Off to the nearby coast of the capital of gold, Ephasus, lays the small remote village of Mendacium. Within it, reside a small quantity of people, so much so that there isn't one person that doesn't know one another and their family. Everyone within it had a duty, mother's and wives would tend to the gardens and raise the children, once those children would turn 7, they would either help their mother in the house, or tend to the ocean for fish or the land for harvest with their father. However, not far off from the village there lay monstrosity camps, to deal with this hunters were sent out, however, not all would live, so much so that only one hunter still remains within the village, yet his talent and skill alone is enough to protect the village, a man of the name Morgan Estus, his hair ebony brown, his eyes a beautiful forest green, he wears a darkened grey coat, gloves that reach up until below his elbow, plated with steel, his boots and pants both black, underneath his coat he wears a shirt with an armor plate stretched on his chest for protection and his weapon of choice, a polearm. It is here where the tale truly begins, Morgan Estus, the hunter.
The sun shining brightly across the village, and through his cottage, he awakes to the sound of the birds, proceeding to equip himself with his armor and armament, proceeding to leave through the door. "Ah, good morning Morgan, you seem like you rested well." said the nearby mother tending to her garden with a smile. "Thank you, I did. Hard at work already I see." he responded politely. "Yep, someone needs to gather vegetables and herbs." he chuckles at her response. "True, I suppose the scout by the lookout tower is looking for me?" "Correct, he spotted a nearby camp, he'll tell you more details." "You're being awfully formal about your husband, miss." she giggles at the response "Well of course, he's the captain of the scouts for our village, without him you would have to spend most the day looking for camps." "His help is appreciated, truly. Well then, I'll be off miss, take care." "Thank you Morgan, be safe." she tells him as he walks off to the nearby watchtower. "No need to worry about me miss, I'll be fine." he responds as he turns his head to look at her waving.
He approaches the village gate and watchtower, only to be greeted by the Captain.
"Ah, Morgan good to see you, I take it my wife sent you?" "Yep, she said you found a nearby camp." "Indeed, by observation I've concluded there's about 4 lower monstrosities." "Goblins or orcs?" "I'm uncertain, but they should be easy to take care of." "Considering they're lower order, this should be an easy hunt." "Easy indeed, but it'll take awhile, they sit around 10km deep into the forest of the east." "Ah. I see." He opens his journal, marking the spot on his map. "I suppose I'll be back around later at night then." "Unfortunately, but I'm sure you can manage. Just be safe on your way back, higher order's may appear." "It's a definite that they will appear, but I'll eliminate them, I assure you." "Glad to hear your confidence is as high as always Morgan." "What good is a hunter with no confidence?" The captain bellows in laughter "Haha, your humor is still as sharp as usual Morgan, well then, I wish you the best of luck, Hunter." "Thank you captain."
As they part ways, Morgan senses a feeling of disgust flowing over him, something sinister over him.
"It's already sundown, I need to hurry with this." He continues traversing the deep forest, listening carefully to his surroundings, carefully observing around him. "Monstrosities tend to awaken from sleep around this time, their nocturnal instincts make them easy targets. However, if these are goblins, I doubt they would be such a small camp, most likely lower order orcs, which would explain their nocturnal behavior, only increasing the odds of reinforcements." he carefully assesses possibilities. As he continues to walk on, he comes close to the camp. As he leers over a bush, he notices the camp of orcs resting, peacefully. "I'm not one to fight unfair, but I should make their deaths swift before they awaken to call support." he whispers to himself. "Huh? There's only 3 orcs here, where's the for-" Before he could finish his analysis, a horn blows off behind him and the follow up of a heavy wooden club crashing down towards him. He dodges the attack swiftly, drawing his polearm from his back. "Shit, I should've been more prepared." he says as the 3 other orcs surround him. "4 lower orders, 3 first step monstrosities, 1 second step." The orcs charge at him as the sun finally sets. He blocks off the first attack with the rear of his polearm, thrusting the edge of the blade deep into the belly of the other, pushing the blade deeper as the orcs collapses. He propels himself forward using the stabbed orc as a grounding point. As he lands he draws the polearm's blade out as an orc attempts to grab him, he ducks, sweeping the blade through the monstrosity's legs, the creature yells in agony, a vile screech. The two remaining orcs charge at him, he dashes forward at them, slicing his polearm vertically through the one's arm, and pushing the Second Step orc using the rear of the weapon. Morgan beheads the orcs who's arm lays on the ground, disposed. The last orc begins chanting. "A spell? I need to be careful." Morgan carefully stands, one foot forward ready to propel him forward, the other foot behind him to increase the force of the dash, but also acting as a reinforcement in case of needed defense. He loosens the grip on his polearm for a swifter movement. "I'll charge in, I'll go low to prevent the spell of hitting me." His body's defense lowers, it becomes relaxed, as it stands there, eyes shut. Suddenly the orc is sliced vertically, chest to loins then beheaded. Morgan comes to, his eyes opening as he grabs a cloth from his breast pocket wiping the blood off his weapon. "I wasn't expecting a spell, but you should've targeted my physical body, then again, you're a beast with no clear thought other than pleasuring yourself and killing, disgusting. Your soul is unclean, corrupt, hence targeting that is easier."(The soul plane. A plane of existence in which the spirits of people and beasts alike are revealed, while lowering the defense of both one's own spirit and body it greatly enhances the potency of attacks towards an opponent, after all, it is a direct assault on one's spirit. Anyone can utilize the effects of this plane, as long as they possess an affinity for it.) "I suppose I should get going, it's already night." he says to himself turning his back on the scene.
