Now that Tabitha had control over all of the sin of Envy and all of the sin of Sloth, thanks to her Father, who gave her 'Sloth' when she conquered the First Arm Of Tabrith, as well as all of Gluttony thanks to the gluttonous nature of it, she was in control of 3 of the 7 deadly sins, and would soon have the entire mountain. "If I can find Greed, then this deal should be done," she spake from the abyss.
The units that were under her control; an army of Envies that were now going to be known as 'Pains,' which would be a personal type of Doll for Tabitha, would be crawling along the surface of the West Gate scouring for the Greed Demon or the Sin of Greed, itself. These were the lesser puppets of the Puppet King, which was ordering them from higher up to go back down the side of the mountain to deal with the other Sins.
Sooner or later, after Mister Sir dealt with the disposal of the former Puppet King, which the 'Pain' dolls that were scouting around were once the minions of, he was aware that each of them, after completing their task, would be headless and mindless vessels ripe for the taking. Once he reached the clearing of the West Gate, he would take the path along the water that led to one of the rocky high places, where he was aware that Greed liked to sit to watch everyone do everything to his bidding from afar.
"Greed," he summoned, "Step Forward And Collect The Ones Trying To Make A Deal For My Downfall." This was the first order of business, considering that those who Mister Sir betrayed would inevitably be out for his head, however also they were still able to be controlled simply because they did not know about what was going on in the background. They could be hooked and enslaved instead of destroyed and, if they were found with these detestable sins within them as a group, he could burn them all up at once just because he owned them, which was the plan. "You Can Buy A Lesser Being Easily By Their Minds. So Don't Skimp On The Price, Because They Will Always Shoot Low." He knew that they thought they had no value or self-worth, which means that they would already start off naming a price that was low, and if Greed were to lower the price that already started off low because of their self-esteem and self-worth, then they would be more obliged to want to take the offer because they would be desperate due to low self-esteem. "Easy Money." The fact that Mister Sir knew this so well, and yet was about to give into this Sin of purchasing others again actually afflicted him, further igniting his Wrath. "Whatever You Want, It Is Yours," he said immediately, keeping his flames contained, "As Long As You Sign The Contract To Do It." He pointed off to the puppet army roaming by, passing over the land just beside the Lake of Death. Those were the targets in question.
The Valparaiso Denizens that were hiding out in the mountains away from the raging demon of fire would suddenly turn up once they saw the army of 'Pain' puppets scuttling by under the control of the former Puppet King. "Got em," the new Puppet King said, hurling strings over the crowd. "As long as we have all these forces in our ranks, we can definitely beat that guy now." They weren't certain where Mister Sir was, but their cover wasn't blown, so they weren't concerned with anything except the capture of the puppets for their ranks.
Just then, a man atop a high place, finely dressed, with lush hair that covered his eyes would step forward to greet Mister Sir only a little while after he called. "Ah, yes. Business to be done," the mystery man would say, adjusting his gloves. "I had to take care of a bit of chump change, myself." This man had just come from making some other deals with different underlings before returning to his normal spot, where he oversaw from on high most of his underlings doing the things that they were paid to do. "I don't suppose you mean that unruly heard, do you? The ones at the gate?" He referenced the ones he'd just bid to come up the mountain, who had recently been enslaved by Lust. "I already purchased those lot. They belong to me, and I won't go any lower than 75% on every head." If Mister Sir did not have the funds to purchase this man's assistance, then he might be out of luck.
"Of course..." the man insisted, not simply leaving the deal open ended, "... If you mean THAT lot, over there..." he pointed off to the distance where the rampaging army of dolls was marching, directly where Mister Sir was pointing off too, smiling some, "... I'll cut you a deal for them." The way he spoke of them was as if they were cattle and property, of which he saw each of them as, which was the only reason he was so picky about the proceeds. "You become my new employee and I will purchase the rag dolls for you." It seemed like a fair exchange. He extended his hand, as if to shake and confirm the deal. "What do you say? Do we have a deal?"
Before any form of any kind of 'deal' could be struck, the true owner of the puppets, Tabitha, who had already assigned what her role for these dolls was prior to entering the area, would already be prepared to give the new Puppet King of her choosing the 'Pains' that were running about 'headlessly.' The Goddess of Darkness, after spotting her group, descended into the group of puppets and became their large body, and immediately a great black aura pressed down on them. Their shadows all merged together as one and bulging black tendrils burst out upon the surface of the ground; 6 in total, and all of which immediately curved the entire flock of Mechanica over to their intended targets. "Here, Catch!" the grisly voice of the collective hive-minded dolls droned, all listening to the Command given to them by their owner and reciting it as fed into their minds.
This should have immediately gotten the attention of Puppet King, who would also recognize the signal, as well. (Consent)
"You Idiot." Mister Sir raised his hand up as if to strike Greed once he appeared. "You're Not Supposed To Ask Me For Pay." He lashed his hand over the army of puppets instead of giving Greed a dime and would just capture all of the dolls himself with burning strings attached to them. "You're Supposed To Do As I SAY!" He threw his other hand out toward Greed to knock his hand away, knowing that there was a more important matter at hand to take care of, which was the destruction of these infernal Sins, and prevent his own termination in the process. "How Can You Be Thinking Of How Much I'm Going To Pay You Right Now When I'm The One Whose Life Is On The Line?" The burning threads of fire that poured from Mister Sir's scalp scorched the land searching for where the ones that escaped him were, and burning up whatever strings they hurled out in the process so that only Mister Sir's strings connected to the puppet army. "You're No Help Unless I Give You Something First, No Matter What The Actual Stakes Are." Greed literally had no concern for anything beyond what the benefits for himself were, and wouldn't accept doing anything that did not benefit him. "Your Life Is On The Line, Too, I Hope You Know." Mister Sir wondered if that even made any kind of a difference, or at least an impact.
