The Princess Slave of Anger

8 Act: Set Back

When Lili awoke the next morning, The sun had already risen above the horizon. She stood up tall, stretching her arms up.
She pauses suddenly, a look of pure shock on her face. She drops her arms suddenly, and stares in bewilderment at her hands. She looks down at her ankles, surprised to see that they are no longer bound.
"Sorry about that. You just looked so uncomfortable trying to sleep last night." Wrath says from his position on the ground.
"Y-you did this? Why?" She asks him, dumbfounded by his words.
" Eh." He shrugs. "Board mostly. Kinda wanna see which one you're gonna do first. Kill me or run away." He says with a nonchalant attitude.
"Oh." She says, defeated.
"You also looked really, really uncomfortable." He states again, a grin plastered across his face. "Alright!." Wrath says, as he jumps up. "UP!" He shouts, laud enough to shake the trees. In an instant, both Lust and Gluttony jump from their places on the ground, and snap to attention. "Sir!"
A few seconds later, Sky rises up from behind the log, looking groggy, with her hair a mess. "Huh?" She murmurs as she rubs the sleep from her eyes.
Meanwhile, Lili stares in amazement at the soldier-like qualities of the sins. Responding instantly to Wrath's commands, and standing at attention.
"Incredible." She murmurs to herself.
"Isn't it?" Wrath says. "But don't worry. Soon you'll be as obedient as they are." He says with a sly smile, before shouting to the others. "Alright! Move out." And walking in the same direction they were traveling the day before.
"Oh. Right." Lili says under her breath, a sense of defeat washing over her, as she remembers that she is a slave. And the only way to save herself from this hell, is to seduce Wrath himself.
"Easier said than done." She mutters to herself as she strides to keep up with the rest of the party, who has already moved on with Wrath in the lead, followed by Lust and Gluttony, who carries Sky while she still wakes.
The party walks for hours. Soon after departure, Gluttony let Sky down to walk for herself. But after walking for a few hours, she now rode graciously in his arms. An hour after that, Lili was forced to ask Wrath for a ride, the sin grinning as he offered her his back. The three sins together then walked at an unrelenting pace, faster than any human could walk. Their breath never falters, and their legs never seem to tire. But finally, the three stop in a clear patch at midday.
"Right. Lunch time." Wrath says as he lets Lili down.
"Do you guys even eat?" Lili asks mockingly. Still not believing the so-called sins are devils.
"Well we don't nee.." Wrath stops suddenly, as he lashes his hand out behind Lili.
Lili turns suddenly, seeing that Lust looks as if he has just thrown something, and noticing Wrath's still outstretched hand. Between his fingers, is a knife.
"Your aim's gettin pretty rusty." Wrath says with a laugh.
Lust smiles an eerie smile. "It's not you I was aiming for."
"Oh? Have you forgotten the rules?" Wrath asks. "You have a problem with a sin's property, you take it up with them." Wrath steps forward, drawing both his blades. "So how's it gonna be?" He asks with a smile. Lust in turns smiles, drawing a short sword in one hand, and two daggers in the other. He then lunges forward at blinding speed, stabbing at wrath with his sword. Wrath parries and thrusts forward. Lust dodges easily, leaping back, and throwing his daggers at Wrath, who lazily deflects them. The same pattern continues, with Wrath offering lazy blocks and parries, while Lust leaps about with the grace of a field mouse.
Lili steps over to where Sky and Gluttony are watching. "What the hell happened? They were friends a moment ago." Lili asks, slightly confused.
"Tis the curse of Lust. His Lust is infinite and ever changing. Some days, it is a lust for power. Others, a lust for sex. It can change as frequently as the wind." Gluttony responds.
"But. He tried to attack me? Why?" Lili asks. Gluttony ponders for a moment.
"It could be a lust for power. And he was challenging Wrath in a way that would get a fight out of him. Or, it could be his lust for you. Or someone. He is the only one walking away from this endeavor without a prize." Gluttony says.
