I looked around, shocked by the fact that only a few people seemed to have heard him.
"Taff!" I exclaimed, thinking of anything that I could pass off as a misheard word. The man opened his mouth to rebuke my statement, but I continued before he could speak. "Come! We've got so much to catch up on, and this hospital isn't the place!"
I left the hospital and noticed that we were a fair distance away from the capital. Due to the distance, there was nobody nearby, only a carriage which was being dragged along by a horned creature.
"What was all of that about, tiny?" He asked, his voice as gravelly and deep as before, but now holding a tinge of annoyance in his voice. "And who's Taff?" I began walking towards the capital's main area once more and heard the clumping boots of Wrath following behind.
"You said you were looking for me," I stated, and brought myself to beside the mountain of a man, arching my neck up to look into his eyes as I questioned. "Why?"
"A voice tells me what to do," he admitted, tapping his temple as he spoke, "and it told me to find a thin demon with a weird mana signature. Told me you were in the Capital too." He added. I looked away from the man and scowled as I thought over his words. The mention of a system proved to me that he wasn't lying about being a Sin.
"Did you ask it anything for it to lead you to me?" I asked, shivering slightly as the wind licked at my bare chest which was only covered by a few bandages, my top being too torn to wear.
"I asked it to lead me to someone who would be involved in a lot of fights," he stated, and I felt his yellow eyes analyzing me as we walked, "but I'm not sure about its accuracy." He shrugged. "Kids like you usually-"
"Scrub the boots of the average strumpet on the street. I've heard," I rolled my eyes, and heard the man grunt in agreement. He didn't know I was a Sin, but his system led him to me? "Well, I'm looking for a new party in the Hunters' Guild. And I guess you'd fi-"
"I don't fight under weaklings," he spat. I felt a large hand on my shoulder pulling me to a halt. "And I don't like how lowly you seem to think of me. Do you understand my power, boy?" He threatened, causing a slight laugh to escape me, which erupted into a fit of chuckling.
"I know you're strong," I replied, wiping a tear from my eye after laughing too hard at his cliché line. "But you're saying that you'd serve under somebody stronger than you?" I asked, looking back to the man's eyes with a renewed vigor and seriousness at the thought of gaining Wrath as a teammate.
"Is that a challenge, boy?" Wrath asked, a flame engulfing his hands as he glared down upon me. I nodded in agreement, which seemed to cause a blood vessel to pop.
He threw a fist towards my face, which I avoided by backstepping. When I stepped back, however, the flames formed into a fireball-like projectile and came hurling towards me.
'Wind Manipulation.'
I conjured a wall of air to blow the attack out, causing the beefy man to resort to kicking at my chest. I allowed him to extend his leg and retorted with a punch to the bottom of his foot, which caused a crack to resound from his shin. He was unfazed, and stomped it down, using it as a force to throw another punch at my face.
I was too slow to avoid it, still confused by his lack of care for his injury, and received a girthy blow to the nose by his bare fist. I tumbled back and shook my head in an attempt to clear the ringing from my ears.
"I thought you were stronger," was all I was able to make out over the ringing before I had to roll and avoid a rock-coated punt that could've decapitated me.
I withdrew my blade, realizing that I had evoked too much of this man's ire to be taking the fight lightly.
'Electric Discharge.'
I slashed my sword through the air, an arc of lighting following suit, then darting towards the white-haired Sin. He took it on his chest, which he had coated in hard rock. I felt my face morphing into one of shock as I watched him take it head-on without flinching.
"You trying to tickle me, boy? This is an attack!" He mocked, throwing another fireball from his fist. I heaved a heavy breath as I calmed myself down.
'Wind Manipulation.'
I once more attempted to block the fireball with a sheet of air, but this time his projectile was a lot stronger, and only slightly dimmed at my attempt to block it. I heard the man laughing heartily as he watched his attack explode upon impact with my bare chest.
I blacked out for a few moments, and awoke against a tree a few feet back, my back stinging from the impact. I had only just made it to my hands and knees when I felt a heavy boot connect with my stomach, lifting me off of the ground.
Wanting to defeat someone without killing them was a pain.
I tightened my grip on my sword, not wanting to lose any hope of winning. Wrath slapped his hand around my throat, and held me tightly, stopping any air from entering or exiting my throat. Thinking fast, I shut my eyes, scanning my available skills.
'Web Secretion.'
I opened my mouth, and shot a thick blob of the web onto his face, covering his eyes, nose, and mouth in the viscous stuff. He let go and began clawing at the goop, cursing me for using such underhanded tactics.
'Vine Control.'
I held out my hand, and hundred of vine exploded from my wrist, the circle of whips lashing out towards Wrath's body before wrapping around it. I saw his eye through a bit of web he had managed to peel off, and the rage which filled it.
I lifted my hand, and the vines followed, the weight of the man not able to be felt. I slammed my hand down repeatedly, slamming the captured Sin into the terrain what must've amounted to be hundreds of times.
After feeling like I had done enough, I retracted the vines. A crater, holding a white-haired, battle-hardened man was visible through the kicked-up dust. I approached the edge of the crater and kneeled next to him.
"Do you finally give up?" I asked, once again cursing the idea of fighting without intending to kill as I knew I'd have to bear the back pain until I killed a beast. I kneeled next to the motionless man, holding my back, and using my now-sheathed sword as an aide.
"Give up?" The man echoed, his voice perfectly fine despite his state. "This power's a bit shit against someone who can deal out a good kicking, eh?" He laughed, and I saw him attempt to sit himself up, his likely-broken arm shaking under the weight.
"What is your power?" I asked, expecting a quip in return.
"I can't feel any pain," he stated, finally having made it to a seated position. "And the voice says that I'll get stronger with the more fights I partake in. Win or lose." He explained, his voice perfectly fine despite the huffs.
"So," I began, a slight laugh escaping me as I tried to regain my breath, "care to join me in my party? I think you'd have won if this was yesterday." I stated, meaning it as a compliment, but Wrath seemed to take it as a joke.
"I think I will. Always good to have a strong ally, especially in these parts," he acknowledged. We sat there a few moments longer, each nursing an abundance of injuries whilst looking at the capital city below.
"And Wrath," I began, causing the man to turn, "let's use names from now on. I'm Levi, and you're…" I trailed off, waiting for the man to state his name.
"My name is Asmode," he filled, "it's good to meet you, Levi." He finished with a laugh, his mana signature was much calmer than when we first met now that he knew I was not an enemy.
"Good to have you onboard, Asmode," I stated, helping the large man to his feet, and using my weapon to support my other side, both of us battered, but only one of us was sore after our scuffle.
[Name: Envy (Levi Elbrus)
Species: Leviathan.
Level: 18
Magic Skills: Devour, Electric Discharge, Electricity Resistance, Water Manipulation (+5), Web Secretion, Vine Control, Wind Manipulation.
Physical Skills: Transform, Night-Vision, Thick Skin.
Innate Skills: Mountain-Splitter Style Swordsmanship (Advanced), Ancient Blood (Not Manifested) ]