Supernatural: Chronicles of the Order
Chapter 1: A Simple Man of Letters
(DISCLAIMER: No, I don't own Supernatural because it belongs to Eric Kripke and Warner Bros. So, enjoy the show! Rated M for graphic violence, adult content, and adult language.)
It was a long way towards the future. In two thousand years, my older brother and I were reborn, but with one catch: we were immortal and can never age as we were still wandering around in a dimension known only as the Middle Ground as well as the vast universe that came along with it. Even though it had been two thousand years since our toil and passing, we were destined to be reborn as we saw many humans travel to many planets beyond our Solar System. Even though mankind has expanded beyond the stars, that didn't mean that there would be evil that followed. It was my job not only as a hunter, but a Man of Letters to chronicle everything that I come across, for it would be suitable information that was never to be taken lightly.
It was a duty that I had on my shoulders as I was studying and cataloguing at the fort on such a frozen planet known only as Gehenna. It was a wasteland of sorts as it was also home to some of the worst of the worst. Yes, it was home, but I had to endure the fort and the frozen weather of all sorts..., and I even had to contend with my older brother, Dean. He was the only family I had as he was also my partner and protector as well. Still, he was the soldier who was promoted on and off on the battlefield as I was stuck doing the cleaning and cataloguing in the fort. It was our life, but we had to obey orders from our superior officer, Lord Sylvanus. He was the top dog of the fort on this frozen planet, but we all had to do as we were told or else we would be tossed out in the cold.
The life of someone that came from the Order of Letters wasn't something of a godsend, but there are those that were more than likely to be offering their lives into serving such an order. As for me, however, I was busy cleaning up the rooms as I was sweeping the floors. The place for cleanliness had to be a proper standard as I finished up by making the beds with clean bedclothes. By the time I was finished, I returned to my own room near the broom closet as I sat down on my own bed. I was exhausted from my daily chores as I was about to go into one of the bathrooms to clean up myself. With my clothes stripped off, I placed them into the hamper as I later turned on the hot water in the bathtub. I was inside of the bathtub as I was soaking in the hot water when it filled up. By the time the water reached its limit, I turned off the faucet as I was grabbing the soap and hair care so I could clean myself up.
The soapy lather of both hair care and the soap in my hands did wonders on me as I later rinsed off in the bathtub. Just as I was about to get out of the tub, I heard the door open as I heard footsteps coming into the bathroom. Turning around, I noticed that Dean entered into the bathroom as he was most likely to be telling me about his efforts into being in the ranks of the higher-ups. He was glad to be home before the next blizzard hit the fort as he wanted to tell me all about it.
"I've been selected to be part of the Hunter Corps, Sammy," he said as he sat down on a stool.
"Do you have to intrude?" I said as I was starting to get a little testy.
"Hey, I've been on missions just to hunt things and save lives here. You should at least give me some credit in order to have all the comforts inside."
"Well, I've been busy cataloguing and cleaning the fort while Lord Sylvanus has been barking orders and living the good life."
"Speaking of 'good life,' you should at least have some bath toys to play with."
"Dean, I'm not a kid anymore. We've been here the moment we lost our parents, but we're still in the Order of Letters just like everyone else."
"Hey, our past lives didn't live such a fruitful outcome, but at least we've got a fresh start in such an age where everyone has left Earth and went beyond the stars. Hell, all I want is to kick some ass and take notes, but on this frozen planet, we're still the odd ones out in the matter."
"Dean, all you do is kick some ass."
"By the way, dinner in the mess hall's almost ready. You gonna come out of the bath or what?"
"I'll do that whenever I get out, alright?"
"Bitch!"
"Jerk!"
Dean left the bathroom as I finished up in the bathtub. With the water drained, I got out of there as I wrapped myself in a towel. It wasn't long until I went to my room where the bathroom was connected to as I got on some clean nightclothes complete with a white kimono robe. With the cold air coming from outside, I made sure to put on socks and slippers as I later put on my overrobe and went out into the halls of the fort. The fort itself was bleak as it had the simple aquarian star etched on the walls, for it was another place for those who served the Order of Letters. By the time we reached the mess hall, it was packed as everyone else got the same meal. It was a dinner that consisted of roast venison with vegetables as it was being served for everybody. As usual, everyone got their fair share, but I was always the last one to get my fill of any kind of meal as I sat down at a table next to the window. It was peaceful as I didn't have anyone to bother me while I was eating..., except for Dean, that is...
