Dead Man's Treasure

**"End my suffering."**

**This article, Dead Man's Treasure, is the sole property of GuyCivic, and cannot be mentioned, used or edited without permission, unless you are part of a collaborative work. Please don't touch.**

**Users Involved:** User:Nearó Unlimited, User:BQD, User:GuyCivic.
**Date Started:** December 21, X942
**Setting:** In a cave near Sun Village
**Characters Involved**:
Nero Atosaki, Climb Ravinger, Miwa Umarekawaru.

## Leaving the Den

Somewhere along the Magic Council's headquarters, a young man stood. He leaned against a wall, his crossed arms signaling to an unapproachable nature. Moving his head from side to side, Climb's visage could see a wooden door to his left. Behind the door, two of his superiors conversed, and he waited patiently for the meeting's ending. He expected a mission at the very least, which was exactly why the man was dressed in his white uniform, his sheathed katana hanging by his side. Turning his head to the right, he could see a long, empty corridor. Climb focused on its spotless floors, where he was able to see his own reflection, and for some reason, that put him at ease. "*What item will it be this time, I wonder.*"

...

Miwa stood at attention with her katana sheathed by her side and both arms crossed behind her back. She was always nervous when meeting with superiors and older Rune Knight captains, but she never expressed any hint at such. She remained silent and still with no intention of speaking until given reason to, patiently awaiting orders from the Knight King to carry on with. *"Strange. The seconds feel slower in this room when the Knight King's here."* She joked in her head to calm herself down.

"Hello, Miwa." The Knight King spoke, breaking the silence of the room. "The item you are seeking is currently classified. It has a power of considerable importance. Should you have that information extracted from you, it would be disastrous."

The Knight King breathed for a moment, before sliding some papers on his desk. "Follow the guide left here. You will reach your destination. Someone of your intelligence will understand the nature of this assignment soon enough."

And with that, the Knight King passed by the younger Rune Knight, and left for his own affairs.

"Thank the gods its over..." Miwa sighed as she headed to the desk and picked up the papers.

Something written on the documents caused the captain to raise her eyebrow as her eyes scanned back and forth between the details. Holding the papers with both hands, she made her way to the door of the room where Climb was waiting.

...

The door opened and Miwa burst through, at a pace that could hint as though she was running from something. Folding the papers and placing it inside her robe, Miwa gently patted the area to feel for the documents before nodding her head. She looked at Climb with one hand sitting on top of her katana's handle, with the other firmly on her hip. "We'll have to leave right now if we're going to get this done. Can you arrange some transport?" she ordered Climb.

With a rather blank look on his face, Climb looked at his superior and he could feel the hastiness through her actions. "I've arranged for an airship already, Miwa-dono." he responded, his voice monotone. He moved away from the wall he was leaning on so that he was facing the young Commander. "With all due respect, would you mind sharing what we've been assigned this time?" he asked, perhaps Miwa would find him too...polite, but that was just his way of addressing others.

"I'll tell you the details on the airship, we'll need to leave right away. Lead on." She explained, extending her arm outward for Climb as a signal for them to move on.

"Alright," he exclaimed as he nodded in affirmation. He began to walk through the long hallway, Miwa close behind him. "I should warn you, Miwa-dono, that the airship can only take us as far as the named towns or villages. We will more than likely, have to travel on foot as well." he explained, as he moved around the Magic Council's maze-like walls without troubles.

Soon enough, they reached a grey metal door, which Climb opened brusquely. Had Miwa's visage sight the same thing as Climb's did, she would notice multiple airships, most of them lined up. Some of them ran down the track, while others, were being repaired. While this hangar was utilized mainly by members of *Valefor* but occasionally, other divisions could utilize them as well. Making his way to a small aerial vehicle, whose appearance was similar to that of a seaship, Climb got on, expecting Miwa to do the same.

"So, where to?" a voice asked, it was, of course, the assigned pilot of the ship.

Miwa pulled out the documents and shook them, weakening the creases in the papers so that she could read them once more. "Take us just east of the Sun Village. Don't bother landing as well, we can drop down once we get there." She instructed before heading towards a seat.

As the captain of the Artefact Detainment Divison, Miwa missed her operative days around Ishgar. Her job now kept her mainly at her desk but she would always take the opportunity to get out and take on assignments with her subordinates. It really was one of the only things that she enjoyed about the Rune Knights, but after the retirement of her predecessor, some one had to fulfil the empty spot at the captain's seat. She wanted to live up to the former captain's reputation but she's always felt like she had been too hard on her division.

"Climb? How do you feel about being in Cerberus?" She asked with a worried tone in her voice.

"Hm?" Climb raised one of his eyebrows unintentionally as the airship hovered above the ground and suddenly took off towards Fiore. "Well..." he started, trying to find the words to articulate his thoughts. "Cerberus is a substantial asset for the Magic Council and I am honored to be part of it. As to how I feel, I try not to let that get in the way of work, but if I obliged to answer, I'd say I feel comfortable in this division." He stopped momentarily, looking at the clear blue sky surrounding them and the nearby clouds.

"My reputation, has, unfortunately, threatened my relationship with some of my peers, yet I don't feel that right now, Miwa-dono. I believe that is a good thing," he answered in complete honesty, his pitch always unchanging. The breeze rustled his white hair, as he locked glances with Miwa momentarily.

The feedback from Climb was satisfactory for Miwa, who mentally sighed in relief. She would have hated to be the captain of a division that hated her, so to hear that from a subordinate was a positive clarity for Miwa's mind. Granted, she was known for handing out harsh punishments but to her it was always just. The clouds slowly flowed by the airship, hinting that they were reaching high altitudes. It was the way that Miwa liked to approach missions, out of sight and out of mind, just an easier way to get near targets.

"Your reputation? What about it?" Miwa asked, alerted by Climb's remark.

"I come from Iceberg, the foreign boy who grew at an explosive pace. For some reason, I believe others don't like that." he responded.

"Huh. Don't you worry about it, I know how you feel." Miwa said in response, trying to comfort Climb, "Everyone in the Rune Knights are from somewhere in Ishgar, so there's no such thing as foreign here. Just don't let others hinder you with their opinion, if it helps I can go ask them how they feel about you and find you some clarity?" She offered.

