Chapter Five: Deceptive Treasure
On the seventh floor of the Ancient Cave, Guy and Artea entered a chamber formed half of darkness and half of light. A single pillar shrouded the tiles on the left side in shadow. From wall to wall stretched a carpet of bones.
"Whoa," Guy said. "Better be careful walking on these, Artea." Undaunted, Guy proceeded to a treasure chest that crouched in the dimness.
Artea took up one of the skulls and examined it closely. It offered not even a hint as to the death of its owner. The elf shuddered. Just standing amongst this grisly collection of bones made him uneasy. "What do you suppose killed them, Guy?"
"Dunno," Guy said with a shrug. His cave-donated armor clanking, Guy bent over the chest.
"Hey! What the -AGH!" Guy's shout made Artea's blood run cold. Recklessly the elf scrambled over the bones to Guy's side. When he got there, however, there was no overpowering beast engaged in combat with Guy. In fact, there were no monsters at all. This dark side of the room was as empty as the light side. One of Guy's hands had gotten stuck inside the treasure chest. He had rammed his sword into the crack between the box and its lid in an attempt to open it again.
"Guy, what are you doing?" Artea thought he would collapse from sheer relief. "Stop fooling around. It doesn't matter if the chest doesn't open. There are plenty of others in this cave-"
"Artea, you don't understand-!" Guy's face twisted with pain. "It's biting my hand off!"
"What?" Artea involuntarily took a step back. "What is?" His hand strayed to his launcher.
Guy jerked at his sword but couldn't get it loose. "The treasure chest, of course!" Sweat ran down his face.
It was impossible! Artea's mind argued with him. Yet…so was the resurrection of the dead – their very mission which had brought them into a cave that all along defied logic and sensibility. "Don't move, Guy," Artea warned him. Guy froze in place. Artea nocked his bow and aimed for the chest's keyhole. It was an easy shot; an elf child could have made it. He let the arrow fly.
At the last minute the chest bucked and tore to one side. Guy screamed in pain as the chest's unexpected movement dragged him to his knees. Rivulets of crimson streamed down his arm, soaking his armor and the tunic he wore beneath it. Artea gasped. Cold sweat formed on his brow. The elf fired two more shots in quick succession. These hit their mark, embedding themselves in the keyhole.
The chest screeched like a small cornered animal. Its lid flew open so quickly that it knocked Guy off balance. The warrior barely caught himself before he fell into the pile of bones. His sword clattered to the ground. Panting, Guy rushed to Artea's side. With a horrific creak that sounded as if its hinges had rusted, the chest lid slowly closed again. When it had shut, blood slowly dribbled down the front of it, staining its decorative gold trimming. The arrows remained quivering long after the lid had shut.
"Guy, are you okay?" Artea demanded.
Guy's eyes were as shiny as glass. He nodded shakily. "My hand…"
Artea examined the bite wound more closely. The blood was still flowing freely at Guy's wrist. Enormous chunks of skin dangled from his arm like a grotesque bracelet. The stray teeth scrapings were a tattoo of red flame. "It will mend," Artea said at last.
"If I'd only had some gauntlets…" Guy said, looking again at the treasure chest. "Then it wouldn't have got me."
"You were ambushed," Artea pointed out. "Let's move on, shall we?" He didn't like the way Guy's eyes were lingering on the chest. It was as if the warrior was contemplating a second bout with the monstrous thing. "Maybe we'll find a 'Strong' spell soon."
"Yeah, if you don't get your hands ripped off by some rabid treasure chest," Guy muttered. Gritting his teeth against the pain, he retrieved his sword from the floor and followed Artea out the door.
Beyond the winding hallways, they came upon another chamber, empty save for a single treasure chest. Guy froze in the doorway, Artea behind him. "What's in there?" Artea asked him. Guy began to shake. His eyes filled with shame when he looked at the elf.
Artea placed a hand on the warrior's shoulder. "It's okay, Guy," he said reassuringly. "I'll go in first. If there's any trouble though, I'll need your help."
Guy smiled at gratefully at Artea and heaved a sigh of relief when he thought the elf wasn't looking.
