Hey yo there guys! What's up? I'm back once again and the tenth chapter of "Elaine, the Fox's Sin of Greed" is here. :D Sorry for the long wait because of my time schedule and writer's block. Sorry. *sweatdrops* But I'm here and thank you for your reviews and support for the AU universe of Nanatsu no Taizai.
Disclaimer: I do not own Nanatsu no Taizai or any of the characters involved in the story, except my OCs. They respectively belong to Nakaba Suzuki, the awesome author of the ongoing manga series.
Enjoy and don't forget to review.
Chapter 10
After leaving Dalmary Town in the aftermath of a good feast hosted by Dr. Dana last night a three days later due to Elizabeth had recovered most of her wounds from a near-fatal encounter with Holy Knight Ruin of the Weird Fangs, the Boar Hat crew now sets course towards their destination to the Capital of the Dead to search for the Grizzly's Sin of Sloth, King in order to confirm whether the rumors of Elaine's older brother dead were either true or not or so they say.
This gave the Fox's Sin of Greed a great doubt in her mind ever since she was informed of the words spouted from Holy Knight Gilthunder, the boy who once looked up to the Sins in the previous encounter at the Forest of White Dreams when Meliodas had intentionally wounded himself during the fight just to get the info he needed on the current whereabouts and fates of the other remaining members of the Seven Deadly Sins and told her of that.
In her sleep, the immortal fairy dreamed of her first meeting with Ban in the Fairy King's Forest when he first came to steal the Fountain of Youth with her repelling him off every single time until they're both tired and irritated, and then in their seven days of interactions together but suddenly it switches to the attack of the clown-like fat Demon who burned down the entire forest and nearly killed them, only to for Ban became immortal himself instead of her this time after managing to transfer the Fountain's waters to him and killed the Red Demon in his rage.
But then everything went black when she fell into the black abyss and crashed upon dying in his arms when Ban tried to tell her in final moments before dying that he will make her his someday, followed a whack on the head in a cute manner.
Waking up from her comfortable bed she fell off from her nightmare with a bump on her head by a fallen ale bottle in a small room after overhearing Hawk's calls, Elaine helps herself get refreshed and dressed for the day shortly.
Oww... My head hurt... Did I just dream Ban took the Fountain's waters and became immortal instead of me?... It felt so real..., she wondered in thought just when Hawk started making noises to wake up Meliodas and Elizabeth in their shared room together upstairs on the second floor that made her feel jealous and wished Ban was alive and sharing a room together.
Going downstairs while leaving her Sacred Treasure, Hadhafang, the floating blonde girl sat on the chair near the bartender's table and waited patiently for her companions to get up, dressed and ready for a morning's breakfast, although this was not the case due to Meliodas' bad cooking and since Elaine is a very good cook she learned since her time at the kingdom ten years ago to compensate for all her captain's delicious-looking but disgusting dishes, it is remedied.
Noticing Meliodas, Elizabeth and Hawk already descending downstairs for a meal with the blond boy cooking and serving themselves breakfast for the day, Elaine simply rolled her eyes and decided to cook some real delicious food for the princess instead of her captain's disgusting food.
The princess sure had an iron stomach..., the immortal fairy thought in surprise of Elizabeth's indifference towards eating Meliodas' food with no problems at all apparently.
It is considered poison enough to kill a full-grown man or two alive if they can survive that is. Even she doubted her immortality to survive such lethal cooking if she ate it as Meliodas once tried to shove a horribly cooked meat pie down in her throat for a stupid cooking-and-tasting contest she got herself into prior to the mission at Edinburgh to wipe out the Vampire Clan.
Honestly, Captain is a really terrible cook when it comes to cooking meals and how did he make it look so delicious looking at first glance before it turns out to be so horrible in taste is a mystery to her. Aside from that, the recipes were really good but the way he cooks them ruins all that.
After all, Meliodas' food taste like real shit. Literally.
"Um, Hawk? You don't have to tie up Lord Meliodas so tight next time. I don't think he can sleep very well with that.", Elizabeth naively said in concern of Meliodas' state when in bed together upstairs.
"There's no point unless I do it tight! Sleeping in the same bed as Elizabeth... His hands would run free! I have to make sure it's extra tight!", Hawk vehemently protested, considering this as a measure against the blond boy's perverted nature.
"Uhh... You do know that Captain could break through the ropes you tied up on him easily as much as he can punch through steel, Hawk.", the Fox's Sin of Greed commented in a deadpanned face.