"Hey, aren't you gonna eat at the main table like the rest of us grunts?" he asked as he sat down at the other side of the table with his own meal. "You just can't be the odd one out forever, you know."
"Dean, grunts always eat at the main table, you know," I reminded him as I took a bite of my meal.
"Hey, just because we're brothers, doesn't mean that we have to eat at separate tables. Besides, doesn't it bother you that you always get the short end of the stick while being shut out?"
"Actually, I'm used to this by now."
"Used to what, exactly? By sitting at a lone table by the window while you watch the snow blow over from outside? Hell, you even take smaller meals after the cook prepares them and you even get the last piece of dessert while the rest of us just devour everything in plain sight."
"I'm just a person who catalogues things and cleans up the fort every now and then. Only the grunts get to have seconds. Besides, you're the more qualified soldier here in the fort and Lord Sylvanus makes the rules here."
I had a point here as I continued to eat my meal. Even though Dean had a bigger plate of meat and vegetables, he always became concerned for my health and well-being as he was most likely to be giving some of his food to me. After I finished up my meal, I was ready to put my plate and utensils into the kitchen sink as I was about to prep up the duties there. Just as I was about to do so, I was stopped by Dean, who didn't touch any of his food on his plate, as he wanted to give me some of it. All along, I had been offered extra food, but I couldn't disobey orders coming from Lord Sylvanus himself as I was about to have a tough time into either accepting or refusing the bit of food that had been offered to me.
"Here," said Dean as he was ready to share some of the food that was on his plate. "You can't just go for a square meal and sit at the window."
"No, you can't give that to me," I said as I saw Dean put some of his food onto my plate. "If Lord Sylvanus-"
"Lord Sylvanus is a complete dickbag who doesn't give a rat's ass about his servants or cataloguers. Besides, I've watched you take smaller meals and didn't complain, but your humility would get the better of you if you don't watch yourself."
"Dean, I can't fight nor take up arms. All I can do is cataloguing and housework chores."
"So? Your life and health is on the life here, Sam. This is not a joke or a debate." I sighed with a hint of discontent. "You better eat up and after you get your chores done, I suggest that you go see the doctor to have a physical."
"Dean, only grunts have-"
"Just stop right there, Sam. I look at you and all you do is brush off everything that gets thrown at you. Doesn't it bother you that you get sidelined all the time? The roster in the Order not only has us grunts, but there's also family, too."
DING! DING! DING!
The sound of a bell was heard from outside as I finished up the spare food that Dean gave me. Staring out the window, we both saw a caravan enter from the sky as it landed on the clear area where most of the spaceships landed from other planets. To our surprise, we saw an Order of Letters ship land in the middle as the hatch opened up. It didn't take long to recognize some of the people entering into the fort as we spotted Lord Sylvanus standing proudly with the regalia that he was decorated with. He was a bald man with a scar on his face as he had a mustache that went along with it. Dean had served under him, but he never liked the guy up front. With most of the grunts awaiting Lord Sylvanus' arrival, they saw him enter into the mess hall as they greeted him with such splendor. By the time he sat down, he noticed that Dean was near the table by the window as he wasn't too happy with him for falling out of order.
"Winchester!" he yelled. "You are supposed to be seated with the rest of the new recruits of the Hunter Corps, not dine with that giant baby brother of yours!"
"Sorry, sir," said Dean as he walked towards the table where Sylvanus sat in. "It won't happen again."
"Your brother's one of the servants and cataloguers here in this fort, not a soldier like you. Servants eat either alone or with other servants. Soldiers eat with their comrades, you know that!"
Dean stared at me as I was still sitting at the table by the window. He didn't like the fact that I was being left out all the time, but he had no other choice but to stay with his chosen comrades under the command of Lord Sylvanus. Getting up, I took my plate and utensils into the kitchen as I was about to be doing some work in there. My chores were useful as I was cleaning everything in there from top to bottom while the other servants did the cleaning in the mess hall. After I finished up, I went straight towards my room as I was about to get ready for bed right away. Before I did that, I went to the bathroom to brush my teeth as I was starting to get very tired. After flossing and rinsing out my teeth, I stared into the mirror as I began to feel at the jeweled mark on my forehead. Even though I was the only one that got it, I was also left out by Lord Sylvanus entirely because of what I was really made to do. When I returned to my room, I tucked into bed as I had all those extra blankets to keep me warm during the blizzard season. I had a fireplace to warm me, but there was no firewood to put in it as I made due just like the rest of the Order here on this frozen wasteland of a planet. It had been home, but I had to get used to it, no matter what...
