Chapter 6: El Cerro De Oro

"What I know about the Truth?" he sighed as his hands massaged his temples. "Nothing much, truth be said. If there is one thing I'm sure of... it is you cannot unveil it with science. I learned that sometimes, the only way for something to work is by letting nature do its work, even if you're begging it to make it work... even just once." For the first time I could see deep regret lying deep down the calm ocean of his blue eyes, but the next second it was gone, letting that unreadable pragmatism take place once again.

"To think I thought you an omnipotent scientist, but seems like even a smartass like you don't know about a thing or two." To that he did not respond. He instead got up and snooped around for a bottle of alcohol I'd never seen - probably some shit from the Obscure Past, it wouldn't be that surprising knowing how influent people in this town loved to keep these kind of things with them. Although it was more rare to see someone actually seep from one.

He talked as he poured down his orange liquid, "I want you to train with my god and then kill Tezcatlipoca. You shan't exit your assignated building until you've mastered your Truth to a level deemed decent. Have I made myself clear?" He enjoyed his glass of alcohol waiting for my answer.

"Why can't I come out of my room? Is this another scheme of yours?"

"Now I think I did not make myself clear. I am the chief, and you are under my command. You do not question my decisions, you do not give me your piece of thought, nor do you yap when not pleased. You simply listen and do as I say, because you are nothing more than a tool for me to achieve what must be done." He looked at me without emotion, almost like repeating a recitation learned by heart. "Understood?"

"Yes, I'll do as you say." I might despise him, but I am not dumb. He's the one holding the leash. While he has a god backing him up, I have one who wants to evaporate me. Worst part about it is it wouldn't even be hard for him to do so. Doing as he says is my only solution.

A tremor upstairs made us and Leolio's drink fall, the glass shattering in a million fragments. Soon after, footsteps were heard along with screamed orders.

"I think we have some unwanted guests." Leolio deliberated to himself. "Do you think you would be able to willingly use your Truth?"

"No," I answered without missing a beat. What I did back there still felt surreal, and my guess was that a slumbered instinct awakened when I was about to die, which saved me. "The only way for me to wake it would be to encounter someone as strong as Tezca."

Leolio swore under his breath, got up, and struggled pushing the shelf to the side. "Could you give me a hand?"

I didn't understand what he was trying to achieve but I still helped him. When we finished pushing the shelf to the side, the running and screaming upstairs had died down and I finally could admire what hid behind the shelf; numerous weapons were stored with grenades, throwing knives, and even bulletproof vests.

"Brace yourself. You'll have to both protect the books and me. The books hold important informations concerning the gods, ones we cannot stand the loss of. Is this clear?"

"Alright." As I answered a loud explosion resounded, and we could hear them descend the labyrinth of stairs.

I slipped on a bulletproof vest, strapped on knives and ignored grenades - although the room was spacious, I feared throwing a grenade would either make us explode or crumble the walls on us - all the while taking a hand pistol with two loaders. Leolio too readied himself with a bulletproof vest and a handgun, although I suspected him to stay behind - no matter one's knowledge of war, experience is what makes a great warrior, not theorems and hypothesis.

Finally the door broke and I flipped the table over to have a cover up. I did not peak my head to see where the enemy was - there is only one way, and I trust my hearing not to betay me - instead letting only my pistol peer above the table, and waited for the first assailant to pass the door. What I did was more difficult than it appeared, as the weapon's recoil could easily break my hand. Fortunately, the gun I chose had a very low recoil. I'd have to thank Xochua for that; he loved knowledge, and made a great many breakthroughs in any domain that required reflection. Thus were born the terminals of Arkanoth along with the weapon I was holding and other life-saving and less life-saving gadgets.

I heard a footstep and shot once. A body fell. But something felt wrong.

This time there were multiple footsteps. I decided to shoot all my loader in hopes of sending away the most enemies possible. All the footsteps felll flat to the ground. None tried to duck even though all my shots were aimed to where their upper torso would be.

Fuck. It's the Sinless. That's why all the kids looked at me back then, I thought, I'm getting rusty.

I loaded my gun and this time did not try to hide under my cover, instead getting up and shooting straight to the head the most kids possible - that's why I don't like the Sinless, the ones joining them are always the kids, the kind that doesn't even need to be brainwashed into doing what you demand of them. The only brainwashing they require is that of food for the evening and a bed to sleep in. In the middle of the running kids stood a bare-chested man with fire in his eyes, a god it seemed. He was not alone, other figures, these ones hooded, stood amidst the sea of kids. They didn't look like soldiers, instead they resembled cultists with their sinister aura.

