Damned Crystal

Ayan Dickerson stared down at his drink with a dark look on his face, grumbling over the failure of his recent treasure hunt.

It was a complete scam.

When he had caught wind of a possible treasure located in the savanna near Bretford, he had rushed over there as fast as he could. He had wanted to get the treasure before anyone else and traveled dozens of miles to get there.

What did he get?

Nothing.

The whole thing had been a hoax cooked up by the locals who were desperate to get more traffic into their small town.

Considering it was only about ten miles from the border of the Kingdom of Thatclesia, with most of the other towns and cities much farther than that, it made sense that most people didn’t bother going to the place.

With the empire and kingdom being rivals, most wouldn’t think to travel to the kingdom.

Those that did, well, they wouldn’t think of stopping in Bretford before crossing over. It wasn’t as if the road through the town was the only one into the kingdom.

Not to mention, there were only a couple hundred people in the town, making it the smallest town in the Dalian Empire. There was practically nothing to do there, and it had driven Ayan mad while he was there. The first chance he got, he made a break for it.

It was no wonder the townspeople were desperate to draw fresh blood to the town.

Hence, why they got the bright idea to lure people there by making up a story about a treasure being found, and he was the fool who fell for it.

The thought made him tighten his grip on the handle of his drink before he downed the whole thing. Ayan placed it back on the table with a grimace, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

He had tasted better.

As he stared at the empty mug like it had offended him, he thought about what his next move should be.

Ayan had wasted a considerable amount of money and time traveling to Bretford only to leave empty-handed. While he technically didn’t have to worry about money being an issue given his inheritance, it still irked him to spend something to gain nothing.

How was he supposed to make a name for himself if he couldn’t find a worthwhile treasure?

All his previous attempts had been lackluster, to say the least.

The things he had discovered and thought to be amazing treasures were just slightly more expensive versions of ordinary items or just plain junk.

The statue he found during one of his hunts?

It was just a sculpture that had been tossed out as a defective product.

The crown he managed to get his hands on?

Barely worth anything compared to some of the crowns in the present time.

At this rate, he would forever be a laughingstock in the treasure hunting circle if he couldn’t find anything soon.

He drummed his fingers against the table as he wracked his mind for any news he heard recently about possible treasures that weren’t going to screw him over. A waitress passed by him, asking if he wanted to refill it, but he waved her off.

The woman didn’t seem particularly offended by his actions and went on her way, letting him stew in his thoughts.

There weren’t many places that he hadn’t gone to already. He wasn’t exactly a newbie. Ayan had been in the treasure hunting circle for years by now, so it was hard pressed to find a place he hadn’t been to within the empire.

Well, he would probably have more luck outside the empire, but he didn’t want to deal with messy issues involved in international treasure hunting.

From what he heard, things could get ugly very fast.

Ayan recalled a recent scuffle between treasure hunters. One was a local and one was a foreigner fighting over a treasure. The countries connected to both parties ended up being dragged into a mess, and it was a huge political nightmare.

He was never going to touch it even if he was showered in treasure.

The ruined fortification in the forest near Birton crossed his mind before he quickly rejected it. That place would undoubtedly have a bunch of treasure, but it was pointless to go there if he would never return.

Too many people had vanished after going there. Everyone knew it was a death sentence.

While he was desperate to find treasure, he wasn’t that desperate. After all, he wanted to find treasure to prove to everyone else that he was a genuine hunter. He couldn’t exactly do that if he disappeared.

As he considered getting another drink, he heard a familiar voice.

“Oh, isn’t that Ayan?” someone asked as Ayan refused to look in the direction of the speaker.

Why were they here of all places?

Ayan hadn’t heard about any of his fellow treasure hunters in the area. He had assumed he had gotten lucky and avoided any of them. Apparently, luck wasn’t on his side.

As he silently prayed that the treasure hunter would leave him alone, they unfortunately walked towards him, and they weren’t alone. The group of treasure hunters hovered over him, catching the attention of the others in the tavern.

