The High Order

2. All like it hot

1. All like it hot

1. It had been three days since Dan had arrived in Hell, since he had officially died, since he left one world behind for another, and since he had discovered exactly what he had become. He had learned of the race of powerful beings known as Purgatorians, as well as the feud between Heaven and Hell. still, he needed answers. He had travelled across Hell to the banks of the River Dis and the district of Gelwin. Here lay the Martyr Demon Academy, a complex of dark red buildings set around a central courtyard overlooking the flaming river. The headmaster of the academy, a lanky suited man in spectacles, had been indiscriminate in giving whatever guidance he could to Dan. The day before, Dan had been given a minute amount of training, to the point where he could conjure up a ball of pure energy at will and hit a target. Today, they met in the headmaster's office for a chat.

"how has your progress been?" the headmaster asked.

"not very much since yesterday, as you'd expect." Dan replied begrudgingly.

"don't fret, sir. These things come to all of us in time, but for now, I am afraid that there is nothing more I can give you. This academy isn't cheap, after all" the headmaster laughed.

"I appreciate what you've done for me. thanks" Dan shook the headmaster's hand and left his quaint riverside office, out of the silver bar gates of the campus and proceeded out onto the streets. He had expected the headmaster to be training him until he sweated blood, but sometimes it is all about quality and not quantity.

Towering over the academy was a clocktower with four yellow faces dashed with roman numerals, and below the clockwork facing onto the busy streets of Inferi street there were several flipping numbers on a blue calendar. Dan looked at it briefly for a moment as he exited the university, but was unsure of what it meant, before the calendar flipped to the number sixty above the letters until Blood Moon Day. Lucifer had told Dan that Blood Moon day was the all-important final war of the realms win which all beings would be mortal enough to die permanently with no chance of revival, unless from the power of the ruler of Heaven. There were now only two months until the final battle, sixty precious days between possible salvation or destruction at the hands of two opposing forces.

2. Not far from Satan's citadel, in the bustling district of Rampart on the banks of the river Dis, stood the embassy to Heaven. This was a spectacular white building guarded by tall barbed wire fences and angel sentries on the roof. Each of the realms had an embassy to Heaven and Hell to maintain even the slightest sense of diplomacy in the cold war that had ensued over the cosmos for centuries since the debacle with the Tower of Babel.

Inside the shined corridors and white staircases in this little slice of Heaven, several angelic clerks could be seen sorting through paperwork, playing on small lyres, or typing on silver computers. A golden mail chute was installed on the right-hand wall on the second floor at the entrance to the main offices. Today, that chute carried a special cargo, that was rushed immediately upon arrival to the chief ambassador to Heaven in Hell, a white robed young brunette with a purple woven scarf around her neck. Several other angels had gathered around to see what the letter said.

"golden bordered, this must be from the top" the ambassador said before using a bronze letter opener knife on the envelope.

"hmm, it says there is a Purgatorian somewhere in Hell. Arch-angel Elodie wants us to keep an eye on him. He has been sighted in Heaven too but lives down here for some reason. Anyway, back to work" the ambassador directed her staff away, sitting back down to her stuffed work desk.

"what could he be up too now?" she looked out of the window to the smouldering city across the river of fire.

3. The academy was nothing short of a bust for Dan. He thought that he could at least walk through the city to gain some insight to who and what he was dealing with. He had managed to harness some of this new power, but there was still much for him to learn. He still could not control the sneezing fits that transported him to one of the other realm uncontrollably. We walked across the River Dis along Mania avenue, then through the staring eyes of hr local demon populace, turned down the Main street near the white walls and gated haven of Lucifer's palace to the district of Magnum.