The High Order

20. Big trouble in Purgatoria

20. Big trouble in Purgatoria

1. Fort Terry was a military academy unlike any other, ready to defend the residents of the island of Purgatoria from foreign and domestic enemies who would probably never arrive. Inside its picked walls of logs, obstacle courses, barracks and a tightly run ship made Fort Terry a very hard nut to crack. Many of the residents in town had been made plain aware by the Hell and Heaven ambassadors that there was now only one month left until Blood Moon Day, and the final battle that would decide the fate of the universe as we knew it. Dan had come here several days prior to be tutored under the guidance of Mary. Soon they were fighting each other in a sandpit on the other side of the fort. Mary was expected to win as she was the veteran master, who had been attempting to keep the peace in Purgatoria and the human world for years.

"Dan, to pass through these walls a true warrior, you will best your trainer in ritual combat. see if you can manage" the red-robed Purgatorian talked to the waiting other. They clashed and deflected numerous shots. Mary and Dan had learned from years of work that surrender was only possible as a last resort, but until that time it was a fight of pure ferocity and bravery, with plumes of destructive energy and magic being jetted every which way. Eventually, after half an hour, both Dan and Mary were lying one foot deep in sand as the other cadets of the fort could not decide who was the legitimate winner of the confrontation.

"congrats, Dan. I see you have progressed greatly thus far. Keep up the good work" Mary complimented Dan as they were both cheered by the cadets. Dan had come to the academy looking for a way to train his abilities with members of his own kind rather than weaker demons down in Hell, as some of the most powerful creatures in the universe proved to be a more alluring challenge.

"Thanks, teach, for everything" Dan said as he flew over the spiked walls of the fort and made his way back into the town, clapped by Mary and the cheering cadets on the ground. Heading along Coast street on the west coast, Dan could clearly see Purgatoria was still a thriving community, despite being a very small minority of beings in the cosmos. At the south end of the street, a red-clad ambassador from Hell was waiting outside talking to some of his demonic colleagues as Dan approached.

"ah, you must be the Purgatorian from the trial. Congrats, I saw it on the news." The small ambassador from Hell walked off the steps of the consulate and walked over to Dan.

"thanks. How's the news downstairs?" Dan spoke.

"oh, same old, same old. I do however have something that may be up to your speed for something here though" the ambassador made small talk.

"what is it?" Dan showed intrigue.

"Death gave me a call, saying that he and several others in town had seen a creature vaguely non-Purgatorian. He says it may have escaped from Hell on another Purgatorian and is roaming around the island. If you were accepting of a little scavenger hunt?" the ambassador said.

"Alright, where was it last seen?" Dan inquired.

"last time anyone saw it was down at the docks. It could be a demon, but it was said to be small. I hope you understand" the ambassador mentioned as Dan accepted this little challenge and made his way to the dockyard on the south coast. Dan began to see red pawprints etched into the roadways leading into the wooden crates and boathouses of the dockyard. Creeping his way through the area so as not to disturb the creature he was tracking; Dan saw a small red cat demon with yellow eyes and white whiskers munching on a fresh fish from a nearby crate of seafood.

2. "come on, little guy" Dan reached out to grab the cat, but it jumped over him and ran back out of the dockyard, leaving a trail of red pawprints for Dan to follow. The prints helped Dan track the mischievous creature back to the steps of the Hell embassy in Purgatoria at the northern end of Coast street. The cat demon appeared to be scratching at the front door in ordered to be granted entrance. Dan edged in closer to the front door of the embassy and was able to let the cat demon wander into the building without a violent reaction from the feline. Dan immediately was able to hand the creature over to the demonic authorities of the embassy that were able to provide passage for the cat demon back to Hell where it belonged.