Artea, meanwhile, stole silently across the room. No fleshless figures bowed before this particular treasure chest. Still, like Guy, he had no gauntlets. Artea knew it was quite probable that if he were bit by a treasure chest, the teeth would go straight through his slender elven bones. With that comforting thought, Artea drew his rapier. As a weapon, it was not of much use to him. Its length, however, was an inconceivable asset, especially since he and Guy had found out the hard way that the cave housed man-eating treasure chests. The elf paused a slight distance away from the chest and pointed the sword at it. The red box remained still. Artea cringed. He still did not trust the chest. His heart began to pick up speed, pounding away in double time as he jabbed at the treasure chest with the sword point. The chest did not stir. And now for the ultimate test, Artea thought grimly. His hands, so steady with the bow, so graceful and delicate, began to tremble like an arthritic old man's. The lid of the chest was cool beneath his fingers. Artea heaved the lid upwards with all the strength in his arms. The lid flew backwards and landed with a clang on the floor on the other side. The elf jumped backwards, prepared for a vicious onslaught. However none came. Artea's breathing was shallow and ragged in his ears. Finally he gathered the courage to see what lay within the treasure chest.
For a moment he thought that it was empty. Then his sharp elven eyes discerned a slight sparkle of rainbow-colored light. Artea drew his breath in. As he did so, Guy bounded into the room. When he saw the open chest, his face fell. "So it was just an ordinary treasure chest, huh?"
Artea nodded. Regaining courage, he reached into the chest. The thing inside was a ring of simple yet cunning design. In the light, it flashed with every color of the rainbow.
"Wow," Guy said, staring at the beautiful relic. "I guess there's something to be said for being brave enough to open treasure chests."
Artea said nothing. The ring was just large enough for his middle finger. He slid it on and felt his soul strangely infused with a new hope
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Excerpt from Artea's log
Our journey is proceeding well. It is the close of the first day. Guy and I have made it to the seventeenth floor. We are well-laden for the journey. The cave has provided us with weapons, helmet, and armor. What we need, however, are shields, particularly Guy since he battles in the center of the fray. Guy was ambushed by a treasure chest today, as odd as that sounds. It nearly bit off his hand. He has since been apprehensive about opening treasure chests. I can hardly blame him. The pain must be dreadful. Though his hand is not going to fall off, as he seems to think, such a deep wound has a terrible risk of infection. I have not found any strong spells to help the healing along…and the potions we carry have had no effect. I wonder if the chest inflicted an enchanted bite… In that case, we will need stronger medicine than even an antidote. Shortly after Guy was ambushed, I opened a treasure chest containing an exquisite ring. It is not made of any metal of which I have ever heard, nor Guy either. It is formed of vibrant colors, yet is as lightweight as if composed of mere air. Like a gem, it is faceted so that it catches the light, no matter which way you turn it. As a result Guy has found a fascinating diversion in watching my hand. As I pause to look on its beauty, I notice the strange light that emits from it - of all colors, and yet of none. What a strange, yet fitting treasure to find in this cave of well-kept secrets. I have lived long years, but never in any of them, have I seen something so lovely. However, there is more to this ring than what the eye perceives. Guy sees nothing special about the ring save for beauty and certain value. Perhaps it is because he is human, or maybe because he is a warrior. I, on the other hand, sense a great magical property about it, even just feeling its slight weight against my finger. This power, like the ring itself, is of a secretive nature. It does not manifest in the form of a spell…rather it is hidden deep, deep within, and for the moment I am uncertain just what is necessary to unleash it.
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Author's notes:
Amazing! I updated today! Yay! (I wasn't expecting to make it, since in less than 48 hours I'll be on my way.) Random blurb up ahead (in other words, optional reading).
I got my arms waxed before I wrote this…oww… I am feeling Guy's pain right now…
I have 5 Iris Treasures so far…Just 5 more to go and my work of four years will be complete (it takes a little longer when your cartridge keeps erasing your files!!) Mwa hah hah hah hah! I will be the greatest treasure hunter ever!