Morgan leaves the violent scene behind as he walks on back to the village.
"Almost there." He says as he is only a few meters away from the village gate. "Huh? A horse and cart? This late." He runs over to the gate. "A-ah Morgan, welcome back, I take it the hunt was a success?" "Indeed it was Captain. If I may ask, why the horse in cart at this hour?" "Oh, y-you see, the nearby capital had sent us resources that our village emissary had delivered shortly you had left, so we're sending back some produce." "I see." Morgan stares through the cart's window. His eyes widen. "Why the hell are kids in the cart? Damn it, I could-" His hand slowly moving towards his weapon. "No, I can't. But, these kids, they're going to be sold off as labor, or even just free pleasure tools to the wealthy." "Morgan, is everything alright?" "Captain, would you ever allow the sale of children to be used as others please?" "Morgan, where is that coming from, surely those beasts got to your head I think-" "Answer the question." His eyes, narrow sighted on the disgust he views towards the captain. "O-of course not, it's wrong, corrupt, only t-the weak prey on children." he stutters. "You disgust me." Morgan whispers. "S-sorry?" "You vile being! You commit an atrocity as vile as this?! Supporting the use of children to the wealthy, you disgusting human, no, you're not human, you're no better than the monstrosities I hunt!" "M-Morgan where is this coming from?" he signals the 2 guards with a gesture behind his back. "All of you... You will die by my hand, even if I must bear that sin, I shall, for that which is good." "You intend to sully your hands Morgan? After all this village has done for you, you pathetic little-" Before he could finish his sentence, Morgan thrusts his polearm through the neck of the captain. "You insult me, before looking at yourself, how vile. You, guards, let these children free, do you understand me, or am I to assume you were accomplices to this rotten captain." "O-of course sir, apologies. We had been called out from our homes by the captain, he said he wanted us to see the delivery off." They say. Morgan has his doubt, he closes his eyes, entering the soul plane. "they aren't lying, their spirits aren't nearly as sullied as the captain's but there is sin. Then again, we all bear our own sins."
He returns to the physical plane. "You, driver, tell me, how long have you been doing this?" "This is my first time sir." "Guards, is this man lying?" "N-no sir, the captain often had different cart drivers each month." "Each month?! How long has he been doing this?" "It started 2 months ago that he had begun calling us out for watch duty." "Tsk, open the cart now, I want to help the kids." The guards unlock the cart, opening the door, Morgan steps forward, noticing how all the kids sit there. Some have bruises, they begin crying. He looks closer, noticing something..."His own daughter! His own daughter! This man, so corrupt he would assault his own child. You 5, come out, I'll take you all home." The children smile, yet their tears flow.
