by Wolfe Locke
Notification: Global Announcement - The Judgment of “Seraph”
Details: The Guild known as “The Inquisition of the Blind Eye” has used the Guild Hall’s ability of “Judgment” to bring the player known as Seraph to Justice. Barbados the Hierophant seeks imprisonment for the accused.
In following the accused, Seraph will have his memories shown to you of the acts he has committed. If you believe he is guilty, mentally select yes. As the Hierophant has only sought imprisonment, you may choose any duration for imprisonment ranging from 1 Day to 10,000 Years.
Guilty (Yes/No) Duration? _________
First, the thousands of people currently in Hometown were shown how Seraph killed Sadie by when she had grabbed his hand and forcefully activated the ability. Then they were shown how Seraph killed Alexander by thrusting the Cat’s Claw through his eye. Horrified, they watched as Seraph used ethereal arms to tear out Erin’s soul and consume it.
Many were already choosing guilty and opting for a hundred years. But many more were surprised and further horrified, turning to him in terror as the images continued, showing him consuming the soul of his child-like self. All around him, Seraph could see people looking at him as if he was a monster, scared and terrified. Some of the group around him beginning to vomit as the scene of him massacring the million refugees played out… and on and on it continued.
What was meant to be a quick end, turned into an hour-long ordeal of the highlights of his most heinous acts played out for all, and though they might not know the context or reasoning, they all assumed him to be a danger to all.
“It’s unfortunate,” said Barbados, his face pale and ashy looking at Seraph, “that I opted for mercy. I see that you deserve none, but that option is out of my hands now.”
Notification: Global Announcement - The Judgment of “Seraph” - Results
Details: The player known as Seraph has been judged to be “Guilty” with a total vote count of 29,134 for guilty, and 9 for not guilty. Only 2 abstained. The average total of the years of imprisonment in the abyss by vote is 8,474 years, scaled down to a total of 1,000 years.
However the people around responded, Seraph didn’t know. His stomach roiled as he realized all of his efforts had been for nothing. This was not something he had planned on, and as demonic hands reached out to grab him, dragging him down to whatever hell awaited him, the last thought on his mind was, I’ve failed.
Chapter 35: Emergence Day
When the World Dungeon revealed itself by ascending to the surface of the Earth, the entirety of the globe was shocked at the impossibility of the existence of a doorway to another world, the inner world that resides within the dungeon. In ignorance, unknowing what to do and how to react, many reacted as the scared and fearful typically do, which is poorly.
Seismic machines went off the charts, portending great disaster as the massive entrance to the World Dungeon pushed itself through the walls and the rock foundation of the complex that it had hidden within. A mall in which the dungeon had been disguised as an adventure game while recruiting the initial cohorts to explore its inner realms.
Unprepared for the sudden shifting of the dirt and the destruction of the facility, those closest to the emergence site lost their lives first. Many were crushed by the falling debris as the World Dungeon displaced and destroyed the shopping center, while just as many were killed in the panic that followed as the ground around the entrance warped, partially caving in and creating massive cavern systems and tunnels underneath.
A great doorway to another world had appeared in the heart of the city amidst all the destruction. People nearby panicked, thinking the shockwaves they felt were from an earthquake, while people farther away wondered why traffic on the roads had come to a standstill. The release of energy caused a dark storm to form around the area with the doorway being the eye.
The doorway was easily thirty to forty feet wide, appearing to be of heavily ornate thick-banded oak. Once the massive fixture was settled, the door began to open, and from inside only darkness could be seen inside, a darkness that slowly spread a residual gloom that covered the entryway area in a dense fog.
All around the gateway concrete hung loose, connected at odd angles by rusted steel mesh and bent pieces of torn rebar. Many of the loose pieces fell down and broke apart due to the instability of the remaining ruins of the mall after it had been reduced to rubble. Even as the magical force behind the dungeon began to reform the area around the gateway for its own use, transforming the broken ruin into a stage, and the gateway the center fixture upon it.
From everywhere—above, under, and within the ruins—the cries and groans of pain could be heard as the trapped shoppers struggled to find their way to safety in an impossible situation that lacked anything resembling what could be considered safe.
Within the darkness of the doorway of the World Dungeon, a sound could be heard. A sound like the howls and barking of dogs, but wilder, deeper, and hungrier. The nearby survivors held their breath as something emerged from within that darkness. Something that was similar, though still different from a pack of wild dogs.
Those who could see saw the large canines that came through the gate, with matted fur of the deepest black, slick from oil and smelling of sulfur. The eyes were dark, but not otherwise abnormal. The beasts themselves were three times the size of a normal dog, each appearing to weigh at least a hundred pounds. Hellhounds the lot of them, though of a lesser breed.
The rough beasts sniffed around among the dirt and the shattered rocks before trotting off at a quick run, tongues salivating as they caught the scent of something on the wind. Heading towards the highway, they left behind the weary survivors to care for themselves.
