-John 15:13

"Knights of the Golden Rose, shield formation!"

The men and women that had accompanied them to this forsaken cul-de-sac all stepped forward in front of John in near-perfect unison. Those who carried shields raised them in a wall, while those who did not formed a secondary line with their weapons clearly raised and prepared for any attacks that might slip past. Moira was the only one of the Order who stood out because, while the others stood in formation, she stood alone. Her shield was raised at the front of the line-up, before all others, and as magical attacks began to detonate along their line-up, she was the one to take most of the damage.

Or, she would've, if John's readings hadn't indicated that her shield was taking absolutely everything thrown at her. He was actually thankful she'd agreed to join his party beforehand, if only for the awe and joy he got out of seeing the damage readings from the strikes.

Party Member: -0 HP!
Party Member: Damage nulled!
Party Member: -0 HP!
Party Member: Damage nulled!
Party Member: Damage nulled!

Party Member: -0 HP!

"Jesus fucking Christ-Pope!"

John couldn't believe what he was seeing; it was as if the magical attacks had no effect at all on the Paladin. Even those behind her, those serving as a literal and metaphorical wall of shields were letting nothing through and seemed none the worse for the wear. In no time at all, they were approaching the first pair of houses on either side of the street with no sign of any stress or damage on any of the Order around John.

"First rank, search and destroy!"

Four of the non-shield-bearing Order members peeled off, two from each side, venturing into the houses nearest to them. There were slightly different sounds from each side of the street as they kicked in the front doors; from John's left he heard what sounded like angry cries, followed by a series of explosions. From the right came pleas and shrieks that sounded far too fearful to be putting up much resistance, yet all the same he could hear creaking and moaning from the structure’s walls that indicated the house was at least under some degree of stress.

"Second rank, form up! Ready search and destroy!"

The remaining Order members not carrying shields fell in, filling the gaps left by their occupied comrades. John kept himself as small as possible while more missiles flew in from a distance. Some seemed elemental, fiery bursts that exploded on contact or icy shards that shattered when they impacted on a shield. Others were glowing bursts of color or sound, fragmenting and filling the air with their residue after dissipating against the walls of the trained warriors surrounding John. Other times no visible impact would occur, but John would note a glow or shift in a member of the Order's shield that indicated it had been struck by something, even if he couldn't tell what.

Occasionally, someone would be injured, struck by an attack that slipped past their guard; these injuries were never great, but there was the occasional cry of pain. John would have liked to heal some wounds, but a few quick uses of Observe told him that most of the Order's troops gathered here were above level 20… although none of them were nearly as strong as Moira. While confused about their differences in strength, John knew one thing for sure - his heals would be even less effective on them than Moira, and so he conserved his mana where it didn't seem particularly helpful.

Every time they passed a set of houses, more Paladins would break off. Fortunately, the cul-de-sac's entryway was short, and although only two-dozen men had originally accompanied John and Moira, there were still fourteen of them left as they reached the final house. Several of the unshielded Order knights had actually finished their hunting, dragged **** and bound men from their homes, and left them on the sidewalk. Now that they were facing the final house, John wondered exactly what he had been needed for to begin with.

"All knights, hold position!"

Metal sounded against metal as every knight braced themselves in unison, the shield-bearers and Moira herself forming a tightly-knit cluster around the rest of the less-defended warriors gathered. Despite their formation, it seemed unnecessary at the moment. All but the last house had been cleared, save for those a few knights were still searching and clearing. And the final house was one to behold.

To be honest, it felt less like a house and more like a complex, something that would've belonged on its own somewhere in the countryside. It was three stories tall and twice as wide as any of the other dwellings, not even considering how much longer it might be. The architecture was sound and beautiful, but there was a distinct lack of windows, and despite the high quality of its construction and the very obviously expensive décor, John couldn't help but feel it was built a bit like a fortress, as if at any moment steel shutters might slide across the windows and seal the occupants away from the outside world.

"Knight Hallaway, have you any sense of Cabal members in hiding that we have missed?"

"Nay, milady," Hallaway said. He was an older knight, nearing sixty by John's estimations, but his shield had never wavered during their **** on the cul-de-sac. "And there is but a single person left with any Cabal taint within this dwelling."

