---

This was unexpected. Given how dear this vault and its contents were to Arcan, she was surprised that an option other than surrendering the newly acquired treasures was even presented. Fia completely ignored the horrific expression Vesemir held. Testing their luck against such a being so soon after he nearly brought down the cave in on them was probably not his idea of smart decision. Still, Fia listened as Arcan explained each of the items. Fia would have figured out what each did eventually, but this saved her a lot of time.
“Oh? I like the sound of that.” said Fia, her arms lowering slightly, but the items she ‘claimed’ were still presented openly. Especially with the claim that they ‘could take more than that.’ It made it sound like they could walk back into the showroom and potentially walk out with more artifacts. In some ways, it still seemed fair to the young mage. Everyone was welcomed in, so everyone walks out with a prize. Also considering what happened to the last guest and the bout between he and his companions leading to the death of an entire city. Fia contemplated pushing their luck further in this regard.
The ancient djinn’s insistence on putting the items to good use caught Fia’s ears. In her line of reasoning, that means just using the items in general. Clearly some of these items power had waned. Perhaps one of the reasons is they were lying dormant for so long. One who takes pride in their creations often wish to seem them in action, and hope that they continue to provide actual benefit to the outside world. Museums are well and good, but this vault was true to its name. And everything inside was wasted potential. But Fia had a feeling that one of the reasons card holders were allowed to claim some of the treasures in the first place was to release them from their prison.
So far, the items and their effects were stunted. It was hard to gauge how different or potent the items were at their expressed purpose. Fia’s chromatic heart already provided her with an effective boon when it came to conserving mana and increasing her own power. Still, treasure was treasure and Fia was keen on accepting the offer. With the exception of the one item that Eblana had her eyes on, Fia was confident that she could make use of the others in one fashion or another.
“Well, I’ll be sure to use whatever artifacts I’m able to walk out with. Though, I have a feeling that isn’t my decision to make alone. So darlings, if no one has an objection, I might just accept."

The horror in Vesemir's face did not recede. Through his monocle, he dreaded the offer, and such dread intensified at the admission.

"I like the sound of that."

Vesemir did not like it one bit. As much as he respected Arcan, he knew the risk was real, and often irreversible. So when Stepan clumsily returned back to the lines, and Mr Elc shook his head but still watched with anticipation, the scholar approached... and his dread tripled at the obliviousness to madness.

“Well, I’ll be sure to use whatever artifacts I’m able to walk out with. Though, I have a feeling that isn’t my decision to make alone. So darlings, if no one has an objection, I might just accept."

"I object." For the first time in this journey, Vesemir Barandir voiced his dissent with iron, yet his stare at Fia was akin to a protective patriarch scolding a reckless daughter. His whisper was rough with harsh sibilance. "We got what we need. What he offered was not just ancient trinkets. Such a pact is dangerous—long-lasting and sinister! Not even I want them. But I am not you."

Only then did he release her from his patronizing stare, and at the same time, the ancient Djinn walked forth. His steps... deliberate. A faint, almost unnoticeable smile curved in his otherwise emotionless mien.

"Have you made your decision? If yes, let us seal the deal."

In front of Fia, Arcan extended his hand. Vesemir could only watch, for the freedom to choose was not in his prerogative. Such a stance was almost deliberate, as if all risk had been assessed, and in the moment when he remembered Mr Elc's warning to Fia this morning, he acknowledged the risk would be intrinsic.

--

"I agree with Vesemir. Any deal with him will bring nothing but danger. The sooner we live Theriadore's Gallery the better."

The impudence did not escape Arcan. And in some way caused his ethereal form to flinch, so much that he seemed to swallow his pride to correct himself.

"Thank you for your correction, Priestess."

Noticing that Fia seemed to be frozen under the weight of her own recklessness and the untimely interruption from Miwa, Arcan lowered the hand he had previously extended. Yet he stood there, sighing, waiting for a conclusion that was now rendered joyless.

______
@Randomness

Vesemir, followed by Mr Elc, retreated from that stalled negotiation. Eblana and Stepan followed suit. Grim was the air as they walked through that heavy door that was still wide open. And a huge feeling of relief washed over them as they left behind its threshold, even when right behind them, the ominous door leading to the dark room still murmurs sinister whispers.

Jazdia was there, the most eager to leave, yet her tone was solicitous as she noticed that the others did not follow. "Why are Fia and Miwa still there?"

Vesemir tried to explain the aftermath of Fia's admission and her reckless display of temerity; hearing it, the elven ranger immediately rushed back into the vault where the deal was ongoing. Arcan's intimidating figure did not fail to faze, but her exasperation steeled her. Miwa was there right beside her, and knowing the Miko, and the fact that they are still there, that tells enough of Fia's resolve.

