Fractured Heaven - Chapter 1 – Living with Heroes

Chapter 1 – Living with Heroes

There lies a kingdom with an island kingdom floating above it. Both are the kingdom known as Tyrannus. This fantastical city is home to heroes of all kinds that are notable for fighting the forces of Hell that come from underneath the kingdom. People from all over the world flock here to make a name for themselves. Basil is yet another young man who has dreams of adventure and heroism. He eagerly waits in line at the gates as the lines for new adventures to get in is typically long.

As he waits, he looks up at the walls that have guards patrolling it. Basil sees that the guards are scanning the crowd with some kind of glowing blue magic. A guard informs two guards of something and takes them away. The guard who casts magic continues his duty until his blue magic turns red when it shines on a man in the crowd. This man turns into a demon that leaps up high in the air to attack the guard but is taken down by an archer on the other far side of the wall.

Basil says aloud, “Wow! Despite the huge distance between them, the archer still managed to save his friend!”

Other people say, “That’s Tyrannus’ guards for you!”

“It’s that special bow of his. I’ve heard these heroes find legendary loot while fighting against Hell.”

“I need me one of those!”

Thoughts of adventure distract Basil from moving forward in line until someone taps his shoulder and tells him to keep going. When he goes up to the gate, he sees a gatekeeper that gives him a creepy feeling. The gatekeeper isn’t wearing anything strange or intimidating, but the smile and look on his face unsettle him. He sets his feelings aside, puts on a friendly smile, and approaches the gatekeeper.

“Hello, my name is Basil. I’d like entry into the Tyrannus to become an adventurer,” Basil says to him.

“Ah, it always warms my heart to see so many people trying to make a difference in the world today,” the gatekeeper says as he writes down Basil’s information.

The gatekeeper’s eyes then flash as the take a picture of Basil’s face that then appears on his information sheet. After a few seconds, the rest of Basil’s information is filled out automatically which includes; his date of birth, hometown, eye color, and age.

“That’s amazing! I’ve never seen a magic spell like that.”

“Why thank you! Now, if you want a boost in your way to becoming a hero, then sign this contract with your finger. Don’t worry. Your name will appear on it.”

Basil considers it for a second while looking at the smiling gatekeeper. A feeling in his gut tells him not to.

“Thank you, but no. I’ll be good without it.”

“If you say so. There’s no shame in getting help. Everyone who signs this contract manages to become their best selves and access to the island above in only a month. Are you sure?”

“Yes, I am.”

The gatekeeper’s face seems to sour, which startles Basil a bit, but he manages to keep his composure.

“If you change your mind, you can always come back to me or the other gatekeepers.”

“Okay. Thank you again.”

The gatekeeper is silent and stares at Basil as he walks away. Both lock eyes until Basil walks into someone as the gatekeeper smiles again.

“Ah! Excuse me,” Basil says before looking at the man he bumped into.

Basil sees that he walked into a man with shiny silver armor and a silver helmet with both of its horns cut off.

“You don’t have to worry about it. This tough armor protects me from all kinds of attacks so it can sure take you bumping into it. I’d have to get a refund if it couldn’t. Hahaha.”

Basil can only smile in amazement as he looks at the man’s equipment, armor, and shinning personality.

The man continues, “I knew a batch of new faces came in today. You seem to be full of energy and ready to fight against Hell. You even rejected the gatekeeper’s contract. Both of those facts tell me that you will fit right in with our guild.”

“Do you really think so?”

“We’ll have to see soon. We enter the dungeon today to test the newbies.”

“We fight against Hell today?!”

“We fight against it every day! The kingdom was built directly above the kingdom so that Hell would not overtake the world. We fight day in and day out to keep Hell at bay. We’re aren’t famous for nothing.”

“I know that, but I don’t even have any armor and I only have my iron sword.”

“This is how we test the people that come in. In the toughest battles, your mind matters more than your equipment. The best armor and weapons aren’t effective if you don’t know how to utilize them. Remember that your equipment can break, but your mind will only break if you let it am I right?”

“That’s right!”

“Then let’s fight Hell itself. I’ll be showing you to our guild.”

“What’s your name?”

“I’ll tell you my name if you complete your first day. Okay?”

“Okay?”

Basil walks while looking around and admiring everything around him. Tons of people are selling their products and talking with each other. The weather is warm with a cool breeze that makes everything feel comfortable in a way. Despite only being in the kingdom for a few minutes, he’s already thinking about living here for the rest of his life and never returning home. The two soon arrive at the guild’s base that doesn’t appear to be anything special, but still nice to be in. Swords, armor, and paintings line the walls as decorations. Adventurers and fighters are talking to each other, some are by themselves fixing up their weapons before heading out, and others are accepting requests from the guild receptionist. Basil recognizes some of them from rumors he’s heard. One is a hunter with four dogs that are wearing armor, another is an Eastern swordsman, and another is man clad in ebony armor with a blade and shield as black as the night on his back.

