A few days later, Rana arrived with a caravan of volunteers, only to find a brand-new gate that looked stronger than the last, barring their entry into the town of Hallibrush.

“Hello! Is anyone there?” She shouted.

“Is that you, Rana?” A voice called out from the other side of the gate.

“Yes! I brought help!” She called.

“That’s great! One moment, we’ll get the gate open!” The voice replied.

After several minutes the gate was opened. A demi-gorilla met them.

“It is so good to see you, Rana! To those of you from Venture, thank you so much for coming to our aid!” The demi-gorilla bowed his head to them.

The demon with four arms that stood next to Rana furrowed his brow.

“You seem rather relaxed for being under assault.” He commented.

“Oh, well, Mayor Toto will give you more details. I sent someone to notify him. Just head to the central building. He will likely meet you in the town center. But just to summarize, a powerful savior appeared and defeated the humans for us. We currently have them in custody, and Galgalake is sending a contingent of soldiers to take them and also station some here for protection.” The demi-gorilla replied to the demon.

“Really?” The demon was interested in learning who the savior was.

The demon signaled for their transport vehicles, larger and longer versions of the carriages, into the town.

As the demi-gorilla mentioned, Mayor Toto met the group before the town center.

“Welcome, Vice-Commander Vexaloy! I truly am thankful you came to our aid. I am sorry to report that someone arrived ahead of you and dealt with the interlopers. But please, join us in our celebration! Consider it as an apology.” Mayor Toto said to the four-armed demon.

“No issue. We are glad that you are all safe. Hallibrush has been a good friend to us. I hope forty demons won’t impose too much on your town.” Vexaloy replied. “So where is this savior? I am curious to meet them.”

“Ah, Sir Caeldaemos is inside the town hall.” Mayor Toto answered with a chuckle.

After giving orders to his soldiers and militia, Vexaloy joined Mayor Toto and Rana in heading into the town hall.

Half of the hall was littered with drunken demis, all passed out around a table where Caeldaemos sat, seeming to have a drinking contest with a demi-bear.

The demi-bear slammed his mug down and began swaying. “I… I ain’t finished.” He heavily slurred his words.

Caeldaemos grinned happily as he finished off his mug. “I keep telling you guys that you literally cannot beat me, but you keep challenging me.” Caeldaemos laughed loudly, speaking without a single note of a slur to his words.

The demi-bear tried to reach for another mug but fell from his seat to the floor, snoring.

Caeldaemos raised his mug, “Another one bites the dust! Gah, hah, hah, hah!”

Caeldaemos noticed the approaching party. “Rana! Glad to see you made it back safely!” He welcomed her with a wide grin.

Vexaloy furrowed his brow at Caeldaemos.

“Huh? Who’s this?” Caeldaemos asked while looking at Vexaloy.

“I am Vexaloy, vice-commander of the town guard of Venture. And you are?” Vexaloy did not seem pleased.

“Name’s Caeldaemos! Nice to meet you. Pull up a chair!”

“I think I will find someplace else.” Vexaloy turned and left the town hall.

Caeldaemos was confused over this and turned to Rana and Mayor Toto. “Uh, did I do something wrong?”

“Well…” Mayor Toto began.

Michael learned then that demon society thought highly of maintaining themselves properly, noble, and dignifiedly. They believed that order must be held so that peace and harmony could prevail. Actions such as Michael’s were seen as highly undignified.

“So, being boisterous and having fun drinking are bad in demon society?” Caeldaemos asked.

“Yes. He must have been put off by a demon acting in such a way.” Mayor Toto replied.

“Hmm.” Caeldaemos leaned back in his seat in thought. “So, this is just a guess, but they probably avoid the seven deadly sins like the plague.”

“Seven deadly sins?” Rana asked, taking a seat and sipping from a mug.

“Oh, yeah. The deadly sins are basically things people pursue, and if they pursue them too far, it leads to their death. They are labeled as sins because they often lead to doing bad things.” Caeldaemos explained.

“What are the seven?” Mayor Toto asked, sitting at the table.

Others also became curious about what the sins were.

“Uh, let’s see. Wrath, Sloth, um, Envy, Lust, Gluttony, Greed, and the last one is Pride.” Caeldaemos listed off.

A demi-cat laughed. “How can Envy lead to death?”

Caeldaemos thought for a minute. “Uh... Oh! I remember hearing a story about a woman who killed two people.”

“Does this have to do with envy?” Mayor Toto asked.

Caeldaemos nodded. “What happened was that the woman was the sister of one of the victims. The two women loved the same man, but he chose the older sister. I think the reasoning was something about the two being childhood friends, which grew into love. The man and woman married and were expecting their first child when the younger sister killed them.”

“What? Why!?” A demi-woman exclaimed.

“They interviewed her and released the transcript. Apparently, she never let go of her love for the man, constantly desiring her sister’s happiness. The coroner, er, do you guys know what that is?” He asked.

Mayor Toto nodded. “Yes. It is a special position where a medical professional investigates the cause of death. We have someone here with her apprentice.”

