Erebus was, and yet again, at the Church for a purging mission, his ability to speak to ghosts and tranquil their anger for the living made him a unique selection when these things transpired. The ghosts, spirits, and boogeys of the dark were up the Rogue’s alley of speciality.

Erebus was fully intuitive of his own emotions, observational to a maddening level... But after all, there was once a time they were people. Just like you or me... See Ere was an ambiguity of the highest degree, once shooed away as a young boy for pick-pocketing the streets, Erebus had become of Oak’d infamous celebrities. Bodies falling and racking up! In the same hand, Erebus was able to solve things with his communications too.

Fate always seemed to intervene for Ere, like a child. She wanted to see him succeed where none else did. So he became quite mighty and intelligent under her protection. It brought his mind back to those old days frequently and the first thing he saw was his mother, but she never came back for him. So he assumed she died or merely wasn’t able to sustain him, leaving him to die alone or figure it out. Short story, he figured it out, that’s for damn sure. So these dangerous jobs, they became second nature to such a pulp criminal. The Monster Assassin you could say, anyways... So it was off for another S-rank quest today. Equipping his gear Erebus was stacked for a challenge, spirits beware— you’re in for a scare.

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Spellslasher was his only dagger currently, Maiden’s Voyage fetches a fair penny on the black market, and the Iron Dagger snapped under stress during the invasion. Erebus would have to trust in some better equipment the next time he checked the market. Thrown over his back was his Courpsemourn, connected at the nape to his Covet which gave him some real assassination skill. Two green earrings, and a skeleton head ring decorated him in legendary jewelry. Beyond that Ere had shaved sides on a mid-fade, with bleached pink hair and black tribal tattoos all over his body. He stood over six feet, and was lean with muscle, four arms dangling lifelessly until needed.

It was a fact for those whomst knew the Rogue, Erebus didn't fear the undead, the living, or the dead itself. Ere always felt at deep sense of peace when standing beside them. After all, the Lich who terrorized these parts was Ere’s best friend. One simply can’t judge a book for its cover. After all, what you might find in those books can often times be the most rewarding.

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Erebus approached the Church from a distance of two hundred yards. There was a rumbling noise in the background, that made the Rogue uneasy, and somewhat nauseous and the scent of death wafted to his nostrils. Dark and evil monsters— this Chirch is a house for Illumin, how can you exist within it? An evil spirit of the church were constant, a scorn on the backs of the town. it begged the question of whether Illumin was some demon after all. Erebus came before the Church alone today. He had no partner and so, the danger was malicious for him alone.

The church seemed to glow a dim red hue, though, Erebus couldn’t tell if it was just a dim effect he was under at night, it was worth mentioning that the time was approximately 3:15... This haunting on hill house, was there Conjuring Nun waiting to jump. The graveyard in Oak was further in the back, but the entrance to the holy catacombs were beneath this sanctuary. The catacombs were from past wars in Fiore between Demons, Seraphim, Humans, and Elves. Humans were primarily the specters down there, but every now and then you'd come across a sealed demonic spirit-- or so the folk tales say. Erebus spent a great deal of time under the ChurchX but not a ton of time out in the Cemetery.

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After finding that seal with Valeria, it donned on him there may be more in different regions of the area. He was walking through the graves without much thought, his hand sleekly rubbing against the headstones. It was followed up with a parted smile, somewhat happy to be back into a job less... living oriented. If anything, Erebus feared a life in some dungeon to ghost whispering in holy burial grounds. He was just different in that way. His blonde quest-mate, an npc, was dressed in his adventurer gear, his companion yet again absent, the companion of which was beginning to cross Erebus as quite the flaky type; but he wouldn't make that comment out loud. It was a safe guarded thought for himself, first and foremost. For even if she was, his partner had a glimmer of bravery not common in other mortals to run about without it. Erebus was drawn to that light in other people, which perhaps was hidden in the world's darkness for purpose of finding it.