Morgan took each child to their families, lastly, the captain's own daughter. Morgan had taken his coat and covered her with it. He approaches the captain's house, he knocks. "Hello, miss?" No response, he knocks again. "Hello? It's urgent." Still, no response. He looks at the child in his arm, she's still awake. "Little miss, do you know if you're mommy is home?" he ask her gently. "She was still sleeping when daddy came to take me." "Asleep..." He knocks one more time. "Ma'am, I need to speak to you now, it's about your husband!" She doesn't respond, but the sound of something breaking is heard from the house, he grabs his spear, breaking the door down with the rear end of it. He rushes upstairs, he hears loud creaking, and the sound of someone being hit, beyond the bedroom door, he looks at the girl. "I'm going to keep you safe, don't worry, just go to another room for now, please." The girl understands, she scurries off to her bedroom. Morgan once more braces his will, he opens the door slowly, only to be met with a vile display. The kind and beautiful wife of the vile scout captain, having an affair with both the shop keep and blacksmith, the three burning in their lust, devouring them, even as Morgan stands there in disbelief, he grits his teeth, closes the door, turns around and walks off back to the girl. Her bedroom door shut, he opens it quietly the girl's asleep, he closes the door and leaves the house.
As he is about to retreat to his cottage, he hears a strange sound of singing from a nearby house, he walks over to the sound. The singing sounds more like chanting. He opens the door, the house empty, yet a cellar door is revealed next to a ruffled carpet, he opens it quietly, going down the few steps, looks further, only to be met with the image of various townsfolk chanting, praying to a stone idol. "Cultists... As vile as what this is, I'm not even surprised at the disgust of this village..." He leaves. As he leaves the sinful building, he walks back to the village gate. The guards still present. "Guards!" "They stand upright, and look at him. "Yes sir!" they say in unison. "I have an order for you." "Yes sir!" "Take a horse, you two travel in pairs, to Ephasus, request them to send over knights to investigate both the village and its people. I will remain and watch over the town." "Is that all sir?" "Yes." The guards prepare themselves, they leave off. Morgan sits down by the gate, he looks down, and begins crying silently. "This village... All this time..." his mind starts unraveling everything. Lust, Greed, Envy, Gluttony, Sloth, Wraith and Pride, these are the sins of the world, even as peaceful as what this village was, as kind as what the people were, this mask they wore, they did it to hide their desires and depravity.
"Morgan, is everything ok?" Morgan turns his head to look behind him, he knows that voice. "M-miss!" It's the captain's wife. She stands before him, wearing nothing but a gown. "What are you doing out here alone?" "I was just thinking..." His head turns to the body of her dead husband. "Is that... a body..." she says in trembling fear. "Yes, it is. It's..." he's afraid to say, but he knows he must. "It's your husband, miss..." Her face changes, yet Morgan is only focuses on the body. "I-I see..." "Miss, I must confess, I... I killed him." "Is that so..." "It's a heavy burden but..." "HAHAHAHAHA!" she laughs loudly as her face becomes ecstatic with joy and pleasure. "That man was corrupt and vile, abusing and selling children, thinking I didn't know, but I couldn't do anything, he paid the townsfolk to keep their mouths shut, all because I told him I wanted a divorce." "What... Then why didn't you do anything!?" "Oh Morgan I did, I sent a messenger to the capital yet, they never came." "That explains the missing people's posters. But Miss, I saw everything, the way you were being..." he's embarrassed to mention it. "I see, you saw how I was being treated by two other men, well, if it helps, It wasn't consensual." "What." "Yep, they had opened my bedroom door while I was asleep, they began hitting me, stripping me of my clothes, they even tied me up and gagged my mouth so I couldn't yell, I was-" "You don't need to finish that sentence. As long it wasn't an affair." "I assure you it wasn't." Morgan proceeds to bury the body. They return to the gate and sit down. The two look at each other, as the woman's eyes begin to tear up. "Morgan... I'm sorry... I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry..." she pleads to him. "Sorry for what?" "I should've told you everything, I should've..." "It's ok, I understand, but everything will be fine now, I assure you, just wait 'till morning." "Oh Morgan..." she looks at him dearly, putting her gentle hands on his face, she pulls him in close and kisses him gently. He interrupts by pulling her away. "I-I'm sorry. I just can't." he says. "I-I understand... Has anyone ever told you you're a great kisser?" "Huh?! Where'd that come from?!" "Just trying to lighten the mood, haha." she laughs gently. "Hey Morgan?" "Yes Miss?" "Do you think God would forgive me, forgive the village?" Morgan sits there, questioning himself "Would God forgive me..?" "Morgan?" "Oh sorry. But yes, I do believe God would forgive us, only on the condition we turn from our sin, to live a life of good and purity." "I see. You're a lot wiser than what you appear you know Morgan." "I see." she yawns. "Tired are we?" "Mmm..." Morgan takes his coat off. "Here, you can lie on my lap." "thank... you..." He covers her with his coat. "So... warm..." "I'm glad." "Hey Morgan?" "Yes Miss?" "You're so kind... So warm... Don't let that fire in your spirit die out... It's your sense of justice that protects... Don't... Lose it..." she gently falls asleep. "My, justice..." as the two fall asleep at the gate, Morgan's mind deeply ponders on his thoughts, as he's unable to sleep properly.
