It wasn't long before they were all back at the tavern and were on the move.

"This thing's on a giant pig?!" Titus shouted out, looking out the window with shining eyes.

"For the fifth time, yes, Titus. This tavern is strapped to the back of a giant green pig." Aarona said, a mug of ale in her hands as a look of annoyance had crossed her face. "Seriously this isn't the strangest thing you've seen!"

"I know! Have you seen this other pig here, he talks." Titus said, moving to smoosh his face against Hawk's.

"Hey, get your hands off me!" Hawk shouted, trying to pull out of Titus' grip.

"Stop harassing the pig." Brooke called from where she was sitting on the opposite side of the room. With a sigh she stood up and stepped outside the tavern, going down the few stairs at the front and standing on the back of Hawk's mom, looking over the scenery. The next place they were headed to was Ordan Village. Apparently there had been sightings of an armored knight roaming the forest. Meliodas had suspicions that it was a member of his team- more specifically Gowther, the Goat's sin of lust.

"Ah, Brooke, there you are." A voice said and Brooke looked over her shoulder to see Meliodas standing at the doorway.

"Yeah, just getting a breath of fresh air. Were you looking for me?"

"I was, actually. I wanted to clear a few things up, since you're traveling with us and all." His cheery attitude faded away and a serious expression crossed his face. "That spell you used to heal King- Purify- that's an ability that only Sirens are able to use. No mere traveler could learn how to use that spell as efficiently as you just did. Are you a Siren?"

"I was wondering how long it would take for you to figure it out!" Brooke exclaimed as she looked over her shoulder and grinned. "You're spot on, I'm a member of the Siren race!"

"So going by that then Titus and Aarona-"

"Are members of the Minotaur Race."

"But how is that possible? Both of those races were eradicated 3000 years ago during the Holy War. I saw it with my own eyes. Did your ancestors somehow avoid that fate?"

Brooke paused then turned to fully face Meliodas. The grin on her face faded and a sorrowful look appeared on her face. "No. They didn't."

"Then how-"

"Someone help me!" A voice suddenly squealed and Hawk jumped out the front door, Titus running after him.

"Come here piggy!" Titus shouted following after him.

"Stop harassing the pig you dumbass!" Aarona shouted as she poked the head out of the Tavern, "And get back here before you end up falling off!"

Brooke let out a small laugh, the sorrowful look gone from her face. "If you'll excuse me I think we should put this conversation on hold for the sake of a talking pig." With that she turned and walked over to Titus, grabbing one of his horns and slowly dragging him back into the tavern.

Though as Brooke walked away, Meliodas couldn't help but shake the feeling that she felt familiar to him- like he'd met her before a long time ago.

***

"Been a while since I've been here. Ordan Village looks as peaceful as it always has been." Brooke said as she looked over the edge of the cliff towards the village. It was a tranquil farm village with plenty of fields and wheat mills scattered throughout. Hawks Mom had buried herself into the ground and Diane had laid down- as she had been walking beside the tavern for most of the night.

"Hey Brooke, come in here I want to go over a few things!" Meliodas called from inside the tavern.

"I'm coming!" Brooke responded, turning and walking into the tavern where the rest of the group was waiting.

"Now that everyone is here let's get ready to open the tavern. Us guys will produce the food, and you three can go out there and promote the tavern, oh and could you guys get some herbs too?"

"All right!" Elizabeth said.

"Hawk, you can provide support."

"Fine by me! But do you really think Elizabeth will be okay out there?"

"She's going to be fine. Even with Holy Knights going after her both me and Aarona are going to be there to make sure nothing happens to her." Brooke said. "Besides being stuck in this tavern would only dampen her spirits."

"Hawk does have a point though. Why don't you disguise yourself?" Meliodas said. Suddenly he had sprung into action and Elizabeth went through a few different costume changes- all ones that would only make her stick out more than she originally would.

"I think I'll be fine if I just wear a shawl..." Elizabeth said, now in a very exposing traveling dancer costume.

Once Elizabeth changed into her usual outfit they headed out the door, King, Ban, Meliodas, and Titus had stepped out behind them.

"We'll be going, then." Elizabeth said.

"Right! You three be careful, now!" Meliodas said.

Elizabeth waved at them before turning around, Brooke and Aarona following suit.

Back at the tavern the boys watched as the three walked down the path towards the village. "Why're you dragging me into this, too?" Ban asked.

"Ban! King! Titus! Whoever catches the best quarry wins!" Meliodas said, which seemed to perk Ban up.

"No way am I gonna loose!" Ban said as he cracked his knuckles.

Titus smirked and placed a hand on the back of his neck as he tilted it from side to side, a few popping sounds being heard as he did so. "Not if I have anything to say about it."

"Huh? Captain, come to think of it, where's your weapon? You gonna hunt bare-handed?" King asked, looking down at Meliodas. 

"Oh, hey, I'll figure it out somehow!" Meliodas responded.

"Huh! Victory is mine!" Ban exclaimed.

"You're being a little cocky! I thought your sin was greed, not pride!" Titus said. "I'll be taking that victory!"

"Hey, you two are in the same boat!" King exclaimed, only to be ignored by the two of them jumping off into the forest.

***

Down in the village the girls had started to post fliers all around. As Elizabeth placed a flier over one of Meliodas' wanted posters she broke the silence that had fallen between the three of them.

"Has Sir Meliodas ever armed himself with a proper weapon?" She asked, glancing down at Hawk.

"Don't ask me. Not since I've known him." Hawk answered.

"He used to." Brooke stated as she put a flier up not too far from Elizabeth and Hawk. "A long time ago."

