CHAPTER 78: SIGNS OF HUMANS (2).

Humans and Abominations suffered different fates for two reasons...

Most Abominations existed as offspring of the ancient creations of the gods, or in this case, the Gryghori. Their ancestors were the terrifying malforms birthed into existence by the works of the Fallen Ones and their children.

However, that was not the only way Abominations came into being...

When a human reached a certain threshold of corruption, their intellect would begin to break down as they succumbed and turned into beings of darkness and chaos. The resulting creatures were also considered Abominations.

However, in the case of the latter, it was rather unheard of for humans to complete the transformation into Abominations. And even if they did, their souls were not long for the world.

Should a human find themselves in a situation where they were corrupted by the malignant energies of the world, chances were that they were already in a dangerous circumstance, like a battle with an Abomination which led to a corrupted wound.

There was also a case of possession by a ghost. In those cases, the signs of corruption would be greatly subdued until it was too late. These cases were also the most rampant. Such Abominations existed at alarming rates within the Cities, as while wards were very effective against physical creatures, beings of the Spirit were far more elusive in nature.

And then, there was the method of corruption by knowledge.

This method was a bit similar to the second, as the spirits of the ghosts usually contained a strain of corrupted knowledge in the form of their Sin. This was usually the catalyst for the corruption of the possessed human’s soul.

The reason why almost everything other than general knowledge was kept under tight supervision, was because of this.

Not all knowledge was good knowledge.

Knowledge of the Gryghori, of the Nephilim, and even if mere Abominations at times, could be rather damning.

Rituals, incantations, and even spells... All of this was kept under lock and key by the Church and it’s Templars.

Of course, not everyone believed this was the whole truth.

Swinging the small machete that has hung from his waist to cut the dense underbrush, a deeply contemplative, almost absent minded look was plastered on his face.

’They can control the corruption. I’ve seen those Templars before. Although they do not look entirely human, it is evidence that the Church has its way of controlling the corruption.’

He gritted his teeth. It was what that meant,

’In other words, they desire absolute control over the source of their power, those greedy fucks!’

The Templars were the all powerful force of this world. As the direct sword of the Church, each an every one of them was a powerful force that could easily defeat a grade E Abomination like it was yesterday’s leftovers.

Compared to them, the regular "hunters" weren’t even worth mentioning. They were just regular humans that sought for a better life in this world filled with death, hunger and madness.

That infuriated Garrick to no end.

If he could become a Templar, he wouldn’t have to worry about dying all the time. He would be outfitted with the best armor and weapons, he would be able to eat and drink as much as he wanted, and he would get to pleasure himself with the finest whores Liedenstorm had to offer.

He would also be able to travel to the capital.

However, becoming a Templar was not easy in the slightest.

As he cut through a final chunk of shrubbery, Garrick finally came to a halt.

He turned around to address the other members of his team— Aisha, a quaint looking lady with a keen eye for trouble, skilled with the crossbow.

Lammy, a skilled broadsword fighter in her own right.

Lawson, an archer, and Geor, a hardy farmer with incredible strength, wielding a rusty old shield to act as the front guard of the party.

Then there was himself and Obed.

Each one of them had the ability to take on and even kill a grade F Abomination. However, grade F Abominations were known for coming in all shapes and sizes.

Some were weaker than others with the hierarchy being hard to properly distinguish.

However, with them being a team, they could handle even an entire pack of grade F Abominations with minimal potential losses.

’Hopefully, it doesn’t have to come to that.’ Garrick thought to himself.

With the final bit of shrubbery gone from before them, the dark river could be seen, flowing in all its putrid majesty.

Obed’s expression crumpled as he walked forward,

"Damn it. I’ll never get used to this stink."

No one knew the origins of the Dark River. No one knew where it came from or truly how long it spanned. There were myths that it stretched around the entire world and was the original vein of corruption that infused the world with the malignant energies.

And while that theory was up for debate, there was no denying that the Abominable beings all seemed to love the profane nectar that was its waters.

Lawson, a man with an unassuming face and thick eyebrows suddenly spoke,

"The Oasis Flower is said to exist in pads that float all across the length of the river. From what I know, its said to be filled with all sorts of magical properties from its time buds and leaves to its roots."

A look of subdued greed flashed in his eyes, one no one seemed to miss, as he turned to Garrick,

"What if the quota? We can get more than the quota, right?"

Garrick frowned.

Hunters like them made a living through the Church, but made a profit through their missions. Whether it was getting more than the required quota and selling the excess on the black market, or harvesting materials from Abominations they slew along the way and selling that on the black market.

Either way, that was the main reason the "Hunter" profession was so coveted.

Garrick stayed silent for a moment then nodded.

Although search for more of the flowers would take more time and potentially put them at more risk, they were sure to make a pretty penny from selling that stuff on the black market.

"Then that’s what we’ll do. But we will not be spending more than three hours here, even if we do not meet the quota."

"That’s fair." Lawson said with a wide grin on his face as he eagerly stepped forward.

The rest exchanged looks and followed right behind...