Chapter 8
Floor Four: Avaritia
"If money is the root of all evil, then evil must feel really GOOD!"
Gallows ascended the lit stairwell with the utmost caution, he had a feeling that there was a trap waiting for him in the illuminated wings of the next floor.
Hm, I sense a great deal of merriment ..despic…
"WELCOME!" boomed a friendly females voice as Gallows stepped onto the plush rug at the top of the stairs. His jaw dropped in revulsion as he looked around at his surroundings. The walls were painted a gaudy gold and glittered under the chandelier that was composed of Gella and some form of crystal. He looked down and noticed that the rug that he was standing on was scarlet with gold trim, definitely of the fake variety. To his left was a bar devoid of both bartender and booze and to his right were doors that led to somewhere unknown, and, as far Gallows was concerned, they were going to STAY unknown..
"Hmm…" mused Gallows, lifting his head so that he was now looking straight ahead. Just then a woman, wearing a minuscule skirt and an even smaller top, bounced cheerfully in front of Gallows, causing him to stumble back a little.
"Welcome to GELLA CENTRAL, the club of the RICH and FAMOUS! " she exclaimed, taking his warm hand into her cold one and shaking it fiercely. Gallows raised an eyebrow and slowly removed his hand from hers.
"Umm.. Yeah…." Quipped Gallows, really not knowing what else to say. The woman laughed and clapped him on the shoulder, letting her slender hand rest there for a moment before removing it with a sensual smile. Still smiling, she turned around and walked away, swinging her hips provocatively as she did so. Gallows closed his eyes and put his hand to his forehead with exasperation.
"You have GOT to be kidding me…." He opened his eyes and discovered that he was no longer alone and that the bar was now full of well dressed men and women… but.. there was something not quite right about the scene that was sprawled out in front of him.
"Hey! Come and have a seat, Mr. Carradine, we've been expecting you for a long time!" said a man dressed in a pin-striped red suit and a handlebar mustache that was seemingly pasted upon his pale face. Gallows blinked and started to walk toward the bar, clenching and unclenching his fist as he walked.
(There is something not right about all of this. I know that these are all phantoms but what I DON'T get is why they haven't attacked me yet…)
Gallows sat down next to the man and gave him a half hearted smile, the man smiled brightly back and patted the young Baskar's shoulder, making Gallows shudder inwardly.
Be grateful that they haven't.. It would be, shall we say, ANNOYING to fend off all of these phantoms.
Gallows nodded in agreement and rested his tense hands on the counter of the bar, it was at this point that the bartender turned around and gave Gallows a welcoming smile. Gallows shuddered when he saw a sharp tooth poke over the mans bloodless lips.
(Well.. that's friendly…)
"Well, Mr. Carradine, you are looking RAVISHING tonight! What would you like to drink? Gault's Fire? Raftina's Miracle or…" he said, reaching under the counter and pulling out a dark bottle that was labeled simply as " Baskar Treat".
"Um, actually, I'll have to decline your friendly offer, I.. don't have the Gella to pay for any of this and.."
Gallows was interupted by the bartenders fist shattering through the counter. Gallows stood up and realized that the people from the bar started to surround him in a loose circle.
"WHAT?! You don't have any MONEY to pay off your 10,000 Gella TAB!? You…" the bartender once again reached under the counter, this time producing a sawed off shotgun.
The circle around him tightened and he heard the sound of melee weapons being drawn. With a cold smile crossing his face, he closed his eyes and pulled out his Coyote, extracting a couple of surprised gasps from the circle of phantoms.
"Well, seeing as I don't have any Gella to pay for my tab.." Gallows opened his glowing blue eyes, his smile getting a little bigger. The circle started to break as Gallows spun the gun around his fingers a couple of times.
"I guess I'll have to pay with good ole' fashion LEAD!" he laughed, shooting the bartender in the head, coloring the golden wall gray and red. He whirled around toward the small group of onlookers and shot the nearest one through the throat. The scrawny man grabbed his throat and a fountain of blood spewed from his mouth. The rest of the group backed up, their weapons still raised in a fighting stance.
