by Jason Cheek
Hearing a groan nearby, I saw the Chief pushing himself up to a sitting position, cradling his arm next to another officer still unconscious on the ground. I went to the unconscious man’s side first. He seemed unhurt except for a small concussion. Even though the head injury felt as if it would heal on its own, I still sent a little healing energy his way, before moving on to the Chief who was obviously in a lot of pain. The old man looked at me dazed as I knelt next to him. A second later his eyes widened in shock as my healing energy shot through him, healing the worst of his injuries in a golden flash of light. With an incredulous look the Chief flexed his healed arm as he met my yellow eyes.
“Thanks for the help Son, but I think Detective Kurwoski needs your help more than I do.”
Following the Chief’s gaze, I saw where Beth and two other Officers had been blasted through the building’s entrance. The two Officers looked relatively unhurt, but Beth was bleeding heavily from where she’d landed on a large piece of glass still stuck in the doorframe. Moving quickly to her side, I carefully lifted her off the glass spike that had punctured through her abdominal cavity. As I laid her on the blood splattered ground, the Chief staggered to my side trying to help staunch the flow of blood pumping onto the ground. We both knew she had lost too much blood.
“Can you help her Son?”
She still lived, but the flicker of her life force was getting weaker by the second. Gathering my energy once more, I focused my Will praying to Ukko.
“Helbrede!”
The glowing flash of light surrounded Beth fully healing her injuries as the Chief gasped next to me in shock.
Grinning fiercely at the older man’s stunned expression. I clapped him roughly on the shoulder.
“She’ll live Chief.”
Leaving Beth with the Chief, I staggered to the two unconscious officers nearby. Checking them over quickly, I pushed a little healing energy into them too, before staggering back down the steps to look for more survivors.
I stopped as the loud screeching sounds of tires skidding to a stop came from behind me. Looking over my shoulder, I saw four squad cars surrounding me, their doors popping open before they were completely stopped. Jumping out of their vehicles, the Police officers drew their weapons screaming at the top of their lungs.
“Freeze, put your hands on your head now!”
Angrily, I turned towards the officers, but, before I could respond to their commands. I heard the Chief’s voice ringing out behind me.
“Stand down Sergeant!”
The officers’ mouths dropped open in shock at the sight of their Chief walking up behind me. Immediately, the Sergeant started to argue.
“With all due respect Chief, you can’t...”
Walking down the steps, the old man put his arm around my shoulders as he addressed his men.
“I didn’t ask for your opinion. I ordered you to stand down. Is that clear, Sergeant?”
Hesitantly, the officers holstered their weapons, while the Chief continued issuing orders as additional units began arriving on the scene.
“Sergeant, I want you to detail the arriving officers to search for the wounded. Bring anyone still alive to this gentleman here as quickly as possible.”
The sudden screech of tires at the entrance to the parking lot stopped the Chief in midsentence. Watching the two news vans pulling to a stop, he pointed at the approaching news crews raising his voice.
“And get those news crews out of here now! I want this entire crime scene blocked off with a quarter mile perimeter!”
As the Chief took off towards the new officers beginning to arrive on the scene, the Sergeant sent his deputies to look for more wounded, before turning to deal with the reporters. In short order, road blocks were setup around the entire area as teams of officers searched the nearby field for survivors. Kneeling to the ground, I slid my helmet into the clips on my back as I closed my eyes praying to Ukko for guidance.
It was my fault that the Tuonellians were here on Earth. Even though it was Grandsire who had initially made the decision to come to Earth, I still bore the responsibility for what was happening, since it was me they were hunting. Also, it had been my decision to begin teaching humans the Word of Ukko, and now they would be pulled into a war between two Gods fighting for survival.
I’d realized too late that the black cloaked rider was a Priestess of Loviatar, and she had seen Susan using the Gifts of Ukko. Similar to my own relationship with Ukko, what a priestess learned their God would know too, which meant Loviatar now knew what I’d been up to here on Earth. Once they were finished with me, the Tuonellians would come after Earth next.
In one way, I had to leave Earth immediately if humans were going to have any chance to survive. Staying here only put more innocents in danger, but, at the same time, I had a responsibility to help the humans that had been hurt during the fight against the Tuonellian forces sent to kill me. Also before I could leave this world, it was my duty to remove the Tuonellians that were still here on Earth. Otherwise, if left to their own devices, they would kill more innocents, and that blood would weigh heavy on my soul.
I imagined that, for most people, the concept of a war between Gods were somewhat incomprehensible. Now days when most people thought about the concept of a God, they imagined a single being that was omnipotent. An entity so powerful, that with a thought its wishes would come into being, automatically carried out entirely by Will alone, or by powerful servants, such as the Catholic Church’s Angels and Demons. In the past, most human religions believed in a pantheon of Gods, powerful beings that vied for power in the Heavens and on Earth. An important concept, never directly spelled out in the history books, was that the many religious wars humans fought throughout history were actuality a reflection of the battles occurring in the Heavens. The wars between Gods, as always, were about who would have the most followers. Having more followers was the key to the strength of any God. Similar to the current religions of Earth as the battles in the Heaven raged the Pantheon of Gods slowly began to dwindle, until only a few Gods remained.
