Chapter 5: The Prisoner Within
Roka looked around as he and Rlaza descended into the underworld, his eyes glittering with satisfaction. Rlaza put him down and watched with Roka as a huge eight foot demon with a horn coming from his forehead lumbered up. The demon bowed submissively and closed his eyes.
"Master…" said the demon in a gravely deep voice, opening his sable colored eyes. Roka signaled for him to rise and looked at him with an air of superiority. The demon rose and looked at Roka with a slight smile.
"Have you found the other half of the key?" inquired Roka, patting the key in his pant pocket (He had took it out of Gallows' vest pocket before Gallows had threw it off)
"Yes sir, Halle was pretty damn sharp to give him only one half of the key…" mused the demon.
"Yeah…Really bright…" nodded Roka, holding out his hand anxiously. The demon handed him the other side of the key. Roka smiled and closed his hand around the broken key, feeling its ancient power.
"I wonder though….How would Gallows have gained access into Simulacrum without the other half…?" mused the demon, watching as Roka pulled the other half of the key from his pocket and put the two halves together, resulting in a bright flash of light. The demon cringed and closed his eyes from the invading light. When he opened them, he noticed that Roka was smiling evilly.
"The answer, my friend, is simple. Gallows had the key within his soul…He holds within him the God of Death.. The key that Halle gave him contained the essence of the Goddess of Life. The two opposing elements allow the doors of Simulacrum to open." Explained Roka patiently to the demon.
"Oh." Said the demon, looking at the key that glowed in Roka's hand.
"Well, I must get going soon. Did you bring the Zanzir?" Inquired Roka of the demon. The demon looked at him guiltily and said nothing.
"Znas! The Master asked you a QUESTION, it would do you good to answer!" snarled Rlaza, shaking his fist at Znas. Znas cringed and shook his head "no" and feel to his knees, speaking in his native tongue.
"Enough, stand up, I can't stand it when people beg…" grumbled Roka quietly. Znas stood and looked down at his master nervously. Roka looked up at him, his eyes glowering menacingly.
"Why did you not get the sword of Sasnis? Could you not find it?"
"No Master.. It was nowhere to be found in this world…. "
Roka nodded and flicked his wrist nonchalantly, Znas' eyes widened as he was flung back several feet by an invisible force.
"Find the sword, I will stay here until you find it." Growled Roka impatiently, leaning against the wall and looking grumpily at Znas. Znas bowed and started to walk away when Roka broke the silence with a cough.
" Rlaza, you go with him, maybe the two of you can find it faster." He said, looking at Rlaza.
Rlaza nodded obediently and followed Znas, harboring ill will toward the demon that was in front of him.
"Within the prison of his mind, the young man weeps. "Where, oh where, is my mind that I seek?"
Gallows opened his eyes to a world of darkness and started to shake violently, he knew that voice….
"Roka…Why are you doing this to me?" mouthed Gallows, becoming aware almost immediately that his words were falling from his mouth and into the dark abyss. Roka laughed, and continued his maddening poem, his voice holding the insanity of a twisted god.
"Once the god of his world, he took all for granted and gave nothing back. All he wanted was a sane life and something that he would always lack. Love was what he dreamed, lust is what he gave, foolish man, your flaws will send you to your grave,"
"Roka…"
" Seeing the blood of innocence spilt, his mind left him on that day. All though he would never admit it or even know what to say."
Gallows closed his eyes and watched as a little girl danced merrily in front of the gates of Baskar Colony, her golden hair flying cheerfully around her round face, and a streamer of golden paper in her chubby hand. She whirled around and waved at Gallows with a big smile on her face. Gallows laughed and waved back at the little girl, and pushed a strand of hair that had blew into his face,
(It was windy that day… It was hard to smell….Was it the wind that…)
"Uncle Gallows, could you get my other streamer? It's on top of the herb barrels!" said the little girl, running up to a still growing Gallows. Gallows nodded and knelt down in front of her.