"Well, well…" said Gallows, shifting his gaze to each of the pale onlookers. "I suppose you all want a piece of the action as well? "
The group started to dissipate, leaving just a handful of brave souls to deal with the hulking Baskar.
"You… you don't belong here! L-leave this I-instant!" stuttered a red hair man with a freckled face, raising his knife shakily in front of him. Gallows blinked and put the Coyote away, showing that he wanted no unnecessary blood shed. The man backed off and allowed Gallows a path though the remaining people.
(That was too damn EASY! There must be more to this floor…) thought Gallows as he walked down the hallway, ignoring all the cold stares that were focused on his retreating form.
Yeah.. I'm sensing something big at the exit… I can only guess that it's the foreman of this floor..
Gallows looked down at his shaking hands and said nothing, there was not much that he could say at the moment. Roka snickered, drawing Gallows out of his half dazed stupor with a start.
(What's so funny?) thought Gallows at his possessor angrily.
You are! I find it amusing that you are becoming more like myself every second that you are in this building. Pretty soon you're going to have..
(Shut up, I will never be you…)
Think you so? Then why is it that you took a mans life without a second of hesitation? Hm? Answer me that, my foolish son.
( I don't feel the need to explain myself to you. I did what I had to do, end of story.) Thought Gallows coldly, somewhat afraid of the afflicted tone that he had acquired after that short battle. Instead of a stab of pain or a biting comment Roka just laughed and then sent Gallows an image of him shaking his head.
Yeah, just keep telling yourself that. Did you know that the bartenders gun had no bullets? You just shot an unarmed man. Does that fact make you proud?
(Well, he should have armed himself. And as for your misguided assumption, no, I don't take pride in killing people, as I said before, I'm a lover not a killer.)
Yes, just keep deluding yourself.. It just makes my job all the more interesting.
Gallows was about to retort with a biting remark when he noticed that he was about to run into a golden door with a skull and crossbones as its knocker.
"Huh?" mumbled Gallows, reaching out to touch the cold metal door.
This door just screams "ENTER" doesn't it? Just so you know, the "something big" that I was speaking of is right beyond that door. Isn't that nice?
"Yeah.. really nice" said Gallows, taking the heavy knocker in his hand and rapping it against the door three times, there was an annoyed grunt followed by the sound of water being displaced.
"Who IS it? Don't you know it is rude to interrupt someone's bath?"
Gallows fell silent as he heard the sound of footsteps coming toward the door.
(What am I to expect? What..?)
The door was flung open and a man clothed in a white towel glared at Gallows under a mane of dripping wet hair. Gallows stepped back and gave him a meaningful smile and then looked away, indicating that he did not want to be rude. The man grunted his thanks and slammed the door in Gallows' face, causing Gallows to glare at the door with irritation.
"That was certainly rude…Oh well, I suppose I would be grumpy if some stranger interrupted MY bath."
I doubt that a stranger could stomach seeing you nude…
Gallows rolled his eyes and was about to say something perverted when the door opened to a figure clothed completely in gold, even his long black hair was tied back with a gold covered band.
"Now, what is it that you need? It better be good, I had to cut my Gella bath short on your account."
Gallows averted his eyes from the horrid form of the guy, choosing instead to look at the plush carpet at his feet. After a couple of irritated seconds the man in gold coughed and tapped Gallows on the shoulder, causing the befuddled priest to look up at him hesitantly.
"Yeah?" asked Gallows, looking past the man and into his room.
" What is it that you need? And…" he stepped in front of Gallows, blocking his view with gold fuzziness. "STOP LOOKING INTO MY ROOM, THERE'S NOTHING THERE FOR YOU!"
"Sorry…" smirked Gallows, looking back down at the rug.
Fool. Get to the damn point, this man doesn't seem to be strong in the patience department..
"I need to get to the next floor and I think that there is a stairwell in your room, do you think that I could use it and…"
"How much Gella do you have?" interrupted the man, holding out his hand greedily. Gallows shook his head and turned his empty pockets out, showing the man that he had no Gella.
"How dare you knock at Mammon's door without a monetary gift! Didn't you know that you are supposed to give me SOME form of gift!?" roared Mammon, dropping his hand to his side in disappointment and rage. Gallows shook his head "no" fighting the urge to reach for either the Zanzir or the dagger on his belt.
