Of Heaven and Hell

               The bleak and dreary stonewall encopasses the entire city, shielding its populace from the true horrors that surrounds them. Pairs of guard towers stood between the three entrances to the city where soldiers armed to the teeth with long ranged weaponry that would even put the famed Lyrine crossbowmen to shame. The banners of Gens Octavia can be seen flying proudly over the city. The daunting wooden gate, marred by countless assaults by both Hasedian and Imperium forces, had merely three soldiers equipped with steel shields and standard military gladiuses. As the carriage neared the two guardsmen, their grim and solemn faces became apparent. A look that is all too common when on the frontline. "Halt!" Boomed the serviceman that stood in the middle who managed to cause one of my travel companions to tear his eyes away from his journal, "All passengers step outside of the carriage". Everything about him was brown, except for his forrest green eyes, his steel plated braces and boots, from his short and well kept hair to his studded tunic. His most notable feature wasn't his emerald like eyes but his deeply scared left cheek. His cloth satchel sat in between his legs as he grumbled before placing the book inside it. He attached his rusted rapier to his belt and leapt off the carriage gracefully. The person beside him wore a dark hooded cloak with a skinned white wolf draped over his shoulders. He wore a leather garb underneath with several silver buckles glisten as it made contact with the morning sun's rays. His greying beard was the only visible feature on his face as the rest were hidden by his hood. He placed his wooden bow in his place as he got off. On closer inspection, multiple metallic runes had been engraved on it. I quickly placed my two longswords on the wooden seat and stood at the mouth of the carriage, glancing at the desolate wasteland surrounding us. As I was about to leap off, the brown haired companion stuck out his hand and a small smile appeared on his face. I raised my brow at the gesture but accepted nonetheless. A young man, who seemed to be barely in his twenties, sat further along inside the carriage. His outfit was quite unremarkable as it consisted of a grey woolen garb and leather trousers. Grey eyes that seem nervously glance at all the passengers. His face was also free of scars which was uncommon in our line of work. His equipment consisted of a small buckler shield and a brass hilted arming sword. He had carelessly stumbled a bit as he tried to exit the carriage. A lone guard entered the carriage, the young man leered anxiously as he waited for the soldier to exit. Another serviceman was occupied with the coachman and a small exchange took place. The last one crossed his arms as he took in our appearance, slightly irritated with the hooded man who refused to remove his hood initially, before questioning the purpose of our arrival to the city. "What is the purpose of your visit?" He eyed the lone dagger on my leather trousers cautiously. "Our presence had been requested by the Adventurer's Guild but we are not able to disclose the reason as to why." Before I could answer, the brown haired companion answered first. The soldier made an indecipherable face, a brief look of sorrow was present on his features, before allowing us to continue into the city. "Poor bastards don't know what's waiting for them." The guard mumbled quietly to himself as I finally entered the carriage. The comment refused to leave my mind as I tried to come up with possible reasons yet no concrete idea stuck to my mind. The wooden gate slowly revealed the battle scarred city, cracks in the city's architecture became less abundant as the carriage slowly made its way to the heart of it. The afternoon glow illuminated the gloomy city. The carriage seem to briefly garner looks of curiosity from those of common births before they continue with their current woes. A lone boy in tattered clothing longfully gazed at the carriage before he disappeared into the alleyway. A troop of soldiers led by a single centurion marched proudly towards where we came from, an Imaginifer straggled behind them as the huge banner with the Emperor's Insignia weighed heavily on his shoulder. Piles of bodies were littered at the city square, waiting to be transported, and a few people can be seen among the bodies for only reasons known to them. This was a gruesome reminder to us all of the horrors of war. We finally reached our destination, none of us uttered a single word as we collected our belongings and waited inside the establishment. The building was no different from others, since the Hasedians were renowned for their gothic architecture, save for the sign that hung beside the door. The interior was furnished lavishly as several paintings are seen on the walls, a beautiful mural hung behind the counter and intricate patterns decorated the tiles. Two doors stood in between the stone counter while cushioned chairs are carefully arranged in a square, surrounding a table each. There were only a handful of souls within the building, all of them had the appearance of seasoned veterans excluding the old woman behind the counter who was organizing papers. We approached the lady and were told to wait for the person who requested our presence. I separated myself from the others and found a seat by the corner. Everyone seemed to be lost in their own world. I sighed as I glanced at the hilt of my longsword where the