Discovery

"Hello?"

Bell peered into the darker interior of the simple, small home sized building, made entirely from a collection of light-grey stones, but heard no reply and saw no movement either.

Perhaps they're out...?

The entrance was obviously human sized, so someone had built this here, maybe after stumbling through the strange pool like her, or perhaps by a local to this place instead, who hadn't been anywhere near or even knew about the shimmering pond either.

It's like I've been transported to... wherever this place is... but perhaps not the first... or is this that lost civilization of rumour...? Has it been here... wherever here is... all this time...?

Bell tentatively stepped inside and adjusted to the lesser light, hoping she wasn't intruding.

"Anyone here?"

She asked, but figured even if she was heard; her newer language might not have been understood, so proceeded carefully.

The inside was rather plain, more like a place of worship, or observation than a home, with a bare floor, beside the central bigger stone, that appeared to naturally jut from the ground. Around this, a few simple wooden benches sat around the walls, which denoted some sort of intelligent thought and possible purpose, while there were a few other smaller items, like little bowls, small brushes and other wooden tools scattered around too, otherwise it was pretty sparse.

I wonder what these are used for...?

Taking a good look about, there wasn't much sign of life at all, nor any writing or even a single symbol or picture, so perhaps trying to pin down who had built the structure and for what purpose was probably beyond her, but Bell kept her inspecting eyes wide as she slowly stepped about in the dome shaped building.

The small gaps around the edge provided enough light to see safely, as she circled the white stone in the middle, to find two old bags, neatly placed just behind it, away from the entrance.

What do we have here...?

Bell flicked the larger one's top open and peered in at something shiny within.

Obviously some... things of metal...

Bell reached in and carefully plucked a half-palm, hard, flat circle up in her fingers, before she razed the metal up into the light, and it shone brightly with a slightly familiar colour.

Gold...!

It was definitely a coin, with a rough shape of a human head and some slightly familiar looking ancient letters on it, so it was legit, and rather clean, with a nicely polished surface, almost like it had only just been made yesterday.

This is exactly what I've been searching for... and it's so pristine... just like all these others...!

Bell studied the open bag below and determined it was probably full of the valuable coins too, probably holding at least fifty of them in total.

Jackpot...! This is the best possible find I could hope for...!

Without a second though she grabbed up the smaller one, similarly full of the precious metal, and getting a spare string tie from her pants pocket, she tied it securely to her belt, before lifting the larger and heavier one up in her hand, and with nothing else of great worth or possibility to learn from in there, she promptly made for the exit.

With this much... it'll surely show the others I was right all along...! All I have to do now is get back to them... If that's possible...

Leaving the small round building, Bell retraced her steps back along the path, before noting a big difference along her way; when two new figures suddenly stood on the path alongside the great drop.

Bell stopped herself suddenly, right after seeing them, but they were dressed rather oddly for would be 'worshipers', clad in cumbersome, plastic looking, bright red gear, completely covering their humanoid 'persons', with only a few darker differences about their heads, hands and feet.

Uh... who are theses... guys, maybe...?

"Uh, greetings."

She said clearly, that halted their own slightly lumbering approach.

Suddenly the one nearest the cliff made a loud scratchy and almost mechanical noise, before pointing near Bell.

"Sorry I don't understand..."

Bell again spoke slowly, not that it seemed to help at all, when her only response was that of some more rapid scrambles of high pitched noises from the two.

I think we've got a huge language barrier here...

The pointing one shuffled slightly closer, and again made a scrabbling burst of noise at Bell, who stayed still, but determined the sound seemed rather angry now. But the figure wasn't directly pointing directly at her, but more to the heavy bag in her hand.

"This... you want this maybe?"

She asked, razing it slightly beside her.

The figure dropped it's 'hand' to a back apparatus on its hip, connected with a tube to something behind that one's back, while the other pointed somewhat accusingly this time, across to the empty building behind Bell.

"Did you want me to put this back?"

Bell still couldn't tell what they wanted at all, as she guessed at their pointing.

The first directed the black device in its hand toward her.

"I'll put it back if you want...!"

Bell twisted her body slowly to indicate she'd return it to the stone building, but suddenly a bright red flash burst from the back object, streaking across the air and slammed into the held bag.

Bell could feel the heat on her exposed skin as it tore through both the bag and the metal within, ripping a hole right through the middle in an instant.