"I sure will! Would you like something to drink, Kasinna? You've been running around a lot." Said Gallows, a concerned frown etching itself onto his face. Kasinna laughed and threw her arms around his neck and squeezed, Gallows coughed a little and pulled away, grinning a playful grin.
"No, uncle Gallows, I just want my streamer!" said Kasinna, sitting down in front of the gates. Gallows nodded and turned around and walked toward his house, a cheerful grin on his face.
(I was 15 then…. I was baby sitting….Kasinna was only 5…. Too young….)
A shrill scream brought Gallows flying out of his house at top speed, a small sickle in one hand, a streamer in the other, and a sneer on his face. As he ran, a thousand thoughts flew through his mind.
(Is she being hurt by a human? Is it something that I can handle? Will I get there in time?)
He stopped dead when he saw the blood that was splattered all over the spears near the gate, Kassina's terrified scream brought him out of his daze and he snapped out of his stupor and looked toward the direction of the scream. He gasped when he saw the claw of a Barghest descend toward the little girl's throat. Gallows felt something inside his body snap, and with an almost primal growl, lunged at the Barghest with his sickle held up in the air and the streamer falling from his hand.
"DIE!" screamed Gallows, his tortured voice drowning out the Barghest's growl. With a snort, the Barghest yanked out the little girl's throat and turned to look at Gallows' balefully. Gallows' felt tears well up in his eyes, but it no longer mattered, getting emotional would not help him at this point.
(That was the first time that I cried.. I don't know if I cried because I was scared…or….)
"You son of a BITCH!" snarled Gallows, swinging the sickle at the Barghest's throat, the creatures eyes widened as the blade reflected in it eyes. Gallows' actions had been so quick that the beast could not react. With an insane smile, Gallows shoved the sickle through the creatures throat and then yanked out ITS throat. The creature convulsed twice and started to fall down on Kassina's fallen form, but Gallows would not stand for it, he shoved the creature in mid fall and watched as the Barghest landed several feet away from them. With a sob, Gallows picked up the little girl and pulled her bloody form to his chest.
"Why? Why didn't anyone help?" sobbed Gallows, rocking the little girl back and forth in his arms.
(As it turned out, everyone was gone that day….everyone….)
Gallows' felt a tear roll down his ghostly face and was frustrated that he could not wipe it away.
" Has it ever occurred to you that perhaps your mind was lying and there WAS someone there that day?"
Gallows, with a great deal of effort, shook his head "no" and started to focus on moving his arms.
" The people at my colony would NEVER ignore someone in need…." Hissed Gallows, discovering that he could actually TALK again!
"Think you so? What makes you so confident in their compassion? Has the fact that they simply did not care ever enter your thoughts?"
"They are NOT heartless! Stop trying to confuse me!" rasped Gallows, trying to clear his throat.
Roka laughed at Gallows' discomfort, he would have to set him straight on a couple of things.
"First of all, your memory fails you at certain points. It is not that you are stupid, it's just that you have a poor memory." Snickered Roka, his voice reverberating in Gallows' skull.
"What does my memory have to do with anything?" snapped Gallows, getting feeling in his hands now.
"….You fool…Think back to that day… Remember…."
"….. Everyone was gone that…." Stuttered Gallows, clenching and unclenching his fist.
"No…. No they weren't…. Stop being so damn disillusioned by sentiments and actually THINK about what you are saying!" snarled Roka impatiently, sending a flash of agony through Gallows' brain.
Gallows' closed his eyes and focused on alleviating the pain. Roka snickered and Gallows' felt his presence behind him. Gallows opened his eyes and twitched his arm, Roka's presence vanished from behind him and reappeared to his distant right.
"That day… There were two other people there…" started Roka in a calm voice, moving behind Gallows slowly and reemerging to his left. Gallows' eyes followed Roka's spiritual signature as he moved.
" But… I remember Granny saying that everyone was to go to the Rasan Temple that day, and I was to stay in Baskar to watch Kasinna…"
"Ah, but what she DIDN'T tell you was that there was a reason that Kasinna had to stay behind. Didn't you know that Kasinna was considered to be of "tainted" blood ?"
