The party camped just shy of the ruins. With their superior Perception and shorter sleep cycles, Jeremy and Cara kept watch. That afforded Jake the opportunity to do some much-needed research.

He pulled the book on Wood Elven archaeology from his pack. It was slim but, as with apparently all wood elven books, beautifully illustrated. With the speed of preparations to leave, and the focus on spells and Spellcrafting, there hadn’t been time to read any of the books on archaeology yet.

This was as good a time as any. Flicking through the pages, each one a work of art in its own right, he located the relevant section soon enough. A warning not to visit the site sat prominently at the top of the page.

It left vague exactly what the danger was, or even what kind it might be. Was it superstition, or did the author simply not know what the danger was? That, or they’d decided providing such information would only invite attempts. That would be a very wood elven line of thinking.

Regardless, the world needed saving. If there was ever a time to risk it, it was now, and if Jeremy thought it was worth the risk, it probably was. Whatever he did, it was to protect the Forest—a responsibility that Jake now shared.

The Divine Empire had destroyed and sealed the mage hall toward the end of the Age of Heroes. The text itself had been written over three millennia afterward, collating what information they could. Assuming the book wasn’t a copy, it was nearly seven millennia old.

It felt no older than a few decades, tops, and well cared for at that. There had to be something else going on. Jake activated Discern Magic. Lines of magic appeared, woven into the book itself. The strands looked more permanent than any spell. It had to be an enchantment.

Enchanting wasn’t the same skill, but it shared many characteristics with Spellcrafting. Some kind of Protection magic was woven into the book, although the aspect wasn’t identical to that used in spells.

Discerning the effect was more difficult. It shared a few similarities with the armor and heal effects, but, beyond that, it didn’t correlate to anything Jake had seen before. The form proved even more elusive, even after far more study than the situation called for. Did enchantments even have forms the way a spell did?

It was hard to pull himself away, but duty called. Jake read on. Much of the information was from oral sources, knowledge passed down several generations via word of mouth. Even that was sparse. The Empire had hunted surviving wood elven casters down, leaving the wood elves robbed of their own magic and crippled militarily for a generation.

A game of telephone by non-casters about magic played over several millennia. It was no wonder that the information was vague, not to mention dubious in places. There were rumors of all kinds of magic, from healing injuries and talking to animals, to growing mighty trees, and even bringing the dead back to life.

A spell to grow trees at will would explain how the wood elven villages had been built, but most of it was probably fairy tales about the “good old days.” But what if it wasn’t? What if the secret to returning to life—without Death’s cruel bargain—was waiting to be rediscovered?

That was all the book had. Jake flipped to the front of the book. Detailed information about the ruins themselves would have been useful, but in the absence of that, general information about Archaeology might prove invaluable. Hopefully, it wasn’t all about pottery.

Language, culture, history. It seemed an understanding of how everything fitted together was crucial to leveling up the Archaeology skill. In turn, that allowed unlocking more forgotten secrets, which would further level the skill.

Archaeology skill increased 0 → 1!

Gimmie level or not, any progress was welcome, especially if it came with a perk point. Even as a Hero, leveling Archaeology with almost no knowledge of the world to build on would be difficult. The perks were probably a bunch of twenty percent bonuses, but maybe a few of them would be useful.

Eye of the Archaeologist (0/5): Grants and improves the Archaeologist’s Sight ability, highlighting and analyzing Archaeological objects and sites in the context of current knowledge.

Forgotten Tongues (0/5): Allows learning languages from Archaeology up to Novice/Experienced/Adept/Master/Grandmaster level.

Cultured Explorer (0/5): Allows gaining cultural understanding from Archaeology up to Novice/Experienced/Adept/Master/Grandmaster level.

Past of Present (0/5): Allows gaining historical understanding from Archaeology up to Novice/Experienced/Adept/Master/Grandmaster level.

Careful Digger (0/5): Allows excavating for Archaeology artifacts without risk of damaging them at a rate of 20% of normal dig speed per level.

Raider of the Past (0/5): Increases the price Archaeology artifacts can be sold for by 50% per level.

