What was left of my armor was stained in blood. Most of it had been chipped away by the spears and arrows. Not like I needed it. My body was impervious to any damage from mortal weapons. It was a waste of armor, honestly. But my family insisted I show some modesty. I didn't show any mercy, so modesty would have to do.

I swept my hand out and cut down seventeen men with a blade of fire that shot out of my arm. I swept my hand the other way, and a wave of water appeared and smashed into a small platoon. This was too easy. I almost felt bad. Almost.

I dove into the group nearest to me and willed two blades to my hands, and began spinning like a tornado. I sliced all of their throats, and blood began raining from the corpses. It was glorious. As I finished the group, I stepped out. The next closest group was about fifty yards from me. Far enough that I couldn't kill them from here without magic, and that was no fun. I stepped toward them.

As I did, a small furry creature arose from the ranks. It couldn't be bigger than my foot. Was it a rat? No. Its ears were pointed up. Almost as large as its head. Bigger, even. It had buggy eyes and looked like a demonic rodent. It threw its head back and let loose what I assume was a howl. At least, that's what it was trying to do.

Its stance was much like that of a wolf. Feet in front of its shoulders, bowed down, with its face looking to the sky as it released a high-pitched noise. What in the fuck was this thing?

I stepped forward some more, and, what I assumed to be, the dog continued attempting to howl at me. It was so tiny. I had never seen a dog so small. All dogs from home were mighty beasts that howled with the ferocity of a wolf but had the personality of a domesticated beast. This thing was just pathetic. But something about it was... cute.

I made it to the creature, and it continued barking. I squatted down to get a closer look. It was mostly light brown with a white chest. It had a black snout. Why had they sent this creature out here? I looked up to see if they were advancing while I examined the animal, but they were all still.

I liked this creature. It feared nothing. It showed courage worthy of a creature of the gods. I was going to keep it. I summoned a dark blade to my hand and sliced the air behind me. The space ripped and opened a hole to my home in the heavens. I grabbed the small dog and placed it inside the hole. I closed the hole up and stood back to my full height.

"Whose creature was this?" I yelled at the men as they cowered behind their shields.

"Mine, m'lord," one man said from the third row.

"Come forth," I bellowed. He made his way out of the group and stood in front of them all. "Closer, mortal." He came to stand right in front of me. I raised a hand, and lightning struck behind him, killing all of the men he previously stood with. The battlefield was empty except for him and me.

"I have spared your life on this day in exchange for your furry warrior. Spread word of this kindness I have done. I have done what I have never done in history. I have shown mercy. Go forth and spread the news."

​

---------------------------------------

Let me know what you think! I'm still working on my writing. Any feedback or criticism is welcome.

You need a quick segue to get to the point that holy guy pushes him in front of a carriage...

stops rampaging

Good dog.

sits down and starts playing with the chihuahua

He might have had to sissy slap the bad guy to take it, and that might have started one of those boring and annoying climactic battles.

"You have your choice," I told the king. "Llama and llama, or trauma and drama."

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Your parents are fortune tellers.

His face is now the greatest in Koridai

Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.

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Yeah they are not a single omnipotent being but they are clearly based on christian fanaticism so kinda.

Then write a better one if you can

I don't see how they're the same as having Yhwh in a sci-fi story with multiple pantheons.

Do you not know what the Ori are?

...wat

It is a really good short story.

Well done

“Hold on, you’re at war with who?”

“The Golarian Conglomerate, in essence the rest of the galaxy’s inhabitants.”

The Human representative sat there considering their next words. “You should know that humanity will not be pleased.”

“That we are now requesting humanity contribute to our war efforts?” The Valerian representative shook its head, “After all that we’ve given—“

“No. That’s not it.” The representative sighed, “They’re going to blame the Human government for not telling the populace. Most people would probably give you their dying breath after all you’ve given us, but it wouldn’t be sustainable. I’ll tell the Human Counsel, they’ll blow up at me for not telling them sooner, I’ll say you told me today, they won’t believe me, then they’ll think through the same things I’m thinking now.”

The Valerian sat across from brooding Human. There was a peaceful silence, for a moment.

The Valerian spoke next, “And what are you considering?”

“How many of the planets you’ve given us can be sustainably shifted to a war footing. We’re helping you, make no mistake, we’ll just need to try to learn enough about this new enemy to make a little propaganda.”

“If it helps, they are an authoritarian theocracy.”

“Religious freedoms, and the freedom to be an atheist. That’ll always work, good thinking.”

“You’re people will die in countless quantities.”

“Yes. This is war. Actually, that reminds me, are there any limitations on the RoE? Any structures or populations that aren’t allowed to be hit? For example, no targeting hospitals or children’s schools. Or any weapons not allowed to be deployed?”

“No planet-busting, or rendering uninhabitable. Hospitals are not typically targeted, but if they are close to a target, they will not be avoided. In addition, their churches are also military facilities, so expect your churches to be targeted under similar assumption.”

The Human made a free scribbles on a note pad, “That’ll be all for the moment. I’m afraid I’m out of my depth on military matters, so expect at least one other ambassador on our next meeting. I might even be replaced entirely for the foreseeable future.”

“I will likely be in a similar situation, my job was give your people enough to join us, and to be convincing.”

The Human stud and stepped toward the door. “A beautiful job convincing us then, I’ll reach out over the Net if there’s anything major.”

“I’ll be watching for alerts. Perhaps we can stay in correspondence afterwards?”

The Human paused at the door frame, and gave a friendly smile, “I’d like that. Here’s hoping that’s an option.”

The Human set off down the hall, already speaking into a communicator. The Valerian sent a message from their desk, informing the higher ups that humanity was both ready and willing to assist.

There’s the Ori. Kinda the same.

