► The Treasure ◄

Just as Shoto said, something did change. Not far from the cage was a text written on the wall and a small plate was sticking out under it. 'I found something. I'll read it out loud' Vox told him.

"Congratulations, dear treasure hunters. You are almost at your destination. Although one of you might not be as lucky. If your companion doesn't have superhuman reactions then he should be stuck inside a cage right now. Thus, you have to choose. If you press the pressure plate under this text, two shafts will open. On the right side, you will find the key to open the cage and on the left side will be the lever that opens the path to the treasure. But, you can only choose one. If you take the key, the other shaft will close and if you pull the lever, well you know the game. In case, you may be thinking that you could do both at the same time, don't be mistaken. Your hands will be cut of the moment you reach in with both hands. Well then. Make your choice. Your companion or the treasure."

Both men were dumbfounded. 'Who the hell comes up with this?' Vox questioned. 'I guess, someone that likes playing games?' Shoto responded with another question. 'Yeah, sick games' Vox spat. 'Well, let's get you out of there' he pressed on the pressure plate. 'Wait. Are you sure? You don't want the treasure?' Shoto asked surprised. 'Shoto, did you really just ask me if I would abandon you? I'm hurt. Would you just leave me here if you were in my position?' Vox frowned while taking out the key from the shaft. Just like the text said, the other shaft closed right away. 'I- No, I wouldn't. Sorry, that was a stupid question.' Shoto answered while lowering his gaze. The demon walked over to the cage and unlocked the door. As he opened the door, Shoto was still looking at the ground. 'Are you planning on staying in there?' Vox wondered. 'Ah no. I'll get ou-' Shoto was interrupted by Vox pulling him out of the caging and instantly embracing him. 'You really scared me there, buddy. My heart almost stopped when that dagger nearly hit you...' Vox frowned. 'Ye-yeah. That was really close. But, don't worry. I'm fine, it only grazed me' Shoto assured. The other loosened the embrace and raised his hand to wipe of the blood on Shoto's cheek. 'You were really amazing. I never saw someone move like that before' Vox complimented while carressing his cheek. 'Th-that was nothing' the boy mumbled while avoiding Vox's gaze. Too close. He thought as he blushed.

As he tried avoiding the other's gaze, he noticed something. 'Wait. Vox, did that shaft not close?' he pointed towards the wall, where Vox previously made his decision. 'You're right. It did close. Maybe something triggered it. I'll try pulling the lever' Vox said. 'Are you sure? What if it's another trap?' Shoto cautioned. 'I don't think so' Vox responded as he put his hand on the lever. 'AHHH' Vox suddenly screamed. 'Vox?! Let go of it' Shoto panicked and pulled on his other arm. Then he heard the other's chuckling. 'Vox? Did you just prank me?' Shoto angrily asked. 'Yeah. Haha. Sorry. I just had to' Vox chuckled again. 'Are you serious? Please never do that again...' Shoto pouted while showing a hurt face. 'I'm sorry. I promise, I won't do it again' Vox apologized. 'Now. Let's do this' he continued to pull the lever and right next to it, the wall openend to reveal yet another room. But this time, the room was filled with treasures. In the middle of the room was a little pedestal with a scroll on it. The two men looked at each other and nodded, before proceeding to walk towards the pedestal. A ring was placed around the scroll. Vox took it of, rolled it out and started reading out loud.

"Welcome, dear chosen ones. You were able to overcome my trials and show the true value of your bond. As you may have already guessed. Your decision was also one of those trials. You proved that you are not led by greed, but by trust. Had you chosen to abandon your companion, then you would have never found this place. Thus, I want to congratulate you once again."

Vox and Shoto shared a look of contentment, before continuing.

"For your courage and righteousness I will bestow you with a reward. Aside from that, you can take as much of my treasure as you want. You can always come back with the help of the ring that helt this scroll together. It will teleport you into this room whenever you desire and it will teleport you back to where you stood previously. But remember, it can only teleport one living being. I advice you, to leave the map in this treasury, in order to not let other's discover this cave. If the ring is taken from you by force, it will automatically teleport itself into this cave and the map will appear somewhere in this country. Now. To get your reward, please take one step back and put the ring on either of your fingers.

Farewell."