Elizabeth tried to protest of this but Meliodas simply brushed it off as he thinks of it as roleplay of BDSM which the third princess doesn't understand and suggested that she should be tied too next time much to Elaine's chagrin. Of course, Hawk didn't take it well and snorted angrily at him but backed off in utter fear when Diane joined in the conversation from outside and asked if they're going to tie him up as well.
"Umm... Elaine, why did you just switch out the dishes Lord Meliodas cooked?", Elizabeth asked in confusion when the immortal fairy changed the plates on the table with the food she freshly cooked.
"There's no way in hell you would eat Captain's food Elizabeth. Trust me, his food is so disgusting that would have nearly killed me had I eaten it even if I'm immortal. It would be bad for your health...", the former Guardian Saint explained before catching an ale bottle thrown by Meliodas who recently left the table and headed to the bartender's place.
"T-that's horrible!", the third princess protested.
"Believe it or not, Elizabeth. Even I admitted Captain's cooking was really horrible. Nearly killed me too.", Diane chimed in from the windows of the Boar Hat.
"Here. That's why you cook it yourself, Elaine.", Meliodas casually said in approval.
"Why thank you Cap-Kyaaah!", Elaine was about to say her thanks but the ale bottle exploded into her face when she was about to open it and was soaked. D-damn you Captain...
Later then, the Boar Hat crew then set up a discussion among themselves with the Capital of the Dead as the main subject as Meliodas set down the map of Britannia on their intended destination and explained. "Our next target is the Capital of the Dead. We'll look for King there."
Blushing red in irritation of Captain's prank pulled off on her before cooling down as she wiped off the ale from her face, Elaine commented. "Why there, Captain? My brother couldn't have died at the hands of the Holy Knights so easily when Little Gil told you of his 'demise' and if he were, I would know. He was once the Fairy King for a good reason."
"I know that, Elaine. That's the only lead we have to find your brother, so... may as well check it out.", the blond boy interjected with Elizabeth watching.
Elizabeth then decided to speak up as well. "What's the Capital of the Dead like, exactly?"
Hearing her question, Meliodas folded his arms in a carefree manner. "Beats me. I didn't even know the place existed."
"The Capital of the Dead is where the souls of the dead heads to the afterlife after leaving the world of the living. It might be like heaven or hell or even purgatory depending on how you think of it.", Elaine explained.
"I-i-ff it's the Capital of the Dead, there'll be ghosts right?", Hawk wondered in fear before adding more. "It'll be dim out even in the middle of the day, and there'll be graves lined up everywhere! Pugo! Pugo!"
This leads to Elizabeth's little afraid of what that place in her wild imagination and Diane worrying if there might be bugs in there, leaving the immortal fairy to feel deadpanned at their reactions.
"If King really is there, would he even be alive?", Hawk said in a dramatic manner much to Elizabeth's naive fear.
"My brother is still alive, Hawk. I believe that he's doing, what the humans call it, 'playing possum' probably as a way of throwing off or discourage the Holy Knights from tracking him down if he was reported dead.", Elaine interjected.
"Ghosts, huh?", Meliodas commented as casually as always.
Then suddenly, Hawk's Mother carrying the Boar Hat had came to a brief halt with Diane too as well due to two men clad in armor wielding their respective weapons are in their way and called out to them in an authoritative manner.
"That giant pig and the woman from the Giant Clan!"
"Stop right there!"
The two men are in armor; one in light and the other in full bodied. One man has should-length curly hair, thick eyebrows and stubble on his chin and the other man has tall and pointed hair that curved at the top and had a similarly curved and pointed goatee. And both of them wielded weapons: a drill-tipped spear and a broadsword.
"We are Holy Knights of the kingdom! You must answer our questions!", the man with a curved tall pointy hair said.
"From the reports we know that Diane of the Seven Deadly Sins is from the Giant Clan. We also have witness reports of a pig carrying a house on its back. You look very suspicious...", the man with should-length curly hair added.
Meliodas and Elaine who switched in her human form looked through the window of the bar and noticed those two knights standing in their way, talking high and mighty of themselves.
"Oh speak of the devil, we've run into a security check already.", the blond boy casually spoke.
The immortal fairy doesn't look amused as she commented, "Holy Knights, my ass. They looked like they're all Apprentices full of bravado of themselves. I could easily take them down with a flick of my hand if I had to."
