“Interesting. So, this is where Envy and Pride took their last breaths. I’m definitely interested in meeting these heroes.” An incredibly beautiful woman said. She walked with grace down the cobbled streets. Her armored boots clanked against the ground. The silver armor that shielded her joints, arms, and chest was tinted blue from the numerous enchantments placed on it. Indigo cloth armor covered the rest of her and hid underneath the metal. Everything was finely detailed, from the roses chiseled into the metal to the various gemstones in place of buttons. This was the embodiment of one of the seven deadly sins, Lust.
“Soon,” An exhausted man replied. He was walking alongside Lust at a slow pace. His eyes were heavy, and the lull of sleep continued to weigh him down. The bulk of his frail figure was veiled with a large cyan poncho. The cloth was intricately made from the finest fibers, and a darker thread was used to write the letters of a long-forgotten language. Small glimmers of armor could be seen underneath, but the fabric covered most of it. Tired feet continued to push this sin forward. Sloth was never known for his endurance, and he had already expended his day’s worth of energy.
“You did make sure to exclude them from your skill’s sleeping effects, right?” Lust asked her sinly friend. The two had been planning their visit to this city ever since Envy, unfortunately, passed away. Sloth was to use his skill to incapacitate everyone in town except for the people responsible for the deaths of Envy and Pride. Then, Lust would find the people still awake and ‘deal’ with them. In truth, she was driven more out of morbid curiosity than revenge.
“Yeah,” Sloth answered through a yawn. He didn’t care about the plan regardless. It’s not as if the sins were duty-bound to avenge each other, and he wasn’t particularly close to either of the deceased sins. Plus, Sloth lacked the drive to do anything extraordinary. He was closest to Lust, but something devastating would have to befall her for him to be driven into action. Even then, his skill worked automatically. There was no need for Sloth to ever exert himself unless he was specifying targets.
“Thank you. Now, feel free to take a nap. I’ll handle our guests.” Lust said. She patted Sloth’s head as if to dismiss him of his duties. Sloth immediately dropped to his knees. A magic circle appeared beneath him, and an enormous pillow spawned from the earth. The tired man cuddled closely to his soft summon, and Lust let out a sigh of relief. Her constantly weary friend was finally able to sleep. She felt awful forcing him to work harder than normal. Unfortunately, the time for regret would have to wait.
Lust turned her head to view the newest person on the street. It was a lone archer. He stood down the road and held his bow tightly. An arrow was prepared to fire, but Xander had no intention of starting a fight alone. His body twisted as he aimed elsewhere. Narrow eyes locked on their target, and Xander’s fingers loosened. The arrow flew through the air gracefully. It pierced through a nearby building, starting several of the birds that rested on it. With that done, he returned his attention to the two sins who had yet to move.
“My my. One of the four heroes of the voice. I’ve heard tales, but you’re even more handsome than I thought.” Lust said. She’d heard many things about the heroes of the voice. They were supposedly an elite team whose tale was told around the world. Four people with extraordinary powers that could reshape reality. Four monsters among men that were prophesied to defeat all of the sins and fundamentally change everything. No doubt these chosen heroes of the voice were selected by the gods themselves and forged with the strongest of wills. A powerful swordsman, an unparalleled caster, a peerless sniper, and an unrivaled druid held the world in their hands.
“What?” Xander said. He was unlike what Lust envisioned in every way. His strength was minuscule. His eyes weren’t especially sharp, and his gaze lacked that piercing sensation that should have sent chills down Lust's spine. Xander couldn’t even resist the low-leveled effects of [Lust]. His mind slowly slipped away along with his will to fight. He couldn’t move his eyes from the alluring target. Lust had him in her grip, and nothing could be done to release him.
“Come here. I want to have a better look at you.” Lust said. She wanted nothing more than to examine her prey. What was a sin-slayer like? Was this the extent of his power, or was he waiting for the perfect time to strike? Lust couldn’t wait to satisfy her curiosity. Xander’s looks only bolstered her further. She could feel herself grow warmer. She’d never been with a hero of the voice before. How good would he be?
Xander stepped forward against his will. The logical part of his brain resisted, but it wasn't enough. Soon, his thoughts were flooded with a wave of euphoria. It was like his consciousness was being sucked out of him. He would have acted on his base desires, but Lust still had him wrapped around her finger. The two were mere steps away, ready to embrace, but a third person entered to save the day. To be more precise, it wasn’t a person but a slime. Cinco hopped off of one of the nearby roofs and landed on Xander’s head. It immediately engulfed its master’s partner and increased the acidity of its core.
