Hello everyone!!!
Long time, no written...
I want to thank everyone for their long, long patience! I really don't have much to say in the long wait, other than life and writer's block have gotten in the way.
I hope everyone enjoys this chapter, it does skip to a few POV's throughout, but does mainly stay with Cat. I'm currently working on the next chapter, and hopefully it won't take too long for me to get it out.
As for my other stories, I will be slowly working on them to try and get back into the groove of things.
Thanks again for everyone still following and reading Howl of Despair! I truly appreciate you guys!
Please let me know what you think of the chapter!
Till next time!!
Hecate couldn't help but smile to herself as she began moving through the gathering crowd. While she admitted it was nice to see King take her bait, she didn't plan on going through with getting payment from the Faerie. She knew King didn't have any coin on him, but it was just too much fun to poke fun at him.
Though she might blackmail him into making her more tops if he made a scene later…
That thought alone brought a bigger smile to her face as she walked around. For now, she was focused on finding a spot to watch the final fight between Diane and their Captain. While she normally didn't mind mingling amongst others, the amount of people beginning to gather was starting to push her limits. She wanted to enjoy the show, not get pushed around by others trying to get closer to the fight. Hecate was aiming to finding something up high, maybe on one of the nearby rooftops.
As she looked around for her spot, a flash of pale blue and bright red flashed in her peripheral. Turning, she spotted her immortal lazily approaching a group of scantily dressed women. They were large breasted wearing dresses accentuating their bodies in the most complimentary way. Hecate wasn't concerned though; she knew how Ban was and with the way he animatedly talked with the women with a devious smirk on his face. Seeing that, only confirmed Hecate's suspicions that he was making a deal with them, that was later confirmed when she saw him pull out a pouch filled with coin.
"Oh, Ban… you're making this way too easy for me!" Hecate snickered, trying to smother her giggles so she wasn't caught.
She knew she was sure to win the bet now that she spotted Ban doing this. While she had her suspicions about his plan when he disappeared on them earlier, this solidified it. Those women were the exact type that their Captain was known to like, until Elizabeth came into the picture.
"You are really going to get under Diane's skin with this…" Hecate murmured with a chuckle and a shake of her head.
Noticing more people returning to the center stage to watch the fight, Hecate began moving again to find her spot. She didn't want to get caught in the crowd when the fight began. Excitement filled the air as more people joined the ever-growing crowd. As Hecate passed by, she heard many placing wagers on the winner, speculating the winner.
Not that it would matter in the end anyway, the Sins would get what they wanted, which, in this case, was Diane's sacred treasure.
It didn't take the halfling long before she found the perfect spot to enjoy the fight. It was the building they had all gathered in when they passed the preliminary. It was just far enough away that she wouldn't be thrown back from the force of the two fighters. But she would still have a clear view of the fight without having to push or shove through the crowd.
Making her way to the roof was easy enough and as Hecate made herself comfortable, Love Helm appeared, beckoning everyone to join the gathered crowd. From her spot, Hecate was amazed at the size of crowd gathered, it reminded her of the mock fights they used to have in the castle courtyards. Knights of all class and standing would gather to watch the Sins fight, to see their techniques and to learn from them. It was honestly nice to see it again, where no one knew who they were or cared about that fact.
Nostalgia washed through Hecate as she thought of those times long passed and she hoped they might be able to experience them again.
"Now presenting the finalists!" Love Helm declared, raising his hands into the air, gathering the attention of all those that gathered. "In one corner we have Matrona!"
The crowd cheered loudly as Diane stepped into the arena with a grin on her face.
"In the other, Meliodaf!" Love Helm shouted as their Captain took his spot across from Diane as the crowd continue cheering.
From his spot on the sidelines, Ban was eager to see how things would go once the fight started. Deciding to take a quick look around, he spotted King and his Master together, but when his eyes trailed over to where his Kitten was meant to be, he suddenly frowned. His Kitten was not with them, and while it didn't surprise him, he couldn't help but wonder where she'd gotten to. His eyes trailed around the crowd, trying to find any sign of his blue-haired woman.
