Blood, Honor, and Time: Volume 3

Copyright 2019 Albert Oon

Published by Albert Oon at Smashwords

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“Every man's work shall be manifest; for the day of the Lord shall declare it, because it shall be revealed in fire; and the fire shall try every man's work, of what sort it is.” - 1 Corinthians 3:13

Chapter 1 – The Consequences of Having Too Much Power

I don’t know what’s up with today, but it feels off. I haven’t heard from Tunc in a while so another one of my challenges might be coming soon. It’s been a few years since we last spoke. That was when I was getting all three of the cultures to trust me. I succeeded and there has been relative peace throughout the world with the exception of a low crime rate, which I don’t think I can completely get rid of. I guess I can’t have everything be perfect. People will be people.

While eating breakfast, my wife, Donna asks me, “Is something the matter, Benedetto? You’ve been staring blankly at things ever since you woke up.”

“Oh, it’s nothing. I just have a weird feeling about today. That’s all.”

I try my best to smile for Donna to make her feel better, but she still seems concerned.

“I know what might help you feel better.”

“No, Donna. We already have seven kids and you already convinced me to have them. It’s the perfect number after all.”

“No, that’s not what I’m talking about though you must’ve read the part of my mind that wanted that. No. I want us to take a vacation. You’ve been doing nothing but repetitive work for the past few years. Even dragon hunting and the many other quests you’ve been going on have been getting boring. They don’t hold a candle to taking down the central government or getting all the cultures to trust you.”

“These past few years might as well have been a vacation for how slow and easy going they were.”

“We have to do something together. Maybe we can solve some of the problems that our Sparrows are dealing with. You can’t use your massive super army to solve everything.”

“That’s why I have trusted people doing some of the hard work.”

“You can’t always trust those girls with the power you’ve given them especially Bonito.”

“She’s a good strategist. Besides, all she wants to be is just a person to help her people after I asserted myself to her and the other girls.”

“I still don’t trust them being around you.”

“Hey, they haven’t tried to get touchy for years now. There’s nothing to worry about from them.”

“What’s wrong then?”

“I don’t know. I just have a feeling that something’s wrong.”

“Maybe it’s because we’re eating alone or the cooking. The food doesn’t taste as good because your parents and Volante had a hand in it. No offense to the chiefs.”

The chiefs don’t take much offense to it since Volante’s one of the best cooks in the area. My parents and Volante have been off on their vacation for a while after I allowed them it, which sounds weird now that I think about it.

Donna continues, “Speaking about old friends, Corso and Stella haven’t been in contact for a while now. You aren’t concerned about them, are you?”

“No, not at all. They can take care of themselves.”

“There’s nothing for you to be worried about then. Our children are safe here too if you’re worried about them eventually going out into the world. You can always go back in time to fix things if things go wrong, right?”

“I could.”

“That hasn’t happened already, has it?”

“No, it hasn’t.”

“Benedetto.”

“What?”

“Look at me.”

I look into Donna’s comforting eyes. She softly smiles at me in silence before she says, “Everything is fine.”

‘Or is it?’

Tunc?

“What happened, Benedetto? Is Tunc saying something to you that’s concerning? What is your next big challenge to overcome?”

“Hold on.”

What’s going on, old friend? I’ve been feeling anxious lately for no reason that I can think of. Is something happening that I should know about? Tunc?

Before I know it, a bloody bag flies into the window and splatters blood across the nice floors that I just had cleaned not too long ago. Donna looks back it just in time for it to explode. She lands on top of me with burns across her back. What a time to not be wearing your special armor that I had such a hard time in getting you.

“I need a healer! Donna needs help!” I scream to my doctor in my house as several other explosions rock the house and destroyed it.

My armors master brings me my armor and weapons while I can hear my troops engage whoever the enemy is. The messengers should be sending out requests for help from nearby and far away Sparrows. I go outside to see my hometown in flames with bodies everywhere some of them being civilians. My Sparrows are fighting knights in crimson golden armor and goat demons. Since teleportation magic has been developed, more of my soldiers come pouring in. They fight for me, but I get hit from attackers who are invisible. My Sparrows use their heat-seeking magic to take these people out.

The battle is going relatively well until explosions, fire, and arrows rain from the sky. This attack came from outside the city and definitely not from my forces since they wouldn’t kill their own. The only reason why I survive the attack is because of the people that take the hit for me. I still take heavy injuries from the attack. Everyone in town is either dead or injured. I’m somewhere in between, but I still stand up tall with my Sparrow’s flag to support me. I should’ve probably taken out the arrows from me first, but this is fine. I deserve this for not preparing for it. If I die now, I want to show them that I died standing even though I’m going to reset time once I die. Here comes another barrage. I’m ready to accept death.

Huh?

“Donna?”

Donna is back up and has just protected me with two shields with an additional one on her back. She’s still injured and obviously on her last legs, but she’s using it to protect me. Donna smiles before lightly kissing me and falling over on me. Even though I’ve gotten stronger, I’m too weak to hold her up right now and we both fall down together. Another barrage is coming in. I guess this is a good way for my first death to be. I hold Donna as I wait for death to take me. Huh? The barrage stops before it hits the town. More of my Sparrows come in and destroy the artillery and the remaining enemies. Thank you, God, for your saving hand.