“Ah, cool. So, the coroner discovered that the older sister had been ingesting a low-level poison that would slowly harm the body and prevent her from ever having children. The younger sister was the culprit.”

“Okay, but that still doesn’t clearly say why.” A demi-bird woman commented.

“Oh, sorry. The reason for her doing was envy. She was envious that her sister was loved by the man. Envious of their marriage, their happiness, and the pregnancy that should not have happened. She felt the world was working against her and her happiness. The younger sister became so obsessed that her envy turned into hate. In the end, she only saw the man and her sister as obstacles in the way of her happiness, so she stabbed them both to death. That is how envy or any of the deadly sins can lead a person to commit evil.”

The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

The demi-cat’s ears folded down, and she shivered at the idea.

“Now, that is a bit of an extreme example, but it is something that can be born of envy. Many of the other sins can easily line up with that example with just some minor alterations.” Caeldaemos explained.

Mayor Toto thought of what Caeldaemos had said earlier. “You may be right. Demons do try to avoid such things. But I think they do take Pride in the way they live.”

Caeldaemos laughed. “There should be no harm in taking Pride in your lifestyle, so long as you don’t let it kill you or others. If you are willing to die or let many die just so you can say, ‘At least I maintained my Pride,’ you are probably guilty of the deadly sin.”

He felt something warm lean up against him. Looking down, he found Rana nuzzling against him.

“Um, Rana?” Caeldaemos wondered what she was doing.

“Mmm. Thank you for saving me, my lord. I hope to repay you.” She looked up at him with doughy eyes.

“Uh, are you drunk?” Caeldaemos asked.

“Just a little tipsy. Mmm.” Rana rubbed her head harder on his chest.

“Ho, ho, ho. Perhaps you should retire for the night Sir Caeldaemos.” Mayor Toto teased.

“Hey, uh, look, I’m a….” Caeldaemos started but stopped when he saw Rana’s sad puppy dog eyes.

“Do you not like me, my lord?” Rana asked.

“That’s not fair!” He complained to the chuckles of those around them.

Rana kept up her persistence until Caeldaemos jumped into a shadow to escape. The town hall burst into laughter at the shy savior being run out by a demi in heat.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Vexaloy returned to his group of fellow demons. They were enjoying food and drink in moderation while conversing casually with the various demis.

“Yeah! It was an amazing sight! A single swing of his wings and soldiers would go flying about! Sir Caeldaemos is truly our savior!” A demi-lion said.

“I feel like the best one was when he obliterated the shielders with a single punch!” A demi-bird said.

A demon with spines on his back noticed Vexaloy’s return. “Vice-Commander? Is everything alright?”

Vexaloy sat down with them. “He is a disgrace to demon-kind. Embracing such brazen behavior.”

“You say that, but you don’t mind being around demi-humans acting as such.” The spine demon pointed out.

“Well, demi-humans know how to control themselves, unlike humans,” Vexaloy answered, annoyed at being called out.

“I spend a lot of time with demis, so I have learned to loosen up a little.” The spine demon stated while taking a drink.

“But you still maintain your dignity Itlaka,” Vexaloy replied.

A womanly demon with wings approached them. “Still uptight as ever, Vexy.” She said with a sultry smile.

Vexaloy furrowed his brow at the demon. “Listamati. Hmph. You would probably be right at home with that disgrace.”

Nearly all the demons were conservatively dressed, wearing clothing that hung on them loosely, the colors solid and not bright.

Listamati was an exception to the others. Her outfit was tight and revealing. She was smart enough to have armor protecting her torso, but it was open enough to show her ample cleavage.

Listamati’s tail swished back and forth with Vexaloy’s words about Michael.

“Really? They might just be up my alley if you call them a disgrace. I have not seen them yet. What do they look like?” She leaned forward, ensuring her cleavage was in clear view of the vice-commander.

Vexaloy turned his head away and ordered her to stand up straight. She did as instructed with a coy smile on her face.

“I should have never let you volunteer for this….” Vexaloy lamented. “He is a winged demon with a large body. If what I have been hearing about him, he might be a High Demon.”

“Hmm. Well, I’m sure I will be able to find out.” Listamati shrugged her shoulders.

“Know this, Listamati, if you are going to do what I think you are, we will not be held responsible. I order you not to use that ability on the savior of Hallibrush.” Vexaloy made sure he was heard by the demis nearby. The vice-commander knew well her personality and habits of seducing single men.

“Come now, vice-commander, you always let your virgin mind run wild,” Listamati answered with a snide smile.

“Be silent!” Vexaloy shouted at her back as she sauntered away, making sure to swing her hips.

“I fail to understand why she is even allowed to walk about Venture without being scorned,” Vexaloy growled to himself.

Itlaka placed a comforting hand on the upset demon’s shoulder. “You and I both know the reason. As disgraceful as she is, she is a High Demon with quite a repertoire of skills and abilities. Listamati is just too useful. So, the higher-ups won’t ever force her out, but they wouldn’t stop her from leaving either.”