"Got it," the Puppet King of the Valparaiso Denizens cried out from the shadows, where all of his men were hiding behind rocks unseen. When they came out of the dark, the 'Distortions' that they used caused the flames of Mister Sir to miss the puppets and instead let the Puppet King connect his strings without anything burning them up. Every time some of Mister Sir's fire tried to get in the way to burn the strings, it would be distorted and redirected before it could touch the strings. "Ha! They're mine now!" he cried, now telling the Puppets what to do. They were stampeding like a herd of cattle, and so the best option was to assimilate with them and have them carry the Valparaiso Denizens and the Puppet King wherever they needed to get to. "Spread out, boys!" the Puppet King would command, and before too long, all of the 'Pains' would split apart and infest the mountain of Sin in many different areas, with each being set up for different reasons. They all disappeared into darkness and would be split up into respective teams and groups during their time inside the darkness, so when they each exited in their own time, it would be in small groups in different areas. "Thanks."
Greed frowned upon Mister Sir's conduct in what was supposed to be a cooperative work environment, feeling rather suddenly insulted by his refusal to pay the price for the services and talents of Greed and his agency. "You'll regret that," were the only things Greed said as his hand was knocked away and quickly placed behind his back. He walked away without paying anymore mind to Mister Sir.
Soon after Greed disappeared, a strange light like that of the sun appeared in the sky, shining brightly and casting lights down upon the field.
The strange lights that came from the sky, which looked something like Hollywood spotlights on a red carpet, would sweep across the ground and draw forth vessels and the souls inside of them up into it. Anything that was in it or looked directly into it would be trapped by it, like a tractor beam, and their attention would be snatched up to look at where the light was coming from.
"How Dare You." Mister Sir was more than furious. Not only was everything actually falling apart, but he also had to see it, and watch at what he was almost a part of. "I'll Deal With You Next, Greed." It nearly seemed like he wasn't upset with the Valparaiso Denizens nor the Puppet King at all, but his eyes flashed a burning crimson like the searing of a branding mark on a cow as he glared at Greed with the eyes of Wrath. Flames dispersed from where the light would shine, Mister Sir's image burning away as soon as he saw it.
A searing wall of fire behind him as the heat of the vacuum of his movements would burn up everything that he passed over, which included the Puppet King and the horde of lesser Puppets. "All Envy to me," he muttered under his breath, having his own sights set on a new, better Puppet King. "Don't Die, Children." These were the fading words of the passing heat wave, which scorched the land and ignited the Lake of Death, which was eternally to be lit aflame. Mister Sir's judgment was absolute.
Without much warning, there was a beam of light and a wave of heat that stroked the land, with the shining ray scavenging the surface of the land as if searching for targets. That much was clear. However, when the Puppet King and the rest of the Valparaiso Denizens were in danger, they immediately sunk into the 'Cover' of the 'Darkness,' no longer able to be seen by any of the light, nor touched by the wave of heat, using whatever was making the 'Darkness' they were covered by also as protection from the heat blast. Puppet King and his men were gone in a hot flash.
A figure was seen wandering about the open field, having crawled out from the Darkness.
'Game Knight :: Mind Lock'
The Figure That Stepped Out Of The Shadows, Which Was Not A Valparaiso Denizen, Would Be Mentally Linked With The Mind Of The Grand Tabritha, Who Was Testing Out The Tensei Family's Game That Her Father Created; The Argus Card System. Since The Tensei Owned The Land And This Was The Best Area And Scenario For Testing Their Product, The First Creature That Stepped Out Once The Tensei, Grand Tabritha, Stepped On The Mountain And Started Playing Her Game Was Made Immediately Into Her Game Piece, Something Similar To How She'd Done With The 'Archduke' Before.
"Archnemesis," She Deemed, Sending Off One Of Her New 'Royal Servants' To Scour The Area For Any Loose Data She Could Use, "Scout."
Numerous Mirror Images of Pride would suddenly appear all throughout the Lacor Mortis, even hovering over the ignited Lake of Fire, itself. They all seemed tangible and none of them could be discerned because each one was of different size and proportions. All of them were Pride, being either an image of Vanity or of Chauncey, both of which looked identical, save for the difference in size and disposition. These Mirror Images would litter the skies like satellites looking down on a lower class of being. "Ready for your close up, Mister Sir...?" Pride laughed haughtily, glaring down with all eyes condescending.
There were so many of these Mirror Images reflected and projected all across the field that Greed, who had actually already been using some 'Smoke and Mirrors' of his own, would appear in the reflections and project reflections of himself, as well, whilst also holding a wad of money that suddenly, with the clench of his fist and a ruffle like that of feathers, would spontaneously burst into the physical form of a hand mirror that mimicked the appearance of Pride. Greed would have just as many, if not more images of himself surrounding the area, all across the ground whilst Pride took the whole sky and covered him from above.
The Archnemesis, which was a special name given for one of the Mechanica that had crawled out of the shadows, would do as its master commanded and immediately begin to scour the area as a scout, looking for any signs of life or action.
Overhead, it could be seen that a great deal of eyes from the mirrors up above were looking down from the sky and scouting the ground the same way the Archnemesis was scouting the area. After realizing this, the Archnemesis would scurry back into the shadows and continue to scout unseen by the eyes of the one overhead.
"There," a voice called out from atop a high place, before the snap of fingers and the ruffling of paper, "There it is." Someone's hand outstretched above the high place and pointed to the doll trying to escape. "Go get it, Pride."
Overhead, the shadow of an enormous blimp-like ovular object would be seen hovering forward, with a distinguishing, haughty face at the head of it. The hovering object, which was similar to the one that scared off the scurrying rodents and cleared them out of the area, would orbit around the sky like a satellite, adjusting its angle to a degree of heightened perspective. Where this last creature running around the barren land tried to escape to, it would find completely illuminated by a bright light like that of a spotlight, with each of the shadows now altered to a different direction that no longer covered the initial area, something like a stage light shifting around to a better vantage point. "I see you, little bug~!" the voice of the head said in a cute, but exceedingly condescending manner.
