After killing his parents, Alastor felt quite relived. Now that he was free from their constant bickering and limitations, he felt like he could finally pursue his dream.
The first thing he had done was pay a visit to the family treasury, which was hidden underground the estate, concealed by various spells. Alastor right hand was stained with blood — his father's blood.
He pressed onto the greystone wall, leaving a bloody handprint. A moment later, Alastor was transported into an enormous cavern.
Giant golden pillars supporting the stone roof, piles of golden and silver coins. Giant bars and chunks of gold, diamonds and sapphires. Various different swords and armours with engravings on them — emanating a faint mystical aura.
Chalices, vases, musical instruments, statues as tall as buildings. Artefacts from long-forgotten ages, strange plants and potions.
Alastor adjusted his almost comically large top had, with a red checkered sash running around it. He ran his hand through a pile of gold coins, a strange light reflecting from his golden eyes.
Alastor looked around the treasury, and blurred his eyes. Suddenly, the colours of the world where saturated, the gold turning into a near-blinding glow, the silver into a pale light.
Alastor began rummaging through the treasury, although it was very big, he had a faint idea of where everything would be deposited.
"Not this" He examined a longsword made of onyx steel with a black-leather handle.
"Not this" He weighted a golden halberd with markings of the Sun on it, however the handle was too small for two hands.
"This…" He dug deep into a pile of silver coins, and pulled out a pair of faintly glowing daggers. They where both slightly curved, their steel stained crimson. The hilts where an ordinary black leather, however the texture reminded Alastor of human skin.
He could also feel a slight beat pulsating from the hilts.
"Oh? They were down here. Uncle Ebenezer's trusty pair of daggers… I'd take them, but not exactly my style. Couple of Despair, what a dramatic name. And they're demonic weapons too"
He rubbed his hands together and smiled "On second thought, a demon may pay a fair price for them …perhaps I'll take put it in my inventory for now"
He wrapped them in a simple cloth bundle and placed them inside the strange cuboid box, with vertical golden and purple stripes.
Alastor despite being the heir to one of the wealthiest families in the continent, had a flair for hustling and selling. He considered himself to be a great salesman, and he was. But he relied heavily on a certain skill of his….
As he continue to search for anything, he caught the familiar shine of a revolver barrel laying on a white marble alter.
Alastor's smile faded, and instead he showed a confused expression, his dark-golden eyebrows furrowed.
"I don't particularly recall a revolver here. They didn't put it here, that's for sure. But if they didn't put it here, who did?"
The revolver began being manufactured a year ago. How could such a new invention be in the treasury?
Alastor felt a strange attraction towards the revolver. It looked like normal revolver, even after blurring his eyes, he just saw it glow faintly.
Alastor's right eye twitched as he held the revolver. It weighed the same too, and was already loaded with small bronze bullets. But just as he was about to reach for one of the bullets, he had sudden premonition to not touch them.
"Interesting…" He tossed the silver revolver into the box. He clicked his fingers, and the box began levitating a few inches into the air. It floated quickly towards Alastor, and continue floating slightly behind him as he continued exploring.
The cave was titanic, pillars of pure gold etched with mysterious symbols supporting the cavern roof. Torches that had been forever lit placed on the pillars. Heaps of gold and silver coins everywhere, forming many mounds.
The floor was made of a clean white marble, however it could barely be seen.
Alastor approached a human sized statue of a man adorned in an alb. Slicked back hair, sharp features and cold eyes.
Alastor placed his hand on the statue's shoulder, and looked at it's ruby embedded eyes. He tilted his head slightly, and smiled softly.
"I think hiding things inside statues are rather contradictory. A statue is meant to honour the memory of a person, but hiding something inside the statue means you have to damage the statue"
Alastor's eye twitched, "And it's stupid"
"But..I suppose making your statue out of pure gold, and enchanting it too makes for a great defence. But don't worry, I'll find out what's hiding inside of you sooner or later"
Alastor was feeling quite content with his exploration left the treasury by simply speaking the word "Return"
With a blinding white light, and the loud sound of a gong, Alastor alongside his floating companion where sent back in front of the greystone wall.