The bespoke perk list, even for lower-tier perks, was a pleasant surprise. Their value was somewhat questionable, though. Wasn’t it possible to gain that understanding without perks in it? He checked his languages, as well as cultural and historical understanding.

English (American): Master

Common: Adept

Wood Elvish: Experienced

Wood Elven Culture: Experienced

Wood Elven History: Novice

Divine Empire History: Novice

With each of those, he’d had teachers and books. There was a world of difference between that and piecing it together from ruins and fragments. A lost civilization might well not have teachers or books readily available, if at all.

If he was going to explore a ruin the following day, it would be best to spend his perk point. Raider of the Past was immediately out. Money would be a problem once they left wood elven land, but Jake hadn’t chosen Archaeology to get rich. Careful Digger was the next to be crossed off. No doubt it had its uses, but he was on the clock. There wouldn’t be time for careful digging.

That left the Eye of the Archaeologist plus the three understanding perks. Jake didn’t have a clue what he’d be looking for. If he was going to level the skill, presumably he’d need to find things—Archaeological things, whatever they were. Pottery? Scrolls? Carvings?

If Archaeologist’s Sight was half as good as Discern Magic, it would show him what to look for. Would it be enough? He had taken Discern Magic straight from 0 to 2. The jump from 2 to 3 had been huge. Would a single level be enough for a complete novice?

It didn’t really matter. Even if he had known what he was looking for, Jake already had at least as high wood elven knowledge as a single level of the other perks would provide. He took Eye of the Archaeologist and went back to studying the book.

The dullness of the learning was familiar, almost cozy. How to minimize the chance of damaging artifacts when digging. The risk of traps or magically maintained guardians. What the best way to store relics was.

All too soon, a grunt and a poke interrupted his reading. An unimpressed Jeremy loomed.

“Get some sleep, kid. Books won’t save you from traps or monsters.”

Sleep could wait, at least until the end of the chapter. Jake raised his hand to argue. When had his limbs gotten so heavy? He sighed, closed the book. The Prowler was right. “Alright. See you in the morning.”

***

A shaking motion ripped Cara from her dreams. The discordant tree-song faded into the background, replaced by the icy darkness of the Forest. Smooth bark pressed against her back. Owls hooted in the distance. Jeremy stood motionless above her.

“Your watch.” Without another word, he picked out a tree and sat against it, giving every appearance of trusting that she’d do her duty.

There was no way his eyes were closed all the way. Not that she could blame him; it wouldn’t have been her first time drifting back to sleep after he woke her. That wasn’t going to happen, not this time. Especially not with the stupid chill in the air. Why did the world have to be so cold sometimes?

Her chest tightened. If she was going to survive outside the Forest, she had to do better. The rest of the world wouldn’t be so accommodating to mistakes. And if there was one thing that she was good at, it was making mistakes.

That, and archery. Most of the time, anyway. And fixing mistakes, that too. She was practically an expert.

Her legs cried out, begging to move. Maybe a walk would help. She pulled herself to her feet and patrolled the camp. No such luck. The camp was secure, but her chest remained tight and her legs restless.

Had there been any more dungeon spawn attacks? She pressed her hand against a tree. Her breath caught. What if there had? She deepened her connection to the tree-song. It was disorganized, messy. Fear. Anger. Sorrow. Still raw, but not so fresh as the night before.

She breathed out. It wasn’t the relief that the tree-song normally brought, but it was better than the alternative. There had been too much death already. And it wouldn’t stop, not until the dungeon spawn were dealt with. Why couldn’t the Keepers see how important this mission was?

Cara growled and resumed patrolling. The mission was important, that was why she had to keep her mind on it. How would they keep watch with just the two of them? Jake needed so much sleep, and his vision…

A greklin poked its nose out of the ground a hundred feet away. It sniffed the air. What did the world look like through its nose? Could it smell her?

Without Night Vision, Jake wouldn’t be able to see past whatever light they risked having. Even in the day, would he have been able to see the greklin? What if it was a bandit sneaking up on them? They couldn’t rely entirely on alarm spells.

