodities, it was time for the filming crew to leave.

Vector looked at himself in the mirror, looking at the stereotypical explorer outfit he had in his hand.

"Eugh… why do people buy into this stuff again?" He questioned. "I tell ya, I look like a total fuckin' dork in this thing… But hey, it's what people wanna see on TV…"

After getting his outfit on, he climbed onto the private plane Mr. Infinite was allowing Vector and his crew to use. Before they left, Infinite got on board.

"Alright team, I'm wishing you all well. Remember, we're counting on you to have some absolutely great footage. And if you do get that ring… well, perhaps I'll invite you all to dinner and even give you a raise."

There was high morale amongst the crew upon hearing those words. Even Vector grew excited about the prospect. He rubbed his hands together, forgetting all about the stuff he heard about the kingdom last night.

"Good luck you all!" The jackal said, waving as he got off board. The plane began to move as he watched it take off.

As the plane began to fly ahead northward into the sky, a sly grinned appeared on Infinite's face.

"Hopefully they AREN'T killed out there. This unmarked land… it's the perfect place for ratings…"

He turned around, and walked away, wishing for only… the best for his most valuable employee.