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He raised his hand to wave at his partner, unaware he was a good ten minutes late. Erebus was normally early, but having been home, there was just a few people he needed to catch up with. "Always such a creep place, this is," He commented, two red eyes peeling the darkness to see beyond the light fog out here. "Outside, inside, I find where the ghosts hide.. haha." Erebus maintained his short venture around the cemetery.

Rogues had a skill for nimble and quick steps, silently. Almost as if they truly were shadow dancers. The Master of Daggers would wander patiently, and push his body weight against the gravel as he searched, if he needn’t find anything outside, he’d let himself into the chapel and press on from there. Underneath an alter at the epicenter of the room, there was a chamber door. It was detailed in papers itself, though there was a few other entrances, this was the one Erebus had been peaked off to investigate. So he approached in with a flair of interest.

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Erebus pressed through the underbrush, the sounds of crickets and the swatting if flies to remind him he wasn’t alone. It was beginning to bother him how much time he was wasting, he turned back and started marching towards the Church itself. As the man walked he heard a sinister snicker, and stopped in his tracks, thrusting a hand to his waist. Albeit nothing was in sight, he ripped it from its sheathe and spun swinging, there was nothing really there so he breathed in with a sigh, a sweat falling off the brow of his head.

The winds that picked up lurched against his cloak, his eyebrows scrunched together as if to tell someone he wasn’t with the fucking games. Manifesting before him was a white shape, the ghost of an old woman. Though she didn’t appear to be hostile and rather, stood there waiting for him to make his move first.

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“Expel yourself from this holy place. Why are you still here?” He questioned, by rolling from his left shoulder in a dodge and back to his knee in one solid movement. It was kind of goofy though, since this spirit didn’t appear to be the fighting type. Though a single blink later, and she might as well have become some pale corpse drenched in mutilation or screaming it's festered curses into into reality itself, as you can see Erebus has been ghost hunting for a very long time.

The old spirit insisted that it was not out for evil. “Good man... Bad man... I do not care what you are but I know you can hear and speak to the Dead. I am just a passing soul, one which lives in this Cemetery. However, I have a job for you!” Erebus arches a brow, unsure if trust was better left thrown out or if he might want to hear more. “Protection? I don’t know how that might help you at this point madam.” He reasoned.

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The entity nodded, and then hovered forward.

Erebus instantly held a hand out to stop her from coming any forward. “Hold it there, no closer until you tell me more. I’m not into possessions.” The spirit, stopped in it’s tracks. “There beset my corpse in the center of the Graveyard. It is being attacked by a graveribber as we speak. Destroy the assailant that is stealing my family heirloom and I promise you to pass on peacefully, fail and surely I will turn into a monster that you may fight another day.”

Erebus has to admit that was a fair motive. He stands up, and scratches his cheek. “Which way?”

The Ghost points a finger, and becomes an orb, which starts to race off into the huge, expansive graveyard. Erebus quickly darts behind her to find the target of this mission. While he moves he begins to hear human laughs and jokes nearby. Dirt is flying through the air about twenty-five meters away. The orb becomes translucent and Erebus falls to his back at a headstone to listen in and hear what’s being spoken about.

Sounds like two voices, a man and woman. With the man in the ground digging, and the woman on the gravestone, smoking a cigarette. Further investigation warranted more info. The woman was the Ghost’s granddaughter, however— living a life in Oak had driven her away from her purity. Red scratches and hideous whelps lines her bound, and one of her eyes was larger than the other. She’d become a monster in her own right, and her man was a buff skinhead, without a single hair, it begged the question of whether he trimmed everything, including the eyebrows away so he couldn’t be identified, or if he simply had alopecia.

Ere waits until he hears the clink of the box to make himself apparent.

The two whom were busy began using the shovel to slam against the wood coffin. They ended up successful, taking the front half off, then used a crowbar to to break it apart. Bugs crawled against the bones, long abandoned within their grave. Ere filled in between the lines and arrived before anything was successfully snatched up. Which foretold the showing of a graphic look into the anatomy of a dead body. Their dead bodies, if they didn’t simply leave.

