-Douglas MacArthur

"Welcome to the Brighton Training Grounds, Mr. Newman. I cannot tell you how to feel, but know this: the number of outsiders we allow this far into our territory each year could be counted on a single hand, and those we trust to fight alongside us and train with our men could be counted on the same over decades."

John glanced over the area before him. Dozens of men and women were arranged across what was ostensibly a mansion's courtyard, with the distinction of having training dummies and arena markings in almost equal quantity to the number of fountains and flowers one would expect from such an extravagant location. The clash of steel on steel and the sight of so many formidable warriors was almost enough to distract John from Moira's words.

"Wait, why the hell are you trusting me?" John asked, raising an eyebrow. Moira met his gaze with a level stare that gave nothing away, so John simply continued, unabashed.

"You met me a few days ago, thought that I was attacking you, and since have had almost no contact with me… don't get me wrong, I appreciate everything you've done for me, but you've shown a lot of trust for how rare it is."

"Rare? Oh- I- Mr. Newman," Moira said with a chuckle, "it is indeed rare, but not for all the reasons you think…"

Moira blushed a bit, glancing at John. The vulnerability and emotion she was showing was so different from the stoic Warden that had never hesitated in her decisions before that John actually paused, giving Moira the time to brush the crimson hair away from her face and continue.

"New mages do not spring up every day. While the exact number is impossible to know due to fatalities, early recruitment by rival factions, and those who are simply successful in keeping their abilities hidden… the most liberal estimates say that there are around a thousand mages in the entire world born every year."

"That doesn't sound too bad. Didn't you say the Brightons are pretty large in the Abyss?"

"Large? Depends on what you consider large," Moira said with a sigh. "We're certainly a **** to be reckoned with, but we're no larger than most factions large enough to make a mark, and we don't have any individual members as strong as those among the Deities."

"Deities?" John asked, his eyes slowly widening.

"A term of arrogance, nothing more," Moira cautioned. "It is a title taken by six of the more aggressive alliances among the Abyss factions, those who think themselves so powerful that they casually take the title of godhood in a world where we are all but assured of the existence of a true deity. The fact they have not been eradicated from this world speaks volumes of the tolerance of our Lady."

John had a great many questions he wanted to ask about those details but did not want to seem like he was pressing Moira for information when she had been so forthcoming up until now. Instead, he turned his questions back toward Moira's initial statements.

"Still… ten thousand mages is quite a few depending on exactly how many countries you guys cover and how thorough that coverage is. Is it really so few that you accept?"

"It's not that easy," Moira said with a long sigh. "As I said, many young mages keep their abilities hidden, others are not aligned with our interests… and many others are captured or killed within their first year. Regardless of talent or skill, most Abyss mages are more than welcome to any faction they encounter, if they have not already pledged their allegiance. There's no telling which mage will eventually grow into someone powerful enough to change the face of the world. But in the same vein, that makes it almost certain that you will not be the first to encounter a young mage, and the number who ally themselves with the first group they come into contact with is staggering."

"I guess I was lucky," John said, trying to avoid appearing nervous. Moira's tone sounded almost accusatory… and it was true, after all, that he had joined up with her and the rest of the Golden Rose as soon as the offer was made.

"More than you know," Moira whispered. Her eyes seemed suddenly distant as she continued. "There are factions out there, organizations within the Abyss, that deal with slavery… and worse. They trick young mages into joining them, and then through **** and threats, they **** them to twist to little more than puppets for their desires, enslaving others and fighting on behalf of their evil goals. Worse still, some simply trick mages into their dens and then lock them away, using them as sacrifices for malicious rituals or as magical batteries to power their devilish experiments. There are also those like the Cabal themselves, who deal in more conventional indulgences, but are no less a threat to the stability of the Abyss."

"I… had no idea there were so many people out there doing so many awful things. It must be a great responsibility for the Brightons to take on to be so wholesome," John murmured, contemplating things. For all his abilities and natural intuition, John had no inclination to believe that an order of Paladins were leading him astray, and the fact that he had stumbled into their midst was nothing short of a miracle. Apparently, he could've just as easily wound up dead when that first Barrier appeared.

