As TJ slither sprinted into the bounds of Pine while carrying Stanton’s mostly limp body in his jaws, he Appraised every person that came into view.
Zealot, 2
Zealot, 1
Acolyte, 2
Acolyte, 2
Zealot, 3
Disciple, 5
His decision made, he rushed towards the Disciple and tried to demand that she heal Stanton but couldn’t really speak with the bulk of the limp torso within his mouth. The Disciple, a maybe mid-30’s woman wearing a dirty tan pantsuit and practical flats, blanched, screamed, and fell flat on her ass as TJ approached. The other five looked panicked at each other before the level 2 Acolytes summoned their bows and tried to pull it back to shoot at TJ. He only then realized how it looked–a twenty or so foot long snake rushed into the town faster than Usain Bolt could sprint while carrying what appeared to be a human’s dead body in its jaws. Only barely with the last dregs of his MP only recently recovered did he manage to call Wind Manipulation fast enough to deflect the arrow that would have struck Stanton
“No!” TJ shouted as he dropped his Divine Transformation. Fortunately, Stanton remained in his arms as he pleaded without walking any closer.
“I’m not hurting him! We were ambushed and he was injured so I transformed to carry him here to try to get him healed. Please! I think he’s still alive. I’m sure you can heal him, right?” He gestured at the Disciple, desperation coloring every word.
TJ’s nearly unintelligible babble confused them enough that the Acolytes didn’t shoot again. A win, in his book. “Please. He’s dying. He needs to be healed. I’ll pay or whatever you need, just help.” The man’s voice cracked as he begged and tears burned at the corners of his eyes. Only barely could TJ hear Stanton’s rasping breaths while his blood dripped to the asphalt underfoot.
The Disciple hesitated but stepped forward. The three Zealots stepped in front of her, and two of them were suddenly carrying thick iridescent tower shields while the third was decked out in full chain mail and glared at the two interlopers half threateningly and half in terror. The near darkness from the setting sun obscured all their faces, but TJ didn’t care about what they looked like.
“No, Laura.” The level 3 Zealot said while glancing around his shield at TJ and the slowly bleeding body of Stanton. “We can’t risk you.”
“I’m pretty sure they’re both humans.” The woman’s voice replied from behind the wall of shields. She peeked through the narrow gap, her hazel eyes evaluating. “The snake one is a level 6 Neophyte, and the hurt one is a level 5 Acolyte.”
With that, she pushed through the shields, gasped, and averted her eyes before she laid a hand on Stanton. A golden, somehow holy light flowed from her hand into his chest, and after a moment of fear, TJ felt the dying man’s breaths strengthen. After nearly a full minute of channeling her Skill, the Disciple stepped back. She was slightly unsteady on her feet, but she nodded as she spoke.
“He’ll be fine. Needs food and rest, but he’ll pull through.” TJ didn’t look at her, instead watching Stanton’s face as his complexion improved and his breathing shifted from a labored fight to a more comfortable sigh. Before TJ could look up at Stanton’s savior, the old man groaned and opened his eyes.
“Don’t let me do that again.” Stanton complained.
“Get ambushed?” TJ replied as he set the man down on his feet. He swiped at his eyes as he continued, “Yeah, not a fan.”
Stanton was about to reply when he finally noticed the strangers surrounding them. He stood stiff and tall, his hand obviously itching to summon Suzie. Before he said anything, TJ began speaking again.
“These are the people in Pine. That lady there saved your life. I’m sorry, what’s your name? I’m TJ, and this is Stanton.”
The Disciple nodded and stuck out a hand. “Laura McDougal. Glad you made it here safe. Is there anyone you were forced to leave behind?”
“No, it’s just been us for the last couple days. You’re the first people we’ve seen.” TJ said.
Stanton merely grunted in agreement.
“C’mon you goat. At least tell her thank you.”
“I would have in its time. But thank you, missy. You saved my life. I appreciate it.”
“Of course. We’re happy to help everyone. I’m surprised that a man of your age made it this far.”
Stanton’s face dropped, but Laura blazed on with stoic perseverance, “Most of the senior citizens in the city have needed to be taken care of at every step, so it’s great to see someone who can stand on their own.”
“I’m only barely a senior. Don’t treat me like the rest just because I’m almost a fogey.”
“I apologize, Stanton. I was wrong. I merely wished to express my admiration for your grit and strength. Do you two need somewhere to sleep tonight? I don’t know if you realize this, but long term, you’ll probably want to be in town.” She spoke with an easy authority, though one of the Zealots, the level 3 who’d been vocal about keeping her back, didn’t like the instant invitation she’d given.
Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.
“The Tutorial wants us here, yeah.” TJ interjected. “And we lost our packs getting out of that ambush, so if we could get somewhere to sleep, that’d be great.”
“Glad to hear you know as much. If you need to rest immediately, don’t hesitate, but we would appreciate a warning about whatever it was that reduced you two to that state if you can give it.”
“I’ll sleep.” Stanton answered before TJ could. “I wasn’t conscious for all of it. He can tell the story better.”