I woke up in the middle of the night as I was feeling the cold air come to my room. I continued to huddle in my bed as I was trying not to freeze. Sitting up, I heard the door open as I saw Dean coming into the room with a stack of firewood in his hands. When I saw him shove the wood into the fire, he stuffed some paper into the fireplace as he used lighter fluid to light it with. With a match struck, I saw Dean put it into the fireplace as the flames in it burned brightly. I never expected him to put firewood in here, but at least I was starting to get warm from the outside in my room. I was comfortable, but there were also signs that I was about to be coming down with a cold myself.
"Hey, you okay?" asked Dean as he heard me coughing slightly.
"I'm fine, Dean," I answered as I covered up in my blankets.
"Are you sure? If you're starting to come down with a cold, then I suggest that you go to the infirmary to get checked out."
"The physician and nurse can't do anything for me, Dean. They only tend to a few servants, but the soldiers are a top priority according to Lord Sylvanus."
"Screw the top priority, Sam! You're my flesh-and-blood little brother! I'm not gonna ignore your needs, no matter what Lord Sylvanus says!"
"Dean, I-"
"Stop right there." I stare at my brother as he came over towards me and felt my forehead. "You're coming down with a fever, so I suggest that you get some rest." He reaches into the nightstand and gets out a thermometer. "Open up."
"I'm not a kid anymore."
"So? You can't just huddle up in bed and tell me that you're fine. Now, open your mouth so I can take your temperature."
I obeyed Dean's orders as I felt the thermometer being shoved under my tongue. I had work to do before the day started, but the verdict about my health hadn't shown up yet. By the time Dean took the thermometer out of my mouth, he was staring at with such concern as he noticed that I was running a high fever that required me to stay in bed. I never wanted to shirk work, but I didn't have any other choice as I was under Dean's watch for the night.
"Looks like you're gonna have to skip work in a few hours," he said as he put the thermometer down on the nightstand. "You've got a fever after all, Sam."
"That's impossible," I said as I was starting to cough.
"No, it's not; you've got a temperature of 101.9 and you're staying in bed."
"Dean, I have duties at the fort just like you do as a soldier. I can't just lay around in bed."
"Sorry, Sam, but you can't be out and about and it's nearly three in the morning. I have to go back to bed, too. Besides, if that cold gets worse, I'll get the physician and nurse to haul your ass to the infirmary."
"Lord Sylvanus will be calling on the Hunter Corps soon, so you better get some rest yourself."
"See you in the morning, Sammy."
And so, I fell asleep as I was warmed by the fire in the fireplace. When Dean left my room, he was on his way to his own as he was sharing it with three other people who slept there. In four hours, he would be woken up to the sound of the morning bell, but he had to get all the sleep he can muster as he climbed into his own bed. By the time he was asleep, he was dreaming of the elder days as his past life had lived such a reckless lifestyle that led to the restoration of the Order of Letters. He was a hunter. He had something to fight for as he was there to defend the fort on Gehenna, the planet that was a frozen wasteland...
The morning bell was rung as Dean was up and alert. He was ready to get some breakfast as he was most likely to be coming into the mess hall with all the other grunts of the Order. Getting dressed, he was up and ready as he was about to get a decent briefing from Lord Sylvanus. As a member of the Hunter Corps, he was there to take orders and not question them as he made his way towards the mess hall for some breakfast. With the morning meal that consisted of pancakes and sausage, Dean was ready to eat his meal as he was also spotting the kitchen doors and the nearby window where I always stood. He had a feeling that I wasn't there as he was certain that I hadn't gotten out of bed yet.
"Where the hell are you, Sam?" he said as he took a bite of his sausage.
"Hey, Dean," said a young man with silver hair. "I take it that Sam's not here, is he?"
"It's hell, Yoshou. Besides, he's always getting the short end of the stick, even when he turns to such selfless means like cleaning up the kitchen after every meal."
"I really wished that Lord Sylvanus would treat Sam with a little dignity. Hell, we always see him helping out in the kitchen either washing dishes or preparing dessert for everyone. I sure hope that he didn't catch a cold or anything."
"Actually, he's already held up in bed with a cold. I'm just hoping that it isn't just pneumonia or anything more serious."
