"When do you return to your missions?" Alisha asked rubbing Kinatro's thigh.
"Possibly today, but wouldn't be until after the auction. What about you?" Kintaro replied slowing the wagon to avoid Zack's field of view.
"I'm going to one now. Mind being my cover, and showing me the town a little?" Alisha asked kissing on the back of his neck.
"I can manage that," Kintaro replied running his hand up her thigh.
"How long have you two been together?" Rolen asked.
"It's been two weeks now." Sera smiled leaning against Silas.
"Never seen you together till now. Was it a secret?" Rolen asked.
"No, I'm just usually working, and he's off cultivating. That's why today we're gonna have some fun." Sera smiled at Silas.
Thea looked up at Rolen wanting some affection. His face was red, but he still wrapped his arm around her. Lilith smirked at the two couples and fought the urge to tease them. Dyna saw this grabbing Lilith's hand with a smile.
Destiny saw everyone being affectionate and wished she was closer to Zack. She road with Kintaro's group for all the extra space, but still regretted the decision.
They were approaching the farming community on the outskirts of town. When the people saw Zack they began praising him and attempting to offer tributes. They didn't take much convincing to keep it due to the hard times. As they continued down the road everyone greeted him with a warm welcome.
"You must have made a good impression with the people." Cynthia smiled.
"I just hope the people are doing better with that prick locked up," Zack replied.
"They are plenty of people just like him roaming the streets. It may have taken away the big bully, but they are still out there." Cynthia stated.
"Are you gonna walk with us?" Kaya asked.
"No, I'll be roaming my old territory. This time of the year the homeless population rises, and most won't make it till spring." Cynthia replied seeing the gate slowly appear.
As they neared the gate Zack could see the concern on Cynthia's face. She came back to help do something good, but a lot of trauma was tied to the city. Zack wrapped his arm around her tightly.
"You have us here with you, and I won't let anything bad happen. Thank you for coming to help." Zack said kissing Cynthia on the cheek.
Kaya noticed the look of trauma and therefore said nothing seeing Zack embrace Cynthia so affectionately. After last night Kaya agreed to not intervene in his personal affairs.
There was only one person she didn't want with Zack just yet, and it was Savannah. Kaya wanted to have their moment in the arena first to display dominance before she would let them be together. Cynthia looked over feeling the anger radiate from Kaya.
"Are you okay? We can switch spots." Cynthia asked.
"No your okay. I was just thinking of a little annoyance, but I promise it's not you. You're actually very pleasant to be around." Kaya reassured with a smile.
While they were passing through the gate the guards immediately began sweating. They were the ones who witnessed the ending of Zack's battle with Modestus, and word quickly spread of the Nephelim returning. Most were still unaware of Zack's appearance, but everyone was on guard.
Once the wagons were safely stored at the stables they began wandering towards the market. Throughout the city, one could see odd lanterns admitting traces of magic. They warmed the streets ensuring business wouldn't be slowed down for winter.
As they approached the market Zack handed all his companion's substantial amount of money. The second he turned around Ren was gone, but he was still unaware of her absence. The next to leave was Vicente, and he was in a hurry to secure a great location for recruitment.
"I thought you were given access to the inner city?" Lilith asked.
"We did but I still wanna service those out here first. Some of them requested special orders and wouldn't be able to retrieve them there." Destiny replied.
"We can handle this booth if you wanna get started at the other one. I watched you enough last time, and I'll have a terrific helper." Lilith smiled patting Tanya on the head.
"We promise to do it right," Tanya told Destiny with a confident look.
Destiny handed Tanya the ring that held all the clothing and customer list.
"Remember to tell people we won't be taking new orders till spring." Destiny smiled.
Tanya nodded as they went to rent a stand. Yu saw them disappearing, and kissed Zack before chasing after them. Once they were gone Sera dragged Silas off as they began their date around town.
Zack was turning to ask Cynthia something but she was already gone. He looked around for Ren but was puzzled to find no traces. He expected her height to be easily seen through the crowds, but no luck.
"Are they not concerned with getting lost?" Thea asked.
"They saw a lot last time, and with Lilith, at their side, they will be fine. Silas, and Ren on the other hand I'm not sure." Zack replied glancing for them in the crowds once more.
"I'll be with Destiny if you need me. I wanna observe how a market actually works, but can you hand this to Vicente when you see him. He ran off so quick I didn't get a chance to mention it." Rolen told Zack handing him a ring.
"I'll be shopping for the children if you need me." Yuki kissed Zack before leaving.
While the others were walking away Kaya stood there quietly with a large grin on her face. When Zack was turning around she attempted to hide it but was betrayed by her flushed cheeks. He walked up to Kaya kissing her passionately. His hands trailed down her side resting on her hips.
"Let's get going." Zack smiled grabbing her ass.
Kaya nodded with a large smile clinging tightly to his arm as they took the scenic route towards the auction house. It may have been winter but the city still had its charms. Especially for someone who grew up in the forest.
Even with new things all around her Kaya was focused on Zack, and couldn't care less about the vendors attempting to grab their attention. As they were walking through the market Zack noticed a man begging on the corner.
It was an older human who appeared to be very malnourished, and his eyes were covered in a white fog. Zack approached the man crouching to fill his cup with gold. This caught the attraction of several spectators nearby.
To give so much to a bum was an unusual sight. The man was blind but heard his cup get filled. He reached down feeling the grooves of the coins realizing it was gold pieces. Experiencing such generosity in a moment of despair brought tears to his eyes.
The old man's name is Jacob, and he was once a prominent member of the inner city. He was a master carpenter and attracted the envy of others when he received personal requests from Mephisto. Because of this, someone hired a band of thugs to sabotage him.
"What happened to you?" Zack asked examing his distorted hands.
"I offended the wrong people. Thank you for the coins." Jacob said lowering his head.
"People in the city can be so cruel," Kaya stated.
Zack placed his hand out onto the man's head as a divine light engulfed Zack and Jacob. The vendors stopped their sales staring at the familiar light. The citizens recalled the sky going dark a month ago, and the strong sensation of death encroaching them.
They recognized it as the same golden light that freed them from that horror. It was later they found out the cause of it and realized an immense battle had taken place. Seeing the light radiate from Zack they realized he was the savior.
They watched in awe as the bones in Jacob's hands began to heal, and reset. The tips of his fingers and toes were regaining their natural color as life slowly returned to him. Jacob was unsure of what was going on but light slowly began to appear as his vision was returned. The figure of a man in white and an elven woman slowly became visible.
"Did you bring it?" Zack asked Kaya.
Kaya nodded retrieving a small crate of food. Zack made sure each of his comrades raided the surplus before leaving. This was a common practice in case they found people in need who refused to accept their invitation.
Jacob sat there staring at his hands in amazement as tears began flowing down his face. When being healed he felt something divine sweeping over his body and knew Zack wasn't normal. Jacob was preparing to praise him, but before he could Zack offered him a hand. Jacob reached up as Zack lifted him to his feet.