The Prince seized his goblet and raised it high, "A toast! To friends and family both here and far away! To the ties of friendship and fidelity that bind us together! HEAR! HEAR!"

Madeous raised his stein to that. Thoughts of the lady paladin came to mind. Her warm smile, laughter, and insight. These types of gathering were always her thing. He looked about the table to see how Captain Lion and Serna were making conversation. He always is the gentleman. His associate, Sir Gonagle wasn't shy about talking or tinkering with his machines. At least, they were environment friendly.

Captain Lion also raised his glass, "To friendship."

Serna raised her glass as she looked at Irzen, "To family."

Irzen also raised his goblet, "To fidelity."

"HEAR! HEAR!" Prince Birch drained his goblet and encouraged his allies to follow suit.

The platinum knight rose up from his chair at the table, "Prince Birch. Princess Cauladra. I will take my leave for the evening."

"Of course, King Madeous!" Prince Birch first looked to his wife and then to his guest, "Does something ail you or vexes you, your Highness?"

"On the contrary, I merely wish to prepare ahead of time in case we have more run ins with vampires as it were." Madeous bowed and departed for his room.

"I understand," Prince Birch replied as King Madeous departed, "Well, good eventide to you, your Majesty, may your dreams be happy ones and your sleep restful."

Captain Lion reached into a pocket on his jacket and held a silver medallion. "Young lady, this is for you. It will protect you from any vampire should you become separated."

Serna accepted the medallion and marveled at it, "WOW! Thank you, Captain Lion! This is beautiful!" With a confused look on her face, the Shield Maiden turned towards the Airship Captain, "Wait a minute, I thought silver was supposed to ward off werewolves. Am I wrong or what?"

"Werewolves will most definitely be harmed by this medallion but it also has properties that will cause a vampire to pause long enough for you to call for help or defend yourself. Remember this, believe in yourself and the medallion will keep you safe." Captain Lion reassured her.

"Thank you again, Captain Lion," Serna replied with a smile, "Between this medallion, my shield and my friends, I KNOW I'm going to be safe!"

The airship captain looked over towards the rulers of East Port now, "With the threat of vampires in your city how will you proceed in eradicating them? Blessing and consecrating the areas down in the commons is a good start since that's where they've chosen to reveal themselves. My crew and I will be able to provide any knowledge pertaining to vampires if you so wish."

"Yeah!" Irzen perked up, "That's a good question, Captain Lion. What are your plans to deal with the Vampires, Birch, Elven Prince?"

"My good sir," Prince Birch grinned, "We're not just going to bless and consecratre the areas down in the commons. We are going to bless and consecrate the entire city of East Port! There are many clerics from many different religions and faiths in our land. So, we are going to designate specific areas of the city where certain temples are located for a blessing and a consecration. We are futher going to allow the clerics in those temples to bless and consecrate every shoppe, every stall, every alley and every house within their designated area. With each cleric from each faith blessing and consecrating each designated area of East Port, we shall drive the Vampires into the underground areas of the city."

"And it will be at that point that we will unleash the vampire hunters upon them." Princess Cauladra added, "We have sent for professional vampire hunters from across the Realm. Battle-hardened slayers who specialize in the art of killing the undead. They will traverse the tunnels and dark places of East Port, root out this vampiric vermin that threaten our people and annhiliate them within a fortnight."

"However, we will more than welcome any and all aid that you can offer, Captain Lion," Prince Birch concluded, "You and your crew have ever been our friend and we appreciate both your friendship and assistance."