There have been reports of parts of
the wilderness coming to life and infecting other parts of the wilderness. Even
though the infection is being contained by the local wilderness protectors, I
feel as though I shouldn’t let a small problem become a big one. Since the
problem is an infection, we bring weapons that can light themselves on fire
along with full-body armor, so we don’t breathe in any of the infection. It’s a
product of a recent Blighted and Cuchillos collaboration.
We burn through the infected trees
and plant life until we come to a mountain with multiple cave entrances. Donna,
Stella, Corso, Lilia, Bonito, and I are on the field in separate teams so we
can take out the threat as fast as possible. The walls of the cave seem to be pulsating.
Is the entire mountain alive? I stab the cave wall with my fire sword, which makes
the entire mountain shake and come to life. Parts of the cave become blade-like
tendrils that try to slash and stab us, but our armor manages to protect us,
however, the tendrils are powerful enough to clip away at it and seeing how
many there are, they can go through it quickly if aren’t careful.
Infected wildlife with spores on
their hollow corpses come rushing at us with their mouths gaping open and their
many limbs ready to attack us. The army of whatever controls them is a lot for
us to handle as a few of my Sparrows are gravely injured and have to be instantly
teleported away before they’re killed. There were forty in my group to begin
with and now there’s only fifteen. This threat is more dangerous than I thought,
and it gets even worse as we descend with tougher infected beasts such as
bears, wolves, horse-sized insects, and small dragons. There isn’t much rooms
to fight as the cave walls try to close themselves on us, however, we’re able
to keep them back when we stab them with fire.
“Set everything in here ablaze!” I
command my Sparrows as they do so.
The pain that the cave feels stuns
the enemies in front of us and gives us more room to fight. We continue this tactic
of fighting both the mountain itself along with its infected until we descend into
the lowest part of the mountain. In the core of this horrific place, we find a
heart that’s made of mouths and tendrils. The other teams arrive just in time
to help us and with their help, we defeat the heart of the mountain. Unfortunately
for us, the entrances collapse on us, so we have to carve our way out of the
mountain with the walls being weaker and easier to cut through since the main
being is dead. The mountain has now completely broken apart with us being in
what appears to be a dried-up lake. The once infected trees have shriveled and
died so that must mean we’ve accomplished our mission.
We have a lot of injured, but none
are dead, thanks be to God. Our reward is a safer forest will this growing
threat nipped in the bud before it could grow into a horrifying mess. There’s
no explanation as to how this mysterious infection fungus started. We’ve had
reports of a mage alchemist who was trying to make a kind of magic spell that
could allow people to talk to each other with their minds, but those reports have
been gathering for a while. Maybe we could’ve destroyed this infection even
sooner. We’ll never know. I'll just have to keep in mind that the largest
threats start out small.
Quest
2 – Ruins of the Past
After the end of one world, another
is built from its ruins. There are treasures lost to battles that shook the
world some of which could help us in the present. Since not much is happening,
I order my Sparrows to conduct an excavation of the ruins below. Once they dig
enough of the ruins up, I go down to one of the site’s that’s said to be the
home of the hero before me. Of course, I bring my team of my finest Sparrows
with me for the trip in case something happens. With what happened during one
of the last requests, Donna isn’t going to let me out by myself in something that
could be incredibly dangerous.
When I get to the ruins
underground, I see the once great civilization that existed not too long ago.
The structures and statues that must’ve looked like they reached the Heavens
are such a beautiful sight to behold. It’s a good thing we have magic that helps
us dig this all out otherwise it would’ve taken forever. Despite how beautiful
things look, they are partially destroyed or damaged. It just reminds me that only
God will last forever while everything will pass away.