When he couldn't find her, Ban began to grow worried. He knew his Kitten would never miss a chance to watch their Captain and Diane fight. It bothered him that she didn't seek him out if she wasn't going to stand with King and his Master. But then, he knew he had done far worse to her, often leaving without a second thought. He couldn't keep making the excuse that he got so lost in his own head that he sometimes forgot about her…
"Which seems to keep happening when it concerns her…" He muttered to himself, frowning at the realization.
Ban wasn't proud of that fact, he supposed he was just so used to having his Kitten nearby that often forgot to tell her if he was going. He was used to her following him or joining him without question.
"I should really try and fix that…." He murmured, running a hand through his short hair with a sigh.
A flash of blue flickered in the corner of his eye when he tilted his head back, running a hand haphazardly through his hair, causing the immortal to turn towards the hut they occupied earlier in the day and a weak laugh escaped him. There, sitting happily upon the roof was his Kitten, her pink eyes trained on the arena below, a soft smile on her face as she waited for the fight to begin. He couldn't help but feel a sense of relief flood through him when he realized she was still close by.
Almost as if she sensed him staring, his Kitten turned her eyes to him, and a cheeky grin crossed her face as she lifted her hand, wiggling her fingers at him. Ban couldn't help but let out a bark of a laugh at his woman, the little minx had known where he was this entire time. While he couldn't be angry with her, he couldn't help but berate himself for losing track of her, again.
"Let the final battle begin!" Love Helm declared before disappearing from the arena for his own safety.
Finally, it was time.
"Hey, Meliodas!" someone from the sidelines called out in a flirty voice.
Looking off to the side, three women stood nearby in suggestive poses. King couldn't believe what he was seeing when one of the women heavily suggested that their Captain was going to naughty things to them that night and that he promised to give them a good time. A heated blush rose onto King's face at the way the women were acting, and suggestively showing off their bodies without being too improper. He could see Diane's anger steadily increasing as their Captain blankly looked at the women, completely clueless to what they were talking about or saying. King could only conclude that Ban was behind the act, which meant he had already lost to Cat and now owed her money.
"No!" King cried out, falling to his knees as Cat's familiar laughter echoed in his head.
He hoped the halfling wasn't going to come collecting any time soon as he began to panic at the mere thought of owing that woman so much. An angry yell from Diane pulled King's focus back to the arena as he watched the giantess flatten their Captain into the ground.
Hecate found herself laughing at the sight of Ban's little trick against their Captain. She honestly wished she could have captured that image forever. She knew her immortal was an ass, but that was far more entertaining that she expected it to be. Diane's face kept growing angrier while their Captain was as clueless as he was meant to be in that situation. It didn't surprise her to see Diane do what she did, it was almost comical in a way as their Captain pulled himself up, only for Diane to start attacking him again. Watching the two go at it caused the halfling to shake her head a little, knowing that they were fighting for varied reasons now.
Hecate would have enjoyed the fight more if the fine hairs on her body didn't suddenly stand on end, causing her to stand abruptly. Her jaw clenched as she jumped off the roof, landing in front of Howzer as she joined Ban and King in the arena, taking her spot next to her immortal, her one hand lazily resting on her hip while the other dangled next to her. They had to act fast, they all knew that it was only a matter of time before this village became a battleground, and they couldn't allow these people to get stuck in the middle of it.
"My real identity is Captain of the Seven Deadly Sins." Meliodas spoke seriously as his crew surrounded him. "I'm Meliodas, the Dragon Sin!"
As much as he didn't want to do this, he knew they needed to evacuate the village as quickly as possible. This was the best way of going about it.
"We're taking over Vaizel, everything here belongs to us now!" He declared as he raised his hand in the air. "I'm giving you less than one minute to clear out of this town! Understand? If you don't, we're gonna kill you all!"
Hecate shared a brief look with Ban, the immortal acting impartial, though they all understood why their Captain was acting like this. Only those who had trained and had heightened senses like them would be able to tell what was about to come, and they knew it was nothing good.
"You're not fooling anyone, you brat!" a man from the crowd yelled back, with a couple of other agreeing with him.
"Get the hell out of here!" Their Captain yelled, releasing a fraction of energy he held.
The townsfolk began screaming in fear, but instead of fleeing for their lives, someone pointed to the sky where several glowing balls of explosives began raining down around them. The rest of the Sins swore under their breaths as their Captain reflected one back at the owner.
"Damn, they're here already!?" Their Captain cursed, glaring up at the flying manta rays above them.
