A horror short story by Desmond Warzel published in the Spring 2011 issue of Shelter of Daylight.
Not to be confused with The Most Precious Of Treasures.
Tropes:
- Adjective Animal Alehouse: The Talking Carp.
- No Ontological Inertia: The protagonists note that a magical construct has in fact outlasted its creator by several millennia; this trope is not only discussed but mentioned by name.
- Only Smart People May Pass: Subverted. The protagonists must solve a room-sized Queens Puzzle in order to pass from one room of a dungeon to the next. Its purpose is to allow people in and keep beasts out, thus it's really a case of Only Sentient People May Pass; the implication is that the builder chose a well-known puzzle on purpose.
- Queens Puzzle: A room-sized version of this puzzle appears. The protagonists must solve it to enter the next room of the dungeon; however, it's not intended to be difficult. It's really a test of sentience, not intelligence.
- Treasure Map: The map is genuine, but the treasure is... unexpected.
- You All Meet in an Inn: Downplayed as it's only two people meeting there. It occurs because one has left a note for the other.
