Tunnel Rat-Chapter 451: The Hidden Order

The interrogation had gone poorly for Order Master Cloust of the Vengeful Order of Devil Slayers. Time and again, as he tried to get information from the captured devil, the conversation was twisted to other subjects, especially astronomy and fishing, two of Cloust's favorite hobbies. After finding himself talking for half an hour about the proper bait for well-trout, he gave up and stormed out of the room. The seven recruits that had accompanied Cloust on this scouting mission had entered to find the insidious fiend, Zander, humming to himself.

"Hey guys, how are things going. What sort of perks do you get in this Order? I might join up. I managed to pick up some cool alchemy recipes and some neat spells from the Brothers of the Eternal Flame, but I'm thinking of moving on once I hit level twelve."

Someone asked about alchemy, and the devil proved quite the conversationalist. The conversation had gone on for two hours as they discussed first their various skills, what they could learn from different trainers, and the dungeons they'd visited. The recruits also revealed many of the secrets of the Order, and in return were given invites to visit the swell people living in a secretive base in a semi-active volcano, a day's walk into the desert.

"You should all come and visit sometime. I've done a lot of the beginner quests, but they won't let me into the dungeon that leads down into the volcano. Something about instant incineration. I've been working hard on my Fire Resistance, Infernal Resistance, and Heat Resistance. You should team up with me to explore The Inferno Gateway. Remember that big announcement about gates to the elemental planes? I'm betting I found one. Getting in would be a World First! I bet that's worth a chunk of enhancement points. Who cares if we die? And you guys probably have some great skills and nifty stuff, including all those resistances. Your order probably teaches those, right? I mean, fighting devils and all. They sound pretty mean."

The recruits had shrugged. "Don't know yet. It's all secret. We have to kill a real devil to get access. You wouldn't happen to count, would you? We could make it worth your while."

"Hmm, not sure. I earned the Child of Chaos heritage from a one-time questline that I stumbled across with my first character. Had to reroll, but worth it. My starting class is Elemental Sorcerer. It's fun. And my heritage gives me extra benefits, but it has a few drawbacks. When I learned my seventh fire magic spell, my skin turned red, and I gained a +20% bonus to damage. The horns are from taking the Hardheaded perk when I killed a mean Obsidian Goat named Bruce Headsmakka. Cuts down on stuns and interrupted spells. I may look the part, but I doubt I'd count, even if I am devilishly handsome. But I don't mind trying and helping you guys out. I'd take one for the team if it would get you guys into your Order and whatever benefits they have."

They were all getting along splendidly when Order Master Cloust returned, found that the devil had entranced his new recruits with his devil's tongue, and decided against holding a public trial and going straight for the execution. He put them to work building a pyre and had the devil gagged and bound to a stake. Wood had been gathered quickly, and the pyre lit with the non-resisting devil in the center. The devil seemed unconcerned, a ploy that Cloust knew was part of some insidious plan. As the flames rose, the gag burned away, and the devil started yelling.

Ordermaster Cloust exulted as the hellspawn screamed on its pyre. Their order was small, but they had shown they were vigilant and still needed! The Order of Vengeful Devil Slayers might be only ten stout souls, but they made up for in quality what they might lack in numbers. And it was good they were here, for evil walked this land again. The audacity of the hellspawn to simply walk into town and enquire about passage to the nearest imperial teleporter was shocking. Cloust wondered if it was using some sort of cloaking magic to appear normal. Certainly, the townsfolk hadn't run screaming. They'd been wary as they were with all strangers walking in from the desert, but then greed had reared its ugly head, and they'd tried to sell him maps, dried dates, and refreshing drinks.

Luckily, the Order's patrols went through several villages in the area once a month, looking for devils and evil creatures, but not this small oasis at the desert's edge. If a lightning bolt hadn't struck the mountainside and caused a landslide that forced them to take a small path that led them to this side of the mountains and through this small village, they might never have come across the hellspawns' trail. He took this as a sign of a higher power looking down upon the order and blessing their crusade.

The sudden turn of events leading to the devil's execution had come as a shock to the new recruits who made up the bulk of the order. They seemed unsure about their role in the affair. Cloust wished they were made of sterner stuff, but they were all he had. Brother Sebastian and Brother Cletus were too old to ride a horse and stayed at their home base, guarding the holy texts and selling souvenirs to raise the funds to continue the order. When a rush of new travelers had brought him seven recruits four weeks ago, he had rejoiced. They were strange, but zealous in wanting to slay monsters, clear dungeons, and rise through the ranks. Some of them, though, like Brother Bonkmaster, tended to question things.

"I don't think he's burning."

Cloust looked at the roaring fire and then at Brother Bonkmaster in disbelief. "Of course he's burning! He's tied to a stake, surrounded by a pile of firewood soaked in blessed lamp oil, and the flames are twenty feet high! I did the blessing myself, just last year."

"So, how come he's singing?"

"That's not singing! It's a funeral dirge of his people!" 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

"Really? I'm distinctly hearing about 'Fat Bottomed Girls.' Sounds more like a plea to heaven." The other new recruits nodded their heads and smiled.

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"Definitely heaven. I like my girls that way."

"They do make the world go round."

