With his feet propped up by the fire, TJ nursed his cup of cocoa and looked at how this new level changed things. Firstly, this new universal Skill.
Skill: Appraisal (Dirt); A Skill all Participants gain upon reaching the fifth level of their Occupation. This Skill allows you to gain additional information about the world around you. The greater the disparity between the tier of Appraisal and the item, participant, creature, or otherwise, the greater the variability in the amount of information provided. A higher tier Appraisal compared to the appraised will give a greater quantity and quality of information, while a lower tier Appraisal will give only limited and basic information.
He took no time to wait, and with a thought, TJ Appraised the pelt he was holding.
Item: Crudely prepared coyote pelt, Dirt. A pelt clumsily removed from a coyote corpse. It has not been tanned or cured, and will inevitably turn rancid. It can be used to provide an increase in resistance to environmental cold, or as a material in creating equipment.
“Well… shit.” TJ muttered, and he didn’t wait to check the meat and, more importantly, the special pelt.
Item: Butchered coyote meat, Dirt. Flesh that remains after killing and skinning a coyote. May contain parasites.
Item: Crudely prepared minorly Anubis-blessed coyote pelt, Dirt. A pelt clumsily removed from the corpse of a coyote that was minorly blessed by Anubis, the Jackal. It has not been tanned or cured, and will inevitably turn rancid. It can be used to provide an increase in resistance to environmental cold, or as a material in creating equipment. In addition, equipment created using this pelt may gain additional attributes upon completion.
Ignoring the possibility of parasites, TJ looked at the pelt he’d created. He’d been proud of it when he’d cut it free, but now that he spread it out and looked at it, the stink was the first thing he noticed.
Fearing cutting through and ruining the hide, TJ had neglected to scrape the fat and connective tissue from the underside, and though it had only been a couple of hours, the fat was getting gross in the warmth of the cabin. Worse, he knew that merely scraping the last of the crusting flesh from the skin wouldn’t take care of all his problems, since he hadn’t cured the hide at all. But he wasn’t a tanner and though Grandpa would have known what to do, TJ hadn’t ever hunted anything more than a couple doves. Nothing to tan there, just feathers to pluck.
Even so, TJ refused to leave this as something that would eventually go bad. The promise of additional attributes was the sirens’ call, and TJ wouldn’t throw something so valuable away for laziness. There could be something in the shed that he could check. TJ was about to send a quick prayer to the System or God to give him guidance to something impactful, but he then remembered he was an idiot.
“System, what are my new Skill selection options?”
Skill Selection:
Improved Primitive Craftsmanship: This Skill would replace the existing Occupation Skill: Primitive Craftsmanship. You have exhibited the willingness and desire to create more tools, more equipment, and process items more effectively. This Skill will increase the base 30% bonus to all crafting abilities and Skills when crafting without pre-Integration technology to 50%, as well as bless you with a greater instinctual understanding of how to process raw materials into a more easily used state.
Initially, TJ wanted to jump on this Skill, but a little doubt crept in. He didn’t have any other crafting abilities or Skills for the Skill to boost. Maybe in the long term that would be great, but for now, it was only a solid maybe, since TJ wasn’t sure what exactly he would get from it.
Primal Savagery: You have only slain your foes with your own body and tools you have created yourself without any pre-Integration tools. This Skill grants a 20% increase to all your attributes while you engage in combat without any pre-Integration tools or equipment.
A simple Skill, but one that would always be helpful, considering TJ’s Class. Beyond that, TJ felt the call of this Skill similarly to that of the Neophyte. Barring another doing the same, this would be what he ended up selecting. Mind made up, he looked to the next.
Hunter Gatherer: You have eschewed the “civilization” of the pre-Integration, and have searched for your own shelter and food. You are a hunter gatherer, just as your earliest ancestors. This Skill grants a 20% increase to your tracking ability as well as your ability to identify safely edible plants and other flora.
Not a bad option either. Though it wouldn’t help TJ in combat directly–which he’d somewhat decided he’d make his Occupation do before–survival could possibly be the name of the game too. If the edible creatures began dying out and TJ needed to survive off the land, then this would be invaluable.
Orienteering: You have found a distant landmark and found your way to it without getting lost. This Skill grants a 100% increase to your ability to distinguish relative directions as well as retain the relative orientation of your goal.
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Yeah, that was going to be a no. If he was in a maze, then it would be invaluable. Here? Well, TJ didn’t even know what the final goal of the Tutorial was. Maybe this could be considered, but almost certainly not. He turned his attention to the final available Skill.
Equipment Fabrication (Dirt): You have found various uses for the items and materials that surround you. This Skill will give specific guidance on how to craft materials into equipment that grants attributes and other possible boons.