Gallows, at a lost for words, said nothing in response, but darted his eyes back and forth with confusion.
"Yes…" continued Roka, moving back behind Gallows and staying there. "Kasinna and yourself were both considered black sheep… You, because of your incompetence and Kasinna because of her "tainted" blood."
" I- I don't understand… Why did they consider her to be "tainted"? I mean, yeah she was slow…but.." Gallows' face darkened and he swung his left arm out in a state of fury, "That doesn't mean that she was tainted! She was a sweet girl! How could..?"
"Shut up, Gallows…. Let me finish…" cut Roka's cold voice into Gallows' passionate rave. Gallows' blinked and looked at the ground, his chest heaving and his hands trembling.
"There is much you need to know…"
Virginia's eyes were blurred with tears as she ran, and there was no way that she could stop them. Gallows had risked his life to save hers and she repaid his kindness by…
(Running away… I ran away…I left him to die….)
She shook her head a little, causing the tears in her eyes to fly behind her in the wind.
(No more crying, I must get back to camp and get Jet and Clive to help me out! Clive probably remembers the coordinates and Jet has a good sense of direction….but….What do I have?)
"I have nothing to give…" mouthed Virginia, slowing down to a walk, her face falling with misery.
Oh, but that is not true child… spoke a gentle female voice in her head. Virginia stopped and looked around cautiously, making sure that someone was not playing pranks on her.
(Of course they wouldn't.. It's in the middle of the night…)
Child, this is no joke.. I am here with you.. I feel your agony.. Please listen to what I have to say.
"Who are you?" asked Virginia wearily, no longer looking around and twiddling her fingers nervously.
My name is Rnaia, the Goddess of Life..
"B-but… isn't there already a…. Never mind.. dumb question.." muttered Virginia, starting to walk again. Rnaia laughed and Virginia felt a gentle warmth course through her body, it felt like a warm spring day in her heart. Virginia looked straight ahead and said nothing, she could think of nothing beneficial to say.
Child, there are Guardians, Guardian Lords, and Gods… Each has their purpose on Filgaia…
" Oh.. So what are you doing with me? I don't mean to sound rude, but I imagine that you have more pressing matters to attend to...Besides… Gallows is…" Virginia cut off her sentence with a bitter sob. A gentle flow of compassion flowed through her heart and she started to cry again.
(I thought that I told myself not to cry…)
There is nothing wrong with tears when they are cried for the one that you love…
(I don't LOVE Gallows…He's….he's…a friend….)
You say that you do not love him, and yet you are weeping for him… I do not understand..
(I… I… Don't know WHAT I feel for him…)
"And I'm afraid to find out…" said Virginia out loud, a salty tear dripping into her mouth.
Why are you afraid of the wonders of life? Gallows cares for you, more than you can fathom..
"Then why did he not say anything to that effect? Why does he act like such an IDIOT?" fumed Virginia, pushing a strand of hair from her face heatedly.
Would you say that to Gallows if he were here right now? Would you speak such harsh words to the man that saved your life?…Or would you hold on to him and never let him go? asked the voice passionately, causing Virginia to blush a little and tug at her chestnut colored braid.
"I-I don't know what I would do if I saw him again…"
Did you know that my husband, Rsalis, resides within Gallows?
Virginia blinked, stopped her irritated stride, and scratched her chin.
"Isn't Rsalis the God of Death?"
That is correct. Do you see the connection now?
"So what Gallows said was true.. I really AM his other half…"
That is part of the truth, not all of it. The affinity between you two goes deeper than the connection between my husband and I. What you to feel is true love. There is no way around it.
"…. But what about my feelings toward Jet? I feel more attached to him then I do to Gallows.."
It is because he has lost so much and so have you… but… It is also apparent that Jet does not feel as passionately toward you as you do toward him.. The love you two share is more of a sibling type love…given time, however, it COULD evolve into something deeper..
"I hear a "but" lurking somewhere in your sentence.. Why is that?" inquired Virginia, slightly irritated by the Goddess' unwanted opinion.