How could a God be killed? How could an omnipotent being, not be omnipotent? I believed these were two of the most fundamental questions that confused most mortals when they tried to comprehend the battles occurring in the heavens between warring religions. Although the nature of the questions seemed to be complex, their answers, in actuality, were quite simple.
A God’s power was based on the numbers of its followers. So, a God ceased to exist when no one was left who still worshiped, or feared the God. That was the reason my people, the Klavikians, had been wiped out. Loviatar had wanted to kill Ukko! Killing all of his followers would have ended his existence. If it hadn’t been for Grandsire saving my life, she would have succeeded with her plan.
Most people would assume that an omnipotent God would be able to simply wish their desires into being. But, what is omnipotence when you are surrounded by other beings with the same power? Suddenly, omnipotence was not so omnipotent. Maybe there was no such thing as omnipotence, only beings with greater power than what normal beings possessed. However it functioned, Ukko was able to shield the knowledge of where I was hiding and what I was doing from Loviatar, which was why she had sent her priestesses in search for me.
Another important question that I was regularly asked was. Why were followers so crucial for a God to have? The reason I believed this to be so significant, was that all beings had a part of the divine inside of them. Henceforth, we were all derived from the same ultimate source of power in the Multiverse. The humans in India had a name for this concept. They called it ‘Namaste’.
My current understandings about Gods were that when enough people believed in certain concepts of right and wrong, the essence of their beliefs created their God in the first place. The battle between Gods was actually the struggle between people deciding the kind of world they wanted to live in. Due to the unique relationship I had with Ukko, my metaphysical perspective was decidedly different from
the teachings propagated by most religions, which typically used priests to interpret God’s messages to legitimize their authority over the common person.
My service to Ukko meant that I was following the concepts of right and wrong that was the essence of my people, which I believed in wholeheartedly. It exemplified a way of life that I chose to live by, and wanted for everyone. I believed in sharing the Word of Ukko, and believed that most people would see the innate goodness in the concepts that made up my people’s beliefs, and would choose, of their own accord, to make Ukko a part of their life.
In this way, I’d brought the teachings of Ukko to Earth and, in doing so, saved my God from being wiped out of existence, while preserving the ideas of my people. So far, the humans I introduced my teachings to had embraced Ukko without hesitation, and in doing so were changing their own neighborhoods, and cities around the world. Ukkodians were people who did not get sick, they did not cheat, and they did not take bribes. They were honest hard working people striving to become better.
In a world of over five billion people, in the sixteen years since my arrival, Ukkodians counted as the third largest religion on Earth. Needless to say, this made the governments and religious leaders around the world extremely nervous about my religious teachings, believing that it was a threat to their society. In a way, maybe they were right.
Ukkodians didn’t force converts, or threaten people to follow their beliefs. There was room enough for everyone in their world view. They focused on living life the best they could every day, and, in doing so. Their living by example is what caught new converts attention. Healing and Self-defense classes were how most people were introduced to Ukko’s teachings, but it was always by the individual’s own choice.
I was at fault for involving Earth in the war between Ukko and Loviatar, but I still believed I had made the correct choice. Maybe that was simply because of whom I was, a Paladin of Ukko. Maybe history would judge me differently, but I had to do what I believed to be right. I felt approval from Ukko as his power surged into me like never before. Healing the wounded would give the Tuonellians time to prepare for my counterattack, but I would just have to have faith, and take that into considerations when making my plans.
I would heal the wounded, and take this fight back to Irlendria!
Opening my eyes, I saw the wounded being laid in front of me, and went to work. I kept my heals simple, focusing on healing only life threatening injuries, while leaving the minor cuts and abrasions for the paramedics that had already begun to arrive on the scene. As more ripped open bodies were placed in front of me, I realized that many of the CTA personnel would actually survive this night due to my decision to stay.
The paramedics watched in amazement as life threatening injuries suddenly disappeared, and skin began knitting together of its own accord before their very eyes. The healing began moving even faster, when some smart paramedic began helping me by triaging the worst of the injuries. They also organized the rest of the paramedics to start patching up the wounded I’d already healed. First, making sure that the paramedics cleared the patients out of the immediate vicinity.
At some point in time, I realized Susan and the other students from my advanced class had joined me in healing the wounded. I vaguely remembered Beth saying something to me, at one point, about Agent Foster and the rest of the survivors showing up after seeing the emergency vehicles in the building’s parking lot. Mostly though, everything was an exhausted blur as I healed more people at one time than ever before in my entire life.
It was suddenly over, just as quickly as it had begun. Looking around, I realized there was no one else waiting to be healed as I collapsed onto the stairs where our makeshift healing unit had been setup. I saw the ladies I’d been training over the past year scattered on the ground around me, where they had dropped from exhaustion. Except for the drawn faces from pushing themselves too hard, they looked to be in decent shape.
Looking at my hands in surprise, I suddenly realized I’d eaten half of an Italian Sub before becoming aware of my surroundings once again. Beth must have made sure I’d gotten something to eat after using up so much energy. Normally, I couldn’t have healed so many people at one time, but Ukko must have gifted me with the extra power.
