Chapter 5: Envy of the Heart I

Notes:

So, we've gotten the players ready and the quest set up, it's time to go! Off to their first stop!

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

When Salem woke up, the first thing he noted was a funny aftertaste lingering in his mouth from Mammon's "medicine." His eyes felt heavy, all of his limbs felt so sluggish it was like moving through glue and his ears were stuffed like the last time he was on an airplane…

"About time you woke up!" the shrill voice of Leviathan snapped, "We had to drag your ass here!"

That made him wake up to see the violet-haired demoness was sitting next to him with a pout on her face. Salem looked past her to see a pane of plexiglass separating them both from a massive expanse of ocean.

He then looked around the rest of the cabin to see that he was on a private jet of some kind, or at least the most luxurious plane he had ever seen. Instead of rows of identical chairs, he and Leviathan were in black leather armchairs. Each of the windows had a pair of such chairs positioned next to the windows lining the aircraft's sides along with a U-shaped minibar in the middle of the room, the front and bar top all made of glittering white marble. Their one room seemed to take up the bulk of the cabin with only a curtain towards the back and one towards the front where the pilot presumably was.

The other demonic emissaries were all there in the opulent room with a few flight attendants going around serving them food and drink. If any of them noticed that many of the passengers had horns or eccentric clothing, they never showed it. Not even the one who was serving Beelzebub what looked to be a massive portion of barbecue ribs which the little demoness started picking off the bone the second the plate was put in front of her.

In another set of seats across the way, Mammon and Belphegor were both on a smart device which the young man took to meant they were both running their business ventures. In the middle of the room, Lucifer was front and center at the bar casually sipping a martini while Maria sat next to her and politely refusing multiple beverages from the possibly brainwashed bartender.

That left Asmodeus who was casually reading a magazine, lounging on her back across a row to herself. Satan was leaning against the wall near the barely-there barrier between them and the servants' area with a bottle of water in her hand and a vigilant eye scanning the room for any sign of trouble.

"Okay, this is very new…" Salem said slowly, a stewardess approaching him with a menu and a friendly smile. After selecting his lunch and trying to not notice how low-cut her uniform was, he sat up straight as Levi stood up and switched places with Lucifer.

"Well, about time you woke up," the blonde chuckled, "You're lucky we can cloak ourselves from the sight of normal people or else Satan hauling you over her shoulder through the entire Vegas airport would have caused issues."

"I suppose I should be lucky I wasn't smuggled in through baggage claim…"

The demoness tittered at that just before the attendant returned with the young man's meal. One plate of filet mignon later, Salem was much more content to kick back for now as their plane approached Legazpi City.

Once the plane landed at Bicol International, passing security was once again no problem, though some onlookers were perplexed at how a hideously dressed man was in the company of eight women. Salem himself was thankful that the Sins had magic that hid their horns and their attention-grabbing outfits. Leviathan, however, taking notice of the young man's gawkers.

"Why do you wear those clown clothes Salem? It's nothing like your art."

The artist turned to her, annoyed about his clothing choices being judged once more, yet he tried to give a levelheaded answer.

"There was a time where I fancied all black clothing but that stopped in Vegas since I would melt into a puddle. And as ostentatious as they are, they give me a unique identity. Besides that, they're just so comfy."

Belphegor, walking on the other side of them, chimed in. "Oh, I know that last one! Putting clothes on is so hard, so if it floats his boat then who are we to judge?"

Levi was shocked that Belphegor would vouch for him like that only to look at her constantly half-dressed body and decided to drop the point as the group reached the airport's main exit. The instant they stepped out of the doors, a wave of tropical humidity smacked into them. While none of them were a stranger to the heat, they were drawn to the mighty Mayon Volcano off in the distance. An imposing natural tower already, the cloud of gas released from its rocky peak.

Maria, figuring they needed to start somewhere, pulled out her phone and looked for directions to the Cagsawa Ruins.

"According to this, we're only twenty minutes away. It's not too far from that volcano, too."

