"Let's visit the Dragon's Hoard!" That was the first thing out of her former professor's mouth as soon as she appeared on her family home's doorstep. The oppressive heat of Ignius was waning, and soon the windy days of Venti would commence. Since the appearance of the freak blizzard and the chaos created from god's blood, there hadn't been much time to relax. Weeks earlier her family and the rest of the evacuees returned to their homes, and the alchemically powered barriers were disassembled. The cooler climate of Adeluna was a welcome change to the warm humidity of Endapano. More importantly, her pets would be able to run about freely. Marcasite had been rather fidgety in their time up north, but Basilius had it worse. He was as large as a full-grown horse, and he had to be kept inside their relatives' stable. There wasn't much room for him to sun himself or lounge about but he behaved himself well. 

With her summer plans interrupted, Professor Ryou was determined to make the most out of the season before she had to return to her classes. Thus she decided a place full of treasures both bearing monetary and historical value was the perfect getaway from the blazing sun. Liselotte could guess she wasn't inviting her solely for her own personal desires. Her teacher must have felt sorry for dragging her along to Gifre's Vault and for the disaster around the Sanguine Tenebris too. It didn't take much to gain permission from her father for the trip to Baltil. He and Professor Ryou had sat down together once and drew up an agreement that she would promise that wherever she took her, she would be safe. Her mother had more conflicted feelings regarding her former professor's eccentric quirks, but Professor Ryou had a way with making herself likable over time.

They both took an airship across the Nyella to Baltil, where they stayed for a few days seeing the sights and browsing the market. Then, it was time. The arcanist told her that she had figured out the timing of the guards' shifts at the entrance to the hoard, and once the rotation was taking place they would slip in under the cover of magic. Liselotte didn't doubt that she would be able to pull it off, however she did wonder about what they would do when it was time to leave the network of caverns. The plan was set into motion, and they staked the area out waiting for the anticipated change of the guard. When it began, Professor Ryou gave the signal and made her invisible. Slipping by, she ducked into an alcove while the mage took her turn to sneak past. They moved soundlessly with the aid of her professor's levitation spell, and soon they were out of the guards' sight. Letting out a sigh of relief, Liselotte and the arcanist relaxed. 

"I didn't think that it would work to be honest, Professor. So did you have anything in particular that you wished to bring back from here?" She asked. The small oni shrugged and shook her head. "Not really. I was just thinking of picking up anything that might be nice to add to a museum or the school's archaeology wing. We could always use more artifacts for the staff to analyze." "I figured as much. You normally have a clear idea of what you want when going somewhere. I suppose you'll be preferring the more lightweight, compact items then." The alchemist mused. 

The mage then pulled out a strange mirror. "Alright, now let's get cracking! I heard that there is an 'actual' dragon down in these tunnels, so we should stay on our toes. We don't need to go in very far. Whenever you wanna leave, I'll get the teleport up and running. All that clinking metal'll be a dead giveaway if we try going out the way we came in." 

Usually she'd bring a sack, but today she had her trusty 'magic mirror of storing', as she liked to call it. It was one of a pair, the other which currently resided in her office in the Mage's College in Iria. All she had to do was stuff the things she wanted through it and it'd appear on the other end. Way better than hauling a pack of spoils herself. The half-elf alchemist had gone through a rough Ignius season–first hell froze over, then all hell broke loose; to put things nicely. So she wanted to give her former student a nice vacation away from home and family.

Walking along the cavern tunnels, she wasn't worried about getting lost. That was because she had the power of Gateway, or her 'Go-Home Door'. This really was a dragon's hoard, just like in Gifre's Vault minus the freezing cold and death traps. And the treasure was much easier to access too! Resisting her urge to nab every shiny bauble and coin in sight, she opted for things that had more detail and possible historical significance. She picked up a silver goblet to look at the base, but when she found nothing she tossed it back into the pile. The design wasn't even anything special, thus nothing to write home about. Boooring. Digging through the coin piles she pulled out a necklace. The central jewel was a large open fashioned in the shape of a coiling lindworm. This would be a good thing to show off in a display. She dropped it into the surface of the mirror and it went through to the other side.

