Interlude IV: The touch of greed.

Everything was spinning out of control and fast. I knew everybody said so, getting a job from the Villa Blanca cartel could get us to the top of the world or have our end as nothing but yesterday's trash, it was too late to go back now, our job was to get the princess back and finish off the legendary desperado ended with us running without tails between our legs.

And now here I am, the legend of the bounty hunter Xiomara at risk of ending any time, like hell, no way that ain't gonna be how the song goes down, I have plenty of tales still ahead.

"We are almost there Miss Xiomara, just hang up a little bit more." I couldn't see any time, I was completely tied down and had an iron mask blocking my sight, they didn't use ordinary rope it had to be some steel threats even a devil could never free herself of such a thing. I couldn't see or move at all and only now have they ungagged me to let me talk.

"I must say I wasn't a fan of leaving a job this big to a bounty hunter, is a family thing my brother should have let me get the girl back." A man spoke with a rough and raspy voice I had no idea who he was but he had been called the hots since he arrived so he had to be a big honcho of the cartel. Brother? I hope he is not speaking about him, El Gran Jefe. If so my luck has run out.

"Is this villa Blanca?"

Eventually, they forced me out of a car and two men grabbed me by the arms, I could only walk forward as they led me, sure I could bite their fingers off with one of my many mouths but if I do that there might be no going back, I had to play it smart, Im the great Xiomara and with the Desperado gone the best Bounty hunter on town. I'll make sure the big boss of the Cartel sees my worth, I better...

"Alright, here we are take a seat Miss Xiomara." I was sitting on a chair and with force, they took the metal cage off my head, I shook my head looking around me, I was clearly in an elegant old-fashioned house with a wooden floor and white wall, and my hands were still chained behind my char but I could finally breathe, my long tongue fell down, I was a cold blood creature and the heat was getting to me

"Ill be outside then, you two take care." The man who had escorted me here pulled a cigar, he was a burly and round man, with burly limbs and a thick neck, he was wearing a brown suit with a rose button attached to his chest and a small brown boulder hat. He looked quite past middle age and kept his suit unveiled, if he was a top shot in here he cared little to dress the part, but he sure acted arrogant as he smoked and opened the white door of the room.

"Call me if you need me to throw the trash when you are done, you know that is my favorite part brother." The man closed the door with his two subordinates both wearing white elegant suits closing the doors behind him and leaving me in the room with someone else, there were three people in that room with me.

"Will do, hello there Miss Xiomara I believe this is the first time we met, Im your employer Rafael Rosario." She had no doubts about it, that was El jefe, the current head of the Rosario Carte, the biggest hunch in all of Villa Blanca.

The man on the other side of the wooden table was sitting in a wheelchair, he was a tall but lanky man with brown skin and short combed black hair, he was wearing a white suit as well with an elegant red and black metal Rosario attached to his breast pocket, he was rather handsome for a man on his forty and had a bushy black mustache, his eyes black and sharp where looking at the monstrous bounty hunter with a surprising welcoming warm, he slightly moved forward towards a cup. That was Rafael everyone knew he had to use a wheelchair now and yet his name carried untold fear.

"Sorry about my Brother Ernesto, but we couldn't afford anyone to see you or follow you, believe me, Miss Xiomara we didn't mean to be so rough, Want some coffee or tea I even have hot chocolate, try it I've always loved it since my mama always made it for me." The man raised his hand and someone came behind me, he was a tall caucasian man with blond hair combed and with get. He was wearing a white suit but het he had a pair of black shining gloves and a real rose on his chest. He looked quite young and had sharp blue eyes, he nodded and with a smile pulled out a dagger and cut off my ties, letting me finally move.

"Thank you so much, Mister Rosario, and don't worry I understand us mercenaries we are into secrecy and stuff no hard feeling boss." The blond man walked away a leaned against the wall while gently sheathing his dagger and slipping it inside his sleeves. There was one more person in the room a tall woman dressed in a black dress, she was easily the tallest person in the room and had her hands on the grips of Mr. Rosario's wheelchair. She was dressed in pure black with long ballroom gloves and a hat with a black veil attached that covered her face completely.

"Im glad you understand, this young man here is Mr. Daniel Romero he wanted to be here with us as well, this fine young man is my daughter's fiance, so he was honestly quite concerned. The blond man nodded as he put his hand on his chest.