But Meliodas raised his hand to stop Elaine from doing something rash towards the men just as he exited the Boar Hat with the Fox's Sin of Greed following him just to tell the two Apprentice Holy Knights below him that Diane is the bar's attractive waitress with Elizabeth and Elaine included.
"... What an unbelievable lie... As if they would fall for it.", Elaine said in disbelief as she watched her captain casually grope Elizabeth's butt in sexual harassment in a hint of disgust.
Then just for about five seconds, the two Apprentice Holy Knights exclaimed in excitement upon taking note of Meliodas' little white lie that gave the former Guardian Saint a flip in shock that they bought it.
"THIS IS A NEW TREND!"
"Awesome! She's cute!"
"But I like the other one too!"
"Same with me, ya know! She's my type!"
Hawk felt a bit offended that he was the longest tenured employee of the Boar Hat while Diane thought to herself as an attractive waitress, Meliodas hugging close a flustered Elizabeth.
"...Seriously? They bought it?", the Fox's Sin of Greed was surprised that the little lie had worked on the two idiots of an Apprentice Holy Knight.
As Meliodas informed the two Apprentice Holy Knights that the bar won't open while traveling but will give a discount for a drink or two and would be allowed to stop by anytime if they find the Boar Hat, leading the two to allow them safe passage in the checkpoint.
When all is well thanks to their sheer stupidity, it was ruined when Diane picked and then thanked the blond boy for making her an attractive waitress like a girl squealing happy over her new doll, leading the two men to realize that the owner of the Boar Hat is the captain of the Seven Deadly Sins!
"Aw man. We also have an idiot.", Hawk commented.
"That's why I said we should finish them off.", Elaine proved her point with a facepalm of her fellow Sin's lovesick stupidity while readying her hand to use her power in anticipation of the two men's attack.
Sensing a presence, an unknown animal-shaped figure had dashed towards the Boar Hat crew, and two Apprentice Holy Knights in immense speed all around in circles and different directions.
"Ugh! What is it, Pedro?!", the curly-haired Apprentice Holy Knight frantically asked while trying to hit the extremely-fast unknown attacker.
The tall pointed curved haired Apprentice Holy Knight named Pedro replied whilst also trying to attack that unknown figure too but missed as he said. "It's... it's so fast that we can't see what it is!"
As Meliodas ordered Diane to put him now which she did immediately in compliance, the two Apprentice Holy Knights started swinging their weapons in all different random directions, hoping to hit whoever dared to attack them.
"Who are you?!"
"We won't show mercy to those who oppose the kingdom's Holy Knights!"
In a blink of an eye, the curly-haired Apprentice Holy Knight was suddenly taken out by the mysterious figure and disappeared without a trace as it continued its deadly fast assault.
"Andre!", Pedro called out to his comrade named Andre who had seemingly disappeared in a flurry of smoke due to the attacker's speed. Still trying to pinpoint on the attacker still running around in fast speeds, Pedro made his first... and last look on his attack before everything went black and armor crunching!
The Boar Hat crew appeared to be surprised and horrified to what they witnessed and saw the one behind the demise of Andre and Pedro. A large dog-like creature with green fur, who is covered in scars, with his neck being the only area with white fur standing on top of the remains of the two Apprentice Holy Knights it attacked although only their weapons and armor remained but no sign of their bones or blood left.
So it's safe to assume that they're eaten clean and whole by that dog-like creature.
"... This is bad! That's a Black Hound! Once it targets you, it won't turn back and it'll hunt you down until it's finished with you or you're dead! It's an insanely vicious monster! Pugo! Pugo!", Hawk explained whilst sweating uncontrollably in fear.
Wait, I know that Black Hound!... Oslow!?, Elaine recognized in surprise upon looking at the large creature.
Then the Boar Hat crew watches Elaine confronting the Black Hound herself and faced the large dog-like creature towering over her human body.
"E-Elaine, what are you doing?!", Elizabeth shouted in concern.
"Is she gonna fight the Black Hound by herself?!", a very freaked-out talking pig exclaimed while explaining more about the Black Hound possessing an ability to change their size depending on how threatened they feel, referring to the killing intent.
"Nice to see you again Oslow... You do remember me right?", the immortal fairy cheerfully greeted.
"Bafo! Bafo!", the Black Hound yipped after it transformed into a cutesy puppy-like form and licked Elaine in the face fondly that canceled out her human guise.