“Hmph. Maybe that disgrace could also be my savior and take her off our hands!” Vexaloy shouted, which was rare for demons to do.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Michael was hiding in one of the watch towers that were still intact. When he jumped into the shadow at the town hall, he didn’t have a particular destination and appeared near the tower.

A demi was on duty in the tower, but Michael decided to give the man a break to enjoy some of the festivities.

He sighed and looked out toward the horizon. “What the hell am I to do? I am not used to being come onto so strongly… Actually, scratch that. I am not used to ladies coming onto me in general.”

Because of his average looks, being overweight, and low self-esteem, Michael had minimal romantic experience with women. He had one girlfriend at one time in his last world. They went steady for a good couple of years before he found out she had been cheating on him the whole time.

She had been his first love and lover, though they hardly slept together. He found out she was cheating on him because she accused him of cheating. When he asked why she thought that, she accused him of giving her an STD.

She would not believe him no matter how much he tried to verbally deny it. Rumors spread about Michael until he went and got himself tested. His results came back entirely negative. Just in case, he did the uncomfortable process again, and they were negative again.

After speaking with his brother David and his parents, they put Michael’s ex-girlfriend on blast while posting the new test results on social media. Once people realized the tests were legitimate, they did a complete 180, accusing the ex of cheating.

It was not long before people started coming out with damning information on the ex-girlfriend. It turned out that the ex-girlfriend had been using Michael as a source of extra material desires. She had two other guys like Michael, using them only for their mediocre wealth and starvation for love and attention.

Michael and his family were furious with the woman. They worked together with the other two men and filed a sizable lawsuit against the woman and her husband, who knew, for all the money she had scammed out of them, with additional money for damages.

The case took a year, but they eventually won against the couple. But the compensation was not enough to heal the emotional damage.

Michael found it difficult to trust women again, especially ones who showed interest in him. But things were different for him now. With his new body, Michael found that he was pretty handsome. Though he did not have the more desirable ‘six-pack’ abs often said to be attractive, he now had a strong healthy body.

Michael leaned over the edge of the wall he was hanging on while sighing. “What am I going to do with Rana? I mean, she’s cute, has nice curves, seems to be into me, but….” He wasn’t sure how he felt about sleeping with someone who looked like a border collie.

Michael opened his eyes to see a set of violet eyes staring up at him from the ground.

“Foooooouuuund yoouuuuu.” The sultry, smiling demon said.

Michael felt like an animal trapped on a piece of driftwood, surrounded by a hungry-looking shark.

Clack. Clack. Clack. Clack.

Michael stared at the ladder that led up to the watch tower. Each sound told him that the shark was swimming up.

Her onyx horns crested first, then her face came into view.

She looked into his eyes. “You must be the savior.” She cocked her head.

“Um, hi. I’m, uh, Caeldaemos.” Michael answered.

“Listamati. A pleasure to meet you.” She climbed all the way up and stood before the sitting Michael.

Michael gulped hard. Her clothing and armor tightly clung to her body, accentuating every curve.

“My, you are more handsome than the demis could describe,” Listamati commented, leaning forward to get a better look at his face. But he could not stop from glancing away from her face, not with the deep valley less than a foot from his eyes.

Michael felt his face getting hot. If he thought Rana was coming on too strong, the female demon before him practically charged at him.

“Uh, th-thanks. Miss Listamati.” Michael replied, tearing his eyes away from her cleavage.

Listamati knelt and pressed her body against his. “Please, just call me Lista.” Her eyes flashed.

Michael’s mind went on the defensive, ringing alarm bells. He realized that she had tried to use something on him. He wasn’t sure if her goal was to bed or harm him, but Michael felt it was a dangerous gamble.

“Savior! Are you okay up there? I’m back!” The demi-human Michael gave a break to called up.

Michael saw this as a chance as she was distracted by the demi. Moving her off himself, he stood and hopped off the tower to the ground.

“Whoa! Is everything okay, savior?” The demi asked.

“Y-Yeah. I just, uh, had someone from the demons asking me some questions up there. I’ll, uh, be going. Everything looked fine outside the walls.” Michael said before hurrying off.

The demi thanked Michael for his help and headed into the tower, where he found Listamati.

“Miss?” The demi asked the woman.

Listamati was on her hands and knees, mumbling something to herself.

“Miss?” The demi got a bit closer.

“How… That’s impossible… No one has ever….” She mumbled.

“Miss?” The demi caught her attention.

Listamati turned her head to the demi, and her eyes flashed.

The demi-human’s face turned red, his eyes blissful and full of desire. “Oh, my mistress.” He spoke lovingly.

Her eyes flashed again, and he relaxed, his eyes dull.

“You will forget you ever saw me here,” Listamati ordered before leaving the demi in the tower.

Listamati began her trek back to the town center. “He resisted me. No man has ever resisted me.” A wide grin spread over her face, her cheeks blushing. “I finally found my lord!” Listamati shivered in excitement.