"Excellent. Stay by my side and we will perform a final sweep, after we clear the last house. The rest of you, extract all captured Cabal members to the armored vehicle, then return for a final sweep of the area."

"Yes, Warden!"

The response was echoed from every man and woman gathered there, and John even thought he heard the sound of the same reply from one of the nearby houses. The ranks of soldiers fell away, stripping John of his protective layers of Order members until he was left alone with only Moira and Hallaway, standing before the oddly fort-like house in front of them.

No attacks rained down upon them, but although Moira still stood ready with her shield, John couldn't help but feel rather naked now that he didn't have two ranks of fully-fledged knights around him. Moira seemed to realize this; if anything, it seemed like her goal. She smirked at John without turning her shield away from the house.

"Hallaway is one of our finest sensors. I had him sample magical essence from the first several prisoners we captured, so he knows exactly what kind of magical energies are easily associated with those that live here."

"Being exposed to another person's magical energies leaves a trace of their power on you. Usually it's short-lasting and almost unnoticeable, but living in close proximity like this tends to expose you to an above-average amount of energy… that amount can usually be traced. It's not foolproof, but anyone who interacts with them on a regular basis will be easily found. I have enough experience that even new recruits to the Cabal stink of their taint to my sensory abilities."

"They have no chance of hiding from us. So we are going to sweep this final home, and you are going to accompany us, John Newman. I want to see how you handle yourself. Do not worry… I will protect you with my life, as is the duty of any Warden."

She seemed to add the last part as his stress levels reached new heights, though those stress levels made it difficult for anything but his own heartbeat to sink into his ears.

"Actually, Warden… they are not within the home."

"Excuse me?" Moira seemed genuinely surprised, something John was unused to witnessing. Hallaway pointed to a small clustering of plants near one of the side windows to the building, nodding resolutely.

"He has hidden himself in that bush."

"Of all the- a coward? You would shame yourself not only with a lack of morals but without the fortitude to even stand for your pitiful existence?!"

Moira strode forward and, with little resistance, plucked a man several years older and quite a bit larger than herself from the brush around the house. He was plump, far better dressed than any of the other Cabal they had captured thus far, and quite frankly… he was embarrassing. He had curled himself nearly into a ball, but as she plucked him free, he began to thrash around wildly in an attempt to free himself. A quick slap from Moira's shield that looked almost effortless dazed the man and left him hanging limply.

"My apologizes, John," Moira said quietly, sighing. "I had hoped to provide you with a look onto what true Abyssal combat could look like while protecting you myself, but it seems this coward would deny you that."

"I-I'm just a diplomat," the man groaned, holding his bruised head. Where Moira's shield had impacted, a welt was already raising. It seemed she had little qualms about harming even the most docile of Cabal members.

"Unlikely," Moira scoffed. Even as she spoke, a magical rope appeared in her hand, magical in that it appeared to be made entirely of light. Whether it was made of magic or simply summoned by a spell John couldn't identify; it seemed quite powerful. Moira proficiently bound the man, and despite his numerous struggles, the rope did not creak or make even the slightest sign that Moira's expert knots would not hold him with ease.

"The only Cabal members we've ever seen dwelling here are your higher-ranking officers, those in charge of combat or espionage. What would a diplomat be doing here?"

"Actually, much as I hate to associate with that scum, he was here to bargain with me."

The reaction from everyone except the captive mage was instant. The unexpected voice had Moira raising her hammer, shield whirling back toward the house. Hallaway was openly gaping, staring as a man like nothing John had seen outside of movies before strode free of the house's front door.

The man in question was pale and dark in alternating patches, and since he was wearing a sleeveless shirt, much of his surface above the waist was visible. Most of his skin appeared to have evaded the sun's glistening rays for decades, but in patches it appeared burnt, as if he'd been placed directly over an open flame for just long enough to singe him in small sections at a time. Tattoos of black and violet ink interwove across light and dark alike, adding a certain elegant intricacy to the brutal patterns of skin. Taut, toned muscle structures danced along under the decorated skin as the man ducked low under the doorway, too tall by nearly a foot to fit into a normal man's front door. Yet for all of that, nothing compared to the man's eyes.

