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They’d barely left the village before they were stopped by five men. By the looks of them, King would say they came from the village he, Meliodas and Ban had just left. They were blocking the path. Four of them were carrying heavy buckets while the man in the front had his arms crossed over his chest. He sneered at them; his nose raised in the air. These guys clearly had a problem with ego. From where King stood, they didn’t seem to have a lot to back that attitude up with. Meliodas moved forward slightly, standing a few steps in front of the others.
“Do you mind?” Ban asked, his jaw painfully taut. King knew it had to kill him to not just throw them into the forest and continue their way. Honestly, he would let him. Today had been exhausting. He didn’t have the energy to deal with stupid villagers trying to prove something.
“Actually, I do, monster,” the man in the front spit out. Venom laced the word and King was instantly on high alert. It wasn’t like he wasn’t aware of the reputation the Seven Deadly Sins had throughout Britannia; seven sinners, that’s what King Bartra had foreseen. Maybe these guys were after more than just proving themselves – or proving themselves in a different way.
Meliodas’ hand shot out almost instantly, grabbing hold of Ban’s arm as he bristled at the jeer. He had a point of course. Even if King in that moment wished he would have just let Ban fall for the apparent provocation. He shoved back the mental image of Diane’s upset expression at insults like that and focused back on the matter at hand. The captain was right. The last thing they needed right now was a bunch of dead villagers. Especially ones who were only armed with… water? They were armed with water. Killing them would be, well, overkill. Were they seriously confronting three Deadly Sins with nothing but water? They might not have worn their armor right now, but still… Yet, no matter how King looked at it, that was the only answer he found. The clear liquid in the buckets had a sharp and somewhat sweet smell, but it seemed to only be water.
The man to the leader’s left shifted from foot to foot, his gaze darting between the knights before him. He bit his lip, the water almost spilling from his bucket as he changed his hold. King noticed how Meliodas’ gaze flickered to the bucket. In contrast to King’s confusion at their weapon of choice, a realization seemed to pass over Meliodas. For the briefest moment, King watched as his eyes widened and he staggered backwards several steps – then two buckets worth of water hit them.
Ban’s affronted cursing cut off sharply when Meliodas screamed.
King had known Meliodas for years, had been in more fights and battles with him than he cared to count. He had never – not once – heard him scream like that before. The sound sent ice through his veins. Ban seemed equally frozen to the spot, both of them staring at their captain shocked.
The villagers took that moment of distraction to throw another bucket of water. This one was solely aimed at Meliodas. The water hit its mark before either King or Ban could do anything to stop it. Meliodas let out a new set of screams. Somehow, they sounded even worse than the first. Meliodas collapsed to the ground, shaking arms covering his face.
King sent Chastiefol forward right in time to shield Meliodas from the third and final wave of water as Ban pounced on the attackers. King ignored the sound of fighting – slaughter – as he kneeled in front of Meliodas. His hand hovered over his shoulder, unsure whether or not to touch him.
His skin looked like it was steaming. Blood speckled his arms as his skin looked raw and burned. It wasn’t lasting, thank goddess. The injuries were quickly healing, leaving only the blood and the memories. His screams still echoed hauntingly in King’s mind. Meliodas still hadn’t moved from his defensive position though. His breathing was ragged, chest heaving as his whole body seemed trembled. King was almost scared to know what kind of damage the water had done to his face. What the hell had just happened? He’d thought it was just water. Strangely smelling water, but still just- Shit!
It was holy water. The realization did little to ease King’s horror. It all made sense now. The villagers had seen them fight and must have figured they would have to be demons because of it. Something that would merely have been an annoyance – and really? The demons had been sealed away for 3,000 years now – except Meliodas was a demon.
Okay, it wasn’t actually “holy water”. There was no such thing. Meliodas had actually looked quite miffed at the idea that something like prayed-upon water could bring him down when the subject had first come up. Holy water was a stupid notion created by humans who had never even seen a real demon. It was a fairy tale for those scared of the horrors of the shadows, for those who wanted to believe that a prayer could protect them from the demons should they ever return.
No, given the smell, this so-called holy water came from The Pond. King didn’t know its actual name because it lacked a name in the common language – and well, Meliodas obviously didn’t speak the language of the goddesses. Either way, it was a revered pond in the Celestial Realm, the water of which had been blessed by the Supreme Deity herself, and therefore held destructive qualities against anything impure. Or so the legends told. King didn’t know how much of that was actually true. It wasn’t like he’d ever had the chance to ask any goddess about it. According to Meliodas though, the pond was considered so sacred that I hadn’t even been considered as a weapon against the demons. If it had, perhaps the ancient war would have gone down a lot differently – or maybe not. King doubted even a pond like that had enough water to stop an entire race.
King wasn’t entirely sure how exactly these buffoons had gotten their hands on water from the Celestial Realm, but he supposed the old shaman that “heard the voice of the goddesses” maybe wasn’t as crazy as he’d been deemed by the rest of the village. Not that any of it mattered anyway. What mattered was Meliodas – who still wasn’t moving!
“Captain?” King asked, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder.