‘You’re blessed to have gathered so many supporters.’

I am, but it still wasn’t enough to protect the people in the town.

‘You were always going to be pushed to your limits. Did you really think your job as a hero would always be easy?’

I didn’t think it would get this bad.

‘It had to in order to give you a real challenge. You have enough power, resources, and influence to deal with it.’

You’re right. I do.

‘Then deal with it. You have my sympathies.’

Thank you.

This place is an absolute disaster. I’ll have to deal with this situation as soon as I’m able to move without much pain. I wonder what was in that bag that got thrown through my window. It can’t be anything good, but I have to see…

“Those bastards are going to pay! Every last one of them!” I scream out loud at the sight of what’s in the bag.

‘I told you, you have my sympathies.’

I didn’t know it was for this!

‘Of course they were going to go after your closest family and friends. You should probably check on your kids.’

Oh crap! I almost forgot.

‘How do you almost forget?’

Now’s not the time!

I go to the metal safety shelter that I have made for them to see all seven of them safe and sound. Thank you, God! If only I can keep them safe like this forever. I kiss them all on the head multiple times. Oh no…

“Ah!” I say as I wake up in a tent.

“Calm down, Benedetto! You’re safe now and so are your children and wife,” a healer says as they heal me with their magic.

“Thanks be to God.”

Mom…dad…Volante…Stella…Corso…I swear I’ll avenge you.

‘Now you seem to really care about them.’

What are you talking about?

‘You put them in the background once you became a hero. Donna, being a celebrated hero, and your quests made you forget them when they weren’t in view.’

Don’t be so absurd.

‘It’s true. How come you weren’t with them on their vacation? When’s the last time you spent quality time with them?’

I was with them in my time off.

‘And how did you spend that time? You were doing your hero business with them standing there in the background. Sure, you gave them recognition, but that’s it. They were barely side characters in your story.’

I still…

‘Chose the life of a high and mighty hero over a simple one.’

This is the best I could do for them. They were happy.

‘You saw them happy when you were with them. They definitely understood why you were so busy all the time and why you married Donna, but it doesn’t mean they didn’t miss the old you.’

What could’ve I done to make things better?

‘You could’ve just married Stella. I’ve seen that story play out before. The low-class hero starts with nothing and makes their way into the ranks of the best heroes. You had it better than other heroes when you started out. You could’ve used that plus your cunning to beat your challenges and get to this same point in time. It might’ve even been a better present with your family and friends alive, and the town still standing. Lucky for you, you can see that happen. Do you want to reset time back to the start?’

…I don’t.

‘What?! Did you become some selfish prick when I wasn’t watching? Most of what you held dear is dead and destroyed. Don’t you want to bring them back to life?’

I deserve this…

‘Oh no, don’t write yourself this kind of story. “I’m going to create pity for myself so my story can seem more heroic and braver”. You can’t always neglect your time controlling blessing because you want an increase in ability. Just use them already.’

It’s not like that. Let everyone who cared about me stay in Heaven. They’re going to be happier up there than with me. If I did this to them because of my pride and weakness, then let it be. I need to do this penance.

‘Oh come on, don’t be so hard on yourself.’

I’m all better now and I’m going to fix the mess I made. Tell my family I’m sorry for not being there for them and neglecting them.

‘Benedetto…’

Please. Just do it.

‘Okay, I will.’

I get up from the bed in the tent once the healers finish their treatment.

“Are you sure you want to be up right now, Benedetto?” a healer asks.

“I need to be.”

I go to where Donna is resting. She’s heavily injured and doesn’t look like she’s going to be ready to move for a day or two even with our best healers. She still looks beautiful all things considered.

Donna opens her eyes and smiles. She holds my face and says, “I’m glad you’re still alive, Benedetto, my love.”

“I’m even more glad that you’re alive too. I can’t stand to lose anyone else.”

I then explain to her what happened.

“I’m so sorry. Your family, Volante, and even Stella and Corso were some of the best family I’ve had. Oh, you’re not going to reset time to save them?”

“No, I’m not. I deserve this for putting them off to the side and disregarding them.”

“Don’t worry about that if you can fix it. What was the event that you could change so you can save them?”

“Meeting you.”

“What?”

“If I didn’t meet you and used that shortcut, then things would’ve been different.”

“…Change it.”

“Donna…”

“You can always marry me again, Benedetto. Do it to save your family.”

“If I change it, we probably won’t get married. I’d have to fulfill my promise to Stella if I went back.”

“I don’t want to say anything mean about her since she just died, but you know what I’m thinking.”

“Heh, you know when we first met, I didn’t like you. I wanted to find a way to get out of our arranged relationship. I’m not sure if it’s because you smothered me in so much love or because of your personality, but you took my heart. I’m not going to cower away from the consequences of my choices.”

“Then let me help you.”

“You’re in no condition to.”

“Then let me be your shield. I’m not going to let you get in danger without me.”

“No, Donna and that’s final. I need to do this by myself. You can join later when you’ve made a full recovery.”

