Chapter 1 – Cultural Conflict
My name is Benedetto Vuoto and I am the next hero chosen to bring humanity closer to perfection. After bringing down the central government, the Socia Agmina, and putting them under my control things have been peaceful. My group of reformed bandits called the Sparrows have been the peacekeepers of the land for the Socia Agmina. We’ve grown so large since we’re composed of members from all cultures. People respect us more than the Socia Agmina, not only because of the reformed bandits but because of our people-centered ideology and close relationship with even the poorest in the world. The Sparrows are not only peacekeepers, but they are also a charity and teachers to some extent.
I’ve had three children with Donna, my wife and former leader of the Sparrows. My close friends Stella and Franco are my most trusted advisors and protectors. Even though there are definitely people better suited to their roles, I still keep the advice of my family and friends close to me. Despite the new peace that I’ve established, there’s still conflict and crime in the land. It might just be human nature for it to happen, but it’s something I’d rather not hear about even though I need to be notified of it in order to fix it. Besides that, all of the cultures, including my own, are starting to want proof that I’m a hero that will carry humanity through to the next state of the world mostly unscathed. This is especially true of the Blighted, the most traditional and conservative culture out of the three. Right now, Donna, and I are being escorted to Temperance, their capital city by a small group of our Sparrows. Hopefully, things will go down well.
‘I hope for your sake they do. Remember, the Blighted are stiff with being proved wrong.’
And they were almost too easy to convince the first time we met, Tunc.
‘The appearance of a new hero means the end of the world is coming. That and the things you accomplished in a short amount of time must’ve had them on edge. I wish it was the older days when people got behind you just because you had a blessing granted to you by God.’
I was it was too, old timer.
‘Hey, I’ll have you know that my human half still looks perfectly young.’
But your skeletal half and actual age make even the oldest buildings look brand new. Tell me, is there any big tasks I’m supposed to do?
‘There is. You have to get the cultures to submit or trust you. That can be done in whatever way you decide.’
That explains why you’ve been talking to me more recently. Got a tip I could use?
‘Besides telling them that this is a special turning point, I’ll tell you that an influential and powerful young girl in the Cuchillos by the name of Bonito is interested in you.’
I’m not dressing in a cat boy outfit again.
‘Don’t jump to conclusions, you don’t need to marry her or anything like you did with Donna. This girl will help you expose corrupt individuals in the Cuchillos, which should get them to completely trust you.’
Any catches?
‘She might get a little touchy, so watch out and keep Donna safe.’
I’ll go see the Cuchillos after this then see if I’ll go through with your hint.
‘You have a time-traveling blessing that allows you to travel anywhere in time as long as you know the exact time, day, and place. Why are you being so stingy with it? You haven’t used it once.’
It’s because I like this strength you gave me for not using it after my first big victory.
‘It’s useful, ain’t it? You can actually carry your wife instead of it being the other way around. Hahaha!’
Whatever. I’ve grown up since those days. I’m better at sneaking and fighting so I won’t always need someone at my side.
‘But you still keep Donna with you all the time?’
I can’t think of anything to make her detach from me even for a day. Do you have any ideas?
‘None at all. Do you regret not being with Stella instead?’
I don’t. We’re finally here.
‘Did you get tired of talking to me?’
About certain things I do. It’s a pain that you hear everything that I think.
‘You love this connection we have.’
Ha, that’s what you think.
“Okay, we’re finally here,” my escort says.
“Good. Are you ready, Donna? Because you’re one of the reasons why we’re here,” I tell Donna as I help her out of the horse-drawn cart like a gentleman.
“What did I do? You know your loyal wife doesn’t do anything wrong?”
“You took a party of experienced Sparrows, hunted a dragon, and used its skin to make that armor you’re wearing and ax you have.”
‘Some of the Blighted around you are giving you weird looks. Watch out.’
I know.
“What’s wrong with that? This is custom made armor that you can’t get anywhere else.”
“It’s their custom to use the skin of dragons to replace their own once they are old enough. The other two cultures respect their tradition except for the maggot bandits.”
“Their custom is barbaric. Besides, it’s not like they have some special claim over the skin of dragons. The only reason why people think they do is because they claimed the only territory that has dragons and because these people say so.”
