The sun began to make its way into the morning sky, peaking over the horizon and barely illuminating the streets of the Roman capital. In the alley where group B anxiously waited for their leader's return, the men began to pace.
It should not have taken this long for their leader to return. Either the mission had failed or even worse, group A was caught. While the group bickered amongst themselves on their next course of action, a shadow began to appear behind them. A cold dark mist chilled the air around the group and calmed their quarreling.
Suddenly, their leader fell to the cobbled street and leaned up against the wall of a nearby building. He gripped his shoulder while grunting and panting heavily. The group's eyes widened upon seeing the pathetic state their leader was in.
This man was practically their trump card in this mission and yet he was left in this state already. They wondered whether their success was still possible and nervously gathered around the injured leader.
"Sir… The artifact?"
A brooch was flung towards the talking man's face at a speed which didn't allow any time for a reaction. The man was immediately silenced as the artifact struck the man's moving mouth and left a cut on his lip.
The man caught the falling brooch hurriedly against his chest with clasped hands while lowering his head.
"We need to get out of here quickly… We don't have much time." Said the panting injured assassin while slowly standing up from beside the wall supporting him.
"You… Come here and cauterize the wound." Ordered the assassin while slowly limping over to one of his men.
"But-"
"But nothing. This mission must be completed no matter the circumstance."
The complaining man shut his mouth and walked over to help the leader. Small flames lit from his hands and seared against the exposed flesh on the assassin's empty shoulder.
The group grimacingly watched as their leader grunted and gritted his teeth against the immense pain.
"That legionnaire is as good as dead!" He angrily seethed while using his hatred for the short man to strengthen his consciousness.
As the man finished up the procedure the assassin looked around at his remaining men. They were professionals but most who were left were certainly not veterans. Group A, who he had brought into the vault with him, were his experienced personnel that yielded nothing but certain results. However, even with their aid, the mission was still almost a complete bust.
Now, with only group B left to fend off the Romans and somehow escape, he was unsure of what the outcome would be. No, he knew that their chances for a successful escape back to their Order was practically null.
He carefully analyzed their situation and options before finally coming to his decision. Reaching into his robe, he froze after finding nothing. Throwing his cloak around his injured shoulder to hide the missing arm, he beckoned to the remaining group.
"Follow me. We are ditching all of the previous plans."
"But what about the gate?" Asked one of his men.
"We won't be able to make it there, let alone use it now… Just follow me. I know of another path." Impatiently said the leader as he taxingly ran through the alley.
Looking up at the rising sun, he knew that what little time they had was better spent moving immediately to their next course.
Back in the Thunder Legion barracks, a small group of men gathered around a desk with old maps of the capital laid out across its surface.
"Wait, wait, wait… Let me get this straight. So you're saying that there's a forgotten kingdom located beneath the capital?" Shockingly asked Daren with a surprised tone.
"That's what I'm telling you. Tommy and I stumbled across it a while ago, actually right before you recruited me. Anyways, located deep in the hold is one of those void gates I was telling you about earlier." Explained Kellen as he pointed towards a section of the map that detailed the sewers and catacombs of the Roman capital.
"He is right. Tommy probably doesn't remember since he was extremely young at the time, but I was the one who originally showed him that place." Added Axus.
"Hold on… You already knew about this commander?" Angrily replied Daren, who was beginning to wonder what else his leader was keeping from them.
Axus shrugged before replying, "As I've told you before, some information has been classified by the officials. Strictly speaking, not even every legionnaire is aware of all the hidden information kept by the Empire. Although, the only reason they know is because of my report I filed when I accidentally found the place with my son."
Daren frustratedly rubbed his temple while looking back down to the maps in front of them.
"Well if what you're saying is true, then we have a bigger problem than either of you realize." He said as he pointed to the location of the void gate Kellen had identified.
"If there has been a void gate beneath us this entire time and it still works, then what is stopping those bastards from doing whatever they please? Hell, they may have been slipping in here under our noses since the beginning of the damn Empire!"
"Unlikely, the passages beneath the capital are practically a labyrinth. Unless you had a guide who basically lived down there for most of their lives it's near impossible for you to navigate." Commented Axus, who pointed to certain sections on the map.
"Most of these locations are caved in or no longer exist anymore. Plus, there are many sections that were never recorded due to the sheer scale of the place."
"But doesn't Tommy go there all the time? He was the one that brought me to the kingdom before." Interjected Kellen.