"Come in, you need a lesson on the importance of Gella and other material items!" snarled Mammon, grabbing Gallows' hand and pulling him into his golden den of horrors.
(I think that the room will kill me before he does.. ) thought Gallows as he was pulled into the room.
When Virginia stopped her horse and pulled out the trinket that Gallows had given her, Clive and Jet looked at her with a certain degree of worry and irritation.
"Virginia, we are almost to Simulacrum, I can see it on the horizon, why are we stopping?" asked Clive softly, looking at his leader with confusion.
"Yeah, I thought you were all hot to trot and ready to save Gallows!" retorted Jet, looking at Virginia impatiently. Virginia nodded her head at her companions apologetically and then showed them the trinket.
"This thing started to vibrate like an angry bee! You should have felt it!" she exclaimed, closing her hand around the trinket and pressing her fist to her chest.
"So? What does that have to do with us?" said Jet, spurring his horse into action. Virginia put the trinket away and followed Jet's example, as did Clive.
"It means that Gallows is still alive and well!" smiled Virginia, riding up beside Jet and giving his arm an excited tug. Jet closed his eyes with irritation and shook his head from side to side.
"You really are hopeless. " he smiled, opening his eyes and giving her a kind look, showing that he did not mean what he said. Virginia laughed and urged her horse to go faster with a gentle to kick to its flanks.
"Come on! Let's bring Gallows home and end this mission successfully!" she cheered, riding toward the hulking form of Simulacrum. Jet looked at Clive with a quizzical glance and then sped up to catch up with Virginia. The green hair sniper simply smiled and caught up with the other two, a fresh feeling of hope welling within the recesses of his heart.
"And that…" finished Mammon with a nod of his head, "Is why it is so IMPORTANT to have money and power." Gallows blinked at Mammon and then closed his eyes, trying to make sense of all the raving that had spilled from Mammon's lips.
"So, what you're trying to tell me is this.." said Gallows, opening his eyes and locking them onto Mammon's.
"Money and power are like guards to you. The more you have of both makes you less vulnerable. You feel as if money and power are the only things that matter. You can have anything that you want as long as the price is right… Am I correct?"
Mammon nodded, looking rather impressed.
" You are rather bright, Mr. Carradine, I'm sure that your parents are proud."
To this sentence Gallows snorted and shook his head "no".
"My father thinks that I'm a loser and my mother is dead…"
Gallows was shocked when the man put his jeweled hand on his knee and gave it a squeeze.
"I know Gallows.. I've known about you for a long time…" whispered Mammon, removing his hand from Gallows' knee and looking at him intently. Gallows narrowed his eyes and looked at Mammon with dissonance. There was something off about all of this, and Gallows was going to found out what it was.
"How do you know about me? I don't recall ever meeting you." Said Gallows, feeling the weight of dread pressing warmly against his chest.
"Well, you see, I am part of Simulacrum and Simulacrum knows many thing." Replied Mammon cryptically. Gallows looked at him with an expression of befuddlement, his mind trying to decipher what Mammon had said.
"That doesn't tell me much. I want to know how you know so much about me."
To this statement, Mammon closed his eyes and snickered, making Gallows feel rather uneasy.
"Well, you see, Simulacrum is a loop of sorts, it replays the events of the past, but with different people. It's kind of like a play that has the same supporting cast but a different lead actor or actress. It's rather interesting. And it would be most intriguing to point out a very strange aspect of Simulacrum, it traps the spirits in a perpetual loop." To the last sentence, Gallows mouth dropped open with disgust and surprise.
"You mean.. the spirits are not here on their own accord?"
Mammon laughed and shook his head.
"Well, it all depends on who you talk to, some people, like myself, rather enjoy Simulacrum. While others, like those that died an unexpected death, feel differently. It is all a matter of perspective, as such, you can not make hasty assumptions on the character of the people here based on one bad encounter."
Gallows raised an eyebrow and scratched his chin.
"Why do you like this place? It's depressing in my opinion." Mumbled Gallows, looking around at the gaudy room with a look of disgust and skepticism.
