Fenrir, Alex, Coco, and Zena were all teleported to a mysterious black realm after seeing the adventurers strongest guild member.
"Where are we right now!? It's so dark, but we can see everyone. This is so weird." Alex said in amazement but also in a worried tone.
The man in gold stood tall, buffed out his chest, and in a demanding voice said, "First, you will answer my question. Who are all of you?"
"Well, my name is Alexandra Benika, daughter of the lord of elves, I turn fifteen years old tomorrow, and I love animals. I also get nervous easily, and tend to ramble on and on and -"
"Enough. You?" His eyes narrowed on Zena.
"I am Zena Vital."
"A bandits daughter. Next."
"I am Fenrir Ironblood."
"Basic looking human with a sword. Weak." He said uninterested. "Lastly, you Miss. Demon." He honed his vision onto the demon of the group. Coco had her hood up so he shouldn't have been able to tell she was a demon, yet for some reason he could.
"I am Coco."
"A pale demon with red eyes. Odd."
Sigh
The man in gold let out a sigh. A breath. Almost as if to relax from what previously ailed his mind. His fierce aura and narrowed eyes relaxed. "What is your group's goal?"
"First, can you introduce yourself, otherwise I am going to just call you Mr. Golden Scary Man The First." Alex said, jokingly teasing the man.
Tsk
"I go by the name David."
"David huh? … That is like a super basic name given your stature!" Fenrir yelled out.
"I find it to be rather majestic, to the point, a powerful name … David." The man became lost in thought thinking about how cool he and his name are.
During this down time, each person had a different opinion of him.
Coco seemed rather impressed by the man's knowledge and the fact that he knew she was a demon. Should I tell him about the God who sent us? Should I ask if he knows who the demon king is? Is he an enemy or an ally?
Alex was annoyed that she, the daughter of the elven lord, was shut down so quickly. Who does this guy think he is?!? I don't care for him one bit! His armor is so shinyyyy though.
Zena, similar to Coco, was wondering how he knew she was a bandits daughter. Does this guy know that my father is dead? Does he know I killed the bandit village? Who is this guy?
Fenrir was somewhat insulted by the man's remark, but he was mostly doing self reflection. How can I stop being so basic and rudimentary? He noticed how average I was with a glance. Please teach me your ways.
"We are here to … kill the demon king…" Coco said, coming to her conclusion.
This line snapped everyone back to their senses. Especially David.
"The demon king, huh. What an odd goal." The man wearing gold said with no real change in expression.
"Odd?" Coco asked, wondering what the confusion is about.
"The demon king is a ghost. He's been missing for who knows how long now."
"Do you have some connection to the demon king?" Coco asked, pressing David into answering more questions.
"Well, the short story is, I am his vassal, well one of them at least."
Everyone paused in place.
Crap, crap, crap! I messed up saying I wanted to kill his boss. Please don't kill me!
Coco, I am going to kill you Zena thought at the same time that Coco was mentally pleading for her life.
"Worry not! I have no intention to stop you. However, I need to ask, why are the four of you, so young, are wanting to kill someone akin to a God?
"Because a God told us to kill the demon king." Fenrir said, finally cutting into this part of the conversation.
Hearing this, David put his arm out in front of him, fingers spread apart. A golden rain droplet fell from his palm.
How did he cast a spell without an incantation? Is his armor a magic tool? Or, does this space belong to him so he can manipulate it as he pleases? This guy is seriously strong! Coco thought in awe.
The floor went from black to white, and from white, to projecting an oval, flashes of green, blue, and red surrounded the oval shape on the floor. After a moment, the image disappeared and went back to black.
"I see." David nodded his head as though understanding a missing piece of the puzzle.
"What the hell was that!?!" Alex yelled in a demanding voice.
"You are hence forward to be known as Team Dirt." David said with a smirk. Although he was wearing a golden helmet, anyone could easily tell that he had a smirk plastered on his handsome face.
"Dirt? Like the ground." Fenrir asked in confusion.
"Indeed."
"At least give us a cooler name that means the same as dirt, like terra or gaia" Coco said, wanting something that sounds less harsh.
Tsk
"Fine … team Earth it is."
"That doesn't sound much better," Coco commented.
"I for one think it is a fine name."
"I am starting to think this guy is just bad at names," Zena said as though David wasn't in the room.
"Anything else that needs to be discussed before we head back? Any much longer and people will begin to notice."
"You never answered what the hell that was!" Alex yelled with the same commanding voice as before.
"It is much too hard to explain, anything else?" David shrugged off Alex's remark.
"Fine then! Last question, what is your formal title?" Alex asked in anger.
Within this world there are two kinds of titles; formal and informal. Informal titles are those granted by the guild or by people who recognize you, akin to a nickname. Formal titles are those granted by higher beings like a God or the demon king. Usually someone with a formal title has some kind of marking.
Alex assumed that someone who claims to be a vassal of the demon king, would have a formal title.
"If the swords, gold, and owning my own domain wasn't obvious enough." The man said gesturing with both hands at his domain. "I am Greed, one of the seven major sins. Make sure to keep that a secret though."
"One of the seven sins? Who are the others!?" Coco yelled out wanting answers. This might lead us to a clue, not just about reaching the demon king, but also why a God brought us here.
"Unfortunately, I am not at liberty to say. However, I will give some info on each one." He cleared his throat as if to signal this will be a long line of history.
"Sloth has never been seen in existence, not even during the war three thousand five hundred years ago; many higher beings consider him useless. Envy is simply unpredictable, do not trust her. Lust is the oldest of the sins. Wrath is someone you just shouldn't get involved with. Pride is an old soul. Gluttony … Gluttony, hmmm, an odd being. Anyway, besides them, there is me, the strongest member of the Sinful Hunters."
With that, David snapped his fingers and their consciousness all snapped back to being in the Sinful Hunters guild hall.
It was as though no time had passed at all. Many didn't even notice they were gone.
David was still above the group, on the third floor, having turned his back to the group, now speaking to the guild master.
"A-a-a-anything e-else I can help you with?"
The group looked back at the frazzled girl.
What the hell was that Alex thought, internally screaming.
I have a headache from being snapped back into my body. Fenrir said, trying not to fall to the floor.
I cant tell if he is mad at us or likes us, I need to know if he is a friend or an enemy. Zena thought.
Time dilation? No one noticed that we were gone? Did he separate our consciousness and our bodies somehow? Ugh, I have so many questions! Coco then looked up at the receptionist. "We would like to register our party name as team Earth."