insignia of a dragon's head laid, reminding me of my purpose as to why I became a sellsword. Adventurers, or more commonly known as mercenaries, are individuals employed by the Adventurer's Guild to complete tasks that are deemed to be dangerous for the general public at a certain cost. These tasks vary for each person as it could be as trivial as collecting herbs in a forest or as significant as an escort duty to a nation's royal family. Adventurers generally have no allegiance thus are free from the confines of politics that plague kingdoms and empires. Normally, they travel alone as there are not many that could afford multiple adventurers to solve their woes. I was soon taken away from my thoughts as a well dressed noblewoman strutted confidently past the entrance with three guardsmen in tow. Her alabaster like skin almost became indistinguishable from the white walls, while her dark red hair, bright red lips and patterned red dress seem to compliment her features nicely. A sense of familiarity and dread soon found itself within me as I hoped that she does not recognise my presence among the adventurers. "Is this all the adventurers that you managed to find?" Her voice was thick with arrogance, and the man who stood alongside her swiftly shook his head. "A few of them were to arrive yesterday but I fear they lost their lives in the skirmish that took place at the same time," the woman appeared to be annoyed as the man continued talking, "More adventurers will be coming in the next following days as it will take time to journey here, your ladyship." "We don't have the time to wait for more adventurers, we will just have to make do with them." The man merely nodded in silence and called for us to gather in the adjacent room. We all gathered at the long table, where we were forced to keep our distance from the noblewoman. "I am Aelia Octavia Aquilina and I have summoned you all here for a single purpose only which is to explore the labyrinth underneath this very city," There was a brief pause as she glanced at all the sellswords present in the room. "Normally the empire's soldiers would be exploring this crypt themselves but they are currently much needed elsewhere but you all are deemed to be reliable by the Adventurer's Guild and several of my close associates which is why I have hired you." Gens Octavia, one of the few noble houses that managed to be exempted from the purge as their martial exploits from past until the present are legendary. Their lineage can be traced back before the first emperor of the Imperium. Most of their members have occupied high ranking positions within the Imperium's military. Even the females of this proud family aren't spared from military service. "You all will be heavily compensated for your bravery and in addition, you are able to keep any valuables you come across during the exploration." This piqued my curiosity as there must have been an even greater treasure hidden in the ruins which would explain the reason why they would let us freely plunder the crypt. Everyone one else seemed indifferent towards this piece of information. The promise of wealth and fortune will always cloud one's judgement and it would be a complete lie if I had no interest in finding treasures that are waiting to be unearthed. "I will now leave you all to my trusted advisor, Gaius Didius, who will aid you on how to approach this matter completely." She soon left us to our own devices but not before casting her knowing glance in my general direction. Panic almost overtook my mind as I now have a new problem to worry about. Didius placed two maps, one appeared to be a cruder than the other, and a large silver coin onto the table. The man appeared to be quite old as streaks of white can be seen on both his well-kept brown hair and beard. His steel bracer barely covered his right arm which appeared to be marred with burn scars, with increasing intensity near his elbows. He wore the standard red tunic beneath his lorica segmentata fastened with brass buckles. His steel shin guards had a lion's head covering his knees. His gladius seemed to be tightly fastened to his armour, the hilt also had a lion's head as it's insignia. The absence of his galea and sagum made it difficult to distinguish his rank within the military hierarchy of the Imperium. "Her ladyship's personal soldiers have already scouted the first floor of this labyrinth and even managed to locate the entrance to the second floor," He pointed to the underlined 'x' at the corner of the map, "You all are expected to do the same as her ladyship has planned to send scholars to study the ruins after you have properly cleared them." "Her ladyship may have allowed you to keep any treasures except for this coin here." The strange artifact had an unrecognisable crest on one side while the other merely had a half face of a male humanoid and a skull joined together. Unusual inscriptions can also be seen encircling both symbols. "Finally, you are to not deface or tarnish the ruins as it will affect any important findings conducted by the scholars on a later date." He glared at the tattooed woman who was brandishing her halberd at the cloaked figure with the runed bow. She merely smirked as a response. On another note, a proper excavation with scholars and soldiers trained by the Empire would be a pleasant sight to see but mere drifters such as ourselves would not be permitted to. "I understand that adventurers normally prefer to work by themselves," He scanned