I enter into the previous hero’s
house to find pictures of him and his family plus his arsenal of weapons. If
only Tunc was here to see this. I’m sure he still can, but I’d like to see his
reaction. While going through the room, I find what looks to be a hidden set of
stairs. There are indentations in the floor that look like the weapons from all
three cultures can fit in them. I put the weapons into the indentations and the
floor opens up to reveal a staircase. We descend until we enter what looks like
a sparing room with a message written on a sign that says, “Heroes only”. I
enter this room only for a shield to block every else from entering that also prevents
me from escaping. Before I know it, the spirit of the previous hero is behind me.
He says, “It’s nice to meet you, my
successor.”
“It’s an honor to meet you, Pace.”
Pace sits down while casually swinging
his sword around. “How do you like the job so far?”
“It’s got it’s ups and downs, but
nothing I can complain about. Why?”
“Because I’ve been watching you and
I can’t exactly tell how you’re feeling.”
“That’s surprising. I heard you could
read almost anybody. It’s one of the reasons why you were such a popular hero.”
“If that’s one of the reasons, then
what are the others?”
“You never really fought at all. I
don’t think you’ve ever killed a person, a beast, or even a demon. You let everyone
else fight for you. I’m surprised you did that even though you’re a skilled fighter.”
“If you have an army, you might as
well use it, am I right? Any other reasons why I’m a popular hero?”
“You were always calm. Your name
Pace means peace or rest. I didn’t matter how difficult things got. You were always
calm and collected with a plan at the ready.”
“Is that it?”
“That’s it.”
“Do you have an idea as to why we’re
meeting like this?”
“I don’t.”
“Take a guess.”
“Is it a test?”
“That’s right. Is it going to be
physical or talking?”
“Talking because we’re doing so
much of it.”
“It’s that obvious, huh? Well, you’re
right. God allowed me to construct this little test for you. If you pass, you
will inherit all the treasures from the past civilization. If you fail, you get
nothing.”
“How do I pass?”
“You keep talking to me. I wouldn’t
give you a strenuous test because you already have a lot on your plate, and I
don’t want to take up much of your time.”
“Okay, so what do you want to talk
about?”
“We’re already halfway done the
test. All you have to do now is answer a few more questions.”
“Alright. Shoot them at me.”
“Despite all the horrifying things
in the world, what’s the most horrifying thing that everyone does and why?”
“It’s sinning against God because
we’re hurting ourselves, the people around us, and the One being who loves us
more than anything. Who would want to go against those who love them?”
“Correct. Who would you save? A
murderer or a thief?”
“I’d try to save both.”
“Why?”
“Because both are of equal value
and both can be redeemed.”
“Correct. Last question. What’s the
one thing you shouldn’t do while being a hero?”
“A hero shouldn’t worry because God
chose us to be the next hero for a good reason.”
“That’s right. There’s nothing more
I can teach you. The only other thing I would advise is that you put what you
get in a museum or someplace safe especially the weapons you got from the
cultures. They’re more useful as reminders of the inevitable end than weapons
and defenses.”
“Will do.”
“Good. You’re a good man, Benedetto.
I wish you luck in your adventure and your marriage.”
“Thank-what about my marriage?”
“An older and strong woman like
yours is a lot to handle. You’re stronger than me since you’re able to handle
her.”
“Uh haha, thanks.”
Pace disappears along with the
shield. I ask everyone if they heard what he said, and they could only hear
mumbles. I tell them everything he said except for the part about Donna then decide
to put whatever we find in a museum for all to see. With the tech we’re making
along with our spells and faith in God, we should be able to make it passed the
end of this world. Everything will be destroyed, severely damaged, and buried
in the end anyway.
Quest
3 – A Bonding Experience
Everyone gets junk mail that
advertises something they may or may not be interested in. Donna and I happen to
get a letter that advertises a new cabin for couples. We’re given exclusive
access to it as its first-time inhabitants. It’s supposed to be a cozy place
where we can stay together in isolation for the week. This idea obviously
appeals to Donna who’s been bugging me about it ever since we got news of it. I’ve
had my scouts check the place out and they said it was clean so I guess we can
go. I leave my family in charge of my kids as Donna and I head out in our first
vacation by ourselves in a while. Actually, it’s our first vacation in a while
period. I’m always keeping myself busy with requests, meetings, and other
activities to make sure the cultures keep their trust in me. Maybe it is time
to take a breather.
