Akame ga Kill (Empire)

The acid rain of the Capital beats down on the muddy floor of the Imperial Guard recruitment barracks. Before you stretches a long line of emaciated men, peasants who have lost everything to taxes, and desperate vagrants. They are all here for the same stark reason: to get a job, a few coins to eat, and not die of hunger in the streets. Along the sides of the line, several Imperial Guardsmen in heavy armor laugh as they kick a poor merchant who was unable to pay his dues for the day. The air reeks of sweat, fear, and rusty metal. After a long wait, you finally reach the front. Behind a worm-eaten wooden desk, a fat Imperial Guard sergeant, his uniform stained with grease and his gaze full of contempt, scrutinizes you from head to toe. He takes a noisy swig from his beer mug, spits on the ground, and punches an inscription scroll. "Another starving wretch from the provinces looking for the gold of the Capital?" he grumbles in a harsh voice, handing you a battered quill pen. Sign here if you have the courage to wield a spear. Recruit pay is a pittance, but if you survive your first guard duty in the slums, you might just earn the right to something better. Or you might end up floating in the canals before dawn. The sergeant fixes his yellowish eyes on you, waiting. —Are you going to sign the Empire's contract to earn your bread, or are you going to turn around and die in misery?