Even after all the treasure he’d unearthed in the dungeon, Gambit’s pulse still quickened every time he uncovered a cache of it. Sometimes the containers were obvious: crumbling chests and well-sealed crates were known to house the once-prized possessions of nobility. More often than not, however, his best finds had been well-hidden. He was loathe to admit it, but there had even been a few occasions when Rock found something – stashed away deep in the cave walls or beneath massive piles of rocks – that Gambit would have never discovered on his own.

He sure wasn’t a fan of bugs, but perhaps they had their uses – especially when they were magical and/or cursed (he wasn’t completely sure which was Rock’s case).

Today’s cache was particularly obvious, the pile of loose rocks in the recessed earth too intentional to be anything but mortal-made. Whether it was by the Ancients, or a fellow diver, it was hard to say, but Gambit didn’t really care. He just wanted whatever was at the bottom.

Clearing away the layers of rock was a grueling task, but after about half an hour of digging, he hit something solid and hollow. A grin tugged at the corners of his lips, and he worked quickly to brush away the remaining rubble obscuring his prize.

Aside from being limned with gold – though tarnished; it could’ve easily been mistaken for bronze – the chest was rather plain and unassuming. To his utter surprise, it wasn’t locked. The lid flipped right open, revealing a rather shallow interior lined with a pristine white cloth. He lowered his head and brushed a length of the satin aside, revealing the object it had been wrapped around.

Nestled delicately inside the silky fabric was a crown, cast in gold. It was a simple circlet, crafted to look like golden branches woven together. Strangely enough, it lacked any sort of decorative gems or stones; it was complete solid gold.

He tilted his head as he stared down at it, something stirring within his chest. A low rushing filled his ears, like the sound of his blood churning in his head, though he was certain it was only his imagination. Or… perhaps it was coming from the crown. Gambit felt the sudden need to take the crown – not even to sell it for gold or supplies, but to have it, and he found himself slowly lowering his head towards it.

The chest’s lid suddenly slammed shut, and Gambit’s head jolted backwards to avoid getting his nose caught. He blinked in surprise and shook himself, the roaring in his ears slowly fading.

Crawling onto the chest’s lid was Rock, the giant beetle looking about as smug as a beetle was capable of looking. “Absolutely not,” it said, waving one of its stick-like legs in Gambit’s direction. “There will be no cursed jewelry leaving the dungeon with us today.”

Gambit snorted and lowered his head, pressing his nose right up against the tip of Rock’s horn. “What do you mean ‘cursed?’” he asked, forcing a threat into his tone, even though he knew Rock wouldn’t be intimidated. There was no reason to be intimidated by a beast that outweighed you at least a hundred times when you were completely indestructible.

As if to remind him of that, Rock said, “Believe me, it takes a cursed item to know one.” With that, Rock jumped off the chest’s lid and scuttled up Gambit’s nose, coming to a stop between the Courser’s ears. “Don’t wanna take my advice? Fine! Enjoy being haunted by the ghost of a crazy king for the rest of your life!”

Gambit frowned, staring down at the chest for another few seconds before lifting his head and shaking it once more, finding satisfaction in knowing the beetle would have to hold tightly to his mane to avoid being flung off. “Whatever,” he grunted, beginning to walk away from the chest, despite the longing deep within his bones. “I wasn’t gonna take it anyway.”