"Aww." Sky says, causing Gluttony to crack a smile.
"Perhaps his plan was to call 'accusation through victory' on Wrath, if he were able to win." Gluttony says, looking on at Lust and Wrath's ongoing battle. Lust has since drawn his second short sword, using the two blades to rapidly thrust and strike at Wrath from every conceivable angle. Wrath has since flipped both his blades, so he holds them in a reverse position. He continues to defend every shot that Lust throws at him, but this time he doesn't offer any sort of parrie.
"What's with the change in position?" Sky asks. "He seems more set on defense now."
"It is the third of his three blade styles." Gluttony says. " Each of the sins have adopted fighting styles, akin to animals. Mine, for example, is the bull. But Wrath uses three unique styles. The first you saw was tiger. A fighting style, where both blades face outward. This style optimizes his attacks, but minimizes defense. The second, is scorpion. A blend of attack and defense, where one blade faces inward. And this form is the form of defense. Dragon style. A near impenetrable defense, but still able to deliver unique attacks, to throw opponents off target."
As the battle continues, Wrath takes on the offensive. As Lust charges him from the front, Wrath defends easily. He then slashes his blades in front of him, aiming for Lust's gut. Lust back steps effortlessly, as the blades each take one pass. On the second pass, Wrath spins on his foot, putting his back to Lust. He then jabs his blades behind him, nearly impaling Lust. Lust struggles to block the incoming attacks, clearly not expecting such a move. Lust backs up further, before Wrath spins around while raising the blades in the air, and brings them down atop of Lust; still in the reversed position. It takes all of Lust's effort to block the attack with both blades, but the sheer force of the attack drops him to one knee. Wrath presses the blades downward, as Lust struggles to hold his own. Then, Wrath kicks Lust straight in the chest, hard enough to send him flying back into the base of a tree, with a loud thunk and crack of bone.
His body slumps to the ground, with blood dripping from the corner of his mouth.
"Is that...the best...you go.." Lust starts through shaky breaths, before Wrath throws his sword at Lust. The sword embeds itself in the tree, inches away from Lust's face, instantly shutting him up.
"My best...Should scare you." Wrath says with a grin. Lust laughs too, though it sounds more like a gasp for air. Wrath sits down with a chuckle, leaning his back against a large rock. Gluttony plops himself down, crossing his legs as he does so.
Sky and Lili follow suit.
"Do you guys fight a lot?" Lili asks, breaking the silence. This is followed by a chuckle from all three of the sins.
"Is Gluttony fat?" Wrath asks.
"Is Lust a perverted freak?" Gluttony asks.
"Is Wrath a controlling prick?" Lusts asks.
The three laugh together. "We are literally the worst of the worst in this world. Of course we fight." Wrath says with a laugh.
"Yeah, but no one can beat Wrath." Lust chokes out. The blood from his mouth stopping. "But I guess we do fight a lo..." Lust is suddenly interrupted by a low growling noise. The four of them look around frantically, before all eyes land on Sky. She blushes as she clutches her stomach. "Hehe. Sorry." She replies.
"Damn it Gluttony! You got to feed them!" Wrath shouts with a laugh. "God, Envy would kick your ass if she found out about this."
"I know, I know. But I don't have any left." Gluttony replies. "We will have to stock up in the merchant village."
"Great. Lust? How far is the village?" Wrath asks.
Lust sits up a bit, using Wrath's sword to help support him. "Ugh. Another hour." He says with a cough.
"And if we were to do it?" Wrath asks, clearly hinting at something.
"Half that." Lust says with a smile. Wrath smiles too.
"Gluttony? You ready to bounce?" Wrath asks.
Gluttony smiles with a low chuckle. "Always."
"What are you guys talking about?" Lili asks.
In an instant, Lust leaps up, pulling Wrath's sword from the tree, and tossing it to him. Wrath stands immediately, catching the blade, and sheathing it before walking over to Lili, and hoisting her over his shoulder in one motion. "AHHHHH! What the? Wait? HEY!" She shouts.
