Honor and Deceit: The Ironhide Legacy

Part 1: Prologue

Our story opens upon four warriors, drinking to their hearts content in a shabby, wooden, pub. A prized ex-Gladiator, a disgraced Centurion, a deceptive Peacekeeper, and a bloodthirsty Viking. They weren't strangers to anyone, called the name of 'Ironhide'.

The Gladiator lifted his wooden tankard, chugging down the remaining alcohol through his scarred lips, before slamming it down against the counter with an uproarious laugh and whipping his curly black hair forward and wiping the booze from his mouth and unkempt facial scruff. This was Seamus Crower, a thirty-year-old ex-gladiator. He bought his own freedom after a life spent in the arena, before founding the group of mercenaries that sat in the bar's heart. "Again, again! Do it again!" He quite literally yelled out, even though he was yelling at the Peacekeeper to his right. She was known only by the nickname of 'Kergie', and was the youngest of the group. Mysterious, silent perfectionist, and the only person to be keeping their helmet on. Though she was young and small, she was deathly intimidating to anyone that had the misfortune of seeing her surgically gore her enemies in a matter of seconds. The reason that Seamus had been yelling for her to 'Do it again', was because she was spinning her blades against the countertop to impress the foolish drunks, and with a demeaning sigh, she complied. "No, no. Do the thing where you stab Seamus's gut for being a needless fuckwit!", A voice then called out from Seamus's left, also aimed towards the PK. Helios, the twenty-six year-old Centurion, wasn't a man of class or manners like his title would suggest. Though his armor was visually similar to a professional officer of a Roman army, he was merely a delinquent with a high range of weapon skills, and a high-top. Top then chuckled at Helios's retort, stopping her blade to consider it. "You know, that doesn't sound too bad of an idea. Alright, show me your stomach..." Kergie commanded Seamus, gripping her blade with intent to do exactly what Helios asked, when the sound of a gargantuan fist slam the counter next to Helios halted them. "No! You leave my wittle Rocky alone! Or else..!" They were interrupted by the unnaturally childish voice of Valdimir, the Raider. Twenty-six years of age, just like Helios, but he was much less mature......and Seven feet tall. Somewhat their comic-relief fighter, the Raider was still the most physically dominant of the four and with the most fighting experience, all packed in a heart of gold.

"Would ya' look at that, boyos! Ironhide? In a town where they're wanted dead or alive? It must be our lucky day." The group was quickly interrupted by a yell, but this time from behind. The four turned around to see a small crew of mercenaries, similar to them,  with their leader holding a printed bounty up high; it was their own. Expert paintings of all four of Ironhide's members. Their leader lowered the bounty, chuckling slightly at the sight of them with a wide smile painted across his unarmored face. "You shmucks don't look so tough. Dunno why the guards made it seem like ye'd  be tough.", the mercenary leader taunted again with a smirk, followed by Valdimir launching himself unannounced and unwarranted  towards the crew. The sound of a bone shatter, followed by a splash of blood hit the floor, then a patron scream of pure terror. Valdimir had sent his gargantuan fist right into the mercenary's forehead, subsequently breaking his neck backwards and causing its front to tear open and spew violently. This immediately threw all the bar patrons into a violent brawl, with the center of it being focused on Valdimir. Meanwhile, Helios sat laying backwards against the bar counter, laughing alongside each of Valdimir's attacks, "Get 'em!! Ahahaha!! Shall we accompany the psychopath, friends?" Helios jokingly called out without removing his gaze from the action in front of him, directed towards Seamus and Kergie. They both met Helios with cold and tired stares before equipping their helmets and hood, prompting Helios to get up on his own accord, accompanied by a distasteful groan. "Tough crowd...you people have no fun!" Helios yelled out into the open to direct attention towards him, to no avail, until someone finally noticed him in the midst of pure drunken carnage. One of the opposing mercenaries approached Helios, sword in hand, and pointed it in the direction of Helios's throat. "If you've any sense, you'll sit back down and not resist. Now. Chop chop!" The mercenary acted very hostile, considering that they were only there for the bounties of everyone in Ironhide. Helios took this as an insult to his pride, now taking up a defensive stance against the mercenary's wishes. "Are you not intimidated by me? Am I not good enough for you? Is that a bloody insult, you unarmored, dogshit-ugly, pubic facial hair, deathwish-having fucking sod!?" The unnecessary length of Helios's threat failed to send a chill down the merc's spine. Helios, without warning, hastily used his right forearm to knock the blade away from his throat, followed by a left jab to the bottom of the merc's elbow, breaking it. Helios then quickly backed away, dropping his arms and laughing as the mercenary fell to his knees, crying in pain. "Is that all? Really? I'm hurt. Offended, even. I bet your Mom would be pissed to see you get fuckin' bodied." Helios whispered to the mercenary, before catching his gaze upon the sword that was dropped. It was a normal iron shortsword, covered in small cracks and chips, which prompted Helios to laugh again, just at the sight of it. "You've tried to kill me with that? I'll show you a true man's weapon!" Turning around sharply, Helios then reached over to the bottom of his stool, grabbing his gladius, before tipping it towards the mercenary, who was now trying to shuffle away. "Lost interest, have you? Wrong choice. I'm quite entertaining, actually." Helios aimed to plant his gladius into the back of his escaped playmate, before a trident took its place. Helios sneered upwards to see Seamus, who would bear a quite serious demeanour through his helm, causing Helios to sigh sadly. "Alright, alright. You did steal my kill though, so I will complain later." Helios told Seamus directly, before lowering his blade. Seamus moved his trident head from the dead mercenary's spine to his head, stabbing through his head with enough force to splinter the wooden floor below,a dn with enough volume to become quickly noticed by the opposing mercenaries. "Oh, don't mind me! I'm just setting an example here for the numbskulls that think they could punk us face-to-face." Seamus threw away his calm and collected vocabulary to remove his trident from the flooring, before roaring audible as he stomped the executed mercenary's head into the ground again. The dramatic moment was cut short as the front doors were broken down by city's royal guards: Lawbringers. Three of them stood in the doorway, with one  leaning their ear into the room. Stained black armor, chiselled with gold; A gargantuan poleaxe, rusted by blood. Their leader, Revese. "Do my ears deceive me again? No, no, I heard it. Ironhide." Revese called out with his booming and inhumanely deep voice, chuckling softly and gathering calm breaths.