"Well, to be quite blunt, I am greedy, I want to know everything, to posses everything…" he looked at Gallows in almost a longing manner.
(What the HELL? Why is he looking at me like that?!)
"I'm sorry, I don't quite know what you're getting at. I…" Gallows' sentence came to an abrupt stop when Mammon took his hand into his jeweled one and gave it a tight squeeze.
" There is one thing that I don't have, and that is a person to share all of this with. Gallows! Stay with me, help me run my empire! You can have anything that your heart desires! Anything at all, just say the word!"
Gallows said nothing and looked at the man with both pity and disgust. Seeing that his words had no effect on the Baskar, Mammon stood up quickly and walked swiftly to a mahogany dresser that had a mirror rimmed with gold. With a grunt, he opened one of the drawers, pulled out a large bag, bulging to the point of almost bursting open, and strolled back over to where Gallows was sitting with a prissy speed seemingly possessed by most rich people that resided here.
"Here!" he said, plunking the bag down on the table in front of Gallows and looking at him expectantly. Gallows looked down at the bag and then back up at Mammon.
"What is this? Gella? If it is, I have no interest in it." Said Gallows flatly, looking curtly at Mammon.
Mammon blinked, grabbed Gallows' shaking hand, and pressed a solid gold ring into his hand.
Gallows once again remained silent and shook his head in a negative response.
"W-What?! That ring grants you POWER! Don't you FEEL it, Gallows? Don't you feel the POWER coursing through the ring?"
Gallows closed his hand around the ring and shut his eyes, figuring he should at least HUMOR the poor guy. The second that he shut his eyes, a thousand planets floated past him, they were so close that he felt as if he could touch him.
(Perhaps I can…) He reached out and to his surprise, the planet floated to him like a puppy would bound toward his owner.
( No, there is more to this, I am already lord of my mind! I don't NEED this trinket to acknowledge this!)
Gallows opened his eyes and simply dropped the ring onto the table in front of him, extracting an exasperated growl from Mammon.
"What? Is that ring not to your liking?' exclaimed Mammon, standing up fervently and looking down at Gallows angrily. Gallows shook his head "no" and closed his eyes as a sign of defiance. However, an abrupt wave of laughter caused him to open them in a heart beat. Suddenly, Mammon was behind him, running a smooth hand through his hair.
"I know what you want…" whispered Mammon into his ear, causing Gallows to shiver in a fit of cold terror and disgust. Mammon pulled his hand from Gallows' hair and snapped his finger sharply twice. A wave of laughter emanated from the far right hand room and then three scantily clad women minced out holding bottles of wine and other assorted bottles. Mammon reappeared in front of Gallows with an expression that said "I have you now".
A woman with long black dropped down to his left side and placed her hand on his chest seductively, but surprisingly, Gallows did not respond to this action as one with expect, choosing instead to sit perfectly still, his face a mask of perfect calm.
"Hmm… he's a pretty tough man…" purred a lady with short red hair, rubbing his shoulders soothingly. Still no response from Gallows, much to Roka and Mammon's surprise.
"I know what he…" started a woman with long blue hair, moving in front of him to give it a try. However, she never got a chance to try because Gallows gently pushed her away and stood up, a scowl of disgust on his battered face.
"You just don't get it, do you? Nothing you have can compare to what's in my heart. Gella can buy a dozen roses but not true affection. A ring that seemingly holds power over a thousand worlds does not compare to the power that a certain woman holds over my being. And women? I'm sorry, they me be attractive on the outside, but on the inside they are nothing but soulless puppets controlled by a very cruel master. I hate to put it this way, but you can take all of your treasure AND your ideas and shove them. You can speak to me all day about your ignorant concepts of what is right, however, you will not change my mind." Said Gallows coldly, walking toward the startled Mammon menacingly and reaching toward the Zanzir. Mammon stumbled back and motioned for the women to leave the room, which they did with little hesitation. Gallows unsheathed the Zanzir with his left hand and swung it back and forth in front of him, each swing bringing a cold and metallic "whoosh".
" I doubt my words are getting to you, and that is fine. Let me pass and no harm will come to you." Spoke Gallows evenly, his words holding no animosity.
