Morning came way too early the next day. It was my mother’s turn to make breakfast for everyone so we were up and out of the house before the sun even came up. Lately, she has been forcing me to help when she cooks. Today, I was in charge of counting out loud how many scoops of oats she put into the pot of boiling water. She made it a fun activity with a little rhyming number song as we counted. It was really hard for my sleep-deprived mind to play along this morning but I tried my best just to make her smile. I can still get away with taking naps and I plan to take advantage of that later today. Usually, when we have enforced nap time, I would close my eyes and work on my Visualization skill.

Corrin, Nina, and Sky were the first family to come out after the sun began to rise. They all looked well-rested and ready for what the day will bring them. My mother greeted them and scooped porridge into the bowls that they brought with them. Each family had their own bowls that they would clean and bring with them to each meal. Sky’s family was using stone bowls instead of the wooden bowls that were owned by my family.

Ardon, Judy, and Jade were the next family up. They did not look quite as awake but they still smiled and greeted everyone at the campfire. Ardon has the most vivid cherry red hair I have ever seen. It is always easy to spot where he is when you are looking for him in a crowd. “Good Morning everyone! It looks like it will be a beautiful day today.” Judy said as she was getting her porridge.

After waiting for nearly a half-hour, Corrin ended up wandering over to the other two occupied dwellings to make sure to get them moving. There were no proper doors so he ended up yelling to wake the individuals inside.

Not long after, Teyas, Natalie, and Maya stumbled out of their house and came over for breakfast. It did not look like Teyas or Natalie slept well last night. Teyas was angrily mumbling under his breath when he got his scoop of porridge. Natalie spoke for her group, “I’m sorry, we had a very hard time falling asleep last night. The barrier is still bothering us quite a bit.”

Anzu, Alicia, and Aaron came out next and had much the same story as the previous group did. “Aaron is the only one of our family that isn’t having any trouble sleeping. I envy him right now.” Anzu said. While they were not in bad moods, it was clear their brain function was hindered this morning. Alicia had to run back and get their bowls to be able to eat breakfast.

Once everyone had finished eating and the dishes had all been cleaned and put away, Corrin addressed the group. “While we were scouting yesterday, we discovered that the only building with a door that is open is the main building. We tried briefly to get the other doors open but there was no way to open them from the outside that we could find. Hopefully, we can find a switch in the main building to unlock the smaller ones.” People were nodding at his conclusions. “I propose we all stick together today. Everyone comes to the main building to research.”

With that said, everyone started walking toward the largest building. My father was carrying me and said he would let me down when we got there. I was very happy not to walk up that huge building. I must have dozed off a little, when I opened my eyes we were at the top of the structure looking at the door.

None of the adults were carrying torches or any form of light. I understood why as soon as we entered. There was hidden lighting throughout the ruin. The walls were carved in the eight recurring symbols this world had a fetish for. The artwork was beautifully done and in full color. There must be some kind of preservation and cleaning spell running. The floors were spotless and the walls looked like they could have been painted yesterday.

After walking for quite a distance, we made it to a staircase heading down about two floors. There was a walkway around the edge of the room with a view of the enormous sunken chamber in the center. The sunken room had eight closed doors around the sides of the room. There was a door in the center of each wall in this octagonal room.

This was where the first evidence of damage was. You could tell that above each door was where the tablets were taken from that we had in the research facility back home. There was also a large central column of stone that was carved with more writing. More evidence of damage was on the central column but whatever the center was made of was too tough to allow removal without damaging the carvings. There was a whole section of damaged stone in evidence to that.

One of the men set up a barricade in front of the stairs leading outside and the children and I were told to run around and have fun. Each couple set up a mobile desk in front of a closed door and began to study the carvings around the door frame. In addition to a specific symbol, like a leaf, there was also more writing to be studied around the door. My parents set up next to the doorway with the black swirl marks.

Each wall had a specific tint added to the stone. It created a triangle that reached the central column. Closest to the central column, there were stone benches placed facing the center of the room. Behind the benches, there were rows of stone shelves. There was a fifteen-foot wide walkway around the edge of the room between the shelves and the eight doorways.

There were nooks and crannies all over inside the large room. The bookshelves were not all uniform and each colored section had its unique style. Sky, Jade, and I decided it would be fun to play hide and seek. This gave me the perfect excuse to investigate all over the room. I wouldn't be shocked if one of the smaller buildings outside could fit in this room. There was so much space to explore.

When the adults stopped for our mid-day snacks, we were told that it was nap time. One of the adults had the time to build a playpen for us with bedding to sleep on. Sky and Jade started whining when they were told it was time for a nap. I made sure to join in on the whining to not be left out. I had gotten my second wind from this morning so I was not interested in taking a nap either.

While we were playing hide and seek, I made sure to stop at the central column to memorize portions of it with my Visualization. I plan to compare the central column writing to the tablets from back home while we are napping. I feel like I am so close to making a breakthrough in this language. I just need a small push in the right direction. System you can help me out at any time!