"My heart aches for my beloved all alone and cold in this demonic city, I was hoping you'll ease my worries today my fair, fair lady." His smile seemed fake, almost as if the man was a doll, I could smell it, he reeked of blood, fresh blood to be in fact, it tainted white suit I could see red blood on the side of his sleeve, well that was nothing special im always bathed in blood. I looked at the woman in black who remained completely silent, she was dressed far too elegant to be a servant yet she seemed to banish in the background with ease Mr. Rosario noticed my gaze.

"Excuse the woman behind me is my attended Mercedez, you'll have to excuse her she is rather shy." The woman in black nodded.

"A pleasure." She spoke coldly making it clear she had nothing more to add.

"That is quite true, as you can see Miss Xiomara we are all very sad about my daughter's banishing, and yet we heard things have gone even worse, I hope you can help us make sense of things here."

"Ahhh sure Sir...Everything was going as planned, we had the desperado surround on the inner district, and then..." Rafael put his fingertips together

"Yes, then what happened, all I got on my end, is that the Desperado was found dead and the people from Kaffe Ocasio got into a fight there as well, honestly I thought you were dead as well Miss Xiomara till we finally found you and your men under the sewers, I suppose you needed to recover your wounds, I doubt the fine Xiomara would try to hide from me, that would be silly." Rafael laughed on his own and Xiomara laughed as well awkwardly.

"No, I was ready to contact you any moment Boss, your friends just got to us first."

"So then Miss Xiomara what happened?" He asked again a bit more harshly.

"Someone else came there first, he was a demon summoner with a giant demonic shield, he was fighting the Desperado, but that bastard teamed up and fought me back, if it had just been me and that old woman I would have stripped her legends to shreds with my very own claws!"

"He was a man of the Kafe maybe?" Rafael trimmed his mustache with his finger.

"I doubt it, the Kafe people came later and the men I left behind told me he ran off with someone else, I think they were from the information office, the Kafe got onto a fight with their security chief I don't remember her name is that woman who summons sand or something.''

"Ohh so Louise is involved too...I never heard of them having a demon with a shield, if they had gotten a new demon we would have heard of it for sure, too many people are keeping tabs on them." Daniel interrupted the boss. "Oh dear, were could my beloved be then, if not with the Kafe there is no telling where she was banished to I would like to ask quite strongly to the agency, they sound suspicious all the same." He crossed his arms, Don Rosario moved his hand to his temple looking concerned.

"Well at least we got a clue, someone else was involved, is clear this whole kidnapping was prepared by the Kafe but if someone else pulled a fast one on them, they can't really blackmail us with her wellbeing, ill tell my brother to pay them a visit, but never mind that, now then miss Xiomara about you, I think it's clear you still failed to get my daughter home and it seems someone else killed off the Desperado."

"Strangely it seems no one actually came out to request her bounty, so whoever did it just let all that money go to waste. My what a strange fellow that man with the shield was, he is no mercenary at least" Daniel shook his head and Rosario groaned annoyed.

"I know, but if you give me another chance I can find her, I can tell the smell of the man that attacked me, believe me, Sir, if you give me a second go, I'll finish the job im the best bounty hunter there is on this town. I showed him my fangs unconsciously I was boiling, no longer feeling any fear but pure indignation.

"Please I get why you are upset miss Ciomara, but I'm afraid we can't trust third parties to handle this matter anymore, in fact letting anyone outside of the family know of her disappearance is a massive risk, I am the boss of the Cartel, if I couldn't protect my daughter who will trust me to protect all of Villa Blanca?" He looked my dead in the eyes, even while sitting in a wheelchair something about the man made the monstrous bounty hunter stand down again.

"I...I'll keep the secret I don't need any payment and if you need any jobs I'll do it for you and on the house Mr.Rosario!" The man smiled at her bold claim.

"I like that, im not the kind of man who never gives others a chance, but a deal is a deal and you promised me that you were getting my daughter back home and I can't just forget that now...So listen I'll keep you on this job you may have seen more of our real enemy than anyone else in town, but don't miss understand this will no longer be a bounty hunter job.''

"What do you mean by that Sir."

"Simple, This is a family issue so we will have you join the family, from now on you will work for us in Villa Blanca till you get my corasoncito back and kill anyone responsible for doing this, of course I will have you agree to a life contract till this job is done consider yourself...." Rafael Rosario leaned forward and opened his palm towards her.