Looking at their foes, Hecate couldn't help but snarl at them, hissing as the scent of demon blood seeped into her nose. She knew that only two of the people present, had defiled themselves with the blood of demons.
"The equipment's scared treasure class." King mused as they stared up at their foes.
"It sure is." Their Captain agreed. "I bet Guila's gotten a lot stronger than she was in the Necropolis. And what's worse, there's four this time." He mused.
"Three of them are defiled… only one is strictly human…" Hecate informed them, her disgust for what they've done to themselves clear as day in her growls.
The Sins watched as the three jumped from the sky manta rays, clearly ready for battle. Hecate could not sense any fear or hesitation in them, and that made her pricklier than she meant to be.
"Let's split up for now." Their Captain suggested, and unanimously they split without a single word among them.
Hecate found herself alone in an abandoned part of the town, she had made sure everyone had been evacuated before letting herself relax a little. She needed to calm down after finding out about the fact that there were three people who had Demon's blood in their veins. She didn't know why these people triggered her so much. Maybe it was because she had such a violent reaction whenever demon blood entered her system, but she could not understand why these people were doing these things. It was mindboggling and she knew unless she could understand them, she would always react strongly.
Pausing in her tracks, the halfling let out a heavy sigh and ran a hand over her face. She had to get her head on straight, she couldn't let her disgust and anger to take hold of her and cloud her judgement. Frowning now, Hecate couldn't help but realize that she judging these people without knowing their reason for turning to such a drastic measure. It unsettled her because she and Dante had faced the same disgust and judgement from others in their lives, and knew exactly how it felt and how easy it was to become the exact monster people saw her as.
"Oh Cat… what are you becoming?" She whispered herself, feeling uncomfortable with herself.
"I'll tell you, minced meat!" Someone responded with a cackle as a large bone-like boomerang flew towards her.
Acting quickly, Hecate bent backwards until her hands touched the ground. The boomerang passed over her, barely scraping her stomach. Flipping back onto her feet, Hecate stared at the interloper, frowning at the sight of one of the people she had been judging before. The person in front of her looked to be a young, thin, pale-skinned androgynous person, dressed in black and green armor, with a vibrant green and yellow hair shaped into a shaggy mullet, with soulless black eyes.
"While that response is rather unoriginal…" Hecate mused, dusting herself off casually, "a name to my assailant would be preferable."
Smirking now, the knight placed a hand on their hip, jutting it out as they looked upon her. There was a cruel aura coming off the person that caused every hair on Hecate's body to stand on end.
"I suppose I can give you that since I don't see you surviving this encounter…" they cackled, puffing out their chest as if they were superior than her. "My name is Juku." The knight introduced themselves, giving her a flourished bow. "And, I of course know who you are, Hecate, Wolf Sin of Despair."
"Well, since I don't need to introduce myself," Hecate drawled, holding her bracelets in hand now, "let's see if your words ring true."
Her bracelets soon turned into flat, sharp-edged chakrams with indistinguishable lettering etched into the blades. The silver metal glinted in the sunlight as she fell into a familiar fighting stance. While she didn't know if she would be able to defeat this Juku person, Hecate hoped she would be able to fend them off long enough to figure out an escape plan.
A swish in the air alerted Hecate of the returning boomerang, allowing her to dodge the strange weapon as it returned to Juku's hands. The Knight skidded back from impact, but it didn't seem to bother them as they grinned maliciously at the halfling. Releasing a slow breath, Hecate focused on the task at hand, knowing any other mental distractions would be her downfall with this person.
"Let's see who's throwing weapon is best." Juku grinned, charging at the halfling.
Instead of replying, Hecate focused, knowing that while her usual ability would be useless against this person, her ability was much more versatile than anyone knew. She met Juku face on, dodging the large boomerang and threw one of her chakrams around the person, causing them to laugh, thinking that she had missed her target. Hecate had to smile to herself though as she flipped backwards, throwing her other weapon in their direction and watched as Juku dodge it.
"If this is the best the Wolf Sin can do, then I'm wasting my time!" Juku laughed, clearly underestimating her abilities.
"That arrogance is going to get you killed, Juku." Hecate tutted, frowning at the person as she lifted her hand and lightly flicked her finger in their direction. "You have no idea who I am, do you?" she asked, feeling her ability awaken in her body.