"True, that stupid son of mine always skipped out on his classes and training to explore there. We used to be able to catch him but we don't have even the slimmest of chances anymore, since he knows that place like the back of his hand now. He's probably the only person in this entire Empire that can accurately navigate through this labyrinth." Grunted Axus at having to recount the times he spent searching for his rebellious son.
Kellen tightened his fists. If Tommy really was who they needed to rely on, then so be it. However, he didn't like the idea of getting his new friend involved in their fight with the Order. They still didn't know what these people were capable of or how many of them were actually out there.
Axus glanced up from the desk and studied Kellen's tense expression. He did not like dragging his son into the mix either but under these circumstances it was unavoidable.
"Kellen, gather Strom's group and meet at the entrance Tommy took you to before. I doubt he'll take my words to heart so it's going to have to be you who convinces him."
"Yes, sir. Should I inform them of the situation?"
"No, only tell Strom. He will know which of those we should divulge this to in his group."
Kellen nodded and raced off towards the tavern. It was now the early morning and the Slum squad would be preparing for their training or assignments, so the most likely location of Strom's group was probably where they usually held their meetings.
Axus looked back over to Daren after watching Kellen's departing figure disappear from sight.
"Be prepared… This will be a sight you'll be unable to forget." He ominously said.
"When isn't there a surprise when you're our legionnaire?" Retorted Daren, who rolled up the maps and tucked them into a rucksack for their departure.
"Just get the men together. We need ones who can be trusted and act discreetly under our discretion."
"The usual bunch then?"
"Yes, call in the thunderbirds."
At the tavern, Strom laid out a document that covered almost the entire space of the cramped wooden booth that he and his men occupied. He studied the different encoded messages and the isogonic lines that were strewn everywhere across the topographical features depicted on the chart.
"This is going to be a real pain in the ass…" He murmured to himself and let out an exasperated sigh.
On the other side of the booth a burly dark-skinned warrior arrived and forcefully threw a struggling kid into his seat.
"Ah come on! What's the big idea? It's still time for sleeping right now!" Complained Tommy who resentfully nursed his wounds.
"Stop being a little bitch and pay attention. The captain has orders." Said Marcus with a grunt.
Ever since Tommy had been forced to join this Slum squad, he regretfully had kissed all his days of mischief and relaxation good-bye. The main contributor to his new lifestyle was this meat-head that had dragged him out from his bunk and brought him to their meeting.
Marcus had been the biggest prick in his side ever since he joined up with them. He was offered a decent amount of sleep by the other members, but this oaf would annoyingly wake him up three hours earlier for some stupid training.
"Always going on about how I'm a weak-ass this weak-ass that…" Grumbled Tommy as he clutched his knees up to his chest with dark-circles clearly visible beneath his tired eyes.
"Alright, now that everyone is here, let's go over the assignments." Announced Strom after receiving a nod from Marcus, who towered behind Tommy's whining figure.
"Please tell me it's somewhere nearby this time… I can't stand going to the outer circle of the empire's territories where all those filthy kingdoms are. Don't they know anything about hygiene?" Grumbled Ceric from the corner of the booth next to Tommy.
"Looks like you caught a break this time, Ceric. We are to report to the city-state of Delarus for assistance in establishing order while there is a change to the new infrastructure." Said Strom.
"I wouldn't get too excited yet…" Said a voice from behind them.
The group looked up to find Kellen walking over towards their booth with a sorry smile on his face.
"Kellen! What brings you back here? Aren't you busy with Axus?" Asked Strom in surprise.
"That's why I'm here actually…"
Kellen shot a quick glance over to Tommy. It had only been a short time but the once skinny troublemaker seemed to have changed. At least, it could be said for his external appearance.
He could see veins beginning to show with more definition in the lean muscle beginning to form on his friend's body.
"Kellen! Quick, you've gotta save me from these brutes!" Wailed Tommy upon seeing his familiar companion. The fatigue and dark-circles under his eyes seemed to have practically disappeared in the short moment since Kellen's arrival.
'Well maybe not everything has changed so much…' Thought Kellen with a chuckle.
The lighthearted moment did not last long though. Kellen regained his composure after reminding himself the reason for coming here.
"You've received a different assignment from the legion. I've only been certified to discuss the contents with you, Strom. But we need to leave quickly. Time is not something that we can afford right now." Said Kellen sternly as he bowed his head slightly to his old companion.
Strom waved his hand to Kellen to signal off the unneeded formalities.
"We'll follow you, don't worry. You can fill me in on the way." He replied while quickly standing up from the booth.
Kellen nodded his head while stealing another short glance at Tommy from the corner of his eyes.
'I'm sorry…'