The Nymph's Redemption: Acantha's Journey (7ds fanfiction)

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Strike up a Deal

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As Merlin and the others talked, Acantha had a sudden thought. 'If archangels are with the goddesses... Maybe they'll know where I can find more information about them... Or they can give me more information...' She started to think deeply, wandering away from the Seven Deadly Sins and into the kingdom to find where the archangels were. After asking around quite a bit she found all three of them circled at a table. Two still getting over a hangover while Ludociel was looking at a map. The nymph approached them, catching their attention quickly. The sudden attention of multiple people she wasn't the most familiar with definitely caused her to get nervous but she didnt let it show. Instead, she mustered up her words and spoke. "I was wondering if there was anything you could tell me about the goddess ruins around Britannia. Or anything involving the gods and goddesses that involves a location." She stated.

The three stared for a moment before Ludociel decided to take advantage of the opportunity. "That would be quite useful to someone such as yourself wouldn't it?" He chuckled lightly. Acantha had a strangely bad feeling. "You know I can't possibly give out that kind of information for free." The man in a woman's body added. Acantha sent a slight glare. "What Sir Ludociel is saying, is that he would like to make a simple trade." Sariel said. "No need to give such a mean look." The angel chuckled. Acantha raised an eyebrow. "What do you want for trade? I don't have much to offer." The girl said. Ludociel approached her. "Make a contract with me, nymph. If you agree, I'll give you the location of the goddess temples in Britannia." He said, a smug smile creeping onto his face.

Acantha didn't exactly want to but sighed. "Fine. I'll form a contract. But first. You give me the locations." She crossed her arms. The archangel was quick to frown before nodding. He put up one finger and put it to the side of his head before seeming to extract a magic power from it. "There's one in the north and and one in the west of here, deep in the mountains. One to the deep south and east as well." He send the power into Acantha and she instantly seemed to be able to locate the temples on a map. "Thank you." The girl said respectfully. "Now that I've kept my end, form the contract with me." Ludociel demanded rather strictly. The nymph raised an eyebrow. "On second thought... I'm not sure how comfortable I feel consuming the blood of a stranger." Acantha stated. Ludociel was silent and in shock. "And just is that supposed to mean?" He asked.

The green eyed girl looked up at him with a glint in her eye. "It means... I'll be leaving now." She  said and went to walk away. Ludociel tried to grab her arm but Acantha pulled a move she never used that much. She shrunk down to be only three inches tall. The tiny girl booked it through the nearest open door before resizing herself to her usual five foot tall size and made her way back to the tavern. The archangel was shocked as the other two laughed. "Did you just let yourself get tricked by a nymph of all things?" Tarmiel questioned teasingly. Ludociel glared at the other two. "Silence you fools." He stated and sat back down. "I think we all know forming a contract would be impossible to do with that one. Its fairly obvious by that look in her eye a goddess has already laid claim over her, she doesn't know it though." Sariel said with a small laugh.

As Acantha headed back to the tavern she was tackled down by Hawk. "Where were you Acantha?!  You wandered off so randomly!! Never do that again or you're grounded for life!" The pig squealed. Acantha gave a confused look. "I'm not a child." She mumbled. "And I was talking with the archangels. Nothing more." The girl added. "Woah... Hey you didnt take up that Ludociel dude's offer right?! For the contract?!" He questioned. The nymph shook her head. "I needed information from them. So I lied and said I would if they did." Acantha casually said and went back with the sins. Hawk sighed in relief before coming to such a realization. "... You what?!" He screamed.

When Acantha got back where the sins were, Merlin was gone and everyone seemed worried. A moment later, she was returned with a very injured Arthur and Cath. The nymph furrowed her brows and knelt in front of Cath, gently lifting him. Her sympathy for animal type creatures taking over. "Are you alright?" She asked and put a hand on the creature's head. "I'm fine... As long as Arthur is okay..." The cat like creature murmured. As Merlin was asking Elizabeth to heal the ginger king, Arthur started to act strange. He was silent and held up the holy sword. Acantha looked towards the young king and tilted her head a bit. Everyone was confused and tried to get Arthur to snap out of it. The sound of a blade piercing skin wasn't even the true shock. It was finally when blood dripped onto the stone ground that everyone processed what was happening. They all tried to get Arthur to let go of the sword but he wouldn't. It was almost like someone had forced him to do it... Arthur fell to the ground and bled out, going to an unconscious state.

