Gazing upon the Matriarch's face and nodding his head seriously, Tehr drew a long breath before sighing out loud. This was a lot to hear, and though he did not doubt her word it felt a lot to take in. The realization that there was so much at stake shook him to the core, and made him swallow seriously as he heard her state what all lay behind this. He bowed his head slightly and listened, quietly waiting till she had reached the end. The tale was a powerful one that left him feeling a little lost.<br/><br/><strong>"This is a lot more than defending a place you like living in. This is defending more than a memory of those who stood guard here before. This is defending the very dream of home and the hope of returning there in time. That also means the key is all the more important, and makes the theory the fiend is after it that much more frightening. Something allowing such travels would definitely be of interest to a fiend, and gives even more reason to protect not only the key, but the village and its waters alike."</strong>Allowing himself to draw a long breath while thinking about the situation, he knew he had already offered his oath but at the same time he wondered about what to expect from the end result.<br/><br/><strong>"I will stand with the village as I promised, though I understand that fleeing is not an option. It makes it all the more important to save this place. I am not sure what will happen once the battle is won, but if the foe is coming at us and bringing the piece of the key with him, then it will end here."</strong>He nod his head seriously, and resolved.<strong>"I worry about whether or not I am strong enough to help win, but I will give it my all. I wouldn't be able to really live with myself if I fled."</strong>He offered her a smile but then paused again, closing his eyes.<strong>"I do have a question for later though. What will happen when the key is whole and the people of the village stand victorious? Will reuniting the key in the waters transport you all back home on the spot?"</strong>He felt a bit of a tightening around his throat. He thought about the two options in his mind. Either they would leave without him, which would leave him alone again. Well not entirely, he'd still walk with Mara, but he'd come to know Lunari and like her. Yet he couldn't part her from her family, her people, like that.<br/><br/>The thought of leaving with them wasn't something he had even thought of before. He had been willing to come all this way after getting his hands on the key, yet this journey might take him far further than he had ever been, and perhaps beyond a distance he could travel again on his own. Yet at the same time he would accept it to be with Lunari. Yet at the same time he wondered what the others would think. Would Mara accept a new life among these people? What about Sirana? It would not be easy for Pooit either he figured, though he was willing to admit she was a tertiary concern to him so far as he had only known her for a very short bit of time. Truthfully it might not matter, it might be he could not go with them even if he wanted, and that thought was bad enough by itself.<br/><br/>Yet he had a lot to think about in all of that, and little comfort to gain perhaps. He'd need to resolve in helping them out first, and worry about<em>'what if'</em>only after it was all said and done.<strong>"I suppose I should not worry too much about what happens after the battle just yet, but I am determined to stand with the people here and help you all triumph."</strong>