Object 122

The Holder of Health

In any city, in any country, go to any hospital emergency room you can get yourself to. Wait for an ambulance to arrive and unload its patient. As long as the patient is alive, no matter how mangled he may be, ask him to see "The Holder of Health". Should the patient you're talking to die at any time during or after you've asked to see the Holder, the Object you're after is no longer there. Run for your insignificant life, and do not stop until the sun rises the next morning. The medical interns have lost their patient, and are eager to find someone else to treat.

If the Object you seek is still there, the patient will go into a massive seizure, and the medical staff accompanying him in the ambulance will try to save him. The patient will thrash violently, disemboweling the EMTs working on him using whatever is at hand. During this time, you must not move from your current position or the patient will come for you next. Once the patient has done away with his victims, you must ask one question, lest you be maimed for eternity: "What was the price for longevity?" The patient will then tell a horrific story, a story showing every malpractice, every accident, every excuse, and every experiment in medical history that helped to bring about the convenience people enjoy today. He will then explain the true price of convenience, that sacrifice and convenience go together as do day and night; that the greater the convenience one wants, the greater the sacrifice one must give.

If your sanity is intact after his horrible story you must react fast as the patient will lose his patience and lunge toward you. Grab for the syringe that has appeared beside you and stab it into his head, or what's left of it. He will soon die and you must extract a liquid that comes from his head.

This syringe will never run out of the liquid inside it and will not extract anything else. Injecting yourself with some of this viscous substance will give you demonic strength for a certain time, depending on how much you use. Beware, however, for the liquid concentrates itself from the life force of the people you care about most.

The syringe is Object 122 of 2538. You now know the price. It is up to you to decide whether you can afford it or not.