Chapter 10 – Pernicious Planning
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Five Years Ago
Deserted Island was truly deserving of its name. For many thousands of years, it had been home to two famous and prospering human villages. The inhabitants of Moga Village and Yukumo Village lived peaceful, quiet lives on opposite ends of their little landmass, trading with one another and the cities on the mainland.
But as of now, no humans lived here anymore. The disaster that had happened fifty years ago, caused by a couple of terrible and ancient beasts, had wiped out both villages, leaving no survivors.
If there had been any other, minor villages set up on the island after the elder dragons attacked, the recent hurricane would have certainly destroyed them. Now, only hordes of ferocious monsters roamed its forested hills and mountains, living without fear of oppression from human beings.
Or at least, that would be the case, if the centuries-long war between monsters and humans hadn't already ended.
In the moonlight that illuminated the rocky beach, and the salty waves that lapped at its edge, a shadowy figure silently and impatiently walked along the coastline. The humanoid being had been waiting for his comrades for almost an hour now, but there was no sign of any of them.
Have they any sense of time? he demanded inwardly. Or have they gotten lost? Or were they… perish the thought… unable to escape? Oh, I hope that is not the case.
Feeling uncomfortably warm, the being shed his cloak, allowing his true form to be illuminated by the moonlight. Any monster that walked by at that moment would have recoiled in horror at the unnatural sight.
The figure resembled a monstrous combination of a human and a Dire Miralis, the legendary beast that was said to have birthed creation. The smooth skin of his face gave way to rocky, ridged features at the edges. Miniature volcanoes sprouted from his head, and a thick tail dragged along the ground at his feet. Beneath his clothes, internal rivers of lava could be seen flowing across his chest, legs, and arms. The disgusting sight was made complete by the volcanic wing plates that extended from his shoulder blades, belching smoke and fire into the sky.
The Miralis-man turned his twisted face towards the water. He thought he detected a stray ripple on the surface, one that wasn't caused by simple tides. It's probably just a passing Epioth, he thought dismissively. Or a Lagiacrus. There are many more monsters here on Deserted Island, now that the humans have been… dealt with, war or no war.
His face clenched distastefully. He had heard rumors that the human-monster war had ended, but had never believed them to be true until now. The thought of humans and monsters, two very different types of creature, actually making peace with one another made him want to throw up.
Monsters are strong, cunning, and fit for survival, the Miralis-man thought. Humans are nothing but sniveling, scrawny cowards. And yet, they still played a part in our defeat… my comrades and I, all those hundreds of years ago…
Another suspicious ripple appeared on the surface of the bay, but the Miralis-man paid it no heed. It probably wasn't anything worth concerning himself over.
But he was proven wrong right then and there. In a sudden spray of briny water, a figure just as monstrous as the Miralis-man emerged from the surf and waded towards shore. He was a boy that looked to be in his late teens, with thick, tangled blonde hair matted with seawater. All he wore were a monocle over his right eye and a pair of baggy pants. On his bare chest and abdomen, a series of bioluminescent markings glowed blue. The horns of a Ceadeus emerged from his head – the right horn was normal-sized and didn't cause him any harm, but the left horn was much larger and grew over his eye. A long, fluked tail swished back and forth behind him, stirring up frothy waves in the water.
"It has been a long time, Superbius," said the Ceadeus-boy. "I was beginning to wonder if the call to escape would never come."
The Spirit of Pride nodded. "I apologize for not having completed my plan sooner, Ace," he said. "However, perfection takes a long time to achieve, and that is exactly what my plan is – perfect."
Superbius smiled at the grotesque sight of his companion. Once, Ace had been an ordinary human being – indeed, so had he, and so had the others. But the evil nature of dark magic had dire consequences for those who practiced it carelessly. It twisted the heart of the sorcerer, quenched his morals and saturated his very life force… and turned him into a demon.
"Says you," Ace yawned tiredly, scratching his glowing chest. "I might be a slacker, but even I think a millennium is too long."
The volcanoes adorning Superbius' head and wings erupted in unison for a brief moment. "You don't know what it's like to be trapped in the confines of the strictest cell in the underworld and subjected to the vilest punishments imaginable. The security placed upon you was a lot less severe!"
Ace snorted. "It's always about you, isn't it?" he muttered. His shining markings flushed an angry red in annoyance. "You need to learn to swallow that enormous pride of yours."
About to snap at his comrade, the Spirit of Pride suddenly stopped as the ocean breeze picked up significantly. But something wasn't right about this wind – it felt ominous and tinged with danger, like the soft wind that heralds a devastating storm. His eyes narrowed, but Ace allowed a soft smile to cross his face.