It was almost a shame to be leaving the Forest behind. It was beautiful, especially at night. Wild and untamed, yet more dependable than anyone. A break from the people of the Forest would be a much-needed vacation. If only she could take the Forest with her.

She sighed heavily. It wouldn’t be long before she’d be beyond the tree-song for the first time. How did the other races live without it? What would it be like?

She’d manage. She had to; she owed the Forest that. It had been good to her. It had never judged her, even when it could have. It wouldn’t be the people of the Forest she’d miss. Speaking of which…

Was Jeremy asleep yet? His eyes looked closed. Could she risk it? She activated Stealth and tiptoed over to her pack. Jeremy’s chest moved up and down rhythmically. No sign he was awake. This was the moment.

She reached in and pulled out the little nest she’d made. “Hey, beautiful. Just a few more days, I promise.”

***

Cara woke the others with breakfast at dawn. “Fresh berries, and roasted greklin!” It was nice to be able to cook on an open fire, even on the Forest floor. Without Jeremy, it would have been too dangerous.

“Smells… delicious,” Jake said, a fake smile plastered across his face.

It was good to see he hadn’t put his Oratory point into Deception, at least. “You’ll like it.” Hopefully. Cooking was another profession skill, unfairly limiting her ability to improve in it, no matter how hard she tried.

There was little chatter over breakfast. Jeremy had something he wanted to discuss after they ate. Beyond that, he said nothing, sticking to eating with his usual efficiency. Whatever it was, it had to be important.

Why wouldn’t he tell her already? She ate in large bites, chewing quickly. No amount of badgering Jeremy would make him spill the beans early. Bitter experience made that clear. The quicker they ate, the sooner she’d know.

What could the secret be? Magical items? Scrolls? Was he defying orders and going with them? Why wouldn’t he tell them already?

Did he enjoy making her wait? He didn’t show it, but he’d kept his trips to the ruins a secret, too. What else was he hiding under that strait-laced exterior? Did Elivala know what he’d been up to? Had she put him up to it?

Jake didn’t cooperate with the plan. He ate slowly, reading as he did so. It was a book on Archaeology, a time-honored classic, not that many wood elves ever read it. The urge to devour it cover to cover before slipping away to explore ancient ruins had never really left Cara.

She clenched her jaw, a bitter taste in her mouth. Of course, the stupid System rules would have meant either wasting the Archaeology levels or losing hard-earned levels in Bowyer and Leatherworker. It wasn’t worth it, no matter how tempting. Just like woodcarving, she’d never be any good at it.

Her heart rate kicked up a notch. Did he know how lucky he was?

Thank the Forest the book’s enchantments stopped it from getting dirty. The librarians got way too upset about books not coming back the way they left. Books were meant to be read, not sit on a shelf until the end of time.

How could he eat that slowly? Didn’t he care about knowing? Was the book really that good? At least she’d get to see some of what she’d missed out on. There had to be cool stuff down there. What was it? How would they break the seal? What was Jeremy not telling them?

Breakfast took far longer than it could have, but eventually even slowpoke Jake finished.

“I have told you both of Sigurd,” Jeremy said.

That wasn’t news. Cara clasped her hands together and flexed her knuckles. “More than once. Come on, spill it, we’ve got a ruin to explore!”

“That is not all.” Jeremy paused, like the waiting wasn’t torture. “He traveled with a non-Hero called Elenkar. While they adventured together, Elenkar leveled like a Hero.”

Cara’s stomach fluttered. It wasn’t possible. It couldn’t be.

“Did he come back to life like a Hero?” Jake asked.

Jeremy sighed and shook his head. “Alas, he fell fighting a dragon. He did not return.”

A shame. Not that Cara would want to be a Hero, anyway. Jake being one was bad enough, but he wasn’t like those from the Age of Heroes. He’d been kidnapped and forced into it. He hadn’t chosen it.

It’d be useful.