It was obvious that Miwa was struggling to help Climb, she wasn't the best social butterfly after all and found it hard to relate to some people. But with Climb, she could see some bit of herself in him, making it quite easy to talk to him in some way. She knew how it felt to be the foreigner to all the others, she came from a clan that has lived for how many centuries, learning from a lesser known magic institution and quickly rose up through the ranks before becoming captain. Even her predecessor could relate to Climb's struggle, so to hear of this was a refreshing thought in Miwa's mind.

"That's not necessary, Miwa-dono." Climb said, crossing his arms. "I won't let situations like that hinder my progress anyways, though I do appreciate it." For what seemed no more than a second, a smile formed itself on the boy's thin lips. What followed was silence, neither of them appeared to be socially skilled. In Climb's case, he didn't find the silence awkward at all but rather, peaceful. "I'll be settling in my room then, if you'll allow me too." Climb broke the silence with a polite demand.

“By all means, rest up. Just keep an ear out for my call, as soon as we fly near the Sun village we’ll have to drop.” She instructed, looking back to the papers that the Knight King gave her.

*”What would Captain Rena do? Maybe I should have brought more knights?”* Miwa thought to herself as she scanned the papers again, carefully taking in every bit of information she could before their arrival. To apprehend powerful magical items wasn’t the easiest thing to do, especially with the potential of others who want to exploit them. Who knows what could happen once they get there, would it be a smooth assignment or would there be something, or someone, in their way.

Climb made his way into the cabin that the ship had, settling into his room. He placed his sword in its scabbard on a wooden desk, then proceeded to sit down on his bed. "*I wonder what we're looking for, perhaps a weapon? Or a magic stone?*" he thought to himself, before sighing and lowering his upper body onto the bed. It wouldn't do good to stay up wondering about it and with that, he drifted off to sleep.

...

Climb stood up from the bed almost instantly at what he assumed was Mira's voice. With a poor attempt of straightening his clothes and combing his hair with his hand, Climb left the room, grabbing his weapon on his way out.

"Have we arrived?" he asked as he left the cabin and entered the main deck. Soon, his question would be answered, as the sky's previously bright blue colors darkened. Walking to the side of the ship and looking down, Climb could see what he assumed was Sun Village from above.

"Why else would I call you?" Miwa answered, quickly opening one of the doors to the outside before reaching for a couple of bags that were hanging by the window. "Quickly put this on before we go." She ordered as she tossed one of them to Climb, securing the other one firmly onto her back.

The air from the outside moved quickly and loud against the airship, as Miwa had to yell over the wind in order for Climb to hear her. Farewelling the driver, Miwa took a step back and ran towards the door, taking a large leap of faith as soon as she left the comfort of the airship. 'Flying' in the air was a sort of interesting experience for Miwa, as to not feel a solid surface underneath her body was both terrifying yet calming at the same tie. She enjoyed the drop for now, keeping her eye on the objective which was a noticeable cave not too far, luckily not too hidden by surrounding shrubs and trees. Assuming that Climb had followed her lead, Miwa looked up to find the young Rune Knight to see how he was coping with the descent.

Following close behind, Climb put on the bag before waving goodbye to the pilot and jumping out of the airship. His facial expression showed no visible concern as the air seemed to travel in the opposite direction he fell. Truthfully, Climb wasn't scared by any means but he also wasn't completely comfortable with this new experience. A strange feeling assailed his stomach, which he decided to ignore as they fell down, nearing the cave by the second.

As the knights neared the ground, Miwa nodded back to Climb who was following her, closing her eyes and pulling a distinct cord that was hanging out the bag's side. Upon tugging, Miwa could feel her body becoming light and easy to manoeuvre, effortlessly drifting towards the ground. Repositioning herself into a standing stance, Miwa gracefully landed on a small patch of grass close to a cluster of trees, good enough to hide in and lookout for any intruders. She expected Climb to follow by, planning ahead so that their mission would be quick and easy by the time the moon rose. After taking a few steps, Miwa unbuckled the bag from her body and allowed it to fall to the floor as she dusted her uniform off.

"It's still morning-noon, we've got plenty of time to do the assignment before tonight." She thought out loud, mumbling what had went on within her head.

As if he was a mime, Climb mirrored Miwa's exact actions and managed to land safely unto the ground. Hiding behind the many trees, Climb dropped the bag into the ground, carefully placing it so that it comfortably lied against the tree's trunk. Climb nodded at what Miwa said before a question popped into his mind. "Miwa-dono, what should we do if we encounter others?"

"Then we get rid of them, if they're civilians then vacate them from the area. But if their treasure hunters or dark mages, then you should already know what to do." She replied before heading towards the cave covertly, keeping her body low with one hand ready to draw her blade. "Watch my back, and wait at the cave entrance. Make sure you aren't visible incase anyone comes by, and if they look dodgy you've got my blessing to attack." She instructed as they neared the cave.

"Got it." Climb affirmed as he too quietly made his way towards the cave, his right hand on his sword's hilt. He would be ready to strike anyone in a moment's notice. When Miwa had gotten in, he turned around and hid behind a part of the cave's entrance. For any outsiders, it would be hard to see him as the shadows camouflaged him. "Be careful, Miwa-dono." he uttered quietly, almost as if he didn't want anyone else to hear those words.

Miwa disappeared into the darkness, having taken out her sheath from her side as a sort of guiding cane that she swung in the space infront of her. Occasionally Miwa would tap on the walls of the cave, prompting her to move slightly in another direction in order to continue, however, due to the darkness it was hard to tell if she was making any progress whatsoever. The tapping of her sheath echoed throughout the cave, and most likely even at the entrance where Climb was waiting. Miwa was well aware of that, but it seemed to be the only way that she could navigate through the dark of the tunnels. The tapping didn't seem to last too long as Miwa had proceeded into a descending tunnel after losing her footing, mistaking the open space infront of her as an open path straight rather than a downward slide. Clumsily falling forward, Miwa landed on her back with her sheathe and sword sliding down alongside her, deeper into the dark of the cave.

"CRAP." She yelled, her voice echoing throughout the tunnels.