Morning comes...
Morgan's eyes open up to the nearby sound of stamping, he looks off to the distance, noticing carts, horses, and knights. "It seems as if my message was received." Morgan wakes the woman up. Her sounds are inaudible. "Good morning Miss." "Good-" she yawns "Morning...." "Come on, we need to get you dressed up, you can't leave like this." "Leave..?" "I sent a message to the kingdom, they'll be evacuating the village and investigating it." "I see..." "Don't worry, I'll take it under control." The knights arrive, and stop before the village. "We've come on account of a message sent by Morgan Estus." "That would be me sir." "You requested that the village be evacuated and investigated yes, indeed sir." "Very well then, we'll proceed on then." The Miss returns wearing a beautiful cottage styled dress with her child in arms. She returns Morgan's coat.
The knights climb off their horses they separate into three groups of 4, with 2 knights standing outside the village. A girl. She wields a rapier. Her hair blonde in color, her skin fair, and her eyes a beautiful crimson red. The girl notices Morgan. "You, Morgan." "Yes Ma'am." He responds respectfully. "Why do you have a weapon." "I'm a hunter ma'am. This polearm has helped me eliminate the nearby camps that get setup by monstrosities." "So you're the reason this section of Ephasus has been so quiet. Have you ever considered becoming a knight?" "No ma'am." "How come?" "I enjoy my life as a hunter, however now that we'll be leaving the village, I have lost my source of contracts for hunting." "What will you do now?" "I've set my new goal and hunt for my life, one that'll span across the continent." "Oh, and what would that be?" "The eradication of sin from this land." Suddenly the environment became silent. The girl's face lightened in disbelief, with a slight blush on her face. "The eradication of sin..." the female knight thinks to herself. "T-the eradication of sin!" The Miss thinks. Morgan simply stares at the female knight confidently and stern in his ideals. As he's about to ask if everything is alright the knights come return. "Alright, we've concluded our investigation. The following has been revealed. A stone idol and cultist gathering room within the cellar of one villager's house, the barn of the nearby plantation had revealed whips, shackles and the bodies of 2 children and a woman, all three dead. Then the confirmation of the sale of children. The innocence of only 5 adults and the children have been secured, that being; the two guards sent to inform us, Miss Auren, the messenger Kol and Morgan Estus the Hunter. The rest of the villagers will be sentenced to prison accordingly. As for the village as a whole, it will be burnt." the villagers gasp in disbelief, expressing their outrage at the knights. "Alveth, burn the village." "Yes, captain." Hearing this brought the villagers to tears, albeit tears of rage, their homes lost, their new homes only being the prison cells they'll come to know. The female knight with blonde hair walks up to the gate, drawing her rapier, as an orb of fire begins forming at the tip of the blade, "May your sins witness the light, and may they burn in hell." she whispers to herself. The blade is thrusted forward, igniting each house in a circular radius. The villagers watch in despair, Morgan standing by with Miss Auren. "It is done." "Good job Alveth." replies her captain.
The villagers are forced onto the carts, chained and shackled, the children placed into a separate cart for safety, while the 2 guards and the messenger Kol saddle onto horse back, Morgan gently lifts Miss Auren into the cart. "There you go Miss." "Hey, Morgan?" "Yes, Miss." "There's no need to call me Miss anymore, just call me Auren." she says as she smiles with a blush. "Thank you, Auren." The blonde knight climbs off her horse, giving full control of it over to the one guard that was sent to inform them, she sits beside Morgan on the horse drawn cart. Morgan confused, she says quickly. "I want to talk to you, about your goal." "I see." he reponds. "Onward!" Yells the captain of the knights.
Their day long trek to Ephasus begins, while Morgan and the female knight begin talking.