Dean continued to eat at his breakfast as he later finished up his plate. When he took his plate and utensils into the kitchen, he noticed that I wasn't in there washing dishes as the other servants were busy cleaning up in there. The cook in charge, Chomaru, was a kind-hearted man who stayed in as he even had a plate made up for me. He was concerned for me just like Dean was as he was ready to have someone give it to me in my room. It was on a whim when Dean snatched the tray of food as he left the kitchen and mess hall and onward towards to where he needed to go. He was about to be briefed by Lord Sylvanus later on, but my priorities came first before anything...
I woke up coughing as I was feeling a bit under the weather. With my eyes open, I noticed the fire in the fireplace had died out as I was still huddling in my bed with all those warm blankets. The freezing air did no comfort for me as I was starting to feel a lot worse. The fever that wracked my body didn't leave me alone as I felt fatigued. Sitting up, I grabbed the thermometer from the nightstand as I decided to take my own temperature. I waited for the thermometer to work as I didn't manage to rush things on the spot. When I heard it beep, I took it out of my mouth and looked at it with concern. I had a high temperature as it was the worst thing that could ever happen to me right now. I had a nasty temperature indeed as it went up to 102.1. When I heard the door open, I noticed Dean coming in with the tray of food from the mess hall as he handed it over to me.
"It's a godsend that Chomaru had the guts to leave out some food for you," he said.
"It's very kind of him, but if Lord Sylvanus finds out about this, he'll have more than just our asses," I said as I set the thermometer back on the nightstand. "I sure hope that I don't get in trouble for this..."
"But you're not. On my way towards your room, I heard the physician getting pissed off at Sylvanus for not caring for the servants more."
"Well, it serves him right, but he's the head honcho here in this fort."
"Hey, wish me luck." Dean was ready to go out the door. "Besides, we might come back with gratitude in saving lives outside the fort. Anyway, don't overstrain yourself right now. You need to stay in bed today."
"Be careful, Brother."
I saw Dean leave the room as he closed the door behind him. When I delved into the food that was given to me, I decided to eat up to get my strength back as I was devouring the pancakes and sausage complete with a glass of orange juice that came along with it. When I finished up, I decided to take the tray of empty dishes towards the mess hall as I set them down first on the nightstand. Getting out of bed, I was standing on the cold floor as I put on my slippers and robe. With the tray of empty dishes in my hands, I left my room as I was on my way to the mess hall and into the kitchen. When I set my dirty dishes down on the counter, I left the kitchen and mess hall as I was about to go back to my room. The dizziness that I had was starting to nail me as I was staggering against the walls. Even though I did my part into putting my dirty dishes into the kitchen earlier, I was on my way back to my room until I saw Sylvanus and the rest of the Hunter Corps coming my way.
Hiding in a corridor, I watched them go by as they were on their way to conduct other missions on other planets. Speaking of planets, the human colonists from centuries ago now lived in a system that looked like the one that had Earth in it. There were twelve planets that circled around two suns as they had names to go along with them. The first planet was called Torvalan, which was closest to the sun, but had a shield that made it a tourist hotspot. The second planet was called Saluvan, which was the next one closest to the sun. The third planet was called Alecrast, which was the homeworld where Dean and I were born on, but it had a typical "just right" atmosphere. The fourth planet was called Kaijirin, which was a planet of basically aristocrats and thrillseekers. The fifth planet, Atreides, was a place where mainly water and marine life lived in and it was also a perfect trading post. The sixth planet, Harkonnen, was a place of industry, but it had a long competive edge in the system of planets that were there. The seventh planet, Orianthis, was also a marine planet, but its inhabitants have a proud history. The eighth planet, Gethos was another industrialist planet, but it mined minerals from its sands. The ninth planet, Zassel, was a swamp planet, but its plant and animal life can be dangerous. The tenth planet, Earendil, was a place that had lots of trees and streams. The eleventh planet, Rietza, was a place that was very cold indeed. As for this planet, Gehenna, it was the twelfth planet and a frozen wasteland that is at the very end of the system. I was used to being on this planet as I finally made it back to my room and climbed into my bed for some warmth.
It wasn't long until my stomach took a nasty turn as I was feeling queasy from eating breakfast earlier. This is something that nailed me as I got up and went towards the bathroom. By the time I got to the toilet, I was hurling as the nausea hit me like a ton of bricks. After spending ten minutes vomiting and flushing the toilet, I went towards the sink to brush my teeth and rinse my mouth out with mouthwash. I was simply cleansing my mouth from all the vomit taste that lingered as I finished up and went back to bed. When I heard the door open up in my room, I saw the physician enter as he was carrying his medical bag. I never expected him to enter in my room, but this was out of the ordinary as he opened up his medical bag to get out his stethoscope and blood pressure cuff.