His left eye was a sharp, glittering blue that cut through the afternoon sunset to appear as if the only light was radiating from within. His right eye was as discolored as his skin, and twice as unnatural. A black sclera surrounded what would have been an iris, had it not been replaced with what appeared to be a violet pentagram, twirling and twisting at various speeds as he glanced between all of them. His sight didn't seem to be affected much, if at all, by the lost eye; his gaze flicked rapidly among the group with easy accuracy.

"That mark… you're a member of the Albidian Circle, aren’t you?"

Moira's words were almost stuttered, as if she couldn't believe what she herself was saying. John flicked his eyes over, but she wouldn't even glance in his direction. Her body seemed frozen in its defensive position, shield held steadily between herself and this new foe.

"Clever girl," the tall man noted, cracking his neck as he strode forward. "You're smart enough to know how much you fucked up, then."

"We have no quarrel with you!" Moira shouted, not letting her hammer or shield drop even an inch. "The Cabal have occupied lands close to our home for too long, and their recent actions against us are more than enough of a reason to secure our borders! But you are not Cabal, you are free to-"

"See, I probably would leave… but I'm kind of pissed right now. I was finally making some progress in the negotiations, and if you pull this asshole away, I'm just gonna end up starting over with some new Cabal shithead. So I can't let you have him."

"This territory is ours now. We have no quarrel with you, but you are not welcome here. Leave at once, and-"

"You know, I always kinda wanted to be famous. You ain't much of a Warden yet, but I bet if I crush your-"

"Knights of the Order, assemble in the Lady's name!"

Moira slammed her hammer against her shield, and it erupted with light, casting even the sun's false radiance as a mere flickering match to its brilliance. Golden arcs erupted from the Order's symbol, and even the man facing against them was **** to cover his non-magical eye. From his position behind her, John could see Moira fairly well without any discomfort, which was why his heart raced a little as she turned her head toward him, crimson hair now illuminated with a holy aura.

"John, retreat! Get out of here, don't-"

"No, I don't think so. Can't have any witnesses, sorry."

The man lifted his hand and snapped his gnarled fingers. Two waves emanated from his hand, travelling almost instantly across the entire breadth of the neighborhood only seconds apart from each other. The first broke John's world, shattering all to glass, leaving behind a fractured mosaic of reality. The second pieced it back together, leaving nothing but John's gasping intake of breath and strange adrenaline rush to indicate anything had changed at all. Well, that and a pop-up.

Combat Barrier entered! You cannot leave unless all enemy occupants are defeated or you are at least 1.5x your opponent's level and utilize an escape technique!

"You light-blinded fool!"

Moira threw herself forward, anger evident in her voice, the first time John had ever seen her truly upset. Even when she was suspicious of him, it was more annoyance and confidence in her own judgement that seeped through, rarely pure anger. Now she was furious, and John couldn't quite understand why. Eyeing the man she was throwing herself after, John cast Observe.

And felt his knees shake.

Akathai Milladar
Level 46 Albidian Arcanist
<Noble Guard of the Albidian Society>
1,455 / 1,455 HP
Relationship: -75
Alignment: -90

"That's… wow," John said, unable to think of anything else to say. Moira's charge had reached its target, but Akathai hadn't even bothered to move. His scarred skin took the shield bash head on, one of his arms almost effortlessly stopping the blunt **** behind Moira's strike. When her hammer fell, his other arm grasped it just under the head, and though his face was clearly strained, his arm did not waver under its massive weight.

"You should not have come here, Warden," the man warned. His purple eye with its arcane sigils began to swivel even faster, until the designs were little more than a violet glow. "You are not prepared!"

A violet sigil formed around the man's right arm, and it was as if Moira's hammer no longer mattered to him. He cast it aside so widely that the Warden was thrown off balance, then followed it up with a punch to the sternum that - even through her full plate armor - sent Moira sprawling and pulled a violent curse from her lips. She landed on the porch of the next house over and was thrown so hard she actually bounced and then crashed through the front window. John blinked at the motion - it had been so fast that, aside from the motion of pulling his fist back, John hadn't even realized what happened until he saw Moira flying and the man's fist where she had once stood.

Party Member: -47 HP!

"For the Light!"

"For the Lady!"

"For the Order!"