"I do not deal in sugarcoated fantasies, Mr. Newman," Moira said, shaking her head. "The thought of magic and a life some would literally call 'fantasy' is appealing to many outside the Abyss, but they rarely stop to consider how corrupt the average human truly has become. If everyone had nuclear bombs, it's unlikely countries would hold together.

"That's why the Abyss is in so many different factions - the time it takes to rule territory larger than the average state is so massive that most organizations cannot do it. By the time they set up a successful government structure capable of maintaining itself, someone else has used that time to train up their forces and overtakes them. Then they spend time hunting rebels, quashing organized opposition, and integrating the new territory into their own… at which point their second in command decides to betray them, because he has perfected a new combat spell that allows him to fight on par with the old head of the organization. Then a third-party comes along, and… well, Mr. Newman, I don't think I need to continue onward."

"No, you don't, but… what was the point of all that? We were talking about new mages and why you don't take many in."

"I know, but it's all related. What I'm getting around to saying, John," Moira said, glancing into his eyes with a look that was surprisingly personal for how professional she had been until then, "is that if, when this is all over and we deal with whoever conjured those creatures to attack us, there is no shame in returning to your normal life and dealing with the concerns more suited to an average teenage boy."

"You… think I should go back to being normal? How would I even do that? I never told anyone but you about my powers, and even before I told you, I got attacked."

"That's why I said after we've dealt with them… low-level mages are usually left alone. Few people can make good use of a mage who has not practiced their abilities, and those who can are more likely to target mortal humans than mages. Even the least-practiced of mages is a hundred times more deadly than all but the most-trained of ordinary humans. Of course, you're more than welcome to stay, but I would not take that option from you. That's why I insisted you be allowed to be a rear guard and healer of sorts for this mission against the Cabal - I intend to preserve your anonymity as much as possible."

"I, uh…" John stuttered, unsure of what to say. There wasn't much he could say, unless he decided to explain to Moira that there were now two Nekos and a Vampire depending on him for life, and that there was obviously no way he could possibly abandon them, even if he wanted to return to a normal life.

"No matter, there will be plenty of time to consider that - for now, there are other matters to focus on."

Moira stood from her seated position, stretching her arms and once again showing off her considerable form. Though they had done little but talk, the sun had done wonders for showing off Moira's physique, far more than the dark interior lighting of that limo she'd pulled up in. Moira flexed herself a few more times before she turned to John, cocking an eyebrow at him as she met his eyes. Realizing just how intently he'd been staring, John stood and did some quick stretches of his own as if he had merely been thinking intently while Moira readied herself.

"So, you say that you trained against creatures you created in your own Barriers," Moira began, walking toward an empty arena marked off in the training yard. "What manner of weaponry did you choose? Axe? Lance? Most in the recent generations have chosen swords, perhaps due to modern culture, but there are always those who choose more particular weapons, such as bows, halberds, even quarterstaffs or the occasional-"

"I used a bat, actually," John said, shrugging as Moira looked at him as though he'd just claimed to beat enemies to **** with his bare hands. "I… didn't really know where to find a good weapon. I had a metal bat in my closet from when my father tried to get me into sports when I was younger. I figured it was good enough for some low-level trash mobs."

"Mobs?"

"Oh, uh- I'm kind of a huge video game geek," John explained, blushing as he rubbed his hand through his hair and glanced away toward the ground. "Mobs just means weak enemies, things that aren't meant to pose a real threat. I was trying to get stronger, but I didn't really want to place myself in a bunch of danger."

"Well… it's unconventional but obviously effective, judging by the fact that you aren't currently a pile of ash, ectoplasm, or a myriad of other unappealing mounds," Moira muttered, shaking her head. "What about your magic? I know you have some elemental skills, but I haven't had a chance to test out any other powers you might have."