He quickly removed it again as Meliodas let out a sharp growl. A warning. Meliodas folded into himself; his arms disappeared from his head and instead dug into the earth before his knees as he tucked his chin against his chest. King still couldn’t see his face. Meliodas’ bangs hang down, hiding him from view. King could see his lips pressed tightly together though. The skin around them covered in small bloodspots. It was probably healed by now. Meliodas’ arms almost looked uninjured at this point. King didn’t know what to do; he should be fine by now! Another growl sounded. It soon tampered off into a whimper. King turned and shouted over his shoulder.
“Dammit, Ban, stop kicking the dead and help me!” his voice cracked at the end, desperation seizing his throat. Meliodas was supposed to be fine by now. At least by the looks, but this was holy water – or whatever you wanted to call it – were the effects graver than they looked? Was there something King was missing?
“What’s happening?” Ban asked urgently as he ran over to them. He was covered in blood that wasn’t his. He kneeled by Meliodas as well, and just like King was stopped in his approach by a low growl. This one louder – less warning and more warning!
“I- I don’t know?”
“Hey, Cap’n,” Ban tried to get his attention but refrained from touching him. “Can you hear me?”
Meliodas didn’t respond. He just folded even more, until he was practically touching the ground with his head. His hands dug even deeper into the earth and – darkness flared around them. It was only for a fraction of a moment, but it was enough for both King and Ban to notice it.
Well, shit.
Ban rose to his feet, basically lifting King by the collar of his clothes. He took a couple quick steps back and then unceremoniously dropped King to the ground again. The fairy wasted no time flying into the air, sending him a sharp glare. Only for a second though, before his attention was back on their captain.
“It’s okay, Cap’n,” Ban said as more darkness flashed from Meliodas hands. Some of it even travelled up his arms. King shifted a little in the air, gaze flickering between Meliodas and Ban. He didn’t know exactly what had gone down in Danafor, but he knew how destructive that dark power could be.
At least, the reality of what was happening filled King’s mind and suddenly it all mad sense. The holy water itself shouldn’t have been enough to incapacitate the captain like this. It hadn’t been enough. The water had startled him, injured him, even caused him to collapse. It would have been a quick recovery, but… It also triggered him. Triggered that underlying demonic defensiveness. And with the pain and the injuries and the situation and- His control had slipped.
He hadn’t growled to keep them away because he was hurt. He was scared that he would hurt them.
Okay, now that changed everything. King threw a quick glance at Ban, bracing himself a little before asking, “Do you need us to leave?”
“Like hell we will!” Ban shouted immediately. Yeah, he had figured he wouldn’t agree. Idiot.
“I wasn’t asking you!” King snapped back almost as quickly.
So, maybe King let himself get baited by Ban as they continued. Maybe Ban let himself be baited back. It wasn’t like the small argument back and forth that broke out was either of their intention. Maybe a part of King had hoped for just that. It felt normal, expected – as safe as anyone could around Ban. It made King forget himself and how suffocating the whole situation was. He didn’t feel tense, he just felt annoyed. For a moment, it was just him and Ban going at it again. Any second now the captain would-
It was as if someone hit the balloon with a nail. He and Ban deflated at the same time. The guilt seeming unanimous between them. When King turned back to look at Meliodas with flushing cheeks and a hammering heart, he could swear the captain’s mouth had twitched. Just the slightest bit for the tiniest moment.
"You want us to leave?” There was no way Ban would actually do that, but the fact that he was even asking was telling. Meliodas shook his head. A small, but oh so noticeable motion. King felt the air rush through him. They both stood still, watching him for a bit longer.
When his fingers uncurled from the ground, they approached him again.
“Can you hear me, Cap’n?” Ban asked again, as he crouched beside him. Another motion, this time a nod, and King let himself really feel the relief. “Good.”
Ban punctuated the mutter with wrapping an arm around Meliodas. The captain let out a small yelp as he tumbled backwards, falling against Ban’s chest. Ban kept him there and used his other arm to turn it into a full embrace, propping his chin on the captain’s head. King finally got a good look in his face. By the blood left, he was almost glad he hadn’t seen the initial damage. As it was, King was just happy to meet the green of his eyes once more.
“You okay, Captain?”
Meliodas’ gaze flickered around them; “The villagers?”
King rolled his eyes. He probably should have expected that.
“Dealt with,” Ban muttered darkly behind Meliodas, who actually had the audacity to sigh.
“That-”
“Was self-defense,” King finished. Meliodas raised an eyebrow at him. Okay, yeah – King didn’t care if he’d had a point this time. Those guys got what they had coming.
“They tried to kill you,” Ban pointed out. His tone wasn’t harsh, but Meliodas’ gaze still fell as his smile slipped.
“That wouldn’t have killed me,” Meliodas mumbled, falling quiet for a moment. “We should probably head back now.”
King nodded his head, regarding the captain briefly, “You good to walk?”
“Oh, I’m fine!” Meliodas immediately insisted and jumped to his feet. To his credit, he didn’t waver. King shared a glance with Ban as Meliodas dusted the dirt of his clothes. Between Ban and Chastiefol, they could handle it if that turned out false.
“Home we go then,” Ban hummed.