“Benedetto-”

“Knowing me, I’ll complete this challenge in no time, so there’s nothing to worry about. Trust me. I love you, Donna.”

I give Donna a kiss before leaving.

“Benedetto! Healers, get me back to normal quicker!”

Haha, of course she’d be like that. Tunc?

‘I told your family what you said and how you felt. They trust in your course of action.’

Thank you. Now, let’s get to work old friend.

Chapter 2 – Sinners in the Body

Once Bonito arrives, I tell her about what happened.

“I’m so sorry, Benedetto. You aren’t going to-”

“No, I’m not going to. I’ve already been asked a hundred times already.”

“I see.”

“Tell me who we’re dealing with.”

“First, we’re dealing with a group of infiltrators called Pura Humanitas within the Church. They appear to seek to destroy it from the inside out in though we don’t know their true motives yet. Those were the goat demons you saw. We’ve been suspicious of corrupted clergy but didn’t know things would turn out like this.”

“I’ll take them out first.”

“I thought you would. I already have Sparrows going through the clergy, but chances are that they’re in hiding. The second group of people that attacked us is called the Tyrant Apostles. They’re a group of people who think that God’s sacrifice for us relived us of our sins and the future sins we commit, therefore, we cannot be sinful beings at all and don’t need to worry about sinning. These were the knights in crimson golden armor. We’ve been watching them for a while, but we didn’t know they would attack you.”

“They’re next on my list after that. Are the two groups one now or?”

“We think they only came together for this one attack, which is why it was so strong. It’s unlikely that they’ll work together again like this, but we don’t know. These people have largely been very secretive even for some of the Sparrows who are experienced in being undercover. They looked like such small problems that we didn’t think we needed to bother with them until now.”

“Give me a location to start at.”

“Castita is one where I don’t have any Sparrows yet. It’s that place where both the laity and priesthood are able to clear their minds in peace. I’ll head over there with you as soon as I’m done organizing our forces. Your help would be appreciated.”

I disappear before Bonito finishes talking. I don’t want to involve anyone else I know at least for now.

‘You know Bonito is going to join you as soon as she can right then yell at you?’

I know. I’m honestly just acting impulsively right now because of what happened.

‘Aren’t you going to go back then?’

No, I have a plan.

‘Oh really? Show me then.’

Give me my sneaking clothes. The white version. Also, give me my smaller knives and throwing knives.

‘Here. Careful with the knives. I just sharped them in my spare time.’

Thanks. I’m going to need them extra sharp for this.

Since the attack happened, the Pura Humanitas should be one of the things that people are talking about. I should overhear something about them. It doesn’t take long for me to hear something about Pura from the crowd.

“What those priests and monks did to Benedetto and his hometown was uncalled for.”

“I knew there was clergy in the church who aren’t the best, but I didn’t think they’d form a group like the Pura. What do you know about them?”

“From the priests I know, there are certain ones who go against dogma because Benedetto and other heroes like him don’t always use the blessings given to them by God. This makes them think they can change the world without God and even think they can use the powers of the devil without becoming evil themselves. What a bunch of idiots.”

“Do you know who these idiots are?”

“No, but I heard they’re going to meet at an abandoned monastery not too far from here later today to meet and plan their next attack.”

“You heard that? We should report it to the Sparrows.”

“Quiet. Pura could be overhearing our conversation as we speak. I’ve been trying to get away from the crowd to get on a horse to get out of here, but I haven’t been able to find one. It’s like they’ve all been taken.”

That could mean Pura is going to start their meeting soon. I better head over to that monastery.

‘I marked the place on your map. Here.’

Thanks, Tunc.

‘Uh oh. Bonito is here and I can already tell she’s mad.’

She brought some help too and oh no. She brought Donna.

‘You’re in trouble, my friend.’

I don’t care about that. Let’s hurry to the monastery.

‘Donna is already yelling for you.’

I’m ignoring it.

‘You’re going to get a beating when you see her again. Are you sure you don’t want to lessen it by telling her what you know now?’

No, I want to do this on my own. I can’t keep relying on others to help me. I want to show them that I can do some things by myself.

‘You’re trying to be a real man, aren’t ya? I don’t blame you. I did the same thing.’

Then stop talking about it. Give me my movement enhancing boots and smoke bombs.

‘Here. Now you’re really moving through the forest. Decking out your arsenal in your downtime really paid off, doesn’t it?’

It better. I didn’t do all of that work for other people for nothing. I did everything in my power to make sure my Sparrows, family, friends, and myself were given everything so they can be prepared for anything. I guess I didn’t think of everything.

‘No one can think of everything. Don’t be hard on yourself.’

I’ll try not to be. We’re here now.

‘This place doesn’t give me a good feeling.’

I feel it too.

‘It might be haunted by demons. Be careful.’

Go it.

This place feels even worse on the inside. It seems like nighttime in here even though it’s the early afternoon outside. The dust in here is so thick that I have to use my shirt to breathe properly. It’s like winter in her with how cold it is. Huh? I think I heard creaking in the floors.

‘Be on your guard. Look for moving shadows.’

Shh…There!