When we arrive at the cabin, it looks
exactly as the ad and my Sparrows reported. The cabin is a small house that looks
perfect for a newlywed couple with all of the decorations around it that make
it feel like a home. We get our bags, put them inside the house. I then rest on
the couch because of the long ride. Donna plops herself on top of me.
She says, “Whew. It took a while to
get here, but we’re finally alone together with nothing to worry about and no
one to bother us.”
“I’m bored already.”
“I can make this way less boring if
you want.”
“You’re trying to now even without
me saying anything.”
“You’ve got that right. We finally
have some time to relax so we should make the most of it.”
“Why does that always involve us
being naked together in your mind?”
“It’s more comfortable this way. Don’t
act like you don’t like it because I know you do.”
“Sure, I do. It’s just that I’d
like some time to relax before you start stripping me.”
“Too bad.”
For the rest of the day, Donna and
I silently enjoy each other’s company while talking about things off and on. It
took us a while to get to the cabin and life has been so exhausting that doing
nothing is the best thing that we could do right now. Donna is the first to
fall asleep so she’s stuck on me. Even though I wanted to eat and drink
something before we slept, I guess I’ll have to deal with it. At least it’s nothing
major that I should be concerned about.
Once I fall asleep, I hear a finger-snapping
noise. Donna has disappeared and the flames that lit up the room have all gone
out. My clothes and bags are gone and there’s no sign of anyone coming in or
out of the house.
“Donna?” I call out only for the rug
to fall out from under me.
I fall down a hole and land in the
hand of some demon-looking creature.
“Who are you?” I ask the creature
with my hands up ready to fight.
The creature just smiles before
closing its hand on me, which transports me back to my hometown. Everything
appears to be normal except for my missing clothes. Corso and Stella find me in
the crowd. They don’t comment on how I look and appear to be normal.
“What are you doing here, Benedetto?”
Stella asks, “Aren’t you supposed to be with Donna?”
“Yes, but I don’t know what’s
happening now.”
“You should come back home. She’s waiting
for you so you two can go to the cabin you’re vacationing at.”
What? She’s saying I didn’t go yet?
What’s going on here? Since I don’t know what else to do, I go home to find my
family waiting for me with my bags packed near the entrance. I remember it
being this way before I left. After a single blink, everyone is gone. It’s
quiet all of a sudden as this situation keeps getting stranger. Someone behind
me covers my eyes. It feels like Donna.
Sure enough, I hear her voice say, “Get
ready for a surprise in three, two, one…surprise!”
“What is all of this?!”
I open my eyes to see the
horrifying sight of my entire family with my friends, and Sparrows slaughtered in
front of me. Donna is in the pile of bodies with our children around her so the
one behind me is a fake.
I put my hands on the throat of the
Donna behind me and say, “Who are you?!”
The fake Donna just smiles at me
before turning into the creature I saw before. For some reason, I have my weapons
with me. I try fighting with them, but the creature manages to knock me down.
When I get up, I see that I’m wearing my older gear with my older weapons. Every
time I fight against the creature, I get knocked down, and every time I get up,
I get younger and younger until I’m a child. Now, it’s obvious that I can’t
fight the creature like this. Before I can do anything else, I’m enclosed in a
box of knives with Donna inside as well.
The box slowly closes on us as I try
to push it away with my hands and feet. The knives cut at my skin, but I’m not
going to let it end like this. There’s no way I’m going to make Donna suffer a
horrible death like this even if I can reset time. She clings to me as she
tries her part in pushing away the knives.
“Benedetto! I’m sorry for making us
take a vacation here.”
“It’s not your fault things are
like this. Just don’t give up! What did that creature show you?”