“What are you doing here all by your lonesome self?” one of the treasure hunters asked.

“It’s none of your business,” Ayan said through gritted teeth.

“Come on. Don’t be like that. We’re all treasure hunters here,” a treasure hunter said.

“It might be because one of his treasure hunts failed again,” another treasure hunter said.

A different treasure hunter snickered before saying, “I heard that he actually ran off to Bretford thinking there was treasure only to be duped by the locals.”

This earned quite a bit of laughter from the other treasure hunters as Ayan fought to remain calm.

He couldn’t allow himself to get upset. It was what they wanted. As long as he didn’t give them the reaction they wanted, they would leave him alone.

Unfortunately, that was easier said than done.

The treasure hunters were steadfastly determined to pick a fight with him as they refused to give him any room to maneuver.

“How many years have you been treasure hunting? Five?” a treasure hunter asked.

Without waiting for a response from him, another treasure hunter said, “It’s been thirteen years and counting.”

A different treasure hunter clicked their tongue and said, “Aren’t you getting a bit too old? Perhaps it’s time for you to retire, old man.”

Old man?

Ayan was only thirty-three years old. He still had plenty of years in him to keep treasure hunting.

“Don’t be like that, you guys. Some people are just too delusional and can’t help latching on even though they should have given up years ago,” one of the treasure hunters said.

There was more laughter, and Ayan gave up all pretense of ignoring them.

He spun around, shot them a glare, and demanded, “How about all of you buzz off. I’m in the middle of my drink unless you’re planning on paying for it. On second thought, please don’t. I’m not cheap.”

Hearing the implication in his words made the treasure hunters glare right back.

“We’re only trying to be nice and warn you. You have yet to find anything worthwhile in thirteen years. Treasure hunting is simply not for you. You should retire if you know what’s good for you,” a treasure hunter said.

“I do as I please,” Ayan shot back, refusing to back down.

Just because they had managed to find treasure before he did wasn’t anything impressive. Plenty of people had gotten lucky being at the right place and the right time. He just hadn’t had that fortune yet.

Suddenly, one of the treasure hunters said, “Forget it. He’s a hopeless case. Let’s just go. If we stay any longer, his bad luck might rub off on us.”

With that, the treasure hunters quickly retreated, leaving him to sit alone at the table. Ayan stared in the direction they had disappeared in with a dark expression.

When he noticed that several people were still staring at him, he barked, “Whatca looking at? Find your own business.”

Everyone who had been staring at him immediately looked away, not wanting to provoke him.

Ayan turned back to the table and raised his mug as he called out, “I would like another.”

After the waitress got him another drink, he didn’t waste time downing it. Then he stared at it with a gloomy expression, wondering how he ended up like this.

At that moment, someone paused at his table, not moving away.

Already in a foul mood because of the other treasure hunters, he snapped, “Hey, get your own table.”

Instead of listening, the person sat down at his table. Ayan raised his head to glare at them and noticed how their face was covered by a hood. Not only that, but they were clearly bigger than him.

They definitely seemed like someone he shouldn’t provoke, which added to his foul mood.

Why was nothing going his way?

“Tough day,” the stranger said as if they were friends.

“What’s it to you?” Ayan remarked bitterly as he debated whether he should get another drink or leave.

“I couldn’t help hearing that you’re a treasure hunter. I’m actually looking to hire a treasure hunter to help me track down an unusual treasure,” the stranger said.

He stared expressionless at the stranger, recalling the previous times someone had approached him saying that they were looking for a treasure hunter.

After the first couple of times, he had soon realized that when they said treasure hunter, what they actually meant was they were looking for a sucker to find the stuff they lost. It was just a huge waste of time.

As if reading Ayan’s thoughts, the stranger said, “I know it sounds like a hoax or a scam, but it’s not. Really.”

Ayan snorted.

That’s what they all said. They had to try better lines than that to convince Ayan that they weren’t a scammer or some swindler.

“The thing is the job is actually quite dangerous,” the stranger admitted.

Those words made Ayan pause.