"Listen you… BASTARD! I was willing to share all of my wealth and glory with you, and you have the audacity to throw my kindness back into my face with a threat toward my own life?!" snarled Mammon, stumbling toward the gaudy golden fireplace.
"That is correct…" responded Gallows, gripping the pommel with his right hand as well and bringing it in front of him in a defensive stance. Unconsciously he contoured his body into a defensive stance as well, so that his legs formed themselves into a practically unshakable base. That is, left leg behind, toes pointing away from the body in order to prevent knock back, right leg out in front, toes facing toward the opponent, knees slightly bent to cushion impact.
"I… you… you are going to PAY! " shouted Mammon, grabbing a handful of Gella from the bag on the table and clasping it tightly in his right hand.
Gallows blinked and sheathed the Zanzir, not knowing WHAT to think about the latest turn of events.
(Projectiles…Hm, this should prove to be entertaining….)
Fool, do not be so cocky! There is more to this man than meets the eye!
"Well, since you don't want to be part of my family I guess you'll have to…" He threw the Gella at Gallows, watching with merriment as the Gella glowed black and grew blood red wings.
"Wh-What?!" growled Gallows, jumping back as quickly as he could and swinging the sword in a wide arc, causing a wave of distortion, Gallows blinked at what he had just done, recovered, and regained his stance, staring at Mammon with irritation.
"Is that the best you can do? I would think…" Gallows was interrupted by the sound of something screeching by his ear and instinctively he tilted his head to the opposite direction, a stream of warmth trickled down his neck and he reached up to discover that the tip of his ear was missing.
Well, that will teach you not to be so cocky next time…
"What do you think of my spell? It's called the " Sweet sound of Gella" what do you think?" Gallows snorted and tilted the sword to the left and then to the right, bouncing the torch light off of its reflective surface.
"I think it's stupid, and I think that you're stupid for…" he was interrupted by Mammon's angry scream and fell silent, readying himself for another projectile attack.
"How DARE you call my attacks STUPID! I worked years on perfecting that move! I wanted it to be perfect, I wanted everyone to tremble when they heard the name! I wanted.."
"Shut up.." Gallows said quietly, resting the Zanzir on his shoulder and walking toward Mammon slowly. Mammon smiled and lifted his hand, causing Gallows to stop in mid-stride.
(It's never good when a spirit lifts his or her hand, it normally spells trouble for me…)
Yeah, well, I can assure you that this DOES mean trouble for you. He's opening a gate to another..
The rest of Roka's thought was interupted by a sucking sound followed by the pull of gravity at Gallows' stomach. It was at that second he realized that he was starting to fall, but to where he was falling, he knew not.
"Man, this place is just so FRIENDLY…" mumbled Jet, halting his horse at the gates of Simulacrum and looking up at the decrepit buildings. Virginia rode up beside him and stopped her horse a little bit in front of him, whistling as she did so.
"Yeah, it really does look inviting…."
Clive stopped his horse a couple of feet behind the other two Drifter and cursed inwardly, he didn't much care for the feeling that was flowing from Simulacrum.
"I feel Gallows' spirit in that tall building over there…" said Virginia, grasping the trinket in her right hand and pointing to the tall red building with her left.
"Hmm… So, that trinket, does it tell you Gallows' thoughts as well?" asked Clive, dismounting his horse and taking his sniper rifle from the gun harness on the horses back.
"Yeah," grunted Jet, as he dismounted his horse and looked at Virginia, "I want to know what kind of horribly perverted thoughts he's thinking.." snickered Jet, removing his gun from its holster and looking down the barrel to make sure that the sites were right. Virginia bowed her head and slowly moved it from side to side.
"No, it just starts to tremble when he is near.." said Virginia softly, getting silence as a response.
Jet broke the silence with a snort and walked toward the gate only to be knocked back by an invisible force. Jet's free flying lesson ended near Clive's horse, where he slid a couple of feet on his butt before coming to a halt. He stood up quickly, a blush of irritation coloring his pale face for a moment or so before he composed himself. Virginia walked toward the gate and walked right through without a problem.