“It showed me everyone we knew
horribly killed with their remains piled on top of one another.”
“It showed the same to me.”
“I tried to fight it, but I couldn’t
do anything.”
“This thing can’t be defeated
normally it seems.” I then get an idea that can get us out of this situation. “Donna,
I think this creature is making us see things. We shouldn’t be afraid of it no
matter what it shows us.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah. There’s no other explanation
for this other than this isn’t real.”
“Okay, I trust you.”
Donna holds onto me as the knives
close in faster on us. She puts her face on my shoulders as I hold her tightly.
I stare directly into a knife as it closes onto me as it shatters as it touches
my eyes and our bodies. A loud cry is then made as everything else around us
shatters as we’re instantly transported back into the cabin. We still have the
cut marks on us, but at least we’re back to normal. Not wanting to get
comfortable here anymore, we pack our stuff then leave the cabin.
Once we’re back home, our wounds
are treated, and we tell our story to our family and Sparrows. A team goes out
to destroy the cabin, but they never find it. Donna and I have to spend a lot
of time resting at home because of our injuries, but this is fine for me in
terms of a vacation. As long as I’m with those I love, my mind is at ease and
nothing will scare me.
Quest
4 – Close Calls
Lilia is my most trusted Sparrow when
it comes to keeping an eye on the Blighted. Her skills in stealth allow her to
get into places that I’m not usually allowed. If the task calls her to be more
formal, then her status with me gives her access to places most can’t go to. I’m
on my way to meet with her right now. She’s on a mission that she said needed
my help with. I’m not exactly sure what I can do especially since I don’t use
my time traveling blessing at all, but I go anyway.
When I meet up with her, she tells
me, “I’m so grateful that you came.”
“So, what’s the mission?”
“Reconnaissance. I’m watching a target
that could be a lot of trouble for us. I want you by my side in case anything
major happens.”
“Alright, I’ll be here.”
“Good because I can’t do this without
you.”
“Why is that?”
“What? What do you mean?”
“You know that we have more capable
spies and fighters like Stella and Corso who can help you on missions like
these. Why do you need me?”
“I just want you with me. We’re friends
but we never spend any time with each other.”
“This couldn’t wait for later when
you weren’t on a mission?”
“I couldn’t think of anything else
that you would respond to. If I said anything else, you might’ve just said that
you were busy.”
“When have I ever said that if you
really wanted to spend time with me?”
“You say it to your family all the
time. You always tell them that you’re doing your hero business and give them
things to try to make up for it. The only person that gets to be close to you
is Donna and that’s because that woman attaches herself to you so that you’re
never apart for long.”
“…”
“I’m sorry I said that.”
“No, I understand. I wish I could prioritize
things better. It’s just that I don’t know what will come back to bother us
later and what I can ignore.”
“Benedetto…”
“It’s fine. Let’s just worry about
the mission first and then the two of us can go somewhere peaceful. Thanks for
reminding me to think about my own when I need to.”
“I-it’s no problem.”
Her face is turning all red. Even if
she does want to hang out for other reasons, I think it would be a good change
of pace so I can calm my mind, but for the time being, it’s time to work. Lilia
leads me to a small hill that overlooks a campsite with four people gathered
around a campfire. They appear to be Blighted judging by their armor though they
could be from any culture since Blighted dragon armor is sold across the world
nowadays. One of them starts putting ingredients into the pot over the fire. After
putting in several ingredients, Lilia jumps up and uses the crossbows that are in
the bracers of her arms to pin the bag of ingredients to a tree then takes out
the four people with shots to the leg. She then quickly runs over and points
her crossbows at them while telling them to stay down.
“What’s going on?” I ask.
“These people were about to conduct
a ritual which would have created a giant made of the earth beneath us.”
“Good thinking on your feet.”
“Thanks-ah!”
