Order Clan: Sisters 1

They approached the three empyrians with guarded expressions. These beings new to their world could not be trusted. The haedians of the Order clan regarded the three large beasts with a look that told the three sisters all they needed to know. They were similar, whether the Order knew it yet or not, the sisters knew that they believed in the same goal. 

Kaimana and Furor thought this clan would be the easiest to get along with yet. They looked at the worn and angry faces of these haedians and knew they could be agents of chaos together. However, it surprised the two when the haedians even had to ask whether or not they believed in Oris. Kaimana and Furor shared a look, wondering how the haedians couldn’t sense a likeness between them. 

Cheiro, on the other hand, laughed. The haedians surrounding them gave the massive empyrian a strange look. Her sisters followed their example, completely put off by their older sister’s behaviour. They also thought that question was so obvious it was laughable, but to actually laugh was surprising. Cheiro’s laugh continued. The chilling, but somehow melodic, sound echoed through the chambers. 

“What is so amusing?” The elder haedian hissed, feeling insulted. 

Cheiro’s laughter cut off with a snap of her jaw. Deafening silence followed. Kaimana and Furor looked at each other, unsure if their sister was stable. They contemplated whether the adventure had taken a toll on her and now these actions were just indications that she had snapped. They glanced back at Cheiro to see her in a staring contest with the old brute. 

“If you knew what we did for fun, you wouldn’t be asking us that question,” Cheiro said slowly, finally filling the silence. 

Furor and Kaimana wondered if Cheiro’s attitude added to the haedians’ distrust of them or not.  However, anyway the sisters thought about Cheiro’s behaviour it was still unsettling. Anyone who knew these sisters would know they follow Oris, but these haedians wouldn’t have known of them and the Order clearly didn’t feel a kinship with them. The sisters felt there was this bizarre disconnect between them that hadn’t happened yet throughout the journey. 

“Uh, Cheiro,” Furor said, “Maybe tone it down.”

Cheiro’s eyes flashed an eerie red glow, a warning for anyone who knew what it meant. Furor stepped back, forcing Kaimana to try. 

“We’re not here to insult them, Cheiro,” Kaimana attempted to admonish. 

Cheiro’s eyes flashed again, but this time with a sneer, “I would almost say we were Oris’ Chosen.”

“Cheiro!” Furor snapped. 

The younger sisters stared at their older sibling in horror. Not only did the Order haedians find the very phrase insulting, but so did Kaimana and Furor. While all three sisters embodied what Oris stood for, they knew it didn’t compare to the Chosen of a god. 

Kaimana grabbed Cheiro’s shoulders and shook her, “What’s gotten into you?” 

Furor quickly attempted to do some damage control, “We do walk in the shadow of Oris.”

“How could we believe that after such slander?” a haedian’s cold voice hissed. 

“Look,” Kaimana turned her attention away from Cheiro, “We can tell you all of our exploits in the name of Oris.” 

Furor nodded, “The list is endless, it's our way of worship that doesn’t involve prayer.”

Kaimana and Furor were about to start explaining some of the battles and wars they’ve waged in honour of the great god, but Cheiro swiftly cut them off. 

“Kai, Furor,” Cheiro addressed them, “What was the first thing you thought when you witnessed these haedians?”

Kaimana and Furor were thrown off again, but this time by the sudden shift in Cheiro’s demeanor. She sounded more like the sister they knew, more level-headed despite all her chaotic plans. 

“We… I recognized them as fellow believers,” Furor stammered. 

Kaimana agreed with a nod. 

Cheiro twisted back to the brutish elder and hissed, “If we could recognize you, why is it you can’t recognize us?”

Kaimana and Furor's eyes widened. They knew where she was going with this and it wasn’t going to be good. There were a multitude of reasons why the haedians wouldn’t recognize Oris’ followers. Kaimana and Furor rushed to attempt to stop Cheiro from insulting the group further. 

They were too late.

“Perhaps,” Cheiro sneered, “You aren’t true followers.”

Rage is the only word to describe the sounds that came from the haedians. Cheiro had single-handedly burned any bridge that might have been built between this clan. Furor and Kaimana sighed, this was all because of one question. Cheiro was insulted it even had to be asked after years of devotion towards this god; others, who claimed to be as devoted if not more so than she, couldn’t see it. Cheiro smiled at the faces of the haedians around her, watching them morph into an expression of contempt and fury. 

[809]