“Don’t say that aloud to them. I’m going to try to get these people to trust me.”
“Then can’t you get them to change their tradition?”
“Maybe, but I’m not going to do it because you wanted fancy gear.”
“Aw, but you like this armor, don’t you? I know you’ve been looking at the hole in the chest area.”
“Fill that. It’s distracting.”
“I made it this way for you. Besides, I have it enchanted, so that I’m protected.”
“Still. Are you even ready to fight in case we have to? You gave birth not that long ago.”
“I’ve been training to keep my body in shape. Trust me, with this armor and weapons, I’m good. If I happen to die, then you can just go back in time to save me, right?”
“You’re right.”
‘But will you do it?’
Probably.
‘Probably? For your wife?’
We’re in the main council room where people on my side are already debating the traditional Blighted. I forgot what this room looked like and how beautiful it looked. The statues of previous heroes who had the blessing to reverse time stand proudly around the room with flames beneath them.
‘Oh, the memories I shared with these people. The adventures we had were grand.’
I’ll read more about them once I get a chance to, to learn from their example. The windows in the room let in a light that lights up the rest of the room and shines a constant light on the statues. The room quiets down as I take my place in the center of the room between the two groups. A representative of the other side takes his seat on the other side of the table I’m sitting at while Donna sits beside me.
The representative says, “I’m glad that you’ve joined us, Benedetto Vuoto. My name is James of House Regal.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“Thank you. The first topic I’d like to talk about is your wife and her breaking of our traditions. We are willing to forgive you if your wife gets rid of her dragon made gear and personally apologizes to us.”
“James, are you speaking for all of the Blighted?”
“I am speaking for the Blighted that hold true to our traditions that have made us prosperous through the centuries.”
‘That’s a long way to say yes.’
My thought exactly.
“But what about these other Blighted who are opposing you? Aren’t they Blighted like you?”
“In name only. The Blighted are a people that hold onto their traditions as if it were their entire existence.”
“I disagree. According to your history books, the Blighted have only replaced their human skin with that of dragons for three hundred years. Most of the heroes that you honor with these statues were opposed to your practice when it was being implemented. Some of them didn’t even replace their skin. What makes you think your traditions won’t change in the coming years?”
“Because these traditions have led to increased prosperity, strength, and devotion to our people. I’d say that God Himself blessed us with this tradition. I would even dare to call it sacred.”
The room starts to erupt in disagreements until a peacekeeper slams his hammer into the ground, which also shakes it. I don’t know how they keep these floors intact.
“But are they truly sacred?”
“What?”
“Did you get this tradition from God Himself?”
“It seems like it from the fruits it has given us.”
“Oh really? God made us good to begin with. He didn’t instruct us to switch our skin with that of beasts especially dragons, which is the serpent mostly associated with Luciferum. Furthermore, you are only guessing that God approves of your tradition. You have legitimate priests and mystics that can reliably talk to God, and you’ve yet to confirm the legitimacy of your “sacred” tradition. Why is that?”
“We are above the devil, and dragons aren’t demons, so don’t think that we’re wearing the skin of demons. Also, if anything, God tolerates our tradition. Are the all of the traditions of your culture, the Fedele, endorsed by God? Because all I see are contradictions in your dogmas.”
“Yes, all of our traditions and dogmas are approved by God. That’s why we’re called the Fedele. Every tradition, everything we do is primarily motivated by the Almighty God. Even though we all aren’t the most faithful to God, our traditions and teachings still are.”
“Are ours isn’t?”
“I’m not saying that. I’m just saying that you put your own intellect ahead of your commitment to God sometimes, which leads to it being misguided.”
“I’m telling you that if God disagreed with our practices then He would’ve struck us down long ago.”
“God should’ve struck us down when we committed our first sin, but He doesn’t. He allows us time to work out our salvation and repent from our sins. How about this. If you let the priests and mystics talk to God about this and I’m proven wrong about doubting your tradition, then both Donna and I will apologize to you and her gear will be yours.”
“…It’s a deal.”
Whew. Everyone in the room claps, so it seems like everyone is okay with this course of action.
