Ragnarok: The Fate of Gods (14 page)

             
“You okay?”

             
He rubs his head for a moment, then says, “Ow.” 

             
“Good enough for me.” Daniel leaps up and runs after the draugr.  “Follow me.  I think Zeke went this way!”  He disappears down the street. 

             
“Were we looking for Zeke?”  Joel asks. 

             
“Who knows?  But that’s where all the action is heading.”  Charlie runs off after Daniel. 

             
“He’s going to get himself killed.”  The pirate turns to Jae-Hoon.  “You coming? 

             
They follow the others down the street.

              The earth shakes. 

             
Zeke immediately knows what’s happening.  “Shit,” he says.  With a running start, he leaps off the side of a building and grabs hold of a utility pole nearby.  He pulls himself high enough to get a good view of the area. 

             
The draugr are close.  They’re stampeding north.  Straight for his house. 

             
Straight at Ariel. 

             
“Shit!” he shouts.  Leaping from roof top to roof top, he runs with the hoard of draugr.

              The tiny house shakes.  Ariel wonders whether the whole house will fall.  Until now, she was slightly calmed.  The monsters pounding at her window didn’t seem smart enough to get inside. 

             
Not that she risked moving from the corner. 

             
The shaking grows stronger.  More draugr hiss and scream. Suddenly the windows of the house explode.  Monsters race by outside.  Two of them are pushed inside, through the broken glass.  They are disoriented, but collect themselves quickly once they realize the fresh meal in their midst. 

             
She raises the gun. 

             
Bang!

             
A shot rings out.  Zeke snaps to attention.  In the wake of the stampede, he drops to the ground outside his house. 

             
Bang! 
Two shots.  She didn’t have any more. 

             
He rushes through the door.  Ariel, in a panic, waves a derringer madly at him.  “Go away!  Go away!”  The gun clicks wildly.  Two draugr lay dead on the floor, each with a tidy hole between their eyes. 

“
Ariel, Ariel!  It’s me.  It’s Zeke.” 

The clicking halts.  She cautiously opens her eyes. 
“Zeke?”

He grabs her hand. 
“We have to go somewhere safe.  They’re securing the south city.”  Pulling her to her feet, they rush outside.

Where they are immediately greeted by an entourage of draugr. 

Stragglers.  Or those not present when the fires began the stampede.  They crawl out of holes, hissing hungrily. 

A white light flashes, blinding both monsters and humans for a brief moment.  A malak stands, his back to them.  It
’s the same one he fought in Pusan.

“
You!” he growls, pushing Ariel behind him and raises his sword.

The malak glances over his shoulder, but does not turn. 
“No.  You are not ready.  I have come here for the draugr.  They belong to me.” 

He doesn
’t argue. 

The malak holds out both hands.  Just as before, a gale wind rises from nothingness.  This wind is stronger.  It stretches farther.  Zeke fights to keep on his feet.  Ariel holds on to him tightly. 

              An ear-splitting scream rings through the city.  Every draugr in lower Nifelheim sings the same tortured song.  The chorus is loud and frightening.  The monsters are lifted into the air.  They become thin and stretched.

             
Charlie, Joel, Daniel and Jae-Hoon run down the street.  They all spy the malak at once and stop dead in their tracks.  The wind nearly pushes them over. 

             
“What the fuck is that?” shouts Charlie. 

             
The city-wide screeching grows louder.  There is the sound of something bursting.  A large brown mist rises above the houses and buildings.  The massive cloud begins to spin.  The vortex rapidly shrinks, enclosing around the malak, who seems to grow larger, stronger.  As if he is feeding off the strength of the monsters.

             
The cloud shrinks.  The mist and the vortex disappear.

             
Nifelheim is silent.  Unnaturally quiet.  Only the malak stands before them.  He turns.

             
“Who are you?” Zeke demands.  “What do you want?” 

             
The malak scoffs.  “You demand answers from me?  Very well.  It changes nothing.  I have many names.  I am the First of the Holy Sephiroth.  I am the prophet.  I am he who walked with God.  Should you require the use of an actual name, I am Metatron.” 

             
“What do you want?”

             
The malak scowls.  “That, I have already told you.  You are not strong enough yet.  But be prepared.  The day when we fight is nigh.” 

             
The light flashes once again, and the malak disappears. 

             
Charlie runs to Zeke, who collapses in relief.  “What in the divine name of good Zombie Jesus was that?” 

Chapter Nine: Infiltration

              “So don’t ye kill vampires er sumthin’ like that?”  Charlie leaned most of his weight on the table to keep from falling out of his chair. 

             
Despite his lumbering size, he couldn’t hold his liquor. 

             
Jae-Hoon, who had been trying to match the giant shot for shot, wasn’t doing much better.  “I telled you before I used to kill vampires when we thought they were vampires but then they weren’t vampires so we stopped killing them and started killing things what weren’t vampires.”

             
“But what about that . . . that . . .”  Charlie paused, his brain stuck in neutral for a moment.  Joel and Jae-Hoon waited with a furious indifference.  “Pointy thing?”

             
“Pointy thing?”