“Alright— alright, your fun ends there.” Erebus ordered.

“WHO DA?!” said the woman, “JAKOBI, GET THIS LITTLE TWERP.”

“HAH HAH, DONT MIND IF I DO,” Jakobi retaliated. He climbed from the grave, and activated a magic item on his wrist. Instantly all his muscles cranked to the maximum setting, he seemed more powerful than the greatest body builder. But muscle never beat speed.

“Big mistake.”

Whatever was going on over in this pal’s head was over. His laughs? No good. Yet even still, he ran at Ere with a laugh, and swung one mighty arm, Erebus simply leaned out of it’s striking radius, and and poked his groin with a 15cm dagger before stepping up the man’s extended arm with a masterful savagery. He then kept walking towards the girl, his green blade caked in blood red.

Jakobi, didn’t fall, instead he turned around slowly, holding his dick and beginning to feel death approach, now unable to make even the slightest peep because of the pain so deep. See, his magic prevented him for being knocked out, and powered his strength up. However; he could be hindered, and in this case, Erebus hindered his manhood, there was nothing left, simply vindication left. He ran at Erebus, and the Rogue turned around to sock his face in roughly. The force of impact clapped the muscled man to the dirt.

“I’d get that checked out.” He said, pointing to the severed private area which was now red piss statins under the dirty graveyard stains of his clothes. Next was the granddaughter. The threat was now extremely real to anyone viewing. So she was dumbfounded, and merely held two hands up. Asking for a surrender, so Erebus, being a dark angel capable of mercy. Decided to oblige— just this once.

“Go pick up your boyfriend, he might have 45 minutes of life, there’s a hospital in Oak, but you don’t have a mana vehicle I’m guessing. Might wanna hurry.” The girl screamed and ran for her friend, Erebus dropped his gaze to the exposed coffer. He could see the necklace they were after...

Rather than walk away as if he hadn’t been paid. Erebus turned repo man on the spirit and stole the necklace himself. Pocketing it as he walked towards the edges of the map.

It was here that he saw the white dress spirit again, and it turned slowly. It’s face warped and extremely murderous. Launching at him the spirit hoped to rip Erebus apart, limb from limb. He rolled and struck against her, his Spellslasher’s rarity seeming to be the only thing that could fight something like her.

Nontheless, she jeered into the air, and screamed down upon him. Defeating him. The sound was maddening, perhaps the illest thing he’d ever heard.

It actually caused his ear to bleed, which would later turn into an infection. That ducking bitch. No matter, however. Erebus was content that he was keeping this damn necklace and pawning it, a ghost had no use for such things no way.

A sudden rock to his face from her teleporting behind him sent him falling to the dirt.

Erebus was only half conscious for her as she beat on his face, pump after pump, her own inner monster was very active in attempting to murder him now and he seemingly deserved it. He was simply too selfish to willingly give her the heirloom back, lol. Due to, purely, having not expected it at all, his reaction time was delayed and a bony arm managed to give him black eyes, practically hammering hardened corpse bone against his mortal flesh. Eventually he came too and pulled himself from his place at the ground, using forearms to choke, and flip the spirit around onto the ground beneath him. He strangled and chanted an exorcism. Ramming his head against the fiends to make it obey, and chanting God’s holy graces. More damage had to be landed as seemingly nothing was working. He finally dropped the fucking necklace on her head and then chanted the exorcism again.

Something finally seemed to work as the ghost steamed and boiled, thrashing malignantly. The pain it suffered because it was angry and being erased was chilling to Ere, however he had no choice. Whenever all was said and done, Erebus stared at the evaporated ectoplasm, cold glowing ooze. He stuck his hand through it and shoveled the necklace out once more.

He stole that piece of shit. And there was nothing left when he was finished, successfully capturing the bounty of the family the heirloom belonged too.

Erebus went back to collect the rest of his reward for driving off a troublesome spirit.

-END-

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