The Forgotten Zodiac

"I can help with that, yes," Israel said, nodding. "Rush, you'll help, right? A cross is made of two pieces, so that's one for each of us. Or are you busy?" he asked.

"I...suppose I have time." Rush shrugged. "I'm pretty sure it's just wood."

"Mostly. One of the Druid girls camping here wanted us to put this on it," He held out what he had been carrying on his shoulder. A pine wreath with pretty flowers on it. It was quite charming, and pretty.

"Easy as pie." Rush shrugged. "C'mon then, Israel."

"I'm coming," Israel said, taking the wreath. He then trotted after Rush, grinning all the way. Everything he did was getting him one more step closer to getting Arachne back.

By dinnertime, the Town Hall was more or less finished. It wasn't entirely furnished; it didn't have any carpet or furniture, but it was a step forward for the little village. Dinner was a simple stew, served into wooden bowls. The humans had managed to pull together a fruity alternative, for the druids.

Bird was lucky; Versha had enough energy by now to cleanse the food he brought her, so he could eat it. He was quite happy to eat it, too; it had been far too long since he last tasted fruits and the like. Not long after dinner started, Rush and Verolen gathered their group a little ways away from town.

"Our efforts haven't been in vain. The war between the forest and the humans and demons is coming to an end." Verolen announced. "But...our trials are far from done. Something happened recently that...needs to be fixed. L'arc, why don't you explain...?"

"Right," L'arc said, looking around the members of their group. He proceeded to explain the events that had occured in the ruins, starting with the meeting of Bird and edging towards how he'd released the darkness that had been slumbering within the old temple. He looked guilt-ridden and worried as he turned back to Rush. "...and that's what happened. Rush has been looking into what, exactly, I let out, and I... believe he's going to tell us?" the king requested.

"Yeah..." Rush sighed. "The Mother Tree made many of the creatures she called Nymphs in her life time. She was the first to create them, and hopefully not the last. But...the very first Nymph created was...well, he was powerful. The Nymphs that lived before the war were nothing compared to him...he had all their powers combined, and more. He tended to the forest, land and rivers alone. All was good; until he discovered humans. He was enthralled by the creatures, and unfortunately...before long he had created a half-nymph.

"The first Nymph was split into three as punishment, taking the place of Wood Nymphs, Water Nymphs, and Earth Nymphs." Rush glanced at Bird, who nodded. The history was sound. "We all know that the forest is naturally a merciful place. It wasn't the boy's fault that he was what he was. Half human, half nymph, an abomination according to most. Nymphs are supposed to be selfless, finding joy in tending to the forest...but the human side of him was anything but. He...sought power. He wanted to be strong like his father had been, greater than any other. So he stole the Scyre.

"The Mother Tree and the Scyre are like two sides of a coin. Light and dark, good and evil. This evil entity took up residence in the boy's heart and devoured him from the inside out. His greed for power led to his demise, and it unleashed a great evil against the world. The Scyre has powers of its own, coupled with the powers of the Nymph...it's not going to be pretty." Rush sighed. "He's not the Phantom. He doesn't have armies to command, but...his primary goal, as far as we know, is to cause as much chaos and havoc as possible. He could be doing anything right now, but...on the bright side, Nymphs are bound by their word. The forest will remain untouched thanks to a promise L'arc made him make before he was released."

"According to what Versha and Bershee have said, we've assumed that he's heading in the other direction," Sylas spoke up. "Towards the human land. We'll be traveling there within the next few days to try and track him down."

"Sounds like a plan," Verolen nodded.

"Indeed." Rush snorted. "Any questions?"

((I've decided that Dark Chaos will be the one to reconnect the Darklands with the rest of the world. It would cause a lot of chaos, that's for sure. Unless you had another idea?))

