“I’m sorry about earlier Matt. You know why we started insulting you screaming at you.”

“I’m well aware Adri, that’s not why I’m out here.”

After the death of Xander, the heavens seemed to be weeping. A rainstorm ambushed the group as they returned from the mountains, adding to the unprovoked rage building within all but the knight. In the cold, heartless rain Matthew became their target all the way back to town until they could sit inside and dry off.

‘Hey Matt, good job killing Xander on your own. Why not just do everything yourself?’

‘I’m sad you survived that explosion. He should have taken you with him.’

‘Sometimes I wonder if you love your sister more than me. Maybe you should marry her.’

The downpour, the booming thunder, and the flashes of lightning that threatened to electrocute the man were infinitely preferable to the abuse inside the inn, at least in his opinion. Sitting down on a round, metal table under an awning, he was dry until the wind lashed water at his face, but it was refreshing. No matter what, he was determined to stay calm.

“You’re taking this a lot better than anyone has.”

To Matthew’s relief, the rogue seemed to have simmered down as she sat across from him on the table. He used his light to illuminate the area, to see her face in the otherwise pitch black rainy night.

“Yeah, I’ve thought about what it must be like. It helps that he accepted his death as a possibility, maybe even inevitability. That’s what I tell myself at least.”

“There’s just one more sin left to kill, and I guess since everyone else has taken their turn…”

“You don’t have to, Adriana. Don’t feel obligated just because everyone else has a kill.”

“No, I have to and I will. Everyone else is about to break down, I couldn’t live with myself knowing a friend sacrificed their sanity for my sake. Besides, I’m the only one who can withstand her mind control.”

Matthew figured there was no use arguing; the rogue was not only headstrong, but unfortunately right on the matter.

“Um, guys,” the two turned their heads to see the elf had decided to join them, “I didn’t want to alert anyone yesterday, but Elvenbur is my home. We elves know one another, like one big family.”

“Wait, what are you saying? You think Alex is from your home?”

“What other business would she have there? People don’t visit elves or devils unless they have a reason to, but then again, I don’t remember an Alex.”

“She’s right, elves are pretty family-centric, they’re not keen on strangers but will do anything for elves or their relatives.”

“So killing her is going to be complicated?”

“Maybe. We’ll have to see. I should tell you that elves might not look kindly on me because I left on a rather…sour note. My parents didn’t like Vanessa, but they respect Matt, so maybe things are better.”

“Seems a little a wishy-washy. Guess we’ll see when we get there.”

“I think I’ve taken enough punishment from the weather, I’m heading back in.” The knight stood up, but not before a hug from the elf.

“I’m sorry about what I said earlier, I still love you.”

“It’s fine.” He turned around and returned the hug before heading inside.

“You and Matt seem to be holding together.” Adriana looked at Sarah, her face obscured by the returning darkness.

“Yeah, I’m hoping after all this…this stuff, we can get engaged. You think it’s too soon?”

“I’m not the girl to ask about too soon, you know that.” The rogue sighed. “I’m just worried about you guys.”

“How so? I mean we’re almost done, surely we can handle one more sin.”

“It’s just, Matt and Brian are acting tough about this, like it doesn’t affect them, but I know inside they’re dying. I used to think Jessica was to proud to let this get to her, but watching he break down and become more mellow, it’s like she’s a different person. Eric, well I was so worried he would do something drastic, but he’s managed. Then there’s you, I didn’t know what would happen, but I’m glad to see you’re okay. But, I worry that sooner or later, someone is going to collapse, and I feel like it’s my fault.”

“What do you mean? We’re all in this together, we all agreed to this.”

“Yes, but I’ve been the one pushing it more than anyone. I feel like I’m the one responsible if anyone dies or gets permanently injured.” Concentrating the electricity in her hands, Adriana created a new light source to look into her friend’s eyes. “I want to say this, I’m so proud of you, and the others, for sticking around. You really didn’t have to, but you did.”

Dispersing the electricity, the rogue stood up and made her way through the darkness, embracing the elf. “Thank you, Sarah, you really did a lot for us, and for Matt. Good night.”

“Welcome to Cantabelle!” A long, skinny man greeted the six as they entered the southmost town of the Umbro kingdom. The sun was already working its way down once the group had passed the mountain range.

“Shoo you” the elf waved her wrists at the man who departed into the city.

“What was that about?” The dragoon felt a little bewildered by the sight of someone hanging around the entrance of town.

“Umbro has ‘town greeters’ who greet people and give them a tour of the city or town. If we had the time, I would tour you guys a lot faster, but since we don’t, I’ll just take us where we need to go. Does anyone know how to drive a carriage or a wagon?”

“I’m a little rusty, but I think I’m the only one here who could.” The cleric was elated to know that his experience six years prior was coming to play. “Good thing that Anthony guy showed me how to take care of horses. Guess that two-year mission did come in handy after all.”

The group had rented a wagon, making a break for the east side of Umbro, crossing flat and hilly plains that seemed to stretch onward. From the wagon, the unending grass looked like an ocean of green, not helped by the blurring speed they traveled.