"I take it that you must have caught a bug here," he said as he wrapped the blood pressure cuff on my arm. "Dean told me about what you've been going through."
"Half the time, my room gets cold," I said as I was coughing.
"Sounds to me like you've got something with a side order of queasiness here."
When the physician finished up taking my blood pressure, he was concerned for my health as I saw him grab his stethoscope and was ready to listen to my vital signs inside. Grabbing the thermometer, I shoved it under my tongue as I saw the physician get to work on me right away. I hated being in bed, but I didn't have any say in the matter as I wasn't feeling all too well right now. When the thermometer beeped, I took it out of my mouth as I found that I still wasn't out of the woods yet. I had a temperature of 103.2 and rising despite the fact that I ate something and later vomited afterwards.
"Now, I want you to breathe deeply," said the physican as he was listening to my heart with his stethoscope. "I also want to have a listen to your lungs as well."
I breathed inward and outward as the physician was listening in on what was ailing me.
"There's a slight infection in your lungs. As for your heart, it's quite fast for a sickly person."
"I had a feeling that this would happen," I said.
"It's official; you have pneumonia, Sam."
"Pneumonia? Does Dean know about this?"
"Your brother just went out the door with the rest of the Hunter Corps. I hope that he's okay out there."
"He's the only family I've got. I'd fall apart if something-"
"You shouldn't worry too much about him, Sam. Besides, you need to get some more rest. I recently posted a report for Lord Sylvanus about your condition, but he's off like the rest of the Hunter Corps."
I sat up and coughed as I even felt a pain in my chest. I began to feel very tired as I felt the pneumonia wracking my body. It wasn't long until the physician fished out some tablets as he handed them to me. I later saw him grab a cup as he went into the bathroom and turned on the water in the sink to fill it up. When I saw him return, he gave me the cup of water as I was ready to take the medicine that he gave me. Shoving one of the tablets into my mouth, I drank the water down as I put the cup on the nightstand.
"These tablets are to clear up the infection in your lungs," said the physician as he was walking towards the door. "Still, you need to rest up, Sam, and if anything worse ever happens, I suggest that you get to the infirmary as soon as possible."
"But the infirmary's off limits to the servants," I said.
"Has it considered for you that you should be a part of any Corps troupe instead of being a cataloguer and servant all the time?"
"Lord Sylvanus won't allow it. He only praises Dean for his efforts, he won't even recognize my own."
"For the record, I suggest that you work on that knowledge of yours. It might come in handy someday. Also, I'll tell one of the servants to bring in some firewood for that fireplace of yours so you can have a nice warm room instead of an icy one."
When the physician left the room, I laid down in my bed as I was starting to fall asleep. The medicine that I took did wonders on me as it was clearing up the infection the moment I was resting. I was a cataloguer and servant in the Order, but I was not allowed to be in combat because of the attachment cliché that could linger with familial aspects. Sooner or later, I would end up being further in the shorter end of the stick if I wasn't careful, for it would only be a matter of time before that ever happened...
Dean was ready to go towards the inner workings as he left with the other members of the Hunter Corps. By the time he was out of the fort gates, he was behind Lord Sylvanus as he was most likely to be on the prowl into killing monsters that lurked all over the darkness on Gehenna. By the time the Corps were at the train station, they were given assignments as they looked at the simple newspaper articles that were posted on the bulletin board. Dean was paired with Yoshou as they were ready to take the train. The train tracks were the mode of transport along with the boats and spaceships that came here. Dean never liked to take the train nor liked to be flown away from the ground as he was most likely to be facing his assignment like the rest of the troupe in the matter.
"Listen up," said Lord Sylvanus as he stood in front of the rest of the Hunter Corps. "The hunting jobs that are assigned to you will be completed without fail. After getting the job done, you will be paid a decent fee and other things for your effort. Each one of you will be paired up with a partner on your hunting assignments, so I suggest that you help yourselves out in such dangerous times. The hunting jobs are newer monsters that have been lurking all over Gehenna, so be on your guard. Remember this: there are no monsters from the Elder Days that exist, but we have newer means to take out any threat that harms the innocent. We are hunters! We don't have normal lives nor attachments. The time of the Elder Days is no more, so we do what we can. Do I make myself clear to you?"
"Yes, sir!" the troupe yelled.
