Birth of a Protector

‘Come to the concert!’ They said. ‘It’ll be fun!,’ they said. ‘We'll all take your mind off things,’ they said… Well, look where we are now… That was all I could think as I heard the first sound; a loud pop somewhere off in the distance as someone toppled to the ground. Another, and then another, I knew them well; these were the sounds I had trained with for so long. After the third shot, it wasn’t hard to make out that the shots are coming from the parking lot and getting MUCH louder.

A man walks in with two guns, thinking he’s Rambo. Ya know, it’s funny the thoughts that pop into your mind in a crisis, because instinctively, in the fraction of a second my body was already in motion.

I pushed, toppled, and slammed people into the walls and floor as I bolted toward him. At least he hasn’t noticed the rush… Yet.

My cursed body, I can’t think of a day since the diagnosis I do not swear at it and beg the fates for a change…

For once I can completely agree with what it’s doing without my consent.

Egh! Slow, so unbelievably slow! In reality, it had only been three seconds since my body had begun moving; all of my training taking over.

4 seconds: He’s lifting the gun! NO! NO! NO! I need to get there faster. I will every bit of force I have into my legs; but I still had 8 feet between me and the shooter.

5 seconds: He’s dropping the other gun, grasping the first one and bracing himself. You have got to be kidding me! I thought he was an idiot carrying two guns, this is bad, this is bad, he just doesn’t want to reload! I kick off hard with my leg, lunging towards him.

6 seconds: My gut feels warm… now my chest… it’s like sinking into warm bath.

6.1 seconds: Hey, wasn’t I doing something? I squeeze my arms together, the shooter is between them. I made the jump; knocking him backwards and onto the ground.

6.11 seconds: You know what… this isn’t a bad way to go for someone like me. I was actually able to save someone.

6.12 seconds. At least I won’t be in pain anymore. Slowly, everything faded away.

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“You, who would sacrifice life itself to defend those who you will never meet, I welcome you,” said a voice. Just a voice, in infinite blackness… I always imagined the grand hereafter as more like the cover of a metal album.

“You honor the creators, Protector.” The voice continued. My being flooded with warmth again, a feeling of ease… truthfully the voice reminds me of my mom. “I have chosen a construct to communicate with you from memories. I have determined you would find this comforting, as I have no way to do so otherwise.” So they do sound like my mom, and they were in my head? It’s just good to hear her voice again.

“I am what you would refer to as “Deity.” I created your world originally and still watch over the souls within it.” If I had a head I would nod along, I mean, I remember dying.“You have shown the willingness to give your life to save others; you have shown the qualifications of a hero.”

“Okay, I think I get it, so, because I went out trying to save people I’m here now?” I had to ask something, “did anyone else die? I’d been hoping I stopped em fast enough.”

The Deity spoke slowly, picking their words carefully. “Yes, you saved all of those you aimed to. Those who were hurt should make full recoveries. I wish I could have protected them, I do, but I may only interact with spirits. You have done what I feel should rightfully be my own charge.” Another long pause as the Deity lets me digest what they have just said.

“Oh, that’s great; does that mean I can go back or something?” An eerie silence fills the… air? It’s just kind of a void.

“I apologize, Protector, I cannot do that, everything you were, and currently are, has already been reincarnated.” A picture appears in the void, a baby girl in a medical ward. She has a small hat on and a stuffy to her left; somehow, it fills me with a sense of peace. “Everything you were is now in that child. Your spirit writes onto your soul, changing it as you grow, however your spirit also keeps everything that makes you, you. Do not mistake my words, you are not a copy, everything you are is in both your spirit and your soul. All of that has been passed on… there is no body for me to return you to, once your soul has found a new one.

Okay, that last speech made my head spin a bit… “So… I’m me… but that baby is also me now… but me as a person doesn’t exist anymore?”

Another long pause before they continue, their voice having changed, sounding a lot like my mom the time I was able to guess my birthday present right. “Well, I thought it would take a bit longer but yes, that is the explanation, you are both you, the person you were, and now that little baby. Now then, because I cannot reincarnate a spirit into our world, and you’ve done your Deity such a boon by protecting my creations. You do get my blessing.”

I wait for a while, I guess when you don’t get many visitors, you want to make the most of them. “Okay, I give, what is your blessing, great Deity?”

“I shall ask you two questions, the moment you finish answering I will send your spirit into a body of roughly the prime age, in another world. However; I warn you; I will not be the Deity of this other world. You will be akin to an immigrant, these blessings are to help you in the world you find yourself. Free will can make sentient species quite distrustful of outsiders.” ... “What is the one thing that made you the strongest?”

I think deeply, time doesn’t seem to matter wherever we are, but after a quick look over my whole life I come to one conclusion. “Pain.”

There is a touch of sadness in Deity’s voice in the second question… I get the impression they were looking for something much more benign, “Where would you like to go.”

Without hesitation, even without thinking, every instinct tells me to say one thing, “Where I am needed most.”

