The Genesis Game

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"So. Sadie." Said Seraph as they got out to the hall. "Do you have any idea where the rest of my team might be?"

"Actually, I do." She answered. "After the ordeal your father had on the second floor, and after Jack was ghost touched by that Wraith Mother, they both needed some time in recovery. I'm guessing both are likely to be in the second floor physical training room. They both need to be doing physical therapy to get back into top shape."

Seraph raised an eyebrow in confusion. "What do you mean physical therapy? Shouldn't the dungeon heal everything."

"Your dad's still missing his hand. Jack is still missing a sizable chunk of his stamina that hasn't recovered." Sadie said with a hint of frustration. "Why wouldn't they need a little help to get back to fighting form."

Raising her hand to the bridge of her nose in frustration, Sadie responded "Seraph, you do understand that for most people, the dungeon does not grant them the same sort of strength it granted you, or afford you the same kind of allowances, for whatever reason, the dungeon took a special interest in you. You're experience can't be applied to everyone else."

"I guess you're right." Seraph admitted, but not really believing it. "My father lost part of his arm, as a bearer of the Sword and Shield emblem of the Hero, the dungeon should have restored the lost arm, that's the way it's always been, and Jack should have got over been ghost touched fairly easily."

Laughing at him as they reached the elevator, Sadie responded "This may come as a surprise to you Seraph, but even a cripple can be a Hero. No law exists in heaven or hell that says only the completely able bodied can be selfless and what do you think ghost touched even means? Ghost touched didn't exist the last time you were here."

Ignoring what felt like the beginning of a lecture, Seraph pressed the button to the second floor, and as the door shut bringing them up to the next floor, an awkward silence settled between them.

Avoiding looking in her direction Seraph muttered out the question that was on his mind now, a question that he had overlooked and was embarrassed that he had overlooked it. "Are they ok?"

She shook her head. "No, not really, and I'm not sure that they will be."

The elevator door opened, and Seraph was surprised to see Dwight, George, and Mary at the door, ready to step into the elevator. Each looking noticeable stronger then the last time Seraph had seen them.

"Where have you guys all been?" Seraph asked curiously. "I didn't see any of you on the Pier or the Road of the second floor."

George didn't say anything, and stepped back him, his good eye blazing in hate, as the milky orb of the regrown eye that Seraph had destroyed floated uselessly. As he stepped past Seraph into the elevator, he walked into Seraph with enough force to knock him off balance.

"He's grown a lot stronger." Thought Seraph with a bit of unease. "I'll need to watch out for him."

Mary walked by next mouthing an "I'm sorry." But didn't interfere otherwise.

Dwight, the man who had become a minotaur waved goodbye to the two in the elevator and started walking down the hallway before explaining. "I'm too big to fit into the elevator, I take the stairs, but since i've got a second of your time and George isn't around, I'm going to fill you in on a secret that you missed out on. The second floor you went through, where your dad got all beat it. It's the second floor. We've been clearing monsters out of the woods, the sewers, and a few of the haunted guild halls since we got here, stopping only for night"

The realization hit Seraph and he stopped in his tracks. He had made the assumption that the 1st delving floor of the dungeon was through the gate leading to the second floor. He had never thought to consider that Hometown itself was the 1st delving floor. He curled his fist and slammed it into the wall in anger.

"Did you know, did you know I was wasting my time, putting myself into danger that was totally unneeded yet? We almost wiped. I almost died, so did you know?" Seraph turned to Sadie in angry accusation as they headed down the hall towards the physical training room.

Sadie levelied the look back at him, her eyes fierce as her face curled up in a sneer, accented by the scar that had become ever more prominent now that her skin had paled since turning Fel. "Tread careful Seraph, you know well the gap between us that still exists. My patience with you is only so much."

Her face softened as she exerted control over the anger she felt towards him. "It doesn't matter if I knew, there are some things I can't tell you, and some things I won't tell you. The locations of places to grind for experience and Sol is one of them, the nature of the dungeon floors I know about is another. I'll help keep you alive, but I've secrets entrusted to me that won't be shared with you. Understand."

Seraph let go of the anger he was feeling, all he really had was himself to blame. Everything he had seen kept telling him that this time around the dungeon was different, the rules were different, and yet here he was, making one mistake after another thinking that he had some sort of advantage in his foreknowledge when so far, a lot of that knowledge was already obsolete. The only real advantage he had was his relationship with the dungeon and its minions, and the resilience his past experiences had given him.

"It's over here." Said Sadie in front of him as she approached the dark glass doors towards the end of the hall that had a sign that read "The Physician's Physical Therapy." If Jack and his father weren't in there, Seraph knew where he would be heading next.

Directly across the hall, Seraph could see the training area, and deeper still he knew he could find the sparring arena, but with everyone in the dungeon currently accounted for, the room was empty, though it wouldn't be for long.

"A little redundant." Thought Seraph as he looked at the sign as they entered the clinic.