The High Order

16. Hell is for real

16. Hell is for real

1. Across the River Dis, in the district of Osiris just north of Satan's citadel stood the magnificent Osiris Temple, a sandstone sanctuary of pillars, pyramids and obelisks set around the main temple building. It was guarded by beings with the bodies of men, the heads of birds and dogs, and the weapons of trained ancient warriors. It catered to all the dark gods of yesteryear, from Yama to Hel, with statues and monuments to them all within the vast catacombs of time that lay inside the temple.

 Dan had been sent here by Lucifer to investigate a robbery. The chief of the temple, flanked by two of the animal guards armed, was a tall being wearing white robes with red cufflinks and a shawl over the head of a red stork. He and his companions at the temple were some of the oldest demons in all of Hell, at least three thousand years old and rooted in the mistreatment of slaves and abuses of power as part of the Egyptian higher castes.

"so, what was the item stolen?" Dan asked the creature.

"I am afraid it was several wooden boxes filled with Lapis Lazuli, papyrus and gold" the chief told Dan.

"alright, I get your point. You don't have to be pushy. Just a few boxes of stuff shouldn't be too hard to find" Dan saw the robbery as measly and the possessions taken as miniscule in comparison to what else could have been looted in the surrounding pyramids and monuments, each encrusted with precious jewels and gold themselves.

"there is no point to it, mortal. I was once a god of this world, but now, this temple is all I have left in the cosmos. If I were you, be whatever power you be, you should treat your elders with the rightful respect" the chief and his guards held spears and a silver sword to Dan, who stepped back lightly.

"if you would put the spears down, did anyone here see who took this treasure?" Dan pleaded to rescind his offense.

"very well, Purgatorian. A modern one with one of those flashing little boxes came to me, saying he had seen a group of men with big red crosses on their chests. I suspect it be the Templar knights of the order. They are an elusive bunch, answering to no one but themselves. They believe in the gods that rule the Earth today, the ones of this realm and the others. There are rumors that they have a guild somewhere across the city in Niflheim district" the chief explained to Dan. The Templars were a bunch of pious individuals, many of whom had ended up in Hell through the blind warmongering during the Crusades, where they were known to have slaughtered the innocent in cold blood and treated prisoners of war without dignity. They had since established a new headquarters in Hell, still clinging to the belief in the big man upstairs.

"so, you expect me to go there alone?" Dan questioned the chief's judgement.

"of course not. As an apology for nearly stabbing you mercilessly, I offer the assistance of my finest staff at the temple to help you infiltrate their guild and reclaim my treasure" the chief replied as several black robed man-animal beings came out from the gloom of the inner temple to greet Dan.

"what if we don't necessarily find it?" Dan continued.

"you shall have hell to pay, pun intended. Now go, your unholy presence is beginning to taint the sanctuary" the chief turned away from Dan who was led away by the black temple spies on their march across Hell to the rural northern district of Niflheim. They scoured the streets until they found a large stone building crossed in the shape of a gothic cathedral, with a red fabric cross swaying in the afternoon wind from the central bell tower. They waited across the cobbled streets for several outlying Templars to enter the building and close the wooden doors before moving in closer. The spies were trained mercenaries who were determined to complete their task, even with the new addition to their team.