Another gust of wind picked up, this one much stronger than the last. Then, before their very eyes, a teenaged girl floated down from the sky above and landed lightly on her feet. Instead of resembling a monstrosity like her companions, the girl was extremely beautiful – she had silky, waist-length hair and flawless skin, and wore nothing but a flowing skirt and a band of fabric that was barely enough to cover her well-endowed chest. Her arms and head were adorned with elegant fins that blew in the breeze, and she seemed to hover rather than stand. Two golden, curving horns extended up over her forehead, and the serpentine tail of an Amatsumagatsuchi grew out from her attractive rear.
Inwardly, Superbius was grinning. He couldn't help but feel a jolt of pride whenever he laid eyes on the Amatsu-girl, the one who had returned to her home of Yukumo Village so that she could lay waste to it once and for all.
The Amatsu-girl smiled widely as she regarded her two allies – and one in particular. "Hello again, handsome," she whispered to Ace, slipping her slender arms around his neck. Her tail reached out and tenderly coiled around his arm. She giggled and added flirtatiously, "Just as strong as I remember."
"You flatter me, my dear Luxi," he murmured with a soft smile, lightly gripping her uncovered middle and drawing her closer to him. "I don't even work out."
"Yes, because we were all locked up in those nasty cells of ours for centuries on end," she said sympathetically, pouting. She lightly ran her clawed fingers through his tangled hair.
"And because he's a complete sloth," Superbius coughed on the sidelines.
"But at least our confines weren't as bad as some of the others, were they?" Luxi continued, ignoring him. She took her hand away from Ace's head and started stroking his chest instead. "We managed to escape for a while around fifty years ago, didn't we, Acey?"
Ace smirked at the memory. "I remember that night well," he replied. "Our last date. Didn't we destroy the villages here on this very island? I sank Moga Village, and you scattered Yukumo to the winds. Sweet justice on the settlements that banished us in ages past."
A broad, bloodthirsty smile twisted the Amatsu-girl's otherwise lovely face. "Oh, the destruction," she snickered. "There's no music quite like the sweet sound of terrified screams, now is there?"
"Not at all," the object of her affection replied. "Except the sound of your voice, that is." The eye uncovered by his horn twinkled as he leaned closer to brush his nose with hers.
"You're far too kind to me, sweetheart," Luxi breathed lustfully, leaning in until she was only a lip's distance away from him. "Now why don't you and I find somewhere secluded so we can pick up where we left –"
Before their romance could go on any further, the earth trembled beneath them. The three beings only had a second to get out of the way before the ground exploded, throwing up rocks, dirt, and water up as far as the eye could see.
From the bottomless pit that was thusly revealed, a creature more monstrous than even Superbius crawled. The Akantor-woman stood to her full height, a vicious snarl on her face and her unscarred eye glinting with hatred. Her hands and feet were armed with wickedly sharp talons, and her thick black tail had vicious hooks on the end. Twin tusks, solid black with a bronze tint, protruded from her mouth, making her appear horrifyingly brutal. The woman's ebony hair was wildly curled and extended halfway down her back, its gloss constantly shifting and swirling like an inferno, but an inferno with deep, dark flames. A multitude of sharp spines protruded from her scalp and rose above her curls.
"Remind me why I allied myself with you sorry beings," she said in a growl that vibrated dangerously. "Almost two thousand years, and its only now when you decide it's time to break out."
"Oh, Ira, it's not like we could get through the security measures placed on you," chirped Luxi. "Weren't you condemned to eternal dismemberment? You know, having your limbs continuously ripped off and reattached? Oh, someday, I'll figure out how to do that to others…"
Her beautiful eyes suddenly flickered with bloodlust. Ira was an intimidating figure, but Luxi was scary in an entirely different way. She might not be as mentally unstable as the Akantor-woman, but indeed, it was her intact cunning that made her a girl to be feared.
"I should've known you wouldn't understand," Ira growled. "How about I tear your arms off and see how you like it?"
Hastily, Superibus tried to intervene. "Now's really not the time to –"
"That should be a laugh," Luxi sneered. "I'd still be prettier than you with bloody stumps for arms."
"Bite me," Ira snarled.
The Amatsu-girl gave her a sadistic grin, razor-sharp teeth gleaming in the moonlight. "Don't tempt me."
Without any warning, a bitterly cold breeze swept across the beach and caused them all to shiver violently. The argument was broken off entirely, as the approach of another spirit was felt by all.