John took a deep breath. He was taking a huge risk, but he needed to know how special he was - how unique, exactly, he might be, and how much of his powers he needed to keep secret. He already knew abilities like his Purify and World Shift were off the table - but what about his other abilities, like Gamer's Body, and Observe? They were video-game themed, but they weren't wholly related to the Abyss, and Moira had said there were many kinds of magic - even the book she gave him said mages could be born with unique abilities that others couldn't learn.

"It's… complicated," John began and then delved into a short explanation of how he had first learned his abilities. He talked about how he'd woken up to discovering his HP bar, MP bar, and inventory - how he had an ability that converted any physical damage into loss of HP without actually affecting his body, which, while John had been blown away by it, only caused Moira's eyes to widen slightly. He actually got more of a reaction out of her when he explained that he had an ability that increased his chances to get someone to believe one of his lies.

"Oh, like Persuasion or a Diplomacy check?"

"Yeah kind of- wait, what?" John caught himself in a double-take, shaking his head and looking at Moira more closely. For once, Moira was the one embarrassed, fiddling with the necklace she wore and looking at John with a form of almost righteous indignation.

"I- well, I don't play many video games," Moira began hastily, "but the Order does have a… Dungeons and Dragons group."

"I… why?" John asked incredulously. "It's not like you guys need escapism, you fight everything but- wait, are there actual dragons?"

"Only created by the Abyss," Moira replied, shaking her head and laughing a bit despite her obvious embarrassment. "There are a few magical creatures, yes, and we certainly do control magic, but it's still quite fun to lose yourself in another character. Quite frankly, the number in our Order who chose to play thieves and Chaotic Evil Antipaladins is… concerning."

"I can't even imagine," John whispered, shaking his head.

"Well, putting aside my Order's apparent tendency for Chaotic Evil characters," Moira continued with an eyeroll, "your abilities are very unique, John, and I would much like to test them. Could you hold your arm out so that I could test your Gamer's Body?"

John held out his arm, sure that whatever pain Moira was about to inflict was less than what he had already suffered. Moira actually ventured over to a wall of weapons before picking out a simple but obviously very sharp dagger, an observation John quickly confirmed when Moira pricked his thumb with it.

-1 HP!

"Ouch," John said dully, watching as Moira drew the blade across his thumb just far enough to leave a small incision… or, rather, it would have left an incision, if his Gamer's Body ability didn't immediately close it.

"Looks like you bleed to me," Moira noted, rubbing away at the droplets that covered his thumb. She whispered something, and the blood on his wound and the knife vaporized, vanishing into thin air, leaving a shiny blade and an untouched arm.

"But even though you bleed, no wound remains. Perhaps this ability does not prevent physical harm, but rather makes it so that regardless of the amount of damage you receive, you can continue to function at full capacity until your life **** is exhausted? Even so, it is rather powerful."

"I thought the test Lord Brighton gave me said I was barely noticeable?" John asked, a bit confused. He thought even mentioning the video-game basis of his powers would garner more attention, but Moira seemed to be taking it all in stride.

"Well, the book I gave you was basic, but even it should have gone over the fact that mages often appear with new or unique abilities," Moira explained as she continued to examine John's formerly injured finger. "Magic expresses itself in many ways. The vast majority of abilities can be learned, once the source and nature of the magical spell is determined, but there are some abilities which are unique to bloodlines, geographical locations, or even the qualities of a specific person. They aren't necessarily more powerful than any other ability, but they can be incredibly hard to predict due to their unique and often volatile nature. Given that you're obviously a late-bloomer in terms of magical prowess, it seems very likely that these abilities of yours are an expression of your potential in… ways you can easily relate to, shall we say?"

"I suppose…" John murmured. "I do play a lot of games."

"What does your Observe say about me?"

John stammered for a moment, unsure whether to tell her, unsure if he should lie. There didn't seem to be any good alternatives to the truth, but he wasn't sure if the information he might reveal would be particularly damning. Shrugging, John eyed Moira a little more intently and cast Observe.

Moira Brighton
Level 19 Paladin
<Warden of the Golden Rose>
950 / 950 HP
Relationship: 25
Alignment: +85

"You leveled up," John said, before he could stop himself.

"I did what now?"

