AVALLO, THE TRAVELING BAR : TALE OF THE PAST

Chapter 6 - Countdown to Despair

When Elizabeth first met Meliodas, she only thought he was just a random bar owner who was kind enough to give her something to eat.

But of course, she was very wrong.

Stretching out her arms, Elizabeth sighed, staring off to the night sky.

"Don't die, too."

Smiling to herself, she hummed a simple tune, a folk song familiar to the ears of many.

"Have you heard it before?" He asked, putting a cup away as she grinned, jumping up and down.

"It's a folk song," she said. "A traditional song from a neighboring tribe, but it's really beautiful!"

At the corner of her eye, a small flicker of fire caught her attention. Frowning, she slowly followed the faint light, back pressed against brick walls and trees. Making her way nearer to the source of the light, low, hushed voices were heard. She spotted two shadows.

Eyebrows furrowing, Elizabeth leaned closer, trying to catch wind of what the shadows' owners were saying and-

"P-princess?!"

Meliodas, she had thought, was a wonder. He got angry pretty easily, always sighing, and he always looked as if fed up with everything. However, whenever she gazed at him when he wasn't looking, she couldn't help but feel this feeling bubbling within her chest.

I found him.

Look, everyone.

I found him.

But she could never understand the true meaning behind these thoughts.

Avallo was moving.

Moving through the valleys, the terrain, the land.

It was moving, creaking and snapping sounds echoing within its chambers.

Avallo was moving.

It was...

Beating the metal with a blackened hammer, Tarbas huffed, wiping the sweat out of his brows.

A short sword, an arming sword, and then a small dagger.

All made with minimalistic decorations, making it suitable for use.

Taking the blades, Meliodas took a deep breath. With the snap of his wrist, he quickly and swiftly cut ragged marks into the hilts with Excalibur.

"The stuff you gave me were real tough," Tarbas said, shutting down the stove and wiping down his hands. "They should last long."

Bringing them up, the sins gathered around the empty bar.

"Gluttony, you take the arming sword, and Greed, you can have the short sword," stepping over to Gawain, Meliodas dropping the small dagger into his hands.

Gawain blinked, staring at the carefully crafted knife in his hands. "Captain…?"

Patting his shoulder, Meliodas smiled softly, "I know, Gawain. It'll be alright. We'll save Elizabeth."

"We're halfway there," Lust said, looking over the window with a map in her hands. "If we can keep going like this, we'll be able to make it… But, there's something that has always been bothering me. What is the holy knights planning?"

Meliodas frowned, pursing his lips. "The Day of the Blessing, when different tribes have joined together to form a kingdom. Before it was called Camelot, it was previously named after Nimue, the Lady of the Lake. Coincidentally, my table leg is also called the same, I think."

Gluttony raised an eyebrow. "Your table leg?"

"Yeah," He nodded. "Thinking about it, this whole ordeal with legends being erased and banned… I believe there's much more behind this. If so many people know about Inanis' Swords… I have a bad feeling about this.

"Once we get within the kingdom's range, I'll activate the last one to give us a boost."

Sloth frowned. "But Captain… If you activate it, wouldn't Avallo pretty much be..."

"... Yeah, I know."

"Everyone," Gawain suddenly started, his eyes staring sadly at the knife in his hands. Looking up, brown met green.

"I apologize. It's about the holy knights' plan."

Furrowing his eyebrows, Meliodas turned to face the knight, letting the young knight speak. As words were met with silence, green eyes widened. The bar owner stood still, staring blankly ahead. Gawain only bowed down his head, the knife held so tightly in his hands.

Greed took a hesitant step forward, a look of disbelief (and fear) taking root in his eyes. "Envy…? What do you mean? What's going on, why-"

SNAP

All of the sins stopped.

"Hey… That sound," Gluttony weakly said, looking wearily at the surroundings.

SNAP

Meliodas closed his eyes.

SNAP-SNAP SNAP-

CRACK

Avallo stopped moving.

Opening his mouth, as if to laugh, no sound came out instead.

