The Adventures of Stagger Li

Chapter Twenty-Four
Abandon
Hell attempts to strip Stagger Li of his powers,
not realizing that total abandon is the greatest power of all.

In his rage at being born and then abandoned, Stagger Li had been at war with all around. At his
core an icy calm, destructive forces whirling all round, he was a spinning hurricane, a power saw,
slicing through all who dared to come against him. Now Hell itself with Its eternal gaping maw
capable of swallowing entire civilizations, of marching in legions across the globe, chewing and
spitting blood and gritty bristle into the eyes of angels and of God, was aligned against him.

How does one offend Hell, causing such crafty desire for Vengeance?
One simple act. A refusal. And even Wotan has no fury like Hell scorned.

Stagger Li was born of raw and elemental forces beyond Hell's power:
born of wild energies that coupled with such emotion and abandon,
falling like mating eagles to earth, talon to talon, wings outspread,
tumbling in a dizzy swirl of intermingling,
but this time, this generative time, not pulling out of the ecstatic dive
and splashing into the thin watery crust of what is called Florida,
rutting in such a giving and receiving that the two no longer knew any bounds,
spawning one likewise unbound,
one required by cosmic forces to rebel against Rebellion,
to raise hell among the Hellions.

Hell hated all forces outside its own domain. Hell’s agents would like nothing better than to cut
Stagger Li off at the knees, rip his pulsing heart from his chest, and feast upon his blood.

And now Hell's plot (Operation “Get That S.O.B.!”) was unfolding, the two children were
suffering and held captive, and Stagger Li's powers of quick destruction were being made
harmless. Any violent move he made was like razor wire in the children's hearts.

Thus it was that Stagger Li was stripped of all his powers. His Vorpal blade morphed into a large
and fearsome hawk rising above his head, ascending in an ever-widening spiral and disappearing
from view.

He stood, fists unclenched, hands and heart open to the Hell awaiting him.

Total abandon. Abandoned by all and abandoning all. He stood naked. Defenseless. Vulnerable.
In surrendering, he rendered unto God what was God’s and let Caesar make a salad of what
remained.

“Take him,” said Vincent. Two twilit demons, hesitant to touch him, walked alongside Stagger
Li, a dishonor guard escorting him to the core of Hell.