Chapter 4: Initiation Part 2
For a moment, neither Delfino nor Gelato said anything, and then they drew their pocket knives and stood rigidly still in fighting stance. Then they circled each other, not making a single movement towards each other. Gelato's hand was shaking, but he mentally urged it to stop.
"Are you getting nervous?" Delfino said as he noticed, "That's very unlike you, Gelato."
"What are you talking about? I'm perfectly calm!" Gelato proclaimed, making a sudden jab at Delfino.
Then in a matter of seconds, Delfino dodged Gelato's knife and extended his knife at Gelato's face. Gelato tried to turn away, but a sharp pain came as he felt the knife graze his cheek. The suddenness of it forced him to drop his knife, and freeze. Delfino held his knife up to the Godfather, which was tainted with Gelato's own blood, and said, "I have drawn first blood. Therefore by our laws, Gelato has officially failed the initiation test. What is your judgment?"
The Godfather nodded. "Yes, he has indeed failed both parts of the initiation, and the other Capos can confirm that. Now, in the old days, we would kill Cugines who couldn't meet our expectations, but because of the Great Mafia Wars, these are desperate times. So Gelato, we will let you go freely, if you promise to never reveal any of our secrets to anyone."
"But doesn't this mean he won't be able to take the test again?" Mezzaluna asked, looking up at the Godfather. This was the first time he spoke since Gelato got here.
"Yes, you are correct, Mezzaluna."
"Aren't you being a little harsh on the kid? I mean, creating Homunculi is a very difficult spell to accomplish in general. Even to this day, I'm still not good at making them, and he did try to make a cut at Delfino, but because Delfino's more experienced—
"Experience has nothing to do with it," Delfino said, interrupting Mezzaluna. "The point of this test is trust. You never know when someone you love dearly will turn their back on you, and you must be prepared to kill them before they kill you first. Gelato let his personal feelings get in the way of hurting me, which gave me the opening to wound Gelato, or kill him if this weren't a test. As for the Homunculi, they showed poor practice in alchemy, which indicates lack of dedication, and without dedication, we can't expect any loyalty from the likes of Gelato."
Mezzaluna's head dropped.
"I'm sorry, but what Delfino says is true of my expectations," the Godfather said, and looked at Gelato, who had his head down, "Gelato, do you have any last words before we send you on your way?"
Gelato shook his head. "No, sir."
End of Chapter 4