Dangerous?

This was the first time he had someone look for him for a job and tell him it was dangerous right off the bat. They usually said it wouldn’t be tough for a treasure hunter like him and would turn out simple or devolve into a serious situation.

In the latter cases, he always demanded his due for being deceived.

He was undeniably curious now, and the stranger seemed to catch onto that, saying, “Of course I can’t force you to accept the job. It’s just that I haven’t been able to find anyone willing to take it.”

Ayan raised a hand to stop them from speaking further and said, “What’s the job? I won’t promise that I will do it, but I’m willing to hear you out.”

It felt like the stranger was smiling at him as they said, “I have recently come into possession of an incomplete set of cursed crystals.”

As soon as the words cursed left the stranger’s lip, Ayan studied them like a hawk.

Cursed?

Most treasure hunters avoided dealing with cursed treasures, afraid they would be struck by the curses plaguing the objects.

However, those that managed to handle them and survive were undeniably famous.

They were considered the best of the best and were looked upon with awe and envy. If he could handle the cursed treasures the stranger was talking about, Ayan’s name would go down in history alongside theirs.

The idea made him dizzy with excitement, but he didn’t pounce on the job immediately.

Instead, he asked, “You mentioned it’s incomplete. I assume that several crystals are missing.”

The stranger nodded and said, “Yes. One of the crystals is missing.”

He narrowed his eyes and asked, “How do you know it’s only one crystal?”

“Because I have six crystals in my possession that are all different colors with only the purple missing,” the stranger answered.

That was actually a pretty reasonable assumption to make, but Ayan didn’t dare to completely disregard the possibility of more cursed crystals.

While it wasn’t uncommon for there to be guesswork and hunches in the treasure hunting business, there was still logic involved. After all, treasure hunters still had to do their research when looking for treasure even if it was just rumors.

“Say I accept your job. Would I be going in this blind, or do you already have a lead?” Ayan said, unable to hide his curiosity.

“I have a lead, but it’s in a pretty trick area,” the stranger said.

“It’s not in another country, is it?” he asked dryly.

If that were the case, Ayan would immediately drop the job without batting an eye.

The stranger shook their head as they said, “No, and it’s not at the ruined fortification if you were worried about that. Many people seem to assume I’m talking about that place when I say it’s a pretty tricky area.”

That had actually been Ayan’s next guess.

Given the infamy of that place, it was no wonder people would immediately assume that was the place the stranger was referring to.

However, if it wasn’t in another country and not at the ruined fortification, where were they talking about?

The stranger leaned forward and whispered, “It’s Midhurstle.”

After hearing the destination, Ayan leaned back in his chair in thought.

Midhurstle?

Ayan had been there once.

If he remembered correctly, it was a pretty ordinary town. The only things he could comment on were the fact that it was connected to only one other town in the empire despite being on the main road, had a river flowing through it, and was surrounded by walls.

“Are you certain?” Ayan asked, a hint of disbelief in his tone.

The stranger nodded furiously as they said, “I’m certain. I thought it was strange, but when I tried going there with the cursed crystals, there was a reaction. I left right away, not wanting the curses on the crystals to activate.”

His eyebrows shot up.

The other cursed crystals reacted?

In that case, this was no simple matter. It seemed that there was a reason the crystals had been separated in the first place, but he found it peculiar.

If the previous owner of the cursed crystals wanted to keep them separate, why only keep one crystal away? Why not split all of them and hide them throughout the world?

The question must have been obvious on his face as the stranger said, “When I was gathering the cursed crystals, there hadn’t been any reaction between them. That’s why I didn’t think anything of it by bringing the set with me to Midhurstle.

Ayan nodded, though he still had his doubts and was hesitant about accepting the job.

“So what exactly do you want me to do? Search through Midhurstle and find it for you?” he asked.

“Yes, I can’t leave the set incomplete. It would be such a waste,” the stranger said.

Unable to help himself, Ayan said, “You just said that there was a reaction between the cursed crystals. Are you really sure you want to collect them all in one place?”