"Ah, Invi is here," murmured Superbius. He averted his gaze slightly upwards as if expecting her to float down into view like Luxi had.
As if in response to his statement, the wind increased in intensity, wrapping around them like a deathly cold blanket. Ice formed on the damp rocks beneath their feet, and ice floes began to form and bob in the choppy waters of the bay. Snow fell and whirled around in the wind, creating a blizzard. Superbius' volcano-like wings were the only things that managed to produce enough light and pierce the all-consuming cloud.
And from the thickest part of the snowstorm, a slim figure melted out of the foggy whiteness. At first, the girl seemed ordinary – but it was only when she got closer, and her features more distinguishable, that one could see the jagged, spade-shaped crest that rose up from her forehead and the white tail that dragged behind her. She wore a simple white dress without sleeves, but was unaffected by the cold that pervaded the coastline. Her eyes were the iciest shade of blue imaginable, so frigid that they made even Superbius' spine shiver.
The Spirit of Envy was pretty and delicate. But she was deadly too, no doubt about that. In fact, Superbius could remember that the Ukanlos-girl, upon being corrupted by the black magic she sought to control, froze her entire village solid out of pure spite. He sometimes wondered if she ever considered killing her comrades, and was always thankful when another day passed without her doing so.
But not everyone was as afraid as he was.
"Invi…" growled Luxi, and her tail lashed even as her skirt whipped in the wind. "You know how sensitive I am."
The Ukanlos-girl, upon hearing Luxi speak to her, turned her frigid glare toward her least favorite target. "Luxxxxi…" she hissed softly. "If there wassss one thing I enjoyed about being imprissssoned, it wassss that I didn't have to put up with you."
Despite his dislike of the newcomer, Ace stepped in between them. "Can we please be a little less hostile?" he asked. "This is the first time we've seen each other in many years, so couldn't we just be friendlier?"
Invi's nostrils flared in annoyance. "Sssshut up, Acccce," she breathed. "Why not go ssssuck up to your girlfriend sssso I don't have to lissssten to you?"
"Jealous, Invida?" smirked Luxi, snickering at her joke. To add insult to injury, she flung her arms around Ace and planted an exaggerated kiss on his cheek.
"You sssstupid…" Invi hissed, raising her wickedly clawed hands threateningly.
Before Invi could freeze her rival spirit solid, a noise like the sound of a hundred screams curled out into the air, and the snowstorm Invi had produced dissipated entirely. Clouds blotted out the moon, enshrouding the beach in darkness. At the same time, a series of small earthquakes rocked the coastline.
"It appears our last two companions have arrived," growled Ira. "How wonderful for us all."
Right on cue, a bolt of black lighting flashed down from the heavens and struck the ground in front of them, causing a rush of energy that physically pushed them back a few steps. Everything became pitch-black when the lightning hit, but for only an instant. The light slowly faded back into existence, allowing the five beings to see the two they were missing.
The taller one was clad in a formal black suit and had a devilish grin on his face, revealing razor-sharp fangs lining the inside of his mouth. His spiny tail lashed at nothing, a pair of dark, ragged wings unfolded behind him, and two heavy horns studded with spikes rose up from the back of his head and swept over to his forehead. An aura of shadow surrounded the Alatreon-man, darkening the air around him.
The other was a teenager that looked about Ace's age. He was shorter than the Alatreon-man, but not by much, and was much stockier. His bare feet were covered in grime, dirt, and grass stains, and he wore sandy brown pants and a muscle shirt of the same color. Running over his head and down his back was a mountain-like ridge, and the tusks of a Jhen Mohran extended from the sides of his head and projected out two feet in front of him. The ground seemed to buckle under the Mohran-boy's weight.
"Hello again, comrades," the Alatreon-man formally murmured. The creepy grin splitting his face in two never faltered. His pitch-black orbs flicked over to Invi, and his smirk grew wider. "And you, my queen, are as lovely as ever on his spectacular night."
With an elegant bow, he took the hand of the girl in white and lightly touched his lips to it – only for her to snarl at him and slash her claws across his cheek, drawing long lines of blood across the paleness of his face. For all Invi knew (or cared), he was flirting and nothing more. Luxi was far more beautiful than she was, so why even bother with her?
"Get out of my ssssight, Avari," she told him, coldly. "Or I sssshall presssent you with far worsssse than a couple of sssscratchessss."
Avari was much amused at her threat, not concerned in the least. Part of the deal that they had accepted almost two thousand years ago was that they would not bring harm to any of their companions. Due to it being sealed by their own magic, any intended or non-intended injuries inflicted by any of one's fellows would be instantly healed. As such, Avari stopped bleeding in seconds.
