Chapter4 The Order of Epsilon

Jack felt as if he was trapped in a nightmare. He scanned the area frantically searching for the source of that faint breathing which was becoming shallower by the second. He noticed that the walls were covered by strange symbols, most of which were covered with blood. The smell of rotting flesh was choking him. As he gingerly stepped over body after body, he took note of the manner in which they had been killed. Some had been burned, others had been stabbed.

"Aku," he whispered in disgust.

Then he felt something claw like digging into his foot. He looked down and saw a frail creature with blue-gray skin, a birdlike face and large round eyes looking up at him. He was bleeding profusely from a gaping wound on his chest. By the way he was dressed; Jack guessed that he was a monk. He knelt down beside him.

'When did this happen?" he asked

"A few hours before you came,'

'Did anyone escape?"

"Some of my brethren did,"

Then Wolfe appeared beside him.

'Brother Caleb," he said sadly

Caleb looked at Wolfe and then turned back to Jack. He opened his mouth as if to say something but instead began to cough up blood. He screamed in agony as his body convulsed. Then he shouted four words which sent chills down Jack's spine.

"I WILL BE AVENGED"

Then he died. Wolfe buried his head in his hands and didn't speak for a long time.

"Aku will pay for this," he said finally, through clenched teeth.

Then he stood up and walked away.

By this time the sun was setting and it was decided that it would be best for them to spend the night in a nearby inn. The rooms were shabby and the floors creaked but Jack didn't mind. Wolfe had barely spoken on the journey there. He could feel his rage burning like an uncontrollable fire deep inside him. He sat down on one of the rickety twin beds that had been haphazardly crammed into the tiny room and began to speak.

"Someone betrayed us. There's no way Aku could have found out about us. Anyway there's no secret anymore. I might as well tell about our plan. Before I was crucified Aku had been planning to build a fortress in the Badlands. He told me that he was tired of moving around and that when it was completed nobody could penetrate its defenses, not even you. Last month one of my inside sources said that it was completed. The place is practically impenetrable. Aku surrounded it with demons and hundreds of thousands of robotic troops. I had practically given up all hope of getting inside until he told me about the secret passage," he said

'Secret passage?"

"There was an explosion in the mines. They discovered a tunnel which leads directly into the palace. Nobody told Aku about it. But getting through the mines is the easy part. To reach the Badlands one would have to go through some pretty dangerous territory. Aku made it in such a way that one would have to go through Parsons, cross River Mongue and go through the Dark Forest which Aku filled with demons. The monks agreed to fashion us charms that would give us protection from any evil spirit but they were murdered before they had the chance to finish,"

'They must have been very powerful,"

"Yes, they belonged to a society called The Order of Epsilon,"

"That name sounds familiar,"

"They've been around for thousands of years. They went underground when Aku took over the world. They are a group of people that are dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge. Those monks were the best healers mathematicians, scientists everything. They were even skilled in magic. Before they found me on that tree, they had even been dabbling into time travel,"

Jack's heart skipped a beat. He cursed Aku inwardly

'Perhaps that's why Aku killed them."

"I'm sure. He's using the rebels as bait. He wants us to come and that will be his undoing. I have a guy in Parsons that can help us. We'll go there tomorrow,"

Jack awoke in the middle of the night with a start. He could tell that something was wrong but he couldn't tell what it was. He looked at Wolfe, who was tossing and turning on the other bed. He rolled over and reached for his sword. All of a sudden he felt a presence. Although he was unable to see it he knew that it was sitting on the bed right next to him. It seemed almost familiar.

"Be weary samurai ,things are not always as they seem,' he heard it whisper

Wolfe rolled over and opened his eyes. Then the presence vanished. After a few seconds Wolfe went back to sleep.. For some reason Jack's mind wandered back to his conversation with Caleb.

'When did this happen?" he remembered asking

"A few hours before you came,'

'Did anyone escape?"

"Some of my brethren did,"

"They're still out there," Jack whispered.