Squatting before some coins, she worked to pick out ones from different eras and with different designs, taking one of each. Whenever she found something that could fit through the mirror, she would feed it into the enchanted surface. Liselotte was taking her time as well, looking for potential relics. One of the things in the piles was a beautiful mosaic, but Myouga wrung her hands when it was too large to enter the mirror's portal. "Aww…it's too wide. I don't wanna leave it behind either, who knows who'll come by next time?" "I can carry it for you if you'd like." The alchemist offered. She spun around and clutched her mirror with both hands, eyes shining with joy. "Really? You'll do that for me Lise?" Her former student nodded. "Yes, of course. I have plenty of room in my travel bag. As long as it's not too heavy or unwieldy I should be able to fit quite a few things in there."

Overjoyed, Myouga ran over to the half-elf and hugged her. "Thank you, thank you, thank you! You're the best! If you want anything, as long as it'll fit through the mirror I'll hold it in my office and mail it to you after we get back!" She wouldn't have to worry about taking paintings anymore! But she didn't want to give Liselotte too much trouble, so she'd only pick the ones that she felt had real value. The alchemist tucked the mosaic into her bag while she combed through a jewelry pile. The gold chains and ruby inlays weren't too special, and she moved aside pearl and emerald rings to find a cameo brooch. It was carved from a two-colored carnelian, with the portrait cut from the white portion of the precious stone and the coral red being the backdrop. The setting of the brooch was gold, but the design on the other side was something worth studying. She couldn't come up with any absolute dates for when this was likely made, but the researchers back in Iria could handle that. She also spied a pair of earrings crafted delicately from a silvery metal that was shinier than pure silver. Made to resemble flowering vines, the blooms held a single pearl within the center. They looked elven in design, so she scooped them up and showed them to her former student.

"Hey Lise, look at these! Aren't they pretty? Do you want them? If they're not your style, maybe your sisters or mother might like 'em. The design's elven, so it's a good find."  

The mosaic slab was now resting snugly inside her travel bag, as she took care to prevent it from being scratched by the rest of her things. Hearing her professor call out to her, she turned around to see the mage presenting a pair of pearl flower earrings. "They're lovely, professor. Though I'm not entirely fond of drop earrings, I'd gladly accept these for Calantha. Perhaps they'll match with some necklaces she has." Taking the delicate earrings into her hands, she folded them in a handkerchief and tucked them away. Professor Ryou was always looking out for her and her students. Eccentricities aside, she was attentive in observing and identifying the needs of others. Her methods of doing so might be less…conventional than most, but normally problems didn't arise. 

This certainly was a rather extensive cave system. They had walked for a while now, and she still could see new branching paths at each turn. Nooks and crannies in a range of sizes dotted the walls of the tunnels. Some of them were only just wide enough for a person to slip into. She thought she had heard an echo from up ahead, but it seemed the arcanist hadn't heard it. Perhaps it was nothing. If a dragon was approaching, it would've been much louder. "By the way, do you think anything else resides in these passageways aside from said dragon?" She asked. She had a nagging feeling that they weren't the only ones here right now. "I dunno. I guess anything that lives in caves normally would be here too. There probably won't be many large animals since it's a dragon's den, but I'd expect bats and spiders." No mention of other races or monsters. That wasn't quite the answer she was looking for, but Liselotte left it at that. She would keep watch for both of them while her former teacher rummaged through the treasure piles.

It was clear that there were more and more piles of items to examine the deeper they ventured. Obviously the valuables closest to the exit would be easier for treasure-hunters to take. Only the more daring would continue onward towards the lair of the beast. It was then she realized she had forgotten to ask if there had been any sightings of the dragon being active recently. That thought was a bit disquieting. As the arcanist took her time with the smaller items, she began examining the larger ones. Gingerly lifting up a dusty canvas of a woman adorned in furs and gold, she turned it over to see if the painter had left his mark. Famous or not, an antique like this would be a desired addition to any collector's gallery. Now there were more practical items like hand mirrors, jewel boxes, and combs. An old timepiece meant for setting atop the mantel or study desk caught her eye and she lifted it from the heap it rested in. She would be keeping this one. Her father would enjoy this particular antique.

There was a faint rumbling, and she held her breath until it stopped. "…Did you feel that? There was shaking just now." Professor Ryou had felt it too, as she was stock-still with an old decorated metal plate in her hands. "Yeah, I felt it too. I don't know how far we are right now. Hopefully we're not too close to you-know-who." The apprehension in her voice was palpable. She had mentioned that she had nearly gotten killed by one once, due to a misunderstanding. That experience left her more wary when dragons were involved, but did little to change her habits nonetheless. "I don't mean to be pessimistic, but if hypothetically the dragon were to wake up–what should we do?"

