-Jedi Master Yoda {2}

Moira didn't sound particularly happy about the fact that she was not allowed inside, and John couldn't say he was much better off. He couldn't find anything to say, so he simply nodded at Moira and proceeded inside. The door closed behind him in what must have been a gentle fashion but made a tremendous racket as the metal hinges and latch locked into place.

The room was large but packed. Lord Brighton stood in a corner, barely visible due to his superior height, fiddling with something in his hands that John couldn't see because of the numerous shelves in his way. Every shelf was laden with a different kind of weapon, often with each shelf containing different sizes and even shapes of the particular weapon. Swords, lances, axes, maces, flails, hammers, knives, bows and arrows, even unusual weapons like scythes and chains were hung on the walls, the shelves, and a rare few dangled from the ceiling - those that weren't too pointy or sharp to place a risk to the eyes of those who were not paying close enough attention. A few armor racks stood in a far corner of the room, with every piece from head to toe in mail and plate, and even a few pieces of cloth and leather.

Without turning away from the wall, before John could step very far into the room at all, Lord Brighton began to speak. Although the room was large and their distance great, his voice carried with an authority and depth that impressed John.

"I have heard everything from my knights and from my Warden… my daughter. I know what transpired today was not according to our plans or what we told you would happen. I know that an Albidian mage was present, and that he was defeated only thanks to the Warden being present. I also know that you slaughtered multiple unarmed, defenseless prisoners."

There was a moment of silence in the air. All the weapons in the room seemed to turn towards John, and a spark of indignation began to rise up in him. What Moira's father said wasn't untrue, but he'd done it for good reason!

"I also know that if you hadn't, my daughter would not be with us. I know that what you did, you did in desperation and to save the life of a friend. As her father, I cannot say that if presented with the same choice that I would even hesitate to make the same decision. No, I cannot even say it would be a true choice."

Lord Brighton strode around the lengthy room slowly. He still did not look at John, his eyes locked on whatever he was holding as he marched over to the armor corner and leafed through a few things on one of the shelves.

"Taking a life is never easy, nor is it something to be done lightly… but the truth of the matter is that killing has never been a stranger to the Order. Keeping the law and protecting innocents in a cruel world such as that of the Abyss almost requires a certain measure of lethality; doing it well requires that one take life frequently. The execution of prisoners is distasteful, to be sure…"

Lord Brighton's voice took on a troubled tone, and he pursed his lips thoughtfully. His voice still carried, but it was dulled, as if he were no longer talking entirely to John but rather someone else.

"We have made grave decisions in the past that still weigh heavily upon me. Some that were too dangerous to be kept alive, even if they were captured, even if…"

He didn't finish that sentence, glancing up and for the first time making eye contact with John. Moira's father was almost halfway across the room now, and John could catch glimpses of what he was holding between the shelves. It was a sword, of moderate length and fairly plain, not immediately extravagant to John's eyes, and Observe merely told him it was a sword of the Order, with no particularly special qualities. He also had a large length of cloth draped over his arm, but John couldn't tell what it was.

"No matter. I know today's battle will weigh heavily on your mind as well. I take responsibility for placing you into that situation, but I cannot bear the burden of your decisions. Would that it were so easy, John Newman, that I might bear the burdens of all my knights.

"Yet despite that, there are three things in particular that bother me about what transpired today. Moira relayed to me what you told her, about how you were able to save her. The first… that cloak. I understand you stashed it away... may I see it?"

As he said that, Lord Brighton was close enough to reach out with his free hand, still holding the blade in the other. John nodded and accessed his inventory, pulling the cloak free and immediately handing it over. It had been preserved in exactly the condition he'd stored it in, down to the semi-fresh bloodstains that were still wet. Lord Brighton looked at it with a measure of distaste as he held it, but John couldn't tell whether it was due to the stains, the magic, or both.

"Magic like this always puts a foul taste in my mouth… tell me, boy, how were you able to make something such as this?"

"I have an ability, a spell, it lets me craft things. I needed to make something that would give me more mana and boost my spells when I went to do my first dungeon- uh, when I went to train in my first Barrier. All I had were my clothes and the stuff I'd gathered through the day, and the only thing I had magical was the Dust of Undeath that I got from those skeletons. I've barely gotten any materials so far, so I haven't made anything to replace it yet, but I knew you said the Dust of Undeath was bad, so I didn't want to use it much. I only put it on because I needed all the mana I could get."

"Interesting, I suppose there's enough magical energy in that dust to create a beginner's enchantment like this, and it explains the taint I can nearly smell. Have you made anything else with this ability of yours?"

"Just this ring," John said, holding out his hand. Lord Brighton tossed the cloak aside to free his hand, then gently grabbed John's palm to inspect the ring.

