The town was finally complete.
Well, the part they had planned out, anyway.
The fountain on the terrace at the town's square didn't have running water yet, but it did have various buildings made of polished stone blocks built around it in a quite spacious manner.
In fact, there was enough space between the buildings that four people could stand in the said space, spread their hands and, without touching each other or the buildings, and still not fill it.
The building material - polished stone - was plentiful.
Carving a runeset to create stoneblocks and polish them was something even Elphos could do, and anybody with a bit of understanding of the arcane could activate it.
But more planning was in order. The people kept pouring in as everyone resurrected wanted all their loved ones resurrected as well. Every person joining resulted in three more later.
Had the resurrection runeset been instantanous, the population would have been quadrupling each time it was activated.
Even the people who did not experience the fall of Romme -
Those who died earlier from sickness, old age or an accident...
Even those were being brought back to life in order to join the effort.
Elphos paced back and forth. He didn't know if their state of affairs is a good thing.
They were removing the boundary between the afterlife and gaian completely rather than repairing damage.
It is as the dragon said - they are now stepping into territorry no human should step into...
But then again, Fernis was far from human.
"Ah, sir Elphos, my good man!"
Elphos turned around. It was a bearded midget wearing a cilinder hat and a pair of glasses who starled him. His attire would have looked formal had it not been tartan.
"My curiousity was piqued when I heard that no beurocratic has been constructed yet!"
Elphos cocked an eyebrow. This really wasn't the time to be complaining about things like lack of beurocracy...
"We don't need it yet anyway. Romme will be fine for now without any-"
The midget spat.
A round aquamarine stuck in his forehead gleamed brightly as the sunlight fell upon it.
"Pfft! Romme he says! My good man, this land is longer Romme! The nation has been destroyed! Caput! Nada!"
Elphos sighed. The idea of being lectured didn't appeal to him.
"So, if this is not Romme...?"
The midget did not hasitate. His fierce, brown eyes gleamed as strongly as the blue jewel in his forehead.
"We were the people of Romme, yes... But, we have risen from it's ashes, not restored with the land. The lands should be given a new name... A name befitting that which was not meant to be, but was!"
The midget was about to say something else, but then a slightly wet Fernis came into view.
"Huh? Baurus? Are you complaining about the lack of beurocracy to my apprentice too, now?"
Elphos blinked. His gaze shifted from the midget to his master, and back to the midget.
"You two... Know each other?"
Fernis shook her head, albeit she did it to throw water around rather than signify a negative response.
"Duh, of course we do. This here's Baurus, former elder of one of the bigger villages in Romme."
Elphos, who was slightly wet now, began to run his face with his sleeve.
"Uh, and did he rant about renaming the land to you to?"
Indher's stare sharpened.
"Rant? It was I who told him that this land can no longer be named 'Romme', for these people have risen from it's ashes... To call it Romme would be the same as to call a man by his father's name!"
Elphos disregarded the fact that people actualy DO name their sons after themselves.
It was all too obvious where this was going.
"So, what is the new name for this land, then?"
Indher chuckled.
"I decided to leave the naming to the people. But now, we have much more pressing matters to discuss."
She placed her hand on Elphos' shoulder.
"No one - especialy not the dark empire - will sit idly by if they discover what we are doing.
I need you to follow the coastline and set up a barrier along it."
Elphos backed away, his mouth wide open.
"WHAT!? That would take weeks... A month or more if I keep coming back for sleep and supplies!"
Indher shook her head, this time without spraying water at everything around her.
"Doesn't matter. It has to be done. You can be slow if you have to, just start as soon as possible."
Elphos stood there for a moment, his mind taking a while to comprehend the workload he has been given. He then turned around and left, muttering something about evil ferrets.
"So, Baurus..."
Indher turned to look at the midget, onlt to realize only his hat was left.
"Huh? Baurus, where did you go?"
A voice came echoing from inside the round cilinder hat.
"You #$%^&*, my hat expands when it contacts water!"
Fernis giggled, muttering a silent "Woopsy!" as she lifts the hat and sets the midget free.