That treacherous voice in her head could bury itself in the Deep-Forest. It didn’t matter how much faster she’d level, Heroes were a blight on the world. She would not be an accessory to that. She couldn’t.

Cara ground her teeth. A string of Wood Elven profanities wasn’t a helpful response, no matter how called for. “You better not be suggesting what I think you are.”

Jeremy’s infuriating confidence didn’t waver. “You’re a Ranger. You’ll do what must be done.”

Her heart thundered and her fists balled up. “Dishonor the fallen?”

Jake’s wide eyes darted between them, trying his best to stay out of it.

Coward. The next words out of her mouth would only make things worse. Knowing that did nothing to stop her. “It’s bad enough you’re a Hero, without making me complicit.”

“Cara…” Jake bit his lip and held his hands out in front of him; he probably thought it was a calming motion, rather than an incitement to riot. “You don’t have to do this.”

Jeremy’s look said otherwise. Worse, the Prowler was right. She did have to do it.

Damn you, world, damn you to the end of time. “Do it.”

***

“Do it.” Cara spat the words out with a venom that Jake hadn’t thought her capable of.

Knowing he shouldn’t take it personally didn’t make it any easier. There was a reason Jeremy had waited to tell them, the same reason half of the Keepers had shoved him out of the door even after he helped save their village. “You sure?”

She glared and silently offered her hand. Not an ideal response, but it would have to do. It was the logical decision. They couldn’t afford to give up any advantage, not with a quest to save the world and a party of three, soon to be two.

Jake took her hand. A dull heaviness pulled at his chest. Cara was never sweaty or jittery. He couldn’t even begin to imagine how this felt. Should they be doing this? It wouldn’t make her a Hero, but that might not matter to her fellow wood elves.

She gripped his hand tight and nodded curtly. “For the Forest.”

He bit his lip, closed his eyes, and focused inward. There had to be something about Companions.

Companion slots used: 0/1

Do you wish to make Cara Tolabar So’aroaska your companion? Yes/No.

Yes.

Awaiting confirmation.

Cara’s lips curled and her nose wrinkled, but she didn’t look away. Would she regret it? Would she hate him? “It’s not too late to—”

Companion confirmed: Cara Tolabar So’aroska

“I’m a Ranger. We do what needs to be done.” She turned away with a growl and set off toward the ruins. “Let’s go.”

***

The grass clearing was at least a hundred yards across. In the middle of it sat a 30-foot-wide circle of five stone blocks. Each block was ten-foot-wide and several stories high, with a gap of ten feet again between them. In the center was nothing but grass.

Or so it appeared. There had to be more to it. Jake activated Discern Magic and, sure enough, the whole ruin lit up with power. “There’s magic all over the ruins. I can’t tell what it does, but the magic’s extremely powerful. Tidy, too.”

Jake and Cara stopped a little way back from the stones. Jeremy kept walking. Without a moment’s hesitation, he strode between two of the rocks and vanished in a flurry of magical activity.

It didn’t look like teleportation. Invisibility? Disintegration? Hopefully not the latter.

“Think he’s alright?” Jake said.

Cara bared her teeth and howled with rage. She glared after him and shook her head. “Yeah, he’s fine. It really isn’t his first time here, is it? All those times I wanted to come and he wouldn’t let me!”

As frustrating as that had to be, at least it meant Jeremy already had the inside scoop. Whatever the magic did, it probably wasn’t disintegration. Jake braced himself and stepped through the gap.

Nothing. Ordinary grass beneath his feet, stone blocks around him, no Jeremy in sight. What was keeping Cara? He looked over his shoulder. Where was she?

She was gone. Was the magic wood elven only? He backtracked out of the stone circle. No, she wasn’t hidden behind a stone. They were both gone.

Another burst of magic and Cara reappeared from the threshold of the stone circle. “Come on, we’re waiting!”

Did he look like he wanted to be the one left out? “It didn’t take me.”

“Huh.” Cara’s eyebrows pulled together, and she thought for a moment. “Take my arm.”

They linked arms and shared a cautious grin. It might work; there was one way to find out. Jake braced himself and they stepped over the threshold as one.