The dust was quickly catching onto her outfit, as supposedly a massive cloud followed right behind her. Using her hands and her feet, Miwa tried to control the speed she was travelling down the tunnel, using her palms and soles to slow her down. The small rocks and grains of dirt rubbed embedded into the ground scrapped against her skin as she did so, trying to keep her off balance so she would tumble to the bottom. Nonetheless, Miwa persevered and slid down to the bottom safely, having been able to maintain a posture that slowed her slide. Slowly bringing herself up and dusting herself off, Miwa could feel a sting buzzing throughout her palms each time she touched something with them. Quickly and furiously rubbing her palms together to sort of soothe the pain in them, Miwa let out a loud frustrated squeal due to her mistake.

*"Wow. Good job Miwa. You really done it now. Your first mistake in how many years? And you thought you didn't need to bring anything special. So smart, aren't ya?*

It felt a bit colder here at the bottom, but there was something more strange about what she had discovered after arriving. The ground didn't feel the same compared to the tunnels she was navigating through before above, as the floor seemed to feel a little less dense than compacted dirt, but more, brick like. Miwa tapped her sandal on the ground and it gave off a lighter echo around the space, bouncing around the tunnels walls that seemed to be a little bit more closer than before. Crouching down to feel the ground for her sword, Miwa could definitely feel the brick ground laid out underneath her. It was a nice change for her, as this told her that she was possibly getting near to the said magical artefact she was sent to locate.

*"Damn sword. I've lost it. I need to find light."* She panicked in her mind as she continued feeling around.

The sound of something tapping against the cave resounded through the structure, reaching Climb’s ear in the form of reverberation. It alarmed him slightly, but not enough for him to move from where he stood. “’’Miwa is fine, probably’’” he assured himself. Then suddenly, the tapping stopped. Soon, it was followed by what he assumed was Miwa cursing, which caused Climb’s eyes to widen. “Miwa-dono?! Are you alright?!” he screamed, his voice echoing throughout the cave. He took a few steps forward and continued to call out for her name, hoping she would respond. He tread carefully, attempting to keep his uniform entirely clean. Unbeknownst to many, Climb was kind of a "clean freak", but that wasn't important right now, Miwa's safety was.

With the events inside the cave taking its course and the sound of their actions echoing throughout it, so too would the rumbling of a magical vehicle fall on deaf ears amongst the forest covering the area outside. The two-wheeled machine used for transportation made its stand several meters from the rider's designation, hidden by the landscape and the traveller clad in black-and-blue reached out with his hands to remove the goggles covering his eyes. Nero's eyes flickered a few times as the sight of the sun strained them after such a long journey, raising one his hands to provide some momentary cover until they'd settled in. "Spirits man... Was the sun always so bright?" The man spoke to himself out loud, followed by a sigh as he went on to dismount the motorcycle and reach out for one its backpacks.

From it, Nero pulled a piece of paper that appeared to resemble that of a map that had shinning, bright-white markings across its cover. One of which was highlighted with an arrow that pointed him towards the direction of his goal, moving as he did. Not wanting to waste time after such a long journey, Nero rolled up the map and placed it inside his jacket as he reached back to the backpack to pull out a red apple- making use of it as a quick snack as he began wandering the forest.

As he passed through the forest, the rustling sound of a brush a mere five meters away caught Nero's attention which caused him to lower his body forward to get a better look. Unbeknownst to him at the time until mere moments later, hidden inside was a cougar that had spotted that the mage was all alone and must've appeared to have been an easy target. As it started crawled out, its body and sound of the cougar's growls became evident to the traveller and its fangs made it clear of its intentions. Yet to the cougar's surprise, the human didn't run but merely straightened itself as the animal started circling him and passed along a tree that stood between them. But, as the cougar passed the wood, it stopped in its tracks upon laying eyes of them. The human didn't have a bland expression anymore, it was smiling; next to it stood two odd-looking humans with bone-like features among its otherwise normal appearance. Unlike the first human, however, their faces showcased no expressions at all as if hollow. Feeling the fight-or-flight instincts kicking in, the cougar chose the latter as it crept back into the forest. Still smiling, the beings that had accompanied him sunk into the ground within a moments notice and Nero was left alone yet again.

Finally spotting what he was looking for, Nero's eyes lit up as he almost sprinted towards the entrance. Stopping right next to the entrance, the mage clenched his fists and raised them high up in the air before pulling them back down, back and forth a few times as a way to celebrate his findings. He was about to speak out loud to commemorate this moment, if not for the sound of someone cursing echoing from inside the grotto. His joy turned to utter disappointment, he had been told that the cave had been forgotten and that whatever was held inside would've been free for the taking. Whoever it was, they were messing up a perfectly good trip.

Taking a deep breath as Nero straightening himself up, shaking his legs and arms vigorously and jumping on the spot a few times to remove the tingling feeling that had started building up inside him. He relieved his lungs of the air inside and cleared his throat, taking yet another small breath before putting a smile on that face of his and making his way around the corner.

Raising his arms wide to the sides with open palms as he entered the cave and made himself as visible as possible, Nero raised his voice and called out while his legs had him walk at a quick pace: "HONEY I'M HOME!!"

"Miwa-dono?! Miwa-dono?!" Climb screamed her name continuously, but there was no answer. Just when the cave had gone silent, a new voice made its way to Climb's ears. *"That's definitely not Commander Miwa"* he thought to himself, clutching the hilt of his sword tightly. Had the owner of the voice approached him, he would be able to respond accordingly.

Turning back towards the entrance, Climb approached with slow, silent steps. He tread carefully, as he could hear the sound of quickened steps getting louder and louder. "*I have to reach Miwa-dono somehow...*" he thought, and almost immediately, he decided to act. Using a small fraction of his magical reserves, Climb focused it outward, solidifying it until it took the shape of a winged animal. It was a crystalline bat, and at Climb's command, it traveled deeper into the cave, in search of Miwa.

Almost simultaneously, the figure from before appeared in front of him. Due to the dim lighting of the cave, it was hard to tell what or who it was. Despite only being able to notice a silhouette, Climb drew his sword from its sheath, the hissing sound it made a warning to the figure. "Stop right there, please, and identify yourself." He commanded, tone and expression unchanging.

The hands that had reached out to his sides, now found themselves pointing straight upwards in a somewhat exaggerated way to showcase that he was unarmed whilst stopping dead in his tracks. "Wow there, hold your horses." Nero began before slowly beginning to lower his hands, yet still to the point that they would go below his shoulders in an act of good faith. The cave was dark, that fact was clear as day, yet the mage had an easier time spotting the features of the Runed Knight than he would seem to do for him. "My name is Gai Sibiko! I'm the Commander of the Human Regiment from the Sun Village and I've to provide assistance on the order of your superiors!" The man's voice was firm and cracked no signs of hesitation or otherwise mindless stops. Nero wanted to take his chances whilst tapping his foot a few times, using it as a way to detect any magical beings in the vicinity, alive or otherwise.

