The next morning, Livian awakes from her sleep, proceeding to awake Eric and Morgan with a cup of coffee. "Good morning you two." she says, the two awake half asleep. Morgan yawns. "Good morning Livian." "Morning Lady Alveth." They sit down together on the sofa, Eric sits on a chair across from the two. "You know Eric, you're a lot more slender than what I was expecting, still a lot of muscle" comments Morgan. "Haha, thank you, I try to stay thin enough to still provide mobility in combat." "A smart move." They become quiet once more. "Soooo..." says Livian. "Mmm" says Eric and Morgan in unison. "We should probably talk about that Coup d'etat." Livian mentions it. "A good idea." Eric responds. "Well, before we even initiate it, we need a plan." "Of course, but where would we start?" "Well, Livian, we can't just plan the coup d'etat first, we need a way to get to that." "What if we gained the trust of the people, find a way to get the attention of Sven?" Eric recommends it. "That wouldn't be bad, but how would we?" "Similar to your village, there's monstrosity camps nearby, the creature there tend to attack incoming and outgoing envoys, so what if you and Eric hunted them?" "You won't be joining?" "I can't, I'm a knight, I have to be on duty in the town, but most of my time is spent with record keeping." "I see, Eric and I will do that then." "It would be a good way to learn how to fight as a team too." "100%" The three mutually agree on the idea. They all equip themselves for the day and proceed to part ways for the day.
For the first few hours, Eric and Morgan questioned citizens about any nearby monstrosities, all of them all responded close to the same note. "There are no monstrosities nearby, the ruler single handedly vanquished them." The two confused by this brushed it off but still wondered how is it that Livian would inform them about monstrosities, but the citizens believed they were all killed. As they travelled through the city, eventually they decided to talk with the lower knights at their headquarters. "Morgan!" ecstatically Auren greets Morgan. "Ah, Auren, good to see you again." "So what brings you?" "Eric and I want information on any nearby monstrosity camps, the citizens weren't very helpful, but considering Livian had information, I thought that maybe you could help us." "Mhm." Eric agrees. "Monstrosities..." Auren jogs around the towering bookshelves, scanning through the books, looking one on any monstrosity data. "Ah! Here we go!" She stands before the two, opening the book, as she pages through they find a map drawn only a week ago by the scouts. "Here, apparently there's 2 nearby camps." "Perfect. Thank you Auren." Morgan thanks her. "Thank you little Miss." Eric thanks her too. "Is that all..." she begins guilt tripping Morgan and Eric by putting on a display or cute sadness. "..." The two feel guilty in silence. "We're sorry but this is important, we're trying to build up a higher level of trust with the citizens, hoping it garners the attention of the ruler." "The ruler?! You've been here for like 4 days and you already want nobility?! My, my aren't you just ambitious Morgan." "If it gives any clarity, its for the intent for my primary goal." "Oh. I see. Well then, I wish good luck Morgan, and Eric, be safe!" she says good by, the two say their goodbye too.
They walk off to the back entrance of the city, guarded by upper knights. Eric and Morgan explain their intent, the knights look at each other and grant them access. As the two leave the city, a figure from the palace watches them leave, it smirks.
The two walk across the grassy plains, eventually entering a forest. The ground beneath them shrouded in shadows, they traverse carefully through the woods, eventually approaching the first camp. "Eric." Morgan calls him quietly. "What's up?" "Here, a camp." "Looks like it's 3 second step monstrosities and a first step, should be easy." "Agreed."
