The Endless Forest

Eri waited in stunned silence as the kobold’s harmonizing note faded into nothingness. Their heads slowly raised, their arms lowering. Watcher’s eyes met hers.

“Elf Master,” he called out calmly.

Heads turned and regarded her with curiosity, unintelligible whispers could be heard.

Realizing her jaw was still hanging open, Eri slowly closed it and blinked. It took a moment longer before she regained her composure, but once she did she started making her way through the crowd.

“Watcher, what was… What was that?” she asked, still struggling with her realization.

The old, gray kobold peered up to her as she came to stop before him. His eyes searching hers, almost judging her.

Whatever he found, it caused him to relax and let out a toothy smile. “Prayer, Elf Master. Watcher lead kobold in prayer.”

“Prayer–” she was cut off by him as he suddenly looked past her and shouted.

“Prayer over! Kobold get to work!”

The commotion caused by that made Eri glance behind her. She watched as the kobolds quickly stood up and began to disperse. They cleared out in a rather short amount of time, save for two– Or, well, five.

Gern and Niri were waiting further away, their three hatchlings bundled up with two in Niri’s arms and one peeking up from behind her back. Gern, meanwhile, stood at attention by her side. His expression was one of concern and apprehension.

Eri cocked an eye but decided against questioning what they were doing. She returned her gaze back to the gray kobold and spoke again. “So… What was that, um, prayer for?”

“Elf Master interest in prayer?” He said it as a question but his expression was that of excitement.

“I suppose– I mean, I’ve never heard of a prayer like that before.” Or ever.

Watcher became animated. “It unique to kobold! God teach us it– Elf Master know of her? Master tell you of her?”

“Felix told me, yes,” she answered, taken aback by his antics.

“Good! Make it easy to say. Kobold prayer is for God,” he said matter-of-factly.

“Right… But why do you pray like that?” she tried again, not satisfied with that answer.

“Ah! I not explain… God say that prayer give her strength.”

Now that is interesting, Eri commented to herself. A prayer that can give their Goddess strength– Actually, does he mean mana?

That question gave her pause. After hearing the sound of mana, the kobolds– Chant? Yeah, let’s just go with that. –chant sounded awfully close to it.

“What do you mean it ‘give her strength?’” she decided to ask.

Watcher pondered her question for a surprisingly long amount of time. Meanwhile, one of the hatchlings began to cry…

“Let Gern help–”

“No! Niri take care of young…”

An errant thought entered Eri’s mind. That could be me and Felix– Her face reddened as she immediately killed the thought. It did not escape Watcher’s gaze, however.

“Elf Master okay?” he asked. Meanwhile, the sound of the crying kobold child faded.

“I am!” she shouted before realizing her mistake. In a bid to hide it, she cleared her throat and tried to steer the conversation back to her question. “Anyway… What did you mean by it giving her strength?”

The gray kobold’s eyes widened in realization. “Yes, Watcher sorry. Watcher asked God for help.”

That didn’t entirely surprise her, she had already seen him being possessed once before. It wasn’t that much more of a stretch that he could communicate with the Goddess.

“What did she say?”

“God say prayer give her power– God say it like mana, but more. Kobold pray and give God strength, God give kobold blessings.”

Huh…? Eri stared down at Watcher, her brows furrowed in confusion. What does– But it hit her.

The Gods are born from a need! The kobolds are empowering her with mana and… Devotion? Is that what they need? It made sense, considering they always referred to Eri, Felix and the others as ‘Master.’

But that wasn’t all.

Watcher’s vocabulary had been steadily improving, with him even using ‘I’ when referring to himself. She doubted that was all the Goddess’s blessings were doing, but that alone proved what the kobold said to be true.

She stood there for several seconds without speaking.

“Elf Master okay?” Watcher asked concernedly.

“Yeah…” Eri shook her head, trying once more to wrestle with the knowledge she uncovered. “Thank you for explaining,” she added blankly.

The kobold gave her a slight bow. “Watcher glad to help!”

Giving a weak smile, she decided it was time to end that conversation and bring up the reason for why she was here. “Actually, Watcher?”

“Yes?”

“I had another question for you.” She gestured to Zira’s egg. “Would it be possible for me to get a part of its shell? I don’t need a large piece, just a small one.”

