Erok had been sitting quietly, just observing, but upon noticing Shen's obvious nervousness, he reached over and touched Shen's shoulder reassuringly.  "It will be as it is meant to be, so try not to waste energy worrying."  He glances over at the others and smiles slightly before falling silent again. 

I believe it is time to begin

The six of you receive word from Wasif al-Jayib. The time has finally arrived for you to depart the city.

You and your companions set out across the desert aboard a small Sand Ship hired by Wasif. Also on board the ship is a crew of workmen laden with masonry tools. The enchanted ship, glides over the dunes like waves. 

During the journey, your employer is constantly in conference with the ship’s navigator and his excitement grows the further you venture into the desert. Finally, the ship comes to rest beside a small oasis hidden amid the dunes.

Wasif happily declares you are in the right place as you all sight a large statue in the center of the oasis; a partially buried statue of Anu-Akma the jackal-headed god of death.

While the six of you patrol the oasis and surrounding sands, Wasif al-Jayib’s laborers work for the better part of a week to clear sand and stone away from the feet of Anu-Akma’s statue, revealing the tomb’s entrance. At last, only one large rock blocks the entrance.

As the sun sets on the seventh day, Wasif greets you all with a broad smile. "Well my companions, we are nearly through! The workers will remove the final stone in the morning, and we will venture down into the tomb and see what awaits us yes?"

Cora, ever seeking to stay fit and exercise, and not afraid to get her hands dirty, helped the laborers during the week after patrols. Occasionally, she would look at the statue of Anu-Akma. She was told of this God of Death, as per mission parameters from Hell. It was hot during the day, and she dressed in worker shorts and a half shirt to try and stay cool. As she wielded a pick axe, or carried stones and sand, her sweaty, athletic and lean body strained and the cuts in her muscles showed beauty and strength. She had the legs of someone who had spent her whole life walking or running. While not the size of a barbarian, clearly, the military organization she was in centuries ago chiseled her into a deadly precise weapon of destruction. Luckily, she had fat in the perfect places, and her curves gave her a sexy, but dangerous look to her. Her impossibly blue eyes sparkled in the sun. Two things about her stuck out. She had various scars and wounds that never healed littered on her body, and..she had no tan lines.

Occasionally, she would stop to drink water and give Lylith a saucy wink.

She turned to Wasif, "Sounds good, Wasif."

(whenever someone says the word 'saucy' I just imagine that, in that moment, the part of the body that has the action is covered in tomato sauce.) Shen, being the loving group parent he is. made a meal every night and morning for the group as they dug or protected. He isn't very strong. but he is as vast as a bullet, making his rounds faster then most of the others. his efforts were more towards the groups morale instead on physical labor.

Lilyth could now be found sitting near the Anu-Akma statue on a stone that the workers had moved previously, writing in her journal again. Not only was it good for memories, but it was something that brought her comfort and kept her from dwelling too much on certain things. Thankfully, it would have enough pages for her adventure inside the tomb.

 She continues to scribble down more words, her eyes often would switch from her writing to watching Crispy work for a second that turned into several minutes.

Once Crispy would take a drink of water and wink at her, a clear snap of her pencil could be heard from where the other was, a prominent blush on her cheeks now. She hung her head in shame and embarrassment as she dusted off the lead from her torso and kept quiet when Wasif spoke.

Erok was mostly silent while he worked, but kept his keen eyes open, always grateful for any snippet of knowledge he could come across.  At each meal, Shen received a silent nod of thanks.  He watched Cora and Lilyth curiously, especially when Lilyth was writing. 

At Wasif's words, he merely inclined his head, and then returned his gaze to the statue.

Cora would take moments between catching her breath to make sure Lylith was ok. At times she would give her moral support and tell her what a great job she was doing keeping everyone in tip top shape.

"You uh.." Cora whispered to Lylith, trying to suppress a giggle "..broke your pencil, babe." She took it from her and used her blade to carefully sharpen it, smiling at her. In the evenings, she would say "Nice cooking, Shen. Lylith and I would love to have some tips when you get the chance."

"I'd be happy to tell you some tips and tricks after this... tomb ordeal." He scratches the back of his neck and prepares his gear for tomorrow.

When it was time, Cora took the time to clean up and put on her leather armor again, which included her blade holster strapped to her upper right leg. The armor covered her whole body, but left plenty of room for mobility. If needed, she would help Lilly with her armor, which was much heavier than hers. It was impressive how Lilly could wear it and move around, anything heavier than leather for Cora and she would be somewhat inaffective. Somewhat. She favored mobility over protection.

Lilyth gladly accepted Cora’s help with putting on her armor. In the first week that she could recall, Cora had taken her to a blacksmith, letting her get a feel for certain weapons and armors to see if anything boggled her memory. There was only a fragment that came forth, but it made it easier for her to choose the weapon and armor she preferred. Putting it on was another story.

