When it was all said and done, Keiko, Kaori, and Ash all leveled up multiple times. Keiko saw the least progress of course since she didn't have the same buff the Saviors had during the fight, but even she leveled up four times.
Keiko:
Level 28
MP: 150/150
EXP: 0/275
---
STR: 25
DEX: 50
CON: 10
INT: 10
WIS: 15
L: 5
Kaori leveled up as well, though not as much as Ash did since most of her focus was on keeping demons away from people, not killing them herself. In fact, most of the experience she gained came from granting Ren's dying wish. She went up six levels.
Kaori:
Level 34
MP: 60/60
EXP: 0/330
---
STR: 20
DEX: 19
CON: 42
INT: 6
WIS: 6
L: 100
The person who saw the most growth, by far, was Ash. The half-demon spent most of the battle killing off demons left and right and thanks to the buff the gods gave her, that meant she leveled up a total of 12 times and had 24 attribute points to show for it.
Ash:
Level 40
MP: 150/150
Attribute Points: 24
EXP: 0/400
---
STR: 29
DEX: 13
CON: 10
INT: 18
WIS: 15
L: 100
However, Ash held off on assigning them just yet. Similar to what had happened with Kaori before, she felt that where she assigned these points was going to dictate what kind of fighter she was, probably for the rest of this war.
Currently, it was the night after the battle, just a bit past 6. Although they'd wanted to leave immediately, they were all so exhausted that the group had gotten together and rested for a few hours, convincing the caravan to wait up for them, before deciding to go.
Right now, Ash wore a black button-up shirt with the sleeves rolled up and leather pants and was packing her things up in her bedroom at the bathhouse, alone. The door was open and she could hear the others outside, talking about something. As Ash finished up and exited the room, throwing the bag over her shoulder.
In the main room, she saw Satsuhiro sitting on a couch and his daughter, Opah next to him, staring at where his right leg used to be.
Someone knocked on the door and Metsumi went to open it. A guard stood outside.
"Good evening," he said, "the funeral for the Savior, Ren, will be held in a few minutes by the Iceheart Inn."
"Thanks, soldier," Metsumi said. The man bowed and walked away.
The woman turned around and addressed the group.
"So... Are we making a stop before we go?" Metsumi asked.
"Uh..." A sad expression overtook Kaori's face. The blonde nodded. "I'd like to go, just for a little bit anyway."
"Yeah," Satsuhiro sighed. "We can go. We'll pay our respects and we'll leave after that. We should probably get moving right now, actually," he added. "Caravan won't wait too long."
He glanced over at his wife and she walked up.
"Alright, come on, honey," Metsumi said, helping him up. Kaori brought him his crutch and Satsuhiro shook his head, some melancholy in his eyes.
"Let's go."
---
They arrived at the Iceheart Inn shortly after that. To Ash's surprise, the bodies had been cleared out, at least in this area. In their place, countless civilians packed the streets. A few poles holding orange orbs illuminated the city, allowing Ash to see Lord Anders up ahead, speaking to a few soldiers.
As they got closer, the civilians gave them space to walk past. Part of that, of course, was because of Ash. Most of them gave one look at her horns and automatically took a step back. Most of them were dressed for the weather, but a few were here wearing close to nothing, their breath visible as they exhaled.
They approached the Lord of Sapphire and he noticed them, smiling politely.
"Ah, Saviors," he said, his hands behind his back. "I do wish the circumstances were... more pleasant," he looked to the left. On stacked logs was Ren's body, covered from the neck-down with a white-blue sheet. "Though, one could make the argument that having won the battle for the city is enough to call this as much, but... Hm. Maybe that's debatable."
"Was his family notified?" Satsuhiro asked.
"Yes, a letter was sent to his parents at Onyx. Apparently, he had a significant other but we couldn't find out anything about them. Maybe his family will let them know."
Ash looked to her right and saw Kaori looking at the Savior's body with a saddened expression. As Satsuhiro and Anders continued talking, she went up to the blonde. To her surprise, Keiko was in the middle of doing the same thing, as they both arrived at her sides.
Kaori noticed them and waved her hand.
"I... I'll be honest," Kaori breathed in, "I really thought Ren would make it."
"Yeah," Ash agreed. She turned towards him. He still had the same expression from before, a minute smile on his portrait. The same smile she saw when she walked in and found Kaori's weapon in his chest.
"It, sorry, never mind..." Kaori shook her head.
"What is it?" Keiko asked. Ash raised a brow at Kaori as she looked down.
"Nothing, just... I'm wondering who else is out there at this point. Ren was one of the strongest, and with him passing away... I don't know, it feels like we don't have much to fall back on now."
Ash looked away.
"... You have me though."
The words escaped her lips before she could hold them back.
"What?" Kaori looked over at her.
Now that she'd said it, she wasn't about to take it back.
"You have me," Ash said. She got closer to Kaori and Keiko, looking around and noticing that a few of the citizens' eyes were on them. With a slightly more hushed tone, Ash continued. "Both of you... If I can help it, I am going to get us all through this."