"Okay! Okay! Stop it! Ahahaha! Stop it Oslow! Hahaha!", the floating blonde girl struggled to hold off the affectionate licks from Oslow much to the confusion of the Boar Hat crew witnessing this.
"W-what the hell just happened? Pugo! Pugo!", Hawk wondered in confusion.
"It looks like Elaine made a new pet out of a Black Hound.", Diane noted.
"I think it likes her.", Elizabeth commented.
"Elaine, I didn't know you have a pet. And what did the Black Hound do to those two Apprentices back there?", Meliodas questioned.
"Oh this is Oslow, a domesticated Black Hound from the Fairy Clan. My brother and I tamed it and Oslow is a loyal companion to us ever since. He didn't actually eat the two men. Rather, I believe that he sent them to a completely different location... without their clothing...", the Fox's Sin of Greed explained as she already knew about the Black Hound species who were believed to be extinct.
"Bafo! Bafo!", Oslow confirmed it with showing its portal-like jaw that shows the Boar Hat crew of the Apprentice Holy Knights who were believed to have been eaten alive are actually in a faraway town somewhere in the kingdom butt-naked of their full glory in the middle of everyone watching them which Diane and Elizabeth covered their eyes in response and Meliodas and Hawk doesn't look amused at all.
"Can I keep him, Captain? He would be a wonderful addition of the crew and I will make sure he won't eat Hawk in my sight.", the immortal fairy asked as the Black Hound panted with its tongue rolling at a panicking talking pig who looked like he's been scared the shit out of him.
"Um... Alright but he's your responsibility Elaine. Since Oslow here has been trained, you'll feed him yourself and if he dies, you'll bury him yourself. Ni-shi-shi!", the Dragon's Sin of Wrath agreed in a casual manner.
It sounded like Robb's father telling him of the responsibilities for some reason when Captain said that..., she thought in deadpanned and sweat-dropping manner about the Five War Kings member telling her of how serious his responsibilities and duties as a Holy Knight and upholding his family's honor.
Seeing that the threat has been pacified and dealt with no problems as the Black Hound joined the group albeit with strict warning from Elaine to not eat Hawk no matter how tasty it looks from its eyes, the Boar Hat crew continued on their way unhindered to the Capital of the Dead where they arrived on an apparently entirely abandoned and desolate village where it's said to be closest to that location.
At the abandoned village near the Capital of the Dead
Arriving at the supposed location of the Capital of the Dead after a short but brief hindrance on the road, Hawk's Mother stopped her march as Meliodas cheerfully declared to his fellow companions, "We've arrived!"
"Ehh? So this is the Capital of the Dead?", Diane wondered out loud after overlooking the whole area.
"How exactly is this desolate village the Capital of the Dead?", Hawk skeptically asked upon looking at the seemingly abandoned houses.
The captain of the Seven Deadly Sins explained, "From what I've heard, this village is just the closest to it."
Gathering the whole crew together, Meliodas gave out his first order in business at hand. "First, let's gather information on King and the Capital of the Dead. We have to make some money for food and ale too. Let's get ready to open up shop!"
"So it really is true that Captain is waiting tables, but why in this desolate village with not a single person seen living there.", Elaine commented with Oslow barking in agreement while eyeing on Hawk hungrily. "Bafo! Bafo! (You look delicious!)..."
"Captain is so dreamy when he's working!", Diane passionately commented.
Elaine was confused as to why would the Dragon's Sin of Wrath open up the mobile bar in such desolate village with no single human being seen around. Anyone who has common sense knows that and she thinks that Captain is crazy in his own way.
Pointing to the Sins of Greed and Envy, Meliodas started assigning his two fellow Sins to their respective working roles for the bar. "You girls are working too as well!"
"You're in charge of attracting customers, big-eye candy!", he said to Diane much to her delight with stars in her eyes.
"And I'll be counting on the Beautiful Jailbreak Chef for tasty food!", he added to Elaine in her surprise and embarrassment.
"Are you sure you didn't mean 'crap' food?", Hawk said in anticipation since he didn't even try tasting the leftovers from the breakfast the Fox's Sin of Greed had cooked while back earlier.
The Seven Deadly Sins captain quickly countered however, "No, her food is seriously delicious. It'll make you wanna shout out, 'Tasty!'"