John froze for an instant, then realized that - even if Moira didn't have some way to determine if he was lying, she was pretty observant, even if that sometimes led her to the wrong conclusions. There was no way he could concoct a lie in the few seconds he had before Moira grew more suspicious.

"I, uh, I used the ability on you before, when we were stuck in that Barrier," John explained, shrugging. "Right now, it says you're two levels higher than before."

John went further into explaining exactly what the ability was showing him, as well as how her level had changed. The only thing that John didn't mention was the relationship score. He figured that the conversation was already going better than he had a right to expect without adding that in.

"That's impressive," Moira said, rubbing her hands together thoughtfully. "And in your training against Abyss creatures in those barriers of yours, how accurate were those 'Hit Points'?"

"Well, pretty accurate," John said, thinking back. "I didn't always Observe my enemies, but when I did, it seemed like 0 HP either had them dead or dying."

"Interesting. So given that you already learned things from the ability you had no way to know otherwise, we can safely assume the ability could be allowing you to determine someone's relative level of power as well as their current state of health - and of course converting any damage that you might deal into a numerical form. That would be easily believable, considering there are other abilities that can do similar things. But this Gamer's Body makes me wonder…"

"Wonder what?"

"There are abilities, natural or otherwise, which can alter the laws of physics - truly powerful mages can even alter the laws of reality. If every single blow you perform deals a set amount of damage and every enemy has a set amount of health and if they seem to always die when they hit 0 HP… it's possible the ability could be altering the way others receive damage from you, or even possibly any time you're in the vicinity. It could have drastic consequences."

"Consequences like what? Just knowing exactly how close you are to **** doesn't seem like it would change that much about the world," John said, feeling oddly defensive. If Moira was starting to question the way his ability functioned, she might figure out he was the reason why so many odd things had happened. If she knew more about video games, she probably already would have.

"Well, no, but in our sparse sessions of Dungeons and Dragons, I have learned a few things about the rules of gaming systems. For instance, it can be assumed that dealing less damage with a strike indicates a weaker hit or a hit on a non-vital area. But regardless of how powerful the final blow is, even a single point of damage can kill a massive creature. In theory, if each hit you do deals the same damage and an enemy's health is fixed… it's entirely possible that you could kill someone simply by slapping them, slicing their fingers, breaking their toes, any such thing. Your abilities would essentially be manipulating the life of everyone around you."

"I, uh… that sounds serious," John murmured. "But I didn’t… do anything to get these abilities. You're telling me just anyone can be born with abilities like this?"

"Not… anyone," Moira said with a sigh. "It seems our Order may have been the fortunate ones in finding you, John, if your abilities are even half that potent with you so newly introduced to the Abyss. Do you remember when I said that there are perhaps ten thousand mages born every year?"

John nodded, and Moira looked into his eyes with an intensity he had not seen since their first meeting.

"You may be the only mage this century born with natural abilities of that magnitude."

John swallowed harshly, eyes widening. For the past several days, he had been beyond overwhelmed by just knowing he had these abilities - but to think that his level of powers were foreign even to Moira? That was terrifying.

"Of course, as I said," Moira followed quickly, waving her hand to get John's attention back on her, "any mage can become a fearsome threat. I may be wrong about your abilities, but even if I am not, you would be cannon fodder to most of the major players in the Abyss. There are those who could wipe an entire city off the map, if the mood struck them, and being able to kill them by pricking their finger does you no good if you cannot touch them, much less if their HP forces you to spend ten days doing nothing but repeatedly stabbing that finger before they will eventually die. Your powers are rare, John, but depending on their nature and how much time you devote to them versus more widely available magical abilities, they may not even be a tenth of your full arsenal as you develop. It's up to you to find your path in the Abyss. But…"

Moira smirked, as she pulled the same knife out that she had used to prick John. She slid it across her forearm, slicing thinly through the skin and leaving a bleeding gash several inches long. John raised an eyebrow just in time for Moira to offer her arm to him, making him instinctively take a half-step away from the dripping blood.

"…if I were to make a suggestion, perhaps we should start with a simple healing spell?"