X791, January 25

When the teenager and Anubis entered the train only to run into the conductor, he was obviously not impressed by the duo's impromptu entrance. The conductor had half a mind to apprehend them and throw them off the train as stowaways. As annoyed as he was, he couldn't send them away when they had tickets to keep them on. After accepting their tickets reluctantly, the conductor allowed them into the train.

"He could at least congratulate us for making it in the first place," the dark-skinned teen noted as the conductor marched away, grumbling about "the wild behavior of teenagers these days" with a roll of his eyes.

Anubis barked twice, though the teen was unsure as to whether the dog meant it as an agreement or as a reprimand. The teen merely shrugged his shoulders as he searched for an empty seat by the window to share with Anubis. Several passengers stared openly at the obsidian canine that accompanied the snappily dressed teen.

"Aha!" At last, the teen found two empty sets of seats, perfect for the duo to face each other for the duration of the ride. "Anubis, I got us some se—" The young man turned to look at his partner, only to find that his companion was nowhere near him. "Anubis?"

Lector and Frosch stared out the window as the train passed the countryside at a swift pace. At one point, the two Exceed spotted a wagon pulled by two brown horses, causing Lector to yell, "Punch horse brown!" Immediately after this exclamation, the red Exceed bopped the costumed Exceed on the head.

As amused as he was by the antics of the Exceed, Rufus felt as though he had a responsibility to put their game to a halt after he watched Lector hit Frosch's head for the fifth time. Strike that: Rufus was the only one conscious enough to stop the game. Sting couldn't open his mouth without releasing bile while he was at it; and if Rogue was awake and not on a vehicle, he wouldn't have let the game continue after seeing Frosch's tears from the first hit.

Before Rufus could open his mouth to put an end to the Exceed's game, a loud bark caused Rufus and the Exceed to jump in their seats at the sheer volume.

"A dog?" The Memory-Make wizard looked around curiously for the source, wondering how on Earthland a dog of all creatures managed to board the train. As soon as the thought crossed his mind, the source of the sound approached their seats in the form of a pure black dog.

Rufus blinked in surprise, not by the sudden arrival of the dog but by its appearance. Judging by its sleek, groomed fur and golden collar, the dog had an owner. But the dog's long snout and tall pointed ears caught Rufus' attention more than its ownership. "An Anubian Jackal?" he wondered.

The dog barked several times as if confirming Rufus' guess, though many passengers did not enjoy the noise the dog created. But Rufus didn't care for the displeasure of the other passengers: the masked man was trying to figure out who on Earthland could possibly afford this dog. A prospective owner outside of Desierto had to pay more than a citizen of the country had to for this breed.

Anubian Jackals were a breed of canines exclusive to the country of Desierto. What made them so highly prized was not their rarity, but their ability. In Desiertan mythology, Anubian Jackals were believed to be servants of a god of death that gave them the ability to travel through darkness. Originally, it was believed that they jumped out of shadows to guide people to the afterlife.

However, it was later discovered that they loved to scare people out of their wits.

The dog growled at the Exceed, who tried their best to hide under the Shadow Dragon Slayer's cape. It didn't take a genius to assume that the Anubian Jackal saw them as their meal.

"Anubis!" A male voice called, causing the Anubian Jackal to run back to the voice's owner: a teenage boy with tan-colored skin and white-blond hair.

He clearly has enough money on his hands, Rufus assumed at the sight of the young man's attire while he watched the duo walk over to their seats. That was the only thought he had that could justify how the boy could have afforded the dog.

1:00 PM

The train couldn't stop directly at the archaeological site, so the wizards of Saber Tooth and the Treasure Hunter duo had no choice but to get off at the town closest to their destination. Sting didn't seem to mind this setback as he jumped off the train happily while Rogue dragged his feet after he was woken up. However, much to the Dragon Slayers' horror, they had to ride in a wagon to make the rest of the journey.

Meanwhile, the teen and his dog decided to have lunch at a food stand before they continued their journey. The owner of the stand they stood by prepared their food for them, trying his best not to listen to the dog's pitiful whines of hunger. "Are you off to that temple site, boy?"

The young man blinked in response the other man's query. "How did you know?" he asked.