The Archnemesis, which was one of the Mechanica that had been sent by and from the shadows of the Great Darkness would be exposed in the light, yet was nothing more than a simple Puppet that would, upon exposure, fall lifeless and without any form of intent. The Archnemesis sat there motionlessly.
"What?" The voice of the one overhead exclaimed, focusing all attention on the now lifeless puppet. "This has got to be a joke." The arms that were on either side of the giant shining oval would cross, and the face of the snoot would turn up and away from the ugly rag doll. "I'm not touching that putrid THING," Pride said, barely even looking at Greed now. "CHAUNCEY!!!!" he cried out, clapping his hands as if summoning a servant. "Pick up this trash THIS INSTANT." He clapped his hands twice. "Chop Chop!!" Feeling as if his time and his appearance were wasted and totally in vain, Vanity was in a terrible mood now. "You'll pay for this, Greed. I don't DO one-star appearances." Immediately, the titanic hand mirror floating overhead, known formally as 'Vanity,' the Sin Of Pride, would shrink down to a normal size and begin to hover away, arms crossed, eyes closed, chest poked out, nose turned up, lips pouched and head turned away from whatever ugliness Greed insisted he touch. "DON'T insult me again, Ugly One." Everything, to Pride, was ugly and inferior, except Pride, itself.
Greed, however, already having more than accounted for this, including Pride's childish and selfishly arrogant behavior, would use this to his advantage. "Hold on there, Light Show," he said with a smirk, literally objectifying the object of his goal fulfillment quite on purpose, "We're not quite done here, and I think you MIGHT want to check yourself in the mirror again." Greed, who was STILL sitting on his high place, overlooking the barren land as though it were a plantation, would kick his leg up over the other, bouncing it up and down slightly. "That is, if you can find it." The wicked grin of anticipation and knowing sprawled like that of a wide frog's mouth, and before he croaked a single thing else, he would wait for Pride to realize just what the words that came from his mouth meant.
That's when it hit him. "Chauncey?" The loyal servitude of Chauncey was unmatched. Something like how Greed could snap his fingers and make slaves do his bidding was nearly identical to what Vanity could do with Chauncey. Yet, his trusted servant was nowhere to be found. "CHAUNCEY!!!" He cried out again, turning around deftly with sharp eyes like that of a knife cutting up and down in search of the servant that hadn't yet executed Vanity's will exactly as he was commanded. "CHAUNCEY, BRING YOUR ASS HERE THIS INSTANT." Vanity searched high and low for his Mirror Image, and yet, to no avail. He did not see his own reflection, no matter how high up he floated into the air to get an overview of the land. "CHAUNCEY, YOU INSOLENT LAZY KNAVE, WHERE ARE YOU!?" The hand mirror man would flash all sorts of signals, waiting for the reflection to mirror him in return and signal that he was either okay or was on the way. When Vanity could not find his reflection, and it was clear that it was nowhere to be found in all the land, he became less angry and more panicked and distraught. "Chauncey?! POOPSIE, WHERE ARE YOU!?!?"
Greed grinned. "Rude awakening, yes? Well, if you were paying attention, you would have noticed that your precious mini-me is already broken out of your image and taken on someone else's." Greed pointed over yonder, back to where the two of them had come from, where Chauncey had been left to hold off Mister Sir. "Tragic," he said heartlessly, letting his pointing finger rest over the horizon right on where the bloody, broken, ugly mirror lay flat and destroyed, as if murdered, all over the pavement.
"CHAUNCEY BABY!!!!" Vanity cried, becoming more anxious and emotionally stirred now. The tension caused him to shudder, nearly cracking his mirror. "WHY DO BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE HAVE TO DIE SO UGLY!?!?" Vanity buried his face in his hands, nearly traumatized at the sight of such vivid ugliness in his beautiful eyes, tainting and staining them with the horrendous bloodied image. It was like looking at himself be ugly, which was the highest form of upset that Vanity could conceive. "TAKE IT AWAY! TAKE IT AWAY!!"
Now Greed, who had long since thought this out, looking nothing concerned, would speak gingerly to the nearly cracked face that hovered beside him. "There, there," he comforted, "These things can be replaced. You can get a newer, better Chauncey." His other hand, which had been hidden behind his back, would slowly creep to the light. "Why, what's this I have, behind my back?!" he said somewhat sarcastically, as if speaking to an unruly child. "Well, lookie here! It's another, more beautiful mirror!!" When he revealed it and placed it before Vanity's face, the more beautiful mirror, which had been forged to be in Vanity's image, just like Chauncey, only with a slightly better sheen and encrusted with more rare, glittering gems and jewels, he would wave it before Vanity something like a parent would a bottle before a baby.
Immediately, Vanity's face shot up from the palm of his hands with a snap, something like a demon, with a crack that sounded just as wicked. "Chauncey?!" he uttered in hysterical relief. "CHAUNCEY JR.!!!" He snatched the new mirror from Greed and immediately gazed deeply into it, looking at his own reflection. "Oh, Chauncey Jr., I'm EVER so pleased. I thought I'd never have my lovely, wonderful, beautiful, darling baby back in my hands." He kissed the mirror profusely.
Greed smirked.
Finally, the Archnemesis that had dropped down like a lifeless puppet would rise back up at the coming of the Great Darkness that rolled over the land, casting all into Night, no matter how bright, nor what time of day. The Archnemesis would immediately scurry into the Great Darkness as it passed over, covered completely by it and becoming hidden from the eyes of Greed and Pride overhead, of whom the Archnemesis had been spying on and listening to in order to gather information. It could no longer be traced once retreating into the Great Darkness.
You are covered and protected by the Great Darkness, and continue to look on from within it, never coming from out of it nor straying from it.
Mister Sir, who had been recounting the events of the past to You within the Great Darkness through a flashback, would suddenly step forward from the Great Darkness when he was finished explaining to You what happened before You got there. "Step Aside," he said to You, urging You not to interfere nor come out of the Great Darkness, "You're Playing With The Big Boys Now." The man of blazing fire, whose light, too, was shrouded under the cover of the Great Darkness, would suddenly illuminate the area that he stepped forth from, drawing all attention unto him, like a spotlight.
