CHAPTER 98: STRANGE CROWN

Minutes passed, Charon growing tenser with every second.

He could distantly hear the ticking of the watch from the Lantern Bearer play. Each mechanical click was a reminder that the Warden was gone, and his friends would soon leave as well.

’Why couldn’t I have erred on the side of caution and said an hour? That would’ve been way smarter!’

All he could do was trust that Emerius and the others knew him well enough to take his estimate with a grain of salt, remaining in the town for a while longer.

As it stood, he had bigger fish to fry.

The pale crowns’ light reflected off the walls, like beams shooting from its core. It made it impossible to ignore it, despite how hard he tried.

’What is it for? A king? Could it have been worn by the previous king of the town?’

Achlys had said this cave wasn’t hers, at least not initially, so he wasn’t sure it was connected to her.

’I can’t be certain. I keep getting involved with these demi-gods, if they can even be called that. If it is hers, do I want to touch it?’

The answer came all too easily.

He wanted to grab it, really, really badly.

It was like a starving man looking at a grilled steak. The sizzle of the fat as it cooked, the juices dripping from its warm meat, the seasoning mixing to create an unstoppable flavor.

The crown wasn’t a steak, but it was magical.

Charon didn’t need to have Emerius’ talents to figure that much out.

’What would he say if he were here? "It is too dangerous. To risk the wrath of the gods is to invite catastrophe, Charon. We must be smarter than that," is probably what he would tell me.’

He smirked at the thought, easily able to envision his friend speaking those very words.

’But...’

He paused as he exhaled, his greed slowly taking ground.

’He isn’t here. For all I know, he and Annie could study it for five seconds, and discover it held the secret of immortality, and that there were no downsides to taking it. There is no way for me to know.’

Charon took a single step towards the altar, his fingers wiggling slightly in anticipation.

’No, no, no! I am stronger than this! Greed is not one of the God of Death’s aspects. I shouldn’t do it, if for no other reason than to please my patron!’

He had never considered Death his patron before, but he was struggling, gods damn it! He wanted to grab onto any rope he could find, and this one wasn’t wrong.

The God of Death was technically the source of his element and magical abilities by extension.

The wind hissed as Charon sucked it in, his face scrunching as he tried, and failed, to ignore the thought of the myriad possibilities the crown could provide.

’What if it boosts my raw power? Or doubles my mana? Or it could even buff my summons! It is a crown, after all. A relic like that would make sense to benefit summoners.’

His foot slid forward again before he realized it, the scrape of his boot against the black stone echoing far too loudly in the silence.

’Nope! This is how heroes die all the time, touching the clearly cursed artifact in the unimaginable horrors house! That’s not how I want my story to end!’

His thoughts were one thing, but his actions were another.

The crown sat perfectly still, as if on a pedestal, your eye refusing to look away. It might not have had a mouth, but Charon would be damned if it wasn’t whispering to him, nudging him closer with every tantalizing promise of potential.

Mist drifted off the object, creating small tendrils that reached towards him.

’Oh, that isn’t a warning sign at all! Surely, the crown trying to touch me is a good sign.’

His sarcastic brain did little to calm his shaking nerves. The Dead Lands might have scared his friends, and Charon by proxy, but they were nothing compared to the terrifying allure of a godly relic.

’Would one little touch hurt? Just to inspect it. I might notice something that could help Emerius, or even better, impress Annie.’

The thought of the beautiful girl gushing at him for being helpful was all he needed to break through the warning signs and reach out with his hand.

His fingers inched towards the smooth surface while he gulped, the coppery taste of coins all he could taste.

Trembling, he touched the tip of one of the crown’s prongs. It was cold to the touch and felt strangely weightless, like he could push right through it.

He tried, extending his hand further, yet it was stopped all the same, the object unmoving.

’That’s weird.’

Charon attempted to move it again, his pale hands pushing the small item with all of his weight. Gritting his teeth, he put some effort into it, shoving with his back. His muscles flexed and bulged as much as they could, the result being meaningless.

Although he was many times the size of the crown, it refused to budge, locked in place on the sleek altar.

’Is there an activation for it? Maybe one of the runes carved near it.’

He leaned down to study them, his fingers tracing the tight grooves. No residue came off of the black material, leaving him as pale as any other day, yet Charon still felt something linger beneath his skin.

The largest carving, just beneath the crown, appeared to be two eyes. Round tears dripped from them, leading over the edge of the altar and cascading down to the floor. Where they fell, a field of flowers was etched, dust coating their petals.

Vague waves were marked all over, as if attempting to depict mist. They were denser near the crown, fading into obscurity near the platform’s fringes.

Skulls decorated the area above the crown, a half-circle of eight with a larger ninth set above them.

Charon paused as he looked at the larger one, a semblance of understanding so close he could feel it, yet distant all the same.

’Like I’m putting together a puzzle with missing pieces.’

He remembered stories of heroes doing the same, using impossible wisdom and intelligence to find a loophole or a way out of such challenges. Even Aralin the Daring had faced them, although his solution usually involved less thinking and more slashing.

’I bet Annie would know what these meant. If the Warden manages to convince Achlys we aren’t a threat, she might let us inspect these more closely.’

Not finding anything that revealed an enchantment or an alternative method of releasing the artifact, he shook his head and sighed.

’Should’ve figured.’

Unwilling to stop without giving things one last try, he reached out and attempted to push it once more, failing like the others. Growing frustrated, he did so again, and again, increasingly upset until he practically backhanded the thing, his hand cutting on the edge of the foremost prong.

"Shit!"

He jerked the limb close to his body, a long bloody gash already beginning to weep blood. His shirt was quickly stained with the vital fluid, Charon biting back another curse as he decided it was better to let it drip elsewhere.

’Stupid sharp relic! Now I’m bleeding, and the Warden isn’t here to at least make me comfortable. This sucks!’

He knew it was a bit immature to react so heavily, but this week was not going his way, gods damn it!

’Tt will get better soon. I just have to wait, and pray.’

The wound thrummed in pain, various nerves and blood vessels being knicked by the infernal artifact. It ran deep, almost hitting the bone.

As if summoned by his prayers, the two reappeared where they had vanished at just that moment, a plume of mist announcing their arrival. Their "hands" were still held together, and their eyes locked.

Turning to face him, the Warden instantly shot towards him while Achlys jumped, her transparent eyes widening in a vivid emotion for the first time since Charon saw her.

Her mouth opened to call out to him, thousands of thick, misty coils lashing out to grab at him. They came from every crack and crevice in the cave, forming out of thin air to arrest his momentum.

"Stop, child!"

Charon’s jaw dropped in confusion as the world around him exploded into motion, both the Warden and Achlys charging at him with all of their strength.

They weren’t fast enough, a single crimson drop falling from his hand.

Sound disappeared, leaving him with only the perfect viewpoint to watch his mistake firsthand.

Time seemed to slow as the perfect teardrop shape struck the gemstone of the crown.

In that instant, its glow turned scarlet, the paleness banished from sight. The entire room shook once, the black shale cracking.

A torrent of mist exploded, wrapping around Charon and whisking him away, the Warden and Achlys now being the ones left alone.