Dean obeyed Lord Sylvanus as he and Yoshou were ready to take the train to the plateau near the ocean. He had a job to do, but he didn't want to be put under the weight of Lord Sylvanus for much longer. It was once said that there were monsters that lurked in the Elder Days, but not anymore. Still, there were dangers still among us but it would soon change in the end. Little did Lord Sylvanus know was that two mysterious strangers were watching in the distance as they were covered from head to toe in arctic gear and cloaks. One of them was an angel as he had the same face from the Elder Days. The other one was a Shinigami with glasses as he was also from the Elder Days as well. Both men were aware of the danger on Gehenna, but it would only be a matter of time before it ever happened...
It had been three days since I was being held up in bed as I felt my fever breaking. Getting out of bed, I was dressed in my servant clothes as I had some stuff to do. Daily chores and cataloguing had been my life as I also had the means and reasons just to delve into further knowledge. It was on a whim that I had found a secret door that led somewhere that I've never been before. When I went inside of the secret passageway, I discovered that it was a library that hadn't been catalogued yet as I saw the numerous stacks of old books in the dusty shelves. It was something that hadn't been discovered in ages as I decided to ponder into looking at one of the books that came from the shelves directly.
A peculiar book piqued my interest as it was in the shelf sitting there collecting dust. When I grabbed it, I noticed that it was a flimsy leather book that had clip notes in it as I blew the dust away and read into it. It was a book from the Elder Days as it detailed the chronicles of my past life and the ones before who were hunting monsters that came from that era. The presence of ghosts were also recorded in that book as it had the ways and means to extinguish them by salting and burning the remains of those who died of a horrible death. There were also details about other forgotten monsters, such as werewolves, vampires, djinn, vetalas, shapeshifters, skinwalkers, and other creepy things that were written in this ancient journal. It wasn't long until I found some more old forms of knowledge that also came from the elder days as I saw the Aquarian star etched onto them in gold paint. Those old books came from the Order of Letters from long ago as I was delving into more knowledge about what would go on here in the future that already occurred.
Grabbing the leather journal that I found, I hid it in my kimono overrobe as I left the secret compartment that had the old knowledge in it. All along, I have heard from Lord Sylvanus that the knowledge from the Elder Days had been forgotten and never read again, but it was about to change in the future. When I saw the Hunter Corps return with Lord Sylvanus at the helm, I clutched at my overrobe as I ran back to my room to hide the journal under my bed. I wanted to tell Dean about this as I ran out of my room and went out of my way to greet the troops who came back. Once again, I was just a simple servant that didn't matter, but I was most likely to be hungry like everyone else. When I went towards the mess hall, I was tripped over by one of the troops that were with Lord Sylvanus as I fell to the icy floor. Even though I was embarrassed by that petty trouble, I didn't let it bother me as I got up back on my feet and entered into the mess hall.
Lunch consisted of a lamb stew as it was served with freshly baked bread. Still, all the troops were served first as I was served the last. I grabbed my fill as I sat down at the table by the window. As usual, I saw Dean with the rest of the troops as he was eating his lunch like the rest of us. Still, he wanted to be around me instead of the troops, but he didn't have a say in the matter, for Lord Sylvanus was in charge and no one would ever dare to question the authority that he has here in this fort on Gehenna. It was something that I got used to as I ate my meal without any company at all. With the sight of the sun shining over the snow outside, it was a clear day as it was a sign for good luck. I was ready to delve into more further knowledge in the secret passageway that I found as I finished up my meal and took my bowl and utensils straight into the kitchen.
After I got there, I was on dishes duty as I got started in cleaning them until they were spotless. I was in a great mode as I was keeping up on my kitchen chores while scrubbing the pots and pans in there. When I finished up the dishes, I was on my way out of the kitchen and mess hall as I was on my way back to my room. Just as I was about to head over there, I was stopped by one of the troops as she was acting suspicious. It was Sadie from the Cross Corps as she was in charge of patrolling the fort and surveying everything that goes on this planet. She had the same steely expression as Lord Sylvanus as she even had her blond hair up while wearing a beret on her head. She was sharp, but she wanted to know what I was doing as she was very close to the head honcho of this fort.
"What are you up to, Sam?" she asked.
"I'm on my way back to my room," I answered.
"I spotted you coming out of that secret compartment that was closed off. You're not hiding anything, are you?"
"No, but I'm on my way back to my room. As for you, I suggest that you get back to Lord Sylvanus before he gives you a great scolding."
"My father may be in charge of all of the troops, but he has the Hunter Corps at his side. The Garrison Corps and the Cross Corps only hang around the fort. Now, I know that you're hiding something from the rest of us, so I suggest that you come clean."