“It looks like we’re the first ones back. Let’s wait for a bit. You must be tired from your journey here,” the man says as he and Basil take a seat at an empty table.

“Who are we waiting for?”

“Other newbies like you. So far it looks like you’re the only one we got since the others have come back empty handed or maybe they’re just lazy.”

“I heard that!” one of the guys in the room says.

The adventures laugh together loudly while Basil doesn’t laugh as loud.

“Are there other people picking up new people to join their guilds?” Basil asks.

“You won’t believe how many there are. I mean have you seen how big the city is? If you have, then that’s how many guilds are looking to recruit new members and that’s just the guilds. There are a ton of businesses that want fresh blood to hire.”

“What’s your guild’s name?”

“That’s not important for you to know right now. Just wait a little longer and I’ll answer all of your questions.”

“Okay…”

After waiting for a little while, four more new arrivals show up.

Once everyone is together, the man in shining armor says, “Alright! We have four newbies in our humble little guild. That’s good enough for our little adventure into the dungeon. It’ll be a simple trip and we’ll be paid enough to put food on the table so don’t get too excited. From what we see, we’ll see if you’re tough enough to join our guild. I’ll be with you along with our gorgeous healer.”

“What?” the healer says with surprise.

“We’re going to need a healer in an emergency.”

“Alright. Fine, but I’m not sharing my cut.”

“When do you ever? Well, are you all ready?”

“Yeah!” the newbies say.

The group of adventurers head out to one of the many entrances into the dungeons. These entrances into the dungeon are guarded by heavily armored and equipment. They are the only black colored buildings in the kingdom with no windows and a single entrance. Inside the building is a second checkpoint with other guards and other adventurers who are getting ready to enter the dungeon. Once ready, the adventures enter rotating rooms that transport teams or solo adventurers into a random part of the dungeon that they choose. The man in shining armor picks the top level and the group is transported to a low level in the dungeon. They exit the room and ready their weapons.

“Remember to stay close and attack the targets I tell you to attack,” the man in shining armor says, “Even in these lower levels, the demons can easily defeat you even if they are physically weak.”

  Everyone follows the man’s lead as he takes them through the dungeon. The dungeon itself is lit up with torches that have a white and black flame on them.

The man explains that, “These torches may seem strange, but they’re dangerous the sinful and no one is without sin, so don’t touch them or they’ll do permanent damage to you.”

He then stops them before they turn a corner. A demon who has been newly formed is still getting adjusted his body. With what look to be human hands, feet, heads, and teeth on it, it sends shivers down the spines of the newbies and disturbs them. Basil tries to keep his nerves from bothering him by keeping still and focused.

“Hold. There’s a lone demon around the corner. You with the iron sword. Take’em out.”

Basil goes behind the demon and cuts down the demon without hesitation. The demon’s body disintegrates into the small cracks of the floor.

“Thatta boy. I knew I saw something good in you. Everyone take note and do what he did. If you do that, we’ll make it through this with no causalities.”

They nod as the man gives Basil a smile and thumbs up. Basil returns it and goes back into the group. After a little while, they come across another demon. This one is fully formed and used to his body.

“Okay. Boy with the knife, this kill is perfect for your sneaking skills.”

“Alright. I got this!”

The thief sneaks behind the demon with confidence until the demon opens its eye on the back of its head. This startles the thief and makes him jolt backward. The eye in the back of the demon catches sight of the thief and a fight between them ensues as the demon uses his extended human teeth to fight the thief. Basil stands up, but the man stops him.

The man whispers, “If you can’t kill a simple demon or make up for your mistakes, you aren’t fit to be here.”

When the group looks back, they see that the demon has killed the thief whose body is melting through the cracks of the floor.

“I didn’t expect him to be a real thief. You guys have better said your confessions because if you have some serious sins on your soul, your body will be used by these demons as vessels for evil. Dual axe girl, you’re up.”

The amazon stands up and charges to fight the demon. She manages to get the better of him, but the sound of something scraping across the walls is heard as she defeats him. Basil wants to say something but remembers he’s supposed to let her deal with it. After catching her breath, she turns around only to be killed from above by a demon with various heads with teeth that allow him to cling to the walls and ceiling while having an extra set of teeth to attack with. The amazon doesn’t disappear and lays dead.

“She almost had it. You’re next, girl.”

Without hesitating, the last newbie engages the enemy. With her rapier and small shield, she holds her own against the slippery demon. The demon’s inability to land a hit agitates him and forces him to make the rash decision of leaping at her with his teeth out. As death approaches, the girl focuses herself. She then stabs the demon in midair, killing it.

“Bravo, girl!”

Three more demons then approach from around the corner. It doesn’t look like she can survive this so Basil pushes past the man and helps the girl fight the demons. With their combined strength, they defeat all the demons.

“Thanks. I was sure I was going to die,” the girl says.

“Great job, kid,” the man says, “That was a hidden part of the test that you passed with flying colors.”

“So…we could’ve saved the others?” Basil asks.