Morale was high hearing that with one exception. Leviathan was shifting her eyes around and keeping her tongue glued to the roof of her mouth. She knew the pressure was building. They needed this artifact and it would all be up to her.

"I can't fuck this up!" she shouted mentally, "If we're one short, we're all screwed. And worse than that, Lucifer will never forgive me!"

Said blonde leader was more preoccupied with the majestic mountain in the distance, taking in the scenery while she mapped the best course of action. Soon she headed out, the others following her lead without thought, and the entourage were soon in the streets of Legazpi. People strolled down the streets, palm trees had sprouted everywhere, every shop in sight was bustling and churches were on every other street.

"You just had to have your finger in every pie, eh, big guy?" Lucifer thought with a roll of her eyes. After the seventh chapel they passed in ten minutes, she ushered her posse into a side street for a little meeting.

"Mammon, Asmodeus, I want you both to stay in the city proper for some recon. Play tourist, go shopping, make deals but keep an eye out for the Lively Virtues or any agents of theirs. The rest of us will head to the ruins to see what we're dealing with. Salem, you'll be taken to that volcano by Satan for some training."

"Really?" he asked.

"Of course," Satan bowed, a brief side-eye given to the young man to make sure he'd agree as well.

"Oh, and Belphegor, go with them."

"Wait, what?"

"Okay then, glorious leader," the lazy lady saluted, "I can think of a few ways to spice that up…"

Salem and his new sensei shared a weary look. Now both of them wanted to say something but the lead demoness had already guessed that.

"He needs all the help he can get. It isn't strength that matters here, it's experience."

Belphegor's eyes widened, now taking her word seriously. And with Mammon and Asmodeus teleporting off to another part of town which left seven devilish figures moving ever closer to Mayon. With Lucifer next to Levi and Salem close to Satan, everyone was prepared to reach their destination.

One quick flash of magic later, the seven had appeared in a secluded canopy away from any tourist's eyes. Maria immediately felt a heavenly presence, moving through the trees towards the source. Soon she was out in the open with the Salem and the demons behind her, all of them now staring in awe as the ruins themselves. The weathered gray stone tower stood with Mayon Volcano behind it, adding a layer of beauty to the haunting remains.

"Well," Lucifer announced, a smile forming on her lips, "Let's get started."

As Lucifer walked into the temple with Maria, Levi and Beelzebub on her tail, Salem and his two new trainers took the opportunity to warp off to whatever their training field was. The young man thought he was prepared on a quick look around the smell of melting rock proved that they were on the lip of Mayon Volcano itself.

"What the heck?!" he shouted, literally hopping Belphegor's arms like an old-time cartoon character while the tailed demon had to stifle a laugh.

"What, did you think we were gonna train on the beach?" she kidded, "We need to toughen you up fast so what better place than the closest thing there is to Hell on Earth?"

"Indeed," Satan nodded, "And first and foremost is getting you to release this powers of yours on command instead of instinctually."

"Um, you do know how people mix with lava and all of these toxic gasses, right?" He pointed down into the volcano itself, a pool of molten rock bubbling away as a plume of ash floated into the sky on superheated air.

This made Salem realize something. "Wait, how am I even breathing right now?"

"Magic, duh," Belphegor shrugged before dropping onto the ground and then pulling out her tablet, "And now, for some proper gear…"

After a few taps, Salem was consumed by a blinding light only to reveal a whole new outfit. Once he was visible again, gone were the tacky colors and loose-fitting fabrics in favor of half-suit of armor with his forearms, shins and shoulders covered in silver plates while the rest of him was covered in form-fitting chainmail that left only his bare hands and feet exposed. A eight-inch dagger was sheathed in brown leather somehow attached to his belt with a two-foot-long sword also attached to his back despite there being no strap.

"Why do I suddenly look like an RPG character?"

"We can work on a custom look later," Belphegor waved off, "You don't get fresh assets on your first day, hero. Now then, Satan, feel free to warm him up."