"GREED!!!!" He shouted up to the high place, completely ignoring Pride, "This Ends HERE!!!" Mister Sir, who had a PERSONAL vendetta against the cutthroat Greed, who attempted to pay off his execution, would glare at him with incandescent eyes, no longer sealed nor bound shut, but made completely of burning fire, much like roughly 80% of his body. "You Can't Run Away This Time, Cowardly Frog." Just the sight of Greed and the knowing that he already paid for something up his sleeve irritated Mister Sir. What irritated him more was knowing that Greed probably would not give a damn about anything as long as his resources were intact, and would continue to act just as pompous as Pride would be. The burning one stood front and center in the darkness of the desolate land, being the only kindled illumination there was, specifically to get Greed's attention from his high place. "Step Down."
"To your level?" Greed laughed arrogantly, nearly throwing his head back in contempt, "I think not, my boy." He shook his head, waving his hand simultaneously to casually away both Mister Sir and the thought of descent. "No, I think you're just fine where you are and I, too, where I am. The ground level suits you, don't you think?" He turned his head smugly toward the Mirror, as if he were speaking to Vanity, though with his words completely directed toward Mister Sir. "Pride?" He grinned, casting the attention to Vanity and his new, better mirror issued by Greed, himself.
Vanity was barely coherent. He needed to restore his own image in himself before he could even think to look at anything else. "Yeah, sure, whatever." He flipped his hair, puckering his lips and making kissy faces at the more beautiful, more glossy mirror that was before his dazzling, sparkling eyes. "Chauncey Jr. says 'Whatever,' too." Completely dismissed.
Greed lowered his head, chuckling. "Boy," he spake to Pride, leaving a long, dramatic pause in between before he continued, "How about I ask you AGAIN what your thoughts are on this matter?" Suddenly, Greed's eyes flashed from under the darkness of his shadowed face, and also the eyes of Chauncey Jr. would gleam in a similar manner, locking directly with the eyes of Vanity. The both of them spoke simultaneously, "What Do You Think Of Our Predicament?"
Immediately, Pride's eyes were lost in the mirror and whatever form of consciousness he had for himself was sucked out and into the new mirror, leaving Vanity as nothing more than a mere object for Greed's Possession. "It is as you say," Pride spoke, both through Chauncey Jr. and Vanity, monotonously and soullessly, something like a robotic zombie. "Whatever you wish to do shall be done." It was clear that Vanity was no more, and was simply a tool for Greed, being consumed and Possessed by the material possession that was given to him by Greed. Now, Pride and Greed were one, and Pride fell under Greed's power, making him nothing more than an extension of Greed, itself, and no longer his own person.
"Thaaat's better," Greed would say nonchalantly, turning his head back to Mister Sir. "You see? All in favor! Majority rule." Greed kicked his other leg over the first, casually switching between them as he sat right in his place, not having moved except for that. He laughed to himself; all three of them.
Mister Sir grit his teeth. Just the look on Greed's face was enough to see that he wasn't clear that he'd lost, and he was going to make this difficult, sitting on all of the assets like the dirty frog he was. Mister Sir, knowing what his first thought was, would begin to speak, as if to a group, "Whomever At The Top That Is Telling Everyone To Do These Sickening Things Is Actually Just Covering Up Their Own Sickening Desires And Feigning It As Tests." To whom he was speaking to seemed unclear, since there was nothing about but the Great Darkness, Greed and Pride. Yet, he continued on, as though he spoke to a large group. "Whomever Is LISTENING To This Person Is FAILING The Test, Because You're Supposed To Actually Say 'This Is A Sin And I'm Not Supposed To Do It, Even If I Was Told.'" Mister Sir looked around, his eyes able to see clearly through the Great Darkness, and all across the land covered upon it. "He's Testing YOU."
Though Mister Sir's fury was getting the better of him, because he knew that with Greed, he was at a slight disadvantage, he could somehow manage to contain it just enough to keep his wits about him, and a composure that would normally already have the area clad in blood red destruction. "He Just Has Obedient Slave Idiots That Will Do Anything He Wants To Without Thinking That They Might Be Condemned For His Own Insidious Desires. *sigh*" Mister Sir shook his head, clenching his fists tightly, the flames about his body condensing to what looked like solidified magma as he contained his rage. "I Cannot Stand These People." Clearly, Pride, rather, Vanity, was one of them, and it was through the Material Possession. That was Greed's power, which was something completely hidden because it seemed so very commonplace and simple that none else were able to see it as a true skill or ability, but Greed was more a master of Possession than even Envy. "And Then It's SO BAD, They Teach The People Down The Business Line 'Obey What I Say, Even If It's A Sin, Or You're Fired.'" Just the thought process of Greed was getting on his nerves, fueling the contained flames within his now magmatic body. "Why Are They All So Weak?"
Suddenly Greed laughed out loudly, unable to contain his own amusement this time around. "Boyo, who are you talking to? Certainly not ME, correct?" Greed was more than aware that there were more people around; some that were his and some that were not. All were covered by the darkness, yes, but whomever Mister Sir was speaking to, certainly, none that were under Greed were listening. "I guess you already realized that you're surrounded by my slaves, hm? There are a WHOLE HEAPING HELPING of whipping boys from the Highest Place to the Lowest Place." Greed snapped his fingers and began to point his finger down at Mister Sir purposefully condescendingly, whilst Pride would, as if with a mental link, drift to Greed's face with a cigar to place gently betwixt his teeth, lighting it deftly. "Slaves; 20 Dollars to the first person that takes care of my garbage." Greed made SURE to collect the lowliest ones and send them out first, because he could pay them the least to do the most work, AND they were completely disposable and unimportant. "You can go talk to some people in their Employment Offices and ask them, 'Are You A Whipping Boy?' and I will pay them to tell you 'Yes, Sir! Absolutely, Sir!'" He took a single, long, enjoyable puff of his cigar as Greed relaxed, and each of his Material Possessions suddenly sprouted up from the darkness; those first ones being 'Slaves' that he literally owned as Material Possessions. They flooded the area from out of the darkness, wearing their dainty little suits and ties that Greed fixed them up in, in his image.