It is hard to keep track of time when we are inside this building. The sun was very low in the sky when we all left to go back to our housing. It was decided to leave all of our supplies inside the structure at the end of the day. We will be back again tomorrow and there is no reason to lug it up and down each day.

Dinner was watered down stew once again. It was decided that was the best way to stretch our supplies until we can get another delivery. The adults were all animatedly talking about all of the new things they discovered today about the ruins. Before yesterday, the most anyone had ever seen of the ruins was a painted picture. While a painting is worth a thousand words, seeing it in person was worth quite a few more words. Corrin and Judy had both said how thankful they are to be given the chance to be here in person. They couldn’t wait to get back in there tomorrow to see what more they could discover.

Aaron and Maya’s parents were very quick to go to bed as soon as they were done eating. They were still complaining about how the barrier was affecting them and that they wanted as much time as possible to try to sleep tonight. I felt bad for them. I didn’t even notice the barrier anymore.

The days fell into a rhythm. Breakfast, Long hours at the ancient structure, followed by dinner at camp and then straight to bed. It was easy to tell the difference between those who could ignore the barrier and those who could not. Teyas and Alicia were hit the worst. Teyas was quick to anger, becoming increasingly stressed each day. Alicia was having problems keeping food down and was often seen throwing up.

On the tenth day, it was agreed that everyone would take a break from research for the day. My father hoisted me onto his shoulders as we went for a walk into the treeline. “Ok little one, let us see what we can find to cover our roof a little more permanently”

“Okay daddy, I’ll help you look!”

“While we are out today I want you to stay close to me at all times but let me know if you see any mushrooms or berries. We can surprise mommy with some fresh produce.”

We walked for a few minutes before we found our first tree that had fallen. Pulling out an ax from his belt, he said “I’m going to put you down right here while I cut some of this wood, make sure to stay in my sight at all times.”

I nodded my head and sat down a little ways away with my back to one of the enormous trees. I expected to see insects on the ground or in the trees, but the barrier must keep them away. The tree that had fallen was a fairly young one. I would estimate its diameter at three feet across. It was still a long enough specimen that it should provide a more permanent roof for at least half of the group’s houses.

A little while after my father started chopping, Corrin and Ardon showed up carrying their axes. “Glad you were able to find one that is already down Zarek, I was unable to find any in the direction I headed in. Corrin, did you have any luck?”

“Nah, we’ll go back out and look for more after we are done processing this one.”

The men worked together to cut the downed tree into the length they needed to place on top of the houses. Cutting the log down the center, giving them two planks to work with when they got to the housing structure.

“My measure skill is at 10, are either of your skills higher?” asked Corrin.

“12”

“8”

“Congratulations Zarek! You get to cut the log into 8-foot sections. Once you have a few cut to size we can start bringing them back.”

‘Who brings their almost-three-year-old out in the woods with them when they are going to be chopping down trees?’ I thought to myself. Boredom set in quickly for me. For my amusement, I pilfered one of the smaller sticks and started drawing in the dirt. I was trying to find the meaning of the words found in the ancient structure. I know it can take decades for researchers to translate dead languages but I felt I had a leg up on the competition because of my knack for languages.

I saw movement coming toward me and immediately scribbled out the words I was writing to make it look more like a child’s doodles. “We are going to head back now, can you lead us back?”

“Ok, daddy!”

The men each picked up a section of split log and started to follow me back towards our camp. That they were able to lift and carry that thing with only three people is amazing to me. I had to run to keep in front of them with the pace that they were setting.

The camp was in chaos when we arrived back. There were several wagons filled with supplies parked in front of our dwellings. Yowling could be heard from the amberclaws. My mother, Nina, and Judy were busy trying to unload the wagons. Teyas looked to be having a heated discussion with one of the drivers.

“I’m sorry sir but our orders are to drop off supplies only. We do not have permission to bring you back with us.”

“That’s a bunch of bull! My family can't live like this! You will take us back and damn the consequences!”

“Is this something you are willing to do? The last time I brought someone back from an assignment early, they were sent to punishment and then finally demoted down to purple. Do you want to be a farmer for the rest of your life?”

“We can't sleep, Alicia can't even eat. This is not fair!”

Corrin pulled Teyas, Natalie, Anzu, and Alicia to the side. “Come here, stop harassing the driver right now! He is only doing his job. Now, what is this I hear about you leaving?”

“Our health is in danger if we stay here any longer. My Alicia can't keep any food down and I have not had a decent night's rest since before we entered the barrier.” Anzu said.

“Teyas and I are the same, we are not having problems with eating but we can’t sleep and it is affecting our work. We are nothing but dead weight out here. I fear we will die out here if we stay any longer.” Natalie explained.

“Alright, if you have made your decision knowing full well the likely consequences, I am not going to stop you from leaving. Good luck to you and safe travels home.” Corrin waved the driver over at that point.

“Good sir, my companions are aware of the consequences of leaving their assignment early. Can you please take them with you when you return?”

The driver reluctantly agreed.

While everyone was talking, all but one wagon had been completely unloaded. It did not take long for the contents of the final wagon to be unloaded and the two families to climb in the back. They were not able to completely pack up their belongings for the return trip and also fit in the wagon.