"Hm, I wonder why our leader is having no trouble getting past whatever is blocking the gate?" Mused Clive, walking over to the gate and sticking his hand out to see if it to would be repelled, and his experiment proved what he had theorized all along, there was something blocking their paths that only Virginia could pass.
"Virginia, could you please come back toward us? I want to see if my theory is correct." Asked Clive politely of the young female drifter. Virginia nodded and walked back toward the gate only to be flung back as soon as she attempted to walk through the gate.
"Ugh!" mumbled Virginia, landing on her feet gracefully, so unlike Jet, who had a very enjoyable flying lesson followed by a not so enjoyable landing lesson.
"Virginia, is the trinket that Gallows gave you reacting to the gate?" Inquired Clive, walking up to the gate and looking at Virginia intently. Virginia took the trinket out of her pocket and shivered, the ornament felt like twisted ice with a magnetic pull to it.
"I'd say it's reacting! I feel so much fear and anxiety that I feel ill!" exclaimed Virginia stuffing the memento back in her pocket in a hurried manner. She closed her eyes and tried her best to communicate with Gallows' seemingly lost spirit.
(Gallows, please be all right, I'm coming for you, I'm going to save you from this hell hole.. I swear..)
As if responding to her words ,the trinket felt like it had caught on fire and then iced itself over.
(Was that Gallows' acknowledgment that he heard me?)
Virginia nodded and turned her back on her team mates, causing them to start a little.
"Where are you going Virginia? Now is not the time to split up! Let us find a way in and.." started Clive, only to be interrupted by Virginia's loud protest and a cold over the shoulder glance.
"Now is not the time to debate, I am going in after Gallows, even if I most go in alone…" she finished, turning her head back toward Simulacrum. It was then Clive realized that he was no longer talking to Virginia. Clive bowed his head and accepted his defeat, there was no need in arguing the fact any longer.
"Hey! You just can't charge in there all by yourself! You might get hurt.. or worse…" shouted Jet, adding the last part with a heavy hearted tone.
"Thank you for you concern, Jet, but I'll be fine…" she turned all the way around and gave him a gentle smile. "I promise.." she said, turning back around and walking toward Simulacrum at a rapid pace.
"Well, what do we do now? Find a way in? Burst through? Blow something up? Come on, Clive, you're the genius of the group!" huffed Jet, clenching his right hand into a fist and slamming it into his open left hand. Clive shook his head regretfully and tied up his and Gallows' horse to a jutted up piece of wood. Jet glared at the sniper but said nothing, following Clive's example and tying his and Virginia's horse to separate pieces of metal pipe that was sticking out of the ground a couple of feet from Clive's. There was a moment of silence and then:
"Clive, do horse whistles just TELEPORT our horses to wherever we are? Or do they just have good hearing and better stamina.. I've always wondered that.." said Jet quietly, leaning up against an old stone wall that seemed to be as old as Filgaia itself. Clive shrugged at this question and watched as a flock of doves flew over Simulacrum, their tranquil white color contrasting greatly with the darkness that surrounded Simulacrum.
Gallows landed on a large round platform, his feet hitting the hard surface painfully.
(That wasn't a very long fall but still….) Gallows looked around for a second or two, trying to make sense of it all. He started when he heard Mammon's laughter right behind him. He whirled around to a fleeting mist and turned back around to a grinning Mammon.
"Well, it seems like you changed your mind! How delightful, I do hope you enjoy your stay!" laughed Mammon gleefully, grabbing a bag full of Gella from his pocket and digging his hand into it greedily.
Gallows snorted his irritation and pulled out the Zanzir, loosening up his muscles for maximum speed. He didn't know HOW he knew all of this, it just seemed to come to him naturally.
"I'm SURE that we will enjoy each other's company…" responded Gallows, letting the Zanzir rest loosely in his closed hand.
(Think of it as the way you fight. The looser your body is the quicker you can evade attacks and…)
Rsalis' voice was interrupted by the sound of flying Gella as Mammon pulled off his attack successfully.Gallows evaded most of them easily but…a second later deep gashes erupted on his abdomen and his chest, much to his dismay.
(What?! But I thought I had avoided them!)
