Double Or Nothing: A Coin Flip Away

A Promise Forged

A pristine clearing of delicate flora and lively wildlife, preserved by the dew-covered canopy of Gluttony's rich and ancient ecosystem, self-preserved for millenia beyond human comprehension. In some religions, Gluttony is referred to as the Fields of Asphodel, a resting place in the Underworld for all the charitable and kind spirits who enter. Neither Gluttony nor Asphodel are incorrect; it could also be considered the Field of Reeds of Egyptian afterlife. This beautiful little clearing, with rays of sunlight from above piercing its gorgeous color display, was rudely interrupted by the screams of a loud and very falling Shrap.

Slamming head first past a man-eating plant, crashing into a large fern and tumbling down the slope into a lagoon at the edge of the forest's nest, Shrap splashed into the temperate jungle water, throwing himself out as quickly as he had tumbled in. "AAHH!! No not my suit!! This thing costs millions!" the Sinner wailed, dragging himself out of the water and wringing his arms and legs as if they had no bones beneath the soggy green fabric. Grumbling while his wings flapped and beat themselves in the air to dry off, Shrap turned his theatrical mask to the pale gold and peach sky above the thick forest interior.

"Well, guess that's my way outta here. Wait, no," Shrap cut himself short, rising from the grass to stand. His head nearly reached the top of the canopy above. Peering down at the little forest clearing he had entered, Shrap tucked one hand at his chin, keeping his other right hand clasping his briefcase. "Lucifer said I need to find a rift connecting to the Living World. He said it was somewhere near this town, but what was that town named?" Shrap unfolded his large, leathery wings, stretching out before yawning. "Welp," he chuckled, cracking his knuckles at his sides, "let's flap to it!"

Leaping upward in a shower of pollen and fresh dew, Shrap soared out of the clearing, hovering above the jungle's shining green interior. Raising his last free hand to his face to shield from the blinding sunlight, Shrap twisted and spun around in the air, trying to find any sign of human civilization. But in the thick, steamy jungle horizon, he found no signs of life, save for the occasional species of bird. Shrap glared over the jungle edges, gritting his teeth behind his mask. "Yeesh. Why can't Gluttony use cell towers like the rest of us?"

Although Shrap kept a firm hand on his briefcase, a voice from behind brought the startled salesman whipping his case around like a flail, causing an alarmed scream. "Shrap, you goofball, it's me! Cynthia!!" Upon slowing down to catch his breath, Shrap exhaled, his shoulders dropping. "Cynthia? Well for God's sakes woman, you scared the shit outta me! At least I hope not," Shrap mumbled, twisting his neck backward toward his rear. "Whew! Okay never mind, you just scared me a lot." Cynthia, floating beside Shrap with Morpheus' titanium gauntlets at her side, laughed at the comedic nature of the alarmed Sinner.

"Even when you're scared you still have time to crack a joke, don't you?" Cynthia chuckled, fixing her goggles on her pale white face. Shrap returned the smile, gesturing to the pale pink gills on Cynthia's neck. "'Tis my noblest intention! You sure this jungle moisture won't be too bothersome on those gills of yours?" Cynthia brushed her hand over her neck, then combed back her hair. "I'll be alright. Jack's taken me through Gluttony before, though that was ages ago." Both Sinner and Demoness floated in silence before Cynthia broke the tension. "So I assume you're looking for that rift to the Living World, right?"

Shrap twisted about face, fixing his top hat and tie. "Whew, it's muggy in here! Yeah, something like that. Trouble is, how do you find a town with a rift in it when you can't even find the town?" Cynthia paused for a moment, her thoughts shuffling around behind her goggles. "We could fly a little higher up and look for any large fields or clearings! Gluttony's known for its agricultural plains and imports to the rest of Hell." Shrap shrugged, tapping his mask thoughtfully. "Seems worth a shot. Let's not fly too high though." As the heroes flew upward, Cynthia turned her eyes toward the emotionless slate on Shrap's face.

"Why can't we go far up?" Before Cynthia could conclude, a loud roar and the snap of cold wind ripped at Cynthia's back while Shrap's arms reached across, yanking her downward as the long and icy white spine of a large beast circled in the dark clouds above, then disappeared. Cynthia's heartbeat pounded up and down while Shrap fixed his top hat, coughing. "Cloud Trappers, my dear Cynthia. Took a vacation here with some rich schmoes from Greed. Long story short, don't take blimp rides here..." Cynthia turned her goggles to the salesman, her eyes wide with green stripes of shock.

"Cloud Trappers?! Don't they belong in the ocean with other aquatic species?!" Shrap raised his shoulders, shrugging. "I ain't a biologist, Doc. Might be worth asking your Living husband. From whatcha told me, maybe he's got a clue." Cynthia exhaled, clutching her stomach. "I feel sick," she mumbled. Shrap rested his arms at Cynthia's sides, folding her wings closed with very little resistance. Tucking Cynthia into his arms and fanning her off with his top hat, Shrap turned his mask to the setting sun beyond the mountains. "Poor girl. All this humidity is clogging up your gills. We'd better find some lower elevation, and fast."

Shrap spun around the sky, settling on flying toward the sun. "I can't think of anywhere else to go, and that rift spat us out too far away to see anything of value. Hopefully we find somebody here. I mean, Gluttony can't go on forever, can it?" Ever optimistic, Shrap flew Westward, his large, leathery wings beating in the growing twilit sky. To the salesman's relief, lights began to flicker at the edges of the jungle terrain, great, burning braziers of spiraling flame erupting from stone columns. The flames marked a trail, snaking through the jungle's foliage up the side of the mountain to a large, ominous stone structure carved into the mountain's face.

Shrap clenched his hands a little tighter with his heartbeat rising. "What other choice do I have?" he muttered, turning his face downward to check on Cynthia. The exhausted, worrying mother was fast asleep, her skin and gills changing color, adapting to survive in the humid jungle air. "She'll be alright. Poor thing, worrying about her daughter." Shrap fixed his top hat, his wings beating faster while his mask, black and white in the dusky night, shook against its straps. "She's gotta go home with her daughter and see her family again. And I ain't gonna let anybody stop her from doing otherwise." The Sinner turned his mask skyward, laughing in the night.

"Y'hear that, you sulking jungle spirits?! I ain't afraid of anything you throw my way! I'm Shrap Cornell Senior, for Christ's sake! I've taken grenades to my face and knives to my stomach, I'll choke down and swallow whatever else you try forcing me to eat!" With laughter bubbling from his throat, Shrap tore across the nighttime sky with the spirits of the jungle below shrinking back into their nightly homes and burrows. They recognized courage when they heard it, and the spirits knew not to dare test a man's courage lest they could survive.