Chapter 3 – Dangerous Allies
The Cuchillos and the Fedele have a sort of shaky relationship with the Blighted in the middle. The Cuchillos are interested in using alchemy and science to advance humanity while we Fedele mainly use spiritual means. We both say that our means are approved by God, but as I know from the Blighted, we aren’t always right. The Cuchillos, like the Blighted, focus more on the human element though they aren’t tied to their tradition. They are instead propelled by change. A similarity they share with the Blighted is that they like to modify their bodies though the Cuchillos don’t completely change the skin they were born with. Usually, they just change an arm or leg with some mechanical arm or leg that serves some purpose in the job they work. They will also have other gear and mechanics to help themselves out.
In terms of faith, the Cuchillos seem to creator less than the other two cultures. Because of this, there haven’t been many heroes who were Cuchillos compared to the high number of heroes who were Fedele. It’s just another reason why there’s tension between us. I don’t know what to tell them besides, what can you expect when you don’t put God first like how we do. I’m going over this again because I’m not too sure about how to approach them besides the hint that you gave me Tunc.
‘I do give the best hints.’
Because the Cuchillos has a larger and more powerful government than the Fedele, I’ll have to look out for assassins and political trickery. The first time we met, they gave me their support when I confronted the Fedele. I didn’t have to do much for them, but I did help the Blighted and Fedele first before I talked to them.
“We’re here,” my carriage driver says.
We arrive at the capital of the Cuchillos, which is called Cabiduría. I can never get used to the look of the Cuchillos cities. They’re all built on water with boats passing under some of the streets and bridges that connect the streets together. They have the most fascinating cities. I’ll give them that, but nothing compares to the natural beauty of the world.
Lilia looks like she’s amazed by everything around her while Donna and the other Sparrows are unaffected. I remember hearing that back in the day when the Sparrows were bandits that they robbed and fought the Cuchillos more than the other cultures combined.
“I know what you’re thinking about this, Benedetto,” Donna says with a cautious look on her face, “Do you think it’s going to be difficult to get the Cuchillos to trust us?”
“I don’t think so. I did what they wanted with the Socia Agmina, and the Sparrow’s service for them should make us friends.”
“I hope so. I don’t know what to expect from these people.”
“This is one of the reasons why we’re keeping Lilia with us. She should be able to protect me any kind of sneak attack.”
“We’ve only seen her fight a three-headed dragon.”
“If she could fight that without critically injuring herself, then I’d say she’s good.”
“Point taken. Where are we going anyway?”
“We’re going to see a woman of influence in this city. Her name is Bonito.”
“Why are you always looking to girls for help?”
“Tunc told me to look for her like how he told me to go to you.”
“You’re not trading me for her, are you?”
Donna looks really worried now almost as if she’s going to cry.
“No, not at all! I wouldn’t even think of trading you for anyone.”
“How do I know that you’re telling the truth?”
“I didn’t abandon you for Stella even though we were supposed to be in a relationship, and I threw Lilia away from me.”
“Okay. I trust you.”
“If this girl tries something with me, I’ll just find some way around it.”
“How do I know you haven’t turned back time after cheating on me?”
‘Like you’ll ever do it at this point.’
“Our relationship is something that I won’t change. I can’t imagine having a better wife than you.”
Donna kisses me more passionately than she has before.
“I love you.”
“I love you too.”
The building that Bonito is usually in is a large tower with water coming out of it on multiple sides. It’s the largest building in the city and is at the very center of it even though it isn’t the most important. We enter it and a Cuchillos dressed in a light purple suit, wolf mask, and cannon for an arm greets us.
He says, “We’ve been expecting you Mr. Vuoto. Bonito is waiting at the top of the tower for you. I will bring you up to her, but your friends will have to stay here.”
“What about my wife?”
“She will have to stay here as well. Do not worry about them. We will entertain them while you talk to our fair lady.”
A group of Cuchillos in waiter outfits bring out plates of food and jugs of water and alcohol and put them on the large tables in the waiting area.
I say to Donna and Lilia, “I’ll go up to meet Bonito by myself. You can go enjoy yourself for now.”
They’re fine with my decision. I go into the elevator with the guard who propels it up by pulling a lever. Neither the Fedele nor the Blighted have anything like this. We pass several floors at high speeds. I can even see outside through the cracks. We reach the highest floor, which is a large room that is also an office.
Huh? Damn! This girl almost cut my throat open from behind me. Is this her?
‘Definitely. I did say you attract the crazy girls.’
She’s still attacking me! She’s skilled with a blade and those metal claws of hers are made of high-quality steel. Woah! She shot her fingers at me! I deflect them back at her and she catches them back into where her fingers belong.