the room and took in our appearance once again, "However it is highly advisable to enter the crypt with at least four members as this is by far not a mere trivial task." Groans can be heard from across the room, mainly coming from the tattooed woman and the hooded bowman. On closer inspection of the woman, she wore a makeshift fur apparel which exposed her chest. A mark, which appeared to be branded on her chest, can clearly be seen. A blue tattoo ran across her rugged face. Her bright red hair was braided and fell behind her back. The halberd rested heavily on her shoulder, signs of wear can also be spotted with the pike as an exception as it was well maintained. It also seemed to be crafted with the intention of inflicting massive amounts of pain before finishing off the opponent, as the blade was jagged. The two glared angrily at each other and refused to look at anyone else. I huffed in annoyance as these two would pose a significant problem if both were on the same group. Looking around, there would be a total of three groups and judging by everyone's choice on their weaponry, some of us should be more or less compatible with each other. Didius soon gathered his belonging and ordered everyone to organise themselves in groups before the sun would finally set. Once he finally left, the hall erupted into chaos as some were embroiled in an argument while the rest chatted amongst themselves in a civil manner. I turned around as I felt a small tap on my shoulder, to my surprise it was the same brunet who helped me off the carriage. "Hello again m'lady." He bowed mockingly which elicited a nervous chuckle from me. A small smile danced on his lips as he peeked with one eye, "I am Estienne Courtier and I would be most grateful if you were to accept my companionship as we delve deep into danger." "Well if you put it that way," I paused dramatically before answering, "how could I, Victoria Vitellia Triaria, resist such an irresistible promise?" I courteously bowed and giggled as his met mine. I breathed a sigh of relief as it was just his charming attempt at gaining my attention, which he had done quite spectacularly. A few curious stares were directed at us but it was soon  moved towards another pair who started trading blows with each other. "Damn, those brutes sure do know how to start a fight." I nodded silently beside him as the red haired woman began a relentless assault against an equally buff man riddled with scars. The contrast between the colour of his scars and his dark skin were barely distinguishable. He effortlessly guarded against her barrage of attacks and appeared to have no trouble when he subdued her. She continued to thrash about shouting in foreign tongue. "Do not resist tribeswoman," He grunted as he held her in a chokehold, "If you stop struggling, I will let go." She nodded her head after a short while and the bald man loosened his grip around her neck. As he released her from his grip, she bent over gasping for air. In what appeared to be an act of kindness, the man offered to assist her to stand up. To everyone's surprise she accepted it. I left Courtier to find anyone else who was willing to join us as I wanted to purchase some provisions before we enter the crypt. We agreed to meet at the entrance of the crypt as soon as the sky turned dark. I soon found myself at the trade centre, there was none but a few wandering souls left about the market. A man stood beside a well decorated carriage whilst glancing anxiously at his surroundings. I decided to approach the man and see if he was willing to trade with me. He snapped out of his trance quickly at the sight of me as he tried to straighten out his unkempt tunic. "You wouldn't happen to still be open right now, would you?" He took in my appearance and stared, albeit too long for my taste, at the two blades on my back. He was a man of short stature with uninteresting features other than looking malnourished, his clothes seemed to be a bigger fit as it hung loosely in folds. He nodded nervously at my question which made me raise my brow at him. "I'd like to purchase some supplies before I set off to the next city." He scurried off into the carriage wordlessly. The odd behaviour of his practically screamed at me to be suspicious of him. I quickly glanced around me with paranoia leading the charge, three dirty men in torn clothing were slowly closing in behind me. Before I could even draw my sword, one of them charged at me head on with a crude shiv. I quickly did a sidestep and struck him with an overhead punch, he swiftly fell towards the stone ground with a heavy thud. The two apprehensively tried to encircle me, only one of them armed with a dagger, the one on the left made the first move by slashing diagonally in my direction whilst staying at his spot. I took a step back right into the arms of the other assailant, who miserably attempted to hold me in place. However, before he could fully grasp onto me, I managed to elbow him in the face causing him to stumble backwards. A groan escaped his lips as he painfully clutched his nose. The armed assailant thrusted his dagger but, with graceful fluidity, I dodged his attack and he ran right through his ally. Realising the horror he had just committed, he released his hold on his weapon. Before he could snap out of his trance, I delivered a turning kick to his abdomen. He immediately fell whilst clutching his left waist. Taking a quick glance at my surrounding, I clicked my tongue in annoyance as one of my attackers was bleeding profusely while the rest had suffered minor wounds.  