Godspawn Ascendant [LitRPG, Epic Progression Fantasy]

I should expect to find a treasure room filled with piles of shiny gold and other valuable trinkets scattered all over the place, right?. Well, the fallen look on Cinthara's face as we entered must have matched mine, for we met with something very short of such a grand spectacle.

Nothing but empty, cold stone save for two small chests residing in each far corner met our eyes. Cinthara and I shared disappointed looks with one another.

"I was expecting something… impressive," she breathed.

I shrugged. "Me too, but we might as well check the chests. Maybe there's something worthwhile for us to collect anyway."

Cinthara rolled her eyes as she trekked over to the rusted metal chest on the right.

"Well, duh," she said, kneeling before the lock on the chest. "Why wouldn't we at least try to open these dusty old things?"

Grumbling, I approached the other chest and moved to study its weirdly shaped lock, as well. The lock's hole bent into a swirl that dug about a quarter of the way through the lid of the trunk.

"What does your chest's lock look like?" I called to Cinthara.

"It looks like the smallest pinprick hole, like something as small as a sewing needle is supposed to act as the key."

I glanced around our surroundings, seeing nothing on the empty stone floors or walls to indicate the location of any keys.

Cinthara and I both tried prying the tops open anyway but to no avail.

"We could try busting them open with our weapons," I suggested. I ran a hand along the smooth surface of the trunk. "They seem pretty strong, though."

Cinthara rose to her feet and planted fists on her hips. She pursed her lips and peered down at her chest.

"I wouldn't be surprised if they were protected by some sort of magic, too."

Intrigued by her idea, I narrowed my eyes and studied my chest closer, inching my face so far forward that my nose touched the cold metal.

I couldn't see any essence streams specifically surrounding the chest. There were some stray threads flitting over our heads, but none seemed particularly attracted to the mysterious, locked treasures. Normally, essence would flock to an ongoing spell, like something used to guard the chests. But I didn't know much about the magic a god like Solomon might have. There could be dormant spells placed on the chests that wouldn't activate until somehow disrupted.

"Dex, can you sense any magic protecting these chests? Or some sort of spell I should be aware of?"

"I sense some magic or spells once guarded these chests, but the presence is faded–distant. It is as if someone already unlocked them."

I ran my hands all over the object, confused, trying to find any sort of opening or flaw to get into the chest.

"You think someone got through the magical barriers closing these chests and already retrieved their contents?"

"Yes, Rayden. Otherwise, the spells would still be around them."

"Then they should still be open," I said aloud, pounding a fist against the top of the chest I knelt in front of.

"Did you say something?" Cinthara grumbled as she ran a hand over her chin, eyes narrowed at her chest.

"No," I breathed. "I'm just… frustrated."

"What do you think is in them?" Cinthara mused, falling to her knees and rocking back and forth in thought. "Gold? Magical items?"

"If there's still something in them," I whispered under my breath.

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I stood and wiped the dust that had attached to my armor from the floor. "My best guess is that there are keys to unlock the chest somewhere. You look around here, and I'll go back to the dragon's cave. Maybe there's a secret compartment or puzzle that's hiding them."

Cinthara nodded, and I headed out of the treasure room. I emerged back into the dimly lit cave where we'd left the dead dragon.

Even lifeless, she looked magnificent. The dragon's violet scales still glimmered underneath the faint light that came from somewhere in the ceiling, and her spectacular wings stretched over the floor as if she were about to take flight at any minute. Her large lids covered her eyes gently, making her look like she peacefully slept instead of slowly rotting away in death.

It really had been a shame to kill the dragon. Granted, if we hadn't, she would have killed us first, but just the marvel of her existence now extinguished by our weapons saddened me. I imagined what Drayek would have said if he knew I'd killed a creature that we'd only thought existed in storybooks.

I carefully explored the cave, finding more traps laid out for a clone like me to activate to aid in killing the dragon. But upon placing my hand on the newly found spots, the traps did not trigger. Perhaps the magical cave knew the test had already been completed.