The little oni nervously tiptoed over to her and slipped the dish through her magic mirror, clearly uncomfortable. "Well we'd have to run, or hide. Whichever one's faster.If we get ourselves in a nook too small for it to claw us, I can start working on a gateway spell and send us home before it starts torching the place." "Did you check if there were any signs of recent activity from the dragon from the dwarves?" There was a long silence. "N-no. I didn't think it was necessary–since it hasn't woken up in years…" Professor Ryou bit her lower lip as the half-elf took a deep breath. "Let's hurry then. Regardless if it's active or not, the less time we spend the less likely we'll find out."

"Mhm…" The oni nodded, glancing over her shoulder again. Liselotte's heart hadn't beat this fast since the first time she went horseback riding with her brothers. She crossed her fingers in hopes that they'd be lucky.

A sleeping dragon is still a dragon. It's probably even worse than just an ordinary dragon, especially if it was anything like what she'd seen when people first wake up after a long, peaceful nap. Some people were just tired after being woken up; others would be downright ornery. And if she had learned anything from her last up-close encounter with the drake-kind, it was that you really didn't want to get their attention. Lions don't notice mice when they go out on a hunt, unless said mouse runs over a paw. They were the mice in this situation. Thieving, crumb-snatching mice. 

They've been walking for while now, and she realized that the place was a maze. Sure they could backtrack but she didn't tell the alchemist that the walls started to look the same. Even the treasure piles eventually blended into the same repetitive patterns. There was too much of the same stuff everywhere to make mental landmarks. Myouga was being more cautious with her selections now. For every piece that she and Liselotte took, that would be one more thing weighing them down. And treasures themselves had other dangers too. Sometimes they would be brought in by heaps, so their curses wouldn't be tripped off. Only when someone curious picked it up and tried to use it did those nasty little safeguards trigger. She started to check if what she wanted to take had any enchantments before inspecting for its monetary value. Even if it did have them, magical artifacts were worth more than the average piece of silver. 

Hefting a large crystal orb inlaid into a gilded setting, she handed it off to the half-elf for safekeeping. It was then that she heard something–faint but worrying. Myouga looked behind her and then up at the ceiling. "…Hey Lise, did you hear anything?" "No, why?"  She bit her lip and shifted uncomfortably. "Oh…ok. I thought I heard something scuttling by. I don't see any holes or passages in the walls. Maybe I'm just imagining it. I mean it's not like there's a whole nest of giant spiders hiding in them, right?" The mage let out a short nervous laugh before returning to fidgeting again. Her former student looked around carefully, but didn't entirely disagree. "I haven't seen any webbing while we were walking down here. But it would be very possible that there is a spider den here."

"As long as we don't enter uninvited we should be fine right? I mean, it's not like we want to break into their house. I just hope they aren't the spitting types…eughh." Scrunching up her face into a grimace, she shuddered. She didn't hate spiders, but she wasn't interested in getting a face full of acid or web. Still not feeling safe, she cast a spell to see if there were any false walls or hidden tunnels they weren't aware of. Zilch. 

As they went in deeper, the air seemed to feel warmer. Or was that just her body temperature going up from anxiety? Rifling through the treasures was pretty routine until one of the gold coins she took jumped out of her hands and started running away! "Wha–hey! Get back here you! What gives?" The half-elf also saw it, and managed to hit it dead-on with the end of her staff. It stopped moving and a faint crunch was heard. Approaching it, Myouga squinted her eyes as she saw the 'coin' was actually a well-disguised shiny beetle–which was now dead. "Ohhh, hey this is cool! I didn't know bugs started disguising themselves as money! Hey Lise, let's put this in a jar and see if we can find more!" She was happy again with this novel find. How did the bug manage to make its shell's luster the same as a dirtied gold doubloon? She had so many questions swimming in her head, and wanted more.

"Your untimely demise will not have been in vain, for you shall open a new path in entomology! I shall dub thee, 'treasure bug'!" She exclaimed as she held the glass jar containing the dead beetle inside. Eager to find more, she started sweeping her fingers through the coin piles back and forth, watching if any of the discs decided to get up and move. When that wasn't enough, she started checking inside containers, boxes, and jars. It was when she pried open a rather stubbornly sealed chest that she saw the insides were lined with pink fleshy tissue instead of wood. Pulling her hands away before the 'lid' snapped shut she leaped back and screamed: "AHHHH! IT'S A MIMIC–KILL IT!!!"  