Silently, I offered a prayer of thanks.
The sounds of loud voices in a heated argument suddenly caught my attention. Looking for the source, I saw Agent Foster, Detective Kurwoski and the Chief standing in the center of the parking lot yelling at one another, while the gathered Police Officers stood a safe distance back watching the sparks fly. Pushing myself to my feet, I headed for the impromptu meeting, next to the overturned APC, just as Beth began screaming at the top of her lungs.
“What part of ‘our weapons do not have any effect on these creatures’ do you not understand?”
Agent Foster raised his own voice, talking with his hands excitedly.
“That’s why I keep on saying that we cannot allow Mr. Ironwolf to return to his own world!”
Gesturing towards the parking lot, the Chief cut in harshly.
“Are you a complete idiot? You couldn’t hold the man if you wanted to!” Emphasizing his next words, the Chief jabbed his finger into Agent Foster’s chest.
“My suggestion is that you stop being a spineless prick for a change, and start asking yourself the right questions. Like, how we can get the young man to help us deal with the rest of these creatures?”
Holding up one of my rune inscribed arrowheads, the Chief inspected the razor sharp tip thoughtfully.
“If he can teach us how to make these weapons of his, maybe we can use some Good Ol’ American Ingenuity to modernize the process, so we can kick these things asses! The last thing I want to do is just to piss him off like you're suggesting.”
Not grasping the Chief’s point, Agent Foster continued in a rush of words.
“That’s why I keep on saying we should detain the ladies from his class.”
Angrily, Beth shoved the agent against the overturned APC, but the Chief cut in, pulling her off before she could do anything more.
“So let me get this straight. You want to illegally imprison American citizens just so that you can use them as leverage for blackmail?”
A look of horror crossed Agent Foster’s face as the Chief’s words finally sank in. Before he could deny the accusation, the sound of screeching metal stopped any further conversation as a Katana sank hilt deep into the APC’s heavy armored sides on either side of his head. Everyone froze in shock seeing the barely controlled rage written all over my face. Seeing that I had everyone’s attention, I sheathed my blades once more, before pulling out a little black book from a pouch under my armor. Tossing the book to Beth, I addressed the entire group.
“The book contains the information needed to make weapons that can damage the Tuonellians. If you follow the steps listed within its pages and have someone trained in the way of Ukko charge the runes, you will be able to defend Earth when the Tuonellians return.”
Holding Agent Foster gaze with my glowing yellow eyes, I glowered at the man.
“I would recommend”, pausing to emphasized my next words, “YOU COORDINATE with Susan, and the other Ukkodians on understanding the concepts in this books. I would also strongly recommend that you not to piss Ukko off or nothing you make will work.”
Stunned, Agent Foster looked thoughtfully between me, and the ladies of my advanced class as I went over to the ruined SUV that we’d rode up in just before the fight. Pulling out the backpack I’d taken from my place earlier, I strapped it in place preparing to leave when the Chief spoke up behind me.
“Where do you think you’re heading off to, Son?”
Turning around, I faced the Chief while the others looked on with consternation as they realized that I meant to go.
“I will leave Earth through the nearest portal, and take the rest of the Tuonellians with me.”
Hearing my words, Beth exploded in anger.
“How
do you expect to pull that off Startüm? I know you’re a badass Samurai and all, but I saw how hard it was for you to take out this group here. If we hadn’t been around to save your ass, they would have gutted you and carried you off like they did to your Grandfather.”
Ignoring my smoldering eyes, she drilled into me, punctuating each word by jabbing a finger into my armored chest. “We all know there is at least a second group of these creatures waiting for you with fresh reinforcements at Trapper Nelson’s, and now I see you’re getting ready to go throw your life away for no good reason.”
“What do you expect me to do?” Leaning against the SUV, I folded my arms across my chest looking at Beth in frustration. “Should I ask your people to join me in a battle where they are defenseless?”
Pointing angrily at the body bags laid out in the parking lot, I yelled back at her. “Look at how many people died because I couldn’t protect them!”
Burying my face in my hands, I wiped the wetness from my eyes as I felt Beth’s hands grip my shoulders. Her voice softened to a whisper as I met her eyes.
“Maybe, you’re looking at it all wrong. Maybe, you should be saying to yourself. Look at how many people lived, because we were working together.”
Thinking about the battle with my Grandsire, I knew she was right. No one had survived that encounter, but I still didn’t like asking for help. I found it easier to risk certain death, then to ask these fragile humans to give their lives for my cause. Not that it was fair of me to look at it that way. When I taught my first lesson of Ukko, I’d made the decision then to make them a part of my fight, whether I’d consciously intended to or not. I would not disrespect them further by denying that simple fact.
Looking Beth in the eyes, I made my decision.
“I will only agree to this if everyone who comes along is a volunteer, and we can implement a plan within the next hour that minimizes needless deaths. Otherwise, I’ll head in alone now, and let the bodies fall where they may.”
Beth stepped back as she heard footsteps approach from behind. Clasping my shoulder, the Chief gave me a grin.