As the humans spoke and encouraged one another, helping as they could to free each other from the rubble, a sound of warning went out as more monsters spilled through the gate. This time, short, lumpy humanoid-looking creatures walked through, their skin green and weathered with a similar appearance to that of tanned leather. Twin jagged tusks extended out from their lower jaws.
The group was followed by another and then another. The procession of monsters didn't stop until after hundreds of the things had come through. No two looked alike, but every one of them looked twisted. With guttural barbaric sounds, they split off in all directions in groups of three and four. Signs of perverse pleasure appeared on the faces of each monster as they set out to wreak havoc and harm to the surrounding area. The strange creatures were alien and wholly terrifying to those who watched them and those who realized the world would never be the same.
After stopping for a moment, the procession continued for countless hours as different monsters exited the gate—monsters that had never been seen before, monsters taken directly from myth and legend. There were bulbous shadows with long tentacles, one-eyed giants, snakes hundreds of feet long, birds the size of cars, and many, many more in the parade of the grotesque.
Finally, when no more monsters came through the gate a lone figure could be seen. A winged man emerged alone from the gateway of the World Dungeon, the wings leathery and draconian. To those nearby, they knew he was more than he seemed to be as the air shifted where he walked, glimmering and distorted, much like a mirage in the heat of the day. The man had sharp features and angled facial hair, wearing a polished professional suit of mixed reds and greys—an odd contrast to the earlier creatures that had exited the gateway.
Carefully stepping, the man avoided disturbing any of the treacherous ruins that abounded around the site of the calamity. With dramatic flair, he adjusted himself, dusting off imagined dust from the cufflinks on his tailored shirt before looking around and acknowledging every injured survivor—each of them feeling the intensity of his gaze. The man, though, appeared to be looking for something more. His gaze finally stopped, resting on an unbroken cell phone on the ground.
Grabbing it and turning it on—having no issues with either password or knowledge of how to use it—the man, with a few quick
clicks and swipes, began a livestream as he addressed both the world and the nearby survivors.
"Greetings, humans," he said to them with a smile, trying to get a friendly wave into the picture as he angled the video to show the gateway behind him. "My name is Mephistopheles, the Demon Prince of Binding. Though for all our sakes you may refer to me simply as His Dark Majesty. This is my first time doing things this way, so feel free to feel honored. I’m here to make an announcement… and the rest of you a deal.
"Behind me, you should see a giant doorway. This doorway leads to the hidden realm of Amarath the Immortal, though for simplicity’s sake, call it the World Dungeon. This is a place where you may go to gain a strength beyond your wildest imaginings. For the infirm, you will walk again; for the crippled, your limbs will heal; and for the sick, your illness will be cured. All this I promise you if you but go through that door behind me." He smiled, and those who watched him, both in person and via recording, they waited for more.
"Today is emergence day. This world and its people have been judged worthy of destruction. You have but one chance to survive. Inside the World Dungeon, on the final floor, in the darkest part of the dungeon, there is an Altar. If anyone reaches this Altar, the game is considered to be over. The World Dungeon will then grant one wish to whoever reaches it. Any wish," the demon emphasized with a touch of solemnity.
"Until then, from this gateway, monsters will continue to come forth—some strong, some weak—and they will travel far and wide from state to state, country to country, and continent to continent, spreading misery, pain, and death. Only those who have gained the strength of the World Dungeon will be able to stop them. You are both powerless and empowered against this if you so choose." He paused, letting his words sink in as feelings of fear sank in for those who heard his words.
"I will remain here for thirty days to ensure that those who wish to enter the dungeon can do so. If you wish to try the dungeon, I will ensure you are unmolested by both monster and man and allowed complete unrestricted access to enter the dungeon. After that, you will be on your own. Should anyone attempt to attack this area or seize the gate, they will be dealt with severely. To prove my point, let me roll this dice," he said, pulling out from an undersized pocket a D20 that rapidly grew to massive proportions, revealing the words inscribed on each side before rolling it. "On this dice are the names of different important cities of this world. I just rolled London. One second; I’ll be right back."
While still broadcasting, the demonic-looking man snapped his fingers and disappeared, reappearing mere moments later, his hair slightly disheveled and collar undone. He had a look of annoyance on his face as he fixed it, grabbing the falling camera out of the air. "Please, check your news feeds. I believe the damage I’ve done to London in the span of seconds is proof enough of my power and a proper establishment of my bona fides. If you want this power for yourself, all you need to do is come and enter the doorway behind me. Now, my deal is simple. If you want me to save you in the meantime, to come for you and bring you here, all you need to do is say ‘yes, Mephistopheles.’"
Nearby, one mother who was clutching her two children close sobbed as tears streamed down her face for a husband lost in the debris. Each of their faces were bruised and bleeding, covered from the dust of the destroyed mall, as she softly asked, concern, and weariness lining her face, "What happens if we say yes?"
