The girl looked up at her with a dissatisfied and thoroughly annoyed face. “If that were true, you’d be at least 1,800 years old. There’s no way. You have something else going on.” She seemed annoyed.

                In that instant everyone but the archaeologist decided unanimously to not say anything and let her figure it out on her own. Velle shrugged and told everyone to go find which bed they want. Alicia and the siblings walked away while Velle went to go examine the offices. As she was walking away, she heard the archaeologist call after her. “Wait, why are you the leader here? Don’t the knights have seniority over civilians?” Her confusion was escalating, and that seemed okay to the young one.

                Velle nodded. “Normally, but I beat them in a practice fight so they’re deferring for now, at least unofficially. By the way, you never introduced yourself to me.” She said warmly as she pushed the door open.

                The girl gasped. “Oh, right! Well, my name is Patricia, but everyone calls me Pat. I’ve been called a prodigy at understanding ancient artefacts. I’m surprised you could read it. Is there some kind of translation spell you use?” She asked.

                Velle made a small laughing sound. “If I did where was my circle?” She asked, knowing she didn’t need one.

                The girl paused and reflected on this while Velle walked around the open office. There were four desks in a long rectangle each pair facing the other. Velle sighed. It was fine enough, but they didn’t have enough desk jockeys. Next would be the equipment shed. “You coming along?” She asked Pat.

                Pat nodded. “Something about this is weird. If I’m understanding the mana screen correctly, the most powerful source of mana around here is you.” She said back.

                Velle smiled, though Pat couldn’t see it. “I wonder why it says that. Come on, we need to see what equipment they gave us.” She said as she walked out of the building.

                The two walked over, Pat still pouring over her screen and poking and prodding it to figure out how it worked. She was muttering to herself a bunch of ideas that Velle found mildly amusing. It reminded her of someone she had known who had helped her create and develop the magical enchantments and tools required to make the ancient artefacts now being gathered up by the church. Inside the shed they found practice swords, shields, and plenty of athletic gear. Velle smiled, this would be perfect.

                Pat and Velle walked back out to see Aneris standing on their side of the yard. Aneris smiled at Velle and Pat. “The others have picked their beds, sadly we’re one short unless you don’t mind sharing again former Master.” Said the ancient dragon.

                Velle nodded. “That’s fine with me, come on Pat- let’s formally introduce you to the others and get you situated. So first, Pat this is Aneris, Aneris this is Pat.” She said making introductory gestures.

                Pat looked up in surprise. “Aneris? Like the ancient dragon? They haven’t been seen in centuries, no one’s used that name because of its association.”

                Aneris feigned shock. “I’m wounded! Why wouldn’t anyone want to share the name of a powerful and regal dragon?” He said sarcastically.

                Velle laughed. “Same reason no one uses my old name. It’s probably a minor heresy just to think it outside of us.”

                Pat seemed even more confused. “So you have one of you who can read and speak a long dead language fluently, and another who bears the name of a long-vanished dragon. This is why I don’t talk to people.”

                Velle made a thinking face and looked over at the young researcher. “You know, there might be an identification feature somewhere in that, though you might not be able to read the labelling on the mana screen. If you can find it, try it on us two. I’m curious to see what it says.”

                Pat’s brow furrowed as she examined and pushed around the floating mana just above the tablet. They had just passed through the door to the dorms when she suddenly made an excited exclamation. “I found it everyone!” She cried out.

                She lifted the table and a small, broken up ancient voice identified the holy knights each by name, since they had been logged by the church when they became knights. She turned to Alicia who was next. “Subject: Unknown witch. Please enter details or skip.” Pat looked concerned.

                “A witch? Those are extinct, right? You can’t be born one- you must be blessed by the goddess of magic. I wonder if this thing has some kind of error from being abandoned so long.”

                She turned it to Aneris. The voice crackled roughly. “Subject: Aneris, the Wind Dragon.” It said aloud.

                Pat instinctively went to hit it to make it work then stopped herself. She made a strange face and turned it at last to Velle, her brow heavily furrowed. “Subject identified: Welcome to the search and identification tablet, Megia Goddess of Magic.”

                Pat looked like she could have fainted. “Excellent, the unidentified witch is named Alicia. Everyone, this is Pat our artefact researcher and team historian. Pat, welcome to the team.”

                She looked around at the ground with a mixture of fear, confusion, and anger written across her face. “There’s no way it can get half of you correct and half of you wrong. That makes no sense!”

                Velle shrugged dramatically. “Either it’s wrong, or some random person can both speak the language, know what features the tablet has, and gets identified as Megia which would explain the other two. It would also accurately explain the identification Aneris despite no one having that name. Who can know the truth of these things, I guess.”

                Pat clearly did not appreciate the sarcasm. “I don’t think that’s funny, these artefacts are ancient, there’s always a chance a semblance of error was introduced.”

                Velle put a hand over her face. “Or, it’s right and the church has made temporary alliance with an ancient rival because circumstances in this world are so rarely easy to understand as a magic tablet made of stone.”