Though Hecate used her abilities freely before, like using them to help heal the Captain, she never used them to their fullest potential. She knew what she was capable of and knew that if she lost control for one moment, it could be devastating. But this was a desperate situation, and she wanted to come out on top, or at the very least, take Juku down with her.
"And why should I know more than you being a mere apprentice?" Juku sneered, trying to goad Hecate into acting our. "You're a wash-up nobody whose abilities are subpar to the Seven Deadly Sins, who took you in because they took pity on you."
Juku cackled as if they were talking to a clueless child. Hecate could only cock her head to the side and smile. This was going to be interesting. Another flick of her fingers and both chakrams immediately rushed towards her, spinning towards Juku who continued cackling at her as if they were making the funniest joke the could muster.
The first weapon struck Juku's shoulder, ripping through the flesh with ease, causing their laughter to pause as the second did the same to their opposite arm. Hecate caught the weapons with ease, lightly twirling them in her hands before returning to her previous position.
Juku stared at the wound on their arm, their eyes watching as blood slowly dripped towards the ground. Hecate could see the changes in the Knight's demeanor change instantly from confidence to furry. She watched as the knight slowly turned to her, their teeth grinding together as a wave of anger flashed through their eyes. Every fine hair stood on end as Hecate tensed, her hands flexing around her weapons in anticipation.
"You… drew blood…" Juku seethed, their breathing coming out heavily now as their body began to shake. "YOU MONSTER!!!!!" Juku screeched as they rushed forward.
Hecate barely had time to move into a defensive position before the knight appeared before her, slamming down their bone weapon, causing the ground beneath the halfling to cave due to impact. Gritting her teeth, Hecate struggled under the pressure of the attack, thankful that she decided to strengthen her defense with blood. It didn't seem to do much though as Juku's foot immediately made contact with her stomach in an onslaught of kicks.
With no way of properly defending herself without sacrificing her position, Hecate bared the full brunt of attack. Gritting her teeth, she could already feel her ribs fracturing from the aasult as Juku kept pressing down on her, never letting up for a second. The more abuse Hecate took, the less control she had on herself. Her body would start to break if she didn't do something, and she knew she would lose this battle if she didn't do something drastic.
A low growl erupted from the halfling as the only warning before she released the limits on herself, knowing there was no other way for her to survive if she didn't. The release caused Juku to fly back from the sheer power erupting from her as Hecate withdrew the blood from her defense and brought her chakrams together.
She hoped she kept control.
Juku watched in morbid fascination as the monster in front of them seemed to change from an innocent looking woman, to the true monster that she was. Standing at the same height, the woman's hair was thicker and wilder, her eyes glowed a menacing neon pink with slit pupils. Long claws sharpened from her nails and her fangs were more prominent on her face. What had Juku frozen though was the large, bloody scythe that the woman now held. It's blade stained with blood, making it appear darker than any night and the skulls at the base were hollow, their sunken eyes oozed with blood, their mouths opened in anguished screams. Blood dripped from the blades tip, only to circle back towards the skulls in an unending cycle.
Hecate growled lowly at Juku, taking a threatening step towards them as the wounds on their shoulders began gushing blood as she raised her hand towards them. Juku gritted their teeth, feeling an unnatural sense of violation throughout their body. They felt something was off in their very being and knew it had to do with the monster before them. Acting quickly and irrationally, Juku decided to use their ability and end Hecate, Wolf Sin of Despair once and for all, before she could go on the offensive.
Channeling their energy, Juku created a larger boomerang out of bone and charged towards the monster Sin. Behind her, Juku could see Guila coming over to assist. A manic grin crossed their face as they attacked with all their might, catching the Sin off guard and tossing them into the air. Guila appeared in the air, using her ability to create explosions and let them go off, causing the Sin to cry out as the force of the explosion and Juku's second attack sent her flying. The only thing left of the Wolf Sin were her two silver bracelets that fell to the ground, splattered with leftover blood.
"As despicable as she was, she had good taste in jewelry." Juku mused, picking the bracelets up and trying to wear them.
"Save trying those on for later, Juku." Guila stated with a sigh as she looked over at the town. "We have more work to do."
"Coming!" Juku sung, placing the trinkets on their waist to show off.
They had to torment the others somehow, after all.