The appraisal session turned out to be a productive one. Gary was one of the more fortunate members. Most of the items he had obtained had some semblance of aura on them, to the detriment of the sensitive healer.
He lay next to the uncaring Gary, collapsed into a melted heap as his chest heaved up and down with every gasp. His mouth silently moved, wording out what Gary could only guess to be some sort of prayer to a higher power.
It was an impressive show. So impressive, Gary almost felt a slight tug on his heartstrings, gazing down upon the pathetic mess that clawed at his feet with quaking hands, desperately begging for it to end.
His cold heart may have weakened a bit, if he didn't know his penchant for the theatrical.
However, that was not the case. The hand that grasped at his foot only received a cold gaze, conveying a single message: 'Tough Shit.'
Shaking the feeble hand off his foot, Gary slid the last bracelet back onto his wrist with a satisfied look, unaffected by the healer's petition to both him and the Goddess.
The members were not much different from Gary, who impatiently waited for Gabriel to get himself together, giving each other knowing looks. He may be an excellent healer, but few cared to humor him when it came to his religious displays. No one wanted to be the one to reaffirm his actions, so they chose to wait. To see who would be the first to give.
Shasa leaned in towards Edwin's ear, whispering: "Ten silver on Alfred being the first to break."
Hearing that proposal, Edwin let out an amused snort as he shook his head. "If you find someone who'll take that bet, send them my way." No one here was dumb enough to take that offer. Hell, Alfred was already uncomfortably shuffling around; a telltale sign that he wouldn't last much longer. The writing was on the wall, and Ed was just glad that it wouldn't be himself that gave.
It didn't even take a minute for that to be proven true.
With a sigh, Alfred approached the collapsed healer and heaved him up with little difficulty. "Hah... come now Gabriel, up you go!" He lifted the traumatized healer up onto his feet, who refused to stand up on his own.
After a bit of half-hearted coaxing, he finally chose to stand, though his stance remained shaky and unstable.
"There you go," Alfred said, giving an unenthusiastic pat. "Stay up, oh-- no you don't. I ain't picking you up again, you hear?"
"Like a goddamn baby," Shasa commented, eliciting a number of agreeing nods.
"Fucking finally," Gary muttered. It was starting to get boring. "So, we gonna hit the other floors now?"
That generated a few confused gazes, much to his surprise. They must have not found them in their search, which was quite a shock. They weren't exactly hidden. He rolled his eyes, wondering how his team could be so amateurish. You would think they would learn a thing or two after working with him for ten years.
"What? Did you really think that was it?" He responded with raised brows. Did they really think there was only a single floor? What type of shitty castle only has one?
.....
The next few floors soon fell to the group's pillaging. It was a clear sweep, without a single room being spared from some form of destruction. And with each floor, their wealth only grew.
Alfred, Brandus, Edwin, and Shasa chose to only wear one, and Gabriel vehemently refused to wear a single item that had an aura.
Gary was an accurate measure of how much loot they had acquired. The amount of gold only grew with each floor, the weight of the gold forcing his neck into a slouched posture. But his grin only stretched farther with every item that he wore.
His gold-laden figure walked down the stairs with difficulty, gritting his teeth as he did his best to disregard the growing ache in his knees. Logic would dictate to put away his gains, but pride was a powerful thing.
He had conquered the Demon King's palace, goddamnit. And he WOULD look the part.
"You doing okay?" Brandus asked, amused at the sight.
"Peachy," Gary muttered, his tone betraying the truth. "Although the climb up is going to be a bitch and a half."
That was the understatement of the millennia. The stairway's appearance was-- for the most part-- normal. From what he could tell, it was made of regular ole marble, although its deep shade of black matched the dark color scheme of the palace.
The design was a different thing. It was steep. Really steep. And each step was far lower than what humans were used to, where it was almost more comfortable to jump down than to step down.
It showed the architects thought's on what type of creatures would use them, but that didn't stop Gary from cursing their incompetence.
"You'll change your mind by then," Brandus said, sounding a little too sure for Gary's liking.
"We'll see." Gary paused, before vaguely saying.
'Damn it Brandus.' That was the original plan. Now, he had to prove him wrong.
"By the way, I noticed some rooms had... already been searched. Trashed would be a better word. Reminded me of someone else's style. You know anything about it?"
"Oh, that was me." Brandus felt dizzy and taken aback by Gary's straightforward admittance.
He deliberated a bit and chose to dig a little more: "When?"
"Remember when we first found the palace? I slipped away the moment your back was turned. It was pretty easy actually, you really should keep a tighter eye on me." He advised, treating it as if it was Brandus' fault for it. "What's wrong? You seem surprised."