The artist felt a twinge of dread in his stomach as the blood-redheaded demoness decided hop onto his shoulders and ordering him to do laps around the rim of the volcano. He realized that a gorgeous woman's privates were inches away from him just before Satan barked at him to start or else she'd pull out her axe to "motivate" him.

Belphegor, meanwhile, watched in mild interest while thinking about how she could spice up the training further. Given they were already a mile and a half in the air with thinner air in addition to the toxic ash drifting through the air, she felt this could still use something to really bring out Salem's potential. As he was now, he was actually holding up well despite his burden but it seemed accidental. He needed more of a push, the demoness thought, and so she quickly started tinkering on her tablet.

Satan, meanwhile, had to give Salem some credit. She knew her muscle and armor made her far from dainty and he was no bodybuilder. He was sweating buckets and short of breath but he had almost made a full lap around the rim, a decent chunk of mile and at the inhuman conditions. So far she hadn't needed to raise her voice once. Then something else caught her attention. The flakes of ash had started to lighten until they turned a pristine white.

"H-Hey, Satan?" the young artist asked with a shiver, "C-Can I get a coat, o-or a hot water bottle? I-I'm feeling pretty chilly…"

Seconds later, a flash of light around his shoulders soon revealed a woolen cape that warmed part of him up. Both the runner and his trainer looked up to see Belphegor idly floating above with a relaxed smile.

"Oh, don't mind me! I thought Salem looked a little sweaty so I made a little mod to this level, so to speak!"

Salem didn't get much more explanation before all of the snow that was falling made him lose his footing and fall into the volcano. Satan was about to jump after him only to see that the molten lava was slowly changing into something else. Crags of rock began to look more like shards of ice and the rivers of magma become streams of icy water. And Salem just happened to fall into one of the many snowbanks that formed in this new landscape.

Once he emerged from silhouette his impact made, he looked around to see that the sunny tropical sky was now replaced with silvery-blue clouds dropping more snow all over what was supposed to be an active volcano.

"I really should be baffled by this," he noted, "But being around demons, this somehow all makes sense."

"Glad you like it!" Belphegor called from above, "And now that you've had a warm-up, get ready for some real training!"

Several mounds of snow suddenly began to vibrate and mold themselves into snow golems, each of them seven feet tall with jagged icicles for teeth and claws as they charged ahead with hungry roars.

Salem hurried to unsheathe his sword only to find his arm was stuck. Thankfully for him, Satan flew into the fray to guard him.

"The most important thing a warrior can have is focus," she said calmly, her axe already primed, "Remain centered at all times on the battlefield."

Right as the first monster approached, Satan swung her axe horizontally to cleave it in two. Two more tried to trap her in a pincer only for her to charge forward with her massive blade taking the right creature's head off followed by a breakneck spin to knock the other off its feet. Salem, trying to take her advice, ran in to kick the golem while it was down.

Thanks to his powers suddenly kicking in, his foot had enough force to send the monster's head flying into the air like a football and straight off of the volcano.

"Okay, focus seems to be working…" he noted before managing to release his sword and running ahead. Salem kept his cool as he moved alongside Satan, his own expression steeling to match his teacher… Only for a golem to sideswipe him and knock him into a frigid stream.

"Oof, maybe he does need some real combat training?" Belphegor said before hitting a button to pause the entire battle, Satan included.

"Hey, I am not some character for you to play with!"

"O-O-Okay, now I d-d-definitely need something wa-warm!" Salem bit out, his skin visibly turning blue under his now soaked garments.

The tailed demoness looked down with a sigh. "This is going to take a while…"

Back at the Cagsawa Ruins, the main party had little luck finding the Heart of Humanitas. They searched amongst the remains of the wall to see if it was hidden within it, but Maria felt no strong heavenly power. After scouring the graying breaks, two of the group were both becoming inpatient.

"Where's your little hiding spot, big guy?" Lucifer pondered, trying to sound upbeat even as her hands were balled into fists.