‘I wish I could do that with my skeletal fingers.’
We then rush at each other and clash knives. She’s not that strong so I force her against the wall and put my knives to her neck.
“That’s quite an introduction.”
‘I did say she would be a bit touchy.’
“I wanted to see if the new hero is both cunning and strong. It seems the rumors were correct.”
“Can we talk now. or do you have more tricks up your sleeve?”
“Nope. No more tricks.”
I let go of her and she walks to the window that overlooks the city. I didn’t notice that the guard with the wolf mask is gone now, so I guess we’re going to be alone for a little. Now that I have a good look at her, her flowery purple dress looks good. It’s useful for both style and combat. The flowers on her mask are a nice touch too though the poisonous flowers on them make me anxious for some reason.
‘Are you checking her out?’
No! I’m just looking at her.
‘With admiration for details.’
I have to fight you in your dimension when I have time off.
“I’ve heard that you’ve gained the trust of the Blighted after defeating a large dragon made of radical Blighted members. They trust you so much that they even gave you their legendary ebony sword.”
“I intended to gain the same level of trust with the Cuchillos. I was told that you can help with that.”
“In due time. I would like to know you better. Can I ask you a few questions?”
“Of course.”
“Why didn’t you spend more time with the Cuchillos when you first started out as a hero? You came, talked for a bit, then left.”
“I wanted to try to bring peace to the land as fast as possible. The faster I complete my quests the fewer people will have to suffer.”
“I like your strategy. What about your wife, Donna?”
“What about her?”
“She’s a strong woman who led the strongest band of bandits in the land and you conquered her and her band in less than a day and completely reformed her. You do know that us Cuchillos and her have a long past, right?”
“That shouldn’t be a problem now. I’ve sent my Sparrows to make reparations for your people and help them equally as they would with the other cultures.”
“It’s not a problem at all thanks to you. I’m just wondering what you would do if she would die one day.”
“With the number of guards near us and our new assassin, she should be safe from all threats save for the hand of God.”
“That woman is also skilled at protecting herself especially when you’re with her. I’m not trying to be antagonistic. I’m just wondering.”
“Sure.”
“Why don’t you enjoy this view with me?”
I walk up to the window next to her but keep a safe distance.
“It’s a great view. How did you get to own this building?”
“My parents were very influential business and political people. They renovated this clock tower and turned it into my own personal tower.”
“Where are they now?”
“Out in the streets serving the poor and teaching people to stay faithful to God. It’s a meager life compared to what they had a few months ago. They still come by every other day or so.”
“Why did they choose it?”
“They didn’t want their works and wealth to overwhelm them with pride. They also wanted to be an example for me to follow.”
“They sound like great parents.”
“They are. You know you can be closer to me.”
“I’m fine here.”
“I have a proposal for you.”
“Okay. What is it?”
“If you take my hand in marriage-”
“No. I’m already married, and I don’t cheat or plan to have more than one wife.”
“I thought you were also with your childhood friend Stella. Isn’t she taking care of your children back at your home for you?”
“That doesn’t mean anything.”
“We can have a private marriage. I promise you that the Cuchillos will never lose faith in you if you do this.”
“Not a chance.”
“You are a faithful man, Benedetto. I wish I caught you before Donna did.”
“I’m sure you can someone else.”
“I won’t be able to find a hero like you.”
“So is that all you have to propose to me?”
“No, we can still be partners. I’ll be your maidservant just like Stella.”
“Knowing what you think about Stella, I don’t think we agree on what maidservant means.”
“I won’t try anything sly especially with that brute of a wife who constantly clings to you.”
“Don’t say that about Donna.”
“Or else? What are you going to do?”
“You’ll regret bad mouthing my wife if you keep insulting her.”
There’s a weird look of excitement in her eyes.
‘Remember what I said about keeping Donna safe.’
Bonito rushes at me again, but I quickly put her down.
“I love this! It’s a shame you were taken away from me.”
“Tell me what you can offer me or else I’m never going to see you again.”
“Let’s get to it then.”
She collects herself and calms down.
“As you know, I am a very influential woman in the Cuchillos. Politics and innovation are what the Cuchillos constantly work in. There might be a massive civil war for us if we don’t do anything now.”
“Okay, what do we need to do?”
“There are a few points of interest that I’d like to go with you. If we can figure out who is pulling the strings to make this civil war happen, then you will have the trust of the Cuchillos.”
“Sounds simple enough. Wait, you’re coming with me?”
“That’s right. It’s just going to be you and me.”
“Why can’t I bring Donna or my other guard, Lilia?”