Magic tingled across his skin, passing from front to back. Grass and stone vanished, replaced by bark, much like that in Tolabar. Silvery orbs illuminated the impossible room. Cara clung to his arm, bouncing with excitement. Jeremy noted their arrival with a nod.

Appearing to be formed out of a tree, the room mirrored the dimensions of the stone circle in the Forest. Five openings around the walls led back into the forest clearing. Between those gaps stood five ornate wooden doors, set into the bark walls and sealed shut.

The magic in the room was denser and brighter than any Jake had seen before. An intricate tapestry, clearly woven with love and care over many years, if not centuries. The closer he examined it, the more it reminded him of code. Beautiful, elegant code woven into the fabric of the room.

Was the room itself magical? The magic that had brought them here did not resemble the teleportation effect. Whatever the spells in the walls were, they were beyond anything else he’d seen. Could it be a pocket dimension? An area of space created for the wood elven casters to gather in?

The magic wasn’t just functional. Wood Elvish words were woven into every strand. Comments, stories, love letters—form and function brought together with all the time and care in the world. A lifetime’s study could have been spent studying it without ever understanding it all.

Alas, time was one thing they did not have, certainly not enough to waste admiring the work of dead artists.

Very different magic sat across each of the five doors. Darker, and brutally efficient in design. None of the elegance or flair. A tool. Had they been in a hurry, or had they simply not cared?

Cara’s breath tingled upon his neck. “What do you see?”

“You don’t have Discern Magic, do you?”

A pause. “No. I can’t justify it.”

“A tale of two parts. There’s wood elven magic woven into the bark—I doubt it’s an actual tree—and… it’s glorious. Imagine a hundred lifetimes woven into spells and saved for all eternity.”

“Incredible.” Cara’s breath caught, and her voice quietened. “Imagine what we could have achieved if this place had never been destroyed. The other part is the seals, right?”

“Yeah.” It hurt to see the cultural vandalism as an outsider. For a wood elf, it had to be heartbreaking. “As expected, I can’t see any way to undo the magic. There’s writing burned onto the doors, though I can’t read it.”

“Divine Script,” Jeremy said solemnly. “‘By the blood of the Divine Emperor, I seal this heresy for all time.’”

Did Jeremy think he shared the emperor’s blood? Jake tensed up. What if he did?

“The Emperor who did this was human.” Jeremy pointed at one of the seals. “Your blood might be enough.”

That connection made sense. Maybe it would work, but using his blood for magic wasn’t plan A material. Maybe plan C, plan B at worst. He needed a plan A, and fast.

The seal was ancient and powerful beyond reckoning. Where to even start? It wasn’t as if a few more moments were likely to reveal secrets the elves hadn’t found in millennia. “Maybe. I’d like to have a look around first, before I resort to spilling my own blood.”

“Make it quick.”

“Will do.” Jake deactivated Discern Magic and activated Archaeologist’s Sight. Instead of glowing magic, insights floated to the surface of his thoughts. The circular shape of the doors was a reference to the equality of their order. The five doors represented the five villages.

None of the insights were based on new knowledge. However, instead of needing to be dredged from the corners of his mind, they rushed to the front, eager to serve. It was like having a virtual assistant in his head, categorizing everything, and highlighting it when needed.

Did the skill affect his thoughts like telepathy, or was it fundamentally changing how his mind worked? An important question, but one that could wait. If it proved necessary, he could deactivate the ability once he had what he needed.

Archaeology skill increased 1 → 2!

“Here.” Jake pointed to a spot above the door. “You’d expect a sign here, but there’s nothing.” If this was a place for mages, wouldn’t they all have Discern Magic? Jake reactivated the ability. The sign was exactly where it was supposed to be, in bold magic. “It says, ‘Mend the Body’.”

Each of the five doors had a similar sign above it, corresponding to what lay sealed beyond. “Commune with Nature. Grow the Forest. Shapechange the Self.” Jake trembled as he read the last sign. “Rebirth the Fallen. Guys… I think behind this door is resurrection magic.”