A Treasure

Ethan agreed immediately. He nodded with a smile on his face. None of them protested about how he just stayed silent and shot arrows from afar. Which is good for him because he didn't need to bother finding an excuse.

The four friends walked towards the cave formerly guarded by the wyvern. But Ethan walked behind them, he glanced towards the wyvern and observed the dead monster for a moment. It looked very real.

Ethan could still feel the heat from its fire on his body earlier. Fortunately, he was able to extinguish the fire quickly so he only suffered minor burns.

His eyes surveyed his surroundings. There was nothing suspicious for now; it was too quiet. He didn't see any animals or monsters.

"Hey, Ethan! What are you doing?" Jack called to him from a few meters ahead.

"I'm coming!" Ethan replied and walked closer to them. It turns out they were waiting for him.

"Is this your first time seeing a wyvern?" Amelie asked with a slight smile.

"Yes," Ethan replied shortly.

Amelie chuckled. She looked still quite young, and when she smiled, she appeared even younger. Ethan thought that she might be around his age, but it's possible that Amelie is actually younger.

"We too. These magical creatures surely only exist inside this Tower," Amelie continued.

They talked about several things during the journey back to the mouth of the cave. It was a short walk, but Ethan could tell that they each had their own motivation for coming here to fulfill the Tower's Invitation.

Amelie herself had lived in poverty since her father ran away with another woman and left her and her mother. He even took all their savings, leaving her and her mother forced to sell their house and live in a much smaller apartment. So she wanted to gain wealth from the Tower and power to seek revenge on her father.

Ethan frowned. He seemed to have heard a story about a girl and her mother moving to his apartment building, but he wasn't sure if it was Amelie and her mother.

Because based on what he heard next, the daughter suddenly disappeared, and her mother committed suicide a few months ago. They reached inside the cave and began to walk after Jack lit the torch. They started to talk again.

Charles and Tanner turned out to be brothers. They also lived in poverty and worked with gangsters near the port. As soon as they found out they received the Invitation, their boss immediately ordered them to enter. Knowing that they could use the power they obtained from the Tower for their own benefit, they had no hesitation in accepting that order.

Meanwhile, Jack was a man who had gambling problems. So, of course, he entered the Tower to obtain the wealth promised to them. So he could redeem his parents' house that he pawned to pay off his debts.

They all had their own motivations, which could be said to be as strong as his own. Ethan thought they would surely fight as hard as they could to get the reward. It's good that they cooperate. But he didn't know what they would actually find in this Tower.

Perhaps later, they would encounter something that would demand him to choose between his own life or theirs.

After walking for a few minutes through the dark and damp tunnels, they finally arrived at a large chamber. This chamber is not a natural part of this cave. It's a structure made by humans or any other creature that understands architecture.

Pillars with carvings of runes similar to those he saw on the surface of the Tower supported a dome-shaped roof. Above him, Ethan could catch some shapes that looked like murals on the dome. But he couldn't see their real shape clearly.

A few meters in front of them, Ethan saw an altar that seemed to be made of obsidian stone. It was surrounded by runes and symbols.

"This must be the treasure," Jack's eyes were already glowing with greed. "How do we get it?"

"Is this an altar, or a coffin?" Charles wondered aloud.

"Now that you say that, it looks more like an empty altar where someone would offer a sacrifice," Amelie said, then shrugged. "But I don't know."

They all crouched and observed that the top of the thing could actually be opened. So they worked together to lift the heavy obsidian.

After a collective effort, they managed to open it. They slid the lid aside and peered inside.

Inside, they saw something shining with a golden light. It was a rune that they initially didn't understand. But then, the rune began to glow brighter and vibrate, until it eventually transformed into something they could read.

The rune read as follows in Ethan's eyes:

["The power you seek is right in front of you. This is the way for you to obtain the cure for your father's illness. However, only one person can obtain the power."]

Ethan blinked. His brain worked fast and now his hand was already on the handle of his dagger.

["Eliminate all the others to obtain the power for your glory!"]

They fell silent for a moment as they looked at the golden words, floating in their vision.

Ethan's gaze shifted to Charles, who stood beside him, trying not to appear suspicious. Charles was the strongest among them. If he had to kill someone, it would be him first.

"Uh, what should we do now?" Jack asked, drawing their attention.

Ethan observed their facial expressions. In his eyes, they didn't seem eager to kill each other. There was a sense of fear and sadness on their faces, which made them reluctant to move or even say a word.

Because they knew there was only one answer they could find.

But Ethan is different. He moved lightning-fast due to his training. A moment later, a dagger had pierced Charles's neck; without wasting time, Ethan slit his throat in one smooth motion.

The dagger was so sharp, it made Ethan grateful toward Jane.

Charles let out a gurgling sound before dropping to the ground and dead.

They were all shocked to see what had happened. Ethan seized the opportunity to dart towards Tanner and plunged his dagger into his chest, right in front of his heart.

---