Levi, meanwhile, was more berating herself than talking. "Great, first I can't free Lucy from a simple trap, then that wuss Astaroth manages to beat me and now I can't even find a stupid heart?! This is supposed to be my moment to shine and here I am needing buddies for a scavenger hunt! This blows…"

With no luck in sight, Beelzebub wandered off back towards the front face of the tower, the others gradually gathering around her as they noticed she was reading a plaque.

"According to this, the church was built in 1587 by Franciscans and destroyed twice. First it was ransacked by pirates and then by that volcano erupting. Many people were seeking refuge here and were caught in the calamity."

Stunned to hear this, the littlest demon turned to face her stunned comrades. None more so than Maria. "So many people, seeking sanctuary… Wiped out… How could that happen?"

Her heart was heavy for those lost, looking so crestfallen that even Levi was worried for her. The leader, however, had an idea.

"So, if they died here… One of their hearts could have become the artifact."

Seeing the curious looks on their faces, she explained further. "Back in Heaven, God told me one thing about this artifact: it came from a kind soul that perished too soon but never who it was or where he died. I suppose he hid it here as some sort of memorial for that unlucky sap…"

As sensical as it sounded to them, Levi quickly realized something. "Did he mention how to get this thing?"

"No, but the purpose was to 'help the spirit of kindness live on.' If someone wants to discover it, they need to perform a kind deed of your own."

Those words echoed in Levi's mind. "A kind deed of your own."

With a quick glance around, Levi noted, the tourists around them were thinning out. She walked to the other side of the tower to summon Behemoth. The squeaky toy-like monster appeared in an instant. With a cheerful squeak he started nuzzling his master as the purplette giggled.

"Alright! Alright! I know, I'm sorry for leaving you behind. Listen, I need you to check this tower for clues for the artifact I'm looking for. Kay?"

With a cheerful squeak in response, he hopped into the lowest opening to the bell tower. While Levi's new assistant searched, those same words echoed in her head.

"A kind deed of your own."

There was only one problem: Levi couldn't recall the last time she did something genuinely kind, aside from all the times she had desperately tried to win Lucifer's affection. Even that was to satisfy her own urges more than anything. She racked her brain for something, anything that could help.

"Are you okay Levi?"

The purplette was broken out of her self-loathing by Maria, once again concerned. She tried to insist things were all good with Behemoth pitching in but the schoolgirl could see her cheer was forced.

"Levi, I'm not stupid. I know something is bothering you. You've barely said anything the whole time we've been here. That isn't you. Now, please, tell me, what's wrong."

"Mind your own business and piss off!"

She could hear the reply in her head. Had this been a couple months ago, it would've flown out of her mouth without a second thought. But ever since the night Lucifer and Maria came back from the brink, she had been build bridges with the brunette.

All but visibly biting her tongue, Levi sighed. "Alright, fine. I'm a nervous fucking wreck now, thinking we're totally screwed. I'm first in line to get a power-up and all I've ever done is ruin everything I touch."

"Levi, don't give up. I know you can do it!"

"Stop that!"

"Huh? Stop what?"

"Lying to my face! I couldn't beat any of the other Mortal Sins, Lucifer hardly wants anything to do with me and I've been treating you like shit up until a few days ago! Why are you being so damn nice to me?! You've watched me mess everything up and trust me, I wasn't any different when I was alive!"

To say that Maria was taken aback would be an understatement. Even Lucifer and Beelzebub, ust behind the tower's corner, heard every word. Beelzebub moved to step in but Lucifer's hand held her back. They both watched as Maria placed a hand on Levi's shoulder and met the demoness's dumbfounded look with gentle smile.

"Levi, I know you're scared, but let me ask you this: Despite all those failures, did you give up?"

A shake of the head was the only answer.

"You may have a losing streak, but you never lost your persistence. The past is done with, but today could be the day you finally break that streak and get that heart!"

Lucifer, still right around the corner, smiled to herself. "Maria, you have such a way with words."

"Um, could you let me go now?"

The demoness looked down to see that her arm was still holding Beelzebub back, releasing her with an awkward "sorry" under her beath.