I may have been someone who liked to display his knowledge of esoteric information, yet cultists were a step into the unknwon I had never taken. It was mostly because of the sparse stories surrounding them: constant tussle for supremacy against other clans and other rumors that were nothing more than that, rumors. As for their warfare... I did not believe the stories concerning their warfare, not because I was skeptical, because I knew something would break inside me if it were to be true. I still remember hearing those paranoid scrawny scums telling me about how they abducted kids for the cultists and seeing the children end up in bloody rituals that would supposedly grant tremendous powers to receptacles.

Before I could reload my pistol, a kid came dangerously close to me. I drew out my knife and cut his throat with an expert hand. There were too many of them, for each bullet finding a host, another tidal appeared, faster, stronger, grander. This wasn't a fight we could win, unless...

"I have an idea," I said in-between two breaths to Leolio as we hid under the table. "I want you to kill the sinless's trying to reach me while I try to kill their leaders." Leolio simply nodded to me.

I shouted, "now!" and stood up, trying to see the hooded figures as Leolio frantically shot around me. There. I shot as soon as I saw them, but the bullet missed. I shot again, this time twice, in an angle they could not dodge. It missed. "How?" The pistol of Leolio clicked, significating the loader had been emptied, and kids soon weighed down my legs, others binding my arms, making me scream in pain because of the wounds from my previous fight. My weapon fell to the ground and the smell of burning flesh permeated the air. I heard Leolio scream.

"Not that tough, now, huh?" a voice susurred to my ear. Turning my head to the side, I saw Leolio sprawled to the ground, a deep red mark eating away his clothes and finding a new home in his skin. A fiery punch to the face made my counsciousness vanish.

"Time to rise, sleepy bird!" An all too excited voice shouted with bright delight next to my ears. When I opened my sore eyes I was greeted by a face too close to mine, fascinated by what it was admiring. "I'm a big fan," he rapidly said, his voice enough to show his adoration. "I've been dying to meet you, and guess what!" he stepped back, quickly rising his arms, "I finally have you!" He frantically paced from side to side. "Oh gosh, I'm so nervous! Am I embarrassing myself?" He continued to discuss with himself, ignoring my presence. Now that I could take a better look at my surroundings, I realized there was nothing except walls surrounding us, as for the man, his eyes were ablaze and his torso uncovered.

I lightly coughed to get his attention. "Wait, aren't you the god from before? Can I know where we are?" I said, no agressivity in my voice.

His face lost its excited smile and his voice became cold as ice. "Yes, and no, you're not allowed to know." He stopped in his track, looking at me with the eyes of a dead fish. "The higher-ups want something from you, that's why you're still alive."

"And what is it they want?" I asked, more concerned I could have been affiliated in any way with the cultists than curious why it would be so.

"Information." He was about to continue when a snicker escaped his throat. After seconds the snicker became laughter, and it stopped right before it became hysterical. "I'm sorry, so sorry," he said as he wiped a tear away. "It's just so hard to keep a straight face in front of you! I mean - you're a real star, you know that?! I remember when I met you for the first time, I was so amazed! To learn about how you were born, to all the accomplishments you've done afterward! How you had a unique fighting style, your rise with your comrade of alway, T., and I just heard about his betrayal! I was disgusted! Disgusted, I tell you! To think he pretended to be your friend, and he used your trust against you! A despicable man!"

A feeling of unease was rapidly growing inside me. "Do I know you? How can you know all that? I'm sure we've never met, unless?" I was confident it was my first time meeting this man, and his reaction when I woke up confirmed it, then how did-

"Oh! Oh! I got the answer, it's easy! You don't know us, but we all know you!" he laughed as he answered. "Didn't you listen? I said you're a big star. You can't be a star if nobody is there to admire the way you shine! It's obvious!"

"But how?"

He was about to answer when he stopped, his face turning harsh. "You. You're trying to get information out of me, arent you? But I'm the one who gets the information, not you!" he screamed back at me. "So now you're going to shut your fucking trap and answer me, you bastard!" he finished his sentence with a punch to the stomach that left a deep red mark. I couldn't breath and I felt like throwing up, the heat from the punch made my head dizzy and tears flow out. "Now don't make that face, you're making me feel apologetic. I'm sorry, I didn't want to hurt you, but I had to, you understand, right? Of course you understand, you're the hunter, after all," he apologized, patting my head with his hand still on fire. I gritted my teeth and endured the pain. I could hear the sizzle of his hand patting my head, leaving charcoal for hair.

"What do you want?" I said between gritted teeth.

"Me? Nothing. I already met you, and you're as fun as I imagined!" He laughed to himself, slowly regaining composition over time, when his laughter stopped, his face returned to complete seriousness. "But we do want something from you. Tell us what happened in El Cerro De Oro."