Mogi reached out to open the unassuming wooden box.

The box slowly opened, and faint shimmer seemed to come from the lamp Vic was still holding up.

Mogi's eyes widened as he saw the contents on the box.

Three breathtakingly crafted rings stood on display. Their quality far outshone that of their container, each likely worth a fortune.

The left side held an emerald ring with a gold body. The faceted gemstone seemed to dully glimmer with a sense of mystery that captivated them all.

The ring on the right especially caught Mogi's eye. It featured a blood-red ruby set in a silver base. The intricate weavings of silver seemed to flow in and out of each other creating a beautiful ruby ring that was somehow reminiscent of the night sky.

The final ring in the middle was less eye-catching but no less impressive. Its simple ring shape held no room for any fancy designs, yet the whole ring was made from expertly carved deep black onyx, sanded smooth through laborious effort. The ring seemed to emit a menacing aura, so much so that one could almost make out faint black wisps snaking out of it.

Just by looking at the ruby ring, Mogi felt an urge to put it on. It felt as if the ring were calling to him, choosing him to have the honor of wearing it.

Unconsciously, Mogi slowly reached out and grabbed the ring, sliding it onto his ring finger on his left hand.

Almost simultaneously Victor had done the same, mysteriously enchanted by the emerald ring.

As soon as Mogi put the ring on tight, he felt a glaring pain. The silver part of the ring glowed like a bright sun, making it feel as though his fingers were going to burn off.

Mogi looked in shock as his two stumps, left from his brush with the beast, started to glow a bright yellow. Mogi watched as his blood slowly flowed out of his fingers, weaving itself together in a knot of strings and slowly repairing his hand. Before he knew it, his fingers looked as good as new, as if he had never incurred an injury, while the light shining from the ring slowly faded.

Mogi stumbled to his knees, suddenly feeling a wave of energy dissipate from his body.

Light-headed and slightly fatigued, Mogi still looked at his repaired fingers in shock. Just what could this ring do? What would the other ones do?

Mogi quickly glanced to Victor who had already put on the emerald ring. The gold band of the ring suddenly shone bright, illuminating Victor's face in an artificial light.

Below their feet a few plants had suddenly sprouted. The weeds rapidly grew, surpassing peak size in seconds. A crash of cobbled stones scattered across the floor, echoing in the hallway as the roots of a tree burst through the wall in a frenzy.

The glow on the emerald ring had stopped and Vic had put his hand on the side of the wall above the lamp he had set down prior to putting on the ring in an attempt at respite.

The cold but secure hallway was now a mess, like an unruly bird's nest.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

Mogi forced himself to stand shakily on his wobbly legs. He was drained but it felt as though his energy was returning quicker than usual, as his blood seemed to race throughout his body at a quicker pace.

Glancing up, Mogi suddenly felt a sense of dread.

Marsh was in a trance like state as he slowly picked up the onyx ring. Marsh closely peered at the ring with an infatuation that Mogi had never seen him express before. Then he smiled—not a shy, timid smile, but a smirk of a power hunger of beast.

Everything seemed to go by in a blur as soon as the cool surface of the onyx ring pressed onto Marsh's finger.

A scream of agony escaped from Marsh's lips as black tendrils seemed to crawl from out of the ring, slithering around Marsh's body.

The tentacles slowly covered Marsh's body, seemingly trying to drain the life force from him in a grueling squelch. Each squeeze invoked an ear-piercing scream from Marsh. In a fervor, the tendrils quickened their pace, trying to destroy Marsh's very being. However, Marsh resiliently remained intact through the agonizing pain that seemed to eat at his soul. Eventually, the ring's aura seemed to give up on destroying Marsh, who had apparently passed the ring's test of worth.

Upon seeing this spectacle, Mogi unconsciously backed up, tripping over a pile of rubble and landing with a sharp pain in his butt.

Victor approached Marsh with concern.

"Marsh are you okay?"

Marsh was slow to react, glancing up at Victor after a few seconds with a cold glare.

Victor had almost reached him now, reaching his hand to stabilize Marsh's shaking body.

At that moment, the black ring pulsed. Marsh's head shot up as he roared in anguish. The black tendrils of the ring suddenly went out of control, growing in size and malice. One of the tentacles grasped Victor tightly around his waist, flinging him next to Mogi in a weary groan. There was a loud clamor as the tendrils tore through what remained of the hallway. The scent of fresh soil seeped into Mogi's nose as he watched in awe as the dungeon ceiling collapsed upon Marsh, revealing the midday sky and a beautiful mirage of stars.

The onslaught of tendrils ceased as the stone and dirt suffocated Marsh. He was no where to be seen, trapped under the pile of rubble he had just created.

An eerie silence filled the air. A cold lick of wind brushed Mogi's shoulder's, reminding him of the gaping hole Marsh had just created.

Mogi glanced at Vic.

Vic had stood up and was now struggling to make his way over to the large pile of rubble.

Mogi sighed, standing up while massaging his butt that, which had already gone through enough today. He slowly followed after Vic, deep in thought.

It was not good. There was likely less than two hours left of midday, which, on its own would be barely enough time to escape the manor due to how deep they were inside. On top of that, if they all wanted to escape together, he and Vic would have to drag Marsh all the way out. That was even if they could find him in the rubble, which would probably take the two of them at least thirty minutes. It was all impossible. There was no way for the three of them to escape together.

Mogi shook his head in disappointment. All the effort they had put into his plan had been for naught. How could he have know that the treasure itself was destructive?

Victor was now slowly attacking the pile of rubble, trying to diminish its size with little luck.

Mogi glanced at Vic with remorse and then turned away, climbing out of the hole Marsh had just created.

The dirt was slippery, but luckily sturdy roots crawled across the wall, which itself was not too steep. The ground satisfyingly molded to Mogi's hands as he slowly made his was out of the hole.

Taking a quick break from his work, Victor looked around for Mogi, eventually spotting him almost out of the hole.

"Mogi what are you doing?"

Victor's voice had shocked Mogi, almost causing him to slip. Mogi glanced down at Victor, who seemed much smaller from a distance.

"I'm sorry Vic."

Victor's eyes widened in confusion and shock.

"Mogi you've got to help me get Marsh. Why are you leaving now? I thought we all agreed to stick together."

Mogi gazed into Victor's emerald eyes with a steeled heart.

"I need to escape Vic. I'm sorry, but this is the only way."

A small sob filled Vic's throat.

"Why?"

Mogi glanced away in shame. With a shaking voice, he climbed the rest of the way out of the pit and into the cold darkness of open air.

"I'm sorry."

Victor watched as Mogi slowly left, tears running down his usually stoic face.