Climbing up the seemingly endless stairs with the box floating behind him was an arduous task, but Alastor cheerfully climbed up the stairs with great speed.
As he exited the basement hatch, he was greeted with lush dark grass, and a myriad of different flowers.
The entrance to the treasury was hidden in the garden of the estate, for unknown reasons.
Alastor opened a single oak door and let the box go through. He watched the box set itself on a plush red Chesterfield sofa.
He lounged next to it, crossing his legs. He could hear dozens of footsteps, all coming his way.
"They seemed to have found the bodies. Will they arrest me now?" He laughed quietly as the door burst open. A dozen men, dressed in the usual black and red livery of the constabulary.
Alastor was sitting cross-legged on the sofa as the men pointed their muskets at him. He watched as who he assumed was the Captain of this cohort unveil a scroll.
"Alastor Mammon, 19, Son of Malphas and Villieron Mammon"
The man was short, but had a sturdy build. He had brown hair styled to the side, and a thick moustache.
He looked at Alastor with disdain, "Their bodies have been found at Rundle Park, badly hidden in a patch of long-grass. The household staff had been told by you to take a week off. You will have to come with us to testify"
Alastor rested his head on his palm. "My dear constable, are you trying to imply that I am the one who killed my parents?"
"Because you are right. I did kill them. But I also didn't kill them"
The captain's face became red, as the men pointed the end of their muskets even closer to Alastor.
"So you killed them" The captain stared at Alastor, his fists clenched. Alastor paused before sighing.
"Using a revolver, I shot them through the back of their heads. They fell, without ever knowing that it was their own son who killed them" Alastor's eye twitched, his hand shaking slightly.
"The thing is constable, I don't think that you really care." Alastor's golden eyes suddenly widened, as the ends of his lips curved up.
An illusory golden smoke began seeping from Alastor, invisible to all but him. The golden smoke wafted around the constable and his men.
"Another day, another case. Murder, thievery, rape. Crimes upon crimes, it's a nuisance, really. You noble souls uphold the justice, yet not out of selflessness. No, some may claim that they uphold their own idea of justice because it is the right thing to do."
The invisible golden smoke seeping of Alastor consumed the figures of the constable and his men. They slightly dropped their muskets, and the constable's fists unclenched.
"The right thing to do. The truth is, you noble souls don't do it because of that. It is because you are all selfish." Alastor's voice seemed to echo in their minds.
"And selfishness is not a bad thing. Why, some among you have families to feed, some want to rise through the ranks, and some want to uphold their own personal idea of justice."
He leaned back on the sofa. "So many desires…greed, as some call it. But there is nothing wrong with being greedy. Greed drives people, a person with no greed is merely an empty shell."
Alastor stood up, and spread his arms
"There is this wonderful thing called gold. If you have enough, you can fulfil any desire. Well, desires of any common man. And all of you are very common men"
As the golden smoke continued to swirl around the men, their eyes flickered with greed and avarice.
"Yes…give me…gold" Their voices droned. Alastor reached into the striped box, and pulled out a large brown sack.
He handed the sack to the constable, who's eyes where fixated on the sack. "Split this among you all. Or don't, do whatever your greed tells you to do"
The men ignored Alastor, and the golden smoke still stuck to them as they left the manor.
As the sun fell Alastor who was donning a black cloak left the tall gates of his estate and began walking.
Countless stars shined in the sky, some brighter than others. The air was cold, faint smells of tobacco, smoke and colognes.
The City of Lamberg was one of the richest and prestigious, and so it also had the biggest disparity. The buildings this side of the city where all luxurious, tall, castles and cathedrals, libraries and fountains.
Tall lamplights illuminated the way for Alastor, as he took a sharp left. There where not many alleyways this part of the city, but there was this one.
He was facing a familiar greystone wall, and Alastor knocked on it.
"Ardin"