Use whatever artifacts I’m able to walk out with? Is she for real?

"Are you... mad?" she said harshly. "Surrender these items and get out of here!"

It galled her that she had to spill it out--- that Fia would even consider Arcan's most insidious offer. The deal reeked of faustian, and the memory of her own circumstance was still razor sharp that Jazdia's concern grew into agitation at the vacillation the human sorceress showed. Yet deep in her heart, she shuddered at the terrible mistake that could have been averted.

"Do not repeat my mistake," she added, whispering, almost pleading and mourning. "Power comes with a price."

And to Arcan, Jazdia had lost for words. She glared at him bitterly. Some hypocrite he was, calling her personal imperative for survival foolish and dreading Lythiel's dark accomplishment, yet at this very moment, he flaunted a fatal bargain.

"Listen to your friends, if you wish," Arcan drawled, his voice a smooth contrast to Jazdia's agitation. "Stay safe. Stay small. Stay 'logical.' But do not pretend that warning is similar to wisdom. A mistake is the result of short-sightedness and failure to assess the risk. Are you short-sighted?"

---

It was only a moment, but to the group, it felt like an eternity. Fia was more than willing to bargain with the djinn, but everyone else was vehemently against it. For Fia, the deal was more than just the trinkets she could potentially walk out with. That was only an after thought, something the others might be able to take advantage of to better their own prowess against the unknowns of the twilight lands. Given the stern injunctions of some, and the silence from everyone else, it was clear that only Fia saw this as a boon rather than a curse.
Arcan held out his hand, expecting Fia to follow through perhaps. In that moment, Fia had a thought. Something like the ancient Djinn was an encounter Fia never thought she’d experience so early on her adventure to unlocking her own potential with worldly power. She was too focused on the what if rather than the reality of the situation. Just moments ago, Fia warned them of the untold power ancient Djinn could possess/ Fia had to take her own words to heart. She realized that despite how much she had learned and assimilated, she was not on that level.
Fia looked at Arcan in the eye and then down at his extended hand. She took a half step forward, and gingerly placed two of the objects into it, positioning them so they wouldn’t fall out of his grasp. The one item she kept, as per the deal Arcan himself, presented, was the leaf-like brooch. A once in a lifetime opportunity perhaps, but there were still many years left in hers. It was too early to indebt herself into that of a singular djinn, as unique as he was. She did take some solace in knowing where Arcan called his domain, so perhaps in the far future, Fia could return and maybe attempt another dialog with the ancient djinn.
“Alright, darling. I’ve heard you. Theriadore's trinkets belong here, and I won’t put any more stress on my sweet dear Miwa. And everyone else, for that matter.” said Fia. She looked at Miwa for a moment then back at Arcan, “I guess we’ll be leaving now.” Not soon after she finished speaking, Jazdia returned to the group. She looked furious and concerned at the same time. Her face attempting to remain smooth, but Fia could tell something was off.
“Mad? Maybe.” said Fia. She tossed the brooch a foot into the air before catching it in her palm and stashing it away. “But I’m not going to poke the bear any further here. I don’t mean to worry you. Sometimes a girl just can’t help but want to leave with something shiny. Like I said, I misunderstood Arcan’s generosity when we first arrived. I think we pushed fate enough today. You want to leave? By all means, lets. Come dear Miwa, I’m sure there are other curses within these cursed lands for you to cleanse away from here.”

Arcan's eyes darted at the jewelry renounced, and his hands instinctively held on to them. Hard to discern if the ancient djinn was disappointed or satisfied with how things were turned, but any movement he made to respond to Fia's gingerly attitude was careful and measured, as if honoring a sacred repudiation.

Yet, the flicker in Fia's eyes---her thirst for knowledge and power---was well noticed, and in that moment, another small, insignificant detail dawned in him. All things considered, maybe her personal eagerness to jump straight into a contract was not a blind foolishness. Still foolish, yes; but in his long lifetime, Arcan had seen what mortal obsession could do when fused with the inherent ambition of mankind.

Only time will tell, and only if fate would grace him with more of it.

“I guess we’ll be leaving now.”

"Wise," the ancient djinn replied. "Go now in peace. And I shall fulfill the end of my bargain with contentment, for it is the only deal forged today."

