Chapter IV: Seven Sins, Arc 1: Prelude
"Pride, I need to talk to you," Salem said. He was sitting down, eating in the guid's main hall.
"What is it, Salem-niisan?" Zane sat down on the other side of the table his master was eating on.
It had been a couple of days since Sloth and Envy had been rescued from the clutches of the mad scientist. They had spent it recuperating, physically and mentally. Not just them but Pride too. His wound caused by his fight with Salem had opened during the rescue mission. He had used those two days to rest, with a lot of persuasion from Atticus and Salem.
Even convincing him to rest was a chore.
"How are your wounds?"
"Wound, only one wound. And it's fine. I healed it. Gonna leave a scar but that ain't new," the slayer said. "But that's not what you want to talk about, right?"
Salem decided it was better to ask directly, he had learned that method worked better with the slayer. "Did you kill the scientist, Zane?"
Without hesitation the slayer said, "I did. He had it coming. Thought you were gonna finish him off, to be honest."
Wrath sighed. "Once Sloth and Envy were safe and Nyrd incapacitated I had no reason to 'finish him off', we are not a guild of assassins. We don't take justice into our own hands. That is not what the Sins Guild is about."
Instead of replying back he stood up and started to walk away.
"Where are you going, Pride? We are not done talking."
"We are, Salem-niisan. I killed the bastard and don't regret it. Nor am I looking for your approval to do what needs to be done. You incapacitated him? Those type of guys can't be stopped, they can only be finished off. I know it from personal experience. People like him only destroy lives. I did what had to be done." Zane could feel his emotions were starting to take over as the nightmares of long ago were threatening to come out. He took a deep breath to keep them in check. "I won't tell you how to protect them Nii-san, but I will do what you won't. Whether you like it or not."
Salem said nothing more, he just looked at Zane leaving the guild. "He's a lot harder to reason with than I had expected."
"Well well, seems the mighty Salem finally met his match," Exuro said as the sound of a cane hitting the floor echoed throughout the empty hall. "The wise Salem has once again proven unable to reason with the dragon boy. Were you expecting the Sin of Pride to admit he did wrong? Might as well ask the sun not to rise tomorrow."
"You just came here to mock me?"
"That and to say I agree with the kid. I know, I know. For me to agree with that loud, immature brat seems beneath me, and you are right. But he has a point. Eliminating threats is more efficient than simply knocking them out. It guarantees we will not experience any future reprisals, Salem."
"I know. But you guys shouldn't be the ones soiling your hands due to my mistakes. That should be my burden. My—"
"Salem! Salem where are you?" A young woman walked down the stairs. Not only was she young but beautiful, and she knew it. Of course she was, what else could be expected from the Sin of Lust? And Elaine loved showing her assets by wearing clothing that left little to the imagination. A short skirt and a tank top that made sure to reveal her flat, fit belly, and the top opened enough to accentuate her generous bosom.
"That's my hint to get out. Seeing you two lovebirds together makes me nauseous."
"Hmph," was all she said. She flipped her chocolate-brown hair in a dismissive fashion. Elaine was not fond of Exuro. She found his personality disgusting. Not like she cared, she only had eyes for handsome men, and that includes her beloved Salem. She hugged him tightly, caressing his strong, shirtless upper body, planting small kisses on his neck.
"Happy that you are rested after your long trip, Elaine," Salem said, returning the hug.
"Did you miss me as much as I missed you?" she asked, giving him a lustful smile. "You weren't going around looking at other girls, right?"
"Of course not, I—"
"Oh, I'm so glad to have such a loyal boyfriend."
He could ask her the same question, but he already knew the answer to that. Her sin is of lust for a reason. Not that she would cheat on him, but she loved teasing guys, and she loved having them drool over her. Being desired by others was her reason to live.
Probably the reason why she disliked Zane. As he seemed to never notice her.
"Salem, don't ever have me go on a mission with that bookworm Gluttony, he's so annoying," she said. "The whole trip he talked and talked and talked about stuff I couldn't even understand."
"Lust, you all have to learn to work together at one point. That's why I always assign different team," Salem replied. "Sooner or later you'll have to team up with Pride."
"That brat?" she gave him a disgusted look. "I hope it is later. Very, very later."
Zane sneezed all of a sudden. "Hm, that's weird, can't remember the last time I sneezed."
"Perhaps someone is talking behind your back, Mr. Darkfang."
Sitting on a bench under a tree with a thick science book over his lap was the Sin of Gluttony, the last male member of the guild. The 22 year old, skinny—very skinny—light brown skin mage was doing his usual hobby, reading.
"Hey, Jugo, glad to see you back, man," Zane said patting him on his back. "Bet your mission with Lust was a nightmare."
Jugo fixed his nerd glasses. "It was not the most pleasant of missions." As Elaine said he was a bookworm. If the glasses didn't give it away it was way of dressing, clean pants, short-sleeve light blue shirt, and a bow tie. A true man of the science art. With an unquenchable hunger for knowledge.
Jugo's stomach began to rumble. "Seems my appetite has returned. I should go eat something."
And also an unquenchable hunger for food.
"You gonna empty the fridge again?"