As the mage bolted and screamed, Liselotte turned to see what had been an ordinary wooden oak chest without a lock spring to life and charge at them. The lid opened revealing a ravenous maw lined with serrated teeth belonging to a shark. She had detected it too late, so she immediately created a wall from the earth to block its path temporarily. Running to her professor's side she pulled an arrow from her quiver and dipped the head in a small bottle of concentrated belladonna extract. 

Ah yes, the common mimic. Strange creatures with the uncanny ability to imitate the likeness of inanimate objects, particularly storage containers like chests. Their unique traits combined the adaptability of chameleons with the luring techniques of flytraps–making them a deadly combination and any treasure hunter's worst enemy. They often would blend in with other items, and were prominently found in ruins or other places less frequented by people. They fed off smaller creatures that passed by. Sometimes they would catch people. She had heard stories of sorcerers keeping them as pets, and they were excellent for indoor pest control. However like all creatures, there were those which were wild and aggressive. Professor Ryou had managed to find the latter.

Notching a poisoned arrow to her bow, she spoke quietly trying to stop her mentor from panicking. "I don't think that wall will keep it at bay for long, so I'll be needing your assistance Professor! Please, try to calm down!" The arcanist was freaking out from nearly losing her hands, but she did stop screaming when she heard Liselotte. "Oh goooods–that thing's still over there isn't it?! I swear if I'd moved a second slower that thing would've ate my fingers! GAHHH!! There it is!" Jabbing her finger in the direction of the quick shuffling and growls, the mimic found its way around her wall and was hell-bent on tearing into them. And no wonder Professor Ryou was afraid–its incredibly fast movement made it near impossible for her to pin it down without wasting her shot. She had to act quick before it came too close to them for her to let her arrow fly-

"DIE YOU HORRIBLE, HORRIBLE CREATURE!!" A cluster of fireballs whizzed by as the mage began flinging them as fast as she could like snowballs in a snowball fight. Her throws weren't very accurate, but what they lacked in that area they more than compensated with sheer number. The chest mimic was able to evade the first few, but the next wave of fireballs slammed into it full-force. There was an awful high-pitched shriek as its body burned, and even then the small oni kept on pelting it with the same amount of firepower. After a few minutes, it was a charred corpse. Her former teacher was panting heavily, fingers with wisps of smoke trailing from them. "Is…it dead?" Professor Ryou looked at her fearfully. Liselotte took her staff and very carefully extended it until she was holding the very end, and prodded the blackened heap. No response. "Yes, I believe it has been cooked beyond well-done."

"GOOD! And it better stay that way. Nasty little ankle-biters…" The aftermath of the arcanist's reckless spell-slinging ended up causing some of the nearby piles of relics to be scattered all over, otherwise undamaged. Liselotte put away her arrow which she was thankful to not have wasted. Seeing the mage looked a bit winded, she asked. "Do you still want to continue, professor? I'm sure we can come back and visit this place some other time." She was worried Professor Ryou would wear herself out, and seeing that their only way back out was through her portals it was critical that they were in top form. Should she be incapacitated, Liselotte wasn't sure what else they could do.

"Well…I-" The tunnel started rumbling and debris was falling from the ceiling. Myouga instinctively covered her head and tried to shield herself with a barrier. The tremors stopped, for now. Reluctantly, she looked at the half-elf. "Okay. Let's go." She didn't want to leave, but it was getting more and more dangerous the longer they stayed in here. Maybe they were lucky, but Liselotte had a point. Better safe than sorry… She remembered when she was going off to Iria after getting the best marks in her classes. Her parents asked her if she really wanted to become a mage. She had said yes without skipping a beat. Her mom and dad were saddened, but they put on brave faces and smiled. They told her if that was what she really wanted, then they would be happy for her. She knew she couldn't take over the family business, as much as she tried. She just wasn't good enough at that sort of thing. Before she left home, her parents made her promise that no matter what career path she chose, she would stay safe.