Climb's eyes flickered from the man's body to his tapping foot as the so-called "Gai" spoke. *"I've got to stay cautious. We would be informed if someone was to assist us, wouldn't we"* he asked himself, stroking his chin momentarily before his hand returned to his side. With a stare and demeanor that could only be described as icy, Climb looked back at the man, whose face he still couldn't tell apart. "I wasn't told that someone would be helping us..." a pause followed his words, and the tension in the cave could be felt. What broke the silence was the sound of a sword being sheathed. "In any case, Gai Sibiko, let us wait patiently for my superior to come back, she probably has a better grasp of the situation than I do." Climb said, placing both hands behind his back.

Frantically feeling around for her sword in the darkness, Miwa leaned forward and felt the ground under her palm sink lower. Concrete scraped against concrete as mechanisms below the floor began turning at a volume that Miwa could hear but muffled. After a few seconds of turning, light was ignited by lanterns lodged into the walls following down the tunnel in front of Miwa. She looked up with chills running down her spine, noticing that there was something strange at the other end. Bringing herself up and looking around for her sword, Miwa noticed that the sheathed blade laid down not too far from her against a wall. Miwa rolled her eyes and moved over towards it, quietly stepping so that it wouldn't echo and alert any potential hostiles in the area.

*"I wonder how Climb is doing up there."*

Suddenly her foot caused a brick underneath to sink just like the one before, with another period of mechanisms turning under the ground as well as inside the walls. Miwa's gut turned, telling her to start running, prompting her to grab her blade and make a run for it towards the end of the tunnel. She didn't care this time about how loud her steps was, because the loud turning of cogs and levers were enough to hide them. Right behind her were spikes that violently shot out of the ground from all directions, just narrowly missing her every-time she paced a certain space. Miwa could feel her heart racing as the thought of death was slowly creeping up on her, and that one wrong, late action could be her end. This wasn't the usual ancient magic traps so using her magic here would be futile, running was the only option she had at the time.

By the time she reached the end of the tunnel she was already out of breathe and on the brink of fainting. Her breathes were heavy, her heart was beating fast, and her legs felt weak as she had been sprinting for so long. Trying to gain some support by leaning on a nearby pedestal, Miwa's vision was slowly coming out of a blurry haze due to the fatigue. She new that this spot was safe from the spikes as there was no distinct sound of mechanisms turning, and of course she would be dead by now. Miwa looked in front of her too see a massive gate made of bright gold and jewels embedded into the face of its doors. In the middle was a huge face that resembled a sort of dragon with its jaw gaping open, just bigger than Miwa's body.

"...Must. Be. It." Miwa panted before pulling herself from the pedestal and weakly walking to the gate. "...D-did. We. Make a. Call signal?"

*"Fuck no you didn't Miwa, another mistake today. Should also be the first one. What would Rena say?"* Miwa scolded herself again, rolling her eyes at her own words as a child does to their parent.

Making a cone with her hands and bringing it to her mouth, Miwa made a birds whistle that was sure to ring throughout the cave. Sure Climb would hear it, but who else might be drawn to it too?

The high-pitched sound rang throughout the cave, and it alerted Climb. *"Is that...Miwa-dono?"* he thought to himself, looking into the darker and deeper parts of the cave that Miwa had covered. Just what lay in the depths of the cavern? Soon, Climb would find out too.

"Sibiko-san, I believe that might've been my superior" Climb said, his head turning to face the man, "Are you familiar with this cave? Do you think you can lead the way?" he asked. Climb knew he couldn't trust the man, at least not *yet*, but he'd have to play along, at least for now. Confronting him here would only lead to unnecessary conflict.

The "commander" hadn't made any moves or responds after his initial, Nero didn't want to have the knight be on any more edge than he already appeared to be. His ears rose for a moment with the sound of the whistle, eyes gazing passed the knight before returning as Climb spoke. Hands still held above his shoulders, making note of the knight still having his behind his back.

"I'm afraid not Sir. At the garrison, we've received explicit orders not to enter this cave by the Magical Council." Nero had by this point received enough information from his earlier spell to tell that Climb was indeed alone, if not counting for his superior further inside. "I will lower my arms now... Alright?" He went on to do just that, whether he received an answer or not. "I've stated my name and position, would you not do the same? Or is common courtesy too much to ask for?"

Moments later, the sound of a weapon clashing against the bedrock could be heard from further inside. But nothing else followed.

Taking a deep breath, Climb let his arms lie by his sides. "My apologies. My name is Climb Ravinger, Lieutenant of the Magic Council's Artefact Detainment Division: Cerberus." Soon thereafter, steel meeting some other material made a loud noise, which put Climb on edge once again. Almost as if planned, Climb's previous creation appeared in front of him, it was dirtied by dust, although its crystalline appearance still had its luster. "Well then, follow me." he said, and without waiting for a response, he began delving deeper into the cave, the animal leading the way.

*"Great, they're here to steal the thing I wanted to steal. God damn thieves man."* While these thoughts echoed inside his head, Nero's exterior did not emit the same results as his head lowered itself in response to Climb's introduction and eventual orders. "With pleasure." There were no lights, neither from the cave or from the two of them as there had been no torches. "You wouldn't happen to know any fire magic, would you? Awfully dark in here, hardly able to see where we're stepping." With the darkness covering his movements and his voice disguising the actions, Nero took the opportunity to unbutton the bag around his waist from which the "dust" from inside began seeping out through what could be viewed as telekinesis, gathering behind his back to remain out of sight.

This time it wasn't the sound of a sword, but that of a bowstring being pulled for anyone who would be able to spot something so specific amidst Nero's words. Moments later, the spring would be sprung and an arrow appeared amidst the cold dark, seemingly aimed towards the crystalised creature.

“Unfortunately, I don’t.” Suddenly, Climb came to an abrupt stop, noticing a downward slide in front of him that could easily be confused with a straight path, and the probably would’ve if it wasn’t for his crystal bat. Since he had stopped moving, not a single noise echoed throughout the cave. Until he heard the distinctive noise of a knocked arrow. It alarmed Climb, causing his eyes to widen and at that moment, a projectile approached at blitzing speeds.

