Chapter one : The Seven Deadly Sins.

Two knights stood somewhere in the outskirts of the kingdom. In front of them laid dozens, of not hundreds of their fellow holy knights. The youngest one shivered at the sight and stammered a question, to which he already has figured out the answer.
"Who are these people?!"
"Holy Knights, each and every single one of them are holy knights." The other one held himself up, and sounded as though he was used to seeing this.
The youngest one, Alioni was still shaking when he turned in panic to his elder. "What happened to them?! I-I don't understand !"
"What happened?" He kept his stare aimed straight ahead of him and scoffed angrily. "They were all ferociously butchered, in an instant at that, by just those seven people..."

This is a tale of ancient times... an era before the human and non-human worlds were forever divided. When the Holy Knights defended the realm wielding their magical powers, they were feared and highly respected. But among them, a group emerged that betrayed the kingdom and become mortal enemies to all Holy Knights. They were known throughout the land...as "The Seven Deadly Sins".

Your vision was getting blurrier, apart from the heavy helmet with the very thin opening, the fatigue was starting to take its toll on you. You blinked harshly to wake yourself up and tried walking faster, maybe if you did, you'd be able to find someone that could help you. On your left, your older sister had opened the top part on her helmet to allow more air in; the armors were both very heavy, and when you ran you didn't bother to make sure you would be able to carry it for long periods. As you got closer to the top of the cliff, you didn't know that somewhere inside a tavern stood a blond young man that had deep emerald eyes and held the key to saving your kingdom.

The young bartender slammed down the mug in front of the customer and cheekily told him to enjoy his drink. A man opened the door and behind him followed his friends.
"You got room for more ?"
"Sure, wait up !" A few other men that had been slouching at their tables chuckled.
"For such a young waiter, he sure is working hard !" The blond boy stopped in his tracks and pointed at himself in disbelief.
"Oh, well, it's 'cause I'm not the waiter, I'm the owner buddy." He turned back to his table and put the pie down in front of the three men. "Our famous pie, fresh from the over ! It's this exact pie that's made us such a hit !"
The three drunks grabbed a fork each and ate away at the pie, however, once the taste hit their tastebuds, they spat it out and grumbled about how bad it was. They stood up, and one of them rolled up his sleeves, about to hit the young owner.
"Wow, hold on, he's got a sword..."
The blond looked up at his clients, a cold look on his face. "Look at that... seems like we've got a problem. Let's fix that."

The door on his left squeaked and opened, but nobody seemingly came out of the room. In spite of that, a loud high-pitched voice could be heard screeching.
"Is that what you call a mess ? Come on man !" Some clients rubbed at their eyes not believing what was in front of them, some started screaming saying they were going crazy because there was no way a talking pig was standing in front of them."Jeez, what's wrong with these creeps, never seen a talking pig ?"
"C'mon, that's a big mess to clean up, Hawk." The pig dug into the pie the knights had spat out and ate away at it. Once the mess was no more, he looked at the owner in the eyes.
"Dude, next time there better be some actual scraps around here !"
"Hey ! Who wants to try out my recipe for a whole roasted hog ! Family recipe ! Real good !" The pig at his feet shivered and looked up at him.
"Wow, I'm so full I might burst, those were the best scraps I've ever had in my life !" Clients all around the bar laugh at the weird duo but all laughter stops when a man bursts into the bar, panic and fear written all over his face.

"I saw them !" The clients all make him sit at a table before jointing him to listen to what he has to say. "I swear to you ! I saw them with my own two eyes ! It-it was the Wandering Rust Knights ! I saw them out there !"
"Well, I believe him; it's all everyone's been able to talk about lately."
"Come on ! These are just made up stories they tell kids so that they'd stop acting out. If you don't calm down, one of the Seven Deadly Sins will come for you in its bloody rusted armor ! Waaaahh!" Everyone around the man laughs, agreeing with him, but back behind the counter stands the young man, cleaning a mug with a questioning look on his face.

"The Seven Deadly Sins ?" He mutters under his breath.
"You mean to tell me you've never heard of them, kid ?"
"Those wanted posters in that corner are all around the kingdom. How long has it been ? I think ten years ?" One drunk that wore a blue shirt explained, pointing to the wall of the tavern.
"Dozens of Holy Knights from all across the land were butchered so fast that they didn't even have time to defend themselves. And they say The Seven Deadly Sins were the ones who ruthlessly murdered them."
"From what I heard, the way the Holy Knights' Grand Master was murdered... it was so awful nobody could even look at it."

"And they say their captain, Meliodas, is the evilest one of them all, they say he's even brought down entire kingdoms before."
"They are all running free, aren't they?" This statement, that had been asked out of pure curiosity made everyone shake in their seats.
"Yep, every single one of them is still out in the wild."
"Well, I heard rumors that they've been dead for years now." One client raised his hand hesitantly speaking.
"They can't not be ! You think the new generation of Holy Knights would then those monsters run free after what they've done ?!"
"And with our king now stuck in bed from his illness, they'll make sure the kingdom is safe for everyone."
"But, those posters haven't been updated, and it's been ten years. Doesn't that mean they haven't been found ?"
"I mean, some knight in a rusty armor sounds pretty dumb to me..." Just when others started agreeing with him, a crinkling noise could be heard from outside. Everyone looked intently at the door, and right after Hawk spoke up, saying he could smell rust in the air, the door opened. Two knights in dirty armors slowly walk inside the pub, holding onto the wall.