The two draw their weapons, Morgan changing his stance to charge in, awaiting to attack. However, Eric, charges in, his patience slim. "Eric?! What the hell?!" "RAAAAAAAAH!" Eric charges in, his hammer drops down onto the first step beast, it crushes it, killing it instantaneously. The 3 remaining beasts awake, charging back at Eric. Morgan jumps in front of Eric to strike the three, Eric himself readying to attack the three two. As Morgan gets in front of Eric, preventing the initial strike, the two are launched back by the beasts. "Nghh..." Damn, that hurt." Morgan comments. Eric stands up and picks Morgan up. "Listen, if we're going to fight we need to be in sync, I'm a paladin, let me take the hits, once they're staggered, you go in." "I understand." The two enter their stances. Morgan with his one leg forward, the other back to reinforce his dash, Eric, gripping his hammer tightly, leaning it downwards, he begins speaking a prayer. "Bless thy weapon, may it bring my enemies to a halt." His hammer glows with a radiant color, he swings it upwards, hosting it upwards, awaiting the beasts to charge at him. They do. As they get close enough, he brings his hammer down with incredible force, causing the very ground beneath the weapons to form a crater. The three orcs stand their staggered from the weapon. "Morgan now!" "Yep!" Morgan charges forwards, loosening his polearm's grip, performing a smooth horizontal slice through the three beasts. Their chests, now sliced open, they lay on the ground, dead. "Whew, we did it." Eric says rubbing the sweat from his brow." "Yeah, we did." Morgan agrees out of breath. "So then, one more camp Morgan?" "One more camp." Morgan responds with a smile and a thumbs up. The two now walk through the forest once more, looking out for the last camp that was mentioned.
As they journey through they eventually come to the exit of the forest, yet there was no camp that they could find, instead an entrance within the cliffside was found. "A cavern perhaps?" asked Eric. "Most likely. We'll need to be cautious from here on." "Of course." The two enter the cavern, walk slowly down the stairs, the deeper they walk, the more the smell of rot fills their noses. They block the mouths and noses to cover the stench. They continue going deeper, trying to locate the source of the smell, but as they reach the end of the stairs, their eyes met a horrid reality. The bodies of men and women, dead, slowly decomposing. "What the hell is this..." Eric comments in pure disgust. "Eric, we need to leave now." "Huh?" "I sense a monstrosity, definitely not lower order." "You think it's the leader of the camp we wiped out?" "Most likely. This thing radiates with blood. Most likely used these civilians as a source for power." "Let's go then." "Yeah." As the two turn around to leave the cavern, a wall is formed by the stairs, locking them in. Unable to see in this darkness, Eric creates an ember of fire to light the room. As their vision becomes clear once more, the towering monstrosity stands before them. A Gargoyle, rank: Higher Order, Fifth Step.
They take a moment to gather their thoughts, their hearts racing, they attempt to remain clam, regardless if it has next to effect. The Gargoyle releases a ringing screech, bolts of fire are projected towards Eric and Morgan. Eric lunges in front of Morgan, creating a barrier to withhold the bolts. Morgan charges in, lunging with his polearm, yet, it has no effect. He dashes out as the gargoyle attempts to attack him. As the two stand on their guard planning their next attack the Gargoyle speaks. "You... Food... Die!" The creature commands them to die, yet their will doesn't falter. The two charge in again at the creature's body, but before they could land a hit, the creature struck their spirits. Their bodies kneel down in pain, gasping for air. "Damn... It..." "That damn well hurt..." "Eric... The soul plane... Can you enter it..?" "Yeah." "We'll attack it there... Then." "Got... it." They rise once more, simultaneously entering the soul plane, Eric charges forward stunning the beast, Morgan Charges in and strikes it, yet it has no effect. They return to their bodies, as they enter a defensive stance. "Eric, we fight cautiously until we have enough energy to enter into the soul plane again. If we stay their too long our spirits will just grow weaker and weaker." "I'm aware." The Gargoyle charges at them with great might, the two dodge past it's attack. They repeat this, avoiding the attacks to the best of their ability, until the beast comes to a standstill. "Morgan! Now!" The two enter the soul plane once more, able to avoid the beast's attack on their spirits. "Eric, stun it!" "Got it." Eric charges forward reciting his prayer. "Bless thy weapon, may it bring my enemies to a halt." The beast now stunned grants an opening. A Morgan charges in, his polearm suddenly ignites in a blaze of fire. "Fire? How?" His mind trying to understand how his weapon can be enchanted by him, yet he's never used magic. He ignores it for now, and lunges at the beast, he attacks vertically, then horizontally, twisting his body and proceeding to lunge the tip of the spear straight through the center of the beast's chest, "Ember: 4 Point Star!" He grants the attack a name. The 2 return to the physical plane, tired, yet the beast's body is weakened. They charge in once more, Eric reciting a prayer once more, "Smite my enemy..." "Ignite once more, please." Morgan's spear however isn't enhanced with fire this time water. "The hell do I do with this?!" Eric calls forth his smite. "Divine Crash!" "Damn it, Vorpal Aquifer!" The two strike in unison, Eric crushing the beast's head, Morgan piercing through it's stone body. The beast crumbles, with it releasing one last screech before it completely erodes into sedimentary rock as the wall blocking their exit crumbles with it. "We... Did it." Morgan comments. "Yeah... I'm shocked." The two completely drained of energy, they decide to travel back before night comes.
