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Webcomic / Modern Day Treasure Seekers

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You can tell it's modern day because he's using his phone as a flashlight.

Cade and Sam, two sixth-graders, borrow maps from a library for a school assignment, and realize that some of them appear to be treasure maps. Not expecting much, they decide to sneak out at night and look for the treasure, only to find that some big bad guys are already doing the same, which indicates to them that this means the treasure is indeed real. It isn't long before they get caught up over their head in danger.

The story has a lot of perils, twists and turns, and even little "character moments" to flesh people out, such as a flashback showing how Cade and Sam first met.

The comic can be read on DeviantArt here.


This webcomic contains examples of:

  • Asleep in Class: Cade is seen very sleepy after school the day after first sneaking out. Whether or not he actually fell asleep isn't indicated, but the fact that his lack of sleep caught up to him is pretty clear.
  • Booby Trap: There's several in that underground passage.
  • Bound and Gagged: Happens to Sam after her kidnapping. Later, both she and Cade are captured when the bad guys catch up to them in the cave, although they are only tied up this time.
  • Break the Badass: After all the danger they've both been through at that point, Cade is surprised to discover that Sam is afraid of... cold water, and goes very out of her way to avoid it, while he doesn't.
  • Caught in a Snare: Happens to Sam at one point.
  • Co-Dragons: The two strong, tattooed men who work for the old man, who hired them to help him get the treasure, no matter what it takes.
  • Cool Key: The gem is actually a key to a very elaborate door leading to where the real treasure is.
  • Covert Emergency Call: Cade decides before walking into a Hostage for MacGuffin situation to call 911 (emergency services in the US) and stick the phone in his pocket to allow the police to hear the conversation, ultimately preventing him from being kidnapped as well.
  • Damsel out of Distress: Although Sam is kidnapped for a Hostage for MacGuffin situation, she manages to slip her bonds and jump out the window of her captor's house after Cade gets the phone call from the captor.
  • Deadpan Snarker: Sam is sarcastic about everything, including nearly dying.
    Sam: I almost miss that stupid useless map. If only we had it so it could not help us again like it didn't last time.
  • Dragon with an Agenda: The old man's Co-Dragons care more about making money than anything else, and they're not very loyal to their boss.
  • Durable Death Trap: Lampshaded and played straight. The kids speculate on how traps should decay over time, but several are still triggered.
  • Eviler than Thou: The old man's Co-Dragons prove themselves to be a lot more vicious than their boss and are quick to turn on him when he refuses to harm Sam and Cade.
  • Fakin' MacGuffin: Cade attempts to try to trick the bad guys into taking an empty treasure box in exchange for Sam's release, when he already hid the gem under his bed.
  • Flashback: There's one that occurs at one point in the story.
  • Flashback Effects: A burn effect on the corner of the page indicates the end of the flashback.
  • Free-Range Children: Sam appears to be one, judging by the flashback showing how her parents justify giving her a lot of freedom compared to Cade's parents.
  • Hand Gagging: In this strip.
  • Hostage for MacGuffin: Sam is kidnapped in exchange for the gem. The webcomic even currently provides the trope image.
  • I Have Your Wife: Sam is not Cade's wife obviously, but still an example of the trope, as she is kidnapped and he is threatened into participating in a Hostage for MacGuffin situation.
  • Losing a Shoe in the Struggle: Sam loses a sandal when falling down a rockslide as the result of a booby trap, and can't get it back. Its permanent disappearance, along with unkempt hair and dirt on their clothes, serves as a reminder of the danger the kids remain in. Moments later, she tosses away the other one, seeing no point in keeping half a pair. This leads her to suffer Agony of the Feet.
  • MacGuffin: Starts out as the gem, but later becomes the treasure itself.
  • Meaningful Echo: Sam uses the phrase "I'm awesome like that" to brag, but later when she's disconsolate and crying, Cade uses the phrase "We're awesome like that" to cheer her up.
  • No Escape but Down: Sam has to jump out a window in order to escape a house when she's cornered.
  • No Honor Among Thieves: The old man's Co-Dragons are quick to turn on him when he begins to show concern for the kids, whom he doesn't actually want to kill. They see his change of heart as a problem, and beat him up.
  • Ominous Walk: One of the bad guys tries this on Cade, making it clear that he can't escape.
  • Perky Goth: Some of Sam's outfits are goth-esque, such as dyed hair, and some black clothes, but she's cheerful and friendly.
  • Ransacked Room: The bad guys got to the cabin in the woods before the kids did, and the place is a mess when they get there.
  • Secret Underground Passage: One hidden underneath a cabin in the woods.
  • Shouldn't We Be in School Right Now?: Averted, as the kids sneak out at night when they have time to go adventuring, and it does seem to affect them. Cade even complains of having school the next day, and ends up very tired as a result of staying up so late.
  • Shout-Out: The video game series Uncharted is shown being played, and referenced in dialog. Cade even compares their adventure to the games.
  • Tempting Fate: Cade and Sam talk about how rickety the mines look, and the possibility that any booby traps would have stopped working after being there for many years... immediately before triggering a trap.
  • This Is Gonna Suck: Sam's reaction to two situations - having to jump out a window to escape a kidnapper, and later realizing that she has no choice but to walk through icy cold water in order to move onward.
  • Tomboy: Sam, who outright calls herself one.
    Sam: My mom said I'm part goth, part hippie, and part tomboy.
  • Toxic Friend Influence: Cade's parents felt this way about Sam, but came to accept her. However, the flashback shows her hopping a fence with a sign reading "No Trespassing", with Cade going along with her, implying that she influenced him to get into trouble.
  • Treasure Map: What kicks off the adventure.
  • Tunnel Network: Both mines and caves underground.
  • When It All Began: The flashback shows how the kids first met, how they started on their adventure, and it stops immediately where the first page of the story begins.
  • Would Hit a Girl: Implied but not shown. Sam tells Cade that she was "knocked out" by the bad guys, but doesn't specify whether it was physical.

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