"The Seven Deadly Sins..." The one in the old dark blue armor mumbles so quietly it wouldn't be heard if anyone talked. Every man inside the bar starts screaming for help and runs away, but the young man doesn't even bat an eyelash at the noise or at the knights. He walked around the counter to stand in front of the two, put his hands on his hips and started questioning them.
"Now, now, who are you guys ?" One of them fell to their knees, as the other one put their hands out, reaching for the man, but they both end up falling over. The helmets that were covering them fall to the ground and land in front of the blond, revealing two unconscious young girls.

"Oh man, you think they're part of the Seven Deadly Sins ?" The two young women were laying unconscious on the same bed, and their heavy armors were scattered somewhere downstairs. One had long platinum hair, a fair skin and was wearing a black bodysuit with black socks. The other one seemed a bit younger, they didn't have the same hair color, but the bodysuit was the same, if not for the color, hers probably used to be white but had simply gotten soiled from the armor.
"Huh, they're girls."
"We should check."
He bent down to see the youngest one's face. "That gentle face..." He looked closely at her waist. "Those curves..." He raised his hand to grope her right breast. "This springiness... yep ! She's definitely a girl !"
"You couldn't tell before ?!" The talking pink screeched.

When he tried to gently grope her, the blonde woman slowly opened her eyes, rubbed at them and sat up, feeling the soft sheets beneath her. When she looked up, her eyes crossed with the owner's, they both softened and smiled at each other but their focus switched to the asleep girl that was stirring up from her slumber.
"Ellie ?" You opened your eyes fully and took notice of the stranger's hand on your breast. "Hum ?"
"Your heart rate is perfect." He stood straighter and gave you a thumbs up.
"Oh, thank you. Ellie, what are we doing here ?" You and Elizabeth looked at the blond man who nonchalantly answered in her place.
"You walked in my tavern and passed out on my floor."
"Your tavern ?" Elizabeth looked at him skeptically. He looked like he was your age, and you were way too young to be a tavern owner, even if you wanted to.
"Yep, the Boar Hat. It's my bar."
"Wait, you own this place ?" You butted in, not believing him either.
"Yep, do you find it weird ?"
"Well... I don't mean to be rude, it's just... I saw the sword on your... I assumed..."
"Oh, this old thing ?" He suddenly grabbed the handle and pulled the sword out of its case, waiting to see a long intimidating sword, you yelled and shielded yourself as well as your sister. However, you didn't feel any pain, and when you opened your eyes again, you saw the owner with a broken sword hilt in his hands and a kind smile on his face. "I guess if the handle is the only thing you see it does seem pretty scary. But don't worry, it's really just to scare angry customers away. Makes them think twice before running without paying."

"The real ones to pity are the people who pay to eat your rat tasting food." You turned to Elizabeth who had the same surprised and excited look on her face before running to the talking animal.

"Oh my ! It's a talking pig Ellie, just like the one we asked dad for !" You dropped your head on top of the pig's back and rubbed your hands on his ears.
"Look at him, he's so plump !"
"What's up ? I'm Hawk !" The tavern man walked closer to you and tilted his head.
"So, how'd you like having a pet pig ?" When he saw the way your shoulders deflated, he regretted having asked the question.
"Well, we never got it..."
"By the way, if you're hungry I could whip you up a real nice meal." You noticed Elizabeth shudder for a second before turning to the pig and mumbling something about how she couldn't eat someone this cute. You guessed Hawk had managed to hear it still, because he got offended and moved away from her.
"Hey you ! Watch it !"

The tavern owner was behind the counter cooking something just like he'd offer to you and your sister. You and Elizabeth were standing in front of the seven wanted posters that never seemed to get taken down every year. You saw the look in her eyes, like she was somewhere very far away, so you grabbed her hand a squeezed it gently.
"Hey. We'll find them, okay ? And we'll save everyone." Suddenly, the sound of plates and cutlery being put down made you jump and squeeze your sister's hand tighter.
"Come eat up !" The two of you turned and took seats at the counter, brining the plates closer and grabbing the forks and knives to eat the meal the stranger had very kindly offered.
"First you nurse us back to health and now you feed us... how could we ever possibly thank you enough..."
"You're probably gonna want to taste that food before you thank him that nicely..." Muttered your new pink friend.
"Of course, thank you for the meal." You clinked your fork with you sister's and grabbed some of the vegetables to eat them. Once they were in your mouth, the taste was so bad you twitched and almost fell from your seat.
"What'd you think ?" He smiled at you, his eyebrows raised as if to tease you. "It's terrible isn't it ?"
"Ye-" You nudged Elizabeth with you feet to cut her from ending her sentence.
"It's not really the best, but still, it's delicious." You wipe your eye feeling the tear almost falling.
"What were you two doing anyway, running around in those heavy armors ?"
"We're on a personal quest, to find the Seven Deadly Sins." Elizabeth spoke up with confidence. Hawk squinted his eyes at her, suspicious.
"Now, why would you do that ? Nobody even knows if they're still alive. And they're seriously evil."