"Nothing tainted about this one; it seems it’s only a simple ring with a tiny reserve for magical and life essences, then? Not a bad idea. Though, I'd recommend some proper armor before you gather too many trinkets and baubles. The price of preparedness is measured now in gold, later… in blood.”

Lord Brighton grumbled to himself a little as he stepped back and picked up the cloak again, hanging it on an empty rack nearby. He dusted off his hands but still looked unsatisfied, as if he would've preferred to wash his gauntlets before touching anything else.

"Truthfully, this particular magic is a bit like necromancy, or magic that alters the mind, in the nature of its corruption. There is no cost to the user or innate danger to its use, but it has been associated for so long with vile and repulsive uses that it truly offends the senses. The dust is particularly abhorrent, given the method of its creation, but given that my own daughter can attest to its unprompted appearance, I find it difficult to fault you for its use, given your lack of experience. This is the least of my concerns and hardly worth noting.

"My second concern are your hidden abilities. Not knowing exactly what kind of magic you possess and what you have hidden from us as well as shared makes it very difficult for the Order to take you on missions with us in the future or to properly work with you on projects outside of combat. Not only do we not know what you are capable of so that we may plan to improve our teamwork and coordination, but we do not know what you are hiding… and why you might be doing so. This is a more serious concern."

"I'm sorry, I was… I am more than a little on edge right now, and a lot of the abilities I have I learn so quickly even I don't understand them. I just-"

"Calm yourself, I am not finished. Once again, I find it difficult to fault you… though not so much as the first of my concerns. In the Abyss, trust is a hard thing to forge. Though I cannot say I am pleased considering how much has been granted to you, I am not incapable of seeing where your lack of trust may come from, particularly as new as you are to the Abyss. In time, you will either find us worthy of trust and to share the full extent of your abilities or our alliance shall wane. Only time will tell which it may be."

John stayed silent this time, unable to say much that wouldn't give something away he preferred to avoid for now. It wasn't like he could deny that he had hidden things, even if he thought at the time it was to save his own life.

"My third is the most troubling, because there's little either of us could do to fix it, I'm afraid. You could hand over this cloak, tell me every secret you've kept even from yourself, and that might assuage my first worries. But my third worry is this, John - you say you have learned many abilities, and Moira has told me you're clearly capable of being taught and learning abilities you have the desire to, so tell me how you learned this Feast ability."

"I- it was a talent," John said, realizing as soon as he said it that it wouldn't make sense to someone who'd been alive before arcades were even a big thing. As Lord Brighton's eyebrow shot up, John continued on immediately.

"In video games, you get skills that you can learn just by leveling up, but there are also some skills that you can choose to specialize in, things that help you do more specific things. Like, anyone can learn to throw a fireball, but you could use talents to learn how to make that fireball bigger, faster, or split into lots of tiny little pieces. Sometimes they're their own things, and you learn completely new abilities. I got a talent point a while back and unlocked two talent trees, Hunter of Darkness and Master of Dark-"

John cut himself off, saying it out loud for the first time and wincing as he realized how poorly it sounded to say out loud that he had chosen to become a "Master of Darkness". Especially to what was basically a Paladin. Lord Brighton's eyebrow remained aloft, held high on pillars of righteousness, as he cleared his throat.

"Well, perhaps you can start to see where some of my… concerns arise from. I owe you much, John Newman, including the lives of over a dozen of my knights including my Warden, and more importantly my daughter. But as the head of this household, as the current head of the Order of the Golden Rose, and as Moira's father, I cannot help but wonder what leads a young lad to obtain such an ability. One which has its very existence mired in the misery of ****."

"It was for training, actually," John said quietly, gripping the waist of his jeans and frowning at his own foolishness. "To be honest, I didn't think I would ever kill someone. Not someone real, anyhow. I wanted to have a way to restore my energies in Barriers, that's all. I got caught up in trying to make myself more efficient and powerful."

"It matters little," Lord Brighton said, surprisingly calmly. He waved his hand at John and shook his head.

"As I said, little can assuage this doubt of mine now. Time will tell your motives, and for now, I owe you far too much to do anything about them. I would give you a word of advice though, Mr. Newman. The knight's blade is a fickle mistress, and she soaks in the blood of all who stain her. With every kill, a knight's blade may grow lighter or heavier with their own heart's reflections on their deeds. If ever your blade grows too heavy, you may find yourself unable or unwilling to lift it… but far more dangerous is the blade that grows too light. A blade's balance is important; lose it, swing it with too great an ease, and you may find yourself accidentally cutting those things that you once held precious."

Saying that, Lord Brighton took the blade that he was holding and wrapped a gauntleted fist around the sharp end, carefully holding the flat of the blade as he extended it toward John hilt-first. John locked eyes on it, and his hand moved ever so slightly toward the handle before he froze and met the glittering eyes of the manor's lord.