             
“Yeah.  You know that,” he finished his sentence by slashing an imaginary draugr with an invisible knife.  It was a poor imitation of Jae-Hoon’s fighting style.  “Isn’t it supposed to be . . . what was it . . . ass wood?”  There was an outburst of laughter at the table.  “You know!” the big drunken man continued, confused and offended.  “That wood what kills the vampires.”  He added another swing of his imaginary knife to illustrate the point he thought he was making.

             
Joel was not as far gone as the other two.  “I think you mean ‘ash,’ Charlie.” 

             
“Yah!  That’s what I been sayin.  The . . . pointy thing . . . what izzit?” 

             
Jae-Hoon pulled out his spike.  His skillful fingers held it with a care developed by an ongoing training since he was very young.  His discipline required he treat his weapon with respect, and he made no sign of betraying that respect. 

             
Until he dropped it. 

             
The three drunks laughed again.  Even Daniel, sitting in a corner with Zeke and Ariel, cracked a smile. 

             
Zeke watched quietly.  Alcohol never failed to amaze him.  Despite poor living conditions, despite oppressive governments, lack of food, lack of shelter, or whatever life might throw at a person, there always seemed to be a drink nearby. 

             
Despite being a toxin to human biology, fatal in high doses, it seemed ever-present, ever-needed.  Like air or water. 

The first recorded civilizations in the Middle East discovered how to make it out of honey.  It was their custom to give a newly married man as much of it as he could drink for a month, which coined the term
“honey-moon.”  Peasants in the dark ages discovered that beer was cleaner to drink than water.  The average medieval farmer could drink three gallons a day.  It was present at major religious events.  Passover.  Communion.  Around the twentieth century, it became a rite of passage.  Drink when you come of age.  Become a man.  Over the years, alcohol became a human mating ritual.  The initial steps of a primal dance. 
Hey, can I buy you a drink?

Zeke himself didn
’t drink.  It was a nasty habit he picked up from Micah.  But he didn’t begrudge his friends taking part in another time-honored tradition of intoxication, the post-battle drink.  He may have appeared sullen as usual, but he was taking a slight enjoyment in watching Jae-Hoon try to explain his choice of weapons. 

“
But they’re not vampires, so we can’t kill vampires.  But since that’s what we do, we have to kill vampires.”

“
That’s called tradition,” explained the big man. 

“
Thank you Charlie,” said Joel.

“
So this is sharper.  Goes in ‘em faster.  Makes ‘em deader.”  He stabbed the air, dropping the spike again. 

The big man dove out of his chair, chasing the rolling spike. 
“I’ll get that for you buddy.”  He bounded across the floor like a gigantic toddler.  The spike came to rest by the broken window.  He grabbed it with both hands.  As he pulled himself back up, he saw something outside.  “Hey, I know him.  That’s the . . . the . . .”

Jae-Hoon pulled himself out of his chair to see. 
“The Supervisor.” 

“
Yeah, the stupor . . . supper . . . that guy.  I hate that guy!”  Charlie pulled himself through the shattered window.  He tumbled out of view.  Zeke snapped to attention.  He filled a small glass of water. 

Charlie
’s drunken voice came from outside. “You want to talk?  And why should I let you in?”

Zeke ran outside into the battered streets.  The city looked worse than ever.  Debris lined the streets, marking former houses.  With the citizens still under the protection of the militia, the Northern sectors were deathly quiet.

He found Charlie and shoved the glass into his hands.  “Here.  Go drink this.  It’ll make you feel better.” 

The big man held the glass lovingly. 
“Thanks Zeke.  You know, you’re a good friend.  I really . . . good friends . . . tomorrow.”

“
I know.” 

“
This guy wants in.  Beat him up?”

“
No, Charlie.  We’re going to talk to him.  Let him by.” 

The giant stood and wavered back and forth.  Then a puzzled look flashed across his face. 
“Even a dolphin?” 

“
Yes, Charlie.  Even a dolphin.  Now sit down and drink your water.” 

Obeying, the big man dropped to the ground immediately, spilling half the water.  Then he began to take tiny sips.  The others began to file out of the house.

Joel glanced at the drunken giant.  “Kind of a lightweight for being such a big guy,” he commented. 

Dumah faced Zeke. 
“Thank you.” 

He drew his sword and held the blade to the man
’s throat. “You set us up!” he growled. 

The Supervisor became tense, but did not back away. 
“I did nothing of the sort.” 

The swordsman pushed his blade forward slightly.  It pricked Dumah
’s neck.  “Two men are dead because of that mission of yours, and God only knows how many are dead because of today’s attack.” 

“
I had no choice in the matter,” he answered, politely, but urgently.

“
Give me one reason why I should trust you.”

Dumah was defeated.  He closed his eyes. 
“I’m sorry.  There’s nothing I can say.” 

Something slid between the two men, pushing them away from each other. Zeke glared furiously at Daniel.  The boy glared back. 
“Killing him won’t help.  It’ll just land us in more trouble.  I say we hear him out.” 

The fighter hesitated, staring down the younger man. Then he slid his sword into its sheathe. 
“Be quick.” 