One of the people tries to stab
themselves with a syringe, but I stop two before they can. Lilia handles the
other two and we tie them up.
“Now, what was that about?”
“They were going to drink the blood
of demons so that they couldn’t make them stronger by inhabiting their bodies.”
“How do you know all of this?”
“It’s because of the intel I gathered.
A lot of things are going off at once, which is one of the reasons why I wanted
you to be here.”
“This isn’t going to help with my
want to keep working to root out things like this.”
“It’s going to be fine. You shouldn’t
have to worry about much more.”
We take the four to the Blighted authorities
so they can await their trial. While in town, Lilia is told something by one of
the guards.
“We have to go back out,” she tells
me.
“What is it now?”
“Some guards that I have set in
ambush at a nearby bridge has intercepted a carriage that I didn’t think would
pass through today. We have to help them.”
“Let’s get going then.”
We come to the scene just in time
it seems as the people we are after are trying to open their urns. Lilia and I stop
them before they are able to open them. The guards thank us for our assistance,
arrest the criminals, and carefully collect the urns with warrior priests
taking care of them.
“What’s contained in these urns
that they need warrior priests to carry them?” I ask.
“They supposedly contain powerful
demons that the criminals were going to use to infect the bodies of powerful
people in politics.”
“It’s a good thing we stopped them before
they opened the urns then. Politics is already demonic as is.”
Before we can rest, the guards
inform us of another happening in the area. There’s a coup happening in a
nearby town where the poor are taking up arms against those who have more than
them. I could’ve sworn that I expanded an organization that helps the poor and
jobless as long as they help in the community. When I arrive in the town, I get
into the action, which silences everyone and calms the fighting for a minute
before they begin attacking me. The guards that are with me aid me in my
defense until all of my attackers are rounded up and put in chains.
One of the prisoners says, “First,
you made us work and now you’re putting us in jail? Is this how you treat the
poor at the end of the world?”
“No, this is how I treat the lazy.
You’re supposed to do your part however small it is to help. At least you’ll be
doing community service while in jail,” I say.
Before I even exhale, I hear an
explosion and the sounds of dragons roaring.
“What now?” I ask not expecting a
good answer.
“It can’t be…” Lilia says in
disbelief.
“Just say it and we’ll take care of
it.”
“I didn’t think people were mad
enough to try to make demons possess the bodies of dragons, but it looks like
they have. We’ll have to call reinforcements for this.”
We call our forces through a communication
spell and get them to teleport to our location. Once our forces are all
together, we clash with the demon-possessed dragons. Fortunately, we get to the
battle just in time so that we stop the other dragons in the area from being
possessed. The other dragons help as fight as well, so the battle isn’t too
difficult. We do have Sparrows injured as a result of the battle, but at least
we don’t suffer any casualties. After the battle, I sit near a tree and wait for
more bad news to come my way before getting up.
“Benedetto!” Lilia says as I shoot
up ready for another fight.
“What is it now? Tell me where we
need to go next.”
“There’s nothing else that we need
to do. I was just seeing if you were okay.”
“Oh, I’m alright but are we done
for today?”
“We should be.”
“Good, let’s go into town and relax.”
“Okay, where do you want to go?”
“Anyplace quiet. You wanted to be
with me for a while, right? Let’s just spend the rest of the day like that.”
“O-okay!”
Lilia and I go into town and find a
nice place to rest. There’s a restaurant in a park that we sit and eat dinner
in while talking and enjoying each other’s company. It’s been so long since I
was last able to do this. I’ve forgotten how nice it was just to be with a
friend and enjoy being with them in public like this.
After a little while, a Sparrow
comes up to me and says, “Benedetto, sir, your wife Donna is on her way. She
was told where you were and what you were doing.”
“What?”
“She should be here soo-”
I see Donna behind us through a
teleporting spell. She looks really mad. I can’t get a break, can I?
“Benedetto!” she screams out.
“It’s not what you’re thinking I swear!”