"…Lord Brighton?"

"Take it," Moira's father said gruffly, thrusting it a bit less ceremoniously toward John. "This is the blade of the Order, one we give to our squires. The future will tell what place you hold in the Abyss, John Newman, but your actions today have earned you this blade at least. This one has not yet had the symbol of the Order forged into the pommel - perhaps one day, if you decide to join us, we may have it reforged."

"T-thank you, sir," John stammered, reaching out and grasping the hilt. As soon as he took possession of it, an item pop-up appeared, crammed into a corner away from all the other notifications that John had postponed looking at. It seemed to be an only slightly weaker version of the blade he'd used during the battle, and John was having a hard time coming to grips with the sudden shift in tone. One moment, he'd been sure he was about to be lectured or ejected from the manor, and the next, he was receiving a gift.

"One other thing… if you would allow me the infernal cloak of yours, I'd prefer if you had something a touch less wretched to wear around the manor, if you find cause to do so."

Lord Brighton unfurled the cloth at his arm and held it aloft, until John could see it for what it really was. His actions revealed a glittering crimson cloak, only barely shorter than he was, with the symbol of the Order of the Golden Rose stitched on the back. John eyed it with Observe and was surprised at what he saw.

Sigil of the Rose Cloak
+5 STR, +5 DEX, +5 END
Durability: 100/100
A cloak worn by new recruits and friends of the Order of the Rose. Just wearing it inspires you and fills you with a sense of confidence. Something you could really use more of.

"Be warned, it will mark you as a friend… wear it lightly if you do not take that oath seriously, for it will make you as many enemies as it will allies. It may not be quite as effective for your fighting style, but I must admit, I would greatly prefer you wear this. The stench, at least, might not be so rancid."

He said the last words with a wry smile. Something about Moira's father managing to pull off a smirk, even after all that he had said and all the day had brought them, was reassuring to John. John took the cloak from his offered hand and immediately swung it around his shoulders.

"Thank you, Lord Brighton. I will wear it with pride."

"Something a few of our Order could use and a few of our Order could use less of.."

Lord Brighton waved his hand at the air dismissively, as if he had spoken to some unseen presence in the room rather than John.

"Never mind that, though. That is all I wished to speak with you of today. Go home, Mr. Newman, and rest. We will not call on you for some time; you will have the weekend and more to rest and recover… or, if you wish, to train. You seem quite determined for one so newly minted in the Abyss."

"Thank you, Lord Brighton," John said with a bow of his head and an awkward crick in his spine as he tried to guess the proper amount of deferment. When the leader of the Golden Rose did not say anything further and turned toward the back of the room, John saw himself out. To his surprise, the door opened as he approached it. John hadn't seen any sign of magic from Lord Brighton, but Moira looked up from her position outside the door with just as much surprise as John was showing.

John strode free, and the door began to swing closed once again. Keeping free of its massive arc, John moved to her and nodded with a smile. That seemed to reassure her a bit.

"I take it my father was not too harsh with you, then? Not many lectures end with one walking out in the Order's cloth," Moira noted with a smile that John couldn't help but compare to her father's.

"No… he said some things that made me think, though…" John trailed off at the end, thinking hard. Was Lord Brighton right? He'd just revealed an ability that fed off of ****, and the only thing he had received was a lecture about morality and the path one takes through life…

"Think? About what?"

"Can you spend the night at my place?"

Time slowed. A single moment frozen in time forever. A ripple passed over the entire universe, pausing everything where it was for an eternity, then spending another eternity resuming it. Somewhere in a pocket dimension, a crystal formed containing the exact parameters and coordinates of every object in the universe, in one moment.

It was the moment that John Newman knew… he had fucked up.

"M-m-Mr. Newman!" Moira stammered, her face flushing immediately, "just because you save a woman's life does not mean that she will fall head-over-shield for you at the drop of a hat or that you can invite her over to your home before she's even had a proper chance to compose herself!"

"No, w-wait, I meant- I want to show you… more of my abilities," John said, whispering the last part, still afraid of actually saying it. "I just… your father was right. You guys have shown me a lot of trust… I need to return it. But it will take a while - I know it'll be weird and awkward, but if you could just come spend the night at my house, it would make everything so much easier."

"I…" Moira seemed immediately ready to accost John again, but after a moment's thought, she stopped herself and looked quite conflicted.

"I will… but tomorrow," Moira added quickly when she saw John's smile.

"Sorry, wouldn't work… my mom wants to go spend tomorrow out together to celebrate school starting up again, and there's no way she'll let me have someone over on a school night. I really don't want to wait a week, but I understand if you can't. I just… I really want to get closer to you guys."