I turn around and slash a shadow’s neck open. Another few try jumping on me, but I manage to cut them down before they hit me. Several then attack me at once and I counter by doing a three-sixty degree slash to cut them all down at once.

‘Good job. Those demons possess you once they enter your body.’

It’s a good thing I always practice then.

The feeling in here has gotten less cold and less dense. As I explore the building, I find several books on heroes and holy books without much dust on them. The rest of this place looks like it was recently used despite the heavy dust. Maybe Pura thought dusting up this place would make it look abandoned. That meeting might be starting soon, so I find a hiding spot and wait. It doesn’t take too long until I hear people coming in. I can’t understand what they’re saying yet, but they sound distressed. That’s good.

“How was I supposed to know that his wife would protect him?”

I can hear them now and see them. They’re definitely clergy. How could they be this way?

“Of course that monster of a woman would protect him. She’s devoted to that man as if he was the last thing on earth she had.”

I’m not going to kill them. I’m going to humiliate these people. It’s going to be harsh especially since they talked about Donna in that way.

“Benedetto’s forces were as tough as we thought. We almost got him.”

“But what if he reset time so he could see our strength?”

“If he reset time, he would’ve arrested us already and his family and friends would still be alive. Besides, he’s a better hero than that. He doesn’t need his time blessing to be a great hero.”

Wow. I never expected them to compliment me.

“We needed him to survive, to see his dead family, and to not reset time. This is going according to plan. All we need for him is to meet us, which he should soon.”

“Maybe he’s already here.”

“That might actually be true. The feeling in here isn’t what it used to be. Benedetto! Come out. We have to speak to you.”

‘These clerics have strong demonic energy within them.’

I’ll talk to them.

‘Are you sure?’

I’ve always tried the least bloody option first and almost tasted death already. What’s the worst that can happen?

‘You wouldn’t want to know.’

Donna and Bonito are probably going to figure out where I am and be here soon. There’s nothing to worry about.

“You people better start explaining yourself,” I say as I step out of the shadows of my hiding spot.

“Our only objective is to better humanity.”

“And you did that by submitting to the devil? I thought people like you were supposed to be smarter than that.”

“We are. How do you think we came to our conclusion? Curb your tongue, young man. Your superiors know better.”

“My superiors know better than you. Just because you’re older and know more about the faith doesn’t mean that you’re right about your beliefs.”

“We know that you didn’t get this far with God’s help. You did everything on your own without even using the special blessings of a hero.”

“Everything I am and everything I’ve accomplished is because God is good and thanks to Him. I couldn’t exist without Him.”

“The Church doesn’t have the authority to define our beliefs and our relationship with God. He’s given that authority to all of his followers.”

“Don’t even joke about that. If anyone has the authority to define their beliefs and their relationship with God, then you give people the power to define the root of all morality itself. You might as well say humans can be good without God or that there’s no such thing as the one true faith. Your beliefs are absurd. Turn yourself in so you have time to make yourself right with God.”

“There’s four of us and only one of you. Are you really going to try to fight-”

That’s all I needed to hear. I quickly throw a smoke bomb in the middle of them and knock one of them down. Ah! I got cut.

“That isn’t going to work on us! Satan has gifted us with the vision to see you in this smoke!”

That’s fine. I could use the challenge. I’ve practiced fighting martial artists in my spare time and Donna, but mostly with Donna since she liked to spar for obvious reasons. These people are challenging, but nothing too bad for me even with their demonically enhanced skills. Their numbers become a detriment to them as I use their friends as shields and as weapons by throwing them at them. I win in a matter of minutes.

‘How are you going to bring them back?’

Oh. Didn’t think about that.

I find some rope, tie them up, and drag them out of the monastery. Since I’m stronger than I was before, it’s not impossible for me to do this, but it’s still a chore. It reminds me of some of the training I had to do to become this strong. Ah. There are Bonito and Donna coming this way now and they look mad. I might have to use that time traveling blessing now.

‘Are you serious? Because you sound serious.’

I feel like I am. I’m not sure if I should give them a smile or be serious. My face feels like it’s contorting to do both in a panic because I know Donna is going to hit me. Instead of doing anything, I stand my ground with a strong face on.

As my friends surround me, I say to them, “I managed to find some of the members of Pura Humanitas and capture them. They told me their motivations and thinking. Take them in for further questioning.”

A couple of my Sparrows take the captives and go away, but Donna and Bonito along with their guards stay.

My strong demeanor starts to weaken, but I try to strengthen it by saying, “I know I acted impulsively, but that’s because I wanted to prove to you that you don’t always have to protect me. After I lost my family, I just felt so weak and had to show that I was still strong to everyone especially those close to me. I’m sorry.”

Donna gets off her horse and approaches me. I keep my strong face on though I’m just bracing for a hit…Huh? Donna hugs me instead of hitting me when I did something she didn’t want me to. That’s a first. She is squeezing me though.

She says, “I know how you feel. I feel the same way, but you can’t just go out by yourself like this. I know you can just go back in time in case you die, but I don’t even want to think about that. Please, let us help you.”

“Alright. You can hel-”

“Is that all?!” Donna says as she squeezes me harder, “You just wanted to do something to feel stronger as if you lost your manhood?!”