Myouga never forgot that promise. 'It is a tragedy when children pass away before their parents.' That was an old proverb from Karith she had read in a textbook while studying world cultures. She couldn't risk making the same mistake when she was in the Virens Forest with Ryokuto. No more treasures. They were done here. Taking a rune out from her pocket she held it while she began focusing on creating a portal to get them out of here. While she was focusing, her eyes glowed a viridian green as arcane energies flowed and ebbed. In her mind's eye she saw her intended destination: the pastoral estate of the Ellebores in the Adeluna countryside. But while she was working, her former student shouted in alarm. "Professor, behind you!"

"Huh?" The word escaped her lips as something yanked her from behind interrupting whatever magic she was casting. Her rune fell out of her hands onto the floor as an unseen assailant dragged her away into the tunnels while the alchemist was chasing after. She fought and struggled, but the arcanist found herself suddenly unable to move. Paralysis? No, it couldn't be. She felt her arms and legs becoming heavy like lead as the figure of her former student grew smaller and smaller. She had to do something quick–before she was completely helpless. Gateway was pointless now, and she couldn't aim at whatever had snagged her. Shouting would do no good, and she was running out of time. Her only last resort was to make an explosion. But doing so would mean she would be caught in the blast as well. "I'm sorry Lise…" Myouga whispered, as she used the last of her willpower to do it.

In the tunnels shock waves and shaking rocked the stone walls as the deafening sound traveled down the paths. The force of her spell sent her flying and she blacked out from the damage. Everything went dark.

Whatever grabbed Professor Ryou was moving deeper into the tunnels with greater speed, quickly leaving Liselotte behind. There was no way for her to attack it, only blocking it off or impeding its movement would be of any use. "I'm coming Professor! Try to break free if you can!" Pushing herself to run faster, she could just see the edge of the arcanist's white frock before vanishing around the bend. There was still time, as long as she wasn't poisoned there was a chance they could–

KA-BOOM!

An explosion rocked the entire cavern and she ducked close to the ground and by the nearest wall while debris began to rain down. What hope Liselotte had in saving the mage sank as she could only wait out the tremors. No, it couldn't be! This was impossible! An explosion–how could there have been an explosion? Did a hidden pocket of gas beneath the earth rupture from the shaking, or had some kind of trap gone off? As soon as things settled down she went over to the site of the partial cave-in and began using vines to pull the rubble out. She was panicking now, afraid that the worst happened. "Professor Ryou! Can you hear me? Please answer! I'm coming, don't move from where you are!" The alchemist had rarely, if ever, lost her calm. Chunks of stone were thrown aside while the vines reached upward to form scaffolding to hold back any lose rubble from raining down. Where the supporting walls had given way, she raised the earth to fill in the gaps.

Liselotte worked frantically, digging and pushing things aside until she saw her former teacher's white hat. Picking it up she knew the mage was nearly, and the adrenaline from fear and anxiety kept her going. Minutes, seconds passed–and felt like years. Finally, she saw a small figure lying amidst the remains of the blast area. Rushing over to her she began to heal her wounds, taking out a flask of a healing potion while checking the other's pulse. It was weak, but still there. Professor Ryou was bruised badly, and there was a high chance of internal bleeding or fractures. Putting the flask to the arcanist's lips she tried to get her to swallow some down. "Stay with me Professor, can you hear me?" The battered mage groaned weakly in reply, and Liselotte shushed her when she tried to speak. "Don't say anything, save your strength. What happened? That explosion just now, was that from you?" 

Professor Ryou nodded slowly, and she was covered in soil and dirt. She must have cast an explosion spell directly in her immediate area as a last resort to shake off whatever had tried to snatch her away. She pointed at her bag with her hand, and Liselotte brought it to her. Pulling out of her pocket the rune that had been dropped by the mage earlier, she turned to ask. "This rune, what did you store in it?" By now a little bit of time had passed and the arcanist had a bit more color in her face. "It's gateway…for emergencies." The oni croaked, her chest heaving with each breath. That answer made a wave of relief wash over her, and Liselotte clutched it in the palm of her hand tightly. Thank the gods that her mentor had been prepared. Picking Myouga up, she took the rune and began to activate the spell stored inside of it. "I'm so glad you're alright. Let's go back to my home. I'll call some clerics from Adeluna City to come fix you up. Don't worry about the treasure, I'll hold onto it for you." 

With a glow, a portal opened up before them and she carried the exhausted mage through it to the Ellebore estate. Once they were through, it closed behind them, leaving no trace.