(I don't WANT to be attracted to Gallows…. Or do I… Damn it, I'm all screwed up…)
Do you not want to be attracted to him because you fear what will come from it? Or do you feel so superior that you believe that he is simply not good enough for you? asked Rnaia, a tinge of venom dripping from her comely tone. Virginia flinched at the Goddess' statement and closed her eyes with a sigh.
" I don't think that I am to good for Gallows.. it's just that he's….A WOMANIZER!" sniffed Virginia, starting to walk again, her strides long and angry. Rnaia laughed mirthfully and Virginia could feel her smile. She clenched her fist and was about to lengthen her stride even more when she tripped over a hidden rock and fell face first into the sand. With an exasperated grunt, she pulled herself up and looked at the ground. Tiny droplets of blood spotted the ground and she put the back of her hand up to her nose.
(Great, now I have a bloody nose….)
She brought her hand down and looked grumpily at her blood-stained hand.
Are you all right, my child?
"Yeah, just a busted nose.. I'm fine.." mumbled Virginia, wiping the blood from her nose and standing up.
Do you remember the time that you saved that little boy?
Virginia stopped once again and rubbed her nose gingerly with her skirt, a look of surprise on her pale face.
"I haven't thought of that incident in about three years…."
Perhaps I should refresh your memory..
The young girl skipped through the town, holding on to the basket of groceries that she had just bought from the store. A big smile had settled upon her face, and she hummed a pleasing melody. Today was the first day of her life that she was able to go out on her own and buy groceries all by herself.
(I remember thinking that day…" Man, it's about time that Uncle Tesla and Aunt Shalte let me go out on my own! I AM 15 after all!"…. it was on that day that I met that mysterious boy…)
"Hey you little PUNK, give me back my chocolate!" spat a rough looking kid with spiky red hair. His spiteful words were aimed at a frail little boy with blond hair and blue eyes.
"T-this is my brother's candy… he's sick… " stuttered the little boy nervously, shifting his gaze to the ground, trying to avoid the bullies caustic glare. The punk reached out to grab the bag containing the chocolate and the timid boy moved it out of range. Virginia watched carefully and slowly sat her basket down, getting ready to beat the crap out of the bully.
"I don't CARE if that's your brother's chocolate! Give it to me NOW!" Spat the bully.
"Hey! Leave him alone you big idiot!" snapped Virginia, stomping toward the punk and the little boy.
The little boy looked at her and she nodded her head, indicating that he should run away. The little boy bowed and ran away, leaving just the bully and her in the relatively deserted streets.
(I remember now… It was early in the morning…. Not a lot of people were out at that time..)
The bully snarled and pulled back his sleeves, Virginia glared and cracked her knuckles.
"That was MY breakfast that just ran away!" snarled the little bastard. Virginia snorted and pushed a strand of hair behind her ear, still glaring at the little punk.
"Well, you better find another meal ticket… It looks like the one that you had was expired…" snickered Virginia, waving her hand in a shooing motion and turning her head to ignore the punks evil gaze.
" Why you…!" The punk charged and Virginia expelled a chopped laugh, his moves were so damn EASY to read! She watched as he pulled his closed fist back and swung with all his might, she easily dodged it, grabbed his wrist and started to twist it, the punk fell down to his knee and grabbed at Virginia's hand.
"Give it up, punk…" spat Virginia, giving his arm another twist. The kid screamed and proclaimed his defeat. With a nod, Virginia let the kid go and watched as he ran away with tears in his eyes. She smiled and walked back over to the basket, that was when she heard the enraged scream coming from inside the store. With a start, she grabbed the basket and ran away from the town as fast as her legs could carry her.
When I saw you that day… When I saw you protecting the innocent… I knew that you were to be my vessel…. However.. Gallows' circumstances were a bit more gruesome and painful….
The image of the town faded and once again Virginia was surrounded by wasteland. She shook her head and started to walk again, periodically wiping the blood from her nose.
"So, what were Gallows' circumstances? I don't know a lot about him…."
