Lootbox Hero (Old)

Chapter 5: Sectatores Fortunae

In the days of yore... Well before humanity was what it is now; it is said that three beings of immense power watched over the world of Lút. The Twin Gods; Prusperis, and Mesfornis who were but two sides of the same coin. Together they controlled the tides of Luck, while Baedlim, lord of Chaos, watched over them both. Keeping their powers in check with random chance, so that all was fair, and neither got the upperhand over the other. Of course, in modern days this was seen as nothing more than a fairy tale to the average citizen.

As Lootboxes spread, growing in popularity and acceptance, the need for the old Gods lessened among the peoples . Leaving them to fade into obscurity. Whether the stories were true or not didn't matter to humanity anymore. They had a new object of worship, and obsession. However, there still existed pockets of those that believed in the old ways in the world. Some even flocked together; forming large groups in order to confide in one another that their belief was real. One such group was the Sectatores Fortunae. Strict believers in the God of Fortune, and good luck; Prusperis. Working from the shadows they seek to do away with Mesfornis' influence over Lút. By any means necessary.

The heavy footfalls of Sectatores Fortunae Knight Captain Auz Pishoss echoed throughout the large, and obnoxiously long hallway of King Trèshir IVs castle. The Captain hated the man. The King was lazy, apathetic, and held no ambition in Auz's eyes. Doing nothing but sit in his throne room opening Lootboxes that were rigged in his favor. Auz loathed the fact that he was forced to play advisor to this "king" just so that his forces can operate unimpeded in the Kingdom. What was worse was that on the precipice of success their Relic was snatched out from under their noses by some unknown third party. Months, years even, of planning dashed in a sine instant.. It was safe to say Auz was in an exceptionally poor mood.

Without so much as making his presence known, the Captain brushed past the guards standing at the front of the throne room. The pair of men starting after him, but were halted by a single backwards glance from the white-cloaked man. While the golden helmet blocked their view of Auz's face, they could sense the intense aura emanating from him.

"Ahhh! Mr. Pishoss! What wonderful timing. I was just wondering how your search in the Crypt went!"

The jolly, and utterly irritating, tone of the King's voice made Auz stop walking. The bastard couldn't even say his title correctly.

"It's Sir, my liege. I am a Knight."

Auz had a hard time leaving the hatred out of his voice.

"Quite right! So, Sir Pishoss, how did you fair?"

With a twitching eyebrow the Captain continued his report.

"I'm afraid we faired rather poorly. It seems some brigand Delver found it first."

The King looked surprised at the revelation. Auz cleared his throat.

"But you wouldn't know anything about that, would you, my liege?"

The Captain kept his tone neutral, but the accusation was readily apparent. This made King Trèshir's brow furrow.

"Watch what you say to the King, cur!"

A guard shouted from the left of the throne. The man readying his Spear, but the King raised a hand to stop them.

"Be aware that we are only tolerating your presence on accord of the deal we made."

King Trèshir leaned forward as he spoke, staring Auz straight in the eyes.

"Speak out of turn like you did again, and you, and your little group will no longer be welcomed here. Understood."

The cloaked man didn't flinch from the threat. Empty words from a tired old man.

"And we're so very grateful for such a tolerant King. Rest assured, we will find the Delver that stole from us, and then we will move on to the next phase."

This seemed to appease the sovereign, as he sat back against his throne. Although he said nothing. Using that as his cue Auz turned on his heel; exiting the room, and soon the castle entirely. Standing just outside the building Auz surveyed his surroundings. It was the day of the Worldbox, and the streets were filled with people from all over the world. A horrid sight. The amount of Unfaithful in his presence caused Auz's skin to crawl. The ignorant masses Worshipping something they knew little about. If only they really knew what the Worldbox was. Well... They'd find out soon enough.

Turning, Auz continued down the street leading to the pier. Prusperis City, while mainly known for being the location of the Worldbox, also contained one of Lút's most prolific ports. The Trèshir Kingdom entertained trading agreements with nearly every other Kingdom. With so many boats coming and going it was almost too easy for Sectatores Fortunae to set up shop there. It was near the far end of the docks that Auz approached a rather unassuming ship. A casually dressed man sitting atop a barely looked up from his sculpting project to consider Auz as he walked by.

"Need somethin'?"

He asked in an impatient manner, before realizing who he was talking too.

"Oh, sorry, Sir! I-I didn't realize it was you!"

The Captain didn't pay the lookout any attention; making his way onto the ship, and down into the hull. Inside was a group of around twenty similarly dressed men. All in white cloaks, although they lacked the gold helmet. Each one quickly stopped what they were doing to salute the arrival of their Knight Captain.

"The one who took the relic is surely still in the city."

Auz addressed them while casting his gaze from individual to individual.

"We must aquire the Key at any cost. Any. Cost!"

As he spoke Auz's voice became a roaring shout, which startled many of the men around him.

"It could only have been someone strong. Start with well known Delvers in the area. Now go. Go!"

The crowd of soldiers all stumbled and fumbled as they rushed to follow orders. Many fell over only to get yelled at by Auz until they were out of the ship. Before the last one was able to leave the Captain grasped them by the shoulder.

"You... Give word to the rest outside the border. It's time to take the next step, and burn the Trèshir Kingdom to the ground; along with the Unfaithfuls residing within it. Prusperis City belongs to Sectatores Fortunae, and Sectatores Fortunae alone."

The soldier nodded their head wordlessly, and all but ran out. Leaving Auz as the last person to remain. Walling over to a table he would look over a map sprawled across it's surface. It consisted of a detailed depiction of the city and its streets, as well as a portion of the surrounding area. Just outside of the marked border was a red circle indicating where the other Sectatores Fortunae camp was. A white sword sat at the center. It represented the force of a thousand soldiers waiting for the word to storm the city. Word they'd be receiving very soon. Auz reached up to remove his helmet. Setting it gently on the map.

"Long have we waited for this. Even if we don't manage to find the Key beforehand... With this..."

He placed a hand on top of the golden metal.

"With this we'll have no trouble bringing you to ruin, so enjoy the festival while you can, my liege..."

Auz nearly spit those last words they were filled with so much contempt.

"For this will be your last one."

In one fluid motion the Captain donned the helmet, and rushed out of the room. He was to head back to the castle for one final meeting with the King.