The gray kobold’s excitement fell away almost immediately and he became much more serious. “Why?”

Eri took a deep breath, clearly this was going to be a tricky topic. “Well…” How do I even start this? “You see, I am wanting to get a special gift for Felix. Something unique and one of a kind–”

“But why need eggshell? Eggs important to kobold! Watcher and kobold spend days on it. Had to find every tiny piece!”

Eri put her hands up placatingly. “I’m aware. But– Hear me out okay? There is a reason.”

Watcher narrowed his eyes and folded his arms. “I listen.”

“Thank you. Anyway, the reason I want a piece of Zira’s egg is because of what it represents. Aluin once told me an old story, one that I nearly forgot. It was about a prince and a dragon–”

“Prince?” The kobold asked, interrupting her. He had a look of confusion.

“Yes– Think of it like this, what if the Dragon Queen had had a son? He would be a prince. It’s a title given to those of the royal family who aren’t the rulers. Mainly to the children and heirs.”

“I see…” Watcher continued to ponder it for a few moments before speaking up again. “Then Elf Master prince?”

Eri laughed. “Of course not! Firstly, the title prince is meant for the men. For women it would be princess. Still! I wouldn’t be one of those either! I am not from any royal blood.”

“But Elf Master become queen and Master become… queen too?”

Her laughter picked up in full.

“What funny? Elf Master and Master be good queens.”

“Watcher… If that were the case, and if we married, then Felix would become a king!”

“Queen… Prince… Prince-ses… King… It confusing. Why elfs make it confusing?”

“That’s not– Never mind that, it's not that important to my story.” She tried her best to hide her amusement and pressed on. “Now, back to the story I was trying to tell you…”

The kobold shrugged before gesturing for her to continue.

“There was once a… Boy and a dragon. They bonded, just like Kyrith and I, or Felix and Zira. However, the boy wanted something to remember the moment by. Something deeply personal and only shared between them.

“He saved a piece of the dragon’s egg and had it set within a ring. It was a physical representation of their bond and something he treasured until the day he was killed.”

Watcher interrupted, “Boy died?”

Eri nodded solemnly. “According to the story, he was slain not long afterwards. Though, it doesn’t go into detail of why.”

“What happen to dragon?”

“No one knows– At least, the story doesn’t say. But the ring was not found.”

“How people know of ring? It personal. Boy no share story?”

That’s…actually a good question. I wonder if Aluin would know? She kept those thoughts to herself, however, and instead said, “Perhaps he didn’t keep it as much of a secret as he thought. That, or he had it written down in a journal,” she added.

“Gern think story sad.” The voice startled her.

“Niri think so too.”

Turning around Eri found the two kobolds and their young had come up to listen.

“Indeed,” she agreed. “I wish there were more to it, or at least a happy ending. But not every story ends well.”

Her attention returned to Watcher who was in the middle of contemplation. “In any case, that’s why I want a piece of Zira’s egg. I want to make a ring for it and present it to him. In a way, it’s honoring the legacy of dragons, their bonded partners, and tradition.”

The gray kobold looked up at her as she said that, his expression unreadable until he spoke. “Watcher understand. I shall allow it.” He gave an approving nod and whipped around.

A moment later, Eri watched as the kobold approached Zira’s egg. After a quick bow, he lifted it up carefully and slowly returned.

There was serious dedication in his eyes as he held it out for her. “Take piece from bottom.”

She gave a nod and delicately took it from him.

With it now in her hands she had the chance to study it. Once again, they’ve done an amazing job, she thought. There were a few hairline cracks but that was the extent of any signs that the egg had shattered.

“How did you put it back together?” she asked curiously.

“Magic… And glue,” Watcher answered, the last part less audible.

Magic? I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised… “Hmm, interesting. But, how do I take a piece then?”

“Ah! Watcher forget.” He gestured for her to return the egg to him and she complied.

Again, Eri watched curiously as the kobold rotated it until it was upside down. “Elf master be ready. I will weaken glue and Elf Master take piece.”

She held out her hand awkwardly. “Okay… I think I’m ready.”

“Good. When Elf Master see pieces separate, Elf Master take piece.”

“Got it,” she said, giving a hesitant nod.