Perhaps you should remain ignorant for a little while longer… Right now, I am more worried about Gallows' and my husband's safety…
" What kind of threat does Roka hold over your husband and Gallows?" inquired Virginia, cautiously stepping around a sleeping snake.
Well, Roka does not really pose a threat to my husband… It's just that Rsalis can not help Gallows' at all…. If he tried to fight Roka, the results would be most unpleasant…
Virginia swallowed hard at this comment, she really did not want to think of the repercussions..
( But.. Something inside of me wants to know…)
"What would happen if the battle were initiated? What would happen to Gallows?"
… His brain would cease to function due to the massive waves of energy being pumped through his receptors….
" Gallows…" Sniffed Virginia, dabbing at her eyes with the back of her sleeve.
(DAMN IT, I'm crying again….)
"What are the chances of Rsalis engaging Roka?"
The chances are slim, but if Roka somehow gets the key….
" Then Rsalis would have no choice but to kill Roka, and in turn kill Gallows.."
That is correct..
"What's so special about this "key"?"
It opens a locked door that leads to the Relic of Soanas..
"The Relic of Soanas?" asked Virginia, spotting the cave which held her team mates.
A relic capable of granting flesh and immortality to a wayward spirit.
" But why did Roka infest Gallows? Why not someone else?"
Because Roka knew that it was one of Gallows' trials… and also.. he wanted to torment his son..
Virginia's jaw dropped and she had to steady herself to keep from falling a second time.
" Roka is Gallows' FATHER?!"
Yes, and a Baskar of priestly blood is needed to break one of the seals on the door…
" Why couldn't Roka just infiltrate Simulacrum and go THROUGH the door to get to the relic?"
Because one of the seals is a spirit rune… Hence, the phantoms within Simulacrum can not pass..
" So human hands are necessary to open the door…"
Yes, that is true. There is something that is plaguing me though…
"What is that?" asked Virginia, stopping a good 7 meters from the cave and looking into its gaping mouth.
Somewhere in this world lies the Sword of Sasnis, the Zanzir …. A sword that possesses the ability to suck the energy from a sentient being and transfer it to the wielders own.. If Roka is controlling Gallows when Gallows wields the sword, Roka will be given the energy instead of Gallows, and it is a possibility that he could take on a solid form.
"That's not good…" muttered Virginia, starting to break into a walk and then into a good sprint.
( We must help Gallows! He needs us!)
He needs you most of all, my child, for you are the one that he loves…
Virginia nodded reluctantly and entered the dark cave, not knowing what to expect, and not really caring.
Jet drew his gun when he heard a ruffling noise toward the entrance, releasing the safety, he pointed the muzzle in the direction of the noise. He was prepared for anything, his muscles tense with anticipation and his eyes were sharp and keen. He was riled up and ready to rock.
" Who's there?!" demanded Jet of the unknown person. He heard an indignant female grunt and, with a smile, locked the trigger and put the gun back in its holster.
"You know Virginia.." said Jet, trying his best to sound caustic, " You really shouldn't be sneaking around with Gallows this late at night.. People might think some…."
"Gallows is not with me." Virginia said, cutting the rest of Jet's sentence short. Jet cocked his head to the side and blinked in Virginia's direction. Virginia stepped into his line of vision and he had to hold down a gasp of surprise, Virginia's pale face was covered with blood and a stain of gore stuck to her blouse like a gruesome decoration. He ran over to her, nudging Clive with his foot as he did so. The disgruntled sniper mumbled an incoherent curse and opened his eyes half way.
"What is it? It's Three in the…Virginia!" exclaimed Clive, no longer in a daze, his eyes widening with fear for his leader. He ran over to where Jet and Virginia were and put his hands on her shoulders.
" Did Gallows do this to you?" snarled Clive, giving Virginia's shoulders a light squeeze of concern.
" No! Gallows did not hurt me at all! He saved me!" exclaimed Virginia, looking at Clive with surprise. Clive's eyes lightened a little bit and he let go of her shoulders (much to Virginia's relief)
" Tell us what all of this is about?" demanded Jet, taking Virginia's hand and dragging her over to the rock with Gallows' bloody words on it. Before she sat down, Clive spotted the blood stained rock and gasped.