The arrow soared through the cold air, tearing it apart as it travelled straight towards the bat. Climb's senses tingled as it passed by him, even if for what seemed a fraction of the second, he could see the projectile. The strong breeze it created just by travelling through the air was enough to brush the boy's unruly mop of white hair. It tore straight through the crystalline structure. Its remains fell to the floor, and Climb’s eyes flickered from the broken pieces to Nero.

"We've got to be carefu-" Around these very same moments, his eyes had begun to adapt to the darkness and he could finally make out the figure from before as he turned around to face the man. Spiky black hair, piercing yet somehow, empty blue eyes and his most noticeable feature, patches of gnarled, purple skin around certain parts of his body. He was a person with a rather tenebrous appearance, which seemed to take Climb by surprise for a second. After a brief moment of gawking at the man's appearance, he cleared his throat before speaking once more. "I believe my superior lies beneath us, I can sense her magic power from this distance." He was familiar with her magic signature, but as he did so, Climb noticed something peculiar, Gai’s magical power, which he noticed was greater than his, had a certain feeling to it. One he couldn’t describe with words, but rather with his body, which shook momentarily at the purple hue he imagined emanating from the man.

Regaining his composure once more, Climb returned to his usual self. *"No more surprises here, and there’s no use on faking my preoccupations."* Climb faced Nero, brows furrowed and visage pointed directly at the man. "There’s no beating around the bush any more, to put it simply, I don’t trust you. I’ll go down there and meet up with Miwa-dono. If you have a problem with it, well…" he paused for a moment, "we’ll have to solve it here."

Having ducked his head at the sound of the bird being destroyed by the arrow, Nero looked up and noticed the young knight's expression as he laid eyes upon him. Nero raised an eyebrow as he spoke out: "WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?" Head shaking as "Gai" raised his hand to express his perplexity over the Rune Knight's state of mind. "Do you want to end up as target practice?" Pointing the same hand towards what was left of the bird, seemingly surprised over how Climb could just stand there. *"Ended up with one strange kid... Guess we've just got to step it up a notch."* As per usual, the man's thoughts and actions were never equal, but short-lived as Climb made his reference to his superior. *"Not much of a tracker then given the distance..."*

Nero was making sure that the dust was still following his movement, making sure to stay out of sight as things progressed. As Climb turned more directly towards him and spoke out, Nero's expression still remained as perplexed and confused as ever. "Are you d-..." Eyes suddenly turning wide, body turning stiff for a moment before leaping forward without warning towards out, screaming out as he does it, "LOOK OUT!" While Climb had been talking, so had a creature closed in on them. It was a humanoid skeleton with a missing arm, to which on "Gai's" end, he would've spotted that it held onto a sword in its remained limb and started raised it with the intent to strike. Seeing this unfold, "Gai" leapt in to try and save Climb by pushing him aside to avoid in the incoming strike, even if the Rune Knight might view things differently given his final words.

"What are you tryi-" before he could finish, Climb was tackled by Nero, but instead of simply letting the man push him away, he grabbed onto him and the two of the rolled down the aforementioned slope. Their descent would only stop once they hit the different, brick-like floor of the depths of the cave they were in. The air felt colder, and it was slightly darker, but right now, that wasn't their concern.

He stood up immediately, passing his hands along his entire ensemble, trying to get rid of the dirt that now stuck to it. While one would expect him to react angrily, Climb was rather calm, as he had come to a conclusion in his own mind. As they fell down, Climb caught a glimpse of the skeleton that would've attacked him, were it not for Nero.

"What were you trying to do there?" he asked, but paying more attention to the path that led forward, where Miwa was located.

"For a Rune Knight, you really need to get your priorities straight... And manners." The man responded as he got up on his feet, "Gai's" clothes were now covered in a mixture of both dirt and dust but didn't take note of it. The reason for his comment and lack of caring, being obvious as he looked back from whence they came and gazed at the skeleton slowly walking their way.

He could feel the presence of the Rune Knight Captain nearby, perhaps she could even hear them at this rate. The dust that had been following Nero now circling him like a protective sandstorm, figuring it was about time to reveal something.

"With all the dust provided by this cave, I can start doing more than just saving your hide." Head-turning to his fellow companion of the day, hand reaching out to the opposite end towards their foe. "Will you or should I?"

...

Miwa sat down against the gate's doors and sighed, tilting her head up to look at the ceiling of the tunnel. She hadn't noticed it at first but it looked as though it as stone paintings of mysterious figures. Although, it looked as though it ran across the whole roof of the tunnel, with some paint being obscured by the spikes that had shot from the top. Slightly annoyed by the circumstances, Miwa held up her hands in a cup to her mouth once again, letting out yet another high pitched bird call for Climb to follow.

*"It's been a while since you've done this Miwa. Don't worry about it. You just need a refresher."*

...

Without a word, Climb ran towards the skeleton, hand on the hilt of his sword and in one, fell swoop motion, he slashed the living dead being repeatedly, making sure to aim at its head and torso. After several hits, the skeleton's bones fell into the floor, its clattering sound echoing throughout the cave. Sheathing his sword and then turning towards "Gai", "I apologize. I hope this makes up for it." Climb said, bowing down.

"*So, he can manipulate some sort of dust*" Climb thought, but it was soon interrupted by another high pitched sound. "That's Miwa-dono, for sure! Come with me, please," he said, as he started walking towards the sound, they were close, he could feel it. "That's a strange power you have there, Sibiko-san."

He didn't reply to the apology, didn't make much of any actions what so ever really as he'd been inspecting the Rune Knight's actions. *"Several cuts... Speed over strength then."* Nero mind wandered until it too was caught aware of the whistling sound provided from the other Rune Knight. Yet again, he chooses to say nothing upon hearing the young knights' initial response but followed him nevertheless as Climb took the lead. "What's so strange about it? I can manipulate Dust, just like any Sand Mage or Earth Mage would do to their natural element. I can merely control the small particles of that." The answer had it sound like a mixture of being surprised and annoyed as if he'd been and explained about it numerous times before.

As he spoke, "Gai" would've taken the opportunity to peer behind them, checking out the remains of the skeleton until the darkness would envelop from sight. The very last moment before disappearing, the skeleton's remains would show signs of movement. "Gai" didn't say anything about it, nor did he think Climb would notice as he blocked the view.

