The Genesis Game

Chapter 27: Ghost Touch (3 Chapters Left)

It had been a disappointment when Seraph learned firsthand that the physician had been right about the two men he had come to collect. They were both in poor shape, and as they were, Seraph could do nothing with them. Even Rosebud was occupied as it had spread itself all over Jack, wrapping the man up in a persistent enhancement that boosted his stamina, an ability that was likely the reason the man was still alive.

"What can be done for him?" Asked Seraph to the Physician.

The Physician shuffled some papers around that he had on his clipboard before responding, "Not much unfortunately, our constitution, what you know as stamina, doesn't recover so easily from Ghost Touch. I've no idea how long this man was engaged with one of those night terrors, but it's evident to me that he's lucky to even be alive. His stamina keeps flickering right above zero."

"So then, he needs a racial change, I can handle that." Seraph responded matter of factly.

The Physician grabbed his hand and glared. "If you mean to turn him into a demon like you've done with yourself and that poor woman you're traveling with, then no it won't work."

"Well why not?" Chimed in Sadie, "He has an elite racial cosmetic that he's slotted to recover from the market shop whenever, we can use one of those."

The Physician responded as if talking to a child. "It's not that simple, the only way for him to survive the effects of Ghost Touch after having had his stamina reduced to zero is immune to that, and for that to happen."

Seraph interrupted, "He would need to be a ghost, or something close to it, something undead, right?"

The Physician nodded. "Correct, at least in theory. But the item shop wouldn't have anything like that stocked, unless you opted to collect the material yourself and forfeit collecting the epic cosmetic."

"If that's what we have to do, then that's what we have to do." Promised Seraph as he turned away from Jack and pulled on the privacy curtain to focus his attention on his father.

Notification – Quest Unlocked - To Save a Life

Information: The man known as Jack needs immunity from the status condition Ghost Touch or he will die when his pet is no longer able to maintain the boost stamina enchantment.

Conditions: Acquire an item that can be used as a cosmetic to grant Jack undead racial attributes.

Paul didn't notice that the curtain had been pulled away, and that Seraph, Sadie, and the Physician were now standing right in front of him. The man sat on his bed in a cataonoic near comatose state, his legs pulled into his body as he gazed off looking into a distance at only something that he could see as he occasionally rubbed the recently scarred flesh that marked where he had lost his hand.

The look was a look Seraph recognized but had never expected to see it on his father's face. Shell shock, the look of a man that had been pushed too far and been broken by the experience. Paul had taken losing his hand well during the fight, which meant another factor had pushed him over.

Seraph gave Paul a second look as he realized what it was. The man had been broken by thinking he had been saved instead of me. This man thought he had lost his son, and that had been the thing to push him over. Seraph was touched, even if he wasn't the recipient of those feelings of loss, it was unfortunate though, he needed help now, and it was unlikely the man would recover on his own anytime soon.

"I don't have time to see if this is going to resolve itself." Thought Seraph as he considered his options. With the timeline he had to work with, only one option seemed the obvious choice. As he approached Paul, the man finally acknowledge his presence, recoiling in horror, screaming as he waved his hands back and forth as he sobbed and begged for Seraph to not come any closer.

He approached Paul and as he got close the man recoiled in horror screaming waving his hands back-and-forth saying no no no don't come any closer. The fear Seraph saw in his father's eyes stopped him in his tracks, it was not the reaction he had prepared himself for. Filled with regret that this was the option he needed to take, Seraph hesitated, full of shame that his father feared him, Seraph had never wanted to hurt the man.

Uncertainty gripped him, what he was about to do, he had done remorsefully to Sadie, and would likely do to many more in the future, but to his father, a line was being crossed that he didn't know existed until this moment, and he crossed it anyways, he had to, the future demanded it.

Global Announcement – Notification – Guild Formation

A new guild has been formed. "The Inquisition of the Blind Eye." They have conquered the Halls of Justice for themselves, and claimed the guild power of "Judgement."

Groaning, Seraph dismissed the unwanted notification, he had other things to worry about in the present and stressing about another guild forming first wouldn't help him in the meantime, but if experience taught him anything, it was that people tried to strictly mimic the guilds they fell into, this would be a problem for him, he was absolutely sure.

.

"Enough of that." He thought to himself as he focused his towards his father and what he needed to do. Putting both of his hands onto his father's c.h.e.s.t, Seraph pressed down activating his "Demonize" ability as his father subconsciously struggled and tried to push him off. But Seraph's strength was stronger, and missing a hand, the man just wasn't able to put out enough force to dislodge him.

The hands went limp as Paul passed out unconscious as the man's new demonic aspect worked to heal the wounds in the man's mind, making him resilient to nightmarish exposures.

With no reason left to stay, Seraph gave his begrundung thanks to the Physician and promised to be back as he and Sadie left to go collect the cosmetic that would give Jack the immunity to Ghost touch and save his life.

They needed to find Bone Dust or Wraiths Ashes, and Seraph knew where to find them, or had known and hoped it was still applicable the location.

The Halls of Bane.

It was time they seized a guild hall too.