Xander snapped out of his daze, threw himself onto the floor, and panicked from lack of oxygen.
“Oh, dear. Are you alright?” Lust said. She looked down at Xander. Was this really one of the four heroes of the voice? A member of the team that killed Envy and Pride? It had to be. Sloth restricted his skill to exclude only those four people. Lust sighed as she thought about what to do next. She pinched the bridge of her nose and closed her eyes, leaving an opening for yet another newcomer.
“He’s better than you’ll be!” Rex yelled. He sprinted down the street with an iron rod in his hand. The metal bounced off the ground with each step. In his mind, holding his weapon low to the ground would maximize the amount of force he could generate in a single attack. Whether this thought came from newfound knowledge or [Lust]’s mental degradation remained to be seen. Regardless, the attack continued, and [Heavy Hit] was activated. The iron rod approached the sin at an alarming speed but suddenly stopped just before making contact.
“Aw. You can’t hit me? Don’t worry, you’ll get better with practice.” Lust said with a voice mixed with condescension and love. Yet another hero of the voice had appeared, but he was just as weak as the first. Lust never invested much in the attack-suppression variant of her skill, so she was surprised that this man succumbed to the feeble effects it had. Was this supposed to be the valiant knight? He did run in to save the day as a hero would. Lust made a confused face as she thought about everything up until now. Unfortunately, her thoughts were interrupted by an extremely rude familiar.
Cinco, the slime, was more than eager to fight for its party. With Xander fully recovered, it went on the offensive. It concentrated on its core, making the most potent acid possible. Cinco knew that it’d only get one attack before being popped. Once ready, the slime bolted toward Lust’s head, but she expertly dodged to the side. The pitiful didn’t even have the slightest chance of hitting the standing sin. Luckily, she wasn’t its real target.
“Poor thing isn’t worth the effort. Unlike you two, of course.” Lust said. She didn’t even bother to look back at the slime that flew past her. It was irrelevant. She was more interested in the two men before her. They certainly seemed to be much more entertaining. They were initially focused on their partner’s rogue familiar, which was odd. The literal embodiment of lust stood before them, but they’d rather look at a generic slime. Lust was about the glance over her shoulder, but a third combatant entered the odd battle.
“I won’t let you hurt them!” Robyn said before throwing a rock at the sin. She tried to use all of her might, but strength wasn’t her best attribute. This type of activity was better suited for Rex. No one present was surprised to see the pebble bounce off of Lust and deal no damage whatsoever. Fortunately, that wasn’t the intention of the attack. Robyn only needed the sin to look in her direction, which Lust did. All three were still in the sin’s vision, but the slime was still obscured.
“Made you look!” Nicholas shouted. He ran down an alleyway, perpendicular to the street everyone stood on. The sound of something large rolling echoed through the quiet town. Suddenly, Nicholas emerged onto the main street with a wooden cart in tow. He ran straight for the sin and dove out of the cart’s path just before he made contact. A smile crept along his face. Even with [Lust] limiting their thoughts, he and Robyn were able to create a basic plan. However, this attack was far from foolproof.
“Is that it? Well, at least you four are cute.” Lust said. She was rather disappointed. She didn’t think her skill would have this effect on the four heroes. An annoyed sigh escaped her. This was not what she was promised. Still, there was no denying they were the ones that took out Envy and Pride. Her curiosity was through the roof at this point. How could these buffoons be the sung heroes? How could they ever be sin-slaying, world-changing, gods among men? Lust pushed the cart behind her, toppling it over.
“Need a new plan, clever boy,” Xander said to his friend. He wasn’t the type to make complex plans, and the sin’s area-of-effect skill made things much more complicated. If anyone was bound to think of something, it’d be the man that invested in his intelligence and wisdom attributes.
“Working on it,” Nicholas replied. He could only think so fast. [Lust] clouded his mind, and the recent failed attack diminished his spirit. There wasn’t a clear answer like there was with the other sins before her. No one could fathom how to turn her skill against her. Then, there was Sloth. If he woke up and fought alongside Lust, the team would be doomed. They needed to separate the two or finish the first fight quickly.
“Do you need time to strategize our conversation?” Lust asked. She tilted her head to the side. Gentle hands gripped her chin as she thought to herself. What a peculiar turn of events. This had only gone on for a few minutes, but Lust found herself fond of these four. What made them so special? She had to know. A desire to learn every minute detail about them burned within her.