“I will take full responsibility if something happens,” the stranger said solemnly.

That still didn’t put Ayan at ease. Perhaps he should just refuse the request and go on with his life.

As if sensing that Ayan would refuse the request, the stranger said, “I only ask that you try. If you think it’s too dangerous, you’re free to stop and end things. I wouldn’t hold it against you. I just can’t let this go.”

He was tempted to say it might be the effect of the cursed crystals, but he kept silent.

The most reasonable thing to do was to refuse the request and report this matter to the authorities to handle. This was something he couldn’t handle if it was really dangerous, but he couldn’t stop thinking about what the previous treasure hunters had said.

Ayan had been in the field for thirteen years without success. This might be his only ticket. If he gave it up, he might never get another chance.

He struggled with the idea of accepting and refusing when the stranger sighed and said, “I see that you’re not interested. I thought you might be perfect for the job, but I was mistaken. I guess I will have to try my luck with those treasure hunters from earlier. Perhaps one of them will be willing to accept my request.”

At the mention of the other treasure hunters, Ayan slammed his hand on the table and nearly shouted, “No.”

Everyone’s heads turned to the commotion, staring at the duo.

“Then?” the stranger asked with a hopeful tone.

“I’ll take the job,” Ayan declared.

There was no taking it back now. He was going to see this through to the end and get the recognition he rightfully deserved.

“That’s great. Let’s head there right away,” the stranger said, standing up.

Caught off guard by their cheerful attitude, Ayan dumbly asked, “Now?”

“Of course. The sooner we leave Westcking, the quicker we can head to Midhurstle,” the stranger said as they paid for Ayan’s drink.

There had been no need, as Ayan had plenty of money, but the gesture was nice.

Before Ayan knew it, they were in a fancy car that probably cost hundreds of thousands on the way to Midhurstle. In a couple of hours, they would reach their destination, and he would hunt for the cursed crystal.

If he were lucky, he would be able to find it within the day. If not, it might take a couple days of searching.

The stranger didn’t seem bothered by the idea that it might take a while to locate the cursed crystal despite being the one to push Ayan into leaving Westcking as soon as possible to start searching right away.

Well, it didn’t matter in the end.

His only goal was finding the crystal no matter what, even if it meant using every trick in the book to find it.

Once they arrived at their destination, Ayan was let out of the car to enter the town alone.

The stranger had insisted on staying outside the town while he waited for news from Ayan, which set off warning bells in his mind.

Why was the stranger afraid to enter the town? Had they actually brought the cursed crystals with them on this trip?

Ayan had only seen a picture of the crystals, so he had an idea of what to look for.

Like the stranger had said, each crystal had one of the colors of the rainbow, with only the purple one remaining unaccounted for. Each one had been wrapped in gold chains and was attached to a necklace with similar-colored spheres connected by gold chains.

If the stranger had the cursed crystals with them, why not show them to Ayan? Had they been afraid that Ayan would steal them?

He had a lot of questions, but he chose to keep his mouth shut.

Since he was already determined to see the job through to the end, he wouldn’t pry too much into the stranger’s business. As long as Ayan got his recognition, it didn’t matter.

Entering the town was unsurprisingly easy.

No one stopped him or batted an eye in his direction, which suited him just fine. He took the opportunity to begin his investigation.

After several hours of looking for information regarding the cursed crystal, he turned up empty. There had been no signs or indication that the cursed crystal was within the town, which didn’t really surprise him.

If the town had really discovered the cursed crystal, they would have to either report it and make the news or keep quiet about it and let no one find out.

Since the person who hired him had already confirmed it was within the town, it had to be the latter unless the cursed crystal hadn’t still been found. In that case, he would have to handle the matter differently.

A cursed crystal being purposely hidden by the town required a different approach than finding it haphazardly hidden away somewhere.

Ayan reported his findings to his employer before reassuring them that he would find it. Then he returned back to his search, which lasted a couple of days before he found his first clue on its whereabouts.

Apparently, the plants growing in the center of the town were unusual.