She felt safe with the heavier armor it seemed. Eventually she got to writing down instructions in her notebook on how to properly put it on, just in case something happened. Regardless, she would always say yes to the rogues help, enjoying the tiny moments she had with her.

The night before, Cora didn't sleep well. 

She thought about the mission on hand, and what she needed to do. Most of all, she thought about Lilyth.

MONTHS AGO 

When they first met, it was on another world. Hell had sent Cora to that world for a quick dispatch mission. Hell really made her to do one thing. Infiltrate different worlds and cultures, and eliminate certain targets or diffuse certain situations to give Hell an upper hand. There were no questions, only success. That is the price she paid. As long as she wanted to enjoy the benefits, she did what Hell told her to do. It just so happened..on the last world she was on, she met Lilyth Polona - back then a cleric as well. But she was different. Then, she was a vampire. They had met on Cora's journey and fell in love. But Cora broke her heart and couldn't stay with her. It was all about the mission. Any distraction or deviation would bring Hell's wrath upon Cora - and her loved ones, the few she had - and tried to tell Lilyth. It didn't go well. They met again on that same world as prisoners, finished their job, and before Cora could return to Faerun, Lilyth returned to Hell with Cora much to her surprise. The cost was high. 

TODAY

Guilt eventually overcame Cora. And she sighed and closed her eyes. She was happy to be with Lilyth, even though, as punishment to Cora for breaking the rules, they wiped Lilyth's memory. There was nothing she could do. Hell was the boss, and defying them would mean death. Or worse. Lilyth was now an elf, and thankfully, still retained the beauty of when she was a vampire. It was slightly humorous now how she hungered for actual food instead of blood, and that made her smile as she opened her eyes and looked up at the stars. Nevertheless, each time she looked at Lilyth, her heart pounded with affection and yearning. Normally, Cora was cranky, bitter, frustrated, and upset, but Lilly soothed her, calmed her, tamed the feral beast inside Cora. 

There was a lot of history about Cora that the team didn't know about. But, since her stay here was only temporary, no one else had to know her past. There was no need to make friends. Just do the job and get out. That was probably the thing she hated about the Contract the most. She deeply loved Lilly, and because all of this was her fault, Cora put aside her inner demons and did her best to make sure she did EVERYTHING for Lilly that she could.

When Perzival wakes up, he says: "Sorry I didn't talk much, but I was a bit busy with my spellbook."

As he readied himself for the next day's adventures, Erok spent some time meditating, as Master Lau had taught him.  He would need to be focused and alert, especially with Shen and Lilyth seeming so nervous.  He wasn't sure what to make of Cora yet, but if nothing else, he was sure she could take care of herself.  It was hard to get a feel for the mage, but no matter. It would be as it would be. He smiled slightly as his scales warmed under the last rays of the desert sun.  Master Lau would have poked him for letting his thoughts wander.  He sighed.  He missed his old mentor.

Cora looked around as she finished tightening Lylith's armor. Half talking to her, half talking to everyone else, she noticed someone was missing. 

"Hm." She muttered, curiously. "Where is Maegan?"

Perzival agrees: "Yes, quite."

At this point Maegan speaks up not realising that anyone else was there as she was too busy in a daydream talking to her patron, "Oh sorry. I'm here Cora, being a warlock I have to check in with my patron every day in order to see what my tasks are. You understand right?" "Besides I was in the corner as it's better to have a daydream where no one is likely to disturb you. This statue almost seems to be familiar to me and I have no idea why maybe it's just the way it was built or maybe it was something my patron showed me."

Cora startled, not seeing Maegan. "Ah, there you are." After Maegan spoke, she added, grimly. "Yes. I understand. We are all a slave to something."

The night passes quietly, the clear night sky bursting with stars overhead as you all rest for the next day.

At sunrise, those who are not already up are awoken by the shouts of the work crews as they labor to move the final giant stone blocking the entrance to the tomb. There is a loud rumble as the stone is finally levered to the side. Their work done, the crew collapses in the nearby shade taking large gulps from their water skins.

Now visible is ten-foot-wide archway leading down a passage built of masterfully worked stone. The descending steps are wide and even. Bands of engraved glyphs run along the tops of the walls on both sides; the faintly glowing symbols catch the sunlight and glitter. You can just see a landing and another archway far down below.

Wasif looks eager to descend but waits on your go ahead.

"everyone needs a good breakfast before dungeon delving!" The group has a nice meal of a strange meat stew over a tiny bit stale bread. Shen puts on his armor, gets his bow and rapiers, and lines up at the dungeon entrance.

The night before, Cora laid next to Lilly and, like every night, pointed to the night sky and taught her about things she knew about stars and their formations. She took great interest in things that Lilly would write, but also respected her privacy where needed. As the night wore on, and everyone fell asleep, the conversation slowly became more and more intimate, and eventually.. there was no talking at all. 

She had no idea what tomorrow would bring, but she was glad they would be together.