Wade was checking on the civilians letting them know the children were safe. All of them began weeping tears of joy to finally be free from the nightmare. A few of them rushed out of the building to see their savior.
They remembered seeing an angel fighting to protect them. When they saw Zack surrounded by other races they were speechless. Some in the group had prejudices about opening the city to other races, but in their time of crisis, it wasn't humans that saved them. They even witness vampires fighting on their side.
Wade informed them it was a vampire that saved their princess, and children. All of them began to realize how wrong they were. The civilians that were part of the attack on the diplomats were round up and forced into the dungeons. As far as the civilians were concerned all the lives lost were their fault, to begin with.
It wasn't long after that Kintaro returned with captives of his own. Thanks to Harald's men they managed to come out with no casualties. At most Zack's forces suffered minor injuries, and with his help, they would recover. The only severe wound came from Asad. When they returned Kintaro approached Zack.
"The leader of the village would like to thank you personally. She wished me to pass along her desire to meet you, and pass along a gift." Kintaro announced handing him a large bottle of sake.
"What is that?" Ren asked snagging the bottle from Kintaro.
"I'll make a trip after we get things settled. Any chance you kept his arm?" Zack asked looking at the injured shinobi.
"No, they made sure to incinerate it. Don't worry Asad is very hardy." Kintaro replied.
Ren was smelling the bottle of sake with such focus and was captivated by the unique fragrance. Ren so badly wanted to drink it now but fought the urge. She wanted to save it, and share it with Zack later.
Zack walked over helping Asad recover from his fatigue, and blood loss. Then he examined Asad's arm, and then looked down at his armor.
"Tomorrow morning meet me at the forge. Thank you for helping our people." Zack said while extending his hand.
"Your gratitude is appreciated but unnecessary. It's my duty to serve the Koga clan." Asad replied shaking his hand before resting.
"I've spoken with the people, and they wanna wait till tomorrow to bring the children back. You can head home whenever, and If it's okay with you can the princess stay with you? Just till this place is secure enough." Wade asked as the civilians gathered behind him.
They heard from the soldiers how Zack saved them from annihilation. That some of them still had their families intact, and it was thanks to him. The civilians were still a little nervous seeing so many species when Lilith walked up to kiss Zack. As they stood there confused by the sight of a demon an angel embracing Yu approached them.
They saw Yu fighting from the barrier, and how ruthless she was. As she grew near some of them became anxious. Yu retrieved a doll from her ring and handed it to a civilian. The father recognized the doll and immediately became concerned.
His daughter would never part with her doll so easily. It had been so long since she used it but once the siege broke out she refused to let it go. He was expecting somber news and prepared for the worse.
"At first, they were scared, but I told them we would bring you home, and when we were getting ready to leave I saw the kids playing. Watching over them was your daughter, and she approached me with this. She showed me a picture of you, and wanted you to have this so you wouldn't worry." Yu said with a smile.
The father was happy to know she was okay and that she even managed to help the other children. When seeing her traumatized he feared she would never be the same. Tears of joy began forming as he clutched the doll dearly.
Yu was confused about his tears but comforted the father anyway. Seeing this the other villagers were no longer worried about Yu. As they looked around they noticed all Zack's companions were friendly and were helping get things in order. Everyone joined their efforts no longer feeling anxious in their presence.
After they cleared the bodies from the streets Zack and company headed home through the array. Cassandra and Madison stayed behind to help keep things in order, and watch over the captives till morning. Arthur followed Zack through when he heard of the princess staying.
Arthur claimed it was to have his father's necklace studied, but the real reason was to see Emilia. After passing through the array Zack released the mirage, and when they approached the gate they had a welcoming party waiting. The only ones absent were the children, Cynthia, and Yuki.
Hearing of the success, and lack of casualties everyone was filled with joy. They headed towards the tavern to celebrate. As everyone took their seats and began festivities Ren began her attempts to convince Zack to drink. Remembering the last occurrence, and the result being them bound in the bathhouse Zack hesitated.
