An invitation: Treasure isn't always monetary

The large key sat nestled in the palm of her scaly hand. It didn’t seem so big in comparison to hers, but by any human standard this was a very big key. It was thick and lengthy, with the top end shaped like a gnarled tree hollow, and two distorted prongs sticking out on the bottom end of the key. She noted the intricate carvings covering the entirety of its body, carvings that looked like the skin of a tree forming various shapes her mind couldn’t quite discern that looked to be done by an impossibly small tool. This brass key was unique yet strange, given to her by an even stranger person days before. Why this person had given it to her was beyond question, but she hoped that it would end in a nice shiny treasure, treasure that had been promised by that same person. She didn’t even have to give anything in return, which in of itself was odd… but that didn’t matter to the tall fey-lizard, what did, however, was finding the chest that this key would unlock.

 

She continued down the dirt path of this lush forest, heading in the direction the strange person pointed her in. She had been walking for days without rest, her excitement carrying her through the fatigue that was set in her body. The soft forest floor offset the ache in her feet and the dissonant whispers of wildlife urged her to keep going, telling her to not give up. She was so close to her reward.

 

“All you have to do is walk.” the trees encouraged with a hush tone, their flush green canopies dancing in the soft breeze.

“You’re almost there, keep going.” the insects buzzed and droned in her ears, repeating the words in her head over and over again.

“Don’t give up now, you’re so close.” the fauna sang, reciting each word in perfect unison.

 

So close…

So close…

So close…

So clo-

 

Suddenly there was a loud SNAP! And the world around her became silent and Chee was standing at the edge of a clearing. As she looked around she noticed that the foliage around her looked somewhat… off. The trees, the bushes, the plants, all of them looked normal yet not at the same time. Healthy yet somewhat distorted, like something was twisting them into shapes and splitting them in ways that wasn’t natural, and yet… She just couldn’t put her claw on it. But the one thing that caught her attention was the small structure in the middle of the clearing. It looked to be a small, cozy cabin made out of a strong light wood. It had two windows on each side of the structure, and a door on its front which also had a window set into it. It even sported a cute little chimney. The cabin on the whole, though, looked like it was only weeks old, and there didn’t seem to be any tools or furnishings on the outside.

 

She soon found herself in front of the door. She felt off. She didn’t quite remember walking up to the door, nor did she recall sticking the key into the keyhole, but it was her arm that reached out to reveal the inside of the cabin.

 

Upon stepping inside, Chee could see that this place was once lived in. A large bookshelf covered the entirety of one wall and it was still fully stocked. There was a desk with a chair opposite of it that still had papers and a fresh ink bottle with a half melted candle stick. A cushioned loveseat was placed in the corner nearest to the book shelf, possibly a chair meant for reading in, and the whole room was brought together by a large circular rug that sat in the middle of the floor. Directly across from her was a long, dark hallway that presumably led to a kitchen area, but every time her gaze danced across it, it would seemingly vanish.

 

Chee shook her head, this place was already starting to affect her perception. Now that she was here, she wondered what treasure was supposed to be here for her to nab? She strode over to the desk and chair, putting her claws on the back support. Her fingers sank into the soft, deteriorating wood as she leaned forward, eyes scanning the papers. Nothing unusual here, just the scribblings of someone presumably writing in the common language; it wasn’t something she could understand.

 

She then moved across the soft, damp rotting rug, its half-melted fibers sticking to the bottoms of her feet with every step she took, leaving imprints as she went. The love seat wasn’t anything special or abnormal to the doppler. It was cushioned and old, and covered in a layer of thick grey mold. The way it sat there more resembled a distorted, half melted block of cheese that someone tried to shape into a chair. She poked at it and frowned when her claw sank in with a squelch. ‘Gross’ she thought, ‘someone really needs to clean up in here’.

 

It was then, when Chee turned to face the bookshelf, that she felt something, something in her head.. Something calling out to her? Something that wanted her attention and cried out to her. Was it the treasure that she was promised? She made her way closer to the wall of books eyeing the spins of the old, cobweb covered tomes. It looked as if these books had been sat here for decades without being touched, yet been read daily for millenia. These poor, lonely books…

Careful searching wasn’t getting her anywhere closer to what she [felt she] wanted, but that’s when she felt it again.

 

Being a creature of magic, she knew she had to extend her mind to the call. She closed her eyes and focused on the magical ping… reached out to it, brought it to her body, held it close to her thoughts and her entire being. She felt sick, ill, fouled by the contact. It was a sick magic, it reeked of rot and tasted of iron, yet she couldn’t let go of it. Upon opening her eyes, her vision blurring slightly, Chee saw only one single book left on the shelf. She approached it, grabbed it, gave it her attention… The cover was a simple one, made of a light grey leather and bound with sinew, yet it was titleless. The pages were yellowed with age and strange words, hand-written with ink, stained and flooded each page, threatening to flow over like a rising tide. It didn’t matter though, as hard as she tried she just could not parse them… That was until the words began to resonate within her entire being.

 

Chee felt sick again, she felt like doubling over vomiting, but all she could do was dry heave. She listened to its words, its tales, its musings… it wanted her to go somewhere, some place specific. She couldn’t wrap her mind around these invading thoughts, but there was one word that stood out to her, one repeated word…. “Godspawn”.