The Order's clan pt1

The light in these underground caverns casts jagged shadows across the walls, making their journey even more creepy than what they had imagined. The four reos tread carefully through the narrow passageways, their claws clicking softly against the stone floor, all of them in a little clump, grouped, watching their back even if they had never needed to do so until now.

Their guide, a haedian from the Keeper's clan that had not wanted to say his name, had not even wanted to accompany them in the first place, walked ahead. His fur was a dark gray and muted brown, fit enough to blend in the darkness should there be a need for it. His tone was curt as he spoke, his voice sounding full of itself and tense at the same time.

 

“You should be grateful I'm accompanying you,” he said without turning around. “The Order's clan does not take kindly to outsiders, I'm risking my life by being here.”

 

Jeon-e glanced at him but kept her focus ahead. Valentine and Mer kept quiet. Best to not rile him up, he was already too pompous for them. His words were right, at least from what the Keeper's clan said, so they had nothing to retort to him. Theirs was a precarious position. The clans were constantly at odds, with the Order's apparently thriving in the fight for dominance and treating everything as their own since they were so close to the Matriarch. 

 

They could have not been more opposite than what they were coming from, it was intense to say the least. The Keepers valued knowledge, their territory filled with scrolls, carved runes, and relics of the past, all analyzed and categorized. The air in their domain was thick with the scent of parchment and ink, a library carved into stone. They sought understanding and preservation, all in the effort to expand their knowledge. The Order, on the other hand, was shrouded in fanaticism. From what they had heard, they worshipped gods with an intensity that bordered on madness, their territory reeking of blood and despair.

 

Jeon-e tilted her head, her voice soft but edged with curiosity. “What can you tell us about the Order? Are they just fanatics as the others have said? Do you think it's just a need for control, or something deeper?”

 

The haedian stopped, turning his head to glance back at them. “They think that since they're this close to the Matriach, they can speak on her behalf. What they say is gold out of their mouths, and any action they take is right. They behave as a hivemind”

 

“What do you mean?” Jeon-e pressed. 

 

The haedian bared his teeth in what could have been only a contained snarl, not appreciating the questions. “The Order is dangerous because they don’t think. They only obey. Their faith blinds them, and any group that behaves like a hivemind is dangerous. If you even so slightly give the impression that you're doubting their ways, it's done for you. Best option? you escape to another clan. Worst option?” he let the words hang there, not even bothering to finish the sentence as he started walking again. They understood perfectly what he meant.

 

As they continued on their path, the tunnel widened, and the air grew heavier. The faint scent of magic was replaced by a mix of iron and damp stone, water and blood. The gems embedded in the walls seemed to reflect this change, a spike in red gems from the blue and green ones they had seen on their journey here.

 

Jeon-e shivered. “It’s unsetting here,” she murmured.

 

“It’s not a great mood,” Valentine replied, his voice low. “Everything feels so wrong.”

 

The haedian stopped once more, his posture stiff. “This is as far as I go,” he said. “The Order will meet you here.” he said it as if there was no other alternative. Someone would come, it would happen. "If you value your lives, channel all the people pleasing you can musted in this moment. Do not say the wrong thing"

 

Without another word, he turned and vanished into the shadows, leaving the four reos alone.

 

The silence that followed was suffocating. But as sun will always rise in the morning, all things can get worse, and the silence didn’t last long.

 

A group of haedians emerged from one of the tunnels ahead, shrouded in darkness, their forms nearly indistinguishable from the shadows themselves. Their fur was dark, their eyes shining with aggression. One of the haedians stepped forward, his gaze fixed on Cailu and the others. His face was set, his eyes sunken, and his presence was commanding.

 

“Do you walk in the shadow of Oris?” he asked, his voice a low growl that reverberated through the cavern.

 

Jeon-e froze, her mind racing. The question hung in the air like a blade poised to strike. To answer wrongly could mean death to all of them if the words of the keeper haedian were correct.

 

Cailu stepped closer to her, his breath quickened, but he didn't have a chance to say anything because the haedian's eyes focused on him as soon as he moved, like a laser. 

 

Jeon-e had no choice but to reply, and hope she was making the right choice. “We do,” she said firmly, “and we honor his willl.”

 

The group's leader’s eyes narrowed, his gaze piercing. Behind him, the other haedians stood silent and still, their expressions unreadable. The pause felt eternal, the weight of their judgment pressing down on the four of them. With Cailu not saying anything, and the Order's haedian not attacking, Jeon-e supposed she was doing it. Fake it until you make it.

 

“And what does his will mean to you?” the haedian asked, his voice carrying a dangerous edge.

 

Jeon-e hesitated, but Mer stepped forward, his attitude making him quick on his feet even in bullshitting it through. “The shadow of Oris is… the truth of the caves,” he said carefully. “It's the path everyone should tread. It means to strive for power, always.”

 

The haedian's gaze lingered on him, then shifted to Valentine. “And you?” he asked Valentine.

 

Valentine's voice was contained, but as he observed the haedians he thought their words were working, so he said "The shadow of Oris is hunger that sustains.” minimal words, the less the better.

 

The haedian stared at them for a long moment, the tension in the air thick enough to choke on. Cailu did not need to speak, they knew who he was, there would be no point in asking him as they knew he wasn't worthy of attention.

 

Finally, he gave a curt nod. “You speak wisely for land dwellers,” he said. “Perhaps there is hope for you.”

 

The other haedian from the Order's clan stepped aside, clearing the path. “Follow us,” the one that behaved as the leader commanded. “There is more for you to prove.”

 

The reos moved deeper into the Order’s clan territory, the mood tense worse than before. The gems in the caves seemed to dim, or maybe darken, maybe a dark red to signify the color of blood instead of the vibrant one at the start. The tension between the four reos could be cut with a knife, but they didn't dare to glance at each other more than necessary, not to make it look like they were plotting something.

 

Cailu glanced at Jeon-e, his gaze concerned but his attitude calm enough to reassure her. She met his gaze briefly before looking away, her thoughts a whirlwind. The words they had spoken had been carefully chosen, but the truth lingered in their minds: they did not believe in the shadow of Oris, nor did they walk in it, whatever it meant. They were playing with fire and could get burned at any time.

 

As they continued, the haedian from before glanced back at them. “You claim to walk in the shadow, but words mean little, actions speak louder.”

 

They would be tested again.