The Mohran-boy regarded his teammates as if that argument wasn't going on at all. "Is it ever good seeing you guys again!" he exclaimed. "After a really long time in captivity, you are certainly a sight for sore eyes."
Ace nudged the Amatsu-girl beside him. "But you're always a sight for any pair of eyes," he told her.
"Oh, you," Luxi giggled modestly.
Superbius stepped forward to greet the newcomers. "Yes, it is good seeing you alive and well after so many centuries, Avari and Gulo."
"We're all free at last," the Spirit of Greed smirked, folding his wings behind him. "And that means we can finally finish what we started. Together," he added to Invi, who scowled.
"Yeah, the destruction of the human race!" enthused the Spirit of Gluttony, stomping his foot determinedly and causing the ground to shudder.
"But it will not be easy," Superbius continued, frowning. "Remember, we already failed once."
Ira nodded, her hair beginning to sizzle as she remembered those dreadful times. "And it was the White Fatalis who interfered, the great godly imbecile," she snarled. "Sure, a bunch of scrawny human beings with their idiotic toothpick weapons were there to help, but it was that tyrant who played the main part in our failure."
"The White Fatalis believes in peace," Luxi sneered. "And apparently, peace involves not messing with the relationships between monsters and humans."
"So pointless," Ace muttered, either with disdain or weariness. On the Sin of Sloth, it was always hard to tell. "Humans are worthless. Monsters are the superior race, and they should have total domination over this world."
Giving his companions a wise nod, Superbius stepped forward to address them all. "My friends, as much as I hate to say this, we have underestimated the intelligence and general success of sentient beings," he told them. "Yes, the White Fatalis was the one who ultimately defeated and imprisoned us, but it was humans and their allies who weakened us to the point where defeat and capture by him was inevitable."
He paused, allowing silence to settle over the coast as the other spirits digested this.
"The Eye of Fatalis," Ace said, abruptly. "We're going to need it. With it, we can regain our original powers."
Avari shook his head. "But the White Fatalis is almost definitely keeping a close watch on the Sky Corridor, now that we've tried to make use of its powers twice."
The air around Ira wavered as her hair started smoldering again. "We straight up invaded the Sky Corridor and took our prize without trouble," she stated, glowering at the Alatreon-man. "Let's just do it again! Only this time, we'll kill him first, so he can't interfere!"
"I admire your… spirit, Ira," Superbius replied, slowly. "But as we've all learned, and myself with most reluctance, that the White Fatalis and his siblings are a force that not even we can reckon with. We will need to take a cleverer approach."
"Not Tartu again," hissed Invi. She shook snow off of her crown and continued, "We agreed after he betrayed ussss that lesssser beingssss are too sssstupid and greedy to be trussssted."
She had a very good point. Even Luxi could admit that. Several decades ago, the seven spirits had reached out from Hell with their minds to influence the sole surviving member of the Phobos Tribe – the barbaric ancient people that had started the Human-Monster War in the first place. While the war raged, they had given Tartu the knowledge of the Sky Corridor and what lay within it. He had successfully stolen the Eye of Fatalis, but decided to use it for himself to conquer the Great Continent, summoning a monstrous serpent called Raviente to obliterate the White Fatalis.
The attempt had been less than successful. Raviente was defeated and chased back to Solitude Island, and the one they now called the "Hero" had destroyed the Eye of Fatalis. Once the White Fatalis repaired the magical artifact, he turned on Tartu and incinerated him, ending the legacy of the Phobos Tribe once and for all – and turning his attention back to the imprisoned Seven Deadly Sins.
"You're right, Invi," replied Superbius. "Relying on others turned out to be foolish, as it simply made our imprisoner more wary of us. Somehow, he knew it was us pulling the strings."
"Not your smartest plan," Gulo observed, wincing.
Invi nodded, although reluctantly. "We musssst act with more caution. We need the Eye, but we sssshould disssstract the White Fatalissss before we make our move. The only quesssstion issss… how sssshall we do that?"
With a glance at the Ukanlos-girl, Superbius answered, "That is correct – we cannot make such a direct move this time, as it will almost certainly spell our doom. Fortunately, I have thought of a solution to both of our problems. Namely, the ingenuity of humankind, and the Ancestor himself."
He paused once again, this time for dramatic effect, drinking in the attention that the other Sins were giving him.
"Shall I go on?" he added, smirking. His wings belched smoke into the air with an audible sizzle.