'Because I am...' Brandus thought. Gary had never been one to tell the truth. Not at first. And never without... encouragement. After growing used to forcing the subject, it felt wrong to get an honest answer after a single question.
"Just didn't expect you to admit it so easily."
"Not much point in lying. How else did you think I got the Compendium? It wasn't just sitting at the front door. I thought you already realized that." He explained with a shrug, hands next to his shoulders. It was true, and he failed to see anything to gain from denial. "Besides, I told you I'm a changed man."
That was a lie. They both knew it. But they left that unsaid and continued their steps downward.
The awkward silence continued-- with neither sure of what else to say -- until a shout echoed out from the front.
"Yall seeing this?" Having taken up the front, Edwin was the first to see what was ahead.
It didn't take long for the rest to spot it. Straining his eyes, Gary looked into the darkness ahead, and his eyes grew wide once he made sense of it.
It was hard to tell from this far away, and he would have needed to take a few more steps forward to spot it.
But with a discerning eye, one would realize that the empty darkness of a poorly lit stairwell had ended, replaced by another ornate door of a similar color to the space around them. It resembled the first door they had come across, with a few key differences.
It made the first one appear like a dwarf, towering over the team that still stood over fifty steps away. Twisted figures, great battles, and a strange world that consisted of fissured landscapes and flowing waters decorated its sizable surface, with a hint of deep crimson highlighting the carvings created in the sable-colored metal.
'They really got a theme going for them.' Gary commented silently. He couldn't blame them though; it clearly worked.
"Ten silver that something important is behind the door," Edwin exclaimed, earning an irritated look from Shasa.
"Think it's the treasury?"
"Nah, we ain't that lucky," Edwin argued. "...It might be the throne room."
A wave of awe settled over the group after that heavy statement, leaving the stairwell in reverential silence. Not even the sound of breathing was heard as if the air itself had vacated the room. How could there not be silence? Not a single person in the world had not heard of the story. The legend. This is where history had taken place, and it was far from just a footnote in the annals of some dusty old book.
They had walked into an empty house, one that had long been rid of any threat. And yet, a powerful dread still washed over them, even knowing no king stood behind that door.
What did those heroes feel, all those centuries ago? Knowing that their enemy stood ahead and that the world behind sat upon their shoulders, praying for their success?
Dread? Anxiety? Unease?
Or did they stand tall? Full of unending bravery and an unbreaking will? Maybe that was what made them heroes, and not some lowly adventurers that snuck in-- like a thief in the night --to take advantage of their feats after the threat had been vanquished all those years back.
To stand where heroes and villains once stood... it felt like a dream. One that would evaporate at any moment, bringing them back to a doleful reality.
"Dibs on the throne." Snapping out of his daydream, Gary hurriedly claimed, breaking the momentous feeling.
"...C-could you have some respect, Gary?" Alfred caressed his forehead, feeling a tinge of sadness that the moment had been cut short. It wasn't every day that they came across something of this importance.
'Sorry, Alf. But I know the company I keep. One of them would have called it eventually.' Marching forward, Gary strained his neck as he looked at the gate ahead.
The size, the emanating aura, it was enough to make anyone feel insignificant. And he was no exception.
This time, no kick was used. That would be too much, even for him.
Nervously gulping down his saliva, he pressed his hand against the cold metal, rubbing his palm over the intricate engravings. It was smooth, and oh-so pleasing to the touch. But the atmosphere did not allow for him to enjoy it.
Steeling himself, he got ready to push onward, yet a nagging thought kept him from doing so. He turned to the team that stood behind him with a complicated expression. It did not feel right to be the one to open it.
Brandus, Shasa, Edwin, Alfred, Gabriel: they had all toiled for this. It was not just his moment, no matter how much he may want it to be. To be the one to open this door was not right.
Something impossible happened at that moment. Something that should never happen.
"Hah... what are you standing around for?" He asked, a strange feeling of companionship swelling up in his soul. "I can't open this heavy ass door by myself, can I?"
For once, Gary chose to share something. Even if it wasn't anything material.
The team-- no, the 'Gold Guards stood a few steps behind, giving each other looks of surprise that soon gave way to smiles.
"I wasn't gonna say anything, but I figured you would need some help." Alfred grinned.
"You weren't, but I was about to beat his ass."
"I still think we should leave," Gabriel muttered with slight trepidation. He could sense the power that flowed through the gate, desiring to back away. But despite that, his feet still moved to the door.
"Shush Gab, you're ruining the moment," Edwin grumbled, dismissing the healer's fear, although his eyes showed the smile that he hid.
Brandus was the last to move, but he gave an approving look to Gary. For once, he didn't despise the bastard.
And together-- as a team --they leaned forwards, prying the towering gate open. To reveal the throne room that lay behind it.