" I think," said Clive, his eyes narrowing, " We have a lot of catching up to do.."
Virginia nodded her head and sat down beside the rock, conveying her story in a rushed manner, trying her best to hurry things along so she could help Gallows.
He opened his eyes and looked around dazedly, everything was distorted and blurred and his head was pounding something fierce. With a grunt, he rubbed his eyes and blinked a couple of times, hoping that it would somehow clear his vision. It helped, to a certain extent, and he actually got a good view of his surroundings. He was in a cathedral of sorts, eerie music was emanating from the high vaulted ceiling and dull sunlight was filtering in through the dust caked windows.
(Where the hell am I?)
"Gallows.." whispered a sweet voice from behind him. He quickly whirled around and was met by nothingness. Was it his imagination perhaps? With a shake of his head, he ambled forward, swayed a little, steadied himself, and then proceeded to the front of the cathedral, a cold sweat breaking out on his neck and forehead. There were forms, he noted with a certain degree of horror, at least fifty of them, all sitting at the stone pews with their heads bowed. He ran a hand through his hair and sighed a little, trying to let all the information register in his distorted mind. It was then he felt a small warm hand touch his shoulder, he whirled around quickly, half expecting to be greeted by nothingness once again. However, such was not the case, there, in front of him, was a ghost from his past. It was none other than Kasinna, the sweet little girl that he thought that he had lost nine years ago.
"Kasinna.." whispered Gallows, his eyes filling with long forgotten tears. The little girl smiled and threw open her arms to the young Baskar. With a sweet smile, Gallows stepped forward and put his hands on the little girls shoulders. She was real, just as real as he was, and happy….and alive!
"Uncle Gallows! I've missed you, where's my HUG!" exclaimed Kasinna, her arms still extended. Still smiling, Gallows wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, the little girl returned the hug and giggled. Gallows kissed the top of her head and pulled away, his smile starting to fade.
(This can't be Kasinna, Kasinna died nine years ago! Then….)
He looked into her eyes and gasped, they were leaking blood and rotting out! Gagging, he pulled away and glared at the little girl. The little girl laughed and pointed her finger accusingly at her "Uncle Gallows".
"You did this to me!" she screeched, her fingernail yellowing and then falling off. Gallows stumbled back and looked at her repulsively.
"I…I don't know what you're TALKING about! I tried to save.." stammered Gallows, only to be interupted by Kasinna's angry screech. Gallows held his ears and watched as his surroundings distorted.
"YOU COULD HAVE SAVED ME!" Kasinna screeched, walking toward him, her finger still pointed at him. Gallows backed up and reached for his gun, which, to Kassina's benefit, was not there. Gallows growled and stopped moving backwards and straightened his back,
(I can't let her scare me like this! I have to look past this.. ILLUSION!)
" I tried, but I was to late, I know that now….I no longer blame myself. Rest in peace Kasinna." Whispered Gallows, grabbing the little girl's decaying hand. Kasinna's eyes widened and then fell to the floor with a wet plop. Gallows took in a deep breath and watched as the little girl fell into ashes at his feet.
"I'm sorry…" murmured Gallows, scooping up the ashes in his hand and saying a small prayer. As soon as he had finished his prayer, the ashes turned into pinpoints of light and shot up into the sky. Gallows closed his eyes and fell down to his knees, feeling the floor dematerialize from beneath him.
(There are no more regrets…Except for..)
"Hey punk, did you here what I said?" broke a voice into his darkened thoughts. Gallows opened his eyes and was staring at black, worn out boots. Gallows snorted and got up, glaring at the kid with the black boots. He watched as a younger version of himself got pushed into a wall.
"Come on you fucking pansy, fight us!" taunted the kid in black boots. The adult Gallows looked at his younger self with disgust and a little bit of pity. With a sigh, he watched as 15 year old Gallows got punched in the face by the black booted guy.