"I- I will speak to my father," Moira said, shaking her head, though John couldn't immediately tell why. Her blush was still deepening, something she had never shown before. John couldn't be sure why that was the case, but even he could see it. "He may need me… but I will try, for your sake, John Newman."

Moira pressed open the door again and was gone a moment later, almost scurrying away. John had never seen Moira running from anything, but she seemed to almost flee from him in that moment.

"I guess I just wait here, now?"

John leaned up against the wall, uncertain of how long it would take Moira to speak with her father. It had taken quite a while for whatever briefing she'd given him before; surely it would take a long time to sort out all their business for the night or to try to convince her father to let her go in the first place. Then again, maybe she'd barely put up a fight - she didn't seem that into the idea, after all.

"Might as well kill some time, either way…"

John set his mind to a task he had been too emotionally wrecked to attend to all afternoon - collecting an absolute cacophony of notifications, which he'd been **** to move around multiple times but had only glanced at. On the plus side, he knew he saw a level in there somewhere…

Skills have leveled up!

Siphon - Level 2: Can now drain stat points from and give stats to party members temporarily! Can drain up to a number of stat points equal to the user's level or donate the same amount. Stat points will be lost after five minutes and will be regained after an hour. Mana Cost: 1 per point transferred.

Lesser Heal - Level 2: Now heals one additional point of health per 10 mana spent, regardless of target's level, added after talent point calculations.

Achievement Unlocked! "Witness to Greatness!" ~ You were present at a battle where someone defeated a person at least twenty levels above their own. Was it luck, skill, or something supernatural?
+500 EXP
+Something to aspire to?

Achievement Unlocked! "PvP!" ~ You took part in your first faction battle! Did you win? Of course you did, or you wouldn't be getting an achievement, silly.
+400 EXP
+Pendant of the Loyal

Achievement Unlocked! "Continue the onslaught! Destroy. Them. All." ~ You killed someone for the first time. How did that make you feel?
+1000 EXP
+Slayer's Ring

Achievement Unlocked! "Teetering on the brink, facing the abyss...!" ~ You brought someone back from a Dying state. How much did they mean to you? Not enough to keep them from Dying in the first place, I guess.
+5 CHA
+Wings of the Savior

Pendant of the Loyal: A necklace with a symbol representing the ancient word for "loyalty". In what language you ask? Who cares, they're all dead now.
+10 CHA
+25 to all Relationship scores in factions you are a member of.

Slayer's Ring: A ring once worn by a man who liked to slay. What? They can't all have interesting backstories.
+10% Damage against targets with negative Alignment.

Wings of the Savior: Not actual wings, unfortunately. A pin you can wear on your coat to symbolize that you prefer saving life to taking it. Or, well, at least prefer saving it to watching someone die for no reason. Or… saving someone you care about, even if- you know what, you saved someone, okay?
+10% to Healing Effects
Piece 1/5 of the "Lightbringer" set

Level Up!
John has reached level 10!
+4 to all Stats!
+1 Skill Point!
+1 Talent Point!
+5 Zone Customization Points

[ERROR: Maximum level reached. Additional Experience Lost.]

"…What?"

John had been extraordinarily happy with what he was seeing until that last one. That one just confused him. How? How was he at a maximum level? It didn't make any sense; he had seen people higher level than that - he'd just killed some of them a few hours ago!

Achievement Unlocked! "All Downhill From Here!" ~ You have reached your maximum level. Congratulations, this is the end of the road for you!
+1,000,000,000 EXP [ERROR: Maximum level reached. Experience lost.]

"That's just rubbing it in!" John shouted, clasping his hand over his mouth as he realized he was shouting at the air. Fortunately, nobody else was around - a few others were walking across the hallway some distance down, but after a few strange looks thrown his way they continued on, perhaps thinking it wise to avoid getting involved.

"How… how can I go further, this can't be the end of the road right? I need to get stronger, I have to!"

New Ability Acquired!
Reincarnation: Resets the user's level to 1. They will lose 90% of all stats gained through leveling in their current incarnation but will retain all stats gained by achievements, previous reincarnations, and other methods. They will keep all other metrics and gained power, including all Skill Points, Talent Points, Skill levels, Items, and Zone Customization Points, but will not re-gain these for levels they have already reached - only stat points. The user's maximum level will be raised by 30%, and they will gain one free stat point to add at their will for every level they lose, including levels previously lost in a reincarnation.

John didn't know how to feel about that last one. Where did he go from here? Reset, lose all of his stat points? What if the Order needed him before he could level again properly? What if Lunaya decided to try for a piece of him again and Seras or the Nekos weren't around to protect him?

"John, are you ready to- what happened?"

John stared up at Moira as she emerged from the chamber, a soft smile on her face that rapidly disappeared when she looked on John's own expression. John merely sat, staring at her.

Today's shocks were not quite over yet, it seemed. For either of them.