When the two enter through the rear city gate, the guards shocked at their appearance, injured yet alive. The hidden figure in the palace stare at the two, its smile widening. the two travel back to their temporary home, only to run into Livian who was worried about them. They sit down and as Livian tends to their injuries, the two explain what had happened. "A Fifth Step monstrosity?! You killed it?!" "Yep... Hng!" Morgan flinches as the rubbing alcohol touches his wounds. "I'm amazed you guys pulled that off. How did you do it..?" "We attempted to fight it head on first, unfortunately that didn't work, so we entered the soul plane and attacked it's spirit directly, which gave us an opening to strike its body." "The, soul plane?" Livian looks confused. "Essentially there's two planes, the Physical Plane and the Hidden Plane, which is the Soul Plane. The physical plane is our physical materialization, while the soul plane is the plane of spirits, a place where the spirit's of people can be seen. However, those with an affinity with spirits are capable of traversing through it with their own spirits, allowing an attack on an enemy's spirit itself. There are drawbacks however. Your physical body becomes weaker, the longer you remain within the soul plane, the more harm your soul will sustain from the plane directly, however the potency of attacks becomes highly effective, but your spirit itself becomes weaker to attacks too." Explained Morgan. "I see..." "I know it's a lot of information, but it isn't too complicated." "So then how are you and Eric able to enter it?" "It might with something to do with our spirits themselves. I'm a paladin devoted to eliminate sin, so the ability to sense sins is stronger within me." "I'm a hunter, but I strictly hunt beings who have committed severe sins. But ever since I was young I've been able to enter it." "That makes sense." "Oh Livian, you can use magic right?" "Yes Morgan." "I have a question about." "Ask away." "During our fight with the Gargoyle, my spear randomly enhanced with fire in the soul plane, then water in the physical plane. The thing is, I've never used magic and I don't have a natural affinity for it either. Why would that have happened?" "Well, I'm able to enhance my rapier with magics, however, I can store then release the magic, you said it simply enhanced the weapon, perhaps your time spent in natural environments generated an affinity of sorts." "I see..." "Are you able to control it?" Eric asks. "No. When we dealt the finishing blow to the gargoyle, I tried enhancing it with fire, but instead gave me water. So maybe the physical plane and soul plane grant different enhancements?" "I might not know much about the soul plane, but from what you've told me, I doubt that's the reason." "Why do you say that Lady Alveth?" "Fire and water are natural elements we can interact with, meaning it's physical." "She's not wrong." Morgan comments. "Anyways, we'll have to talk tomorrow, it's getting late, you two need rest." "You're not wrong there." "Thank you Livian, for helping us." "It's no problem at all." She says with a smile on her face.
Meanwhile, at the palace...
"My knights, tomorrow, hold a parade for the 2 that slew the Gargoyle, that creature was such a thorn in my foot." "Yes sir!" The knights walk off. A strange being cloaked in shadows appears beside the mysterious man, speaking to him. "Sir, was it not you that placed that Gargoyle there?" "I did, but it disobeyed my control. It wanted more and more food, and unfortunately, if I keep sending innocent civilians as food for it, the people would go mad and lose their faith in me." The man smirks as he walks over to his throne, taking his seat. "Right as always sir." The being cloaked in shadows kneels beside the man, as the two simply stare off with a smirk upon their faces.