“I’m surprised Umbro doesn’t have cars yet.”

“Well Jessica, Umbro sadly hasn’t gotten many new imports from Pyora recently. No one knows why, but they believe it’s because Coalago has a new mayor.” The elf thought back to her one of trips to see her parents, stopping by Cantabelle to chat with the locals. “There’s also been talk of the steel-coalition branching out into Umbro.”

“Woah what, a steel coalition? You never told me about that, Sarah.”

“Uh, about that,” her face went red, “I was going to tell you at some point, but I figured it wouldn’t be relevant until we moved to Pyora. I guess I should explain what they do.” Taking a deep breath, Sarah’s face returned to normal as she looked at Matt. “The steel-coalition makes all sorts of things, from buildings to trains to whatever people request.”

“Not to interrupt, but are we going to get to make it to Elvenbur before nightfall?”

“Don’t worry Jessy, almost every monster in Umbro is docile, at least to humans. Up here it gets too cold for octoplants or hellions. Just be thankful it’s summer, because it’s been known to snow as early as August around Elvenbur and especially even further north.”

“Oh I love the cold! I can’t wait to move here or Coalago and get away from that crappy heat.”

“I don’t” the dragoon barked out, “I hate the cold. I’d take the hottest day in Lumina over a mildly cold one anywhere else.”

“I prefer a cool day, nice breeze, not too hot, not too cold,” the rogue threw her hat in the ring, the knight, archer, and even cleric nodding in agreement.

The sun began to sink into the earth, boundless grass had only just give way to tan sand that formed a desert further eastward. Just north of where they stopped was a forest, the wagon slowing down to a crawl to navigate the dense foliage and tightly packed trees. With only inches between them, the gaps between the large brown pillars was too narrow for a human to squeeze through, leaving the path the wagon traveled as the only method of entry from the south.

Not long into the path, large buildings sat atop the trees, some circular, some rectangular. The further they traveled, the wider the path became, opening up to reveal a wide swath of homes of far more intricate design and size, with some now sitting on the forest floor. People walking along the road stared at the visitors as they continued down the path until it stopped short of a large building made of stone sitting in front of giant tree that shot up through the sky of tree leaves that shaded the forest. The Archer urged the cleric to stop in front of the building.

“This is the memorial hall. When the war between Lumina and Umbro was still be waged, Lumina tried to attack our village, but the environment forced them to funnel down a path that they couldn’t hope to attack from. This left only the sky as a viable means of attack, which is why we specially train in the ways of archery, to remember those who gave their lives to protect our village and in case we’re ever attacked again.”

“That’s pretty neat” the dragoon’s voice trembled. “So uh, they were dragoons weren’t they?”

“Oh, right.” Sarah felt guilt bubble in her chest. “You don’t have to worry Brain, nobody will try to attack you or think badly of you; I doubt anyone will know you’re a dragoon just looking at you.”

“I more feel bad thinking about it. Just the death and carnage on both sides.”

“Well, we’re going to head inside. If you want to sit out, be our guest.”

“No way, I should come out of respect, and if you find that girl, I’m sure as hell not going to miss a chance to do something.”

As the wagon was parked alongside the building, the cleric was abandoned to deal with the man assigned with taking care of wagons. The others entered the memorial building.

The floor was a sleek white with various colors dotting it at random. The walls to the left and right of the entrance were a clean white, the walls ahead sporting a pattern of pillar, glass column, pillar, glass, and so forth. Between the path down the center, indicated by a red rug, and the walls were wooden life-size statues of figures unrecognizable to the group.

“Sarah, do you know who these people are?” Eric had made the group jump, not realizing he would catch up so soon.

The elf shook her head, “not really. Some people can remember, but I rarely came here when I was younger.”

Further in front of them were three paths, to the left, to the right, and in front of them were doors that led outside to the tree.

“To the left are the men who fought in the ground invasion. To the right are those who fought the aerial assault. In the middle is the tree that was said to have once provided eternal life. The tree existed before the war and is thought to be the reason we were attacked. Instead of using it to never age, it was hallowed out and used as a shelter during the aerial siege.”

“Me, Brian, and Eric will take the left.” Matt figured splitting up would be ideal if they were search for the girl.

“No, I’ll go to the right. It just feels like I should.”

“Okay, Me, Eric, and Jessica will go left. You, Sarah, and Adriana take right.”

On the right side, the dragoon felt drawn to the figures who killed his forefathers. Looking upon their wooden replicas, he felt a mix of respect and sadness.

“The loss of life is tragic, isn’t it?”

With a jolt, all three adults spun around to see a girl inspecting the statues. Wearing a black vest and pants that matched her hair, a plaid undershirt underneath, the trio wondered if she recognized them.

“Alex?”

“Yes, Sarah?” The archer felt herself go numb at the woman’s casual tone.

“Who are you?”

“You just said my name, surely you should know. I know you for being that highly-regarded archer who wanted to go out and see the world. Me? I was the girl exiled for being a freak.”