And there was an actual crafting Skill. It was attractive, sure, but it would have to be a whole lot more than just a way to create some items slightly better than he could without it for him to select it. TJ might be forced to create his own clothing or equipment moving forward. After all, he hadn’t seen another person in the miles he’d travelled, and couldn’t say how many had been selected to fight for the Divine Throne.
That brought him back to his Skill selection. There was use for each of these Skills, and TJ wondered how Equipment Fabrication would work with Primitive Craftsmanship, but he could probably make things even without making the Skill selection…
“Wait. Can I like… practice something for a while and gain a Skill for it? Something like crafting with the materials I have at hand?”
No. Any Participant can gain greater proficiency and skill in any given field throughout the Integration, but that will not translate to Skill acquisition. Different Skills may be presented as an option, depending on the Participant’s gained proficiency, but a Skill holder will progress more quickly and to greater heights than one without the Skill can.
That was a letdown. TJ had hoped to game the System a bit and get additional Skills, but it seemed like the God-creating mechanism that was the Divine System was not so easily outwitted. Even so, TJ could learn how to create things, to better prepare skins and meat, and then pass them on to someone else who was better suited for it. Assuming they didn’t use pre-Integration tools. Or other technology. Yeah, he’d probably be forced to take some creation-related Skill at some point.
“Will the Skills offered here be offered again at level 10?” TJ asked.
Usually, the Skills offered at one level will be carried over to the next available opportunity. However, there is no guarantee that such an event will occur.
With that, TJ’s decision was made for him. There was only one Skill he would mourn if he missed.
“Select Primal Savagery.”
A tingling sensation danced down his spine, but TJ strangely couldn’t move as it happened. A mere fifteen seconds or so passed, and he could, once again, move freely. His Skill selected, TJ wanted to go to the shed to see what he could find that might give him an idea about how to make sure his spoils wouldn’t spoil. However, another question had arisen while he’d looked at his Skill options, and now, he had time to ask it.
“So, what exactly is the purpose of the Tutorial? How will it end? How many people are in here with me? How will I know when I get to see Junior?”
The function of the Tutorial is to slowly acclimate the Participants to the realities of the post-Integration world. Each Tutorial will end after the Tutorial’s Quest Goals are completed. In this Tutorial, Tutorial 107.48.891, the Quest Goals are as follows:
* Within two weeks (336 hours) of Integration, enter the city limits of the city Pine, Arizona. Time remaining: 302:18:09
* Within 18 hours of the end of the second week of Integration, defend the Pine, Arizona general store from assault.
* Defeat the assigned Tutorial Boss.
Once the three Quest Goals are completed, you will be brought to a secure location where you may interact with Thiago Jorge Harris V.
For a moment, I regretted my Skill decision. Orienteering could have been my most valuable Skill, and I threw it away like that?
“And what happens if I haven’t reached Pine by the time that the second week is over?”
The Participants not within the bounds of the city limits of Pine, Arizona at the time of the end of the second week will be subjected to continuous waves of creatures. There is a 99.99999% chance of death and dismemberment if you were in that situation.
Don’t miss the city, got it. TJ rolled his shoulders. He couldn’t care about the pelts right now. He didn’t know what direction Pine was, much less how far away it could be. With a quick gulp, TJ threw back the last of his cocoa and began ransacking the cabin in earnest. A good backpacker’s pack was in the hallway closet, and he pulled that out before filling it with canned beans, soup, and more beans, and more soup. Seriously, why so many beans and soup here? Then, a can opener and half a dozen disposable water bottles and two heavy-duty metal thermos. TJ filled both with water, before then finding a sleeping bag and throwing that in. Matches and every lighter he could find, a dozen pairs of socks, and then he traded his thrashed sneakers for a worn-in set of black worker’s boots near the door. They, like the clothes, were a couple sizes too large, but if TJ had to choose between shoes with ripped foam for a sole and these heavy-duty boots, it would be the boots every time. The backpack was getting full, but TJ decided to pile the special pelt on top, at least for now. If it went rancid, he’d toss it, but until then, he would see what he could do.
Finally, TJ got a pot full of water and poured it over the guttering fire. It exploded in steam and ashes, sending TJ into a coughing fit. Even so, he closed the mesh over the hot embers and walked out. The boots were uncomfortable, but he could make do. Maybe, Divine Transformation would eventually let him make his feet match the shoe, and the thought had TJ smiling. With a panicked sense of hurry, TJ rushed out the door and into the woods. He followed a game trail, jogging slowly to warm himself up. He ducked under a bent tree and continued running, his stride opening up.
As TJ ducked under another bent tree, however, his feet suddenly went out from under him. His head smashed against the ground and he hung upside down with his vision swimming and ears ringing. Even with his impaired hearing, though, TJ swore he heard something approaching and laughing.