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A room materialized around me, bright lights shining down on me as multiple hooded figures lined the wall to my right. The wall is round, completely cornerless, like half of a circle and long giving the room an oblong feel akin to a massive zero.

I look to my left and see, what I assume is the head priest, wearing a hat way too big for his head as well as an olive skinned man with a shaved head. The low chant from the hooded monks comes to a stop within a second of my appearing.

“Oh, Great Paladin Summoned from another land, help us in our hour of need!?” The pope-looking man bowed, as did all of the other hooded figures, the only one who didn’t was the olive-skinned man wearing an ornate set of armor. One massive sword could be seen slung over his back in some makeshift scabbard. The armored man bore a flag on his back, like a banner carrier.

“You must be military,” more statement than question, my voice louder than I remember. Then, returning my focus to the ornate robed individual, “I take it I have been summoned for a reason?”

The ill-dressed priest with the massive hat raised his head. “We’ve read the scriptures but had no idea if they were true, great Paladin. Of your coming with knowledge, but that is truly impressive. He is General Oberon, he gives his apologies for not speaking, we have been informed that it is not customary for the military to take a vow of silence where you come from. I am the great priest of the Church of Tomes, Vansen.” The priest rose, holding his hands in front of him and his back arched in a way not too dissimilar from a weasel curling up. His clothes were jade green, ornate, dripping with stones; all of them green.

I think for a second, not sure what to make of this man, but quickly decided that since they mentioned Scriptures there’s a chance they know more. “Upon my death, I was apparently visited by the Deity of my world who told me that for saving others I will be blessed.”

A chatter fills the room. Multiple hooded figures who had been chanting some deep ancient language of some sort were now whispering amongst each other. The Pope-Weasel raised both of his hands and the room fell silent. “We have been told as such before, the other Paladins we raised from your world told us similar as well. First I must tell you, please don’t try to use your abilities right now, wait for a safer climate. Secondly, you are now in the land of the Federation of the Three Cities, welcome.”

I give my best fake-impressed smile, “I didn’t understand most of it, I was asked two questions and right after I answered them, I found myself in this room.” I silently thought to myself, what kind of abilities.

This time it was the General who perked up, looking straight at me as the head priest clarifies. “We have not a name for these, but from what we can gather, those two questions are meant to give you your gifts.”

As he pauses and I take Inventory of my aches... Hands, unshaking, unfaltering, the familiar sting in them was gone, that’s a bonus. As I look back up, the General’s once stone face looked more akin to a puppy waiting for its master’s treats. Vansen continues, “The questions are always the same “With what one power would you begin anew” followed by “And what would you do with it? We don’t REALLY know what the last question does, but, we assume it is meant for selecting which world you will be born into.”

“And I’m assuming you want to know what I responded with?” I asked.

“Yes, if you inform us of your words and what your power turns out to be, maybe we can figure out how the Deity thinks.” He bows respectfully, holding a hand in front of the general, signaling for him to curb his enthusiasm a bit.

With a deep breath; I begin with a sigh, “For the first question, I responded with one word, ‘pain’ for reasons most of you can not begin to understand, or so I hope. As for the second question, ‘What needs to be done’...” I trail off which causes a smile to cross the General’s face stretching from ear to ear as the bald man erupted in applause. It seems the second question need not be answered, as the smiling military man gave me a round of applause that would make even the hammiest actor blush. These questions weren’t exactly right… but I’d like to gain my bearings before I correct such an important-looking sleazeball.

The General helped me down from the platform I was apparently on. Embarrassingly enough I just thought they were gnomes or dwarfs or something, but I was just higher up.

Two of the robed monks hand me a pack, as I notice my hands I see armor. “Oh, for this reason; we brought a mirror we have been informed this is a normal response.” Vansen laughs gleefully. The head priest bowed, stepping to my left, I notice yes, indeed there’s a full-body mirror behind him. I hadn’t noticed earlier due to it blending in with the white room and it reflecting the back of his robe.

I was decked out in white armor with gold trim, sure enough; I do indeed look like the Paladin they referred to me as. Half-plate armor with a chain skirt for easier movement, what’s more is that my body doesn’t feel how heavy all of this must be. I spin around and sure, it was still there. “Oh wow, I didn’t know this was part of the arrangement.”

“Yes, that is Celestial Steel, I am sad to say it is stronger than anything we have available to us. It will grow with you, get stronger with you… and when you do eventually pass, it will turn to sand.” The Head Priest again bowed his head, as a sign of respect for me? Or does this play into whatever belief system invented that idiotic hat?

The priest wasn’t unable to explain much more.

The wall in the right of the room exploded inward. Rubble dazing the general as it piled in the center of the room while weasel priest got knocked clear to the other wall, a cough escaping his mouth with some blood when he slammed into it. “H-Heeeelp! The Demon Lord is here!” The priests in the room started screaming.

A large, 8-foot wolf-man stood in the center of the room. Matted hair all over its body and visible ribs, I’m surprised this beast can even move. It saw Vansen, pinned to the wall and started to rush after him.

