The hero, Oasis King, lowers his sword, letting the monster flee. The crimson creature turns and flees for its life, leaving behind its treasure hoard. All of it, stolen from countless victims. But in this moment, the hero could not see a monster, but a small and frightened creature clinging desperately to life, not unlike he had once done in a nameless alley just a few years ago. On a whim, a single moment of mercy, Oasis King lets this one go. He reasons to himself that it was young, too young to have hurt anyone, and that it deserves a chance to live.
Kneeling down, Oasis King picks up a handful of gold watches and various wallets. These creatures, often referred to as Crimson Archers because of their ability to produce and throw bone-like protrusions from their skin, enjoy taking small shiny objects to build their nests. All around Oasis King lay the bodies of dozens of these same monsters, many times larger than the one he let flee; adults. He pulls a hempen bag from his waist and begins filling it with the various valuables, before leaving the nest.
Walking out, he passes dozens of other heroes, all of whom assisted him in this raid to clear out this nest. Some of them spare none of the creatures, others brought cages and were shoving living specimen inside, ready to be sold for study, or resources. Crimson Archer blood was a powerful fertilizer, and their skin made for popular handbags as of late. Stepping into the fresh air, he leaves the nest, which had been dug into an abandoned train station built several hundred years ago. Oasis King breathes in the air, and his bronze amor flickers in the moonlight as he listens to the quiet night, satisfied with what he's done. But above, dark clouds begin to gather.
An hour later, Oasis King was speaking with other heroes, when he hears a commotion nearby, and sees a familiar face. At first, he is happy to see his mentor, Omar. His long but wispy white beard blows in the night breeze, giving a deceptive air of fragility. But the moment Oasis King meets Omar's eye, he knows he is in for an earful. Omar is an old, opinionated, and simple man. Just by looking at him, one would never guess he was a hero. Omar usually wears slacks and a button-up shirt rather than any kind of hero's armor.
"What have you done?" Omar asks intensely.
"Is this because I didn't wait?" Oasis jokes. He is used to his mentor's scorn.
"That is among your numerous mistakes tonight."
"You were late. Everyone was tired of waiting, and we needed to move quickly."
"You wanted to move quickly. A bit of patience would have saved this operation, had I been here."
"We wiped out the den."
"There were casualties." Omar seethes.
"Only a few. Everyone knew the risks when we went in."
"There would have been no risk had you waited just a bit longer!" Omar points a wrinkled finger at his disciple. Just then, two heroes come out of the cave, dragging a cage with a Crimson Archer behind them. "What is this?"
"We took some of the monsters. We're going to sell them. We already found a buyer." Oasis explains.
"That was not the mission!"
"But this is better. Rather than just spending money to clean this place out, we can make some profit. And we can even donate some of the extra to charity."
"Charity? Do you think this is about charity or money? The black markets are flooded with these beasts. You know this! You know why! Their bodies can be used for weapons and poisons. The city has been flooded with this mess for over a decade. We were supposed to burn the bodies to prevent more from reaching the markets!" Omar yells.
"One den won't make a difference. And we can do some real good with this money." Oasis shakes his head, ignoring his mentor.
Omar sighs, and makes a decision. "I'm done with you."
"What?"
"I'm done. You keep doing this, thinking too small, making rash decisions. I did not make a mistake in choosing you, but you have made one mistake after another since I did. You are no longer my disciple." Omar says, and turns to walk away.
"Stop!" Oasis shouts, and grabs Omar's sleeve, tearing it. "You can't just-"
Omar turns suddenly, and strikes Oasis with an open palm. A brilliant blue light pulses outward, and launches Oasis King back several meters. With his other hand, Omar points his palm toward Oasis, and a golden light begins to flow like liquid glass from Oasis into Omar. A moment later, the light fully enters Omar, and vanishes.
"I gave you this power, and I find you unworthy of it anymore. Goodbye Saul."
Saul, now nearly powerless compared to mere moments ago, crawls to his knees as rain starts to fall. "You can't do this! I'm the Oasis King! The greatest hero! Omar! Omar!"
With a single step, there is a crack of thunder. Not from the gathered storm, but from Omar leaving Saul behind.