I peered into the carriage and found the trembling man, cowering behind stacks of barrels. He forced his eyes shut and muttered to himself an incomprehensible mantra repeatedly. I smiled amusingly at the sight of the poor man. Taking a few steps closer, he seemed to register my presence as the atmosphere had suddenly grew silent. The man peeked with one eye, only to be greeted at the opposite end of a dagger. He visibly gulped as I inched the blade ever closer to his throat.  "Now, are you finally going to fulfil our bargain?" No words formed as his mouth opened and closed so he quickly nodded in agreement. He soon began scourging the the carriage for the supplies and any scrap of paper he could find. He also became very negotiable as he gave up the goods at no cost at all and gave away a leather satchel to store the supplies. I left him a parting gift as a way to repay his kindness, by sparing his miniscule life and warned him of robbing the common folk again.  Despite the city in a ruinous state, some of the buildings appeared to be quite intact aside from the few cracks here and there. Getting lost within the city was quite easy as many signs were defaced and many of its residence refused to aid me. After a while, I finally found the entrance to the city sewage system and to my surprise none of the three groups had entered yet. Most of them seemed to be checking on their equipment while three were busy loitering around the entrance.  "You're late!" A man in a strange get up barked out. He had his jet black hair in a ponytail and his facial features were quite different than anyone else. He appeared to be around my height as well. His midnight black armour looked as if it were constructed from small scales of leather or metal laced into plates with cord and lacquered with small square iron linked together by chainmail. A small black half-mask that could cover his mouth hung by his neck.  "I was held up when I was buying the supplies for my group." He only grunted in response as I showed him the leather satchel I carried on my shoulder.  "The people here have no sense of integrity." I heard him mumble to himself and continued to check out the access. Ignoring that comment, I went towards Courtier and the two people with him. The two were basically the people from the same carriage we used to arrive to this city.  "Ah Vitellia, I managed to muster two familiar companions to our group." He pointed to the two figures crouching behind him.  "The hooded person who looks like he'd skin you alive is Gluniairn Agnarsson or more commonly known in his homeland, Wulfblood." After scowling at me, he resumed to count his finite supply of arrows. On closer inspection, the arrows are a completely different make from the usual materials found here and there was a shiny gleam on each arrowhead.  "This quaking young man right here is Eadric Hendeston and he's a budding adventurer on his very first task." Other than appearing to have no confidence, his equipment didn't seem to contain much significance. He uttered a few quiet prayers to Aephial, the god of logic and wisdom, before sharpening his blade against a whetstone.  Aephial belonged to a pantheon of gods that are mainly worshipped by Imperials, Hasedians and Lyrians. This pantheon of gods are made up of twelve gods which are Drellius, Zephaerel, Izrius, Aephial, Naethus, Paltal,  Mazaelle, Lilzaelle, Voltasrius, Milthos, Annael and Saellael. It is up to the person to choose which of the twelve gods that they worship but it is widely known that Drellius is the head of the pantheon. Thinking back to my noble lineage, we have always worshipped the god Naethus as he decides the outcomes of all the battles that are fought.  "Now that everyone's here, let us start this exploration." A gruff voice ordered, whom I was told was Spurius Anneius. Courtier informed me of the current plan, which was to stick in the middle between Anneius's group and Herennius's group. The Imperium favors its own people than foreigners which might be one of the reasons why Anneius and Herennius were chosen as group leaders in the first place. It would be no surprise if I would be incharge of the group, even if I am a disgraced noble. We all entered the dirty sewage system and found the entrance to the crypt with difficulty as it was located further inside. Despite different kinds of liquids oozing from any of the openings, the smell was bearable at least.  The entryway to the crypt was merely a broken wall leading into a dark passage, one person from each group took out their torches. The deeper we went, the more different the architecture of the crypt became as it was a mixture of Hasedian and an unknown culture. Intricate stone carvings dotted the hallways but no one was able to decipher it. Several signs of a battle seemed to take place as we neared the stairway leading towards the second floor of this crypt. Streaks of dried blood can be seen across the floor leading down. We all readied our weapons just in case. Different types of weaponry laid on the floor, all of which seemed to be from the previous era. Agnarsson crouched beside the bloodstain and took a few glances at his surrounding area. "The dead do not rest easy here and there are some cruel machinations about." Was all he said before re-joining our group. Nothing but the sound of our footsteps echoed in the seemingly empty crypt as we descended downwards.