Almost abruptly, the ground beneath them tilted over, and everything fell apart. Bottles crashed and picture frames were dropped, plates and silverware scattered and broken and- looking outside, the legs of Avallo were bent in several directions. Directions that others knew that it was not supposed to bend that way with clouds of dust scattered everywhere and-

Avallo have caved in. Only the bar was safely attached on the top.

Everything else was crushed.

(It felt as if it was a broken promise.)

Taking a deep breath, Meliodas stood.

"Let's go," he said. "Let's go save Elizabeth."

Greed bit his lips, trembling hands wrapped into fists.

"Captain-"

"The princess is first priority," Tarbas said, looking away, "no matter what."

Greed lowered his gaze, his face twisted with guilt and regret.

"To think that… It's too much, Envy."

Gawain bent down, small droplets of tears dropping from his eyes. "I'm so sorry."

Lust put a hand over her face, looking as if crumbling down.

"But how do we get there? How do we get to the capital, now that…?"

Silence met her question.

How do we save Elizabeth, how do we save Camelot, now that Avallo is gone?

They were only human, after all.

A group of misfits, that was all.

What more were they?

"Um… Captain?" Gluttony hesitantly said, voice void of certainty as he pointed ahead. " What's that dog doing over there?"

Meliodas blinked, and then he turned around.

A black hound, spotted with bright green, sat there, wagging its tail. Upon noticing the blonde's gaze, it barked happily.

"... Oh," Meliodas said softly, shifting his feet so that he was facing the hound. Emerald eyes were wide with the soft feeling of amazement.

"Oslo."

Opening her eyes, Elizabeth winced at the sun's light. Blinking a few times, she slowly got up, feet touching the stone ground. Making hesitant steps towards the window, she began to shiver, legs trembling and-it was because she didn't dare to believe.

It can't be. It can't possibly be.

Taking a look outside, a feeling of familiarity and dread pooled at the bottom of her stomach.

"This is… Camelot."

Upon hearing the door to her chamber -prison- open, Elizabeth shot a glare at the entering man.

"Power Knight Dolf," Elizabeth slowly said, back straight and standing strong (after months of traveling in Avallo with the sins, her spirit and soul were sharpened).

"Not quite," the holy knight chuckled, shaking his head as his armor glimmered dangerously by the sun's and candle's lights. "It's the grandmaster, now."

Blue eyes widening, Elizabeth's frown deepened, her hands gripping the edges of her clothes tightly. "Grandmaster Tristan Emrise… You killed him?"

"You see, the old geezer was always too soft, too 'righteous' for his own good. He always had supported the royal family, so I had him removed," taking steps towards her, he looked down at the princess.

"Princess, oh, I mean Lady Elizabeth. You had been very brave, venturing on foreign lands for so long. The group of misfits, ah, the Seven Deadly Sins, was it, was your doing, no?"

Elizabeth only glared back. "And that group of misfits will bring you down, Holy Knight Dolf."

"Grandmaster," Dolf corrected, a dark gleam in his eyes.

It was the countdown to despair.

"During the first Day of the Blessing, a hundred years ago, the uniting of the tribes were celebrated, right? All under the name of Nimue, the Lady of the Lake. But, a certain group of people were 'wronged' that day... And grudges were kept. The holy knights plan on revenge.

"They plan on the destruction of 'Camelot' and the death of its 'people,' starting with the Bertolo royal family."

Meliodas' heart dropped.

It clinked at the bottom of the river bed, odd feelings building up in his chest.

Why did they attack? So much blood-

'They were obliterated, that clan… There was nothing left. We couldn't find anyone...'

Something within the blonde broke, but he shrugged it aside.

Elizabeth and Camelot was in danger, and they have to go save them.

That was all that mattered, right now.

-.-.-

Deep underground, within a dark chamber of dim lights, markings were engraved on the entraping stone walls. At the center, sat a piece of rock, a stone slab broken with cracks along the edges. What it used to be, however, came from a story from a far, faraway land.