'Wow. This ring is amazing. Hurry, put it on. I'm curious to see what the reward will be.' Shoto excitedly said. Vox chuckled while putting it on his ring finger. 'Fascinating. It feels like it was made for me. It fits perfectly on my finger' he said in wonder. Then the ground in front of them began moving. The tiles gave way for a new pedestal and two items appeared. 'Woah, this is a katana, and it's beautiful' Vox exclaimed while taking hold of the item. It had a curved blade and a well crafted grip covered in scarlet red . 'It's beautiful Vox. I think it's the perfect weapon for you. Your old sword doesnt' exactly look like it suits you' Shoto expressed. 'Well, to be honest. A long time ago, I wielded a katana, but I lost it through unavoidable circumstances. I found my current sword in the castle and decided to use it for a while. Aside from being used to wielding a katana, it really feels like this one is made for me' he explained. 'There's another item. It looks like a little translucent, red dagger. I think, it's an earring. Oh, there's a letter under it' Shoto took the letter and read it aloud.

"This is my reward to you. One is a meticulously crafted katana with magic imbued into it. In simple words, it can cut through magic. With this weapon, you shouldn't have any disadvantages against mages who shoot projectiles and the likes. The second item is an earring, also imbued with magic. When this item is equipped, you can make yourself invisible at will and as long as you like. But, if you come in any kind of physical contact, the effect will be interrupted. At that time, you won't be able to use it for at least five minutes. You can also become visible at will and won't be facing any consequences. Tracking magic won't work on you either. But, be warned. That doesn't mean, you will be invincible. Magic can still hit you. As well as other weapons.

Anyway. I hope, you like my little gifts to you, since they were specifically made for you."

'Wow' both men said in awe. 'Come on. What are you waiting for. Put on the earring' Vox gushed. 'Me? But-' Shoto hesitated. 'No buts. This person said, they were made for us. So, this is for you. I mean, it fits you, no?' Vox insisted. 'Alright, fine...' Shoto grabbed the earring and as soon as he came in contact with it, he felt some kind of comfort. 'Seeing how you paused just now, I assume that you also felt it?' Vox asked. 'Yes. How is this even possible? Well, whatever. I'll put it on now' Shoto finally equipped the earring and suddenly felt a sense of security. Then, he decided to test it. In a split second, he disappeared. 'Incredible' Vox's eyes widened in astonishment. In the next moment, Shoto became visible again while grinning from one ear to the other. 'Heh, someone like's his new toy' Vox smirked. 'Yes. But, I want to see yours in action, too' Shoto smiled. 'I can show you something else in action, if you want' Vox winked. The other was visibly confused. 'What do you -. Ah. Vox, stop it. Why are you always so -' Shoto got interrupted by Vox 'free spirited?' The flustered boy couldn't utter a word at this point, but a 'grrr'. 'Haha, you gotta get used to it. On second thought. No, don't get used to it. You're cute, when you're flustered' the demon chuckled.

'Well then. Let's see what else we got here' Vox chimed while slowly walking through the treasury.

There were mountains of gold coins and accessories. But something else got his attention. 'Are those magic stones again?' he exclaimed. Shoto got curious and went over to him. In front of them were multiple sacks of magic stones in different colors. 'The ones at the entrance of the cave were yellow right? So, this must be fire' Vox wondered and grabbed an orange magic stone. He then poured some magic energy into it which instantly increased the temperature in the room. 'Woah, I only used a little energy and it's already this warm' he exclaimed. Shoto then grabbed a blue magic stone 'I bet this is water.' He also poured some magic energy into the stone while holding it above his nearly empty bottle. Just like with the fire stone, water instantly rushed out of it and ran into the bottle. After the bottle was full, Shoto took a sip and his eyes widened in amazement. 'This is fresh water. I could drink this every day. It's better than the water from our well' he stated. Vox laughed and took a white magic stone 'If my guess is correct, then this is for ice magic. We can keep our food fresh with this. And over there are even more yellow stones' he pointed towards another pile in the corner of the room. 'Alright. Let's take one fire and one water stone each and come back later.' Shoto suggested.

'Good idea. Since we have the ring, we don't need to carry everything' Vox agreed. 'But how do we get out of here?' Shoto wondered. 'Maybe the ring can help. Wait a second' Vox said and closed his eyes. Open sesame. Haha, as if. He joked in his mind, but to his surprise, another path opened itself at the other side of the room. 'Well, that worked, I guess' Vox chuckled. 'Nice, let's go then' Shoto sang while rushing towards the exit. Just like a little puppy. Vox thought, before following him outside.