‘You did good, Benedetto.’
Thanks.
“What’s the next thing that we are supposed to discuss?”
“The topic of our traditions being violated was the main topic we wanted to talk about.”
“Good because I have something else, I want to talk about that’s extremely important.”
“What might that be?”
“I’m going to need all of the cultures to trust me, and I’m starting with yours since I’m here.”
“Why would you need that?”
“Because just like my fight against the Socia Agmina, this will change the world as we know it.”
Everyone in the room is whispering to one another. Someone whispers in James’ ear.
“This is a topic we shall save for our next meeting. For now, we say that we’re interested in making a deal with you since you seem willing to compromise.”
“Thank you. I look forward to our next meeting.”
We shake hands as everyone in the room claps. After the meeting, Donna squeezes me with a hug, of course, and the Blighted on my side congratulate me on a job well done. Since we’re going to be staying in Temperance, for now, Donna and I eat some of the Blighted’s special cooking. The Blighted mostly eat meat, but not dragon meat surprisingly. It’s mostly deer, chicken, pig, cow, with other kinds of meat like duck, turkey, and ostriches being delicacies. They don’t have much in the way of vegetables and fruits, but I’m not a big of either so it doesn’t matter to me. Donna along with the original members of the Sparrows love the food here since they usually ate meat with their alcohol when they were bandits.
“Don’t you think your old friends and you are eating a bit too much?” I ask Donna.
“Not at all! A figure like this needs to be constantly kept up. I know how much you like it, so I'm constantly motivated to keep it the way it is. Besides, we have enough money to spend on everyone. Knowing that we would be here, my Sparrows saved up enough for multiple feasts since we didn’t know how long we were going to stay. You should eat more! That scrawny figure of yours is getting muscular, but you aren’t exactly getting bigger. I mean you’re bigger where it counts but-”
“Okay, I get it. Just eat whatever you want.”
Once the big feast is done, Donna and I go to our Inn room. She’s already past out once we hit the bed. I think I can get out of her squeezing me tonight, but that’s not the case. Great, she’s drooling on me too.
‘I thought you would’ve gotten used to this by now.’
Me too, but her suffocating me with her body isn’t something that I can easily get used to even after our wedding night.
‘That was brutal.’
You’re telling-you were watching?!
‘Why not? I’m allowed since I watch over you. You don’t think your keeper angel saw it either? I’ve seen some heroes brutally raped and used as human sex toys. Seeing you trying to survive sex with your wife is nothing. It was honestly even a bit funny.’
I just want to pass out and forget you said anything.
‘Hold on. Do you hear that?’
Is someone by the balcony? I see shadows over there with their weapons drawn.
“Donna! Donna! Donna, wake up!”
‘Use that new strength of yours to get her up.’
She’s dead weight right now so she’s heavier now than before.
‘So much for that boost in strength.’
I got one more idea. I kiss her and use my tongue. This finally wakes her up.
“Donna, behind us!”
Donna reaches from behind the bed, grabs her ax, and splits apart the two attackers before they bring down their weapons on us.
“Whew! Thank you, God! You woke up at the right time.”
“I can’t resist the taste of you. When this is cleaned up, do you want to…”
“No. Who are these people? Their armor is melded with their skin, but they appear to be different than the normal Blighted. They seem modified in a way.”
“Do you think they’re just radical traditional Blighted or are they acting on behalf of the official group?”
“We’ll have to see tomorrow. Watch over the bodies while I get help.”
“You got it.”
‘You couldn’t help yourself even with your newfound strength and abilities and you had to rely on Donna again.’
I’m still getting stronger. It takes time, but don’t you worry. I’ll become stronger so I can protect everyone I care about and more. I have to.
‘That’s the heroic spirit I want to see.’
After the bodies are collected from the room and sent to a secure location for inspection, Donna and I sleep in a more protected room with Sparrows guarding the room. She holds onto me tighter now…and she’s drooling on me again.
‘What a wife you chose for yourself.’
I know, and I love her despite her flaws.
‘Awww.’
Now shut up and let me sleep.
‘Alright. Good night.’
Good night and forget about my wedding night.
‘Not a chance.’
Damn.
No comments:
Post a Comment