The Price of Greed: The Fall of Intergis

During Aoto's excursion out looking for future suitors, Garius had been searching for another way into Arcad to meet up with the Curator for an item that was Aoto's possession when the Curator had stumbled upon him. 

During Garius' run-in with the Curator post-auction, he asked what he planned to do with "The boy who had passed out." The Curator told Garius that he planned on sending him to Zesa. When Garius told Aoto his story that the Curator planned on selling him to a quarry, the selling part wasn't a lie, but the quarry part was. Aoto, while having the personality of a wimp and coward, holds something very special inside of him, a mark. One of a "fallen angel." 

Garius had become aware of this fact when he pried into the Curator and was enthralled with what lay dormant inside of Aoto, and by using all of his leverage as a Mosscrest, although small in his own right, as well as paying a small fortune to the Curator for Aoto. 

Another story tied to Garius' mother's tale, which he was told as a child, but not one of hope. One of despair, A tale of devils.

Devils and demons lurk in the shadows of humanity, working behind the scenes, fearful of the light that shines down from above and forced to move underground. 

The Man was bound to sound revered as a devil in the Tianamon Empire; his legend goes back to Ergo's time, being that he was one of the members of his legendary party. 

Two stories depict Ergo's journey through the Gate. The one Aoto is given is a different story; Ergo isn't the only person who makes it out of the Gate alive.

Four others did but were changed in ways unimaginable, granting them powers that up to that point seemed far-fetched, unholy powers; they were referred to as devils. Although there have been stories of 7 devils emerging from the Gate, they remain unknown in the world and are only thought of as myths. The ones known to have existed are The Man bounded by thought, The Man bounded by Greed, The Man bounded by hatred, and The Man bounded by sound. 

They remain unknown, age unknown, physical statures unknown, and every other detail about their life unknown, except that they've been around for over 5000 years and are not necessarily people but more idealistic constructs that bound themselves to someone every so often. They can enter hosts once their bodies deteriorate; hence, they are only recognizable by the tattoos synonymous with their bounds given to their new hosts or followers.

Aoto Yamamoto had been bound to The Man without sound.

Garius: I'm not sure leaving Aoto alone in the pub was a wise choice, but I don't have any other options; he can't move freely throughout the city. He's not nobility, so he can't pass through the Church, which is the only other way into Arcad, not to mention if anyone saw his markings imprinted onto his back, it would be a dead giveaway to anyone that he would either be a follower or a host of the Man bounded by sound which would most definitely lead to his death. 

Since the founding of the Tianamon Empire, the kings have followed the idealism of the Church of the Divine class. Within the Church lay 12 families that ruled the Empire, with the top "Class" holding the position of king. In contrast, the others took more subsidiary roles within the Church, being nobility and military officials. Within those 12, the 7th class would be held by the Mosscrests, Garius' lineage.

Though Garius was born from nobility, his section within the Mosscrest is the lowest, not even being recognized by the Church, but only by their own family if they were given the liberty to call themselves among their ranks. However, there was a point in time when his section was excommunicated from the Mosscrest name. Being forced into a life of theft and crime due to the sheer nature of how hard it is to make a living within Nycon without being a Bounder. All due to a catastrophic incident that occurred two generations ago.

Growing up, Garius had always looked up to his lineage, viewing the top sector as almost God's unreachable and unknowing to him; throughout his early years, Garius would spend most of his time stowed away within his father's office. Garius' father was forced to work, which was rare, as a noble, even for a low-ranking one, but at that time, they had been excommunicated due to the actions of Garius' grandfather, Mikalo Mosscrest. 

In the year 983, there was a sighting of the devil known as the Man Bounded by Greed, who appeared within an unknown Gate that had suddenly appeared in a country far to the West known as the Holy Intergis Empire.

The Intergis Empire was much smaller than the Tianamon but retained a strong nationalistic bond with its people that kept the country very conservative; around the same time the Ergo incident occurred, Gates started sprouting up on the soil of the Empire as well, even spreading as far out as across the ocean to the unsanctioned Earth. At this time, the Bound unit had been dispatched to all major countries to help out with the surplus of Gates, making it hard for them to help out in smaller, less populated ones.

The Intergis Empire had gates appearing all over the Empire, which they were able to handle without the help of other nations, until a gate appeared directly in the center of the king's throne room, sucking the king inside of the Gate. The Empire, being run over with lackluster gates, had its military strength dwindled, causing it to seek help outside its borders, calling out for help and offering a reward for whoever could save the king. With their call reaching out all over the world, an overflow of gate explorers, whether affiliated with the Bound unit or not, started to flood the Empire in hopes of saving the king. 

Word of this tragedy had gone from the West to the Church. They responded that each of the 12 classes must send a party to help in the search for the king of Intergis. Among Mosscrest's party was a man named Mikalo; he was strong and brave, and he was just about every other definition of what you would consider a hero. Mikalo was tasked with being the head of the party, leading five other Mosscrest youths in search of the king, and better recognizing the Mosscrest name to raise their status among the classes. 