All those cries and more echoed from around John as multiple Order members passed by him. John found himself casting Observe over and over, trying to find an Order member worthwhile. Level 24, with 450 HP. Level 19, with 360 HP. Level 27, with 470 HP. None of them seemed to match up to the man's level or HP, and despite surpassing Moira's level, many of them were lower in HP than Moira. John wished that he could see stats more directly, so that he might have a better understanding of what was happening… but for now, all he could do was have faith in numbers. Amidst the Observe notifications John finally received another level-up for the skill.

A skill has leveled up!
Observe - Level 5: Now displays status effects currently active on the target.

Purple spheres glistened around the man's head, twirling briefly before scattering forward and into the pavement that the Order knights were upon. It erupted in great spouts, concrete and dirt flying into the air, along with almost half of the approaching knights, cast aside by what must have been incredible magical ****. One of the knights took a direct hit to his chest and was thrown all the way into one of the nearby homes, the front wall crumpling under the knight's weight and the **** of his impact. The knight didn't move, his body limp but a few pained moans escaping him.

The rest of the warriors, those not cast aside or disabled by the attack, pressed on as if there had been no attack at all. Both the shielded warriors and unshielded fought the man with passion and fury, but all seemed lost in the determined face of the Albidian man. He strode forward, and a purple wave emanated from him, in the same sigil shape as his eye. It cast aside those before him, and when it passed, it left cracks and divides in the pavement. John himself was thrown back merely by the shockwave of its impact several yards ahead of him, nearly to the edge of the cul-de-sac.

-5 HP!
-10 HP!

John cried out both from the surprise and the pain as he rolled several feet until coming to a stop at the curb on the far side of the street. If it weren't for Gamer's Body, he was certain he'd have scraped most of his exposed skin, including his poor face. The man seemed completely unfazed by what seemed to John like an overwhelming ****, not even slightly tired. He readied another spell in his hand, his upper body practically glowing as multiple bracelet-like runes formed and swirled around his wrists.

"Kneel to the Lady, lest she be angry, and your sin will lead to your eternal suffering, for her wrath is quick and furious. But blessed are those who worship her!"

The man idly swatted away one of the larger knights that had been missed by his violet wave of ****, then turned his head toward the source of the noise. Moira kicked open the door of the home she'd been forcibly confined to, her face half as red as her hair and her anger as illuminating as the light from her shield.

"By the Lady's grace, you will fall!"

New Status Effect!
Lady's Grace
+10 all stats
+100 Maximum HP
Duration: 30 minutes

John felt as if his world were altered by the new message that popped up. He attributed it for a moment to some un-statted effect of the Lady's Grace, but then realized it must have been the stat increases in effect, because as Moira stepped forward so did Akathai. He charged, in fact, but his movements seemed slower, dulled. They were still too fast for John to even dream of keeping up, but now John could at least see a blur of motion where before he could only view the aftermath of the movements. Moira caught an incoming fist with her shield, raised her knee to block a quick kick, and then allowed a fist to catch her on the shoulder, rolling her body to deflect it as best she could.

In reply, her strike was legendary. Her hammer began to glow like her shield, and in its glare it struck the man with what must have been an immense ****. He pulled back his head and avoided what would’ve surely been a more critical strike but as it struck his chest his tortured skin still gave way, sending an arc of blood up.

Party Member 78 DMG!

"Yes!" John shouted, pumping his fist. He crawled to his feet at last, conscious enough of his position to see what was going on. He knew just by seeing how little damage Moira's strike had done that there was a lot of battle left, but with the advantage of numbers and Moira's clearly superior armor, she might stand a chance. John couldn't hope to damage the man much himself, especially not with his speed, so all he could do was to stand by and watch as the Order's knights threw themselves after the foe before them, with their Warden leading the charge.

John's eyes started to lose track of the individual actions of the battle, only comprehending results and the flashiest of techniques. Members of the Order would throw themselves at Akathai one after the other, some landing blows as he clashed with Moira, others tossed almost casually aside. Spheres of violet arcane energy threw them back, and some would inevitably fail to rise, but the others would clamber up and direct their attacks back on him. John couldn't see how much damage anyone but Moira was doing, but he could Observe the man's hitpoints. He did so sparingly, trying to keep his mana up, worried about how close the fight was. Every time Moira landed a particularly inspiring blow, or the knights of the Order regrouped and managed to swarm him, his hit points would dwindle a little further.

"Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul! Fear the Lady, who strips both body and soul away in the fiery pits of the Abyss!