Climb didn't bother responding to what many would see, as a rude remark from "Gai". Not because he didn't have anything to say, but he was focused mostly on finding Miwa. Who with every step, was getting closer to. Soon, the pair would reach the end of a tunnel, and due to this Climb's pace quickened.

"Miwa-dono, is that you?" he asked loudly, and as he approached, to the point where he could make out her figure, as well as a flashy, large gate. He came to an abrupt stop though, as multiple spikes separated the duo from Miwa. "Sibiko-san, do you think you can take care of this?" he said, looking back at the odd-looking man.

"Depends on what you're asking me to do here... My magic can't be solidified. I'm sorry but you're really expecting a lot from me here Lieutenant." "Gai"'s voice wasn't the same this time around, it had turned more akin to the professionalism that it held when they first spoke- yet a tinge of annoyance still remained due to how things had escalated. Looking passed the young man from Cerberus and on towards the one he referred to as Miwa, trying to size her up from this distance as best as he could. Only to set his eyes on the door that next to her, the man's body gained a rush of euphoria at the very thought of what could be behind those walls.

“I apologize if I am asking for too much. If I am to be honest, Sibiko-san, I just wanted to see what a Commander of the Sun Village is capable of. But, I see your magic isn’t suited for this. So, if you allow me, I’ll take care of this.” he said, his voice rather monotone. He had not noticed even in the slightest the tinge of annoyance in Gai’s voice, but as he had turned around to address him, could barely see, his eyes on the door, where one could only assume treasure lied.

Turning around once more to face Miwa, Climb crouched down, placing both of his hands on the cold, rocky floor. Channeling his magic through his hands, soon enough the path towards Mia was enveloped by a crystalline substance. **“Crystal-Make: Floor.”** He stated his eyes set on the figure of his superior. “We’re coming Miwa-dono. Just wait a bit more.” he turned his head to face Gai. “Should you go, or should I?” He said motioning to the crystalline floor. One would probably be able to slide towards Mia, whilst avoiding the spikes.

Ignoring the young man's initial reply, "Gai" didn't appear to be doing anything at all as Climb worked on creating a path for them- yet his eyes told a different story as they were observing the lieutenant's movement whilst shifting between him and his superior. Once finished, the scared-looking man took a few steps forward and crouched down as his hand gently touched the crystal bridge-of-sorts. "Gai" began to speak, "Sturdy, well-shaped and a minimum amount of time to create," yet his eyes wandered the still untouched stone premises as small movements slid passed them. His body was making sure to block Climb's view of it, but he wasn't all too sure about Miwa but hoped that the still darkened cave and distance between them were enough given the momentary occurrence.

Raising himself off the ground, "Gai" continued his comment as he stepped up to be on the very edge of the crystal floor, "You did well. But, and don't take offense, but if you continue asking people on trivial matters like this instead of taking the initiative, then you'll remain as a lieutenant forever." Taking a few small steps backward, "Gai" looked at the distance between him and the end goal as to size up his actions before sprinting forward. Just as he stepped onto the crystal floor, he made sure to have one foot in front of the other and remained steadfast, arms stretched to the sides to maneuver his balance, as he now slid in a quick pace towards Miwa. Letting the "dust" ever so slightly nudge him from side to side should he stray off the beaten path, before having him make a smooth turn and end up next to the woman.

## Trinkets and Baubles

"Greetings, Miwa-dono I presume?"

"...Climb? Who is this man?" She said raising an eyebrow, her hand quickly moving to grab her swords handle but not going to swing. "I thought I had told you to vacate civilians from the area."

“Thank you. Though, I would have no problem remaining a lieutenant if it meant that I can continue doing my job.” He said rather politely, his eyes cold as always. He watched as Gai slid through his creation, and quickly he too, did the same as the man. With his knees slightly bent, and his body sideways, he slid through the crystalline structure gracefully. It was almost as if it was second-nature to him, although that wouldn’t be a farfetched claim. When he was near the duo, he came to a stop by rotating his body, and looked at his Captain, an almost unnoticeable smile forming on his face for a second.

“You don’t know him? This is Commander Gai Sibiko-san, from the Sun Village. He has told me that those from above approved his support.” Climb said, slightly alarmed.

Given Miwa's responses, the man was quick to raise his hands to show that he meant no harm and wasn't holding onto anything. Even the "dust" made a halt, almost as if it had been frozen mid-air. Ears perking as he let Climb finish his comment, "I wouldn't imagine that we have. We rarely get visits... And I was recently promoted after all." A wide smile crossed his lips, white teeth showcasing themselves prominently from the seared skin and piercings.

Miwa squinted her eyes at 'Gai', not believing that this individual was really part of their little trip. "No, I don't know him. Nor was I told that we would be receiving company from the Sun Village. So to be safe I'll have to ask Sibiko to leave the cave and wait outside. If you don't mind of course..." She ordered, her tone lightly changing to give her last sentence a sense of sarcasm.

Mouth closed as soon as she started speaking, arms slowly lowering themselves with each word Miwa spoke. "Gai" harrumphed with disappointment. "We only wanted to show you" - he lifted his right arm to display the swirls of "dust" that floated from his fingertips - "how useful we can be to you. Whether if you're travelling through our territory, or if you're in here clandestinely. Believe me, you would *need*, my arts." The man's fingers clenching as he emphasized his last words before looking back at Miwa. "Gai's" demeanour had clearly changed from his time speaking to Climb, perhaps it was time to end this charade?

Slowly turning the same arm towards the lieutenant as to make it crystal clear about not striking out towards the young man, all the while his gaze was stuck onto the woman before the entire movement had finished and he instead turned to Climb. Taking note of his uncertain nature. "Alas... saving the life of Rune Knight is perhaps easily forgotten in this day and age." Eyes shooting back at his superior. "But I know my p-place and your position..." His voice shaking, unable to speak naturally. The right arm retracting and placing itself across his chest before nodding his head as to salute her.

"Gai" then turned - his face dropping - towards the young man and approached him. The eyes having turned sombre as he starred past Climb. "You will have to move lieutenant if I am to pass..." It was as if his voice had lost all sense of hope.

Climb had noticed the sudden change in Gai’s demeanor. But to him, that theatrical speech was nothing unusual, he assumed that was just the way the man behaved. Though he could not understand why he was suddenly so sad. Climb furrowed his brows as he saw the man, almost depressively head back.