But for Leviathan, she didn't notice a thing. Her spirits were higher than she could honestly remember them ever being. Even after all of the dreck she had given Maria, the girl accepted her. She grabbed Maria into a hug and for once didn't care who was watching.

While Maria enjoyed the moment, a sudden spark in her brain made snapped up her attention.

"Lucifer! I'm sensing something!"

The four were soon back together, plus Behemoth appearing off of the top of the parapet to jump and land in Levi's arms. He was squeaking by the second.

"Wait, you found something?! An… Underground tunnel but… The fuck do you mean the entrance 'isn't big enough?' Just show us where it is!"

Beelzebub spoke up. "What about the tower?"

Instantly all four ladies and Behemoth began scanning the base of the tower for an entrance. Levi reached to the side of the tower as she was looking only for her hand to phase through the masonry. Her eyes widened as she reached further until she was leaning into the wall before losing her balance and falling in.

Once she stood up again, she found herself in a very roomy underground tunnel like some sort of secret bunker. Leviathan, eager that they were finally getting somewhere, rushed up to the entrance to tell the others and soon they all made their way through the invisible entrance. Even Lucifer had to give credit to the man upstairs that He picked a good hiding place.

"Great work Levi."

The envious demon felt herself swooning over those lovely words from her idol. With a new lead, the four scavengers continued on as they kept an eye out for the heart, the occasional jeweled crosses plastered on the dirt walls of the tunnel.

Leviathan, hightailing Lucifer, started to feel more confident to Maria's encouraging words and discovering the entrance all on her own, even with Behemoth's help. She was feeling so good in fact that she felt a need to brag.

"We've so got this now! This'll be so easy that the rest of these will be no sweat…"

Meanwhile, while the main party was appreciating Levi's growing confidence, that comment on sweat made them wonder how Salem was handling his training. The answer?

"AHHHHHHHHH!"

In a word: poorly.

The young artist discovered that everything from his lap around the volcano to fighting ice golems in a blizzard was just the warm-up. The real exercise was going hand-to-hand with Belphegor and Satan at the same time. The former wasted no time zapping him every time he made a mistake, leaving Salem a twitching, blackened mess that could only spasm for a few seconds as his nervous system reset. His only benefit was being able to shake it off as he kept trying to approach Belphegor while Satan was behind him.

With each effortlessly thrown bolt, he hatched an idea. As another shot fired from her tail, Salem stopped trying to dodge or left or right and remembered that up was an option. Taking Satan's expertise on focus to mind, he channeled the strange energy of his through his legs and catapulted above her and landed right behind Belphegor and clasped her tail even as it shocked him on reflex.

Groaning in effort, he lifted Belphegor by her tail, ignoring the sudden exposure to her derriere, before twirling himself like he was an Olympian in the hammer throw until the demoness was a tan and white blur.

For all her station, Belphegor was no fearless warrior. She screamed like a girl as she was flung at Satan like a massive boomerang, knocking the redhead on the once-again smoldering ground. The last man standing, Salem felt a rush after pulling off such a move.

"Huh, they… aren't moving," he noted dumbly, quickly getting worried enough to rush over and check on them. He figured they were once Satan's axe came inches away from swinging through his nose and Belphegor's tail wrapped around his left leg. They were also smirking at him, a sign that at least they didn't take being bowled over personally.

"Here's another lesson: never let your guard down," Satan told him while he frowned, "With that said, that was an impressive display."

"Hell yeah!" Belphegor added" "You're pretty ballsy to just grab my tail like that but with your cartoony abilities, I should've seen it coming."

Salem felt a swell of pride hearing that some progress was being made. It also got his hopes up. "So, does that mean we're done for the day?"

Both demons held the same smirk as they crushed those hopes. "Nope."

"Damnit."

Notes: So, the first "to be continued!" Will Leviathan recover the heart? Can Salem avoid having his biscuits burnt? And will the opposition upstairs take notice? Find out next time!

Thank you all so much reading! Feel free to leave questions or comments below.