The Genesis Game

Chapter 3: The Spawning Grounds

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  Dense fog rolled over the grey cemetery as birds cawed perched on the rusty fencing that encircled the area. It was not just any fencing though. This was wrought iron that helped to seal in the dead and other darker creatures that might appear within. 

  Bones began to shift within the pit in the center of the cemetery and the two guards stationed at the entrance turned towards the noise with concern. "What do you think it is this time Paul? A vassal? A ghoul? A wright? Or one of the greater darks?"

       Paul shook his head as his vision was cast straight ahead, his brows furrowed in worry, fixated on the Gehenna Pit. "I'm not sure, but it was your turn last time to check it out, so I'll take point. You go and report it. You know the rules."

     With a nod of his head, John took off but not without a parting glance of concern for his friend.  The trim of his black cape getting tight against his body. The cape that marked him as a Third Rank Guardian in the Order of the Protectorate.  

     Paul tensed up watching his partner leave and shivered as a light wind blue and pulled his own cape closer. He felt unease move through him and his hands started to shake. The cemetery and the spawning pit never quite sat well with him.   The feeling of unease intensified as the noise grew louder as bones began to tumble from their piles on the pit. "It's to be an uprising then." He muttered with grim thankfulness that his partner would be back soon with the assistance they would need.

            The sounds of movement throughout the Cemetery echoed in response to the shifting of the bones as the sealed graves began to resonate with the pit. Paul knew there wasn't much time left before the graveyard would be full of the undead, but the only guard manning the duty, it fell on him to investigate the source of the disturbance. Sometimes it was nothing. Though usually it was only a new vassal joining the realm. The scarred soul of the newly dead. But sometimes, just sometimes, it was something more sinister and deadly that lay beneath, and it was for that reason that Paul was alone while his partner went for help.  

            He looked at his shaking hand and tried to steady his nerves by gripping the spear tighter in his hands, but to no avail. In irritation, Paul muttered a few words to trigger the incantation of a spell to bolster his courage and immediately he felt relief as a sense of calm moved throughout his body as a line of white crisscrossed his torso.

With a heavy hand and a cautious look, Paul grabbed onto the gate with his free arm and pushed it shut, sealing himself in as the magic that bound the place settled. Sweat dripped down his forehead, the process had been made more difficult by the dragging nature of the gate as evidence by the huge divits dug into the dirt, but with the gate sealed shut, Paul could at least move freely within the graveyard, nothing would be able to leave it.

Without a look, Paul began to walk towards the Gehenna pit, keeping his eyes on a swivel as the dirt and headstones around him strained from the uprising of the other undead. So long as he avoided being mobbed by them, he would be fine, most had gone slow from the rot of the grave.

            As soon as Paul reached the edge of the Gehenna pit, he saw a pale and young hand emerge, pushing aside the bones as whoever, or whatever, was attached to that hand struggled to free itself. With his courage steadied, Paul leveled his spear and prepared to meet fate with a measure of determination to hold out.

            "Identity yourself," Paul shouted towards the pit, wanting, needing, hoping it was just a Vassal.

             From within the pit, though his vision was obscured, Michael heard the words though they barely registered with him, disorientated as he was from his recent demise and his meeting with Mr. Light. From where he was at, Michael couldn't see well and a feeling of claustrophobia was starting to set in as he struggled to free himself, not understanding just where exactly he was, or the nature of the place he found himself trapped in.

            "Last warning," Called out Paul nervously as moved the tip of the spear towards where he had seen the hand. "Who are you?

This time, Michael heard it and rather then feeling scared of panic, felt immediate relief that help was nearby. "Michael! My name is Micahel, can you help me out? I'm stuck in here and can't seem to get free. I've no idea how I got here."

            It wasn't quite enough for John to stop feeling nervous, but he knew the undead almost never spoke, and never so clearly.  Paul thrust out a hand and grabbed  Michael by the wrist ad little by little, Paul pulled the newest vassal out of the pit of Bones.

         Once free, Paul commanded Michael to remain still for examination. From what he could see, Michael was still human or at least as close to human as the residences of Pandemonium were. 

       "Um what are you looking for?" Asked Michael nervously as he glanced around, his eyes going wide as the first of the skeletal undead poked through the surface of their gravesite.

      "The Vassals mark." Paul lied as he explained, no need to aggrevate the situation with the truth about corruption. "The wound healed just before death. The ticket to Pandemonium."

     "Oh," Responded Michael as he looked down at his c.h.e.s.t and saw a ripped shirt and a thick mass of scar tissue from where the tree had impaled him. "Like this?" He asked pointing, "What those?"

Paul nodded and smiled as he saw the normal undead. "Let's get out of here. Welcome to the Realm of Pandemonium"