The townspeople had never once seen the plants die in all the years they had lived there. It was like the plants were unaffected by the weather, flourishing no matter the season or weather. To top it off, they were purple.

If those weren’t signs that it was connected to the cursed crystal, then he would eat his hat.

Granted, it was unusual that a cursed object would have a positive effect. No matter how one looked at it, making sure plants didn’t die didn’t seem like a curse.

However, he couldn’t let himself be deceived.

There might be some unknown effect that he was unaware of. Maybe the reason the plants never died was because the cursed crystal was sucking the life out of other living beings living nearby. It could be anything.

He waited a couple of days before daring to search the area for the cursed crystal.

Ayan had to make sure no one spotted him while he was searching and report him for being up to no good. He also had to make sure he was properly protected and invested in some magic tools to defend against the curse.

Of course it was possible for the magic tools not to have any effect. If they could protect against all curses, no one would ever worry about curses, but it was better than going in blindly.

After carefully searching through the plants and getting his clothes dirty, Ayan found nothing.

He expected as much. It wouldn’t be that easy or else someone would have found it a long time ago. Ayan had wanted to avoid digging around in the dirt until he had an idea of where the cursed crystal was, but it seemed that he had no choice.

With a grimace, he dug through the dirt, careful not to make a complete mess.

After all, he would have to put it back together after he finished his search. He couldn’t exactly leave traces of what he had been up to.

When there were still no signs of the cursed crystal and Ayan was about to give up, he spotted something glittering in the moonlight. For a moment, he thought his eyes were playing tricks and rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand, but he saw the shine again.

With renewed vigor, he shifted through the dirt where he saw something shining and revealed an item identical to the other cursed crystals in the employer’s possession, except it was purple.

His mouth broke out into a brilliant grin.

All his effort had finally paid off. Now he could rub it into everyone’s faces that he had discovered and handled a cursed treasure. Things were finally looking up for him. He just had to take it and go.

Fortunately, he was wearing gloves and brought a special bag to carry it, or else he would have to return later to retrieve it.

Ayan carefully picked it up by the gold chain, making sure not to touch the crystal or spheres. Then he slowly placed it into the bag. Once the cursed treasure was inside the bag, he quickly shut it tight.

With the cursed treasure secured, he went to work restoring the place back to its original appearance.

He gave the place a once over to make sure he hadn’t missed anything before retreating back to the inn he was staying at. The person at the front didn’t bat an eye as he headed to his room and locked the door.

Now it was just a matter of waiting for morning and delivering the cursed treasure to the employer.

However, Ayan found that sleep eluded him.

Every time he closed his eyes, he felt something sinister reaching out to him like it wanted to drag him down, but when he opened his eyes, there was nothing there.

It was driving him mad.

This had never happened before. The previous nights had been peaceful, and he never had trouble sleeping.

The only explanation he could think of was the cursed crystal.

The horrible feeling only started after he retrieved the cursed treasure, but so what?

It wasn’t as if he could throw it away. His job was literally to retrieve it and hand it over to his employer. He had to hold onto it until then, whether he liked it or not.

As dawn approached, the terrible feeling seemed to be getting worse, and he had given up on sleep entirely. He kept the lights on, drinking coffee, and moving around to force himself to stay awake.

Ayan knew the bill would be high this time, but he didn’t care. What mattered was making it through the night.

When he finally saw the first rays of sunlight, his shoulders slumped in relief.

Now that it was morning, he could finally leave the town, meet up with his employer, and be done with this whole thing.

He made sure he had everything packed up and the cursed crystal secured before checking out. As expected, they had charged him for leaving the lights on and for ordering coffee, but it paid the bill without batting an eye.

Ayan left without a second glance.

He briskly walked through the town towards the gate, not sparing a glance at anyone. His eyes and mind remained focused on his goal, looking directly at the exit where a few guards were stationed.

The moment they spotted him, one of the guards asked, “Leaving so soon? Isn’t it a bit early?”