Mammon laughed and pulled out another handful of Gella as Gallows healed himself the best that he could.
"I have another surprise for you!" screeched Mammon, throwing the Gella onto the ground, each piece of Gella exploded as soon as it hit the ground, lodging sharp pieces of Gella into Gallows' face. Gallows was smart enough to block his eyes with his free arm but his face felt as if someone had thrown liquid fire onto it. Gallows grunted and uncovered his eyes, looking at Mammon with murderous intentions. A trickle of blood dripped into his eyes and he wiped it away and sheathed the Zanzir.
"That does it, I've had it up to HERE with your damn parlor tricks!" spat Gallows, tasting the sweet tang of blood as he spoke. Mammon was about to reach back into the bag, when Gallows pulled out his Coyote and blew a hole into both the bag and Mammon's stomach. Mammon looked down at his stomach and it healed up quickly. Gallows growled and looked down at the Gella that was now spread out all over the floor.
"Come to me my children! Let us show our guest the power of MONEY!" screamed Mammon, holding his arm out in front of him with his palm facing Gallows. The Gella on the floor twitched and then grew legs, causing Gallows to jump back in surprise.
"What in the world?" Queried Gallows as he quickly put his gun away and unsheathed the Zanzir once again. The Gella scuttled toward him quickly and he slammed the sword into the ground, causing a minor shock wave. The Gella monster's legs melted and sank back into the coins, much to Gallows' relief. Mammon laughed and was about to throw out more coins when Gallows rushed him with the Zanzir held out in front of him like a spear. Mammon did not have time to react and Gallows shoved the spirit sucking blade through the mans stomach, bringing forth a spurt of blood from Mammon's open mouth.
"Will you let me pass?" whispered Gallows, pushing the sword deeper into the Mammon's stomach, hence bringing himself closer to the dying man. Mammon laughed dryly and coughed up more blood.
"Only if you can solve this puzzle…" spat the dying man. Gallows withdrew the sword from the man's stomach, wiped off the blade in one swift motion, and sheathed it, not once taking his eyes from Mammon. Mammon grasped his stomach in watched in fascination as bright red blood flowed over his shaking fingers like a crimson waterfall.
"I.. saw.. that… you.. were… " spat Mammon through bloody lips, pulling himself away from Gallows slowly. Gallows, not wanting to set himself up for a trap, followed the bleeding man to the center of the circle, his eyes locked onto the bloodstained trail the whole time.
"Solve this puzzle and you are free to leave…." Whispered Mammon, reaching his hand up one last time before letting it drop lifelessly to the ground. The ground around Gallows shook and a pedestal rose a little bit in front of him. Gallows walked over to the pedestal and read the inscription.
(1+3) (4+1) (1+0) (9+1+5+5) (5+3)= (9+6) (3+1) (2+2)
(6+6) (6+3) (1+5) (4+1)= (4+1) (10+10+2) (3+2) (7+7)
"Ugh, why must greedy people be so good at math?"
How else would they count Gella? Idiot…
"Well, I know for a fact that all those numbers don't equal up… Hmm…" It was then when Gallows noticed buttons labeled "One " and "Two " respectively.
"So, if I chose right, I'm free… but…"
Let's not think about that… Hm.. 4…5…1…20…8… equals…15…4…4… And, if I'm right all we do is… Okay… Gallows here is what the first message says : "Death equals Odd" and I can only assume that "Life equals even" Press "two" ,Gallows, we need to get the hell out of here.
Gallows concurred by pressing the second button at first, all was silent, and then something below them started up and the platform started to rise, taking them to Mammon's now empty room.
"Well, I guess it's off to the next floor. I hope that there's no more math involved…"
Roka answered his son's whining with a swift shot of pain to the back of his knees, causing Gallows to nearly collapse on the floor.
Gallows proceeded toward the fireplace and looked around, somehow knowing that the stairwell leading up to the next floor was somewhere around.
"Aha!" exclaimed Gallows, noticing an indention near the right side of the fireplace. After working a little "Baskar Magic" The stairway leading up to the next floor made itself known with a groan from the fire place. With a nod, Gallows proceeded up the stairs, glad to leave this hovel of greed behind.