However, with no hesitation, he stepped out of the way, signaling to the existing crystal path, he had made to help Gai go back. “I thank you for saving my life.” He said, bowing. “But these are Miwa-dono’s orders, and I must follow them. Stay safe, Sibiko-san. It’s been a pleasure to work with you” he said, bowing at the man.

"Farewell Sibiko, but the Cerberus Division usually takes these tasks by themselves. Wouldn't want anyone else not qualified to get in the way." She said before placing her hand on the door, clicking her tongue to get the attention of Climb. Beckoning her head for her lieutenant to come closer, Miwa watched from the corner of her eyes, watching as 'Gai' left the two to continue business. "I don't trust him. I want you to watch him leave and make sure he actually does. If he lingers here I need you to apprehend him and call over the nearest legitimate unit. If he's too rough, you can go ahead and kill him." She whispered, ending with a sigh after making her mind up about what to do with the man.

Watching Gai slowly walk away, he turned around at Miwa's call and quietly approached her. He nodded at her commands, taking in every word with the utmost seriousness. "Roger that, Miwa-dono." he stated quietly, as he began walking to the side opposite to the door, he glanced at Miwa one last time. *"Will I really be able to kill or even harm someone who's helped me?"* he wondered, his expression showing confusion.

"Sibiko-san. I will escort you to the exit. This cave contains creatures that we're unaware of." he said, now walking next to the man. Now, before they crossed the crystal path he had previously made, Climb lifted a finger, signaling Gai to stop walking. He clasped his hands together, and light blue mana could be seen emanating from them. *Crystal-Make: Lamp* he said to himself, a triboluminescent crystal floating on his right hand.

"Alright, please do not move away from me to avoid any danger." he skidded along the crystal path, expecting Gai to follow.

'Gai' never answered. Eyes not even meeting the young man even as he spoke and thanked him, only glancing over his shoulder as Climb called out to him anew. But not even then did he look the lieutenant in the eyes. Couldn't bring himself to do it, the verge of finally discovering and witnessing something tremendous had been taken from his grasp after all. How could he?

But of course 'Gai' couldn't go through with it... But Nero certainly could. His gaze peeking over to Miwa for a moment as they continued to make way for the exit. Seeing her figure disappear as they passed the corner from whence they came.

"Wait Lieutenant!" Nero's voice held strength, but remained low as the silhouette of two figures appeared further ahead. In the wake of Climb's crystal light, one would be able to make out that they were of the same breed as the enemy that had assaulted them earlier.

All the while, as if sheer coincidence was too good to be true. A pair of hands emerged from the stone-cold ground, their white bones reached out from underneath the commander and started grabbing at Miwa. Where it surfaced, it would swallow her.

With her blade by her side, Miwa took a deep breathe and shot a glare at the hands as they met contact with her body. In one quick diagonal slash in front of her, Miwa caused a ringing sound to echo throughout the cave system, which may have caught Climb and Nero's ears. Despite only swinging the blade once, the area around her was covered in sharp slashes, notably the skeletal hands that were now shredded into different pieces. Now the only problem was really getting out, but sheathing her blade to use as a sort of level for herself, Miwa pulled herself up and onto solid ground, away from the grounds that were swallowing her.

Strange as it was, being a captain wasn't something she was simply given just like that, she could handle herself just fine. Miwa could only wonder though if it was because of 'Gai', if it was a sort of trap that was part of the cave system it was really out of place compared to everything she's seen so far.

‘Gai’s’ voice warned Climb of the dangers that lied ahead, second only to the crystal lamp that he had created, barely revealing the figures of the skeletons they had met before. This giving Climb enough time to prepare himself for what was to come.

As he skidded along the crystal path, Climb bent his knees and grabbed on to the hilt of his sword tightly. He did not falter, or hesitate, almost as if the attack of the skeletons was no surprise to him. Once he was within reach, he used the momentum garnered and the power from his legs to jump and swing his sword horizontally across both of the skeletons’ midsection. Landing with some difficulty on the ground floor, he immediately placed his hands on the floor, crystallizing the remaining bones of the skeleton, before they shattered into nothing, the sound it made ringing deeply throughout the cave.

Sheathing his sword once more, he motioned Nero to come over. A part of him wondering who or what had brought these skeletons to life.

Having stood in the sidelines to view the spectacle, eyes being wide and a smile being plastered on his face as Nero spread his arms to the sides, the hands open. "You did it! My... what a guy." Each step getting him closer to Climb but the man's footsteps would stop halfway as if he'd just remembered something, a sigh escaping his lips as Nero clicked his tongue. "Right... my bad Lieutenant." Taking a step back as his hands slid forward; "Don't trust the new guy right? I get it." With his last words, he'd emphasize the comment by raising the finger on his left hand and point it towards himself, or perhaps towards the ceiling maybe?

For the entire time that he spoke, anything that was left of the skeletons would decay in the dead of night and creep just as silently behind the young Rune Knight. The same being the case for the skeleton that had attempted to grab the commander. As the finger pointed upwards, so too did the newly created dust swirl its way towards Miwa and up to one of her legs like a torrent. One of which had spikes covering its insides, skewering and digging itself into anything it seemingly consumed.

Taking another step back as he finished speaking, eyes fixated on Climb as he pulled his other arm back and clenching his hand into a fist. Taking full note of the young man's attention set on Nero himself and taking full advantage of it. Not even looking anywhere else as to not give away the spell's actions within a moment's notice. The dust that had once belonged to the skeletons would suddenly shot upwards and during the process, form and twist itself into that of a javelin - thrusting upwards from the ground with the goal to pierce the left side of Climb's lower abdomen. Nothing that'd kill him surely... Not without help anyway.

With a blank expression, Climb stared at Nero as he gave the young man a theatric speech. Although his eyes did not break contact once with Nero, Climb still wondered about the odd skeletons, and their origins. It dazzled him, and it wasn’t until Nero balled his palm into a fist that he realized he was in danger.

His ears were the first to notice, the swirling, almost unnoticeable sound the dust made it at first made it hard for Climb to notice, considering that Nero was speaking, but when it shot towards him, it made a rumbling noise. Akin to the one his sword made when he practised with it. Instinctively, he grabbed the small crystal lamp he had made previously and in that same motion, managed to turn around. As the javelin moved closer, literal centimetres from piercing Climb, he thrust both of his arms forward, placing the shimmering crystal in front of the weapon.