"Oh, it's quite simple really, my dear," the Demon Prince explained. "I travel to you, it’s more of an instant blink than a walk, and I heal your wounds. I remove your obstacles or whatever it is that keeps you from entering the gate, and then you walk through that doorway on your own accord."
"And what happens if I don’t say yes?" asked another man gruffly as he grit his teeth as he pushed back pain, bracing himself against a piece of rebar as an arm hung uselessly at his side, as if broken.
"That’s simple enough as well. You can stay where you are. A few of you will die soon from exposure, or injury. Trust me, no one is coming to save you aside from me. Though you'll be safe in this area as long as I’m here, but once the 30 days is over, anyone who hasn't passed through will likely be killed. Either by the monsters I prevent from attacking you, or whatever group moves in to fill the power void. Either way, the result remains the same. You die. But truly though, it’s not a threat. I’m just simply stating your choices. Tick-tock, though. Tick-tock," explained Mephistopheles, holding his wrist up.
"This is Mephistopheles, your own personal demonic wish granter, signing off. To you folks at home, I'll be seeing you soon. Do you hold, fold, or go all in?" With another wave of his hands, the demon blinked out of existence, appearing a half-mile away in front of the first person to say "Yes" to his deal. With no further fanfare, The Genesis Game had officially begun. Emergence day was here.
Chapter 36: The Forgetting Place
A fissure appeared in the ground, breaking apart the tiles of the central plaza as the few elves and people nearby panicked and ran away, not wanting to get caught up in the destruction.
From within the newly formed pit, demonic hands reached out to grab Seraph, hands that Seraph knew he could not avoid. He, the man who had survived the end of the world had been brought low by the ability called Judgment, wielded by the Hierophant Barbados, the leader of the guild "Inquisition of the Blind Eye"—and the current possessor of the Halls of Light. A man who had been killed during the tutorial for his ego, and a man whom Seraph had utterly humiliated after he had attacked him in anger.
I refuse to accept this, thought Seraph as he tried to brace himself as those powerful hands wrapped around him, and dragged him towards the pit by his ankles. Seraph dug in, jamming his spectral arms into the ground in an attempt to try and anchor himself. It didn’t help. Those arms pulled him past the lip of the pit, and down into the dark abyss beyond it.
Seraph was torn through the layers of earth beneath him, and though he didn't scream, he did not go willingly as he twisted and fought against fate, gritting his teeth as his body took damage. He summoned every ability he had as he tried to break free. But the more he fought, the harder the hands clung to him until at last he was unable to move, fully encircled by the demonic hands that showed him no mercy and no hesitation.
Seraph only had one thought on his mind as he screamed in anger and frustration, completely losing all of his composure as he descended down to whatever hell awaited him. There was a burning need for vengeance in his thoughts, and the constant cruel realization that he had failed in his mission. Humanity would not survive the coming years in his absence. Wormwood would destroy humanity and render the Earth incapable of sustaining human life.
Is this how my story is going to end? I’ve failed them all. Jack, Sadie. Even my father, Seraph thought darkly as he vowed vengeance on the Inquisition of the Blind Eye. And what of the dungeon? The spirit of Amarath? How can it allow this? I have only done what I thought was needed to survive, and for others to survive.
In response to his thoughts, Seraph heard a voice respond critically, projected through the Emblem that bore his resemblance that he possessed. "What you have done is made an enemy of all humanity. They know what you are, and what you've done. I had sought to make you a hero, an icon, and now, you've created this unsalvageable situation. Wormwood is coming and I cannot directly interfere. My dungeon has always been a tool of survival, and you, the one tool allowed to me. You, the pawn who bears the emblem of borrowed power, have managed once more to find a way to ruin the future, and yet again, you have the gall to shift blame?"
Anger surged through him as Seraph cursed the voice he knew to be that of the dungeon spirit and cursed that Amarath only now decided to reveal himself, even as the hand still carried him towards the prison. What I have become, what I have done, has always been with your approval. If I was truly your tool, then you are just as culpable as I am. Whatever monster I became or will become is just as much on you as it is on me.
The dungeon replied with a tone full of regret,
"No, the fault is mine alone. I who gave to you the black emblem and tore away your humanity."
Notification: An aspect of the Black Seraph has been unlocked, "Blood Lust"
Notification: Unlocked Ability "Blood Lust"
Details: When fighting against any enemies, the user of this ability is granted +2 to all stats and a +25% increase to melee damage after blood has been drawn.
Name
Luca Fernandez
Race
Aliases
Seraph
Abyssal Elf
Passives
Abyssal Body
(+50 Melee Damage)
(-50% Healing Received)
(Dark Vision)
Abilities
Thousand Handed (89-1000)
Cold Hands (132-1000)
Burning Fist (73-1000)
Starfall (9-1000)
Preservation (N/A)
Level
Current Unassigned Stat Points
0
14 of 999
Current Experience