"Huh, did you know Sir Meliodas?"

"Aarona and I've come across him a few times in the past. From what I remember he used to wield a sword. He was insanely strong with it. Though he stopped using one a few years back."

"I see. He's been carrying that sword with the broken blade till now. Could there be a reason for it-?" Elizabeth started, only to be interrupted by Hawk.

"Elizabeth! Hide!" Hawk shouted.

Brooke looked up the road to see a group of horses running along the road. On the other side of the road where Elizabeth and Hawk were she watched as the two of them ducked into a nearby bush.

Brooke just stood by and watched as the knights rode on past them. The knights must be there for the same reason they were- except they most likely were planning on killing the armored beast.

"Those were Holy Knights. They're most likely here to deal with the armored beast." Aarona said walking up to stand beside Brooke. "Some of them are high ranking going by the power surrounding them."

"We should tell Meliodas, then." Aarona said. "If the armored creature is in fact Gowther we can't risk the Holy Knights getting to him fist."

"We need to make sure Elizabeth is safe, Aarona."

"Who cares if she's safe. Besides, all of those knights are most likely going after that beast or something. So let's just go." Without waiting for Brooke to respond she placed her fliers down on one of the walls and walked away and towards the forest, where the knights had been heading just a minute ago.

Brooke watched as Aarona walked away before she glanced at Elizabeth, who was hiding  behind a bush with Hawk. "I guess she has a point." She said before she, too, walked over to the forest.

***

Back with the guys, Ban and Meliodas were showing off what they had managed to catch.

"What do you think of this bad boy?" Meliodas asked, holding up a sword wolf. "Sword wolves are mostly red meat, so they're perfect for smoking! And you can get good money for their hides!"

"Well these little rabbits taste great stewed, fired, or boiled! And the broth you make from these guys is stinkin good too."

"Even so I still think I won the contest." Meliodas said.

"Don't be so quick to claim victory!" A voice shouted and the two sins looked over towards the forest, seeing Titus step into the clearing they were standing in. "With my haul I'm sure to of claimed victory over both of your puny findings!"

"No way-" Meliodas started looking at the creature Titus was single-handily holding above his head.

"-is that a freakin' Scaled Hog?" Ban finished. "And a humongous one at that!"

In Titus' hand he held a giant creature that was at least six times his size. The skin of the creature was covered in green scales that shimmered in the sun and the shape of the animal was reminiscent of a warthog with a large curved snout extending from it's face and two large tusks curving up from it's jaw. "A delicacy in many parts of the country! Good grilled, smoked, boiled, or fried, it's delicious any way you prepare it and if done correctly the venom from it's tusks makes an ale that even kings would kill for! Not to mention the scales on it's body are perfect to use in high quality armor!"

"How did you find one of these, much less take it down without a weapon?" Meliodas asked.

"I grew up in a place where they lived in packs. I've been hunting them since I was a kid. Then again back then they were a lot larger than these so this guy was easy to take down. So, what do you say, you two accept defeat?"

"Well wait just a second, we have to see what King managed to catch." Meliodas said. "King, how did you fare in your..." The three of them looked over towards King only to see him dead asleep on his pillow.

"Quit goofing around!" Ban shouted walking up to the sleeping boy and pinching his nose to wake him.

"Ouch, ouch, ouch!" King shouted as he woke up.

"Now we're got to offset our losses with a decent haul." Meliodas said.

"Isn't what you guys caught good enough? I mean you'd be able to feed a village for a week with what Titus managed to catch." King said rubbing his nose as he floated over towards the three.

"Nope not cutting it!"

"As punishment, go catch something even more awesome than ours." Ban said, then he leaned n close and whispered something to the fairy that made him change his mind.

"No choice, then." King said. Suddenly there was a loud roar and the three of them looked off towards the deeper part of the forest, where birds were flying away due to the sudden noise. "What was that? Couldn't of been a bear of a boar, right?"

"The God of the Mountain, maybe?" Ban said.

"It totally sounded like Hawk moaning when he has the runs!" Meliodas said causing Ban to start laughing.

"Nah, that sounds like some kind of beast." Titus said a grin appearing on his face. "I think that might be that armored giant creature that's been rumored to roam the forest. Why don't we go take a look?"

The boys glanced at each other and nodded, the group of them running off towards the source of the loud roar.

Once they got closer, the three of them came across a group of soldiers laying motionless on the ground, their swords scattered around them with some even impaling other. Within the group of dead soldiers one of them hadn't fallen victim to death yet and had noticed the groups arrival as he had started to reach out towards them.

"Hey! Hang in there!" Meliodas shouted as he ran up to the man and crouched down beside him.

"The Roars of Dawn... are responding to the attack." The man said. "The Armor Giant..." He cut off and started screaming, a look of terror appearing in his wide eyes. "Stay away! The armor-clad monster..." His voice trailed off and his head tilted to the side as the life faded from his eyes.

"Well, that's not a good sign." Titus muttered.

"Armor-clad monster, what the hell's that?" Ban asked.

"Ban, King, we've found him." Meliodas said.

"Hm, oh are you talking about that Gowther guy? Is he the one that did all this?" Titus asked his eyes scanning over the dead bodies littering the forest floor.

Meliodas nodded, "Yeah, it's got to be him. We can't waste any time, lets go!" Meliodas shouted and straightened up only to take off running deeper into the forest- Ban and King following after him immediately. Titus watched as they ran, tilting his head.

I wonder if I should tell them the only power I sense in that direction seems almost demon-like and the magic power they're probably looking for is back behind us... nah, they'll figure it out. With that thought he sprung into action, catching up to the three of them with ease.