Reverse Isekai - Knight of Sin

7 - Officer Swetland

Usually, Harold avoided the speed trap.  Today, he chose to pass through it at 37, exactly two miles over.  When that didn't have the desired effect, he turned around, and pulled off the road next to the police cruiser.

Officer Swetland rolled down his window, took off the mirrored glasses that hid his equally mirrored eyes from view.

"Officer Swetland." Harold said.  "If you're not busy, I'd like a few minutes of your time."

Swetland squinted.  "Just because I don't sleep doesn't mean I've got infinite amounts of that."

"Okay." Harold said, turning his car engine off.  "I'll get right to the point."

He walked over to Swetland's car, pulling out Slayer of Men.

"I've never asked him.  Officer Swetland, I'd like your opinion on this blade."  Harold held Slayer out on his open palm.

Swetland calmly reached out, and placed Harold's thumb upon Slayer.  "First, that's not something you should be showing openly."

"Oh, is it illegal?"

"Nope.  Changing the laws of man wouldn't affect that thing.  Besides, most of the time it's small like that.

But what I can tell you at just a glance is it's dangerous, Mister Leightner.  Lotta non-people willing to get their hands dirty to get them on a blade like that."

"But it could take out, say, a Bloodling?"

"Careful there, Mister Leightner.  From a certain point of view, I am a Bloodling."

Harold slid Slayer back into his pocket.  "Then I don't understand what a Bloodling is."

"Okay, but I'm not wasting time saying this twice.  At the top of the pile you have Gods, Totem Spirits, the Primal and Elemental Forces, whatever floats your boat.  Things too powerful to exist in our reality, so they exist above or below the living earth."

"Or beside?" Harold asked.

"Sure, if you count the Cthonics and Elder Fae.  Anyway, they sometimes put part of their power into a Demigod.  Not often, and I think there's only seven or so of them on the planet today, but they exist.  Demigods can create Heroes with a fraction of their power, or any of the lesser ranks, really.  But see, Heroes are mostly human, enough so that they can breed with mere mortals.  That's where the bloodlines come from.  Brood, Bloodlings, and Traces."

"The Brood are your alpha beings, about as powerful as a Hero themselves.  Bloodlings are a broader category, between one and three quarters as powerful.  Traces... Traces are mostly mortal, maybe with one or two gifts.  But most of them aren't even Awakened.  They can't see the other world like you or I can."

"So I'm a Bloodling, too?" Harold asked.

Slayer of Men told him. 

"At least." Officer Swetland said, putting his glasses back on.  "Oh, Missus Harris, you know I'm here...  Got to go."

And with a flip of a switch, the lights came on and Officer Swetland pulled out onto the road to issue one of his famous warnings.  Harold sucked on his upper lip.  Being able to hear the actual words Officer Swetland would speak, he didn't envy Missus Harris, whomever she was.

"Okay, Slayer, what do you mean much more rare?"

"I guess not.  Sorry."

"That's a lot of math that I don't see the point of doing." Harold said.

Something a lot like a mental sigh rolled around in Harold's head. 

"Counting just the humans, yeah."  Harold turned off the radio, to better focus on his letter opener.

"And what has that got to do with me?"

"Okay, let's say that I do accept that crazy thing.  Makes about as much sense as anything else in my life."

"Oh, this Knight of Sin thing, for example."

"Yeah, I don't think I'm going to do that.  It sounds like a lot of risk for not a lot of reward."

"What?"  Harold looked up.  He was, in fact, parking in front of the dollar store.  "I guess I just wanted a soda and a bag of chips tonight.  Maybe some cherry sours, if they have those."

"Nope, it's time to not talk to something nobody else can hear, buy my snacks, and get out of here.  Preferably without disturbing anyone."

From behind the sodas, the Bloodling burbled, but did not show itself.  

Harold and Slayer of Men both mistook the thing's caution as being related to Slayer's presence.  It wasn't until after he'd swiped his credit card and almost walked into the ogre in the parking lot that Harold realized that the other, scarier things in the world were also taking notice.

"Your money and your life." the ogre said.

"You mean or, right?" Harold asked.