“I don’t want them with us. Their skills probably won’t help us anyway.”
“What if I refuse?”
“Then they’ll die.”
“What?”
“The food and drink downstairs are poisoned. They won’t feel the effects for a day, but in a day, they’ll die.”
‘Oooh, she’s a dangerous one.’
“What?! Why are you doing this?!”
“Because I at least want you all to myself for a full day or two. That’s not too much to ask for in exchange for the lives of your wife and friends.”
“Fine.”
“Good. Oh, and-”
Bonito tries kissing me, but I put a knife to her throat.
“Hahaha. You’re precious.”
“I’m used to girls doing this to me.”
“I’ll get my kiss. Just you wait.”
I absolutely hate attracting crazy girls.
‘Hey, at least they’re interesting.’
No.
Bonito orders her guards to give my Sparrows the cure to their poison, but they don’t tell them that they were poisoned. I’ll have to do that when this is all done. I explain to Donna and Lilia that I have to be alone with Bonito on this quest as part of our deal. They reluctantly agree with Donna being wary of Bonito. To keep them comfortable, Bonito orders her guards to give my Sparrows whatever comfort they want in the tower. I hope this isn’t another bargaining trap.
We are escorted by one of her guards to a weird glowing forest an hour or so outside of the city. This place appears to be darker than the rest of the land for some reason. It looks like a junkyard where people throw their trash. Woah! The dead trees, metal, concrete, and trash turn into wolves.
While we fight them off, I ask Bonito, “I thought the Cuchillos hardly dabbled in magic.”
“Either someone is desperate, or they have outside help.”
“These wolves keep putting themselves together.”
“You know magic better than I do.”
“I’m thinking that someone is making them regenerate. We have to find them to make them stop.”
“Makes sense to me.”
We run further into the junkyard while fighting off the wolves. More keep showing up as we go further in so we’re either getting close to the conjurer or getting further into their trap.
“Do you regret not allowing me to bring my backup now?”
“Not at all. If I die with you, at least it would be like a tragic romance.”
I’m highly tempted to let one of these wolves kill her and pick up the investigation from there.
‘But you’re such a knight that you wouldn’t do that.’
You don’t know that.
We arrive near a cave that illuminates a green glow. Thinking that’s where the conjurer is, we enter the cave to see the person making the trash into wolves.
I tell the woman, “Stop this now!”
“You have to make me!”
The woman brings her hand in the air, makes it glow black, and is about to bring it into her chest, but I cut off half her arm to prevent her from doing whatever she was planning. Bonito throws a knife through the woman’s other hand to prevent her from using that one.
I then put my knives to the conjurer’s neck and say, “You aren’t going to be pulling any tricks on us. Tell us what you’re doing here.”
“Some hero you are doing this to a poor woman like me.”
“If you wanted my help, you wouldn’t have attacked me.”
“I was just going to get rid of Bonito to free you from her influence, but it seems like she has a tight leash on you.”
I hear Bonito whispering to herself, “If only I did.”
“She doesn’t have a leash on me. Explain to me what’s happening, and I promise you that I’ll choose the right decision.”
“Okay. Let me close my wound first.”
“I don’t know about that Benedetto. She might pull something on us. We could just interrogate her then heal her later as an incentive.”
“Show me that you’re not on her leash by listening to me.”
“Fine.”
I let the woman go and pull the knife out of her other hand. She then uses her injured hand to heal her arm and regenerates it.
“See? You can trust me,” she says, “I wouldn’t pull anything on you because I know you’re a good hero.”
“Tell me why you and your friends want to start a civil war.”
“The rich and powerful of the Cuchillos are supposed to take care of the less fortunate, and yet, they aren’t.”
“The Cuchillos work on a system of merit,” Bonito responds, “If you haven’t proved yourself to be useful members of society, then you’re nothing but lazy good-for-nothings.”
“Your system is rigged. No one is going to give us a chance to prove ourselves and no has because of the monopoly the richest and most influential already have.”
“You can still do it. I know you can because that’s what my parents did. Get connections, prove yourself, and people will help you get to the top.”
“Prove myself by working jobs that we can barely get by on? We might as well have the same caste system the Blighted and Fedele have.”
‘Politics are such a headache.’
I interject, “Okay, you can argue about the politics and business of your culture later. Bonito, are you willing to gather the influential Cuchillos and convince them to make changes so that poorer people will have better opportunities to become successful or at least live comfortable lives?”
“I will if they stop their scheme against us.”
“Is this good for you?”
“You’ll have to publicly announce it tomorrow, but I’m not sure that the others will listen to you. I barely believe you because of how many attempts to fix the system have failed.”