A guilty look appeared across the young mage's face. "I will try my best to avoid that." The problem with having a big brain is that it requires large supplies of energy to keep it active.
"Since you are back, wanna have another eating contest?" Zane asked.
"My sincere apologies but I'll have to deny you that request. To my shock I must admit I cannot best you in an eating contest. Even if it was a close race," he said.
"That's because I burn everything I eat. Literally. Your stomach might be big but I have a furnace inside of me."
Jugo adjusted his glasses, focusing on Zane's abdomen. "Once again I must request you let me study you. I must understand how that stomach of yours works. Because no one has been able to outeat me before, not even a group of five men were able to accomplish that."
"Again with the studying me? I told how I feel about that—"
Ignoring anything related to personal space, Gluttony grabbed Zane by the shoulders, pulling him closer. "Please, Mr. Darkfang, you must allow me to do so. I must know how your body, how your magic works. You are a rare sight. I've studied many things. All kids of magic; but Dragon Slayer Magic is something I've never seen with my own eyes." He gave the Dragon Slayer a desperate look. Almost as if he needed his daily fix. It tended to creep most people out.
"I dunno, man. You might wanna step back a bit?"
"Why not?! What right do you have to deny me a simple request. To learn. To study. To know. I. Must. Know!"
When Jugo started to get a little rough Zane's look became serious, almost threatening. "You should step back or else I'll show you Dragon Slayer Magic up close and personal, Jugo." He hoped not to do that. Zane liked Jugo, he thought he wa a fun person to talk to, but sometimes he could become unbearable.
The warning seemed to work on Jugo as he began to regain his composure. He fixed his glasses again. "Forgive me. It is unacceptable of me to ask something that makes you uncomfortable." He started to walk away. "I will be heading towards the library."
Gluttony's insatiable thirst for learning tended to drive people away. He made the library his safe haven. An extremely lonely one, though.
It was something Zane could relate to, all too well.
"Pride, Elaine and I are going out for a bit," the guild master said. His girlfriend standing next to him. "Sloth and Envy are also out."
"So soon? It's only been a couple of days," Zane said.
Seeing Zane worrying about those two made Salem happy. At least he was starting to see the rest of the Sins as friends. "I was thinking the same, but they insisted they didn't want to let their predicament control them. I decided to respect their wishes."
The slayer stretched his arms and placed them behind his head. "Hm, your freaking axe ruined my shirt. Can't fix it anymore. Think I'll go shopping for once."
"Please do so. Make sure you buy something decent. Or at least something that will make you look less like a vagabond," Lust said using a tone of superiority.
You know, Atticus was thinking the same thing. Glad to know you have the same thinking process as a cat. He would have said that, but with Salem standing right there he couldn't. He respected his guild master too much to disrespect his girlfriend. "I'll see ya guys later."
"You imbecile! What did I told you about facing the master of the Deadly Sins?"
Towering over the captain of the dark guild Crooked Moon was its powerful master, Master Bofors. Tall, with wide, muscular shoulders, a full beard and no hair on his head, Bofors was considered to be one of the strongest dark guild masters around.
"I'm sorry, Master. Please allow me to explain—"
But Bofors would have none of it. "Explain what? How you nearly risked our plans?" he covered his hand with granite, grabbed hold of his captain's neck and lifted him up. The other captains in the hall were terrified but did nothing. Nobody defied Bofors. "We are so close to total victory. Our great dark alliance is risking everything. Troops have been gathered from all over the Alliance, yet your squad, the ones from my guild, were wiped out! You are making a mockery out of me in front of the other masters."
Bofors tightened his grip on the captain's neck. "We need every man we have to capture all of the Sins. The other masters want to make the elimination of those six a spectacle. Before it's too late. Before they get too strong." The master increased the pressure so much he snapped the neck of his captain. "But you almost threw it away."
One of the members gulped as his captain was killed in cold blood. This was the fourth captain of Moon that was killed.
"You…" Bofors pointed at him. "You were his second in command, right?"
"Y-Yes, Master," the young lieutenant said.
"Not anymore. You are the new captain of 2nd squad. I'll give you a mission even a half brain idiot could finish. You are to secure the perimeter of our meeting point. Once the Sins are capture I want nothing coming to interrupt the executions. Do you understand?"
"Y-Yes, Master. I am grateful for your confidence." Without wasting any more time he went for his squad to fulfill his mission.
The other captains and lieutenants stood in attention, waiting for their own orders.
Sitting on a table were three large lacrima, listening through them were the other three dark guild masters that formed the alliance.
"My sources tell me the Sins have separated for various reasons," Bofors said. "Gentlemen, the time has come to make our move; to capture the Sins and eliminate them. With Salem and his Sins gone, the barrier that has kept us at bay from the rest of Fiore destroyed, our alliance will rule over northern Fiore unchallenged!
"Together we shall achieve what no other dark guild or alliance has achieved, total supremacy over the underworld and the civilized world! We will destroy our enemies and take control of this kingdom! It is our destiny! For Crooked Moon! For the Neo-Baram Alliance!"
"For the Neo-Baram Alliance!" The captains and the other masters cheered in unison.