Elizabeth and Merlin rushed to go and try to help Arthur, the boar sin yelling from despair. Even Cath was upset. The girls brought him to a safer area and left everyone else to merely sit on the balcony. Acantha sat on the edge and looked down. Her thoughts quickly wandered to the information given to her. 'I can't leave now... Not at a time like this... Once this is all over. If its exposed I told Zeldris the plans though... Who knows if I'll even be able to leave...' She thought. 'I need to find these locations though... And I'll need a map...' She found herself wandering inside and to her room. But she heard the voice of Gowther from Merlin's lab and looked through the open door to see the doll almost built to perfection. "Hm? Did you need something Gowther?" The girl asked and entered.

The doll had a smile on his face. It was strange yet sweet to see. "No, I just heard someone approaching and wanted some company. I noticed King Arthur of Camelot was injured... Will he be alright?" The boy asked. The nymph only shrugged and sat in a chair across from Gowther. "I can't say whether he will be okay. I'm sorry I don't seem as mournful for it." Acantha said. Gowther tilted his head a bit. "I can tell by that look in your eyes you must have something on your mind. Something important." He stated. Acantha sighed, peaking behind to make sure they were alone. "I'm worried about what will happen if any of the demons speak out to everyone about me having to tell Zeldris about the plans... And I'm so close to figuring out about my past... The goal feels so much further than it actually is... And even if it isn't exposed... What if we can't save Elizabeth and stop Meliodas...?" She was definitely starting to overthink. Gowther only had one arm to extend and gently placed it on Acantha's head. "You definitely overthink a lot. No one will leave you if they find out. Sure they will be disappointed... But the Seven Deadly Sins help everyone in need no matter what. And they never abandon their friends." He said, his soft smile bringing comfort. Acantha was silent for a moment before looking up at her doll friend. "When all of this is over... And when I know Britannia will be safe from the demon race... I'm going on a journey." She stated and looked around before seeing a map on one of Merlin's desks.

Gowther was slightly confused by this and watched the nymph approach him with a map of Britannia. "I got information from the arch angels. And... I'll be traveling to four goddess temples. One in each direction... I don't know which one is the one I need to be in so I don't know how long I'll be gone..." She suddenly got a thought. 'That dream... It mentioned... Three pillars... Maybe... Thats how I'll know.' She thought. "I suddenly remembered how I'll know... So it will be based on luck..." She stated and pointed out each location on the map to Gowther. The pink haired boy looked down at it and nodded. "Are you sure you'll want to do this on your own?" He asked. Acantha furrowed her brows. "I don't know really... It'll depend on how my closeness with the sins are... And it'll depend on if I'm considered a traitor... I can definitely be alone. I've done it before..." The girl said, returning the map to where it once was. The two heard Merlin and Elizabeth approach. "We will be going to see the arch angels and go over the plan for tomorrow. We will fill you in once we arrive back." The princess said as the girls left.

The doll and nymph nodded and waved goodbye before Gowther turned to Acantha. "As much as I enjoy not having to do work, having to sit around gets quite boring with barely any visitors... Acantha... Can you help finish repairing me?" Gowther asked sweetly. Acantha deadpanned. "I'm not a repair girl." She huffed a bit. The doll seemed to pout a bit. "But I want to walk around! I only have one leg!" He exclaimed. The nymph scrunched her nose. "I already said I'm not fit to do repairs!" She retorted and went to leave to her room and prepare her own little plan. She wanted to get a bag set up early in case she needed a secret escape since surely the sound of things shuffling in the early mornings would wake someone up. Thankfully she was given a bag for traveling. The nymph filled it with simple clothes that wouldn't take up much room. "We only have two days to save Elizabeth... And to get Meliodas back to normal... Even then who knows how long its gonna take to eradicate all of the demons..." She said to herself.

When she finished getting a simple bag together she stuffed it under her bed. Later on, Merlin and Elizabeth returned and gathered everyone around to speak on the plan. The sins were sent out to "search and destroy." Which meant they were going out of their ways to find the remaining commandments and keep them from having their commandment stolen. Everyone was given new clothing for battle and the boar hat set off. Rows of knights stood at the green pig's side. Acantha sat up with Diane on the ledge of the roof. They all overlooked the land. Acantha was definitely nervous about all of this...
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Word Count: 1865