Chapter 5 Mary
I slowly opened my eyes to see an attractive woman in her mid-twenties looking at me with compassion. Blinking I refocused on her, she seemed familiar but I could not place her.
“Shhh, relax Omachiw, everything is alright. When you arrived here it was overwhelming to the human spirit within you and you passed out, but now you are fine.” I felt her hand on my forehead and I could see the compassion in her eyes, something about her kindness reacted within me.
I felt a sense of peace and a calmness that was rare in my life. Looking at the woman I asked, “What is your name and where am I?” I stared at her seeing the fine laugh lines around her eyes and the intelligence and calmness that radiated from her.
“My name is Mary and as to where you are, that is a little harder to explain, you entered the cathedral and then you translocated here. This is a place of peace where very few come, and no one stays. I can tell that you have the mark of Theo upon you which is perhaps why the cathedral sent you here. It is somewhat self-aware and generally gives people a push in the direction they need to go.”
I suddenly remembered Leeann and sat up, looking around I could see that I was in a pastoral setting, it felt like one of the dog days of summer, warm with a gentle breeze. Looking at Mary I still could not place her but she really reminded me of someone I had seen. Closing my eyes for a moment I asked, “Did a young lady arrive here with me, she had entered the cathedrals sanctum ahead of me by a few seconds?”
I opened my eyes and noted that Mary was looking down at me with compassion, which for some reason sent a chill of foreboding up my back.
“The girl is safe, she is still in the cathedral and believe me that old building is big on the law of sanctuary. No harm will come to her while she is there. She is being shown her future, what could be, what was, and what is.”
As Mary finished talking I still felt a chill and so I asked her, “Why do I feel something is off then?”
Mary lifted her hand and stroked my temple and said, “The girl Leeann, she longs for safety and security in this new world. Life has not been easy or kind to her. The fact that she still has a gentle spirit is a testament to her character. I fear that having seen who she is and what she wants one day soon you and her will part ways. Your life has never been full of peace or security; indeed, now that Theo has explained what really happened to this world I expect that your life will be one of struggle and hardship.” Her voice was full of compassion as she continued. “You will be his agent to affect change within this world.”
At her words, I felt a surge of sadness but at the same time, I knew that she was right. Still, it hurt, I like Leeann and knew that she felt the same. Still, I knew she wanted peace and safety which I could not provide. Looking at Mary I suddenly recognized her. Holy cowbells, it was Mary. Her statue and paintings were in almost every church, and while they were accurate they did not do her justice.
“Your Mary, the mother of Jesus, what the heck, how did you, I mean where did you come from. You are supposed to be up in Heaven, speaking of which, why the heck did God allow the change. I mean he is the big guy right.” I suddenly stopped as I saw the look of sadness on Mary.
“It is alright, yes, I am the mother of Jesus, and as to why I am here and why this happened, I can only tell you this. In the years that people prayed and worshipped at the Cathedral, they always gave of themselves, in a way they left some spiritual energy, and when the change happened the energy was somehow combined with the new Magic to create something new. The cathedral and I awoke to discover the world was very different and we slowly began to be able to figure out things. Theo arrived soon after we awoke and was able to clarify most of what we did not know. So, while I am the mother of Jesus I am not that woman, I never sat with my son in Heaven, I do not know why God allowed the change.
What I do know is that I am here to help the people who find their way to the cathedral, both the cathedral and I have that calling. We are an interesting pair the cathedral and me.”
I nodded, it fits in with what I knew. “So, both you and the cathedral help those that need it. I guess that is not too often, as I don’t see many people coming this deep into the city to get to you. How does Theo fit into all this?”
Mary smiled and her face lit up, “Theo is amazing, he helped me to hone my powers as they developed and we spent a lot of time together. We are very close. He has talked to you as you have his mark. I guess you could say that makes us family.”
I was not a fool and I knew that when she said they were very close, she meant that they were very close. Well, he was the God of this land, and Mary was always a part of the whole God thing. Who was I to judge, as I looked at her I could tell she was an attractive woman. If anything, I felt a little bit jealous after all, I had just been told that my budding relationship was a no go.
I must have reflected some of what I felt on my face as Mary suddenly leaned down and hugged me then whispered, “Don’t worry there is someone out there for you, she is the glove to your hand, the fire to your wood. You will know this when you are surprised by joy.” I looked into her eyes and saw she was telling the truth.
“Now my time to have you hear is almost up, so please accept this gift, it is my mark and you are the only person in the world to receive it. It will give you access to a little bit of my power and wisdom when you need it, but it is a gift I can only give freely, and you must accept it freely.
This was a no-brainer when you have the mother of God (before the change) offering you a free gift of some of her power and wisdom you do not refuse.
“Thank you, Mary I accept your gift with Gratitude.” As soon as I said those words Mary bent down and gave me a kiss, not the chaste virginal type you would expect but a full-bodied enjoyable kiss. As she pulled back from kissing me I could feel a pain in my chest, and pulling open my shirt I saw that another tattoo was starting on my left side. I looked up at Mary but suddenly everything was dark again and I closed my eyes as I fell to my knees suddenly dizzy.