Kaori smiled.
"That's nice, but we have a job to do. That comes first."
Not to me. Ash thought.
Still, Ash suddenly felt a weight on her shoulder and a vanilla-like scent flowing into her space. Kaori had rested her head on her, while she held Keiko's hand at the same time.
Ash shook her head as she took the closeness in.
Still feels weird but... I don't dislike it.
"Citizens of Sapphire," Lord Anders suddenly said, taking a step forwards, towards Ren's body. "We stand today as living testaments to the efforts made by everyone who fought for this city. The veteran soldiers, the recruits, the low-level peasants who took up a sword just in hopes that they could get one good shot in on a demon. We all stand here today, alive, because of them."
Although the Lord was one of the youngest people there, the way he walked back and forth as he spoke, his elevated voice, his gestures, it all gave him one of the biggest auras.
"However, although many made an effort to protect us, and they are all appreciated, some carried heavier weights than others. The Saviors," he declared, "those chosen by the good gods themselves to protect us in these dire times. We have a few of them in our presence," Anders gestured at Ash and her group. "Satsuhiro, Kaori, Ash, each of these individuals were given unique talents to help them keep all of us safe. Without them, we would not be here today. And yet, even then, one Savior made the ultimate sacrifice in his efforts. One Savior was cut, beaten and broken so that others wouldn't have to suffer those same wounds. Blows that would have decimated lesser men, this man took with a smile. That..."
He turned towards the Savior's body.
"... was Ren. A Savior whose dedication was only matched by the joy with which he experienced life. A great many lessons could be taken from this man, but more than anything else, it is important to note that not once, did he doubt himself or his allies before the fight. Not once did he allow fear to control his actions. He threw himself in front of every challenge with a vigor that surely made every demon that was slain on these streets tremble in his presence. Do not be saddened that he passed, everyone. Be happy that he traded his life for that of ours, as was his intention."
Anders looked over at Satsuhiro and gestured for him to come.
"I'd rather you do it," Anders said, low enough for only Ash's group to hear.
"Sure..."
"Wait!" Kaori suddenly said, snapping up to attention.
"Hm?" Satsuhiro turned towards her.
"... Can I do it?" Kaori asked.
Satsuhiro raised a brow.
"Really? You want to?" Satsuhiro asked.
"Uhm... yeah," Kaori nodded shyly. "I do."
Satsuhiro looked away for a moment before doing the same.
"Well, you were his apprentice for a bit. Sure. Go ahead."
"..." Kaori hesitated, but then breathed in and started to approach the body.
The Savior walked up. Everyone's eyes followed her as she moved towards Ren. Once she was close enough, Ash saw her eyes fall on Ren's face for a few seconds before she closed them and extended her hand.
The blonde muttered something Ash couldn't hear and fire sprayed out from her palm, covering the logs.
With that, she took a few steps back.
The city watched as one of their heroes faded to ash in front of their eyes.
---
3 Days Later
The caravan consisted of three carts. Ash and her group took up the last one. Here, Ash had her head resting against the back wall, asleep as the wooden vehicles moved on the way to the capital. She was currently sandwiched between Kaori and Keiko, who both had their heads on her shoulders.
In her dreams, Ash found herself at a familiar place. A black room that began to swirl with colors until a woman manifested in front of Ash.
She grinned when she saw the half-demon, but as Ash looked back at her, she scowled. Remembering the conversation she had with Niven, Ash understood that if what he had said was the truth, this entire was was simply a result of Magia's own ego.
The goddess must have sensed her thoughts because the same scowl Ash wore replicated itself on her face. However, as they were not at a Site of Power, Ash couldn't hear her. Instead, Magia simply walked up to Ash and put her hands on her own hips.
They stared at each other for a few seconds before Magia soundlessly scoffed and turned away. A throne made of white roses appeared behind her and Magia sat down on it, shrugging.
Hm. Well, that probably tells me everything I need to know.
As the caravan took a particularly nasty bump, Ash's eyes opened, and Magia's image was no longer in front of her.
As the caravan arrived at Jade later, Ash and the others quickly made their way to the Spirit Garden's District. Here, they returned to the Savior House.
Satsuhiro opened the door and the others walked in after him.
Holy shit, Ash said as she looked around at the furniture, most of which was exactly as they'd left it. We were gone for like a week or two, and it still feels like it's been ages since we left. Fuck, this feels weird.
"Rest up," Satsuhiro said.
"When are we training again?"
"I..." Satsuhiro paused. "I think we need a break."
Ash raised a brow at that.
"We need some rest. So, yeah, just get settled for now. We won't be doing anything for a while."
And so, the journey of the Savior initiates was momentarily paused, as everyone needed some time to internalize what they had been through. As for the rest of the world, well, Ash couldn't care less if they didn't like that.
As far as she was concerned, they'd earned their time off.
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