Gaining Courage: The Search for the Lost Keys (a Fairytail Galu story)

Chapter Thirty-Seven: Treasure Hunters

Moving into the last floor after finding some disused lanterns stacked near the entrance we found numerous rooms leading off from the main chamber. Each room when we looked appeared to be filled with treasure and artefacts and on each doorway was the same warning 'take anything that is not yours and a terrifying fate will befall you.' Not wanting to take any chances I sent Pyxis home and used Reticulum to help me see any hidden traps. Turns out there were a many, one on each doorway to a new chamber. Unlike the previous floors these traps seemed to be simple booby-traps that were made to cause harm.

"Gajeel it's best if we didn't touch anything, at least until we found the Staff. All of these markings dictate that thieves would be punished and I'm pretty sure that the traps when set off in conjunction with touching any of the treasure will summon whatever 'guardian beast' guards the Temple."

Moving through the treasure floor I was careful not to brush against anything and kept glancing round. The picture I'd found in the Crocus library and showed Gajeel presented a six-foot staff made of bone with a runic head mast with an inlayed blue opal. Glancing round the main room I couldn't see anything that resembled what they were looking for. After a few minutes I grasped that the treasure in the rooms seemed to be grouped into categories. The doorways above each room had depictions of recognisable traits. One of the rooms on the left had nothing but weapons, another on the right had chests filled with ancient coins and jewels.

I could only hope the Staff would be so grouped as we continued down the main treasure chamber until it came to an intersection. On the right wall leading away were mosaics of what looked like healers and magic items. With it being the best bet I was about to follow Gajeel down the right corridor when I stopped; all of a sudden the left corridor seemed to give off a glow and a faint pull on my magic.

Glancing down that way due to Reticulum I could see a poison arrow wall trap and another smaller treasure room. The mosaic on that wall was faded and cracked so it was hard to make out but what I could see was what looked like a house. Before I could go investigate further I heard Gajeel shout out and as I turned to look further down the right corridor I could see that the idiot has sprung the floor trap and was balancing precariously across the now missing floor section.

Moving over I wrapped him in my whip and yanked him up. Once Gajeel was alright I didn't even get a 'thank you' before he used his Iron slayer powers on his legs to jump across. I gave a small quiet sigh as I used the Fleuve d'etoiles to swing across the gap after him. This new chamber seemed to be where the Mashima people had stored any magical artefacts as I could feel the hum of energy in the air get much thicker. The chamber seemed to be the largest so far that I had seen and that meant they had to be extra careful.

I gestured to Gajeel to start on one side of the room while I took the other and we both got started. After a few minutes of searching paying particular attention to the reliefs on the walls as they sometime showed what the nearest item did, I finally got lucky and found a staff that matched the description I had. Paying heed to the display on one of the walls next to it, it portrayed the Staff being used and an energy beam going from one person to another. Before I picked it up I gave a whistle and waved Gajeel over when he looked up.

"What you got Bunny?"

Waving at the Staff next to the wall she stood by, I placed my hand on his chest when he went to grab it.

"Though the depictions told of a guardian they didn't give any clues as to what it actually was. I know we didn't have a choice but still I think we should be ready before we go and grab it."

I took a quick look round for cover and to check on the quickest way out of the room on the off chance we had to make a run for it. As I grabbed the staff it was only seconds later that they heard the shriek. Turning Gajeel and I couldn't help but both flinch and then run and duck for cover as out of the darkness at the back of the chamber came forth the guardian of the Temple: a Fire Peri. Cursing our luck I gestured for Gajeel to throw his lantern into the middle of the room while I tossed mine nearer to the entrance as I didn't want the lights to give away their positions. I had to think.