Opening my eyes, I was aware that I was just inside the inner sanctum of the Cathedral, and that sitting on a bench right in front of me was Leeann. Her face was contemplative and I knew that she was reviewing all that had happened to her here.
“Hi,” I said. “Is this all you thought it would be like?”
Leeann looked at me and smiling a little sadly, said, “It is amazing, I can’t really explain what happened but I know that I have been shown some choices for my life. I am going to have to make a hard left or right soon and I don’t know which way I am going to go.”
I nodded, I already knew what the final choice would be. “We have to get going right away, but give me a moment, please. I slowly began to remove my weapons and place them on the bench. “Stay here I will only be a moment.” As I walked slowly to the front of the church I thought of what I had seen and what it meant. To be honest it was starting to piss me off, to lose someone before you really had them. Sighing I thought my life is full of sad stories. Once at the front, I turned to the left and in an alcove, there she was. Mary, my benefactor, my patron, my Goddess? I did not know what our relationship was but I could feel/sense her statue was there.
Walking over I gently reached up and touched her left hand and whispered, “Thank you.” I suddenly felt her fingers squeeze mine and then let go. Turning I walked back to Leeann who was looking at me with curiosity. “What was that about,” She asked?
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“Just saying thank you to a friend,” I answered. I could tell that she was not satisfied with my answer but I felt no need to share what had happened to me. Maybe if things had turned out different but not now. Giving her a smile I finished equipping all my weapons and then holding the Henry repeater at the ready we left. It was now late afternoon and once we were at the door the wind could be felt.
Closing the door, I patted the frame and for a moment I could hear a faint rumble like that of a contented cat purring. Weird stuff in this new world. We left the cathedral behind and slowly made our way south to College Avenue. Turning eastwards we crept up the Albert street and once there turned north for half a block until we arrived at the cocoon.
The trip had passed without my feeling the dangerous presence I had felt before. In fact, it had been almost too easy, no beast men were sighted nor any monsters. Opening the door, I walked to the inner door and knocked loudly. In a matter of minutes, it was opened by a person of many years who eyeballed me and grunted.
The whole inner building was about 28 Celsius and it felt good to be warm after the chill wind outside. Since the change people are hardy, things that would kill them before now simply would make people feel uncomfortable. We are never sick and don’t wake up with morning breath. In some ways the change has helped us to be better, no one has flatulence anymore unless they really try. It was the magic, it was everywhere in this world and no more so than here.
“This whole building and everything inside it are magical, sort of like the cathedral but it all centers around Bill. He is the focal point, probably one of the strongest magical beings I have ever met.” Turning around I pointed at the old man and said, “Bill meet Leeann, she is a friend and I have told her that you are amazing, so don’t let me down.”
The old man smiled and suddenly he was a young human in his early 20’s with a ready smile and an air of power about him.
“Omachiw, I can never fool you, how are you doing?” We grabbed arms and did the whole man hug thing and for a moment I felt a surge of happiness at seeing an old friend. Bill turned towards Leeann and said, “My home is your home, as a friend of Omachiw’s and as a friend of mine. I looked at Leeann and could see that she recognized Bill. He was the one the cathedral had shown her. I looked at Bill and I could feel his interest as he politely stared at her face.
Smiling at them both and ignoring the sadness I felt I said, “Bill I told Leeann you would surprise her, why don’t we go somewhere warm and tropic and relax on a beach?” Bill looked at me and grinned and then winked at Leeann, and said, “I hope you have a bathing suit you are going to need it.”
Following Bill, we climbed the stairs and entered a large room that was full of birds of all kinds flying around. Going through the room, we entered another that had a number of dioramas lining the walls. Bill walked to one that showed a pastel sunset next to an ocean that had waves gently lapping a sandy shore. Extending his hand to Leeann, Bill looked at me with a raised eyebrow.
“You to go ahead, mind if I go hunting over there, and I pointed at a diorama that showed a summer forested scene. “Oh here, I almost forgot,” and I handed Bill the European licorice I had scavenged. Waving at them I said, enjoy and then turned and jumped into the diorama I had selected.
“What the hell, cried Leeann. Where did he go?” Bill looked at her and smiled and said, “Watch.”
Leeann looked at eh diorama and soon a small figure appeared, walking closer to the diorama she suddenly said, “That is Omachiw. My god, he is in there.”
Bill laughed and said, “Yes he often goes into that one to hunt, one time he was there for six months. Come on let’s go to the beach.” Taking Leeann’s hand Bill simply walked into the beach diorama and pulled Leeann behind him. Leeann looked around, the air was salty from the ocean and the waves made a pleasant lapping sound. The sun was warm almost hot and without a thought, she stripped down to her panties.