The 12th-class parties traveled together on the far west track towards Intergis. The territory they had to cross to enter the western lands was known as a place of unknown origins. Gate travel has become a commonality in transportation, having a gate in whichever direction you wish to go and exiting from said Gate within another location, ending up in your desired location.

Mikalo recommended the route the class had chosen; he claimed that the specific Gate had just been discovered and would cut the trip so far down that they could return home within 2 years with minimal casualties if worst came to worst. At first, all 12 parties were reluctant due to the nature of it being a newly discovered gate, even his own. Still, Mikalo was viewed as a respectable veteran bounder, so they agreed to follow through. 

It's stated in writing from a member of the 1st classes party named Esterbraun, who would later become a legendary hero referred to as the 5th Sword Saint as well as another more infamous name, "The man who overcame Greed" that within in the Intergis Gate, he kept a journal of how the mission went. 

Esterbraun: I remember feeling my feet touch the ground as we passed through the Gate. I could see the sky shimmer with stars while basting behind a purple night sky; I could almost immediately feel the breath being sucked out of my lungs. The other parties seem to be wary of some of Mikalo and his party. I don't mind; I feel safe knowing I'm among the 1st class and having His Majesty's blessing upon ourselves and the Church. Time here seems to be frozen; no, that's not the right word. It's more at a standstill, still breathing life into the environment, but not moving. Mikalo said that our time spent here would be unknown to the rest of the world and only be known when we exit. he called this place the void. He said it was the Gate from which all other Gates sprouted from being somewhere that no one, even the Church, was able to monitor, making them entirely alone. When asked how he knew of this information, he removed the garments across his body to reveal a large tattoo along his right side that boasted the markings of Greed. 

A feeling of uneasiness settled on the parties as they watched Mikalo remove his garments to reveal himself as a follower of Greed. The writer continued to detail how "He called himself a messiah sent by God or I guess a Devil that he could take whatever he saw fit and claimed what he wanted was the Empire of Intergis and intended using the 12 parties power to claim it, at first all 12 parties including his own tried to kill him knowing that having a being a follower of Greed amongst them was just a ticking time bomb. Mikalo, on his own, was strong enough to take on each of the non-leader members of all parties, so what was decided was that each of the other 11 captains would challenge Mikalo to a duel. 

One by one, they stepped up to face him, but they ended up being cut down until the only captain left was Captain Shin of the 1st class. He was the exact perception of what the Church called holy, being only 2nd to the Warlords. He drew his sword, having the hilt face him, and slowly, he moved the sword down, falling directly in front of Mikalo. All Mikalo did was lift his hand, and a voice emerged out of his mouth, but not of his own.

Greed: Castries yourself, for you know not of what Greed is but only of righteousness.

Esterbraun: He proceeded to slice his neck straight through, falling to the ground and nearly beheaded; his lifeless body lay limp on the ground, letting his blood flow out, forming a pool on the ground. Everyone was shocked at what they had just witnessed, seeing the mighty Shin just off himself before even beginning to battle. In the silence after seeing this occur right before his eyes, Mikalo just continued to preach about Greed, offering each of the remaining party members to join arms and saying that he would give them all that they desired—from that point on, Mikalo had taken control of the parties since he was the only one who knew the way out of the Gate.

Throughout Esterbraun's time in the void, his writings became scarce, only depicting minor issues on their journey to the exit. However, there was always a theme that would come up repeatedly: corruption. 

Esterbraun stated, "At first, all of us promised each other that we would stay true to our beliefs and follow the Church's rule, but that did not seem to be the case until we finally made it out. We had spent almost a month and a half within the Gate, being led by Mikalo. Members from each class were corrupted, siding with Mikalo and his greedy preachings, thinking they would obtain whatever they desired." 

Once they reached Intergis, the only member of the parties still keeping true was Esterbraun. He had managed to hold onto his ideals, not being corrupted by Greed's wild ambitions, but it was useless. 

The City of Intergis was destined to fall when it exited the void.

When the party entered Intergis' land, Esterbraun had entered the city before anyone else to warn the people of Mikalo's arrival. Still, they just brushed him off as a crazy person who had come preaching about the end of times, laughing at him and making him feel like he wasn't a person.

When the party entered the Empire of Intergis, they kept their motives under wraps, acting like they wanted to find the king being led towards the portal.

Their main goal was to find the Man bound by Greed and help bring him out of the Gate and into the Empire, for "The time hath come, said Mikalo. They entered the Gate one by one, and on the other side was a grassy field, seated upon a hill. The field, seemingly endlessly high, was covered in patches of mud and dirt that showed. When all had finally entered, the sky had become dusk, only allowing the ground right in front of their eyes to be seen, and before them, footsteps could be heard walking down the hill. 

"Thump"

"Thump"

Thump"

Greed: Ahhh, what might these be, followers of mine? How lucky am I? Who exactly are you, people?

Esterbraun, not knowing any other way to save Intergis, snuck himself into the pack, attempting to figure out a way to stop the madness. 