“I have something that needs to be dealt with right away. It can’t wait,” Ayan said in a clipped tone.

Fortunately, the guards didn’t seem offended by his words and let him pass without issue.

Ayan sent a text to his employer to inform him he was outside and scanned the area for the car. It didn’t take long for the vehicle to roll up, and Ayan didn’t waste a second to get in the car where his employer was waiting.

“You said you found the cursed crystal. Can I see it?” the employer said as Ayan closed the door.

Without saying a word, Ayan handed the bag containing the cursed crystal to them. His employer unhesitatingly opened the bag to peer inside and smiled.

“You’ve found it,” they said in awe.

“Of course,” Ayan said, though the unsettling feeling hadn’t disappeared.

Why hadn’t it gone away? Was it because he was still close to the cursed crystal, or had he been cursed?

He tried to reassure himself, reminding himself that he had made sure not to touch the actual crystal and wore special gloves to prevent himself from being cursed. It would go away once he left.

After admiring the cursed crystal for some time, the employer closed the bag and said, “I’m really grateful for your hard work. I can’t thank you enough.”

“Just doing my job. Don’t forget your end of the deal,” Ayan said, keeping his focus on his employer’s face to distract himself from the cursed crystal.

“Of course. I’ll make sure to announce how you successfully discovered the cursed crystal and managed to handle it without any difficulties. I’ve also set aside a decent reward for your troubles,” his employer said with a bright smile.

Hearing that made Ayan forget about the bad feeling he had as he fantasized about how the other treasure hunters would react upon the news.

His name would soon spread throughout the world for his unbelievable achievement. He would no longer be the fool who couldn’t find treasure or someone who should just quit to find another profession.

They will no longer be able to mock him for failing to find treasure.

While it hadn’t been the most glamorous way to find and handle a cursed treasure, he still had done it. That was an undeniable fact.

As he was basking in the glow of his achievement, his employer asked, “Now that this job was successful, what are your plans for the future?”

“I’ll keep hunting for treasure. I’m a treasure hunter after all,” Ayan said in an instant.

“I see. I’m sure you will get what you desire,” the employer said in a strange tone that sent chills down Ayan’s spine.

Before Ayan could say another word, something hit their car. The vehicle flipped over several times before falling into the nearby river. Ayan frantically tugged on his seatbelt to escape while his employer calmly unbuckled themselves.

Once they were free, they kicked one of the windows, causing water to pour in. Ayan barely had time to hold his breath before the vehicle was filled with water.

His employer didn’t give him a second glance as they escaped the car with the cursed crystal.

Many thoughts crossed Ayan’s mind at that moment, but he quickly shoved them aside to focus on getting out of the deathtrap.

The moment the seatbelt finally came off, he scrambled out of the car and swam to the surface. Once his head breached the surface, he sucked in several mouthfuls of fresh air before paddling to the shore where his employer was waiting.

As he was about to demand why they had left him behind, he noticed something off about them.

Their hands were completely black. Even their nails had turned black. Their eyes also had an eerie red glow to them.

“Looks like you survived. How unfortunate. I guess we have to do it the hard way,” his employer said as they pulled out the cursed crystal from the bag.

“What are you doing? That thing’s cursed,” Ayan demanded.

“I know,” they said before they quickly shoved it around Ayan’s neck.

They had moved with an inhuman speed that Ayan could not stop them.

The cursed crystal let out an eerie purple glow, and several hands emerged from the water. Before he had time to react, he was pulled down beneath the surface without a sound.

After several long moments, Ayan emerged from the water with an eerie red glow in his eyes. The employer reached out to help Ayan out of the water, and the purple crystal shined with a red glow in the middle.

“Sorry, there was a bit of an incident, but it’s been dealt with. I’ll inform you of all the details along the way. For now, the most important thing you have to know is you’re Ayan Dickerson, a treasure hunter who just handled a cursed treasure. You’re going to be famous. Got it?” the employer said.

‘Ayan’ nodded just as a vehicle rolled up to where they were. The two got into the car before it drove off into the distance.