The Genesis Game

The jagged wound in his c.h.e.s.t from where she had stabbed him rapidly healed, as did the rest of the cuts and bruises on his body. Nearby, the ground began to shake as a tombstone pushed out of the earth, dirt falling off of it from the vibrations. It was not lost on him that the grave marker had appeared where Sadie had died.

The tombstones all around were not random, and while many of the tombstones had the names marked off, not all of them did. Passing glances revealed names that he had known in his past, and in this one if the fresher looking tombstone with the name Erin Lowry was an indicator.

In a sense, this was condemnation. "Are these the people I've killed, or all the people who've been killed in the dungeon?" He thought. He had not been entirely honest with Sadie, this was the first time he had been to this place, but the Gehena pits were not unique, they could be found throughout the World Dungeon, and within those he had disposed of the bodies of his more powerful enemies to prevent respawn or resurrection.

"It had been necessary to gain victory over the elves." Seraph told himself as he looked down into the lifeless eyes of the one he carried. But the words seemed hollow even to him.

None of these thoughts sat well with Seraph. With every death he had caused ,and every person he had killed, a measure of reservation and duty had filled him. But this death, her death, he regretted most and wished other options had been available to him. Seraph sighed, his eyes watering from the smoke all around and filled with guilt, but still he knew he had a mission to do, the fate of the world was in his hands and nothing could stand in the way of that, no matter how much Seraph wished otherwise.

With nothing left to do, he cradled her body in his arms and walked onward toward the source of the smoke.

Walking across the graveyard, his steps broke the ground as the dirt below him was caked and dried from the constant heat of the burning fire. As he got closer, the heat began to born and scorched his skin and the irritation in his eyes from the smoke made it more difficult to see. From the pit he heard the screaming of anguished souls caught in permanent agony as they sobbed and begged for mercy that wasn't coming as the fires spit up the flames that would burn for all of eternity.

Approaching the pit, he saw a suspension bridge that lead up to a granite pillar that made a sort of island in the middle of the pit. A small stack of stones could be seen and between the stones a pole was raised, a white guild standard at the bottom. All he needed to do was raise the standard and the Halls of Rot would be his, and he would finally be able to start his guild.

The body slung over his shoulder, he walked across the suspension bridge. The rope bindings and the wood deck swaying as the heat moved the air. Seraph was surprised to see the bridge had survived, but like many things in the dungeon, magic has its purpose.

Close to the Standard Pole, Seraph realized he would no longer be able to carry her body any further until after the Guild Hall was his. Gently, he put her body down next to the stacked rocks, hoping that the World Dungeon wouldn't absorb the body in the meantime.

Seraph grabbed the white guild standard and attached it to the flag pole ropes.

Notification: Event "To Start a Guild"

Details: To start a guild requires vision, rules, people, a name and a standard.

Quarry - What will the image and name of your guild be?

Seraph thought on it. As much as he wanted to recreate Carrion Crow, revisiting the past like that would only lead to more issues. He needed to move forward, the dead woman near his feet a reminder that the scars he had inflicted on others, the echoes of that far off future still mattered, and he needed to handle them.

For many he had been a villain, and he had played the part well, if he was going to save anyone he would need to distance himself from that. His purpose remained the same, to save the world from what was going, to teach and show others how to survive, to build up humanity to survive what was going.

"Like Prometheus in Greek mythology." Seraph muttered. "I'll go with that, but unlike Prometheus I don't intend to suffer forever, doomed to repeat the same thing every day."

Seraph mentally answered the prompt. "I name the guild Prometheus Rising, the guild standard will be a flaming torch."

The white standard underwent a transformation as the white turned to black and in the middle an upward flame in solid red could be seen. "This will have to do." He thought as he started to hoist the standard up the pole.

Notification: Event "To Start a Guild - Part 2"

Details: To start a guild requires vision, rules, people, a name and a standard.

Quarry - What is the vision you have for this guild?

This Seraph knew by heart and responded without needing to think it over further. "My vision for the guild is a safe haven for all who would join us. My vision is to promote strength, and ability within reason and teach others how to become stronger. My vision is the survival of humanity and the guild will act as stewards of humanity."

Notification: Event "To Start a Guild - Part 3"

Details: To start a guild requires vision, rules, people, a name and a standard.

Quarry - What will be the rules of the guild?

"The rules will be simple, with more added later." Seraph replied. "No attacking and no killing others unless the absence of those things would result in the loss of life, limb, eyesight, or freedom of a guild member. Guild members may not attack each other. Guild members have an obligation to assist each other, unless that assistance is likely to result in their own demise." Thinking of Sadie he added another "And guild members are to avoid conflict with the elves."

Notification: Event "To Start a Guild - Part 4"

Details: Do you wish to seize the location "Halls of Rot" and form the guild "Prometheus Rising"?

Quarry - Who will you add to your guild?

"Prometheus Rising will initially be an open guild, all may join at the restricted rank of recruit. I name my ally Jack and father Paul as guild officers and bestow to them all powers reserved to me, except the ability to forfeit the guild, and the ability to disband the guild." He could add more stipulations later, but with the influx of people, he knew an open system would gather him more followers first.

Notification: Event "To Start a Guild - Part 5"

Details: Do you wish to seize the location "Halls of Rot" and form the guild "Prometheus Rising"?

Make a selection - Yes/No

Seraph hadn't come all this way only to quit now. "Yes." He said as the prompt disappeared from in front of him and another replaced it..

Notification: Global Announcement "Guild Formation"

A new guild has been formed. "Prometheus Rising" They have claimed the Halls of Rot for themselves, and claimed the guild power of "Gangrenous C.a.r.e.s.s."

Notification: Guild Selection "Halls of Rot"

Details: Only the first floor of the Halls of Rot will be accessible in the future. Currently the first floor has (3) configurations. More can be unlocked as the guild gains in strength. Configurations may be changed once daily. All configurations share total space. Total space may be upgraded through the use of guild points, which are proportionally given to the guild as 10% of the experience earned by the players within the guild.

Configuration 1: The Forgotten Church (A defensive position, undead equal to the combined average level of the players within the guild will rise up to defend the guild should it be attacked.

Configuration 2: The Shelter (A supportive position, space is maximized to take in immediately a higher number of players and provide for their most basic of needs.)

Configuration 3: The Barracks (A training position, space is split between providing for the needs of guild members, the training of guild members, and the management of guild members.

"I choose configuration 2 for the guild." Seraph said as he thought the guild would need to be in a position to help the sheer number of people coming into the World Dungeon. All around him the world began to disappear, the lurching movement broadcasting a spell of teleportation. Quickly before he vanished, he reached out and grabbed Sadie's body off the ground, not wanting to leave her behind.