The Genesis Game

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Looking down at the spot where Paul had just disappeared from, Seraph knew he had made the right call by using preservation to send his father away. Judging by the size of the pool, there had been substantial blood loss. If Paul had remained, there was no way he could have been useful in such a state and it was unlikely he would have survived.

Today would not be the day his father would die, and in that fact, Seraph took solace. Even as the building began to echo with the sounds of dragging hands as the Hungers worked their way into the building.

He had wanted to use the other body of the Hunger they had killed to heal himself, but it had already collapsed into dust, absorbed by the dungeon. Still, that gave him a small window to see what ability he could get for himself. Seraph approached the ability Kiosk, briefly scanning the offerings, not having time to look deeper and compare choices.

Notification: "Welcome to the Ability Shop" – Current Location – Beach City Visitor's Center

Current Balance – Sol: 01024

Note – Each ability when purchased doubles in price, effect is culminative.

List

* Summon Spiderlings (500 Sol)

* Weakness of the Fey (600 Sol)

* Earth Splitter (600 Sol)

* Channel Power (300 Sol)

* Animate Dead (450 Sol)

* Burning Fist (300 Sol)

* Healing Circle (400 Sol)

* Cover Ally (100 Sol)

* Desecrated Battlement (600 Sol)

Looking over the list, Seraph chose Burning Fist without hesitation. Since he already possessed other touch related abilities, it made sense for him to add diversity to the elements he could use, and shortly, the element of fire might see a lot of use. He also picked up Cover Ally, it was cheap in cost, and would help him in the future to close the distance when allies are in danger, if he had possessed the ability, he would have been able to protect Paul.

Lastly, he looked over the remaining abilities, none of which really interested him even though they did have their uses. What called his attention was the last ability on the list, Desecrated Battlement, it sounded like something that would benefit groups and teams that he might work with in the future, and though he wasn't sure if it would help now, he wasn't wanting to pay a higher cost later. He purchased it too.

Notification: You have gained the "Cover Ally" ability. When moving to protect an ally, movement speed is tripled.

Note: This ability synergizes with the "Tank" generalization. Minor healing is provided to the user if ally is successfully protected.

Notification: You have gained the "Burning Fist" ability. On activation, both hands are enveloped in magical flame that does not harm the user that supplements the users physical attacks.

Note: User is not immune to fires caused by the use of Burning Fist.

Notification: You have gained the "Desecrated Battlement" ability. Enchant area with a poisonous aura, enemies receive a stat debuff equal to the percent of allied causalities.

Example: A troop of 100 men suffers 31 deaths, and another 10 wounded. Enemies within the space have their stats reduced by 41%

With no time left, Seraph ran and took cover against the way as he discreetly peered out down the hall as he watched the Hungers push through the doorway, their numbers suggestive of an endless horde as they shuffled in one at a time.

It was as if time paused for Seraph as counted the number of monsters, one, two, five, ten, and finally sixteen, with more waiting outside. With each new monster his heart dropped a little bit because he knew his chances of survival decreased as his enemies multiplied. Luck was with though, as the Hungers tour through the stacks of yellowed papers and the janitors closet near the entrance that he had opened up, trailing through the cleaning chemicals he had previously spilled all over the floor.

Seraph knew that the Hungers were still looking for him even if their attention was scattered. Eventually they would tire of what they were doing and would start to wander down the Hall in search of other things to destroy. It didn't matter if it was furniture or halfway melted plastic plants, or the cabinets and shelves. These monsters still knew that someone was in the building and they would find him, and Seraph would rather it be on his terms.

An idea came to him, Seraph knew an opportunity when he saw one. Seraph activated his Thousand Handed ability, and 6 of the Spectral Ethereal arms of mana appeared out of his back like appendages, he didn't have long to maintain it, but he didn't need to, so long as the monsters in their disorganization clumped together they would be an easier target, and if he didn't take advantage of that, he would cosign himself to being killed.

Using the power of his newly acquired ability, Burning Fist, he applied the ability to every of the Ethereal arms he had spawned, and like he did on the pier, he placed his hands on the floor, the wall, and the ceiling where he could reach. He was fully intent on killing the Hungers as they grouped aimlessly wandered grouped together. It was his only way of having any chance of living through this.

The flames spread quickly at the touch of his hand, and he was forced to recoil to avoid badly burning himself, the fire spreading quickly as the spilled cleaning agents acted as an accelerant. Blue and black chemical flame roared into life. Lighting up the floor in a fiery blaze as it quickly spread into the scattered boxes and stacks of paper the Hungers themselves had through about and disbursed when they had begun their search for him.

Though the smoke was thick and brought with it the concern of aspiration and the fire spreading to where he was, Seraph was generally pleased with the result. He retreated further into the building, trying to get as far away from the smoke as he could, but also to the noxious fumes of the burning chemicals. The last thing Seraph wanted was to render himself unconscious because of a chemical reaction in the burning of synthetics and cleaning materials.

In a matter of seconds over half of the Hungers had been engulfed by the fire and quickly succ.u.mbed to the flames as their bodies blackened, and the fat beneath the skin began to bubble as the monsters screamed in pain and rage as the fires burned through to the bone.

Satisfied, he dismissed his ethereal arms and extinguished his Burning Fist ability.

Seraph had a problem though; he had drawn the complete attention of the remaining Hunger. Everyone single one of them turned and started to run at him and even if injured and burnt they were still dangerous.

Regardless of the situation, he had no choice but to grit his teeth and braced himself as he activated what might one day be a trump card as he designated the interior of the Visitor's Center for the enchantment. He activated his new ability "Desecrated Battlement".