John was surprised when that cry came not from Moira but another of the Order's knights. A middle-aged woman, perhaps in her late forties, her lance raised and suddenly engulfed in a beautiful yellowing light. She turned it toward Akathai, who was currently gripping Moira's shield in a vain attempt to pry it off of her arm, and with a single overwhelming cry, she loosed a piercing shaft of light that imitated her spear, which sailed forth until it crashed into the man's side. It appeared for a moment as if it would run him through, as the man cried out in agony and the spear of light slipped further and further into his side, but then a maroon disc of energy sliced through the spear, and the brilliant light shattered.

Another light shaft followed, and then an arc of a similar nature from nearby. Some of the older knights, those John had Observed to have the highest levels, were channeling mana into their weapons and striking from range, now that getting close had failed so often.

Moira meanwhile was absolutely waylaying the man, and though she was taking plenty of hits herself, she was using her shield to full effect.

Party Member 93 DMG!
Party member 87 DMG!
Party Member: -29 HP!
Party Member: -56 HP!
Party Member: -17 HP! (22 DMG Blocked)
Party Member 59 DMG!

They went back and forth like that, Moira's superior damage and defenses weighing against the man's absolutely massive hit points and the fact that he was simultaneously striking against everyone with his arcane sigils. Even John, who was barely in the battle at all, had to keep his distance to well beyond what he would have liked in order to avoid most of the blasts and waves of energy. John bit his nails and fought the urge to use Observe more; his mana was already dwindling to nearly 75% and he'd hardly done anything at all except for sit around uselessly and heal the most minor of wounds during their approach. Unfortunately without his cloak, even Moira's buffs were barely an improvement over his normal regen, and his max mana was still only 142…

"Enough of these pests! Oblivion awaits all those who oppose the Albidian Society!"

Above the man's head, now spattered with blood of his own and his many righteous foes, a singular orb began to form. Violet like the rest, that was where the similarities ended. Streaks of gold and flecks of black ran through it while it swirled, growing in mere seconds until it was nearly the size of a small van and then continuing yet further onward.

"Feel the wrath of the true masters of this world!"

The orb rose several feet into the air. John could hear Moira speaking verses invoking the Lady's blessings but was too shocked and frightened to listen closely. The spell continued to gain ground until it was nearly twenty feet above them and centered on the cul-de-sac. Knights of the Order threw various spells and weaponry at it, but nothing seemed to faze it. At the last second, as it locked itself into position, John did the only thing he could think of.

He ran.

"Take cover, we can't stop it!"

John was only slightly ashamed that he had begun sprinting before the order to find protection came, but it didn't stop him as he turned tail and fled into one of the nearby homes, assuming there would be no place in this Barrier safe from the coming attack, simply trying to put as much between himself and the magic as he could. In the eerily quiet living room of what would've been a comforting suburban dwelling any other time, John sprinted for a back room and dove through it as he heard the sounds begin outside.

First came the explosions. Then the screams.

John expected a wave, like before, or even a massive impact and the homes around him to rumble as the cul-de-sac's pavement was torn apart in a single massive strike. But instead, dozens, if not hundreds, of explosions began to echo from outside and around him. While John was in no position to judge noise now that he had his head firmly embedded in a pile of laundry and was digging himself behind the washing machine next to it, it sounded to him as if everything was being hit - everything. The house around him, the pavement, the knights… the sound of screams confirmed the latter. They lasted for what felt like minutes, must have surely been at least a full half of a minute, the sound of wood splintering closer and closer to him with every moment, bits and pieces of the house starting to rain around him as he used the clothes, walls, and machinery as shields against the ****.

-2 HP!
-1 HP!
-2 HP!
-2 HP!

John didn't move until the noise had long since stopped. Piles of debris were around him, some essentially on top of him. He was amazed to see he'd only taken seven points of damage from the entire thing, leaving his hitpoints at a respectable 143, after Moira's buff… whether that was temporary or not, he wasn't sure, but it was set to last thirty minutes, so he hoped he wouldn't have to worry about it. His mana had worked its way back up to 110 / 142, which gave him a little room to work with. With that hope in mind, John was able to squeeze himself out of what little debris he couldn't move himself and made his way back out into the street.

He froze at the front doorway - what was left of it - as he gazed out into the streets.