((SOUNDS GOOD))

L'arc nodded in assent with this plan, but his expression had grown steadily more grim as Rush explained what he had released into the world. He crossed his arms, before saying, "Do you think we ought to send someone up to Coelis and warn the Manakete. They're the strongest race on the face of the world, so I doubt Dark Chaos will try and mess with them... but, just to be safe?"

"That'd be wise. Everyone who we can warn, should be warned. That includes Rasalhouge." Verolen nodded. "What was his name, Rush? The boy?"

"Serris. His name is Serris." Bird said quietly.

"Then we call him Serris." Verolen tutted. "He's still a Nypmh. Depersonifying him will only make him seem like more of a threat."

L'arc nodded. "It certainly seemed to work that way with your father." He then turned to Israel. "You're the fastest flier we've got - how do you feel about making a trip to Coelis?"

The siren nodded, but looked to Verolen. "I can do it," he said, waiting for permission.

"Go. And make haste," Verolen nodded. "Fly careful. Get blessing from Versha before you go."

"Right then. We'll need a solid plan..." Rush tutted. "The Spell of Black won't work this time around. Seriss' personality is being affected by the Scyre..."

"Why on earth would you even suggest it?" L'arc said, obviously having more than disdain for the spell. He shook his head slightly, then watched as Israel ran off, before allowing his temper to cool and looking back to the group. "So, what approach should we take, then?"

"I'm not sure, to be honest. We could...attempt to remind him of what he was before...what he abandoned..." Rush murmured, frowning. "But I dunno if that'll work. If worse comes to worse, we'll...have to fight him or something."

"I've always preferred the straightforeward approach, anyhow," L'arc said, nodding at this plan.

"I know you have," Verolen smiled a bit. "At any rate, we should rest and eat well tonight. Tomorrow will be the time for more planning, and we leave tomorrow evening. Seriss better watch his tail, because we're the ones coming after him this time."

"Right," L'arc said with a nod, turning back to his bowl of stew. Where before he had been merely stirring it around, his appetite taken with worry, he now ate with some gusto, reassured by the plan they'd come up with.

"Meeting adjourned," Rush chortled. "Don't wander. You all know what happens when we get out of earshot."

"Someone gets kidnapped, everyone else gets attacked, or someone summons the Kracken." Manny smiled.

"Exactly."

Kendra remained close to Verolen, even after some of the others had moved off. Her decision seemed to be helped by the fact that Sylas, too, was nearby. She offered him a smile, before glancing up as, beside her, Eve stood.

"Manny, would you like to accompany me on a walk around the village?" she asked.

"Yes, I'd like that," Manny stood quickly, wrapping his arm around Eve's. Before they got too far, though, Rush followed them and stopped them.

"You two. I didn't want to say anything in front of the others, but...I need you both to be extra careful. Seriss has tons of abilities, some that I can't even begin to fathom. The Scyre gave him dominion over far too many things...one of which being Dark Matter. Manny, he could turn you into a sword and use you to attack Eve..." He put it in simple terms so that Manny could understand.

He seemed horrified at the idea. "But...I don't want to," He whimpered.

"That doesn't matter to him." Rush said softly. "I just want you to be careful, okay? And...understand that if it comes down to that, I won't hesitate to stop you."

"If...if hurting me keeps me from hurting Eve, do it." Manny nodded furiously.

"Thank you for your concern, Rush," Eve said, "But you haven't seen all that I can do, either. I'd say, when it comes to Dark Matter, at least, I'll give this Chaos boy a run for his money," she said confidently.

Rush blinked at her, then nodded. "I believe you. Just wanted to give you a heads up." He turned back and walked back to the rest of the group.

Manny waved a bit, then frowned. "I don't want to be a sword...that'd be painful..."

"Hey, uh...Kendra," Sylas rubbed the back of his head. "It's a full moon tonight. I was just wondering if...you wanted to come watch Versha and I restore the burned part of the forest. L'arc is coming too." He said, not sure why that would encourage her to come along. What on earth was he saying?