I really got it. I asked for it, and I really got it.

So much for having no control on the outside, I may as well have ultimate control.

…

Alright, I admit that may be a little far. Obvious I don’t have ultimate control, I still have no way of moving myself.

It was only by chance that I was able to steer them in a direction I recognized. I would even go so far as to call it an extremely lucky turn of events. For instance, if I hadn’t attempted projection when I did, or if the three chose a slightly different path, none of this would have happened.

In the dark of the bag, the massive gem is somehow just as fear inducing as when it sat in that gloomy throne room. I’m almost curious if it will still have the same reaction to me touching it.

I want to try.

“Don’t touch it!” Someone outside the bag instructs just as I begin to approach closer to the heart.

How did they know what I was…

“I wasn’t going to touch it.” A scruffier male voice responds timidly as if reading my thoughts. “I just wanted to… inspect it closer.”

Yeah, same. This guy get’s it. Rather, who are these people?

“Layout a grid before we touch anything, Elle you’ve got the rope and stakes, right? Does someone have the bag with all my notepads?”

“It’s over here, Cara.” The man from before says as he rummages around his back.

Breathing deeply and attempting a projection, I can make out a group of mixed proportions. Half looked pale and spindly while the rest were muscular and armed to the teeth.

Researchers, again? Or better yet, archeologists of some sort? The cycle continue I suppose? But how long has passed? The area doesn’t seem much different, other than the crater, perhaps its grown over a bit more, but that could just be due to a seasonal change.

As the group formed lines and began staking the area each foot with twine and rods, I couldn’t help but admire their diligence. I could see childlike excitement in some of them, but they still admirably did their work.

Cara, the one who seems to be in charge, is taking careful notes about the ruins before eventually returning her attention to me, the only recognizable item in the ruin.

“Appears to be a pre-awakening relic,” Cara notes to herself as she scribbles rapidly in the book. “Might very well be older than the ruins themselves.”

“You’re correct.” I confirm through the monotony filter of the voice changer.

“And it’s able to speak, how interesting. It must have an extraordinarily strong mana vacuum ratio to be active despite such a great distance from any sources.” Cara continues to herself without pause.

Well that wasn’t the expected response. Even Heather made a bigger reaction than that. Well, no point worrying about that, back to the plan.

“I will offer you a trade, a question for its equivalent or an item for it’s.”

Lifting the pencil from her pad, this time Cara’s expression changes. So that was the ticket, huh?

And not only her, everyone within earshot was looking this direction now. There’s only seven of them, I think I can handle that.

Honestly, I am hoping one of them will offer food as their trade item, I know it would be strange but its not as if its never happened before.

Cara, who was still standing awestruck quickly folds up her notepad before stepping closer to the bag with extreme care. “You mean us no harm?”

“You have done nothing to anger me, so I have no reason to harm you.”

Glancing at her colleagues, only to receive shrugs in response, Cara begins thinking. Peeling a measuring tape from within her belt, she makes a note of its location in the grid then carefully lifts it from its place with thick leather gloves.

“Judging from your mana signature you should have no trouble with touching me barehanded.” I mention off hand in order to build their trust in me.

With weary looks coming from those around her, Cara hesitantly removes a glove from her hand and exchanges the bag. Sure enough, other than a momentary dizziness Cara didn’t seem to show any negative reactions to the hero’s vessel.

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“Are you ok?” The man she called out to earlier asks with widened eyes.

“I’m fine, just as it said.” Cara confirms with a quick note into her pad. “Well does anyone want to go first? I assume its limited to one each?”

“That’s right.”

“So, it says, well?” Cara again looks around the group surrounding her. None were immediately allured surprisingly. “Then I will go first I suppose.”

“Go ahead.” I nod while looking around for something she might want from this pile of relics.

“I obvious choose the question.” Noticing the odd looks from everyone around, me included, she adds her reasoning. “After all how often do you get the chance to ask an ancient relic a question.”

The researchers in the team nod their heads after a long moment while the escorts look at each other in disbelief.

“So how does it work? Do you ask one first? Or should I go?” Cara asks looking excited by the prospects.

“If you have one ready then go ahead. If you need a minute I can ask mine first.” I offer once I wipe the surprise from my face. Of course, I already know my question. It’s one I’ve been curious about for quiet awhile, all things considered.

“Um…” Cara mutters with pencil eraser buried in her blistered lips.

“HIYA!” Someone shouts as they dunk an object through the hole in the bag and almost directly at my head.

Stumbling to grab the object I find it to just be a random stone, perhaps even a fragment on the tiles laid in the throne room.

Two can play at that game.

This isn’t the only rock I’ve got in here. Plucking up the fist sized stone and winding up to the best of my unathletic ability, I hurl it at the wall.

