Voxto fanfic - Combined Strength

► 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.