(I guess that I remember his boots the most because that's mostly all I saw…but then…)
Gallows looked at the kid with black boots with pity, he knew what would happen next. The punk in the black boots pushed a hand through his short black hair and laughed ruefully, his gray eyes reflecting his animosity. Younger Gallows stood up shakily and wiped the blood from his nose, glaring at the boy.
"Oh, what is little pussy boy going to do now? Kill us with his GIRLINESS?!" asked the punk, nudging a blue hair boy roughly. The blue hair boy concurred with a caustic snicker.
"Hey look, everyone, its pretty boy Carradine! Hey Carradine, kiss any cute boys here lately?" said the blue hair boy in a high-pitched whiny tone. Gallows' blood froze when he saw his younger counterpart smile viciously and crack his neck by moving left to right.
" You know what?' growled the younger Gallows, his eyes alight with the flames of hatred. The two boys stopped smiling and watched as Gallows wobbled slowly over to them.
"I don't…."
(Have time to mess with idiots like you..) mouthed Gallows, already knowing the outcome.
"Have time to mess with idiots like you"
The punk with the black boots laughed ruefully and spat in the young Baskar's face, fueling his rage.
" So are you going to run home to MOMMY and…" his sentence was cut short by Gallows' fist to his face.
The blue hair kid looked at Gallows and was about to run when Gallows looked at him with cold blue eyes.
" No, you can stay, I have a bone to pick with you, you little fuck…" growled Gallows, his eyes lightening to white and starting to glow. The blue hair kid gasped and didn't move, his small hands shaking with fear.
"Why do you hang around with this idiot?" inquired Gallows, pointing to the still form of the black booted boy. The traumatized blue hair child did not respond with words, but shook his head with confusion.
" Go away, and take your idiot friend with you…."
The blue hair kid nodded and put his friend's arm around his shoulder, still looking at Gallows cautiously.
"What are you waiting for? Doom? Get MOVING!" Roared Gallows, pointing in a random direction. With a nod, the kid ran off, dragging his buddies limp form beside him.
That is the day that I saw potential in you, Gallows Carradine, that is when I saw you as my vessel.
(Rsalis…Why don't you help me? Help me fight Roka off!) thought Gallows, once again watching as the world faded to black. Rsalis sighed, and Gallows felt a wave of despair hit him full force.
If I tried to kill Roka, I would kill you as well. Killing my vessel is a BAD idea.
Gallows snickered at Rsalis, amused by his dark sense of humor.
(Yeah, I can see where that would be bad for you. So.. Roka is going to win then?)
It appears so. That is, unless of course, you can find a way out of this "prison".
(I will not give up. There has GOT to be a way out of this dump.)
Rsalis laughed a little and Gallows felt a tinge of embarrassment course through his body.
(I just called my brain a "dump", didn't I?) Mused Gallows, feeling both stupid and amused.
You did.
(….. Rsalis, let's find a way out of this hell hole! I want to protect Virginia and….everyone else…)
Let's get started then! I think that we should…
Someone was shaking his shoulder, hard, and asking for him to wake up. Roka opened his eyes and glared at the demon, Rlaza, maliciously. Rlaza shrank back but then regained his composure and handed Roka a blood red sword with a flared blade and a wicked looking sickle on the Tsuka Gashira (Tip of the sword handle). Roka accepted it with a wicked smile and touched the blade with his tongue. It tasted like dried blood and metal…a perfect combination in his opinion.
"I believe.." said Roka, still smiling maliciously, and evil light in his eyes "It is time for Gallows and I to have a little bit of "quality time" together. What do you think Rsalis?" inquired Roka, looking at his demon companion. The demon smiled a hideous smile and laughed a little.
" It think that it sounds like a WONDERFUL idea…"
Roka strapped the sword to his back and frowned, there would be a lot of work to be done.
"Are you ready, my liege?" asked Rsalis, kneeling down in front of Roka. Roka nodded and climbed onto Rsalis' shoulder.
(It's time to claim what is rightfully mine!)
"Immortality…" snarled Roka, a wicked smile once again crossing his face.