Rebirth (II)

[Sangdraxus]

The stairs leading down into the darkness of the crypt were surprisingly clean and dust free. It seemed as if this door had not been opened since the occupants’ burial. With the disarray of the once thriving city of Bloodstone it just seemed impossible that this place had not been looted yet.

He held his lit torch in front of him as he slowly moved step by step into the darkness. As he approached the first set of lanterns he carefully held the torch to the wick which burst into life. The light danced across two more statues resting at the bottom of the steps each being a replica of the other. The menacing statues, with massive swords resting in front of them, gave the semblance of guardians to whoever rested in this place and sat staring somberly up the stairway to the entryway of the crypt. He approached the bottom of the steps stopping at the base to take in what lay before him. As he walked around the inner sanctum of the crypt, lighting lamps that were spaced out along the wall, the room began to take shape as if it were a puzzle being carved from the darkness itself.

Resting in the center of the room was two sarcophagi sitting upon two black marble pedestals. Around the base of the pedestals was a groove carved from the marble stone, and this groove lead into, what seemed to be, a hole in the floor. The man spread his vision out and noticed that the floor was also comprised of the same marble but it was bone white in contrast with the pedestals that were pitch black. Carved from the base of the pedestal and flowing out to the sides were flames matching the single symbol that marked the entrance to the crypt, these etchings were stained red. He slowly worked his way over to stand in front of the pedestal shivering slightly from the damp cold.

The sarcophagi lids were inscribed with both a man and a woman. The man, dressed in full plate, wielded a monstrous broadsword. The symbol of Mask emblazoned on his armor and a tattoo of a black flame flows up his arm disappearing under his sleeve. The woman was dressed in fine cloth with a crown covered with large jewels. A mace rest next to her side, and she had a tabard, also, depicting the symbol of Mask. His eyes moved up to the name Tadra, and as he glanced to the sarcophagi picturing the man he saw the name…. Sangdraxus.