Stratos Aeros Author Page

By: Stratos Aeros

Artifact or Relic

The heavy stone door slams shut behind Aubrey with a crashing boom. The gust from the impact chills the sweat on her back. Sweat gathered from the humidity of the jungle environment surrounding them. She looks to Kevin realizing she has trapped her intern and herself within the ancient ruin. 

Slowly letting go of the Jade statue shaped like a tree, she returns it to the black stone pedestal it originally rested upon. Aubrey glances back towards the stone door. To her dismay, it remains shut. Kevin looks at her and lets out an echoing laugh failing to contain his amusement.

“Did you really think putting it back would work?” He asks. 

“Well, it was worth a shot,” Aubrey admits as she shrugs her shoulders.

“What do we do now?” 

Aubrey finds herself looking around the room. Her eyes open wide when she finally notices small holes around the ceiling that let in directed light. The rays focus towards some images that she wishes she had noticed before. Taking out her tattered notebook, she finds a blank page to scribble comments on. 

Gathering information on each image around the ceiling, she takes note specifically of their order. Kevin points to one and believes it to resemble a seed. They begin to figure out there is a puzzle to this room. Her novice nature as an archaeologist and historian reveals itself in her failure to think her action through.

“We have to figure out what each of these images mean, then maybe we can figure a way out of here.” She concludes.

“Well this one is a seed and the other looks like a leaf to me.”

“I see a branch possibly on the north side of the ceiling and there may be a rock or mountain. I hope it’s not a mountain.” 

“So what in the world do we do with them?” Kevin asks.

Searching around the room, Aubrey notices small shelves along the wall. They are made of a protruding stone block that reaches slightly further out of the wall then the rest of the blocks. As she looks up from one, she figures out that it aligns perfectly below the image on the ceiling above it. Aubrey finds a stick that has found itself blown into the ruin from the jungle outside. 

Holding it in her hand, she moves to the image of a branch on the ceiling. Cautiously she sets the stick upon the block shelf. A faint green glow surrounds the stone. Her face winces a bit, wondering if this is a positive or negative glow.

“I think we should find an item to match each image. Maybe that will open the door?” She suggests.

“What is the significance of that?” Kevin throws his arms up in the air, shrugging his shoulders.

“The Oak Guild built this ruin a thousand years ago, they hold great respect for nature and its connection to its environment. If my theory is right, they want us to show an understanding for how it all connects.”

“Seems way too precise, but I don’t have any better ideas.”

Her intern, Kevin, finds a leaf growing on a vine through a crack of the black stone wall. He pulls out a pocket knife and gently cuts the leaf from the vine. He places it on the block below the corresponding image. Kevin looks defeated for a moment with a slight pout pursing his lips, but then smiles as the block glows green just like the other shelf.

“So we need a seed, a rock and then that other image looks like a tear.” Aubrey concludes.

“I have these flower seeds I snack on, they are roasted and salted but still seeds.”

Coming over to her, he pours the bag into her hands, a small handful of seeds pile up in her palm. Aubrey walks across the room and sprinkles the seeds onto the block. It slowly starts to glow green and becomes brighter. The other two blocks illuminate more in unison. As she turns around, a rock catches her foot and makes her stumble forward a few steps. 

“Oh thanks, Mr. rock.” She peers with intent at the inanimate object.

Reaching down, Aubrey picks up the rock and goes over to the first block. She happily sets the rock upon it. No green glow appears. Instead they feel the walls start to shake and the ground rumble. They look down and see the sand sifting through cracks in the floor. She quickly slaps the rock off the block. As it skips across the ground the shaking immediately stops.

“Not a rock…” Kevin says.

“Yep, not a rock.” 

“I am starting to think this Jade statue had some great importance.” Kevin steps towards it to look closer.

“The legend is that it holds the power to nourish the crops and plants it is placed amongst.”

“Like some sort of magical weapon or item?” Kevin sounds bewildered.

“The magi call them relics, items infused with magic by the Guilds long ago.”

Aubrey changes her angle of how she looks at the images on the ceiling, trying to see a different perspective. She recounts what they have in order already. In her head she lists off: blank, seeds, tear, branch and finally a leaf. Smacking her head as if punishing herself, she instantly figures out the pattern.

“How did I not see this sooner?”

“You figure it out, Aubrey?” Kevin asks.

“It’s the growth of a tree, seeds given water produce a tree that grows leaves.”

“Ahh, and that doesn’t grow from a rock.”

In unison, they both say, “it grows from the dirt.” 

Aubrey slings her bag to the ground and finds a canteen of water. She unscrews the top and pours a bit of it onto the block below the tear. Then she scoops up some dirt from the overgrown floor and places it on the first shelf. Both of the blocks grow blindingly bright with the green glow. All five shelves beam a line of green energy to the Jade statue in the middle of the room. 

Her face beams with confidence as she smiles and raises her hands up in the air. She pulls them in close and lets out a soft “yes!” Aubrey walks over to the statue of the tree and reaches out for it once more. As she lifts it from the pedestal, the door behind them raises back up to its original open position. Kevin congratulates Aubrey on her discovery and the unraveling of the ancient puzzle. 

Turning around to put the statue in her bag. She notices the vibrant green vines that once penetrated the wall are shrinking back through the cracks. They look to turn from that healthy green color to a brittle tan-green mix. Seeing this, she realizes that this relic bestows a great power and an even greater impact on the ruin itself.

Kevin picks up on her hesitation and stops to see why. Looking to the wall, he sees the vines begin to retract. As his gaze peers upwards, the light coming through the holes seems to dim as well. He nods in agreement, as Aubrey places the statue back on its perch, where it belongs.

The green energy from the blocks fades away, but the light in the ceiling brightens once more. In that moment, they can hear the nearby trees shake to life with gratitude and watch the vines grow back to their former strength. She smiles, assuring herself this was the right decision.

“Someday, someone may come to claim this heirloom of the Oak Guild. But for today, this shrine will stand as guardian a bit longer.” 

“Well said.” Kevin agrees.

Aubrey grabs her notebook from the ground and begins to sketch an accurate portrayal of the statue. If she has to leave it here, the knowledge and experience of its power is coming with her at the very least. She titles the drawing the Jade Tree and writes a small paragraph about their adventure inside this ancient ruin.

Taking their leave from the small stone building, they look back seeing the vines grow over and mask it once again. Both of them look at each other, then start the difficult journey back through the thick jungle. As they step forward though, the plants seem to part for them, forming a clear path out of the heavy foliage. Aubrey takes one more look at the ruins and silently thanks the statue safely hidden inside.