“I…I…can’t breathe…”

‘These are always my favorite parts.’

Shut up!

I manage to slip out and push her away.

“I’m…I’m sorry. I said I was sorry, Donna.”

“You’re going to have to do a lot more to prove that to me especially since you went off on your own and pushed me away.”

“Fine. I’ll…do whatever you want.”

“Whatever I want?”

“We already have enough kids!”

Bonito shakes her head at us with a smile while some of the guards behind them whisper and laugh amongst themselves. Even after so many years, Donna has something over me that makes me submit to her. Once I see my Sparrows who took away the heretics, they tell me everything they know since we have effective methods of getting information out of people. It’s an old Sparrow trick from when they were bandits. Pura Humanitas and the Tyrant Apostles are the same group called Lavit Manus. They’re a group of people from all cultures who a bit too zealous for their belief in God and have separated themselves because they feel that they’re purer than the Church. Because of our underground network and intelligence in public from my close friends in Cuchillos, I’ve been able to get the names and locations of most of these people. We’re hunting them down as we speak.”

‘You always have your ways of accomplishing your challenges faster than expected.’

I try to minimalize fighting and deaths. That’s the way I do things. You should know that by now.

‘I’m just saying. In fact, it’s a good thing. Because of your plans, dozens of lives have been saved.’

I hope I’ve saved as many as possible.

“Okay, Bonito. What’s our part in the plan?”

“I thought you’d want to be on the frontlines of the next battle with Lavit Manus. They’re said to launch their next big offensive against the Fedele capital of La Santa Vedere tomorrow.”

“How could they launch an attack against a holy city? Of course, I’ll be on the frontlines.”

“I thought so. Well, get some rest and be up early tomorrow. Lavit Manus doesn’t know we know their plans so we’re going to launch a surprise attack on them as a way of getting back at them for what they did with us.”

“I can’t wait for that.”

Donna says, “But it’s time for you to rest. Come on.”

“Okay, I will. I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”

“Have a good rest,” Bonito says as she goes back to work with the other strategists.

It’s almost nighttime so Donna and I get a quick bite to eat then go to an Inn to rest.

In bed, I say, “It’s crazy what happened today, isn’t it? All of these different things and we’re finally resting after it.”

Donna holds me closer while silently staring me in the eyes. That’s never a good sign.

“You said before that you didn’t like me when we first met.”

‘Oh no, Benedetto, you messed up. You never tell a woman you don’t like them. They hold onto that.’

“That was a long time ago. Besides, we got married and everything during the same time, so I changed my mind after getting to know you better.”

“Was I disgusting to you? Overbearing? Too touchy?”

“A-It doesn’t matter what I was thinking back then because right now, you’re the most beautiful and important woman in my life.”

“You stuttered!”

“Okay, why are you really asking me this?”

“Why won’t you have sex with me?”

“Oh, psh. Of course, it’s about that. It’s because we’re fine with the number of kids we have. I told you this over and over again. Why are you so horny?”

“Because I want to show you how much I love you. I want to comfort you and feel closer to you so that you know how much I love you.”

“I appreciate it, but you don’t have to do it that way. That’s not the main reason why people have sex you know?”

“I know. Sort of.”

“You’ve already proved to me how much you love me, and I love you with all of my heart. Just remember that.”

“Okay, but…” Donna climbs on top of me, “We’re sleeping like this tonight.”

“Okay. Fine.”

I swear when we sleep like this, Donna sometimes suffocates me with her chest. I might die of that one day if I’m careful.

‘Hey, it’s not a bad way to go.’

Shut up.

‘Haha. I’m just saying.’

 

Chapter 3 – A Display of Strength

AHHH! Damn it, Donna did you just?!

‘What a way to wake up. Hahaha.’

…Okay, she didn’t or at least I don’t think she did. I woke up with both Donna’s and my clothes off. I just felt around us, and it seems like she didn’t do anything to me, yet.

Donna wakes up and says, “Good morning, my love. You must be feeling a certain way if you’re touching me the way you were.”

“Why did you take off our clothes?”

“Because I like sleeping like this sometimes. You should know.”

“I wish I forgot, in fact, I did. Stop doing this without me knowing.”

“Why? Do I disgust you?”

“What? No, not at all.”

“Does it have to do with the scars on my body?”

“No.”

“Then you’ll deal with it. Let’s sleep for two more minutes.”

“Uh-uh. Two minutes to you is another hour or two.”

“Yup.”

“We have to be ready for battle today.”

“They can start the fight without us. This is more important.”

“No, it isn’t. Come on already.”

I start pushing Donna off me while she clings on.

“Ah! Stop biting my neck!”

“Uh-uh.”

“I sometimes don’t know I deal with you.”

Donna laughs while still hanging onto me with her teeth in my neck. I manage to push her away so I can get dressed. Today’s going to be a big day especially since-

“Can you stop staring at me and get dressed already?!”

“I can admire my husband while he gets dressed.”

“You can do that while dressing too.”

After getting dressed and suited up, Donna and I go to where Bonito is to hear her plan.

Bonito tells us that, “One of the reasons why we’re meeting so early is because I have two plans ready for you.”