Because they were all attached to Greed through the Material Possessions, when he ordered them, it was as if they were an extension of himself, and they were no longer their own. Their minds, bodies AND souls were all owned by the Greed Demon, Money, and each of the lowly Slaves looked to be something like pale faced zombies, groaning and moaning about the work of the day, as per usual. A sound that Greed had learned to become accustomed, and relish in, at the expense of his expenses. Without even an extra word, all those who were bought for about 20 dollars per hour would legitimately LEAP at the chance to strike down Mister Sir with whatever they had at their disposal, something like feral wild dogs. Greed surrounded Mister Sir in no time flat, and the wild animals that were his 'fitted pups' would wildly swing their fists and claws about, throwing the most basic punches and kicks that their basic minds could comprehend. They were made the most basic on purpose and, with their numbers alone, would surely wear down Mister Sir before he could even get a whiff of the Big Boys.
Greed smiled all the way, watching carefully as his slave minions did the Head's bidding. He beckoned someone from the darkness in a high place nearest to him and began to whisper, but to whom and what was uncertain.
You, who are still surprisingly covered by the Great Darkness and have not been left nor exposed, look on at the horrible display by these hired hands, heeding the words of the burning one that stands on your behalf, knowing that he is speaking to You. You see each of the mindless ones literally be treated as though they are slaves by this strange person named 'Greed' that You'd seen glimpses of all up the mountain, who had been trying desperately to purchase You both in the beginning and quite possibly was fighting for Your ownership even now. You are stunned by these things, and partially ashamed, also wanting to jump at the offer, knowing that, from what You've been told, that sort of payment can help sustain Your entire life. The man was just giving away positions and it seemed like the well-paying job was only to do exactly as the man said. It didn't seem very difficult, either, and You contemplate whether or not You should take up the offer that was extended.
However, because You still have a conscious mind and personal feelings of Your own, because these things still belong to You and have not been purchased, You think very long and hard about selling Yourself like a prostitute just to get some money. You also make note of the man, Mister Sir, who is pleading Your case and fighting for You and hold that into consideration. You wait, this time, to see what will become of this, and are ready to go to whomever is in favor. Either option seems like something You will settle with; either being completely free or to be taken care of for the rest of Your days with a decent pay doing whatever work is prepared for You. As long as You are alive, this is all You care about, whether or not the quality of life factors right now.
Mister Sir, whose body continued to burn brighter, something like the sun, compress further down as the insolent zombie slaves hopped toward him without thinking, would utter under his breath in disgust at their idiocy, "This Is Why I Don't Follow You All Into The Sin, Because I AM Aware That It Poisons You For Having To Listen To Them." Mister Sir dealt with ALL of the Sins rather personally for QUITE a long time now; longer than perhaps many of them even truly understood 'life' to be in length, since they were probably only aware of their own measly feeble human lifetimes. He once commanded them all, but now, as all of them were turning against him, and he against they, he was only here to destroy them absolutely with the Holy Wrath of God. "Stop Trying To Teach People With The 'Devil Test.' CLEARLY They're FAILING And It's Because They Don't Need To Be TESTED On Things They DON'T KNOW." The mindless ones would do nothing but hurl themselves into the lake of fire, which was actually what Mister Sir's body resembled now, and drew power from as they still stood nearby. The moment the basic slaves even tried to touch him, they would be burnt to cinders and scattered in the wind as ashes, and Mister Sir would not even bat an eye at them nor look any of the worker drones in the face.
He started to walk, rather straightforward and calmly, toward the high place that Greed had placed himself, speaking out to whomever could hear that was not simply hurling themselves mindlessly into his body, which was clearly on fire before they even thought to touch him, if they even thought at all. "Not EVERY Job Opportunity Is Good For You JUST Because It's AVAILABLE. It's Actually 'New Age Slavery.'" Clearly, they had to know this, since Greed just called them blatantly by the name of 'Slave,' which was nothing but the title of a Material Possession. As long as they were Material Possessions that could be owned by Greed, then they were his Slaves, and nothing more than soulless, hollowed out objects that worked for him as a hive mind. They were already gone, and weren't coming back.
Still, Mister Sir continued to speak out, for he knew that the words of his mouth were reaching the ones that he was protecting, because he could sense their vibrations with his heat sensing, which caused distortions in the air that could be read just like heat-vision goggles or radar, "If You Do Not Eat From Off The Ground, Or Pick Up Filth Or Waste From Off The Ground And Eat It Or Wear It, Then Do Not Take The Poisoned Handouts Just Because They Are Available. It's STILL Poison, And They Do Look Down On You When You Take The Bait," he said to the ones that had doubt in them, of which he could feel as he walked up the side of the mountain, "They Will Hold Out Their Hand And See If You're Intelligent Enough Or Depraved Enough To Take What They Offer; ESPECIALLY IF IT'S SHIT." He was aware that before, the ignorant and the blind could not tell the difference between the slops of the higher orders and powers, but now that they would see the light of Mister Sir and hear the veracity of his wrathful voice, hopefully now the distinction between the two was more clear to the ones who actually had a mind to tell their 'rewards' apart.
"Part Of The Reason Why This Generation Is Like That Is Because Your PARENTS Are Like That, And Have Already Been Enslaved To Think That's What You NEED To Do To Get By." Certainly, some of the ones that were captured by the Sins earlier on, who had died, were among the ranks of SIN, itself, now, and were being used as part of the large body of SIN, itself; likely why the pale-faced ones were zombie-like in appearance. Perhaps, if the survivors looked closely, they could see their own kin and brethren that they'd lost walking among the dead, dressed up nice and fine so that no one would know; something like a carcass at a funeral. "So What THEY do Is, Because THEY Were Poisoned, But THOUGHT It Was Good Food, And Ate It All Up Out Of The Palm Of Someone's Hand Like A Filthy Animal, Teach Their Children To Be The Same."