"It was a gift from a potential ally. Refusing such a gift could damage relations." Dyna said while cuddling up to Lilith.
"She is the one most familiar with these matters. Ignoring her advice would be unwise." Lilith stated as she whispered into Dyna's ear.
"I'm sure you have no hidden agendas there. We also need to talk about this little deal or game your hiding from me." Zack said as Ren poured him a glass.
"They were trying to get me involv..."
Kaya was wrapped up by Destiny before she could mutter anything. She was struggling to break free, but Yu went up to calm her. Ren took a sip from her cup as a look of joy swept her face.
'It has such a rich flavor and goes down so smooth. This is a rare find, and there's only one bottle. I want them to know this sensation too.'
Ren left the sake for the others as she charged off to Kintaro's table. She wanted to learn anything she could about the village that produced it. Once Kaya was calmed Destiny released her. They returned to the table as nothing happened, and Kaya chugged some rum.
"You really gonna act like nothing happened?" Zack asked Kaya.
"It's a matter between women that's all you need to know. I'll see you in the morning." Destiny told Zack as she leaned in to kiss him.
"Drink with me!" Kaya demanded filling their cups.
"Okay just don't yell," Zack replied attempting to calm Kaya down.
"Didn't you place a barrier here anyway?" Yu asked snuggling against his arm.
"Your right! We can be as loud as we fucking want!" Kaya shouted slamming another drink.
Everyone in the tavern began shouting with Kaya. Living amongst each other was one thing, but fighting together unified them. One of the reasons for low casualties was their abilities complemented each other perfectly. No one doubted their allies and was able to focus on those in front of them.
Anytime a vampire tried to catch someone off guard an ally would jump in to defend their back without hesitation. With this, the two elven races were starting to see past the barrier of their clans. They had no problems living together, but would still congregate separately. It was a force of habit to stick close to those they trusted, but now everyone was toasting together, and mingling without a worry.
"Do you think they would trade for more?" Ren asked.
"With all the stuff you have most definitely. Figured you would've tried sake by now. I prefer what you have here, but if you want I can bring some bottles from home." Kintaro replied pouring more whiskey.
"Really?" Ren replied leaning over the table excitedly.
Kintaro got a good look at her dangling cleavage. As he wiped the blood from his nose Kintaro glanced towards Zack hoping he didn't see his reaction, and get upset. He had no desire for Ren but was still a man.
The last thing Kintaro wanted to do was upset such a domineering force. Zack was distracted by Kaya's domineering behavior and could focus on nothing else. Kaya insisted on him drinking and was being flirty in public.
The behavior change was obvious, and everyone watching knew Kaya was lightweight. Giving her petite frame it wasn't much of a surprise. Once Ren sat back down she began passing her gourd around. With the distracting view gone Kintaro was able to adjust his focus forward again.
"Has anyone seen Rolen?" Silas asked glancing around the room.
"He never came in the tavern," Kintaro stated sipping his cup.
"He's probably having himself a private party," Vicente smirked while passing the gourd to Alisha.
"It's probably another late night of hard work," Alisha stated while taking a sip.
"Rolen's definitely pounding away at something," Vicente said with a grin.
Ren began laughing as she smacked Vicente roughly on the shoulders. Alisha didn't catch his meaning, but Ren was well aware of the tension in the forge. Thea approached her earlier when Vicente was teasing Rolen.
"Did Thea finally make a move?" Ren asked with a large smirk.
Hearing this Alisha's grey face went red as she took another swig from the gourd. She took notice of Rolen a few times and took interest cause he was shy. To have him snatched away was a major letdown to her.
Alisha was the clan's best scout and would spend long missions alone. This made it difficult for her to date anyone and wanted a fling before another long mission. Having a specific type made it difficult for her to find a new toy though.
With Rolen taken Alisha had to start her search again. She recalled Kintaro gazing at Ren's chest earlier and noticed the shy expression on his face. She got up whispering into Ren's ear as they switched spots.
.