Bonito says, “Then we’ll have to stop them ourselves. Tell us what they’re going to do.”
“We’re going to get rid of the most corrupt leaders in one day.”
“Where are the assassins?”
“Here is a list of locations they’re supposed to be at. I don’t know their exact plans, but I’m sure your people are used to dealing with assassination attempts.”
“Thank you. We’ll deal with your friends tomorrow. Benedetto, how do you want to deal with her?”
“She can go free.”
“Fine.”
“Thank you, Benedetto. I’m confident that you’ll change the world for the better.”
“It’s God that does that. I’m just his tool.”
“Oh, of course. I almost forgot you were a Fedele.”
I watch the woman walk away while standing in front of Bonito to make sure she doesn’t try to kill her. When I look at her, she smiles as if she knows what I’m thinking.
“Do you still want to check those other locations?” I ask her.
“We don’t need to because of our findings here. I have to send out messages to my contacts to have them ready for tomorrow. Let’s head back to my tower.”
Back at the tower, I find my Sparrows having a good time. They appear to be getting in some good rest after being so busy. Donna and Lilia appear to have done another drinking contest though it looks like it ended in a draw. Bonito sits by me after sending her messages.
“Are you going to sleep soon?” she asks.
“I will. There’s nothing else I can do today so there’s no point in staying up overnight.”
“You can stay upstairs in the tower with me. It’s a great view of the starlit sky and quiet city. Also, your wife looks like she could barf on you while you sleep.”
“She won’t. She’s been like this before.”
“What an oaf.”
“What did I say?”
“Oh, that’s right, excuse me.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Good night.”
Bonito gave us some really good rooms in the tower. Apparently, these rooms were supposed to be for the families of her family’s partners. I’m finding it hard to fall asleep because of the things that Bonito could pull. Even though I should feel safe because Donna and Lilia are sleeping in the room, they’re out cold, which is strange. I know that Cuchillos are known for their hard liquor, but Donna has drunken it before. It shouldn’t have too much of an effect on her unless…
‘Remember what I told you.’
I quickly get up, get my knives, and look through the room only to find Bonito under the bed. She’s wearing a light purple nightgown that’s a little see-through. She has a few knives on her thighs and she also has her claw fingers.
‘She obviously planned for an eventful night.’
Stop making me think about it.
“What are you doing in my room?”
“Oh, nothing.”
Bonito starts to slowly walk towards me with her arms out at me as if she’s trying to grab me. I slowly walk back with my knives ready.
“Tell me the truth.”
“This is the truth.”
“Do you know I can have you killed, and your death ruled as an act against a hero?”
“Do you know that both of use the people around us more than our own strength against our problems? We’re so alike.”
“We aren’t.”
“I can do you a favor if you let me hold you.”
“You can do me a favor by leaving.”
“How about I scratch your back before you scratch mine then?”
Bonito tries to stab Donna, but I grab her before the blade hits her neck and throw Bonito down to the ground. I then put my knives to her neck and pin her down.
“Try that again and I’ll make sure you were never born.”
‘Oooh, I like this serious side of you.’
“I love it when you get serious. It’s a shame that you married a pig.”
That’s it. I pull Bonito up then punch her face into the floor before pinning her down again.
“What did I tell you?”
“Yes, let’s play rough.”
“Do you have a death wish?”
“No, but I do have the cure to a sickness I gave to your two guards.”
“What? Again with this?!”
“You’re going to be mine.”
I punch her to the ground again.
“Give them the cure.”
“I will if you sleep with me.”
“Are you serious?”
“Very serious.”
“My guards will have a few things to say when they get up.”
“They won’t wake up until tomorrow morning. We’ll have more than enough time to enjoy each other’s company. You win with either decision.”
I’m so sick of this.
‘Hahahaha!’
“Fine. You can have what you want.”
“Yes!”
I let go of her, but then she lungs her head at me. I manage to put my knives back to her neck before her lips touch mine.
“I will get my kiss.”
“Keep dreaming.”
Bonito administers the cure to Donna and Lilia via syringe. I then move Donna to the other bed in the room before Bonito lays with me. I hate the smile on her face. If I could only punch her one more time.
‘You could.’
Nah. It isn’t worth it.
‘You aren’t a very fun person.’
I’m not going to abuse my blessing.
‘You’re a better hero than me.’
I want to think that, but situations like this make me doubt that. Ah! She tries kissing me again, but I still have my knives with me.
“And I thought that thing poking me was-”
“Go to sleep.”
I don’t fall asleep until I see Bonito completely fall asleep. Hopefully, I can leave here after tomorrow.
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