“We could’ve, but their deaths were their own doing. This part of the dungeon is easy to go through if you know what you’re doing. Don’t worry about their deaths. This happens all the time when we recruit newbies.”

Basil and the girl are speechless and just follow the man. The body of the amazon is wrapped up and taken out of the dungeon while they move forward. Together, they defeat more demons and find loot and gold. They are led to a singular room with a small demon guarding a heap of treasure.

The man instructs them to, “Walk into the room, kill the little guy quickly, and take the treasure. I know he doesn’t look like much, but you should remember that demons are tricky.”

While walking to the room, Basil and the girl see the demon more clearly. They see that he appears to be a sad human girl with tears running down her face. Both look back at the man who’s making a slashing motion with his hands. When Basil looks back at the child, he sees that most of the child’s body is now a large gaping mouth about to swallow the girl. He pushes the girl out of the way then cuts the demon in two.

“Thatta boy!” the man yells as he raises his fist.

The girl sees what the demon was really like as it melts into the floor.

“Thank you again. I guess I really owe you now for saving me twice,” she says.

“You don’t need to worry about it,” Basil says with a smile and a hand behind his head.

“What are you saying, kid?! When a girl tells you she owes you, you make sure you take advantage of that because let me tell you, women will always take advantage of you owing them something.”

“Shut it. Don’t be jealous that he’s more of a gentleman than you,” the woman says.

The man leans in closer to Basil and whispers, “Watch out especially for this one. You don’t want to be in debt to her.”

“I heard that! Get to carrying the loot back to the guild or else I’ll have to make you lick my boots clean again.”

“Don’t let the newbies hear that!”

“Get moving before I tell them more.”

“Alright, alright!”

The woman smiles at the girl then winks at Basil. He blushes and turns his head as he helps the man carry the treasure. Once they’re back at the guild, a large feast is laid out for all its members.

“Here’s to the new recruits who will be our new members. This feast is on them,” the man says as he holds up a cup as the guild members cheer.

Basil and the girl partake in the feast and enjoy themselves but can’t talk to each other. Once everything settles down and heads to bed, the girl knocks at Basil’s door.

“Hi, what are you doing up?” Basil asks.

“I just wanted to talk to you since we didn’t get much time to talk. I didn’t even get your name.”

“Oh, my name is Basil. What’s yours?”

“Julia.”

“Well, come on in. I’m sorry that the room is dusty and dirty. I didn’t get a chance to clean it yet.”

“I have the same kind of room, so don’t think anything of it. Let’s open some windows.”

Julia opens the windows to reveal a wondrous star-filled bright night. The two sit on the ledge near the window and admire the sight.

“So, Julia. What did you want to talk about?”

“I wanted to know someone in the guild I’m in and the others seem too intimidating to talk to since they look so experienced and powerful. I mean do you even know the names of the man and woman we went into the dungeon with?”

“No. I don’t even know what our guild is called, but the guy told me that he’ll tell us tomorrow.”

“That’s the thing. They probably didn’t expect us to survive our first day and thought it was a waste of time to tell people about them.”

“I think it’s because they don’t want to form a personal bond with people who might die the first day they meet. It would be terrible to get to know someone only to lose them the same day, so they try to keep a distance to not feel as bad.”

“I guess so. What about these dirty rooms and meager pay? It feels like they’re ripping us off despite already looking like they don’t need the extra money.”

“It’s probably a training thing to humble us so we don’t inflate our egos in our first days adventuring. Why are you wondering these things anyway?”

“Because I want to accomplish the goal I came here for.”

“And what’s that?”

“It’s uh…I’ll tell you if you tell me yours first.”

“I want to become a heroic adventurer. It’s simple as that.”

“Gosh. I don’t think I could fight in that dungeon for my entire life. This is only temporary. I want to live a peaceful life on the island above. Not even the most powerful kingdoms of the world dare attack this place because they’re afraid they might unleash Hell on earth. This is the safest place in the world except for the dungeon, of course. It’s like Heaven. I’m sorry if my dream seems selfish.”

“No, I get it. I would like to settle down with someone too after I know that someone will take my place.”

“Heh, anyone can take your place now. You’re just a common newbie like me.”

“Yeah, but I want to actually make something of my life first. Why didn’t you join a company or business if you wanted to live comfortably?”

“I’m not good at doing business. The only skills I learned from my family were fighting so that’s what I’m going to use to accomplish my dream.”

“Let’s do it then.”

“Huh? Do what?”

“Accomplish our dreams together. We’re not that different from one another in terms of dreams and places we come from. This is the start of it all so let’s do what we came here to do.”

Basil holds out his hand with a smile. Julia smiles and shakes his hand. Julia then goes to her room to sleep as Basil lies on his bed feeling good about himself. He doesn’t mind sleeping in the conditions he’s in. For him, this is just the beginning. This is how heroes start and there’s nothing he can do about it, so he endures it for now in the hopes that things will be better soon.