"I don't have anything on me."
"Oh, really? Then what do you think of this?" I was shocked as I saw Sadie fish out the leather journal that I found earlier. "I found this under your bed and I suggest that you explain to my father about your meddling in the knowledge of the Elder Days."
"Give it back, Sadie!"
"No, it's now personal property of my father, so-"
Suddenly, I saw another troop member sneak up behind Sadie as she grabbed her from behind. It was a woman from the Garrison Corps as she had teal hair and hazel eyes while dressed up in her uniform. She was Aurelia Granz as she came from a long line of soldiers that served in the Order of Letters. Snatching the journal away from Sadie, Aurelia gave it back to me as I was thankful that it wasn't about to be taken to Lord Sylvanus right away. As for Sadie, however, she was disgusted at me for delving into the knowledge fo the Elder Days as she was also angry at Aurelia for intervening as well. It was also going to be something that couldn't be ignored as Sadie herself would do anything just to butt into other people's privacies.
"I want that journal back," she snarled.
"Sam was the one who found it first, not you," said Aurelia.
"My father is the one who keeps a strict edict in which all knowledge from the Elder Days is forbidden and not to be read."
"I hate to break it to you, but there's also a matter of not getting into things that don't concern you. The knowledge from the Elder Days may be locked away, but that doesn't mean that all those strange monsters from that era don't exist."
"Oh, Sam's gonna be in trouble for getting into things that doesn't fit in with my father. I'll get him to punish him soon enough..., or perhaps banish him from the Order."
With that, Sadie left as she was furious about my basic knowledge getting the better of me. As for Aurelia, however, she left the hall as she was about to join the rest of the Garrison Corps. I was grateful of the soldier who intervened as I would do her a favor someday, but she still had to report to her troops on the sly. Thus, I left towards my room as I had the journal in my hands. Hiding the leather journal under the bed was something that I didn't ponder again as I shoved it into the mattress. I had to lock the door to my room as I dug into my desk and fished out a key from my nightstand drawer. I had to take drastic measures to lock the door as I was happy to have all the privacy that I wanted just to read about more knowledge about the time of the Elder Days. Sooner or later, I would go back to the secret compartment and read more about all the knowledge that I could muster, but I was about to get back to work anyway.
With the key around my neck, I unlocked my door as I went out and locked up my room again. I was on cleaning duty as I was about to work on the barracks, where I had stuff to do in there. The workload was tough, but I was busy cleaning up one room at a time as I was even putting clean sheets and blankets on the beds as well. Although I had work to do in the barracks, I wasn't alone as I had several other servants working there while keeping everything clean to good and satisfactory condition. By the time we were all done, we left the barracks as we were about to tackle the meal preparation in the mess hall and kitchen. With the dinner that consisted of roast beef with vegetables, it was something that went on smoothly as I was hard at work. By the time dinner was prepared to go into the oven, we all had to wait for a few hours just to let the meat cook properly, for it would be tonight's meal after all.
When I left the kitchen, I decided to go straight into the secret compartment as I closed the door behind me. I was ready to look into the knowledge that was left behind in the time of the Elder Days. Still, I had the looming threat of Sadie coming to tattle to Lord Sylvanus about what I discovered here. I looked at the books as I picked up one and began to read about demons and how to exorcise them from their victims. As a cataloguer, I memorized the events that I put up into the fort's archives as I was also mesmerized by the knowledge that I found in the secret compartment. With footsteps approaching, I put the book away back on the shelf as I left the secret room in order to check up on dinner at the mess hall and kitchen. The smell of the meat and vegetables cooking in various ovens had wafted all over the mess hall as I sat down at my usual place. Waiting was tough, but I had to be patient as I was most likely to be getting the last scraps of the meal as usual. It wasn't long until I saw Dean walking towards to where I was as he sat down on the other side just to check up on me.
"I take it that you had a successful hunt," I said.
"It was hell," answered Dean.
"I know that none of the troops would agree to me, but I found something from within the fort."
"What did you find?"
"The place was a secret compartment that had lots of books about the time of the Elder Days when all hunters found monsters and figured out how to kill them."
"That sounds healthy. When I was out on my mission, I saw something that was in the woods feasting on some human carcasses, but Lord Sylvanus dismissed it as a wild animal."
"Was it really a wild animal?"
"No, but it was naked and ran around in the snow feasting on people."
"It could be a Wendigo."
"A Wendigo? Where did you hear that?"