Across the ruined porch, a line of corpses and debris began that led all the way back to Akathai. Every member of the Order was strewn across the ground, bleeding and disarmed, their weaponry thrown aside. Every member of the Order was either **** or not obviously breathing, their movements limited to the occasional groan or wheeze, and those were only the few who had managed to reach a porch or a garage prior to being struck. If John had waited even a few more seconds, he knew he would be like the members of the Order around him, if not worse due to his lack of armor. The diplomat from the Cabal had, whether intentionally or by luck, survived. He was laying on the ground, squirming pathetically in Moira's knots, mostly unharmed but clearly frightened to the core of his being.

The only one still standing was Moira. Her armor was battered, bent in places, and covered in blood. Whose, John could no longer say. She was standing near where he had last seen her, in the yard of the large home just past the sidewalk, her shield raised in defiance as Akathai approached, another magical circlet ensnaring her waist. Despite that, she lashed out with her hammer the moment he got in range.

Akathai himself was hardly unwounded. His body was bruised and battered, and unleashing that attack seemed to have left him drawing breath far more harshly than when John had last seen him. All the same, he caught the hammer that struck him, arm tensing with the effort of holding back Moira's valiant swing.

"I have to admit, I didn't think the Order had this much fight in them, 'cept maybe the old man," Akathai said. He was facing away from John, completely focused on Moira, who was straining to free her hammer. John glanced around, unsure of what to do, what he could do. The **** forms and, although he shuddered to think the word, corpses of those around him who had trained for this kind of thing were littering the once peaceful cul-de-sac. But John was alive. He was alive and awake, if only because of his cowardice, and his friend was about to die. He couldn't do much, not with the limited resources he had. Seras, Mithra, Maera, Lunaya… all of them were either at his home or his "new world", neither of which were readily accessible at the moment. He had his bat, but the idea of coming swinging at a man like that with nothing more than a discarded piece of sporting equipment had John nauseous.

John's eyes stumbled as they scanned for some kind of assistance, something to help him out. Doing a double take, he noted one of the Order's weapons laying on the ground. Whose it was, he couldn't tell - it had been thrown clear of the former owner by the massive explosions. With no other ideas, John started sprinting for the weapon, barely slowing to read the description as he grabbed it.

Golden Rose Knight's Blade
17-32 Damage + 1.5x STR
Durability: 27/100
A sword gifted to those who achieve full knighthood in the Order of the Golden Rose. You poser.

John had never held a blade outside of a video game, but he got the idea that the sharp or pointy ends were supposed to go into your enemy. He lifted the blade up, barely able to hold it aloft, hoping that the man's lack of armor would be enough to take him out with a few lucky and unguarded swings. John made little attempt to be stealthy, opting for speed as the man wrapped his hand around Moira's shield and jerked it out of the way. Moira held on for all that she was worth, and to her credit, she did not allow the shield to even slip an inch from where it was held against her forearm, but Akathai merely pulled her entire arm out of the way, placing one palm forward and forming a glowing purple rune.

John fought the urge to let out a cry, fought the urge to run in terror, both equally strong as he lifted the overweight blade as high as his arms could bring it and brought it down toward the man. Akathai cried out as the blade slipped into his unprotected back, but a purple sigil rose up over his body, and John barely managed to break his skin with the slashing attack. The orb Akathai had been preparing went off-course, slamming into Moira's shoulder and sending her flying back into the bottom section of the porch of the larger house.

33 DMG [30 Blocked]!

"You little shit," Akathai growled, turning toward John. He lashed out with a fist that John couldn't even hope to dodge, having barely pulled the blade free of Akathai's back. The man's movements were like lightning, even more impressive than they had been from a distance.

-39 HP!

"Thought I killed all you Order punks, guess I missed one. Let me correct that!"

John swung wildly with his sword, aiming for the Arcanist's midsection. A purple rune intercepted it halfway, blocking the attack with more than enough room to spare. The Albidian mage just grinned as he pulled up his foot and delivered an almost casual front kick that sent John sprawling onto his ass.

-27 HP!

The man said nothing more, only raising his palm. John frantically scrambled backward, raising the sword as best as he could. A violet orb impacted the sword, knocking it completely out of his hands, but John somehow avoided being cut by his stolen weapon as it flew several yards behind him.