Climb felt as his arms nearly gave up on him, due to the impact of the attack, but he planted his feet firmly on the ground and reinforced the crystal lamp with his magical power, turning it into a shield. He gritted his teeth, sweat dripping from his temples. The shield began to slowly crack, and with a loud ringing sound, that could be heard all throughout the cave, it was broken. Yet, the attack was dispersed as well as a result. Consequently, Climb was sent flying several meters in the air, towards Nero. His arms felt numb, yet he continued to head towards the man. There was no plan behind this attack or hidden tactic. It was no more than a mere headbutt.

Nero could barely believe his eyes when the young man had managed to intercept his attack, everything about it had felt perfectly executed. All of the distractions, words, movements and cover of darkness. Shaking his head upon realizing how distracted he'd gotten from it, barely making a response until he heard the shield cracking and bursting soon after.

"You're better than I thought kid." He spoke out as he continued to work his magic, upon swirling his left hand before clenching it like earlier and pulling it back - while the right one opened up and had the dust gathered in his bag seep its way towards it. The dust that had initially been made into a javelin before being intercepted whirled anew and struck out once again. Forming into small needle-like bones as they came after Climb as he closed in on Nero. All the while the scarred man's right hand revealed something very much akin to a dagger, taking a step forward to answer the young man's head-clash in-kind whilst lashing out with the skeletal weapon towards the abdomen once more.

It all caused his attention to be spread thin, Nero wanted to get the Lieutenant out of the commotion by piercing him here and now. He was purposefully delaying the speed of which the "needles" flew towards Climb as to collide after their encounter, just so that he could prevent further harm should this first strike succeed. *"Don't struggle with this one kid, sit it out!"* The thoughts ran across his mind as it all went down.

Hair billowing in the wind, Climb felt the cold breeze inside the cave awaken him, even more than he already was. Somehow, flying towards his opponent, with seemingly no plan whatsoever, awoke his senses. As he flew towards him, he noticed the man moved his hands, and although he couldn’t quite make out what were his exact motions, it was enough to make him act.

As he travelled in the air, Climb placed both of his hands on the crystal path he had made before. Skidding along the pair with his legs up in the air. He gritted his teeth as his gloves, and subsequently hands, got damaged. Despite this, what was most apparent was how the entire crystal path glowed blue due to his magic. This temporary glow allowed him to make out some of the bone needles. ‘’’Crystal Make: Spikes’’’! He said barely audibly as from the crystal path, a path of spikes emerged all around Climb, it covered nearly every direction. Protecting Climb from some of the bone needles, while at the same time, some of them aimed to pierce through the trickster.

With a loud thud, Climb fell to the ground, finding himself surrounded by his creations. He attempted to raise his arms, but found himself in pain as he did so. Looking behind his shoulders, he could see small holes in his body, courtesy of “Gai’s” previous attack. Groaning through the pain, Climb hesitantly rose, not knowing how Nero had reacted.

“I-I can see through you now!” Climb placed his hands together, and formed another lamp. He knew that in the darkness, “Gai” had the advantage, and if he were to allow that, he, and Miwa would find themselves in even more danger. His magical reserves becoming less, Climb used a tiny bit of his magic to stop the bleeding by crystallizing them. It was a painful process, but one he’d have to endure all together.

With both hand in front of him, Climb prepared himself for whatever attack was to come, that is if, “Gai” survived his spikes.

Witnessing the young knight getting passed him as well as turning his spikes against its owner, all that which had showcased expressions of focus on Nero's face shifted to shook once again; followed quickly thereafter by his eyes narrowing as annoyance was tarting to replace his otherwise jolly mood. Being quick to halt his left arm as to make the spikes stop mid-air before turning to face Climb, eyes flickerings by the newly formed source of light, and his new foundation. His appearance being completely visible, scars and all. With the expection of the spikes that was now being covered by his body.

Raising his right hand, letting the bone-like dagger crumble and trickle through his fingers as he did, as to cover his eyes as they adjusted. "Look Climb! I lied, alright?!" It had changed again, Nero didn't exceed any tones that suggested his annoyance. "But you've got to understand-" His voice pausing as if he'd caught something in his throat before swallowing it and going at it again, "...that I need to get into that vault!" His voice was loud, it was clear at fisrt yet it also carried weight. "Do you even know what's inside!?!"

Back on Miwa's side, the captain was caught off guard as the torrent surrounded and climbed her leg, the sudden piercing sensation stinging her limb despite not forcing her down. Slamming her sheathe onto the ground as to help mentally strengthen her through the pain, Miwa used her blade in the other hand to bring above her figure. Pain was an old friend to the young captain, and being in a clan that would favour physical arts than magical assured her that she would prepared for any sort of pain to honour the ways of the blade. Looking down to see the vortex spiralling around her leg, Miwa brought the sword down but this time, a small shockwave blast around her position as notable slices around her area now stretched further and predominantly on the door locking the path at the end of the hallway. A little more effort, but nothing Miwa couldn't recover from.

"These traps are getting annoying now... I'm going to refuse the idea that these attacks are traps laid out in the tunnel, and that there's something else causing them, something that originated from the outside..." She though to herself before looking into the dragon's head in the centre of the door.

With the blade set back in its sheathe, Miwa held both hands before her and took a deep breathe in, closing her eyes as a magical aura surrounded both her hands, coloured in a sort of vibrant purple that flared around her fingers and palms. Pulling one hand backward similar to how an archer charges their bow, Miwa shot forward the same hand now pointing right at the gate, sending a blast of **Divine Arrow** right into the gate, tearing and pulling the ground it pulled up before colliding with the door, a blast of air flowing back at Miwa as her robe and hair fluttered in the wind. The captain stood firm, however, and almost had a confident look on her face as dust covered the entirety of the hallway, obscuring Miwa and the passage into the next room from anyone outside. Just as the dust was beginning to fade, another **Divine Arrow** was sent outside from the dust cloud in the opposite direction, destroying the spike traps before obliterating the entrance into the hallway, sending that area into ruins and separating Miwa and Climb.

"Now it's time to explore." She said to herself before moving forward, making sure not to trip over the jagged rocks that made a trail of where her attack had travelled over.