“Mad? Maybe. But I’m not going to poke the bear any further here. I don’t mean to worry you. Sometimes a girl just can’t help but want to leave with something shiny. Like I said, I misunderstood Arcan’s generosity when we first arrived. I think we pushed fate enough today. You want to leave? By all means, lets. Come dear Miwa, I’m sure there are other curses within these cursed lands for you to cleanse away from here.”

The deal remained unmade, and the moment Fia playfully showed her well-won prize, Jazdia went so pale with relief she looked ready to faint on the spot.

"You little...! But yes, we have no reason to stay here any longer."

Weakly, but without any wasted movement, Jazdia spun and exited the antechamber. Vesmir and the others seemed to already have an inkling of how the last interaction with the djinn was concluded, but were reluctant to bring it up.

Everyone was finally grouped in the first antechamber. Doors leading to the tunnel, the main exit was still closed, and so was the door leading to the ominous broken room. There was no sign that Vesemir's access card couldn't open the main door, and it seemed the broken room, too, could be pryed open by removing its pathetically simple door bar.

"Well, anyone want to open it? Otherwise, we'll take the exit door. What do you say?"

@Randomness@13org@A5G

Rezello

---

As the party left the library behind to make their way out of the vault, it seemed Arcan may not have been entirely finished with them after all. Or perhaps he simply intended to make it clear he was still monitoring them as they left? The line of questioning he began with Vesemir before they moved through the exit into the southern passage proved the situation to be the former. As soon as one trouble ended, another inevitably began, it seemed. In this case, it was the accusation that the party had taken more artifacts than they had been permitted to acquire - two, if Rezello recalled correctly. As far as he could tell, nothing had been taken from the library. Was the curator petty enough to consider each of the items they had enchanted as a separate artifact? Or, perhaps...

The confusion was cleared up soon enough with Fia’s confession. She chalked it up to a mistake, a misunderstanding, but regardless of whether the apology was genuine or just a cover now that she had been caught in the act, the curator apparently had decided to take advantage of the situation. Rather than reprimand her, he began to explain the nature and purpose of each of the artifacts Fia had pilfered, ending with an offer: return two of the three items, or take them all, with one condition.

On the surface, the deal may have seemed tempting, and Fia made it quite clear that she was, in fact, tempted. Claim more artifacts, and simply ensure they’re put to good use. But the trouble lay within the one making the offer; the full extent of the elder djinn’s power was as of yet unknown, and sealing deals with such beings always carried risk. What stuck out immediately to Rezello was the specific request to make “good use” of the items; what exactly that would entail might normally be up to interpretation, but within the context of an arcane pact it was likely it would solely fall upon the curator to determine. And given what had just occurred in the library, Rezello wasn’t particularly keen on finding out what Arcan’s idea of “good use” would prove to be.

Thankfully, Vesemir, Miwa and Jazdia voicing their objections had already proved enough to convince Fia to turn down the offer, instead electing to take the emerald brooch she had intended to give to Eblana. Another ‘situation’ resolved. Thus, there was only one choice left to be made: take the main exit, or pass through the cursed side chamber. The former would be quicker, but Rezello knew what he had to do.

"Well, anyone want to open it? Otherwise, we'll take the exit door. What do you say?"

Rezello stepped forward, approaching the shoddily barricaded door and placing his free hand atop the single bar keeping those doors shut. He turned to face the others, speaking, ”This is ultimately what I joined this mission for. Whatever remains within, I must see for myself.” He waited for a moment in case any of the others chose to join him, shifting his spadone from its resting place upon his shoulder to ready himself should anything hostile be found in the cursed room. The curator did claim earlier that the room was harmless, but whether that meant there was nothing dangerous in there or that he would be suppressing anything that was - and after the events since may no longer be - it was better to be prepared for nothing than taken by surprise by something.

@Valkon

”This is ultimately what I joined this mission for. Whatever remains within, I must see for myself.”

As they stood in the middle of that antechamber, the elves realized, clearly, things were not as complicated as they thought earlier. Both exits were viable, and Arcan was no longer an obstacle. They are free to take any path they wish.

But their route had been decided too, and Rezello had stated his intention twice already, and Miwa supported him, and Verdant and Fia didn't mind. So, what was the holdup?

Mr Elc, one of the advisors, looked back at the Knight, dully noting his cautiousness, and replied with encouragement. "I think you will find no objection from me, Miss Jazdia, or Master Vesemir. This is an important part of your journey, Master Rezello. You do the honor and open the door. We are right behind you."

Looking at the silence that had gripped the party, he wasn't so sure, and Elc was unwilling to add even more awkwardness to the decision they had decided for themselves. Well, they could always retreat from that terrible room if it was indeed really bad.

He hoped that this vault really honored the promise Arcan had given to them.