"FOR GOODNESS' SAKE, YES!" Ira bellowed.
Superbius chuckled. Oh, how the Spirit of Wrath amused him. "I'm sure that you have realized from our last plan that your enemies can be a valuable resource to exploit," he began. "Take Tartu for example – yes, he was a delusional idiot that never would have ruled the world even if the so-called 'Hero' had not defeated him, but he came close to his goal."
"Are you saying that we're going to be using humans to carry out our plans again?" Gulo asked, wrinkling his nose. "I've eaten things that didn't stink as much as that idea."
"Not quite, my ever-hungry companion," the Spirit of Pride corrected him. "Yes, humans are involved, but they only make up half of what I have in mind. We will obtain the Eye of Fatalis, brothers and sisters – by combining the great brainpower of humans with the undeniable superiority of monsters."
Everyone exchanged skeptical looks. This plan of his seemed a little bit farfetched – while they knew that it was important to learn how to use your enemy to your best advantage, they just couldn't fathom the idea of combining humans and monsters in any way.
"How are we going to do this, Superbius?" asked Avari.
"I'm calling it Project M," the Miralis-man claimed, grinning proudly at his own genius. "Or, if you must… Project Metamorphosis."
He explained the plan in its full entirety. While unbelieving at first, the other six beings slowly began to see how truly insidious and brilliant this 'Project M' was. On the face of it, it seemed like an impossible idea – but when Superbius explained it, it seemed frighteningly simple. At the end of his explanation, all seven of them had identical, evil smiles plastered on their faces.
"The humansss won't know what hit them," Invi murmured.
"This is going to be fun," Luxi giggled, sadistically.
"I have to admit, this plan isn't worthless," growled Ira.
Ace was frowning. "You think we have the right kind of magic for this?" he asked. "It sounds like it'll take a lot of work… and I hate work."
"I'm sure our leader knows what he's doing," Avari said diplomatically. "If he says we can do it, than I believe that we can as well."
The Ceadeus-boy nodded, adjusting his monocle as it threatened to slip free. "Then I think it'll be worth our while," he said with finality.
Superbius gave them a genuine smile. "So, I can trust your full cooperation in this?" he asked. "Gulo, can you remember the part you have to play?"
"Sure," the spirit in question replied. "Loc Lac City, right? Hey, as long as I get fed, I'm happy to go along with this."
Wordlessly, the six assembled before Superbius exchanged glances and nodded in unison. They immediately knew what was to be done now. Each of them stepped forward, their right hands glowing with a different elemental power each.
"Sloth," Ace yawned, extending his hand, which shone with the power of the Water element.
"Greed," Avari snickered, bringing forth the power of Dragon.
"Lust," added Luxi, contributing her element of Wind.
"Gluttony," Gulo chuckled, adding the power of Earth.
"Wrath," growled Ira, her hand shining with the power of Darkness.
"Envy," breathed Invi, completing the circle of hands with her element of Ice.
Finally, Superbius stepped forward and placed his fist atop those of his six comrades. His hand swirled with a blazing, roiling kind of energy – the energy of the Fire element.
"And Pride," he finished.
A burst of combined elemental energy radiated out from their union and exploded outward. Multicolored streaks of light shot out in all directions before exploding simultaneously into sparkles that shimmered in the moonlight. It was an amazing sight, but one that heralded the coming of an ancient evil. The waters of the bay were churned up into white-capped waves, storm clouds began to fill the sky, and the wind built in intensity until a shrieking gale was blowing across Deserted Island.
Everywhere, monsters of all shapes and sizes fled into their dens, nests, and undersea hideaways. A Qurupeco ducked into its clifftop cave, Ludroth fled en masse into the open ocean, and even a wandering Deviljho – normally a creature to be feared, and not fear – rampaged away in blind terror. They all sensed instinctively that something that should never have existed had indeed been unleashed, something straight from the foul depths of Hell, and that this brewing hurricane was only the start of a much greater maelstrom to come.
Indeed, it was the beginning… the beginning of the end.
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The Seven Deadly Sins are back and badder than ever, baby! Well… five years ago.
I'm so sorry about how long it took me to get this chapter ready. I was on vacation, then school hit me like a tidal wave, then I got sick… so I do hope you can forgive my long absence. I just haven't had much time to write is all.
But on a lighter note, MONSTER HUNTER GENERATIONS YESSSSSSSSSSS
Send reviews, and check out the timeline/dictionary for "Metamorphosis: Seven Sins" if you're confused about anything! If that doesn't clear up your questions, PM me!