“Conversation?” Rex asked. He looked to his friends to see their equally confused expressions. It seemed he wasn’t the only one to be bewildered. Both sins they encountered immediately turned to chaos and murder. Envy came with an army. Pride kidnapped Robyn. This was the first time they met someone reasonable. The team had already assumed Sloth might have been non-threatening, given that he was fast asleep. Lust was the only wild card. In hindsight, it might have been better to confront her before attacking.
“Yes, I’ve changed my mind about you four. For heroes, you sure don’t look the part. I’d love to sit and chat. I’m quite interested in you all.” Lust said. Her eyes analyzed each of the four people that stood before her. They certainly didn’t seem like the world’s heroes. They weren’t strong enough to damage Lust in the slightest. Without Sloth’s continuous and specified skill, these people would have been no different than commoners. Lust made sure to double-check by utilizing her skill [Analyze]. Sure enough, the mark of a hero was on each of their reports.
“Like, lust interested?” Robyn asked. She took a step back while the others simply gulped. Robyn let out a sigh. She’d definitely have to lecture those boys about how to properly act in situations like these. If Lust wanted to, she could probably turn the team on each other. The more Robyn thought about it, the more it irritated her. A simple succubus could probably wipe out the team. This is why she wanted to train instead of wasting a day eating food. The internal lecture only grew longer as time went on.
“Not at all. Well, partly. That can wait though.” Lust said. She couldn’t help but clarify her first statement. She was interested in all of them through lustful eyes, but that could wait for a different time. For now, she wanted to know every little detail about them. The other sins were no different. Curiosity varied between the remaining lot, but the general understanding was to learn about these four before making any moves. Lust simply liked to make things personal, and Sloth owed her a favor.
“Regardless of your intentions, you’ve got an interesting way of making an entrance,” Xander said. He gestures with arms down the street. Every resident of the city was still unconscious. [Sloth] was slowly draining them of their life force. If nothing was done soon, they’d all die. The team needed to expel these sins from the area or deactivate Sloth’s skill. Thankfully, Lust seemed more reasonable than the two sins before her.
“Ah, you’re right. Sorry, it’s hard to be considerate of those so far beneath you. Very well, the two of us will depart. Come along, Sloth. We have to prepare for their visit back home.” Lust said. She was already mentally visualizing her home. She needed to clean her room in case someone wished to meet with her privately. She needed to redecorate. The main hall was too drab for heroes like these. Plus, certain measures must be put in place in case things go awry. The two sins would have to leave immediately if they were to make any significant changes.
“Actually…about that…” Nicholas said. He looked over Lust’s shoulder. It seemed she never noticed where a certain blue blob went. The team of four could see its actions from their position, but no one wanted to say anything. It would be too awkward. Thankfully, Genesis was always more than willing to deliver a horrible message.
“[FAMILIAR: SLIME]’S SKILL [RAPID DIGESTION] ACTIVATED. SKILL SUCCESSFUL.”
Everyone watched in horror. Lust dropped to her knees. The world went quiet.
Cinco, the slime, had fully dissolved the sin, Sloth.
Moments passed. The four weren’t sure about what to do next. Lust remained silent. Only Genesis had the courage to speak at a moment like this.
“[FAMILIAR: SLIME] HAS LEVELED UP NUMEROUS TIMES. SAID CREATURE NOW QUALIFIES FOR EVOLUTION.”
The team felt awful about their newfound excitement. It was a habit at this point to cheer at each level up due to their rarity. Evolution was something Genesis had never mentioned, and it only promised good things given that it didn’t apply to the main four. This would undoubtedly help in the upcoming tournament. To top off the event, they just remove another sin. They had yet to receive a reward from slaying Pride, so it would be theoretically doubled now that Sloth was gone. The team wanted nothing more than to celebrate, but Lust’s presence made it difficult. They managed to restrain themselves…until Genesis had something else to say.
“A FRACTION OF THE FAMILIAR’S EARNED EXPERIENCE HAS BEEN GRANTED TO ITS SUMMONER AND ASSOCIATED PARTY. ALL FOUR PARTICIPANTS HAVE LEVELED UP NUMEROUS TIMES. ALL FOUR PARTICIPANTS HAVE REACHED THE MINIMAL LEVEL TO COMMENCE A CLASS CHANGE.”