Watcher returned the nod only to close his eyes.

Maybe I should use my mana sense? The question popped into her head just as the kobold began to hum.

Definitely.

Eri wasted no time in activating her mana sense. The feeling of mana around her peaked as she became more sensitive to it. However, nothing seemed to be coming from the kobold or the egg…

Watcher’s hum started low and faint, almost impossible to hear. But that suddenly changed.

A new voice joined his, Niri’s. Hers was higher pitched and had a slight vibrato. Another moment and Gern added his own. His, much like Watcher’s, was lower pitched. Still, it was different, almost off-key.

The ambient mana around them began to fluctuate, as if attempting to resonate with the kobolds. The feeling, the sensation, sent a shiver down Eri’s spine.

Then the kobold hatchlings added their voices.

As if trying to mimic their parents, the three young tried their hardest despite coming out almost shrill. Yet, it did not throw the mana into chaos. Instead, it peaked once more.

With six kobolds humming, singing in their own way, Eri felt a change. It came from the egg.

Her eyes widened as cracks began to form and glow. Normally a bad sign, she did not feel anything unstable. No, quite the opposite.

The mana felt stable, pure.

The egg began to separate and split apart, even as Watcher held onto it. The pieces floated, hovering in place.

A moment of realization came to her. This is it!

Reaching down, Eri carefully selected a small piece and pulled it away. It did not fight her.

“I… I have it,” she said, stunned by the experience.

The only form of acknowledgement she received was the egg slowly coming back together. Meanwhile, the kobolds kept up their song just long enough for the cracks to disappear.

Their voices softened again until only silence was left. The egg was whole, save for the now missing piece Eri held within her fingers.

Watcher slowly opened his eyes, a satisfied look upon his face. Still without saying anything, he returned the egg back to its altar. It was only then, that he finally spoke.

“Watcher thanks Niri, Gern, and young for help.” He gave them a bow before addressing Eri. “Elf Master happy?”

“Huh? Oh, yes,” Eri answered, still trying to come to grips with what she just witnessed. The mana around her had already settled and acted as if nothing had ever happened. She decided to end her mana sense.

“Thank you,” she quickly added.

The old, gray kobold approached them once more. “Does Elf Master need something else? If no, Watcher have other duties,” he gestured to Gern and Niri.

“No… That was–”

“Niri have request!” the blue kobold interjected, causing everyone to look her way.

“What request?” Watcher asked.

“Niri want Elf Master to stay. Niri want Elf Master to watch the naming of Niri’s young.”

Now everyone’s eyes were upon Eri.

“Elf Master stay and witness naming?” the gray kobold asked.

“Oh, uh…” She looked between the calculating eyes of Watcher and the pleading looks of Niri. “I…suppose I owe that to you all,” she said, feeling trapped.

Niri beamed and Watcher smiled his toothy smile.

“Thank you, Elf Master! It is blessed day! To have a Master watch as young are named…”

Niri went on rambling excitedly at the prospect. However, Eri could only force a smile. She desperately wanted to get back and find Lorem, he was going to be needed for the next part…

***

A few minutes later, Eri found herself watching from the side as three kobold young were set down before the altars. They cooed and giggled as Gern used the glint of his sword to distract them. Meanwhile, Niri kneeled down next to them.

I have to admit, they are kinda cute, she thought as Gern quickly took his spot next to his mate. Watcher, meanwhile, came to stand over the five kobolds with his hands clasped.

For the third time today, the gray kobold began to hum. Then Niri and Gern joined him.

The three young went still, their heads lifting backwards to look up at Watcher. From her position, Eri could see the joyous look upon Niri and Gern even as tears began to streak down their cheeks.

While she didn’t understand the significance of what she was witnessing, it was clear this was important. It made her smile a genuine smile.

She felt a yearning deep inside her soul. Could she and Felix have something like this? Something like a family?

The thought was embarrassing but she did not let it go…

Deep in thought, Eri almost missed what happened next. Watcher ended his song and kneeled down.

He placed a hand over the first child. “Watcher name you, Rinza!”

His hand moved to the second child. “Watcher name you, Galzin!”

And last, but not least, the third child. “Watcher name you, Hesha!”

One by one, the young began to coo and giggle…