“
I was betrayed by the Karellan,” Dumah said.  Zeke scoffed sarcastically.  “He’s taken some interest in you.  I don’t know why, but he’s obsessed with testing your power.” 

An unsettled feeling washed over the group.  Even Charlie, in his advanced state of drunkenness seemed to recall what they had been told about Metatron. 

The Supervisor continued.  “He approached me, wanting to release a hoard of draugr in the city to see how you’d react.”

“
Release
the draugr?” asked a horrified Ariel.  “In the city?”

“
I didn’t understand it.  He said something about testing the draugr as well.”

Zeke was growing impatient.  He reached for his sword. 
“Why didn’t you stop him?” he spat through his teeth.

“
I tried!  That’s what the mission was for.  I arranged it to protect the city.  I thought if I he’d be willing to test you somewhere else . . .”  His voice trailed off.  They weren’t interested in his excuses.

“
You thought wrong,” said Joel. 

There was a pause. 
“I did,” he said at last. 

“
And the malak?”

The Supervisor was genuinely surprised. 
“What?  Malak?” 

“
A giant malak.  Carries two large swords.  Seems more intelligent than most and has a definite taste for draugr.”

“
I’ve never heard anything of the sort.  They don’t tell me much.”

Ariel stepped forward. 
“Hold on.  Are you two suggesting that the Karellan is working with malak?  Is that even possible?” 

The group was silent. 
Was it possible?

“
I don’t know,” said Daniel.  “The Karellan is a mysterious man.  I’m not sure if a malak would work with a human, but if one would, he could figure out a way to do it.” 

Thinking of an ill-fated shipment of cargo, Joel added. 
“He
would
find a way to do it.” 

The Supervisor tried to pull them back on topic. 
“Whether he is or not, I can’t verify that malak were part of this operation.”

“
I’ve had enough of what you can’t do,” Zeke growled, gripping his sword.

Joel stepped forward, taking his turn playing the peacemaker. 
“Maybe you should tell us why you’re here.” 

Dumah hesitated. 
“I need your help.” 

“
Forget it,” Zeke snapped.

“
It’s in your best interest.”

“
We can’t trust you.  You said so yourself.”

“
I said I can’t give you a reason.  That doesn’t mean you can’t trust me.” 

“
You’re right.  It means we
won’t
trust you.”

“
So you’re willing to leave the Karellan to use us in his schemes?  Throw us away like pawns?  You saw it yourself.  He doesn’t care about the safety of his citizens.”

“
You still haven’t explained,” said Ariel calmly, “how any of this concerns us.” 

But Zeke already knew.  He hadn
’t spent the better part of the morning fighting monsters for nothing.  The city, hellish and stifling though it may be, was still his home.  Even if ‘home’ meant nothing more than Ariel and Charlie.

Not that he wanted to team up with Dumah. 

“I need your help. 
Specifically
your help,” the governor explained.  “I can’t abide by the Karellan’s actions, but I can’t take him on myself.  I, unfortunately, have to play dirty.  He has an army of spies.  They’ll probably be here soon for the battle results, if they aren’t already.  We have to act quickly.  We need our own spies.”

“
We are no spies,” Zeke answered flatly.

“
No, but you are strong, skilled, and have quite the reputation of not working for me.”

The fighter reached for his sword again, but Joel and Daniel appeared at his side, holding him back. 
“So you can deny your involvement in whatever you’re planning?” he growled, giving up struggling for freedom.  When he calmed down, they released him. 

Silence.

“Just as I thought.  All that talk about the glory of the army and being a man of honor . . .  bullshit.  You’re nothing but a snake and a coward.” 

The insult hit home.  Dumah knew he was betraying his own principals.  Giving in to Lillith
’s political philosophy.  “Do as I ask, and I can ensure Ariel’s protection,” he said. 

Zeke bounded forward and punched him hard.  He fell. The others rushed to restrain their friend.

Pulling himself to his feet, Dumah explained, “I think you misunderstand me.  I’m through with blackmail.  That was merely an offer.  Consider it payment, if you will.  The city’s help in protecting your home and your friends.” 

Ariel stepped forward to Zeke.  She seemed to have a soothing effect on him.  He gave up his struggle once more, but Daniel and Joel didn
’t release him. 

“
No.  You don’t have to do this,” she said.  “He doesn’t need you.  Let him find someone else.  You don’t have to do this to protect me. 

Zeke closed his eyes. 
“I’m sorry,” he said.  “But I do.” 

“
What?” asked Charlie, from the ground.

He spoke quietly to Ariel. 
“I’m sorry.  I don’t want to work with him, but I need his help.  I made a promise.  I
have
to do what I can to protect you.  I can’t do it by myself anymore.”

“
Zeke,” she started.

“
I’m sure.  I’ll do this.”  He turned to Dumah, who was still dusting himself off, and spoke louder.  “Hear that?  I’ll work with you.” 

“
Thank you.” 

“
So what is it?”

The Supervisor began his briefing. 
“The draugr were concentrated around the Namsan sector.  The Karellan’s laboratory is in a building situated directly above Nam Mountain.  We believe that’s how they got into the city.”