A new Guild Leader – Arc 2 Finale.

The Aftermath of that day was quickly dealt with, too quick, at least in Johns humble opinion. Regan got out of the barrier in time. He suffered from blood loss and even though the wounds were healed the after effects of the physical trauma stayed for a bit. Regan shrugged it off eventually saying “This is not the first time I almost died.”

Victoria vanished almost immediately after ending Travolta’s life. All she had left them with was a notice that the Bloodfallen would get in contact with them soon to discuss their future. “Appoint a new Guild Master until then.” She had said in a commanding tone. John had no idea if he ever wanted to deal with the Bloodfallen again but the choice wouldn’t be his apparently. They were in the position of power.

After that, they had shared the work to get Travolta out of the pile of dirt that had sealed his fate. John found that despite that he was the one to deliver the final strike he didn’t feel guilty about this whole thing. Was that another side-effect of his Wisdom? He was certain that it had been the only way, but still, he had just killed an actual person. Torn over this, he had called Jimmie.

It had been only 16 o’clock when it all had been wrapped up. In a single day, John had found out the truth about the attacks, about Travolta’s paranoia and his sudden new strength, had moved to confront Victoria, killed his Guild Leader and broke the news to Jimmie. A mere 8 hours from breakfast to the grave. A sobering thought.

Saturday noon and they met again in the Protected Space. They were wearing their usual stuff, in John’s case because he didn’t know what else to wear, in the Hollmey’s case because they knew that this was just another day in the Abyss, in Jimmie’s case because John’s final attack had destroyed the cellar.

They were standing around the beaten and broken corpse of Travolta Meyer, former Guild master of Collide. John had covered him with a blanket to save Jimmie from the view. “I guess it really is disgusting under there, huh?” Jimmie asked in an empty tone. They had postponed the funeral until he was released from the Apothecary. “Yes.” John answered in a similar tone. “I will keep him in my mind how I remembered him…the last time I spoke to him was before the explosion.” Jimmie giggled a bit, “Bastard cursed at me. Typical Travolta.”

John just nodded. He, himself, could only remember the scarred face screaming about pain and saving her. The last lucid moment when he had begged. Forcing the image on Jimmie would have been cruel. “He left with a lot of my money.” Regan drily grumbled, “I will miss him. It was clear that our relationship would end like this, however.”

“Why?” John asked he felt that the common sense of a funeral didn’t apply anyway so he might as well try to fulfil his curiosity. “Because unlike you or me Travolta was born without any power. He had no talent for martial arts, no light-controlling ability, no control over Illusion Barriers and certainly no reality warping Gamer powers. He was just a grunt in a world that is not nice to people without power.”

‘So that was the reason.’ John thought to himself as he understood. Travolta was, had been, what Rave called the lower-class of the Abyss. These people were quick to drown if they didn’t find a way to distinguish themselves. Travolta had survived on his relationship with Regan, but nothing like that could be satisfying, so when he tried to gain powers from other sources, he had made the wrong choice.

Just a slip of his hand and that drove him to madness. A bit of greed and the Bloodfallen had turned against him. The Abyss was no place for those without the power, or the luck, to reach higher places. John clenches his fist. “Isn’t that just unfair?” “It has always been like this, John.” Rave grabbed his hand, “In a world where the bottom is easily replaceable, life is a struggle for those who dwell there.”

She turned back to the blanketed body. “I will still miss him, though.” She admitted with a sad sigh. That was all the emotion she could muster over the **** of somebody she had known for years. It was Jimmie who changed the topic, “You guys will need a new Guild Master then.”

“You guys?” John wondered, “What about you?” “Me? I am realising right now how crazy all of this is.” Jimmie made a shaky smile and adjusted his cap. His eyes had turned wet during the moment John wasn’t looking. “This is where I jump out of the Abyss.”

““What?!”” It was a universal question. Regan asked because he didn’t want a young talent like Jimmie to be gone, Rave asked because she was dumbfounded, John asked because he simply couldn’t believe it. “Don’t be so shocked. I was in the Abyss in the first place because of Travolta.” Jimmie put his hands into his pockets as he stared at the blanket. “I have enough money to get along for years in the normal world. I will move to some of my distant relatives in the countryside and stay away from all of this.” “Jimmie, you…” Regan started, “…you can do whatever the hell you want.” John interrupted.

“Thanks.” The mechanic just nodded and zoomed out of the rest of the conversation. “Listen to me, John.” Regan whispered, “Jimmie cannot just leave he is…” “No, Dad.” This time Rave interrupted him, “He has very little mana, he can just leave, nobody is going to spot him.” It was nice to see her being on his side on this. He lightly squeezed her hand as a moment of silence filled the Protected Space.

“Well, then.” Regan sighed and accepted that this was the last that would be said on the matter, “This is my goodbye. I have work to do.” He turned and walked a few steps, never looking back on the corpse of his friend. Why would he? It wasn’t the first and certainly not the last friend he lost during his life.

“So, Jane.” John turned to her, “What do you say do we do now?” “I say we tear down the barrier. Travolta may have been bat-shit crazy at the end, but I think he would have liked this being his personal graveyard.” John looked at the old building. It had a certain charm to it, an old arcade for a young Gamer like he was. It was also destroyed, and the aura of bad memories hung over it. He nodded.

“Yeah, that would be the best.” “I will see to that.” Jimmie said, now a single tear was rolling over his face, “You guys can go now. I will see this through and then go far, far away.” He looked at the two of them with a **** smile, “This is our farewell.”

Rave parted from John for a moment to hug Jimmie, “I hope you do well in the future.” “Might be the first nice words I ever heard from you.” The mechanic said afterwards and tipped his cap. “I hope you two do well.” “I hope you do too.” John answered after a deep breath, and with that, all was said. The two of them turned around and left the barrier.

“Why did you do that?” Aclysia asked the Guardian had watched from a distance, “Saying goodbye to somebody who can no longer hear you seems illogical.” “It is not about him.” John tried his best to explain, “It is about the ones he leaves behind to find an end. To have certainty about the fact that even without him the world will turn, just…. Without him.” Aclysia either understood or had no more questions about the matter.

They walked away from the alley and into the main city. “I guess that makes ya Guild Master.” Rave said in a bit cheerier tone. “Just like that?” “I am not going to do it.” She stuck out her tongue, “If we ever make it big you get stuck with the paperwork.” John laughed at that, and it felt good to laugh, even at such a bleak day. “Maybe I will get a skill for that?”

End of Arc Two