Abruptly, a loud bang is heard on the wooden door of the tavern, followed by some yelling.
"Open up ! The villagers told us who's in here ! We are the Beard of the Mountain Cast, serving under the Holy Knights front the root of the mountain. Wandering Rust Knights, members of the Seven Deadly Sins, come out right this instant, and peacefully so !"
"What's with everyone today ?" The blond sighed while Elizabeth and you looked around not knowing what to do.

From the other side of the door, you could barely make out what the knights were saying to each other. They were going to come inside the tavern to fight who they believed to be two of the Seven Deadly Sins, one of them was dead set that this was a serious mission, while the others were relaxed, saying that the enemies couldn't possibly be this strong. One of them banged on the door again and loudly demanded for the rusty knights to come out.
"Yo ! What's up ?"
"What are you doing here kid ?" The "kid" deadpanned and casually answered.
"Im not a kid ? I'm the owner of this tavern."

"The villagers said they saw the Wandering Knights, send them out."
"Alright... hey ! Punk ! Come out !" The knights were expecting two tall, imposing knights to come out, only to look down at their feet to see what looked like an animal wearing pieces of an armor. The pig chuckled.
"Who is calling for me ? Sir Hawk, the rusty knight !"
The pig and the knights started bickering about which order Hawk was supposedly in, before the owner stopped them.
"If the pig's what you want, have at it and grill him all you want."
"Man, give it a rest will you !" Hawk watched his friend get lifted from the collar of his shirt by Alioni.
"You have some nerve. To mock Holy Knights like this."
"Alioni ! Two girls just ran out back !" The knight drops the boy to the ground before turning to his comrades, telling them to call a certain Sir Twigo. You run, Elizabeth following on your left, when you come across the trunk of a tree, you jump to avoid it, before running again.

"I can't afford to let two members of the Seven Deadly Sins get away ! I have to capture them ! Then, and only then, will I be made into a Holy Knight." You almost lose your balance and trip when you hear the knights screaming that a pig is attacking them. You yelp as someone grabs you bridal style and lifts you up in the air. Seconds later, you feel a hand on your breast and open your eyes slowly, looking underneath you and noticing you were in a tree. You raised your head and gasped softly when your eyes met the tavern owner's face.
"You've saved me not once, but twice now, I don't believe I could ever thank you enough." He only nodded, humming while still groping your breast.
"Lady, I'm telling you, just hit him." Elizabeth and Hawk were red in the face from the young man's behavior.

"So, why are you looking for the Seven Deadly Sins anyways ?" Your sister and yourself were standing closer to the edge of the cliff while the tavern man and the pig were behind you.
"We want them to help us stop the Holy Knights." Elizabeth answered, her voice direct and unwavering.
"Eek ! Why would you two want that ? The Holy Knights, they're the king's men, the ones that protect the kingdom ! Real Heroes !" The pink animal yelled at her, confused.
"What if I told you they were truly the ones trying to start a war in our country ? Would you think of them as heroes now ?" You could tell from her voice she was getting angry, so you continued you explanation.
"The other day, the entire royal family, except for his majesty the king was arrested, and they're now being held by the Holy Knights."
"So... the king isn't really bed ridden ?"
"That's just their cover stories. We don't know what they're hoping to accomplish by starting a war. But now, they're drafting people of the kingdom, they're taking people wherever they can. Everywhere you look, they're preparing for war, in a few days' time, they'll probably reach all the way out here." You stared intently at the large fields laying in front of you.
"Yeah, though break, huh ?" The blond man scoffed, with his hands behind his head. Hawk deadpanned and scolded him for not being more empathetic. "So, what does this have to do with the Seven Deadly Sins again ?"
"If there's even the slighter sliver of hope that we can stop the Holy Knights from going along with their plans, they're the ones who can.
"Hold on. You're trying to find these people, even though you're aware of what they've done ?"
"The Seven Deadly Sins... the most vile order of knights the country has ever known. Constituted of seven blood thirsty criminals. Each of them branded with the mark of a beast." As you listened to your sister, memories flashed through your head, of your father telling you stories of them, and between them, one of a strong arm with red dragon tattoo holding you. "Ten years ago, they were suspected of plotting to overthrow the kingdom, so every knight in the realm participated in a full force attack, which resulted in them scattering in the four winds."
"Well, according to the rumors, they each died a while ago."
"Such amazing people wouldn't let themselves get killed so easily !"
"Hmm, but... they're all criminals aren't they ?"
"The Holy Knights are the ones causing suffering to the people ! Long ago, when I was no older than six years old, my father would tell me stories of them. That's when I learned they were the strongest Knights-" The