The food stand owner only nodded solemnly. "Thought so," he said as he gave the duo their lunches. Anubis ate his cut up steak happily, ignoring the conversation of the humans. "I've seen many people pass through this town on their way to the temple ruins, all wanting a share of the Archaeological Society's discovered relics. The thing is—" The owner rested an elbow on the counter of his stand with his chin nestled in his hand, looking at the teen in the eye with a serious expression. "—not one of them came back," he finished.

The teen's eyebrows rose at this piece of information. "Not even one?" he asked incredulously, wondering if the adult was trying to scare him away from his goal. "Isn't it just that they're still down there, trying to disarm the traps?"

The food stand owner shook his head slowly as he turned away from the dark-skinned youth. "It's the curse of the gods for trespassing in their sanctuary," he said gravely while he cleaned his station. "You're better off going back home, kid. Better that you never tried and live than to live and die trying."

So the traps aren't as simple as I thought, the teen thought as he took a bite of his sandwich. Usually, at this point, many in the young man's shoes would have turned back and ran home. However, he was a Treasure Hunter: the teen had faced traps of all varieties on his quests for Treasures, ranging from rolling boulders to spiked chasms.

The teen smiled slyly as he scarfed down the rest of his sandwich, undaunted by the older man's warning. Anubis seemed to pick up on his master's determination to continue and finished his steak, licking at the plate one last time before he barked to echo the teen's commitment. "So can you tell me what direction the ruins are from here?" The young man asked.

Shaking his head in disbelief and hoping the young man would realize his mistake, the food stand owner pointed a finger to the right, where snow-capped mountains stood proudly in the horizon. "Go north until you reach those mountains. The Archaeological Society's camp will be at the base. From there, you have to start climbing."

The dark-skinned teen raised an eyebrow at the man's directions. "For someone who's against trespassing on holy ground, you seem to know a lot about the site."

"Friends of mine delivered rations and tools to the Society when that temple was discovered two months ago," the stand owner responded, shooting a dark look at the mountains in the background. "Just watch, the lot of them will be cursed if they dare to go deeper."

"Hm..." The teen hummed thoughtfully as he judged the distance between himself and the mountains, ignoring the man's prediction completely. If he and Anubis were to travel by carriage, they would arrive by the time the sun set at six. But if they were to travel by shadow—with breaks in between so that Anubis could recover his strength—they could shave off one hour. He looked at Anubis, who turned his head up to his master. "Ready when you are, Anubis," he said, kneeling down to rest a hand on the golden collar.

Anubis barked once before he melted into the shadows with the teenager. The stand owner rushed to the counter and stared at the spot where they once stood, where a large black shadow shrunk slowly until it disappeared entirely. "What is he?" the stand owner muttered to himself.

3:30 PM

It seemed that Rogue hadn't anticipated having to make the rest of the trip by carriage. Without another sleeping pill, the Shadow Dragon Slayer was forced to suffer the effects of motion sickness with his fellow Twin Dragon.

So much for the more competent Twin Dragon, Rufus thought as he unearthed a blanket in the wagon's cargo hold and wrapped himself in it. He may have been a wizard of Saber Tooth, but that didn't mean he couldn't feel the cold temperature inside the vehicle. Winter was a dangerous time for the wizards of Saber Tooth: everyone was expected to weather the freezing cold. To succumb to the frigid season meant expulsion from the guild.

"A-Are w-we th-there yet?" Sting mumbled, trying to keep his teeth from chattering at the same time bile threatened to leave through his mouth.

"No," Rufus said to him without blinking. "As I recall, the driver said that we would arrive at the site by sundown."

"Sun—" Sting immediately covered his mouth as vomit rushed from his stomach. Rogue, on the other hand, tried to find a way to sleep. However, without another sleeping pill, Rogue had no choice but to grab a bucket and hurl his guts into it.

This was going to be a long ride.

4:59 PM

Mountain Base

The teenager and Anubis emerged from the shadow of a tree near the Archaeological Society's camp. Anubis collapsed on the ground, his head resting on his front paws. Even after making six stops to regain his energy, the Anubian Jackal had little strength left.

"Here, Anubis." The teen bent down and picked up his companion, holding him so that Anubis' head rested on his master's shoulder. "I'll take it from here," the young man said, patting his dog's back. After making Anubis travel a greater distance than he was used to, he owed a lot to his partner.

Boots shuffled through the snow, causing the young man to look up and see who was coming towards them. Four men dressed in thick winter coats surrounded the duo, examining them as they would with an artifact. One of the men even peered at them through a magnifying glass!