One of the strategists intrudes by saying, “Uh. All of us had a part in making it.”

“Shut up. I’m Benedetto’s main strategist, so it’s my plan.”

“You’ll all get your just rewards for your hard work now tell me your plans.”

“Right. These two plans will increase your standing with everyone from all three cultures and could prevent further uprisings against us. The first one is to use non-lethal gases and enchanted weapons to knock out our attackers and jail them. This will be a great show of mercy, but it might also show us to be weak for not killing people who would and have killed others and fought against the Church. The second plan is to overwhelm our enemies with force and obliterate them. This will show off our might and put the fear into whoever might think they could take us on. The downside to it would scare our allies as well. There’s also the fact that we’re spilling blood where God died for us as well. We could be creating martyrs for a future problem.”

“I see good points in both of those plans, however, we’ll be merciful to our enemies. It was one of the teachings God gave to us when He walked among us.”

“I thought you would choose that. Okay, everyone, you heard the man! Let’s get to it!”

My Sparrows cheer as they mobilize. The place I’m stationed in allows me to come out to make a speech after the battle. Once the battle starts, it ends quicker than the ambush they did to us. We use sleeping gas, non-lethal traps, and enchanted non-lethal weapons. We round up everyone in a matter of minutes. Once it’s clear, the public comes out to congratulate us for our victory.

I then get up on a platform and say, “God said to us that we should have mercy on our enemies and love them. Even the worst sinners love those who they have close to them and pay their due debts to them. We should all be better than them by loving our enemies and giving them a second chance to redeem themselves.”

The crowd cheers for my Sparrows and I. We are honored and awarded by the Church and the Fedele for our efforts. During the same day, we arrest nearly every member of Lavit Manus. We have a large funeral service for the people we lost yesterday then a celebration for our victory at night. I watch over the celebration from a balcony with Donna who’s hanging over me.

“Is something wrong, Benedetto?” Donna asks me while petting my head.

“I feel like my work isn’t done yet.”

“You’re always like that. I’m sure whatever’s left that you need to do, you’ll do with no trouble.”

Tunc, are you still there?

‘I am.’

Is there anything else for me to do?

‘You do, but I don’t know what it is. You defeated the one group that’s against you, so what you need to do next is completely unknown to me.’

Hmmm. I’ll figure it out.

‘I’m sure you won’t need my help. You didn’t even ask for the free hint I have for you this time around.’

I could use it if you think it would help.

‘Nah. It isn’t useful anymore.’

Then I’ll just keep doing what I’m doing until I complete my challenge.

After getting a good night’s rest, I check the request board to see who needs help. One of these has to do with the challenge I’m facing. Ah. This one has to do with a weird experiment gone wrong with flesh. There may be some demonic activity associated with these experiments, but it could just be an accident. That kind of sounds like something Lavit Manus would be involved in. Huh. From the description, it could also be something I dealt with in between my challenges. It couldn’t hurt to look especially if it’s a spreading infection as described in this request.

Since Donna got hungover yesterday, I head out on my own.

Tunc? Can I have my gear that’s enchanted with fire?

‘You got it. Well, you got it now.’

Thank you.

I ask one of my magic users to make a portal to the location and I enter into Blighted territory. I’m next to one of the many large mountains in the region. Apparently, a rogue Cuchillos alchemist was trying to evolve human organs so that we can survive longer. He wasn’t known for having exactly the most ethical ways of researching so he disappeared. This area was where he was last seen. While looking around the mountains, I find some weird marks as if something was dragged down a cave in the mountain. Or did something walk in it? Let’s see what the mad alchemist has cooked up.

I unsheathe my blades so they light up. I use them as a pseudo torch to see through the darkness of the cave. As I go further in, I find human and animal flesh lining the walls of the cave. This can’t be good at all so I burn the flesh with my blades as I go deeper down into the earth. The further I go the more flesh and blood I find and the more it stinks. The fire I’ve lit spreads ahead of and lights the way forward. I might be seeing things, but it looks like the flesh is alive. It convulses and makes a low, but high-pitched screeching noise, so this is like the previous flesh infection that I dealt with. The last time something like this happened, it was a Blighted alchemist and both people and the land was infected. Maybe I should’ve brought back up with me.

Yup. I should’ve brought back up. At the end of the cave, I find a large expansive room with a beating heart in the center. The flesh on the walls starts to come to life and form some kind of animal, human hybrid with sharp bony limbs that are like blades. My fire blades cut through them like butter. The fire I’ve lit spreads more rapidly and starts burning the fleshy heart in the center. It feels like the entire mountain is shaking as the mountain crumbs around me. The cave I came through collapses, but another tunnel opens in the room. It’s covered in bloody flesh, so this isn’t the only affected mountain.

Going through the next tunnel, I find more living hearts and flesh. The fire I’ve lit has spread throughout more of the mountain and the other connecting tunnels I haven’t been in. This must be one large connected creature. That makes sense since these flesh creatures are so in tuned with each other while I fight them. I wonder what’s happening up above ground.

‘Donna isn’t going like that you went out on your own for this.’

I didn’t know it would be this bad!

‘I hope that excuses you.’