"SILENCE! You're only encouraging the hellspawn!" And indeed, it did seem like the creature they had condemned to die was singing even louder now. And too many of the recruits were humming along.

Cloust was mystified. "What sort of deviltry is this? Does he call to his unholy masters to send aid?"

Brother Kingsbastard pointed upward, "Something like that, maybe?"

A sudden shadow enveloped the town, and everyone looked upward to where a huge, dark airship was dropping rapidly toward the Village.

Order Master Cloust stared at the ship in glee. Hope sprang in his soul. "Yes! The Hidden Order has come to watch our ascendency as the premier devil-hunting order! Surely this is the legendary Void Ship, The Celestial Kraken! I knew that they hadn't been disbanded. They've bided their time until new deviltry was revealed."

Everyone else looked at each other and shrugged, not being privy to the history of the order they had joined. Cloust did tend to drone on about the old days a lot, but no one was taking notes. They'd only joined up to gain access to new dungeons and some neat skills the order supposedly could teach them. They'd been disappointed when they found out that all of the skills were locked behind the requirement of killing a devil, a race that seemed extinct in this part of the world.

And truthfully, even before talking to him, some of them had doubts that the mysterious man named Zander was the type of devil they needed to kill. All of the pictures in their copies of It Takes an Order to Kill a Devil showed huge creatures with talons, hooves, and massive horns. The book also mentioned that they killed dozens of warriors for each one taken down. Zander had small horns curving back like a goat that blended with his black hair. His nails, however, were carefully manicured, as were his toes sticking out of his worn sandals. And subduing him had been surprisingly easy. Two of them had easily tackled him and tied him up. There was no tail dragging behind him.

The airship dropped to the ground, landing perfectly with little dust, a hatch opened, and a group of mismatched warriors who could only be players emerged. Order Master Cloust seemed confused, not seeing anyone wearing the familiar tabards or carrying the banner of the Hidden Order. The recruits prepared for battle.

"Shit, look at the size of that orc! She's got muscles on her muscles, and all of them looking good."

"More worried about that pack of green wolves slinking along on the side."

"We're screwed. I recognize the one in front. She led that huge raid in Shadowport. I've watched that episode a dozen times. That's Belinda! And she does not look happy."

As the new group advanced, the cleric out front and the orc only a step behind her, the Order held firm. Cloust was yelling, but was distracted by the increasingly loud singing coming from the pyre. Min was yelling something in orcish, and the wolves were circling to come in on a flank.

Zander walked out of the fire, covered in soot and ash, but otherwise fine. Leather bindings had been convenient, but flammable. Zander and his clothing seemed immune. "Whoa! Whoa! Hold on, folks, we're all friends here."

Belinda looked at him, annoyed. She'd been looking forward to a little combat and had a bet going with Butch. "That didn't look too friendly."

"Oh, but it was. I'm pretty much immune to small fires from all my special training, and this was the easiest way to prove to Sir Cloust that I'm not really a devil. I mean, if I were, I'm certain that I wouldn't have an upstanding Cleric of your level and prestige coming to save me. Perfect timing, by the way."

Cloust was very confused. The Cleric quite obviously outranked him, but the people she was with? They were as motley a crew as he had ever seen. "Who are you? Has the Hidden Order sent you? Where are your tabards? And I see no insignia on the Celestial Kraken."

Belinda glared at him, "What's the first rule?"

He looked chastized, "Oh, that we don't talk about the...um, about that."

"Right, you don't talk about it. We don't wear tabards, we don't put insignias on our otherwise perfectly normal airship."

"But why are you here?"

Zander saluted him, "It was a test, Sir Cloust, to see if the heroic and persistent Order of Vengeful Devil Slayers was doing their duty right up until the end. I am happy to report that you are, and even happier to inform you that the last of the true devils has been found and vanquished from the world. You and your brothers may retire in knowing you did your duty, and now can retire in peace."

"Retire? But, what shall we do?"

"Whatever you like, you've earned it, unlike these recruits. Go fishing, watch the stars, and know that the world is a safer place because of you." He turned to the seven players, "As for you. We have work to do. There is foulness in Shadowport that must be dealt with. Good training for you."

The players looked at Zander, then the airship, then Belinda. They each walked up to a confused Cloust and shook his hand. Before the now-retired Order Master could gather his

wits, they were all walking to the airship, leaving him to pick up the neatly folded pile of tabards on the ground in front of him.

The passengers were given seats in the back of the airship, and Kenji passed out salted nuts and fruit juice. The rest of the group sat around Zander, waiting for an explanation. As they flew away, he grinned. "That worked better than I thought."

"You'll have to explain. We only saw the final act."

"Right, well, I chose a fun class and race combo. My character's race is Spawn of Chaos. It's an infernal race from the plane of fire. Most people here just call them Devils. There's a bunch of them living in a volcano. Neat place, we should definitely do the dungeon sometime. I had one last quest to finish to gain my full heritage and didn't want to leave until I was done. That meant taking a little trip and arranging some events to favor the outcome."

"What was the quest?"

"Oh, nothing tough. I just had to destroy a small but dedicated order of devil hunters. Any more of those peanuts? I'm famished."