I had undone my pack where a silver sword lay inside; as soon as I touch the hilt words boom in my mind. Evil must be slain. Then, the sword zapped in my hand, and I was not where I was before, In front of me, the priest, behind me, an 8-foot werewolf, covered in matted hair and shackles.

I turn around, brandishing my sword, unsure how to use it, yet my hands find the grip more comfortable than I care to admit. “Listen, I just got here, and he was saying something.”

I slammed the sword against the beast's claws as they try to come down on the priest, blocking them. But they do cause the tile floor under me to break and buckle before I force the beast back. His breath was rancid like bile, an aura of desperation was nearly visible around him as he pushed down on me.

What an emaciated mess! This werewolf looks less like the enemy of Dracula and more like a pet-shelter commercial asking for donations. For a canine looking like that to shatter walls and crack the floor with me blocking a strike… I’m afraid of seeing one at full strength.

The beast jumps back to the hole it had made in the wall. Picking up large rocks it starts tossing them at me as I feel something warm and trembling wrap around my leg. “SAVE ME SAVE ME SAVE ME!!!!!!!!!!” with eyes so full of tears i doubt he can see, the 2-foot tall pentagonal hat drooping over his face as he begs.

As the first piece of rubble arcs overhead I pick up the priest, tossing him into the hooded figures. WOW, I didn’t know I’d be that strong! It’s less dodging and more running around the other side of the room to try and avoid being hit by the flying debris.

I swiftly dodge to the left, but I’ve been tricked! The wolf lunges at weasel-man grabbing his arm in its maw. “Dammit!, Tch” I Grit my teeth, pushing off the ground, the tile breaks beneath the pointed toe of my armor. Even with the heavy load on my body I still get close before much else happens; with my free hand, I try to catch the wolf by the throat, hoping to choke him until he drops the priest… I made a mistake that day.

As I reach forward, trying to catch the throat of the beast, its maw snaps shut. Teeth digging in, shredding the priest’s flesh as the wolf pulls, taking the arm with him. Dropping the body; he bolts for the gash he opened in the wall earlier, arm still in his mouth. I toss my sword to the side, touching the priest with my gloved hand something happened, something I could just feel.

Conditions met. Introduction into neuro-cellular response: Fail.

Conditions met, Introduction into Manual mode: Success.

Do you wish to initiate skill, “Pain Vampire”?

It was the voice of Deity… but also not. The notes of my mother were gone, the voice had no gender, talking entirely like a computer except for its experiment readouts. Getting upset at the failure and nearly cheering during the success, yet, immediately afterward it returns to its monotone. Honestly it’s hard for me to pin down if it’s sentient or sapient or whatever, I always got those words confused.

“Uhm, whoever you are… yes, I guess.” The monks all look at me like I’m crazy, nothing out loud had prompted this response, meanwhile, General Oberon was already gone. Not too long after I agreed, the head priest stopped convulsing, eventually going near limp, without me checking his pulse I would have thought he had died.

And then the pain hit, searing through my mind, fire erupting from my shoulder. “GAH! What’s happening to me?!”

Explanation: Pain Vampire.

Ability to remove the pain from others while inflicting it upon yourself. Conversely, the ability to instill the pain gained from others into new hosts.

Status: Active.

Extra Ability: Pain Nullification.

Enhances your spirit memory, pulling from your experience in your past life and giving you the ability to endure great pain. Further advanced by the durability of your new body, the pain will be reflected as if inflicted upon it.

Status: Initializing… Initializing… Initializing… Fail. Initializing… Initializing… Initializing… SUCCESS!

The enthusiasm shown during the initialization made me wonder what exactly “manual” mode even is… That is a quandary for another day, hilariously enough once the ability had been “initialized” this wasn’t even a 4 on my old pain scale. However, I make a quick mental note about the differences in pain levels before and after the activation.

A couple of the priests have begun chants, hands glowing, what I have to assume is healing magic. I mean, I know I said I liked fantasy but this… this is the deep end, not just reincarnation but MAGIC! The head priest’s arm didn’t regrow, but the healing magic stopped the bleeding and restored blood pressure. Interestingly enough, their efforts made the stolen pain ease off.

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General Oberon returned, empty-handed. Apparently, the wolf had bolted past most of the guards, not expecting a demi-human inside a building… okay… They weren’t prepared to stop him once he got into the halls where him bouncing off of the close walls and ceiling made him harder to catch. Whatever he came to the summoning room for, he either got it or dealt a blow to the spiritual leader of the people… then a scary thought entered my mind. What if he wanted both?

Several of the priests had informed me by now that what just occurred was a jailbreak by one of the Demon Lord’s most trusted generals.

One of the priests who seemed more friendly sat beside me as other guards rush into the room. “The Demon Lord is coming… We summoned you to combat monsters like that. Soon they will have an army of non-humans, and we will be wiped out.”

If only I knew how complicated it would all become.