Me too.

I light more of the caves and surroundings on fire so that the creature burns faster. Thank God I have fireproof gear otherwise I would’ve burned to ashes already. The fire is so intense and spread in here it’s as if I’m in Hell. I find a tunnel that leads further down, and I find a large man made of flesh. He has tentacles, animal limbs such as claws and stingers, and is attached to the center of the cave. He’s probably the center of all this and who I’m looking for since everything in here is connected to him and there’s flesh that connects to different areas. I light more of the room on fire so the fires can burn whatever else the flesh is connected to.

The monster man in the center starts fighting back with limbs and the cave starts spawning more flesh creatures to combat me. They commit suicide to put out the fires, so I’m going to need something better to make it get hotter in here.

Tunc, give me my fire spreaders.

‘Here!’

Now we’re playing with fire. Not only do the blades I have light up, but they also spew fire. They aren’t as sharp, but they’re useful for burning things down. It’s a great invention by the Cuchillos that they used in battle and to get rid of experiments gone wrong. My fire spreaders burn the room faster than the creatures can put them out. I dodge the monster and creatures attacks as I spread my flames around the cave. Before long, the fire is too much for them to hand and everything starts coming down around me.

Tunc, I need my cave armor!

‘Quickly put it on!’

This suit, made by the Blighted, might not protect me from the fires as well, but it will protect me from falling debris and it’s supposed to help me to escape cave-ins. Since the outfit is so bulky, I don’t have to worry about taking off my fireproof armor so I can wear both at the same time.

‘This is going to be a rocky escape!’

This is not the time for your jokes, Tunc! I’m being buried alive here!

‘I’ve died in worse ways when I was in your shoes. At least you have that armor and can-do attitude.’

Damn it! I’m stuck in the rocks, but I can see a light ahead. I’ll have to dig myself out. At least this armor still allows me to move in this mess. Come on, come on! There we go! I take off all the armor I have and give it to Tunc to hold onto in his dimension. Finally, fresh…air. The flesh disease managed to break out of the ground, but it’s all burning, which is a good thing though it’s still a mess up here. Huge veins and fleshy tentacles stick out of the mountains and ground as if this entire landmass was a creature itself. At least it’s all dead. I better get home now before…Huh? Who’s that? It looks like a person in hazard armor.

“Excuse me?” I say to them, “I’m not sure it’s safe to be here…”

What did they shoot at me with…?

 

Chapter 4 – The Beginning of the End

Huh? What happened? I can’t see anything. It feels like my clothes are off. My arms are restrained, and my legs can barely move. Donna, I already told you I didn’t want any more children. Huh? I have some kind of black sack on my head.

‘Get up, Benedetto!’

“Where am I?” I say as the sack on my head is removed.

I’m in a cave with what looks to be a cult around me. They’re dressed in weird robes and there’s a naked-IS that Lilia?! She seems to be drugged. There are weird marks on her chest, belly, and crotch.

“What did you people do to Lilia?!”

One of the hooded cultists says, “She is to be your wife and your new child is going to be the next hero of the world.”

The people in the cave start chanting.

“Who are you people?”

“We are your devout followers, the Lavit Manus. You, who is the greatest hero of them all. We are going to unite you with this woman and strengthen your child with the power of our magic. Together, you will lead humanity into a great future.”

‘I remember a cult like this from the past heroes. Heck, even I had a cult like this following me.’

“Let us both go, disband this cult, and I’ll forget about what you’re doing.”

“We’re helping you, Benedetto. We knew you would step in to stop that raging experiment and stopped by from time to time to keep the infection where it was until you finally arrived.”

“I appreciate the thought, but you’re doing this the wrong way! I’m not going to rape Lilia just so you can strengthen our child.”

“Oh, it’s not rape. She wants you. I’m sure you know that.”

“I’m sure she didn’t volunteer for this.”

“She’ll love you as a husband when it’s over.”

“You have one last chance to let us go.”

“I’m sure you can do many things to us, but you must trust us.”

“I’m taking that as a refusal.”

I turn to the closest person holding me and break their neck with my teeth then throw them to the ground with my teeth. The cultists get on their knees and offer their prayers to me.

I tell them, “God is the only one who should be worshipped! Not man nor nature nor devil.”

They don’t listen to me, so I go to free Lilia by biting off her chains. That increased strength I got as one of my first rewards as a hero didn’t just increase my body’s strength. It also increased the strength of my bite.

‘No wonder why Donna likes getting bit by you.’

Now’s not the time to think about that.

‘Yeah, we wouldn’t want them seeing you getting excited in this situation.’

“Look! He can even break metal with his teeth!”

“It’s amazing but we have to stop him.”

Okay, I didn’t think I’d have to fight like this, but I guess I have no choice! Despite these chains, I can still move around enough to fight. I use my head and back as a weapon to quickly attack and knock them out. I only use my teeth once my head starts to really hurt. That’s all seven of them.

‘Talk about using your head.’

I’m going to have to see a dentist after this or clean my teeth with wine for all the necks I’ve bitten. Now that Lilia is free, how am I going to wake her up?

‘Kiss her.’

No.