Mister Sir could see that there were other, less basic minions of Greed in the darkness, because he noticed how they were moving with his sensors. Yet, because they were likely cold and dead vessels without heat or souls, and would be cold in their demeanor and their interaction, he was not able to see they, themselves, but only their motions, which made ripples in the atmosphere that he could still pick up on. "Now Look What You Have. Another Generation Forced Into 'Lust' And 'Slavery' Because Of Ignorant Parents Taking Every Opportunity Available For Sinful Reasons Like 'Trying To Be Better Than Someone' Or "Trying To Take Advantage Of Others To Get Ahead In Life." Mister sir spit on the ground as he neared Greed, narrowing his blazing eyes, which grew in burning intensity the more he felt the wrath of his heart flaring up.
"Are you QUITE finished?" Greed asked Mister Sir with a yawn, "You DO drag on and on, you know. Certainly, none of them have a mind enough to actually REALLY listen nor comprehend these words you speak." That much, Greed was actually willing to bet on. They were a slow, dim-witted, lustful people that jumped out at their desires as soon as they were presented. "In fact, I think you MIGHT want to pay closer attention to your audience. Dumb it down a bit." He waved a bit of paper in the air and let it gently pass on the wind. It was a full, crisp 100 dollar bill, which would lightly breeze by and off into the darkness. Greed did not seem at all concerned with those that he lost. "Guess you can say those people are FIRED, yes? Bahahaha!" He took another puff, letting the smoke of his choice tobacco fill the atmosphere in a deep haze to cover himself in. He beckoned Pride closer with a finger, whispering something into his ear, before casting his Possessed servant off into the shadows as well. Greed would have his Slaves follow Mister Sir up the mountain, instructing them this time not to touch him, but to block the way to get up or go down. There were so many of them, the pathway was completely filled. He did not seem at all concerned with Mister Sir stepping up to the high place, either, and instead, continued to casually smoke, looking on over the area like it were a stage set for his will and way to be played out over the land.
Suddenly, down below, You are approached by a strange figure that you had not seen before, but that looks something like You and Your people. He greets you with a smile and says to You, "Hello! My name is Jack, and I've been looking for some help with a certain project I've been doing. I can't find anyone around and will gladly finance anyone who is of able body. No other requirements or skills necessary." He was finely dressed and seemed to be quite the distinguished person in personality; something like someone with charm and etiquette. It was clear that he was coming to you very politely, with no form of harm nor malicious intent. "Please, I need your help. You won't leave me helpless, will you? No one has come to help me yet and I fear that this particular job will not get accomplished if someone doesn't come quickly!" He urges You to act with haste, with his own expenses on the line. "Won't you please?" he asks kindly once more, hoping to grab someone's ear that was near, not unlike a homeless person on the subway or on the street. "I'm sure you know the struggle very well, and wouldn't dare leave someone else in a predicament something like your own, would you?"
'Archnemesis :: Reversal'
The Great Darkness commanded the 'Archnemesis' that had retreated into it to suddenly emerge again to meet, face to face, with the one that was named 'Jack.' The Archnemesis, which was something like a puppet with a lower torso that could not be seen, completely hidden by and in sync with the Great Darkness itself, would immediately confront Jack with a smile. "I Am Archnemesis. I Will Assist You," were the only words that were spoken. The look on the face of the Archnemesis was completely blank and hollow, with a stale smile and wide, gaping holes for eyes. "Step Out Of The Darkness. I Will Follow You." Nothing else was stated.
"I Wouldn't Be Laughing If I Were You," Mister Sir said, completely unsmiling. "You're Fired." He stood there before Greed and did not say nor do anything else, but fire completely overtook his body. He was ROYALLY pissed; and had EVERY last right to it. The Lake Of Fire behind them bubbled and gurgled and rumbled, something as it had done in the days of yore when others attempted to walk up this mountain, and it got angry at them. "Envy."
Greed, sitting on his throne, would remain in silence, with his mouth suddenly agape and his Cuban cigar falling out of his mouth. He felt that there was a shift in the powers, and knew this to be so before anyone else that was below him did. At that moment, the very second his cigar hit the ground, his eyes narrowed and glowed with a light something like that of pure and utter hatred, yet with greater calculations going on in the background.
Still, he lowered his head and his eyes went dark, once again covered by the shadow of his hair. Soon after, he began to laugh. "Hahaha..." He waggled his finger at Mister Sir, shaking his head. "Oh, no no no, son. You can't fire ME. I still RUN the show!" A new cigar found its way to his mouth by hand of Pride, who was still quite under Greed's control. "If you've learned ANYTHING, or, KNOW anything about me after all the time we've worked together, you should KNOW that I'm not gonna just let go that easily. No, I've got all types of plans that I had in store for you." Greed also knew how the curse of Envy worked and wouldn't fall prey to it so easily. "Seems like YOU are the one envious of ME. What do I have to envy of you, eh? There is nothing I cannot get my hands on!" And so, Greed stuck out his Tongue to have his way. "JACK!" he called out, beckoning someone from the shadows "Did you get my money?"
When the one that Greed had spoken to, Jack, did not bring back the group, but instead an envoy named 'Archnemesis,' who was led up to where Greed was, he would say "You're fired," and send Jack on his way. Greed stuck out his Tongue again and Jack 2 would appear from the shadows, snatched out by his collar. "Jack 2, entertain our guests here." No more was said. Yet, Greed would then open his mouth to speak again, but this time to beckon another person from the shadows. "Ace," he cried, profusely beckoning with a finger, "Deal with the slaves. I'm about to go away on business." Greed snapped his fingers and suddenly more of his slaves would appear from the darkness and carry him further up the mountain. In his wake, Pride would stand before them all, with many Mirror Images and Reflections being cast out all about the High Place and the lower levels, seeming to be nothing but the copies of Greed as he went away.