”Even his bare hands and feet did that much damage - one of those hitting me directly… there’s no way I can survive that!” John screamed in his head, but aside from crawling further away, there was nothing he could do. He had no defensive techniques or anything to block the next strike.

"Gonna be the man who wiped out the Shield Warden," Akathai taunted, preparing another orb, "and boy am I gonna milk that street cred for everything it's worth!"

The purple orb flew toward John, who had no way of defending against it. He crossed his arms and hoped that there was something, some way he could survive an attack that had beaten some of the Order's best knights, but he could find nothing.

"Seras, I'm sorry, I broke my-"

"The Lady stands with you, John Newman!"

A vibration rang through the air as Moira launched herself between John and Akathai, deflecting the purple bolt onto the ground nearby. Akathai let a string of curses go, but before he could ready another ****, Moira slammed her hammer into his outstretched arm. John heard bone crack and break, and Akathai screamed even before the damage indicator popped up on John's screen.

Party Member Critical Hit --- 127 DMG!

"I am a… I am a Warden. I am the Shield Warden of the Order of the Golden Rose. The Lady's light shine down upon us and smite all those who stand against us," Moira chanted, raising up her shield. "Loyal members of the Order, the wounded shall be saved, the weak shall be protected, the dead shall be celebrated and remembered. All shall thrive in the grace and protection of our Lady!"

A golden light seemed to pierce down from above, as if the heavens themselves had united to light the way for Moira, her entire body glistening with the same amazing glow that her shield had been putting out until then. A large menu item popped up in front of John, making his eyes widen as he read the full description of what was happening.

New Status Effect!
Lady's Protection
Aura
Radius: 250 feet
Effect: All allies within the radius are immediately Stabilized, preventing HP loss due to the Dying effect, and regenerate 10 HP/minute until reaching 50 HP. All allies within radius receive 250 temporary hitpoints if they are currently in combat. All allies gain 10% armor. The temporary hitpoints and armor buff last for up to 5 minutes or until the user exits combat or is knocked ****. May be used once per week.

Moira strode forward with the determination of… John had no words for it, actually. Where Akathai had grown weaker, Moira seemed only to grow stronger in her resolution and suffering at his hands. They both exchanged great and terrible blows, one after the other, and while Moira suffered every bit as much as Akathai at first, she rapidly gained the upper hand through simply beating the fight out of the Albidian Arcanist.

Party Member 38 DMG!
Party Member 76 DMG!
Party Member: -27 HP!
Party Member: -19 HP!
Party Member 37 DMG!
Party Member: -7 HP!
Party Member: -12 HP!

"Yes, go Moira, go!" John shouted, unsure of what else he could do. The man was too fast to waste mana on a Fire Orb; he'd be better off healing Moira, even if it was only a few points, than using his new and expensive technique only to miss entirely. They dueled back and forth, Moira keeping on Akathai's toes, until he stumbled after one massive blow from Moira's hammer took out his knee with a sickening crunch, sending him to the ground with the bloodied Warden towering over him.

"The Lady… the Lady curse you and sear away your sins with her holy light!"

Moira's hammer glowed as she brought it down, slamming it into Akathai's cheek. He let out one last roar of defiance as the hammer fell, before it cut off all noise and bent his neck to an angle that could in no way be natural. The purple energy bracelets around his wrists disappeared in a flickering fade, and his body slumped to the ground only moments later. Blood leaked from the corner of Moira's mouth as she drew ragged breaths, half slumped over but still keeping her hammer and shield firmly in her grip.

"Holy… holy shit… you did it," John whispered. A smile broke out across his face, and he raised his arms up and shouted as a dozen pop-ups began to appear on his screen.

"Moira, you beat him, and you saved everyone at the same time. You're amazing, you did-"

John's words died in the air as Moira slumped over onto a knee, crying out in what sounded like anguish. The light emanating from her armor was snuffed out almost instantly, and John pulled himself to his legs as fast as he could. He still didn't make it across the shattered pavement before Moira collapsed, falling face-first onto the concrete and lying motionless. Halfway there, John cast Observe and felt the blood freeze in his veins at what he saw.

Moira Brighton
Level 19 Paladin
<Warden of the Golden Rose>
-196 / 950 HP
Relationship: 37
Alignment: +90
Status Effects: Dying