“Lilia. Wake up,” I say near her ears.

She opens her eyes, shrieks then falls off the bed.

“Calm down, Lilia. It’s okay. You’re safe. We were abducted by some kind of cult that was going to force us to have sex so they could infuse our child with their magic.”

“I wouldn’t have min-That would’ve been terrible. I think.”

I can’t.

“Can you free me from these chains?”

“…Yeah.”

I don’t like the second she took to consider it. Lilia free me and we find our clothes and things and leave the cave to arrive in what looks to be Blighted territory.

“What happened in the distance?” Lilia asks while pointing to the mess I made with the flesh experiment.

“That’s uh. A problem I had to deal with. I’ll explain while we walk.”

What I explain to Lilia surprises her since she didn’t take the experiment too seriously. The Blighted have been focused on their armor and weapon making business ever since I stopped their “old” practice of replacing human skin with dragon skin. Their culture is doing really well with new inventions being made and the faith increasing in the region. The only downside that their culture is going through a little split as part of it wants to be more like the Cuchillos and another part wants to be like Fedele, like me.

“How did those cultists catch you?”

“I don’t know. The last thing I remember is going to bed. Did you ever get your revenge for your family?”

“I did. That was yesterday.”

“Yesterday? Didn’t your family die yesterday?”

“No. You must’ve been out since the day the Lavit Manus attacked us. The rest of them should’ve been arrested by now.”

“That’s great. Another challenge completed for you, this time in three days. I’m sure that’s spiritually significant or something.”

“It is, but I’m not sure if the challenge is done.”

“How do you know?”

“Hold on. I’ll check with Tunc.”

‘I haven’t heard anything from the people above yet, which is strange.’

Woah, the ground is starting to shake. Is that experiment still alive?

‘Oh no.’

What is it?

‘Now’s the time to get serious, Benedetto!’

What’s happening? Woah! A large noise seems to shake the skies as the ground splits apart. A red light shines out of the ground as both large and small demons start pouring out. Lilia and I start fighting them as they surround us. Before we I begin to lose hope in Lilia’s survival, my Sparrows come to our aid. Donna and a large number of my forces come to our aid.

“That was quick of you,” I tell her.

“I don’t want to hear anything from you,” Donna says in the coldest voice I’ve ever heard her speak in, “We’ve been looking for you for a day and you have the balls to show up now with that little girl? We’re going to have a long talk when we get back.”

She’s not going to like what I’m going to say. There’s an army out here for me and we’re outnumbered.

“Get some portals here! There’s too many of them.”

“You heard him!”

The mages use their teleportation magic and we end up in La Santa Vedere, which is no better.

‘The entire world is under attack.’

No way.

‘This is it, Benedetto. The end of the world.’

May God keep us all safe.

Buildings and streets are destroyed already and everyone who can fight is defending those who can’t fight. Several dragons with seven heads adorned with seven disgusting crowns fly in to bring fire and disease upon everyone. This is just like the day that my hometown was destroyed except worst, but I’m not going to let it end like this. I take off the bandages where I wrote God’s holy name, which brightens up the town as if I had the sun on my shoulders. The demons fade into blackness.

‘Great decision to use your trump card, but…’

I know. I have to quickly wrap my arms back up before any human person dies. I also feel a little woozy. Thankfully I have a few warrior priests with me who can wrap my shoulders up without being harmed…

“Wake up, Benedetto.”

“Huh? Donna. Is everyone safe?”

“They are. The entire world was under attack and reported that a shining light saved them. Your shining light. What was that thing you used? Was it some kind of spell?”

“No, the holy name of God that I have written on my shoulders will allow God to completely enter into my body so we can act as one during the final battle. It can also disintegrate all demons and sinful beings if my faith and relationship with God are strong enough, which is what you saw. Thankfully it was. It can also harm people if it isn’t covered up in time, but my warrior priests helped me with that.”

“Is the end of the world starting?”

“It is.” I hold Donna’s hand. “But we can make it. I’ll save as many people as I can.”

“I know you can. I have faith in God and you.”

‘Again, you surprise me with your abilities to pass a challenge in the best possible way.’

Do I get anything this time because I don’t think I need anything else besides what I have?

‘And that’s why God keeps giving you things, you spoiled brat. Graces beget more graces. You are granted the grace of endurance. Your body is basically a suit of armor, but there’s more! You are more patient, you grow hungry and thirsty at a slower pace.’

That’s neat, but I wish I could give it to Donna.

Donna’s soft smiling face changes to a stern one as she says, “Since you got in so much trouble by yourself, I am going to be permanently by your side for an entire week.”

“What?”

“Ah! Complain and it becomes a month. I will be with you for everything including showers, but I’ll respect your privacy when you use the bathroom.”

“Oh great.”

“Ah! It’s going to be a month.”

“M-”

“Ah! A month and a day now.”

I should reverse time for once, but I won’t. I’ll deal with it.

‘What a wife you got.’

I know, but I still love her.

The end of the world is upon us. The damages that were done to the earth and our cities might be beyond repair given the time we have to fix them, but we’re still ready, nonetheless. I just hope that I can save as many people as I can. May God help us all in the coming days.

The End