‘THUNK’

Striking the man square in the head and sending him tumbling to his butt, the man shakes his head in surprise.

“You get what you pay for.” Cara giggles as she realizes what had happened. “There goes Kalvin’s turn.”

“Ooo…” Kalvin mutter as he lifts a piece of the cracked round stone to reveal a flurry of gemstones in a variety of colors.

“Kei’geth gems!” One of the researchers with slack jaw mutters in amazement. “So they do form as a geode?”

“Valuable?” Kalvin simply mutters with glimmering eyes fluttering between the gems and the man who recognized the type.

“More than you can imagine.” Cara laughs, “They are typically found as shards seemingly at random. A single one –If properly tuned– could hold enough charge to shield an entire city. It’s not rare for countries to even fork out white gold for just a fragment.”

“So this…”

“Is a bounty of scientific knowledge and should be left to a museum or academy for proper study.”

“…” Kalvin, with an audible whimper glances at Cara who, sympathetic, reasons with her colleague.

“It’s broken into three pieces, so how about the small half go to the museum, this half go to the academy –FOR RESEARCH– and the biggest half is for Calvin.”

Cheering to himself quietly Calvin secures his chunk and begins dancing carefully around the ruins.

“I want to go next!” The one Cara called Elle says while clutching a necklace she had sifted from her bag.

Receiving the chain from Elle, I find a small box laying amongst the ‘safe’ pile and inspect it to be sure it was the necklace I thought it was. Fairly mundane considering some of the things in here, but a researcher should find some great use from it.

Making a note of the exchange on the note nestled within the box I replace the new necklace and pass the chain outside the bag with a slight toss.

Resuming my projection, I manage to catch Elle receiving the new necklace from the air with a look of curiosity on her face. I hadn’t expected her to catch it, but I suppose she must be fairly coordinated to go on these sorts of missions. I wonder how far away the closest human town is? Are these ruins demon land or human? I will save those questions for later.

“What does it do?” Elle quickly asks, yielding the amulet over to Cara.

“Ask Carl, he knows gem engravings better than me.” Cara shrugs before underhand tossing the amulet to the male who was fussing over the scientific bounty I chucked at Calvin’s head earlier.

“Definitely magic…” Carl mutter much to everybody’s sarcastic shock. “Right, right. Um… Looks like… Damn. I’ve never seen anything like this. Might have to give it the old ten-stage identification.”

That still exists? I’ve read about this before. This should be interesting, I’ve never seen it run before.

“Elle, want to do the honors?”

“You mean be the victim?” Elle pouts, retrieving the necklace back and reluctantly placing it on her neck. “Fine. Let’s do it!”

“Already messed it up, we need the the control for stage one first.” Carl explains with a shake of his head as Elle plucks the necklace from her neck and places it on a nearby table. “Hand on the gem.”

Doing as told Elle ignite the gem in carl’s hand with magic before replacing the necklace and igniting it again.

“No changes in affinity, volume, or latent.” Carl confirms checking off the first step and flipping the page in his book. “Stage two, we can do this a bit off the cuff. Hey Kin, mind taking off the rucksack?”

“I can already promise you I can’t lift that thing.” Elle confidently states with her arms crossed into an ‘x’.

“Just try it, we won’t make you wear something heavy for as long as you possibly can, so just be glad we are using the cut-down version of the test.”

“…” Sighing quietly Elle steps up to the bag and, of course, struggles to lift it.

I would tell them if they just asked, but its clear none of them are willing to waste their only chance on a question like that.

After an impressive nine whole steps, the use of the amulet was finally confirmed. Shutting the book with a satisfied grin Carl suddenly realizes his moment was stolen from him by the test itself.

“So it can read any language? Like… any language? How’s that possible?”

“Magic is ma…”

“Don’t you dare say ‘magic is magical’.” Cara interrupts with a roll of her eyes. “The leading theory is that intent is left in words, even printed ones, that intent left in the magic is constant despite language. I’ve read about theories arguing that it could be harnessed for translation but nobody has accomplished it.”

“Well clearly that’s not…”

“Well obviously it’s not the case. But my comment still stands, this is from outside of history. It confirms that this bag is as old, certainly older than the ruins, and perhaps even older than history itself.” Cara notes in her pad and aloud simultaneously.

“Me now. Me.” Another warrior who had been waiting at the wings chants stepping carefully over the grid of stakes and rope.

“Hold on. Let’s do this at camp, no point spending time here if we aren’t working.” Cara sighs while tugging the bag away from the approaching warrior.

The two who already received theirs were quick to agree while the others were justifiably impatient. Nonetheless the group made their way back to their camp, chatting all the while about both me and the ruins themselves.

I like these people.