The Forgotten Zodiac

Bershee smiled at L'arc. "Thank you. It's reassuring that you think that...I'm still worried, though. If I don't raise them right, my entire race could be corrupt from it's new beginning, and...oh, I can't help but worry. It's a lot of responsibility..."

"Well, you're off to a great start," L'arc said. "You've brought them someplace safe, and..." the druid dug into the recesses of his memory, trying to remember words his parents once said. "And if you love them, they're sure to come out all right."

When they had said such words to him, it was directed to his entire people - the citizens of Forestum. But running a kingdom and running a household, in theory, weren't so different.

"I'm sure it'll be fine," he said.

Bershee smiled at L'arc, then suddenly hugged him. "Thank you," She murmured before moving away. "You're very kind, king L'arc. The forest is lucky to have you as their patriarch." She took his hands, and picked up one of the eggs, placing it in his palm. Just to hold for a few moments. "That one is a girl. I've always been absolutely terrible with names...you pick one. One that reflects the forest, perhaps...name it anything you can think of. You don't have to do it now, either." She grinned. "Take your time. You have a few days before she hatches, after all."

((This post was tiny but I fixed it. It is not tiny now.

Have fun naming it. xDD))

((Awwww.... babeh.))

L'arc smiled, cradling the egg gently. "I'll think of one," he promised, handing it back before he dropped it or crushed it or otherwise caused it to tragically explode. He felt humbled by this request, and such showed on his face as it reddend slightly and he smiled. He glanced back up to the surface, then to Bershee. He looked to the eggs once more, and smiled again. "Congratulations."

Bershee placed the egg back with the others, and beamed at L'arc. "Thank you, oh kind king." She followed his glance up to the surface. "Sylas is looking for you, I imagine," She giggled, pulling L'arc back up.

Indeed, Sylas had been waiting on the surface, not going anywhere near the trench. Bird was on the shore, getting dressed into his new attire. Simple brown, leather armor, with a cowl to boot. Bird thoroughly enjoyed the cowl, having never hidden the back of his head before. It was quite the outfit, and he rather liked it. It went well with his mask.

"Hey, there you are, L'arc," Sylas was waiting nearby as L'arc resurfaced. "The Phantom...er...mr. Krow left. He said he needed to give orders to his troops to withdraw and cease fighting. With the demons gone, the human forces are diminished a lot. The druids on the front lines should overtake them easily. We need to head that way anyway, to check on the Tree of Rebirth, don't we? Verolen said we should be moving out tomorrow, but he needs your 'okay' on that. You are the king, after all." He grinned.

"Right, of course," L'arc said, pulling himself out of the water and shaking his head back and forth rather like a dog, slinging water everywhere. He took the pearl out of his mouth and handed it to Bershee, then turned back to Sylas and Bird. "Where's Verolen gone, then?"

"Still looking over those scrolls. Checking for things I might have missed." Sylas shrugged. "I couldn't spend all day in there. I have to look out for you, remember?" He grinned.

L'arc grinned at the reminder of his best friend's promise. "That's right," he said. He wrung out his clothes a bit more, then said "I suppose these will dry on the walk back. Let's go, then."

"I certainly hope so," Sylas chuckled, getting on the path back to camp. Bird followed, smiling as they walked. "He seems to be in a good mood. Oh hey, while you were underwater, he talked! I thought he was mute," He chuckled. "I guess you'll just talk when you want to, huh?" He smiled at the Nymph, who shook his head. "No?"

"His vocal capabilities are tied to the health of the forest," L'arc explained. "Since the forest is damaged right now, he can't always speak."

"Huh...I guess that makes sense," Sylas nodded. "Let's get the forest fixed up as much as we can, then." He smiled.

"You'll be a big help with that, Sy," L'arc said, smiling. "You've still got all of those shards, right?"

"Yep. The Elder gave it to me right after the anointing with the Ether water," Sylas nodded, pulling the chipped orb out of his pocket. "Bershee gave me some sealant yesterday, too, so I was able to put most of it back together. We're only missing a small chunk. They're in obvious places; with Eve, Kendra, Verolen, Mr. Krow, and whatever other demons who have found their way to the surface. I was wondering...what are we going to do? The forest needs the whole of the Ether...not just most of it. All of it. It's how the Ether Tree works, you know that...Verolen and Kendra and all the others...they won't be able to stay here..."

L'arc expression fell. "Oh. Oh, right," he said. He ran a hand through his hair. "...I hate that that's true," he murmured. "We have to say goodbye..."

((And we just sit here chuckling at their sadness because we know that the Darklands are coming back.))

Sylas sighed. "We...should probably delay it for as long as possible. We should talk to Verolen about it, though..."

"Talk to me about what?" Verolen approached from the village, a small smile on his face. "What's going on?"

((Yes, yes.))

"About... about getting all the Ether shards back," L'arc said, hoping that would be explaination enough. He shifted slightly, looking all-around upset about this topic.

Verolen frowned. "That would mean I'd be forced to the Darklands again..." He sighed a bit. "Well...you do what you must, y'know? I understand. When the time comes...I won't resist. I'd be crazy to resist." He chuckled a bit, then sighed. He patted L'arc on the shoulder. "When the time comes. That's sure as heck not today."

"Of course not," L'arc said. "I intend it to be as far away as possible. If I can pass it on to the next ruler, I would," he said, nodding vigorously. "Really. I... I don't want to see you all go."

Verolen smiled a bit. "I know, L'arc. If there's one thing I hate, it's...saying goodbye. Which is why," He cleared his throat. "We're not going to just yet. Come on, we've got business to attend to. While my dad takes care of recalling the troops and whatnot, I promised him we'd take care of this place. We're building the first town hall of Tinyville." He grinned. "Wanna help?"

"Yeah, of course," L'arc said. "Is Rush helping? With his earth moving powers, it'd probably be a good idea to enlist him," the forest king pointed out.