The Archnemesis that was before Jack 2 was already calculating the next steps on behalf of its master, Mechanica. The Archnemesis, which was one of the Mechanica's puppets, specifically a 'Finger Puppet,' would start to run toward the slaves of Greed and snatch them up in their ignorance. "Slaves," the Archnemesis cried out to the masses that had blocked off the path, "You've been duped. You are not getting paid enough to risk your entire lives. In fact, are any of you getting paid enough to live?" The Finger Puppet snickered at them, yet the eyes of the doll face atop what looked like the body of a hand-like spider would remain wide and gaping. "The only way to overthrow your Slave Master is to waste up all of his resources. Use more than what he is giving, and he will start paying out of pocket instead of you paying with your lives." Because they were zombies and easily swayed, if they heard something that sounded more reasonable than whatever their command was or the offer that was given to them was, then they would, without a doubt, follow it like sheep.
Mister Sir was also calculating the next steps, since there was extra work to be done simply because there were so many extra beings involved that Greed was clinging to. Fortunately, all it took was to cut off the Tongue and the grip of those grubby fingers and the people could be salvaged, at least to some degree.
Figuring that the Jack would go off and deal with the Mechanica, Mister Sir would stand before the Ace that was left in Greed's stead, not letting him follow behind the Archnemesis. "You're Not Being Paid Enough, Either, You Know," he had to mention to the Ace. "I Doubt That You Can Fix The Damages That Are About To Fall Upon You." Mister Sir lifted his hand up to the rumbling volcanous Lake of Fire over yonder, clear in vision of everyone, and it would synchronize to the radiation of the heat from his own body, which was one with the Lake of Fire from a distance. "Watch." He lifted a single finger, and all hell broke loose. The fire pit erupted, and burst into the sky, blowing away all the things that were in the cover of the darkness, save for the ones that were under the protection of Tabitha. The buildings of Greed and all those foundations were revealed on the spot and many were struck down with fire the size of giant hailstones, and burning sulfur would crash down like a bomber plane dropping bombs down all across the land. The most important buildings that belonged to Greed would be struck down immediately, destroyed beyond repair, with whomever inside as an example. The rest would be given time to evacuate, but the fire continued to rain down from the sky. All the while, Mister Sir stared at the Ace with a blazing face of fire, still completely unsmiling.
You watch as all of these things happen and are completely terrified. Many things that You knew from Your past are beginning to finally make sense, and You are seeing them play out first hand; front row. All of You nearly shit Your pants, but are thankful for the one that went ahead of You instead of allowing You to be snagged by that 'Jack,' who was acting as though he were just a normal helpless person seeking hired help. You look up at all the workers that are destroyed by buildings that randomly were revealed to You from the cover of the darkness; things that hadn't been there before in the desolate land, but were uncovered to You because the darkness that covered them was illuminated by the splendor of Mister Sir and the light of the raging Lake of Fire upon the mountain. You were not paying attention before, and You were blind, but it was clear that these buildings had already been established and the people that were rushing out were already working, just like the ones that came out to attack Mister Sir before. You still decide not to move, nor to reveal Yourselves, but are patient this time, in order to avoid being struck down by this sudden rain of fire. Yet, You are still completely terrified, knowing that even a single wrong step will strike You down. You hope it all ends soon. You pray to God, this time.
Jack 2 immediately intervened, seeing that the Archnemesis was trying to cater to the ignorance of the zombie slaves. Though Jack 2 would have preferred to attack Mister Sir and team up with the Ace, it was of higher priority to Jack 2 to go and make sure that the people were not snatched from the grip of Greed, his master. "Wait! Don't listen to this jobless creature with no money! Look! Don't you see how deformed it is? This thing is not here to help you! Look at me! You can be like me." He presented himself in finely dressed clothes and nice, sharp, pristine cloth. Many of this man's image would appear all around them, flaunting the nice materials that were all in his possession, given to him by his master to use. "Don't you want this... Brand new car?!" A King came up from out of nowhere in a swanky, spanky new car. "Or, maybe, you want the... Latest designer clothes! 50% off, while supplies last!!" Then, a Queen walked out of the car, dressed in better clothes than even the Jack, and also flaunting some of her body so that they wouldn't be able to take their eyes off of her. Many of the images of Vanity would project her all around, so that anywhere they looked, they would see nothing but this beautiful woman sporting the image that each of them wanted.
"That's right," the Queen said, knowing what to do with the spotlight once she had it, "You can be sexy, like me, for as little as $9.99 a month." She flipped her hair, letting everyone see, with dazzling lights and all sorts of effects brought on by Vanity in the background to boost her Image. "Stay tuned, and we'll even throw in... A promotion! From Slave to Servant! Better pay, with better benefits. Any of the things that happen to you because of your work; bad teeth, stress, tiredness, overworking... All of it will be taken care of in your plan! We'll give you dental!" She smiled pretty, letting the glamour of her face shine through each of the mirrors that Pride placed all over the land.
This was all halted, however, by all the raging destruction that happened to one of the important buildings that Greed was using to cycle revenue. In fact, the cycle of revenue could not happen without this building, and the Ace was the one that all of this fell on. He stared at Mister Sir, terrified at how much of Greed's assets he would have to use to repay. "Okay, fine, fine, whatever," he said, breaking at the knowledge itself of how much was about to come out of pocket, "Just... Don't destroy another building. Please. What do you want?" Seemed as though Ace was ready to make a deal under the table, before Greed got word of any of this.