Bill stared at her in amazement and could not take his eyes off her breasts. Noticing his look Leeann smiled and then said, “Hey Bill, eyes up oh the heck with it. Is the water safe to go in?”
“Huh, oh ah yes nothing will bother you here, it is totally safe,” Bill stuttered, his eyes drinking in Leeann’s body.
“Then get undressed and come in the water with me,” Leeann yelled as she ran into the warm sea.
Bill ran down towards the water and his cloth simply vanished as he entered the water. Leeann looked at him with amazement and then grabbed him and pushed him under. With a laugh Bill grabbed her and they began to splash each other as they played in the sea.
Part Two
I looked up into the sky and waved at Leeann and Bill before turning around and walking deeper into the forest. Once out of sight I stopped and took in a deep breath. The air had a rich fragrant smell from the pine tree and the duff laying on the floor of the forest. I stopped for a few moments to enjoy it, watching the shadows running across the ground as the tree moved in the breeze. Getting my bearings from the large mountain range off to the right I began to track towards the jagged peaks.
I had built a shelter in the foothills near several fast-flowing streams where the hunting was good. I hoped it was still standing, I had spent a lot of time there. After traveling for several hours, I reached the river I called the Forks and made my way through a shallow spot to a large spit of land. Really it was an island that was covered with brush and trees. The river dramatically widened below the island with several small tributaries cutting through the land itself. Scrambling up the bank I found the old game trail and quickly disappeared from view.
After traveling for about half an hour I reached the small hill that I had used as a base camp. The shelter was overgrown but still standing. I grabbed my wood hatchet and walked into the trees to cut myself a pine branch. It would be my broom. Returning to the camp I began to sweep away the leaves dirt and pine needle. Once I had the fore pit uncovered I turned my attention the to shelter itself.
The back wall was about 2 meters high, comprised of wood cut to length and then pounded into the loam. I had then placed 4 branches. 2 short and 2 tall on each side, they extended up at an angle and then had run 2 branches lengthways across them, these were the support for the rest of the branches that I had placed for a roof. The branches overhung the rear and the sides by about a foot, which gave me about 7 feet by 5 feet of actual shelter.
I had found a swampy area near one of the rivers that was full of a thick moss which I had harvested to place on my roof. The roof was now waterproof and alive with the moss taking root amongst the branches. I had then dug in 4 stakes and used them to support the side walls that climbed to the top of the roof. In between the stakes I had simply cut branches to length and piled one on top of another. I had also piled lots of moss along each outer sidewall and it had also taken root.
I had then constructed a simple bed of logs with notches to support the logs on top. 4 sets of logs had put my bed up high enough to use as a bench comfortably. I then had notched branches to fit across the bunk. By piling on some of the moss cut fresh I had a comfortable bed that was off the ground and sheltered.
About a meter and a half, I had my firepit. It was a little short of 2 meters and about half a meter deep. I had filled the bottom with river sand and gravel and then placed flat rocks on the bottom. I had then built up the sides and the backs with rocks forming a semi-enclosed fire pit that reflected the heat right into the shelter. Once I had everything cleared out I went into the woods and found some hardwood trees that were dead but still standing. Dangerous things, I used a rope and pulled a couple down and then unfolding my wood saw I quickly sawed it all into useable lengths.
By the time I was done night had fallen and I was hungry and thirsty. I lit a fire and then walked down to the river and filled both of my water bottles. Why drink stale water when fresh glacier-fed river water was available. Returning to the camp I crumpled up some of dried meat and vegetables that I always kept on hand. I would hunt tomorrow but tonight I would have a savory soup.
I soon had the soup heating with the meat and vegetables along with a pinch of spice. Sitting back, I let the fire die down, it was not cold and I did not want to roast myself as I slept. I had a lot to think about. Leeann was a sadness but I knew that putting her with Bill was the best thing to do, he was lonely and she wanted safety which he alone could provide. They were both good people and I knew it would work out for them. I had enjoyed being with her but my path led in a far different direction.
Pulling off my shirt I stared at the new tattoo on my left chest, it was Mary encircled with what looked like tiny symbols but as I looked closer I could see that it was some kind of a computer program script. Mary was in the center looking out with a warm smile and was holding what looked like a flower but was actually a lightning bolt. The background was a copper color and the whole thing was more like a photograph than a tattoo.
Not being sure what the tattoo represented I opened my interface and looked at the options. What I saw was curious, it was a new spell and a new buff. The spell was called Devine Grace and it gave me a 3-minute period of time during which all mobs or enemies would lose interest in me. The buff was called Answered Prayers and it was a 24-hour buff that allowed me to focus and use my mana to exert control and direct the actions of others without their being aware of it. That was an extremely powerful ability and could be cast all day and on as many people as I wanted as long as I had mana.
The only downside was the fact that I did not have a class and depending on what class I chose my mana reserves could be quite low. But still, it could be used as a “Hail Mary” situation solver. Thinking of these things I banked the fire and then spread out my blanket and soon fell asleep.