Deliverance

~ Rite Against Evil • Monster Hunter ~ Josiah is a man who has walked the path that leads to nowhere. And in the absence of faith, doth he find solace amongst the shadows. It is the 10th century AD. And having been stripped of all titles, Josiah stands alone as one of the last defences against evil. Exiled—he traverses the continent in search of inner peace. His purpose sewn in the great tapestry of life and death. A priest who turned his back against God now leans upon the precipice of something greater than himself as the devil threatens to claim a young woman in the heart of Scandinavia. The Dark Ages are rife within these lands—a land where silver swords and salt barriers offer little in the way of protection. Only the will of God may prevail here. Something Josiah must wage within himself to overcome—his heart still full of grief and anguish. In truth, this is a test cast down upon him by the almighty, to sheathe his blades and seek absolution through greater means. To save the life of one over the lives of many. Under the blood moon doth he sit in careful contemplation, allowing his herbal concoctions to take effect before heading into battle with a creature no mere man can fathom. It feasts on fear, turmoil, and hate. All the sins of man combined into one formidable beast, hiding behind the bloodshot eyes of an innocent girl whose grief for her late father sealed her fate. The village remains eerily quiet as he makes peace with his demons, approaching the cottage with divine purpose, ready to stare death in the face and banish it from whence it came. Her mother stands motionless by the door—cheeks stained with tears, and a rosary entwined around her fingers, silently praying for her daughter, who lies tormented in her bed. He enters the room, the air thick with filth and blood—a low cackle emanating from her twisted grin. Its efforts to unnerve him are futile as he stands at the foot of the bed, beginning the ritual without hesitation.