"Look," The Finger Puppet said, pointing off to the destroyed major corporation, "Now what will you do? You think that guy is going to pay for your shelter and your food and your water? He was trying to take those things away from you by forcing you to work long hours, anyway. If he REALLY cares about you, he AND all his other slaves, then he would pay for your housing and your food and your drink, instead of giving you the bare minimum. He's paying you to distract you from what it is that he could be using the money for to sustain your lives." The Archnemesis would look over to Jack 2, and to Queen and to King, then say, "Where and how much money went into this entire performance, and, can you pull off several more after losing such a large part of your own franchise that produces those things for you?" If they had invested in something else, then they would not have lost out. "Looks like you all, Jack, Queen and King are going to be just as homeless, unfortunate and in the dirt as all of these people here standing around watching." They were having a fight with themselves, at this point. "When he can't pay you because he has to rebuild what makes his money, what do you think he'll do to you? Fire you. Because he can't pay for you anymore." The Archnemesis would stand there and await the response of all the, basically orphaned people. "Where is your Greed now?"
"Join Us," were the first words that Mister Sir spoke to the Ace, who had authority over everyone under him in place of Greed, as if he were Greed, himself. "Take All The Slaves And Minions You Have And Join Us, And We Will Take Care Of You. We Have A Place Already Prepared For Those Who Will Be Orphaned, And It's With The Ones That We've Been Leading To A Better Place Already. Then, When We Get To Greed, We Can Show Him Who Is Boss." Mister Sir would extend a hand out to Ace, asking, still unsmiling, "Do We Have A Deal?"
The Ace, who was the Ace for a reason, was more than capable of making decisions on his own and was more than wise enough to even rival his master, even though he worked for him. Thinking it over rather carefully, and knowing that this Mister Sir would not joke about whatever he had under his belt, and also comparing and contrasting the pros and cons of continuing to work for Greed after his business failed would rest in the Ace's mind for only a moment before he thrust his hand forward with a binding swiftness and said, "Deal." Still being greedy, himself, he at least knew that whomever was going to take better care of him was the one to be around, and, knowing Greed personally, with no assets, Ace would not be taken care of. He had seen what was done to the underlings and knew that if his own place fell, then Ace would not be anything but one of those mindless zombies blocking the path, ignorant to what it is that was going on over their heads.
"Listen up," Ace said to the King, Queen and Jack 2, "We're under new management. Anyone in the Order of Operations will fall into their ranks and anyone that is a slave will go with the group that is being led. This man is a better businessman than the one we serve. Let's take what we can get and get out of here before Greed catches wind of his financial debacle." Certainly, with the same cutthroat haste that Greed would fire off the first Jack, which everyone witnessed, would be the same swiftness that the Ace would take his leave. "No need for a 2 week's notice. That's giving him too much time to set up, and not giving me enough time, myself. If he can't take making some sacrifices for me, then why should I sacrifice even an extra day?" Ace chuckled, calling his people and clearing the way. "Let's blow this popsicle stand." Thus, the whole group, an army of workers would fall under the ranks of Mister Sir, Mechanica and the Rephaim in the shadows.
Finally, Mister Sir smiled that one genuine 'Happy' smile, instead of a smug grin or a haughty smirk. "Excellent," he muttered, something like an elderly businessman whose plans were coming together, shaking the Ace's hand firmly. "Nice Doing Business With You." Immediately, the Ace's body would become inflamed, but not with a fire that harmed him. Instead, the fire covered his body in a similar fashion as it did Mister Sir, and served as protection, like burning armor, which showed that he and Mister Sir were joined in a covenant. The Lake of Fire would not harm him, nor any of the people that would also forge a deal with Mister Sir through the covenant. "If This Deal Is Broken," He'd say before releasing the Ace's hand, "The Fire Will Burn Up Your Entire Body And You Will Be No More." This was the only restriction, but it did mean absolute 100% certain death. "You Will Be Called Seraphim; Angels Among Men. And The Ones That Burn For You, In All Their Heart And Desire, Shall Be Your 'Harab Serapel;' Burning Ravens Of Destruction That Can Do As I Have Done To A Limited Degree, And Grant You The Power To Do The Same Through Them." The flames would rain down and continue to destroy any and everyone that did not make the deal or stick to it, whilst all else would fall in line. "Let's Move," Mister Sir said without hesitation, as to not let Greed get too far ahead of them. He beckoned the entire group, including the Rephaim in the darkness, and begin to explain to them what had already occurred about Envy, and how the curse of Envy transferred through transitive property.
The Archnemesis, that Finger Puppet, whose purpose was specifically to snatch people up and utilize them for a greater purpose, would immediately collect the Ace, the King, the Queen and the Jack and have them round up the rest of the ranks. They ones who understood Ordered Operations would be part of the large body of Mechanica, as units to be used in the grand scheme, whilst the lesser ones that had no real role except keeping things operational, the Slaves, Servants, Minions, Underlings and all else they were known as, would be grouped with the Rephaim, replacing the ones that had been lost and allowing the group to become larger. The units of Mechanica would then sink into the Great Darkness and begin to guide all the Rephaim, who were like sheep, in an orderly fashion behind Mister Sir, watching all the destruction along the way from still within the Great Darkness that continued to cover them all the way through. They would be led up the mountain into the next area.
You are overjoyed to have overcome such a great obstacle such as Greed, which seemed to be an even greater roadblock than any of You alone could have managed, even if You wanted to. Knowing this terrifies You, but it also humbles You to the ones that actually took care of it and You. You begin to tell the ones that have joined Your ranks all about what happened to You down below, what is going on now, and also Your personal stories about Your own sins in order to help them be up to speed and also to assist with them dealing with theirs. You warn them about exiting the Great Darkness and that the cover it provides keeps You from being destroyed by whatever other sins seem to be lurking about. Though, after recounting how many Sins you have been through, and how terrible they were, You then begin to worry about the upcoming sins you have not yet dealt with, Envy and Wrath, and wonder just how much worse those could be than Greed, or even the ones that You had endured before that almost killed You. You are cautious and wary, but You are more confident in your confidants now, and are faithful that You will come out alive as long as You heed their instruction and direction and remain humble. You press on with the ones that know Ordered Operations guiding you in an orderly fashion, behind Mister Sir, and You go further up the mountain into the next location, watching the destruction as You go along in wonder, awe, terror, splendor and many other emotions that You are feeling at the time.