Finally, the tallest of the four men gestured for the teen to follow him. "This way, please."

Adjusting Anubis in his arms, the teen followed the four men into a tent, where a map was spread out on a table surrounded by four chairs. The young man's attention landed on another table laden down with several relics, including—

There it was: the Bracelet of Tiamat. Strangely, the bracelet didn't carry the luster he imagined it would have. In fact...it didn't even look like the bracelet that he sought after. The design might have been the same, but the stone material that made up the bracelet told him that he came all this way for nothing.

Or maybe not, the Treasure Hunter thought with a glance at the other treasures on the table. The prize he wanted might not be here, but he wasn't going to return empty-handed.

"You don't look like a guild wizard, actually," one of the archaeologists said as the Treasure Hunter set Anubis on one of the chairs. "Actually, I don't sense even one Edea of magic from this boy."

So these old guys can sense magic, the teen thought. He knew from the beginning that they would touch on this topic. The request asked for wizards who could help disarm those traps. As a Treasure Hunter, he relied on his fast thinking and physical capabilities to get past the obstacles in the way of his Treasure. Magic was an ability that he had no need for.

"Then he needs to go back," a short balding archaeologist suggested. "We need wizards to help us."

"What about the wizards who came here before?" the teen challenged, making the archaeologists freeze to the spot where they stood. The young man smirked inwardly, knowing that he had hit a weak spot. He wasn't a wizard, but that didn't mean he couldn't go down without a fight. And these old geezers needed to know that magic didn't grant them permission to look down on those without. "Everyone else who who came when you needed help...did they ever come out alive? Or did you leave them there to rot while you ran to save yourselves?" he taunted with a sinister look in his eyes.

"Now, see here, young man!" The short balding man squeaked angrily, waving what was meant to be a threatening finger at the teen. "The people who came here before were wizards—people who could actually use magic—not little boys looking for adventure!"

"So only if I used magic would I be allowed to set foot in that temple and survive?" The dark-skinned teen asked with a raised eyebrow. "You would think that the wizards who use magic would have lasted long enough to guide you through the basement."

"They're still alive!" Another archaeologist interjected, coming to the aid of his colleague. However, he was stopped by the tallest archaeologist, who seemed to be the leader of the Society.

"The traps in the basement," he said with a grave voice, "are not the kind you can take lightly. Every wizard that came here tried and failed to disarm those mechanisms. You would actually be better off if you left now."

The teen smiled darkly, causing one of the old geezers to back away. "I can't go back empty-handed, not with my pride as a Treasure Hunter on the line," he added. The Archaeological Society seemed to go on the defensive once he said that. One of the old men went over to the table to protect the relics. "I came here for the Bracelet of Tiamat. Trust me when I say that nothing will stop me from getting that relic, not even ancient mechanisms that wizards can't get past."

"The Bracelet—!" Again, the short, balding man was cut off by a wave of the leader's hand.

The leader of the Society turned his attention back to the teen. "We promised a treasure if the task was complete," he admitted, "but we have not yet uncovered the Bracelet of Tiamat. Actually, there's a chance that the bracelet is somewhere in the basement."

"Jean-Luc!" An archaeologist wearing glasses protested. "Surely, you're not going to allow this—this thief to—!"

"As a Treasure Hunter," the archaeologist named Jean-Luc continued, "he must have experience with traps, actually. Am I right?" he added to the teen.

"Yes."

Jean-Luc met the eyes of the teenager, who returned his gaze. "If you can lead us through the basement," he said, "and the Bracelet of Tiamat is there, then it's yours."

"Jean-Luc!" The other three archaeologists cried, shocked that he would allow the Treasure Hunter to assist them.

"But it seems that we never introduced ourselves, actually," Jean-Luc added, remembering that the boy had never given his name. "I am Jean-Luc Neville of the Archaeological Society. And you are?"

The young man gestured to himself with his right hand, triumph flaring in his dark eyes. "The name's Rashid, Treasure Hunter of Sylph Labyrinth!"

Author's note:

Punch horse brown—This was heavily influenced by the car game "Punch buggy". But since they don't really have cars in Earthland, buggy became horse.

The idea for the Anubian Jackal actually made its first appearance in my Harry Potter fanfic, Before the Storm. Likewise, the Anubian Jackal in that story was also named Anubis.

Also, I had no idea how to portray Jean-Luc Neville accurately. In my opinion, the Key of the Starry Sky arc was pointless!