The Order of Executioners

Rikkard walked out of the room with his fresh new clothes. He inspected himself to make sure he was wearing it right. He wore a gray coat with a leather vest on top. The black boots reached over his ankles and covered his dark pants. Double-checking his straps, he moved over to the old man, who seemed pleased by the new look.

He passed Rikkard a black cloak, similar to the one Kalim was wearing. After putting it on the old man opened the front door and walked outside Rikkard was right next to him and Kalim stayed a few paces back.

As soon as he stepped outside, Rikkard flinched at how bright it was, reminding him of how dark the inside of the building was. Once his eyes adjusted, he took in the scenery. The streets were a buzz as people shuffled along. The kids weaved around the crowd, chasing one another in a game. The merchants shouted as they sold away products they had at their stores.

With Rikkard gawking around, the old man had stopped, waiting for him to catch up. Embarrassed, jogged up to the old man, who smiled. "Have you never been to the market, lad?" the old man asked.

"No. The village did have a market but… never one this large." Rikkard responded breathlessly.

The man chuckled. "There'll be plenty of time for grocery shopping another day. Now, before we continue our conversation from last night, can you tell me everything you remember from a couple of nights ago? I need to check some facts."

"Sure?"

He filled as out of the story as he could. The old man nodded softly at some details. When he got to the missing time between blacking out and waking up in Rales, the old man frowned for a second before shaking it off.

"I see. Thank you. I suppose it's time for my end of the bargain, hmm?. Let's start with the Corrupters. I'm sure you're aware of the 4 unknowns, right?"

"Yes."

The 4 unknowns: The Corrupted, the Ordered, the Forgotten, and The Lost. Everyone knows about them. The Corrupted are creatures that terrorize the land. The Ordered is some secret order of killers. The Forgotten is a place where no one returns and the Lost are said to be a series of super-weapons of some strange design. What are all of these exactly? No one knows.

"Nice to know you didn't suffer any brain damage," the old man chuckled. "Then this will be much easier. As of this moment, I need you to be aware of something: I and the man behind us are a part of the Ordered, or more precisely, The Order of Executioners."

Rikkard almost landed on his face from tripping. "That's a joke, right?"

"I'm afraid that's one of the few things that I don't joke about, lad." the old man assured. They took down a backstreet. It was dark and eerily. He wouldn't have gone down that way if it weren't for Kalim motioning him forward. The old man continued.

"Our job is to keep the peace and maintain order. We are the first judge and the final decider. We are above the law because we are the law. To stand against us would be to stand against order itself." The old man paused just short of the exit and looked back with a twinkle in his eye. "Or at least that's what the sales pitch is anyway."

They continued walking down more barren streets. There were still people, but they seemed to be in a hurry to get to the more exciting parts of town.

"Now don't get me wrong, I'm all for order and peace. But I'm more interested in solving the 4 unknowns of the world," The old man's smile waned a bit. "What exactly are the 4 unknowns? Why do they exist in the first place? That is why I joined the organization."

"Umm, why are you telling me all of this?" Rikkard asked cautiously.

"Because I want you to join the Order," The old gleamed. "They have a wide variety of resources and influence. Just the mere mention of the Order sends people running to the hills. All of the world's power at the tip of your fingers! I'm giving you an invite to such power."

"I don't know… Everything is happening too fast for me to get a grasp." Rikkard said.

For the first time, the old man looked angry. "Did you not hear me yesterday? Time waits for no one. This is a golden opportunity! I'm offering your dreams on a silver platter! All you have to say is yes!" the old man exclaimed.

"I'm sorry… I don't know if I can make a deal like that, especially if it's the infamous Order. You guys aren't exactly known as the 'merciful type' Rikkard admitted.

"What do you want to do? What are your inspirations? 'We' can make it a reality!"

"I don't know. I'm truly sorry."

Seeing that the conversation was going nowhere, The old man sighed in frustration and stroked his beard. "It's quite alright. How about this: You train as an apprentice in the Order. You can feel it out, see whether you like it, and if you decide to quit, you can just leave." the old man offered.

"Wait. I can just leave? No strings attached?"

"No strings attached." The old man reassured.

Rikkard thought about it for a second. He never planned on joining a cult or anything but he still needed to find Tombius in Rales, and it would go much easier if he had his help. "Ok… fine I'll do this apprentice thing and whatnot," Rikkard responded

The old man grinned like he just won the lottery. "Excellent! Good, Good! You'll be assigned to Kalim's group. Effective immediately. Is that alright with you, Kalim?"

"Of course," Kalim responded from behind.

"Perfect! Ah! what a wonderful day. This day went slightly better than I thought it was going to be."

They walked until they made it to a park. There was a fountain with stone fish gushing sprouting water from its mouth. A couple of trees and cut grass surrounded them. There were fewer people here. The old man seemed to like the scenery.

"Oh, I almost forgot! Where are my manners?" The smiling man held out his hand. "My name is Tombius," Rikkard was so caught off guard from the sudden introduction. This was the guy he was looking for!

"Wait! You're Tombius?" Rikkard asked. "Graves said to find you when I reached Rales. He said you know about my past. About my family. Can you tell me everything you know about them?"

"I might know something." The old man chuckled with a glint in his eyes. "Depends on whether you pass the initiation exam in 6 months. Pass and I'll spill all I know on the subject."

Rikkard glared at the old man. Why is this old man's deal? Why can't he just tell me what I need to know? What's with all the secrets. Before he could argue say, the old man cut him off once again with a wave of the hand.

"Only the strong can get what they want. As you are right now, you wouldn't last against a puppy, much less a Corrupter. Prove to me that you're strong and we'll talk. That's all I have to say on the matter. Goodbye, Rikkard. I hope to see more of you in the future."

And with that, Tombius turned around left the park, the heels of his sandals clicking in a happy beat. While Rikkard fumed in his thoughts, Kalim walked in the opposite direction.

"Come on. Let's see if we can make an executioner out of you." Kalim said without so much a looking to see if Rikkard was following. Sighing, Rikkard chased after his new trainer.