Esterbraun: It was the king. 

He was King Melios, but he didn't appear right; his eyes were as dark as the night sky, and his voice seemed to carry more than one behind it; at that point, I realized that it was Greed. He had taken the king's body for his own. 

As he continued to speak, the terrain around us started to shift, showing that what we had perceived to be a grassy field on a hill became a pile of rotted corpses stacked on top of one another, still smelling of ambition. The bodies began reaching out to each of the men's parties, slowly dragging themselves towards the musing, their bony, deteriorating hands; as they slowly grew closer, their entrails could be seen from their back half, leaving a stream of blood on their behalf. The men all began to panic, crawling at each other to be the first one out of the Gate, but it was too late. The Gate had been sealed shut, not allowing anyone in or out. Some men began to pray, others cried, and some became enraged at Mikalo attempting to take him out, but it was to no use; the corpses had surrounded us. One by one, they grabbed at the men's ankles, pulling them down onto their level, devouring them whole; as the men cried out for Mikalo's help, he stood still, frozen in fear. His face was as pale as the ground in Nycon. 

Mikalo: I DID WHAT YOU ASKED OF ME; YOU PROMISED ME A KINGDOM GREED; WHERE IS YOUR HONOR?

Greed: Honor? You ask me where my honor lies, Mikalo, my dear boy, you naive child, sacrificed everything for a kingdom. Your Greed isn't nearly enough to satisfy me.

Mikalo: But I did what he asked. I did I did I DID I DID I DID I DID I DID I DID I DID I DID I DID I DID.

Esterbraun: Mikalo's eyes began to roll back, and his right side became black as if his tattoo was spreading across his whole body. Before he knew it, his entire body had become covered in markings that resembled his tattoo. Greed reached out, and in an instant, Mikalo's body began to flake away into a cloud of dust, going straight toward Greed's hands. Before I knew it, I was the only one left.

I remember feeling that so much ambition was over me. It was as if I had completed my life's goals; then Greed spoke, "What's your name, boy?" 

"Esterbraun"

Greed: Tell me, Esterbraun, why is it that the corpses didn't choose to devour you? Who are you?

Esterbraun: I'm nobody; besides being a low-ranking member of the 1st class, there is nothing inherently special about me.

Greed: Interesting, very interesting, Esterbraun?

Esterbraun: Yes?

*silence*

Greed: What is it you desire? 

Esterbraun: I wish for peace between the people and the gates. 

Greed: How selfish you want something that, at its core, you know is impossible. How selfish indeed.

At that moment, the body of the king began to blacken just as Mikalo had and faded into the sky, then Esterbraun's heart began to tense, bringing him to his knees; he felt as though someone was stabbing him directly on top of his chest as if they were drawing something. Before Esterbraun knew it, Greed had marked him as not a follower but as a host. 

Before Esterbraun could begin to process what had occurred, he heard screams seemingly coming from thousands of people behind him; as he turned, he saw that the Gate had reopened. 

Walking back through the portal, he came to see that the Empire of Intergis was nothing more than a badland, with the bodies of every person dead on the ground covered in a layer of soot and ash. Esterbraun, witnessing this sight, fell to his knees and began to wail.

Esterbraun: WHY, WHY, GOD, DO YOU FORSAKE ME, WHY AM I HERE?

Greed: Because you're greedy, Esterbraun, you want peace? How can there be peace when both humans and gates are around? The only way for "peace" to come is by eradicating one.

Esterbraun: What? Eradicate? I don't understand why you call me selfish and become one with me just like you did with the king, but why am I not just a husk?

Greed: You're a special case, Esterbraun. I'm feeling gracious, so I'll tag along on your hunt for peace while lending you my strength, but don't be mistaken, Esterbraun. If you stray from your original ambition, I won't hesitate to flatten everything you love just like I did here.

Esterbraun: This…. This was what you're DOING. DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY SOULS LAID REST IN THIS CITY? HOW MANY DID YOU KILL?

Greed: Not me, Esterbraun us, you are me now, whatever you desire if it's within my reason, I can make it happen. YOU felt discontent towards the people of this city for laughing at you when you were only trying to warn them of Mikalo's arrival; YOU deep down wanted this, so I made it happen, and Esterbraun is not just the city. It is the whole nation, 5,798,345 souls, to be exact.

Do you feel joy?

Esterbraun: What? No this can't be, NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO. 

Esterbraun continued to ramble on and on until he could no longer speak. At that moment, he expelled all that lay inside him; wiping his mouth, he just lay in the sand, his body sprawled across it, curling up into a fetal position, attempting to wait and die of either dehydration or starvation. 

This wasn't to Greed's standards; he became angered at Esterbraun's actions and threatened him, "If you don't get up from here by nightfall and start walking back to Nycon, I will make sure that what happened here in Intergis happens all across the world in you're name, Esterbraun.

Esterbraun lay silent, not responding to Greed's threat, simply shedding a tear and getting back up on his feet for a journey back home.