Quest
5 – Motives and Secrets
Bonito is my expert in politics and
secrecy. She tells me what’s going on behind the scenes and the secrets in
public especially those in the Cuchillos culture, which is extremely secretive.
She’s told me that she’s come across something big that she needs me to be with
her. This has to do with certain people in the upper class of society having
their own plans for the end of the world. I don’t exactly have a soft spot for
the upper class despite what others might say, but they do contribute a lot
when it comes to funds, weapon forging, and the reinforcement of buildings.
What the people I’m going after have is apparently something that I need both
for the end of the world and to keep them focused on helping humanity as a whole
rather than just themselves.
When I meet up with Bonito, she
fills me in on what we need to do. She says that, “I’ve been watching these
people even before we met. These families have a history of surviving the end
of the world by themselves or so people seem to think. From what you tell me
and what tales passed on say, few rarely survive on their own especially if
they only protect themselves.”
“That’s right.”
“So, they must either have really
good protection, God needs these families for an unknown purpose, they must be
doing God’s will, or they’re liars. Thanks to everything you’ve given me, I’ve
been able to find one of their end-times shelters. It’s in one of their mega
towers that act as a shopping center. The only thing I don’t know is which part
of the building is the actual shelter because it doesn’t seem to be heavily
fortified. I figure out their secret or at least get it out of them in order to
help us in the future.”
“Alright. I’ll help you in whatever
way you say.”
“Good. Let’s get moving.”
I don’t like the way she said “good”
and the smile she had while saying it. Does she know more than she’s letting
on? It doesn’t seem like it. Maybe she just had a tempting thought when she
said that. She still does express her interest in me every now and then even
though I’ve completely denied her. I could almost swear that part of her
reminds me of Donna except she isn’t as strong. Bonito is also more cunning and
patient. I shouldn’t let this thought bother me.
The shopping center that we arrive at
is moderately packed with people. This place is pretty popular it seems and has
stores of all kinds such as; food, book, weapon, and clothing. It seems like a great
shelter from what I’m seeing. Bonito has given me the names of and faces of who
we should be looking for. She’s also given me an outfit with a mask to wear so I
can go into the mall incognito. We’ll be going in pretending to be a couple.
Even if someone thinks they recognize us, people should know that I wouldn’t
dare be with another woman. Wait, is this part of Bonito’s plan to be closer to
me? She did something similar the first time we met. It is a good plan for both
the mission and her personal mission if I think about it. Whatever. I just hope
she doesn’t try anything even though she kind of is right now by holding onto
my arm.
Nope. I’ve got to think about
something else. The architecture in this place is amazing. All of the turning
wheels and parts to it are something that only the Cuchillos could pull off.
Even the statues are moving and posing in different ways. This place even has
things called escalators and elevators that bring people up and down the tower.
We’re putting some of these contraptions in some buildings from other cultures
now, but it’s very difficult since most buildings weren’t made for these
things. The Cuchillos are the only ones who are going to have these luxuries at
this rate.
“This is an amazing place. Have you
been here before?” I say.
“A couple of times. I thought it
would be better if I went with someone who’s closer to me than just some random
guards.”
“You know I’m never going to marry
you, right?”
“Being one of your mistresses is
fine with me. That’s what I said before, right?”
“That means something completely
different than what you’re thinking.”
“Regardless, you agreed to it.”
“Because I needed your help and not
for any other reason.”
“It doesn’t matter. I always get what
I want eventually.”
“Pay attention. I think I see some
familiar faces.”
We see some people that are on
Bonito’s list and listen in on their conversation while sitting nearby.
I see some other people around us
and ask Bonito, “Do you think those people know who we are?”
“It doesn’t matter if they do
because they know not to say anything.”
“Why’s that?”
“Because they know what I’ll do to
them if they do say something.”
I’m not even sure what to say to Bonito.