Elaine tried to tell Captain about his decision of setting up shop in this desolate town in her opinion but her captain already concluded in his decision and set everyone to get to work with Elizabeth eagerly wanting to help him in her waitress role and Diane grabbed him like a doll again in her 'loving' embrace as thanks for giving her such a wonderful working role.
Just as Meliodas calling out to Elaine that the pantry is back at the shop, the immortal fairy who recently transformed to her human appearance once more already left without them noticing and headed out to the empty village with Oslow following behind her in intent to find if there's anyone left living there.
Traveling around the abandoned village where the Boar Hat was ready to open shop for anticipated customers, she was right about one thing. There was no single person remaining there as Elaine believed that all of the villagers were either taken by the Holy Knights who might be a little bit better than the Weird Fangs in their brutal campaign of rooting her out through destroying villages and killing innocent people.
"Is Captain serious about this? I mean, how much information could you even get from a run-down village or attract customers like this if there were people around?", the Fox's Sin of Greed commented with Oslow following her, barking "Bafo! Bafo!" in agreement while overhearing Diane shouting out advertisements to non-existent customers loudly.
Exploring more of the abandoned town, Elaine kept walking while the floating Black Hound following her as she said to herself in bitter tone. "This place is seriously dilapidated. At least it wasn't razed to the ground... unlike those Unholy Knights..."
Then, from the other side of the building, she noticed a young little peasant girl who's almost vaguely similar to her in fairy appearance and stared at her briefly before collapsing that led her to great worry.
"Hey. Hey, are you alright? You awake?", the immortal fairy asked as she tried to wake the unconscious human child up which the latter did.
"Get your hand off Ellen!", a boy yelled out with a pitch-fork he pointed at Elaine who noticed him.
"What are you doing with my sister?", he demanded in a hostile manner.
"I'm trying to wake her up when she fell unconscious. I was looking for people around town after arriving here and I already found your sister in this state.", the golden-haired woman explained.
"Shut up! Get away from my sister!", the boy yelled again, clearly he wasn't listening to reason at all.
"That's very rude young man. Didn't your parents teach you to respect your elders. I'm trying to help your sister here.", the Fox's Sin of Greed reprimanded.
In a few moments of hesitation and blinded by irrational anger, the boy yelled and charged at Elaine where he stabbed her in the arm she raised to defend Ellen in case he accidentally harmed her with his pitchfork quite a bit deep before realizing what he had done.
"Brother! This person looked after me!", Ellen defended the immortal fairy after getting up from her unconsciousness.
Grabbing the pitchfork away from Ellen's brother, Elaine removed it from her bleeding wounds in the arm deeply pierced by its five pointy ends of the weapon she blocked from it and threw it away.
"Sorry! I... How can I atone for my sin?", the boy pleaded for forgiveness.
"Atone for your sin? Seriously, you were defending your sister in irrational thought, that's all.", the former Guardian Saint scoffed as she got up.
"You know I...", Ellen's brother was still guilty of harming the woman who tried to help his sister but noticed the wound on her arm is no longer bleeding. "Your wound?"
"Let me tell you something, children. A real sin is something you can never atone for no matter what you do.", Elaine said to the two children before she was suddenly impaled right in the stomach brutally by a long broad boar spear and the one behind the impalement is... her own brother.
"Seems you understand that well, dear sister.", the brunette-haired boy wearing an orange and green sweatshirt with a hood, navy blue undershirt, quarter-length pants, and buttoned shoes noted with almost no hint of remorse towards his action of attacking his own little sister while lying laid-back on top of his spear that pierced Elaine who then spits out blood from her mouth much to the siblings' horror at the sight of the woman being pierced in such a brutal fashion.
The attacker of Elaine is none other than the Grizzly's Sin of Sloth, King. Her older brother.
"Yo, Elaine... Hey, it's our touching sibling reunion that's long overdue. Don't you have anything to say to me?", King coolly said.
Shocked and stunned by King's sudden attack on her for no apparent reason just after they have reunited since ten years of separation and hiding, Elaine muttered in her blood-covered lips with a look of horror.
"Brother?... Why?..."
Author's Note: Looks like the tenth chapter of "Elaine, the Fox's Sin of Greed" is done and the next update will come around any time after I get my brain working again and deal with the writer's block. It appears things at the Capital of the Dead arc is getting a bit dark for some reason! For King attacking his own sister out of nowhere, he might probably be misinformed/misunderstood of the supposed crime Elaine committed 20 years ago and was manipulated into doing so.
Anyways, enjoy and don't forget to review! ;)