“A-a freak?”

“Yes. My father and mother always told me to use my abilities as best I could, so I did.” The girl transformed her right arm into a python, the others stared in disbelief. “But when I did, everyone got scared. Dad got angry and hit me, mom got mad and yelled at me, but when I snapped and scared someone with my ability, the village elders told me to get lost.”

“I’m sorry to break up this little pity-party, but Alex, we’re going to have to end you.”

The girl looked at Adriana, a smile creeping along her face, her arm transforming back into normal. “Do you really think you stand a chance against the seven sins?”

“I don’t think, I know. We killed five of your friends before you, you’re the last one.”

The smug smirk was wiped clean off Alex’s face, dread quickly filling its place. “Five? Who have you left alive?”

“Lucy.” The dread on Alex’s face was not despair.

“I see. So you killed…you…monsters.” Darkness surrounded the distraught woman, her shape contracting into the dainty succubus. “I won’t let you kill Lucy.”

Flying away from the group, Adriana pursued her, looking back to see the others were in a running stance, but had not budged an inch. Turning back around, the rogue could no longer find the devil. Stepping carefully forward, she stopped cold when she heard footsteps echo around the corner. Looking below, she melted into the shadows across the floor, hoping she could find the devil undetected.

Moving through the world of darkness proved of little help, as trying to walk forward a couple of feet had spat her out into the normal world again. In the corner of her eyes, Adriana could swear to herself she saw something through the glass wall. Shattering it, she turned into electricity and made her way into the hollowed tree.

The great dead giant was massive, not only in height, but in width too. She hadn’t realized while running, but the tree was the size of a mini-arena, stretching over two-hundred feet. At the other end was her target.

“You’re persistent, but it’s just you and me now.” From her right hand, she created a sparrow made of green energy that bulleted towards the rogue. Turning into lightning, she bolted passed it and in front of the succubus, stabbing her in the gut.

“I’m going to make this quick. Do you have any last words?”

Looking at the rogue, Adriana could see her eyes were filled with rage. “Just seven: you will not live to regret that.”

Before the rogue could see what was happening, she was sent soaring backwards through the air, some blinding orange object having slammed into her with the force of a building. When she could open her eyes again, she regretted it: the succubus was transforming her body again. The devil’s torso sat atop a two-story tall, bright orange scorpion that took up half the tree’s area. The torso was still that of the succubus, seemingly unarmed and in an area that looked defenseless.

Slowly working her way to a standing position, Adriana turned into lightning once again, landing on top of the creature’s body and lunging for the devil’s body. Mid-way through the lunge, she stopped, unable to control her body any longer.

“Not this time. I’ve made sure to focus on you and only you, with all my might.” Unable to move or dodge, the rogue was picked up by one of the pincers before it tossed her helpless into the air and swatted her back into the wall of the tree.

Adriana opened her eyes to watch as the carnival of horrors approached her. Watching its legs move was mesmerizing, almost hypnotic if not for how fast it paced. In a half-second, the rogue figured her opponent must have traveled over eighty feet. It didn’t matter, however, as she felt her body give way, her mind submit to fear, and her heart relent to hopelessness. Just when all seemed bad enough, the scorpion-girl picked up the rogue again, bringing her weak body to the torso.

“Tell me why I shouldn’t kill you right now?”

Adriana’s mind was racing, trying to find the words that could help her in any way. ‘I won’t let you kill Lucy.’ The rogue’s eyes lit up when she remembered those words.

“Because if I die, the others have a backup plan.”

“What? What backup plan?!” The rogue could feel the claw of the scorpion grow jerky, but she had to press her luck.

“If you kill me, they’ll kill Lucy.”

“You…YOU! You’re lying.” Alex’s lip was trembling, as was her voice.

“Am I? Are you really going to take that chance?”

“One of your friends is Lucy’s brother, he would never kill her.”

“He will if he has to, but he won’t have to as long you die.”

“What if I kill you and him?”

“The others will scatter and kill Lucy. There are six of us and one of you, and the others are great at making their way around. You decide what happens: you die or she dies.”

The succubus scowled at the rogue, looking like she had settled on the latter. Adriana could feel her heart stop beating as Alex was in deep thought over what to do. Her heart began racing again when she felt herself move, only to land hard on her hip. Trying her best to stand, she could see the body of the scorpion disappearing, the girl returning to just the succubus form before returning to her human form. The rogue teetered over to the woman, brandishing her dagger.

“Promise” Alex’s face was no longer angry, but now desperate, “Promise me that you’ll spare her.”

“You have my word, she will live.” With another lunge, Adriana landed her strike this time, the dagger plunged into the woman’s chest.

“I wish I could have apologized to my family, even though I only did what they asked. I wish I could take back what I did, but it’s too late. I wish I could tell…I wish…”

Trailing off, the woman’s head tilted down before her legs folded.

“I’m sorry…I’m truly sorry you couldn’t live long to see your last wish come true. Maybe in another life, it will.”