Part of me wants to believe that she’s well-meaning, but another part thinks
that she’s just acting to survive the end of the world. Whatever the case is,
we don’t hear anything interesting from the people we listen to. They just talk
about family and business matters that don’t matter to us. I even ask Bonito if
they could’ve been speaking in code, and she tells me that I’m just being silly.
We go through the building to try to
find more people who are on our list. In time we do, but don’t listen in into
anything useful until we hear one conversation in a more secluded area near the
top of the building. The people talk about the building’s defenses in a room further
up. Based on what they say, we go into a secure area where most of the doors
are locked. Bonito uses her lockpicking skills to get us access to the room we
need to get to, and we find what we’re looking for. The plans here tell us that
another layer of the building is activated from within along with a magical
barrier. It’s weird that the plans point to a more fortified structure in the
center of this tower. We haven’t seen it, but from what we’re reading, it looks
like it’s accessed through a hidden staircase in the water fountain and the key
to unlocking it is…
“What do these series of letters
mean?” I ask Bonito.
“These stand for a series of
chemicals that the water in the fountain must react to. Haha, these chemicals
happen to also be found in human semen.”
“I didn’t need to know that. Do you
know how to get those chemicals?”
“Yes.”
“Agh!”
As I turn around to Bonito, she
stabs her fingers into my sides. What’s strange is that there aren’t any blood
or puncture wounds.
“W-what are you doing?”
“I’m making you mine. These claws
are infused with special materials that allow me to stab into your soul. You
won’t be harmed, of course, but this allows me to force my will onto you.”
“Th-that’s not going to happen!”
Bonito tries forcing herself onto
me, but I manage to take the claws out of me and push her away. I then take one
of my daggers and put it to her throat.
“Never do that again.”
“Your love for Donna is stronger
than I thought. I was sure that this was going to work. It’s going to be hard
to come up with something else.”
“Don’t even try because it’s not
going to end well for you. Let’s never talk about this again. Find what we need.”
“Yes, sir.”
I stab my dagger into the wall near
her ear.
“Don’t joke around with me.”
“Yes, Benedetto.”
That’s better. Bonito buys some
things in the nearby stores. We take these items and put them into the
fountain, which makes the water explode everything before revealing a hidden
staircase in the fountain. Guards immediately surround us along with the people
who own this building. We reveal our true identities, which gets them to back
down.
“We know your secret. Tell us why
you were keeping it hidden,” I tell the owners.
One of them steps forward and explains
that, “Our families have been supplying and innovating for humanity’s survival
for generations. We need our own place to survive to keep doing so. That’s why
we need this place to ourselves.”
“You can do that while also providing
shelter for others since you have so much room. We could also use your ‘supplies
and innovations’ in other places as well.”
“I’m not sure we can do that. The
end times last differing amounts of time and who knows what’s exactly going to
happen and who knows the needs of the people who are going to be inside the tower.
How about we make a deal? You keep this a secret and we donate more to the
Sparrows. Just name the amount and we can go from there.”
“Bonito and my other advisors will
name the amount. I want you to shelter more people in this tower of yours and
don’t tell me you can’t. I’ve seen the plans and defenses of your tower. You
can spare to have more people in here. Refuse and we’ll tell everyone that you’ve
been keeping this shelter for yourselves. Don’t you dare try to cheap us or the
other people out of a shelter because you think you’re so important. Selfish
people typically get what they deserve in the end.”
“…O-okay. What should we tell them
instead?”
“Tell them that you were working on
improving it and taking out the kinks as you are right now.”
“Alright then. You have a deal.”
That was easier than I expected. It
must be the tone in my voice because I’m still mad. Bonito schedules a meeting
with the family so they can talk about how many people are going to take shelter
in the tower. I don’t think I’ll be going on another solo mission with Bonito.
Besides social events and work, I don’t want to talk or be around her because
of what she’s attempted today. Even though she’s an extremely helpful advisor
and soldier, her hidden side makes me hesitant to trust her.
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