Gluttony rises, and clutches Sky to his chest like a young child.
"Let's move!" Wrath shouts, and all three sins take off together. Wrath in the lead, dashing along with a still screaming Lili at his shoulder. Lust takes a huge leap, sending himself into the trees, where he leaps from branch to branch like a wild animal, while Gluttony bounds along with Sky clutched in his arms.
The three of them move through the forest faster than any normal human could. Leaping over fallen logs and rock with ease. About halfway through, Wrath changes positions, carrying Lili in both arms.
After a long few moments, Lili looks up, and panic sets in as she notices that they are running straight for the edge of a cliff.
"Cliff!" She shouts over the roar of wind. When her words don't seem to reach Wrath, she closes her eyes, and braces herself for the fall. But in a sudden moment, the wind and motion stops.
She cracks her eyes, to see that they stand only inches from the edge of the cliff. She looks away instantly, and tightens her arms around his neck. After a moment, Gluttony comes bounding over with Sky, who looks much more awake than she did a moment ago.
Another moment passes before Lust leaps down from the trees to stand next to Wrath.
"There it is." Wrath says, breaking the silence. Lili and Sky look up, gasping in shock at what lies before them. The cliff itself stretches down a good hundred feet, before coming to a stop, revealing a beaten dirt path, which leads to the bustling and busy city lying just under the horizon.
The city itself is surrounded by a low stone wall outlined in wood. Inside the wall, very few buildings exist apart from bars, hotels, and red houses. Everything else is made up of traveling merchant stalls, carts, and other pop up stands. Between the stands, a large number of people walk the streets, stopping from vender to vender. Children run and play together while parents shop.
"Ah the merchant village. Such a beautiful place..." Lust trails off looking between Wrath and Gluttony. The three look between each other for a long moment with serious looks on their faces, before they all burst into fits of laughter. "You only say that because of the cheap whorse you perv." Wrath laughs out.
"Holy crap he actually looked serious." Gluttony bellows.
"I couldn't do it. I couldn't keep a straight face." Lust laughs.
"Get out of here." Wrath says, slapping Lust on the back. Lust is driven forward by the force of the impact, causing him to fall over the edge. "Oh you dick." He shouts as he plummets down.
"Holy! Hey!" Lili shouts, fumbling over her words, before noticing that Lust has pulled a short sword from his hip, and has driven it into the side of the cliff, allowing him to slide down the cliff at a manageable speed.
"Welp. Can't keep him waiting." Wrath says casually as he steps off the cliff, allowing himself to fall for a moment, before shifting Lili in his arms, and japping one of his swords into the side of the mountain, mimicking Lust. Lili Clutches to him tighter than before. Gluttony follows swiftly behind Wrath, using his axe to do the same. The Sins slide down the cliff, and land at the base.
When he lands, Sky leaps from Gluttony's arms landing  gracefully. " That was freaking sweet!" She shouts, cheerfully. She looks over at Lili, who still clutches to Wrath, holding herself up despite Wrath having arms to his side.
"I'm guessing you don't enjoy heights?" Sky asks sarcastically. Lili does nothing but shake her head in response.
"Ah geez. Get over it. Come on, we gotta go." Wrath says, attempting to pry her from him, only to give up and start walking. The others follow suit.
After a few moments, Lili lets herself down, hiding her embarrassment as best she can.
After some time, the party enters the city with no trouble. Wrath then gathers everyone in a small huddle. "Alright. Gluttony, you're in charge of getting supplies. Make sure we are well stocked." Gluttony nods, leading Sky away with him. "Lust, I need you to gather information. Especially anything about the Princess we are hunting."  He says, turning to Lust. No one notices Lili tense with fear at the mention of herself.
Lust nods, and dashes off to one direction.
"What about us?" Lili asks. Wrath looks at her with a smile. "We get to find a place to stay for the night."

~Enjoy the Cookies~
Frooki3