Dark mist rapidly spread out unfolding, black and grey like the smoky haze above a battlefield as fires burn and weapons smoke. Wherever the enchantment went, the fire died down a little, retarded though not extinguished.

Notification: "Desecrated Battlement" activated.

Current enchantment location "Beach City – Visitor's Center" ability.

Current casuality rate on team = 50%

Applying 50% stat debuff against all enemies within the range of the ability.

The effect was instant as Hungers that had been running towards him, bounding down the hall, had their movement speed halved and appeared to take on a more sluggish exhausted manner. The nearest Hunger to him was only feet away, half of it's face burned down to the skull, bones charged and showing.

Seraph moved on it, and with its movement slowed as it was, had no difficulties quickly dispatching it as he drove his blades through the monsters brain in a critical hit.

The remaining Hungers slowed in their approach, realizing he would not be easy prey, each hesitant to be the next to die. Seraph switched his attention to the next closest Hunger to him, and when the monster noticed Seraph had fixed his attention on it, it recoiled in fear and started to back up to get away fearing its own death, tripping over some of the Hungers behind it.

Seeing that fear Seraph seized the moment of weakness to kill it, if he could force the remaining monsters to disperse it would make the cleanup much easier. He attempted to reactivate his Thousand Handed ability, but rather than the blue glow of his ethereal arms, the veins across his body started to glow a dark crimson, an effect of his Abyssal Body that he was near mana depletion.

The crimson glow emboldened the monsters as it alerted the previously skittish Hungers that Seraph was out of magic, and in response monsters surged forward confident that the human could no longer kill them, much less harm them.

Having no other options and unable to cast spells and lacking time to gather mana from his environment, Seraph played his one remaining card, he summoned the flames from his Burning Hands ability. This was not magic so much as an innate ability that he now possessed..

The Hungers seeing the flame hesitated mere feet in front of Seraph, skittish and afraid of the fire. Their fear giving him the much-needed time to proceed to the second part of his plan. And more so giving him the much-needed distance he required and preventing them from fully swarming him.

He thrust his hand downward never ceasing the flow of Fire from his ability as he turned to retreat further into the building. Dragging his hand across the floor as he went, allowing fire to spread under the furniture and on the furniture, and from the furniture the walls. Everything he touched as he retreated from the Hungers set on fire. Careful to at the same time to stay in front of the Hungers and careful to not get caught by his own flames. Between the initial fire he had started with during the first encounter, and the new fires that he had just started, the blaze was spreading to all corners of the building and would soon consume everything.

Seraph was not sure if he would be able to escape this. He was half expecting his father to reappear or even one of the elves like Sadie to appear and save him. But he knew in his heart he couldn't count on such a thing it wasn't going to happen no one was coming for him he needed to save him.

As the intensity of the fire spread, and with the continued debuff from Desecrated Battlement, the remaining Hungers quickly burned to death as they were engulfed in the fire. As their bodies blazed, they screamed and tore at their flesh trying to save themselves, but the fire would not be denied.

The room was heavy with the smell of burning flesh and smoke, and though Seraph was thankful to have managed to kill the group of Hungers, they were no longer the biggest threat against him. The fire was his main concern, and he had trapped himself in the building.

As he ran out of places to run it appeared that Seraph would not survive either as he continued to back pedal to stay in front of the burning monsters. Until finally his back brushed against the back of the reception area walls.

"Maybe I'll be able to survive this after all. I've got a chance." Thought Seraph as he opened up one of the two rooms that the original Hungers had shuffled out of earlier when they had first entered the building.

"I was wrong." Remarked Seraph as he saw something he hadn't realized before What he had thought were men and women separate bathrooms was in fact an unmarked Room possibly and office space and a separate family bathroom. Even though the two rooms had been adjacent to one another. He had thought there were two bathrooms and he was wrong. This was just an assumption he had made based on the layout of the building and his previous experiences with similar buildings.

Seraph knew that if there was anything was going to save him it would be in the office space. Completely ignoring the bathroom, Seraph choose to open the door to what he thought was an office space and slammed the door behind him and hopes that it would give him time before the fire spread this far, time to search for something with which he could save himself before the fire also spread to this room.

When his body began to heal the minor cuts and burns, it was a sign that all enemies nearby had perished. He took some comfort in that fact that if he escaped the situation he would be safe for a little while. He looked round for anything he could use may be a fire extinguisher or place to hide or a fire blanket and saw nothing of the sort.

The only thing he saw was more filing cabinets and chairs and tables and desks and a small cubicle in the back with a sad sad yellowed window, the windowsill full of pictures of what had once been somebody's family.

"Wait a minute." Thought Seraph, "That's exactly what I need he ran towards the window and tried to pull it up if nothing else eager just escape out the window there didn't appear to be a sharp drop to worry about.

Smoke began rapidly filling the room. Seraph began to feel unsteady, light-headed and dizzy. He knew didn't have time to do anything but commit to a course of action. Seraph grabbed the ancient looking printer and threw it at the window causing the window to break.

The size of the window was small, and Seraph knew them would only be one chance. He dismissed his plate armor into his spacial pocket, the plate armor that he received after specialization as a tank, he would need to crawl unhindered and b.a.r.e if he was to make it.

Without bothering to push out the glass shards. Seraph climbed up onto the desk and started to crawled through the window, the glass cutting deep into his unprotected extremities. Blood pouring out as the lacerations bled freely. Ignoring the pain, Seraph only had thoughts of pushing forward until finally after what seemed like an eternity, he feel forward head first to the ground many feet below.

Landing with a loud thud, Seraph collapsed unconscious on the ground outside the building. Exhausted, in pain, unconscious, but alive.