Richard strode to where Gro stood and gave the area a few earnest glances before crouching down, one hand pressing against the ground.
The soil churned, animated under the influence of the spell, as if it had a life of its own, actively receding from where the palm touched. Thus, in just a moment, the buried object below was revealed, and it was quite evidently a relatively well-preserved skeleton. Perhaps because the soil was dry, the bones hadn't completely decomposed; the rough outline of a human form was discernible. In the surrounding layers of earth, traces of collapsed buildings could be seen.
After a brief inspection, Richard rose and gestured around, saying, "Unless there's been an error, there should be a small village ahead of us. Let's clear it out together, and then we'll truly understand what's going on here."