Killing the dragon was the test, I thought. So, maybe…

I maneuvered close to the dragon's massive face, carefully leaping over the bones and cartilage of the dragon's wings as I did. It felt shameful to break the beast's body down more than it already had been.

"We had to kill you to get our reward," I said to the dead creature. "You're the key. And maybe you were guarding the chest keys."

I bent below the dragon's maw, holding my breath as I caught the scent of the dragon in such close proximity. A flash of gold on the beast's neck caught my eye. I moved to my hands and knees and crawled toward the shining gold, quickly making out a thin chain tied around the dragon's long neck. And sure enough, two short pieces of metal hung in the center of the chain: one rusted spiral key and another rusted straight key. They both matched the locks on the chests in the treasure room.

***

"Are you kidding me?" Cinthara kicked her newly unlocked and opened chest with an armored boot, then scurried over to mine to peer inside. "They're both empty?"

I folded my arms and sighed. "Guess so."

"But how? Why?" She threw her hands above her head and began pacing the bare, stone room. The hard soles of her boots click-clacked loudly as she stormed back and forth.

"How could someone have emptied this treasure room without killing the dragon first?"

"Dex?" I prompted my AI companion. "Do you have any idea?"

"I do not, Rayden. It is quite the puzzle."

"It's not like we're leaving here empty-handed." I gestured toward our bulging sack of newly harvested dragon parts. "You said you know someone who will buy our wares without asking any unwanted questions. I call that a win."

Cinthara ran a gauntlet under her nose and flashed her angry, violet eyes up at the ceiling. "Fine. Whatever. But this outcome is… underwhelming. No, that's not a strong enough word."

Her eyes that glowed from the heat rising in her face met mine. "It's just depressing."

I nonchalantly placed my hands on my hips and stretched my back out with a yawn. "I think we met with quite a few surprises that I'll remember for the rest of my life. Like fighting a dragon."

Cinthara snorted derisively.

"It's getting late." I readjusted my satchel with Eira, my budding etherea, still tucked safely inside. "We should head back."

Cinthara followed my lead, heaving the heavy sack of dragon parts over her shoulder. I offered to relieve her of the heavy load, but she only grunted in response. I didn't dare offer a second time.

We returned to the cavern entrance, the one I had unlocked with my special Lord Solomon DNA.

If someone really had raided the treasure room before us, it had to have been another Lord Solomon clone or Lord Solomon himself. No one else could enter. But why would Lord Solomon need to rob his own treasure intended for his clones? No, it had to have been someone like me. But that only brought up more questions…. How did this other clone get into the treasure room without killing the dragon? The doors to the room had only opened for Cinthara and me after we had passed the test.

It didn't make any sense.

"Dex, are you still there?" I called to my AI companion as the cavern grew distant behind us.

I hoped unlocking the cavern had brought Dex back to me permanently, but something in my gut told me that was wishful thinking.

"Dex?"

Nothing. Codex's return in my head had been short-lived.

"So, when do you want to complete another one of these caverns?" Cinthara said after a long moment of silence, disturbed only by the sound of sand rolling away from our sandsoles as we trekked back toward the city.

"You still want to open the others?" I said. "What if all the treasures have already been raided?"

She shrugged, the motion almost imperceptible underneath the weight of the sack she carried. "There's only one way to find out. And you're right, killing monsters and harvesting parts are not bad ways to spend our time."

And I broke through to Tier 7, I reminded myself with a grin.

If all the caverns offered me a quick way to climb up the Tiers, that was enough of a reason by itself to continue Cinthara's and my cavern quest. And maybe I'd even reunite with Dex every time I entered one–perhaps I could even find a way to restore him completely.

"Let's meet a week from today," I said. "And the same day every week after, as long as we don't get in trouble for some reason or we don't survive another fantastical creature like that dragon."

Cinthara nodded, the curls in her long, white-blond ponytail bouncing. "Agreed."