"I'm gonna get to work on a roster," Haruna smiled at Zack before dashing off.
"You're getting better at this." Lilith teased Zack.
"Look at my new dress." Helena smiled at Zack as she twirled.
"It looks amazing," Zack replied resting his hand on her head.
"We also got some training gear ready," Destiny told Zack.
While talking with the family Harald and Sven appeared. With their arrival, Zack moved their talk outside the gates. It was Helena's first steps outside of Eden, and the harbor captivated her. The workstation nearby was in full throttle working on boats for Eden's navy, and she ran up to investigate what they were doing.
One could see two large docks stretched out onto the river, and at a distance, the sounds of drums echoed through the forest. As it drew closer they could hear the sounds of people singing in old Norse, and the workers halted. Helena was intrigued by the singing and was curious about what they were saying.
When the boats came into view they saw a dragon figurehead intricately carved into it, and the mana swelling within. There was an entire fleet moving up the river with a total of six longships of people, and four Knarr filled to the brim with items they intended to trade.
"What are they saying, papa?" Helena asked as she ran up to Zack.
Zack glanced over at Harald, and Sven seeing if they could help him out.
"It's a song passed down by a former king of our people. We tend to sing it after fighting in a new land, and for most of them, this is the first journey into demon territory." Sven told Zack.
"I wonder who they battled," Helga replied.
"I'll be right back I wanna make sure no one is hurt." Zack smiled at Helena.
Helena nodded and waved as Zack flew towards the boats. Glancing over the crowd he noticed a few men bound, and their armor looked familiar. Some of Harald's men recognized Zack calling him down towards the boat. Zack quickly descended, and a mercenary from Cerebrerus greeted him.
The warrior's name is Halfdan and he's the half-brother of Harald. Halfdan was wielding a mighty Warhammer with a rams head carved onto each end. He was wearing scaled armor forged from mithril and had dreads draped to his shoulders.
"It's been a while since I've seen you around," Halfdan said while extending his hand.
"You'll be seeing me more often," Zack replied while gripping his forearm.
'They're definitely slavers.'
"Where did these guys come from?" Zack investigated.
"They were starting to get boats onto the ocean, and we recognized their uniforms from the reports. Once they realized how arrogant it was to resist they attempted to flee, but their ships couldn't match our longboats' speed. Those who surrendered are here, and the rest are feeding the sea." Halfdan replied.
Zack could sense a few injuries in the area, and his six holy orbs appeared. They rapidly launched out to the boats with injured and began mending their wounds. Once their job was done they dissipated, and Zack continued reconnecting with a former comrade. As they neared the port Zack jumped out to greet Helena.
"Are there more of your friends?" Helena asked.
"A few of them are, but I'm meeting most of them for the first time. They are gonna work together with us, and I hope they become friends." Zack replied.
"I heard you had a few children on the way but never expected you to have one so old," Halfdan stated.
"She was born yesterday," Destiny told Halfdan.
"Are you his women? I've fought many battles alongside him, but never expected him to be a father. Just never seemed like the type. No offense." Halfdan said while patting Zack on the shoulders.
"Oh, he has several more I can assure you," Lilith told Halfdan as she embraced Zack.
"You must be tired from the journey so let's get you something to drink," Zack announced while ordering sentries to apprehend the slavers from the boats.
The signal caught everyone's attention in the city, and out of curiosity, they arrived to witness the guest pouring through the gate. Kishi has been behaving after his discovery of the alcohol selection, but with more powerful warriors appearing, he was itching for a battle. Knowing acting rashly would result in his exile he approached Zack to find out the customs for the arena.
"How do we use the arena? Do we just bring them to it or what?" Kishi investigated.
"You can't force them if that's what your asking, but if you find someone who's interested you can enter whenever just no killing blows. The arena can heal quite a bit so you don't have to hold back too much." Zack replied.
"He's been pestering people to fight for some time now," Ren told Zack as she approached with Yuki.
"There were a few groups who missed out on combat and were looking for a way to blow off some steam," Octavia stated.
"Are you sure you got enough?" Kaya asked with a smirk.
"You offering to go a few rounds?" Octavia replied.
"Tell Olivia to have the feast prep moved to the arena tonight," Zack ordered a doll.
Knowing Helena would have her training tomorrow Zack saw it as an opportunity to help everyone. There were drinks fully stocked within the arena for the new arrivals, a chance to battle for the restless ones, and an opportunity for Helena to observe the magic.
"Wanna send the signal?" Zack smiled at Kaya.
Kaya called her bow while conjuring an arrow to take aim with, and when it launched into the air it fireworks went off. All the citizens knew it was time for the arena, and as the guest around Eden watched people rapidly gathering they knew it was worth investigating.
"I'll go tell the others," Mero said as she dove off the dock.
"You wanna go watch with the others?" Zack asked Helena.
"What are they doing?" Helena inquired.
"It's a type of training. There will be some magic like yesterday. It will seem like fighting, but it's to help each other get stronger." Zack explained while walking along.
"If you don't wanna watch we can visit the bath, but papa has to go make sure everyone stays safe," Destiny told Helena.
"Let's go with papa." Helena declared while grabbing his hand.
"Mind if I use the other?" Octavia asked politely.
Helena smiled at Octavia and nodded as she clung to Zack's free arm.