"Consider yourself my possession, till my daughter comes back, you'll exist only as I will it." I stood up and looked behind me the blond man was standing against the door and slowly moved his gloved hand to his lips, telling her to be quiet.

"Of course I will give you all you could ask from us, money, men, and power, you can be a lot stronger than you are and if you are to become my possession I will make sure you reach your true potential, you did say you wanted to become a legend like the Desperado or was I wrong Miss Xiomara, of course my daughter will come first." I could tell I was at the end of a rope here, this was not a choice it was death or agreement plain and simple, when beasts show their fangs is submission or conquest, and thought he looked so afraid this was the man who ruled all of Villa Blanca if I show him my fangs again...Will I jump to his neck or simply lower my head as someone closer to a beast than humans that is what my instinct screamed.

"Im Xiomara, the greatest bounty hunter in this city...This is nothing for me, I said I'll get her back and that is what I will do!" But beasts respect only strength If Im to die, I will not do so by hiding my fangs. Rafael Rosario Clapped with a smile.

"Wonderfull in that case I look forward to having you on our little family."

"Sure Sir you will not regret it, now I need to inform my men and I will be ready to start at any moment." I pumped my fist, I was the Xiomara even this would become a part of my legend, this was perfect having the Cartel backing me up, is perfect.

"No need we also brought your men here with us, hey Daniel my boy, you don't mind showing them to her."

"As you please Jefe, Miss Xiomara would you care to take a look?" Daniel walked toward the glass door of a balcony and opened it with gusto, once he was outside in the clear blue sky he waved at someone below and then told me to come forward, I had no idea what they meant to show me, but I felt my body shock with adrenaline.

I saw below a sight that immediately told me where I was, in front of the Rosario Mannor there was a pyre, a flaming pyre that had never been extinguished. Indeed there it was on a desertic fall, like a crater releasing smoke into the air, anyone in Villa Blanca could see that rising smoke at the very top of the hill at the end of the district, it was the flames of the demon that ruled the district a pyre that had to keep burning since the very foundation on the city and there was only one thing that made its fire burn.

There was a row of people on their knees at the border of the tell-all, roped with black bags on their heads. With Xiomara's inhuman sigh, she could recognize them, even without seeing their faces they all matched the profile of her loyal comrades

"I'm afraid this opportunity is only for you Ms.Xiomara and we cannot leave any other loose ends, you won't need them anymore, not if you become family." I gritted my teeth this moron, has shared so many battles with me...and yet I was paralyzed I just grabbed the iron fence on the balcony and looked at the fire outside the manor.

The burly man from before was walking towards them as he puffed from a cigar, he looked back at the manor and saw me on the balcony and smiled. With a careless casual step, he came closer to one of my comrades and kicked him down the massive flaming pyre. He puffed another smoke and just walked towards their next sacrifice, in the most casual of manner he disposed of each of them, letting them become but smoke on the air.

It turned around my claws breaking the iron fence with my grip I was holding myself from launching a furious swipe with my claws, Rafael Rosario was moved towards the balcony by his assistant with full confidence that I would never dare to make a move.

"Now Miss Xiomara there is one last trial you will have to face, I will give a gift only my family possesses, it will make your demon more powerful than you ever imagined and in exchange, you will become one of my precious treasures, that is if you survive." Rafael put his hands together and the woman in black walked slowly toward me.

"Hold on to your true desire child, if you lose track of it you may lose everything that you are, remember human greed it is humanity's finest of treasures." The woman spoke as she quickly closed the distance forcing back with her presence.

"My assistant here, well we call her Mercedes but she has a much older name, she has been with my family since the beginning, feel joy Miss Xiomara you will receive the blessing of the Grand demon Mammon the prince of greed." It was almost like something from a dream, I felt my vision shake at Rafael's words and then as if it had always been the case I saw them, long black wings growing behind the woman, almost like an eternal smoke, with eyes staring at every feather, they grew as if they were going to cover the very skies. Wings shining in a pure golden glow.

"Human, pitiful and always hungry human, always empty, tell me what will your being, what greeted consumes you." That glow was just too beautiful. It felt like everything was disappearing, and amidst that impeccable golden shine, all that came to mind was but a single thought that swept away all of my fears.

"I wish to become a legend."