"I looked it up in a leather book that I found in which the only way to kill one is to burn it. There's also some references about how to kill other monsters by using either silver or blades to do it. Also, if there are any ghosts that haunt anything, there's a method in which we find, salt, and burn the remains in order for them to pass into the next life."
"Hey, could you keep it down? Someone could listen in on what we're saying."
I stayed silent as I was seeing some of the troops enter into the mess hall with their plates and utensils in their hands. The smell of the roast beef wafted all over the mess hall as it enticed the troops when they sat at the tables. Even Dean was eager to get some dinner as I let him go to where the troops were served. Even I went in line as I grabbed a tray with a plate and utensils. Once again, I was the last one to be in line as I slowly watched it go along while everyone was waiting to get their dinner on the spot. One by one, the troops got their fill until I was the last one left to get my dinner. When I grabbed my fill, I returned to my usual place as I was about ot get ready to eat. Still, I dined at my usual place, but I was always aware that some of the troops had begun to question my purpose in life as one of the servants in the Order of Letters. I was only here because I was still a servant in this frozen fort.
By the time I finished up my meal, I was ready to go into the kitchen to wash the dishes as I grabbed my empty tray and utensils. Just as I was about to go in there, I was stopped by Dean directly as I had a feeling that I would be delayed from doing my work. I didn't have time to talk as I had to get on with my chores around the fort as I was attempting to walk past my older brother and head straight to the kitchen. Still, Dean didn't let me pass as he was concerned for me as a servant instead of being a soldier.
"I have to get the dishes done," I said.
"Sam, we need to talk," said Dean.
"About what?"
"The head honcho from the main office on Alecrast is coming in three days and he insists on including you in one of the corps."
"That decision is up to Lord Sylvanus, not up to the leader. Besides, a soldier can't have any attachments, whether it is either friends or family."
"Who cares about that right now? All I want is for you to be a part of the regiment of your choosing, not stay in the fort playing Cinderella all the time."
"What's going on here?" asked Lord Sylvanus as he was standing behind Dean.
"Nothing, sir; nothing at all."
"Good, then let's keep it that way." Lord Sylvanus glares at me as he never liked me being a soldier due to the attachment cliché. "What the hell are you staring at, servant? Get your ass back to work like the rest of the servants." I see him coming towards me as he pushes me to the floor while I dropped my dishes onto it. "Clean up that mess before you soil yourself! Also, Ginryu Ashizoka's coming here to Gehenna in three days, so I suggest that you stay out of sight or else, servant!"
"Sir, you shouldn't be rough on him like that! He's not only a servant, but he's also my brother!"
"You listen to me first, Dean Winchester! I know all about you! You're a soldier that does the job done without question. I've also known about your past life in which he became a demon while bearing the Mark of Cain as well! This isn't the time of the Elder Days anymore, so I suggest that you obey me here on this fort or else you will be banished, is that clear?!"
Dean nodded as he saw Lord Sylvanus leave the mess hall. The sight of me being pushed on the floor made his blood boil as he decided to help clean up the mess that was made earlier. When I got up on my feet, I saw my brother gather up the tray of dishes as he gave them to me in order to be put into the kitchen. He wanted to get at Lord Sylvanus for putting me down, but I didn't let him due to the fact that his actions would end up getting him banished from the Order permanently.
"That asshat!" he said as he was starting to get angrier.
"Dean, let it go," I said. "There's nothing that you can do right now."
"Like hell I can! I'm starting to get a little fed up with him treating you as if you don't even exist at all! You're my little brother and I won't stand by and let you get pushed to the ground like that. Come hell or high water, your days of being a servant are numbered because I'm gonna induct you into service as a soldier like me."
"You can't do that, Dean. Lord Sylvanus only favors the stronger ones, which are first born, not the second born like me. He also said that Ginryu Ashizoka will be coming from his main base on Alecrast in order to visit this frozen place. Still, it's the way things are and these times when the Elder Days existed have faded further into memory."
"So, then you're okay with that asshat pushing you around, is that it?"
"No, but I don't want either one of us to be tossed out in the cold. Look, I don't like this any more than you do, but it's better than being banished from this place."
And so, I took my tray of dishes as I went into the kitchen to clean up. Still, Dean saw me in there as he wanted me to be a soldier like him instead of being a lowly servant, but those were the way things are, regardless of what we say. Little did either of us know was that Sadie was watching in the distance as she was eager to tell on us for what was discussed in our little conversations, but that would be further decided when the real trouble would soon begin...
To be continued...