The Dauk'rar ambassador's iridescent frill was raised with consternation as she sat across from me, breathing rapidly into her facemask. I could hear her beak grinding slightly as her eyes darted around my office.

I sighed. This wouldn't be easy. Before I could open my mouth, however, she spoke. "I wish to assure you, Mr. President, that the Confederation in no way intended any harm to your people, and that upon hearing news of the disaster our wails to the heavens matched your own."

"I understand, Madam Gaukartak," I sighed. "Our peoples have enjoyed decades of profitable partnership and cultural exchange. It is extremely difficult to imagine how things would have gone if the Dauka hadn't arrived. But you must be aware my constituents have questions. There...isn't a Confederation, is there? Your fleet doesn't really have a homeworld, does it?"

Gaukartak bowed her head and trilled in distress. "There was once. We believed in freedom of enterprise and faith. It is why we chose your America as one of our great friends. We dared to hope that we'd be allowed to our own ways, but we feared the risk that the Concord wouldn't tolerate us. This is why fleets like ours fled into the void."

I rubbed my temples. "So you did lie."

"Yes," came her whispered reply.

"And now we're in the Concord's sights along with you."

"You were always in danger, Mr. President," she objected. "Their actions against the Confederacy proves their ruthlessness."

"People are panicking. The Dauk'rar fleet escaped to the Oort Cloud without even picking up the thousands of Dauka on the surface, and they broadcasted their ultimatum to everyone: surrender you and the other Dauka 'traitors' over, or more cities will be annihilated. I've managed to keep your people safe for now," I said.

"You are honorable, Mr. President. More ultimatums will follow until there is nothing human left. Just another outpost of the Concord."

"I know!" I shouted, throwing back my chair. "You don't think I realize that? They've got us over a barrel and they know it!" I stated out the window, wondering how it could have gone so wrong. Earth had not even seen civil war in years! Poverty had been eliminated! It was supposed to be the beginning of humanity's first, truest golden age! I wanted to cry.

After a few moments, Gaukartak stood beside me. "There is still hope, Mr. President," she said.

"How?" I asked, my voice finally breaking.

"This isn't the first time this cycle occurred."

I stated at her. "What are you saying?"

The ambassador shuddered. "Centuries ago, the Dauk'rar were like you: uplifted by visitors, themselves refugees from the Concord. We kept alive the light of freedom and faith. Now we pass the torch to you humans. You must hand us Dauka over and... we will certainly die. Then our fleet with attack the Concord, and buy you more time. You have the means of destroying the leftovers, if you dare, and you may buy a decade or two of freedom. You must take this chance to escape, like we did. If you don't..."

I stared at her. Seconds dragged into minutes as i contemplated what she said. Finally I nodded and Gaukartak bowed and took her leave. I sat down, feeling ancient. "What are we going to do?" I asked my empty office.

Thanks and yes it is the Demiurge from Gnosticism.

It was probably what you would expect. Faced with their insignificance and convinced that the lives of every human on the planet were in imminent peril, a very large amount of humans did what very large groups of humans do: they panicked and rioted and abandoned their collective pretense at society. But it turned out that our visitors from another world did not fly all the way to our planet to exterminate or enslave the human species. They sought cooperation. They wanted to educate and foster us. And so they did.

Within 100 years disease was not gone exactly, but it became rare enough to be seen as a shocking tragedy to the very few who ever felt or even witnessed it. Within 200 the population of planet Earth had quadrupled and spread to the nearby planets Venus and Mars. For the first time energy was so abundant it was free for all and its source wasn't going anywhere for another 4-5 billion years.

Within 1000 years we thought we had taken that giant step from child being guided and taught by their elders to something very much like peers to our alien visitors. But in reality, we were never children. We were something somewhere between an animal in a zoo and a field of grain.

We were to be protected so that we could grow. We were a resource. We thought our visitors were the pinnacle of intelligence and prosperity. Instead, they were a fleeing refugee. A beggar in the night, fleeing to an alley to consolidate what property they had left and to quickly find anything close at hand to try and prepare for the fight they knew would come when they were discovered in the morning.

They gave us so much. That's why it took so long to accept that they were fugitives. Thieves.

Is a person more noble when they put their loyalty in those who have helped them, those who sacrificed for them? Or if their loyalty belongs to a code of conduct? To ethics? The very behavior the best of us aspire to, which most of us abandoned so easily 1000 years ago?

It might just be philosophy, but that doesn't mean it doesn't matter. That question ended up killing more billions of human beings than anything in our history. So far. See, we know the cops are coming. They're going to find the beggar in the alley, and I doubt they're going to be happy with what the beggar made in the nighttime. And the best part is, we don't even know what the beggar stole in the first place.

Dont think Yhwh is a character

Demiurge? As in Gnosticism?

Unexpected but not unwelcome.

>god of fertility

Exactly.

Its the godly equivalent of 'wtf?'

It is a common trend that the more advanced a society becomes, the lower their birth rate. Even extending that to multiple planets, centuries of genetic engineering and cultural progress and found virtually all advanced space-faring civilizations with nearly stagnate population. So when the Faqquan, who had been in rebellion against Galatic Order found Earth and the humans, they saw the potential immediately. A still primitive, but not ignorant species billions strong that had not reached the point where they controlled their population to any significant degree. So they brought the humans on board, gave them technology and information. Transported populations, especially those of the relatively poorer countries, to new unoccupied worlds. It took a few decades to fully establish, but when the Faqquan counterattacked one of their main rivals, they took humans in tow as ground soldiers. Technology can only do so much against overwhelming numbers short of blowing up the entire planet. The tides had turned in the war, but even the Faqquan leadership was worried about the humans eventually turning on them. Plans would have to be made...