Then, without any further ado or words, Stanton stumped over to the nearest dark house. He stalked through the front door, slammed it closed, and, before long, the flickering lights of a fire peeked through the window facing the road.
“He’s like my Grandpa that way.” TJ mused aloud. “Just feels like it’s gotta be his way, but he’s trying to help everyone else out while he’s at it.”
“My dad was the same way.” Laura agreed. “Many good people are like them. Set in their ways. Now, would you join me in the hunters’ lodge over here as you tell your story? The people there will welcome whatever you have to tell them.”
TJ nodded for her to lead the way, and it was only a dozen steps to reach the door to the antique shop that apparently was the lounge. All around outside were massive wood carvings, of bears and thick men and a dozen other things, though there were some conspicuous vacancies where something had been taken away. As he looked around, Laura leaned forward to knock on the door, but before she could, a young woman’s voice called out, “Come in!”
Laura pushed the door open and gestured for TJ to step inside. As he did so, his eyes gradually acclimated themselves to the warm light cast by the roaring fire in the center of the room. A young couple, the woman maybe twenty and the man a couple years older than that, stood with their arms crossed in the center of the room. The woman was just a couple hairs above five feet tall with unnaturally bright red hair. Both her ears were heavily pierced, bars and rings going from top to bottom, and she wore a Metallica tee with the sleeves cut off to expose the swirling ink on both arms. The man looked much like most metalheads in the midst of an adulthood-forced reckoning with professionalism–heavily tattooed arms under his short sleeves as well as a couple holes in his ears from piercings he’d removed, paired with a professional haircut and practical jeans.
“You’re a newcomer?” The vibrantly-haired woman asked.
“Just got in. Laura saved my friend’s life, and he went to rest in the house across the street.” TJ answered.
“Ok. What happened? One of the pukwudgies get him or something?” The man asked, his face alarmingly sober.
“Something like that.”
—----
Though they’d survived an ambush before, back then, their enemies numbered only maybe half as many pukwudgies, and on top of that, they weren’t surrounded when the first ambushers had attacked. The only upside was that at least they were in the middle of the road, and with thirty feet of asphalt between them and the nearest ambusher. Even so, there wasn’t much time. Coyotes sprinted out of the forest while pukwudgies of various sizes and shapes approached. Under the cover of their magical camouflage, it was nearly impossible to tell what they were intending to do.
TJ activated Divine Transformation and let his backpack fall behind him. If they could break the morale of their attackers, then they might be able to get through this without dying. It didn’t look good, but it was all they had. TJ rushed forward, a blade of wind prepared to shoot out whenever necessary. He heard Suzie fire one, two, then three times. He couldn’t help but count down. 17 shots left without reloading.
The pukwudgie blurs atop the three closest coyotes fell to the highway behind their steeds. The scent of their blood filled TJ’s head, and he knew they were dead. Without riders, the coyotes posed less of a deadly threat, and TJ lunged at the first. His jaws found purchase on its throat and, instead of trying to kill it immediately, he lifted it up. With the unnaturally large canine aloft, he swung it down at another of its companions. The coyote dodged away, but the one in his jaws smashed against the asphalt with a wet thud. A strangled yelp fought through the windpipe in TJ’s jaws. He merely hurled the mostly dead creature at the third. It tried to leap above but was too slow. Eight legs and two torsos collided with the sound of bones cracking. The third coyote yelped and tried to catch itself. TJ wrapped his tail around its neck and contracted.
It wheezed as he continued to squeeze it. Its jaws scraped painfully across the scales on his back, but TJ twisted his body out of its reach. Then, he spun in a circle and smashed the coyote into the pukwudgie trying to stealthily stab him.
The pukwudgie screamed in agony as it was mostly crushed under the larger coyote’s mass. TJ raised his living weapon aloft once more, and with a sickening thud, he received the first death notification.
Pukwudgie, 4, slain. Experience gained.
Again, TJ threw the coyote he held towards the others. Again, they dodged out of its flight path, though another death notification came as the body rolled across the ground.
Coyote, 5, slain. Experience gained.
TJ could feel how close the next level was, and decided to throw himself more recklessly forward. Three pukwudgies, under the cover of their camouflage, were nearly bisected with his prepared blade of wind. Still, they hadn’t died, but TJ didn’t stop to finish them. Instead, he lunged at another, one attempting to sneak past to Stanton. His coils wrapped around it, and as bones creaked, it became fully visible. Its too-wide mouth spread in a breathless scream. Before he could finish it off, two coyotes tore into him. Though his scales and Toughness prevented their teeth from shredding through him entirely, TJ’s blood flowed freely while the coyotes howled in excitement.
They pulled him from their master, but not before his jaws found its throat. The pukwudgie’s face, which had begun to show some semblance of hope, went slack as his fangs ripped his throat from its body.
Pukwudgie, 5, slain. Experience gained.
He was so close. TJ knew that only one or two more kills would bring him over the edge, so he recklessly prepared another, broader blade of wind. The headache appeared even before he emptied his MP, but still he compressed the wind into a long blade, nearly as long as he was. Fully half of his MP went into solidifying and refining the weapon, and just as his MP bottomed out, TJ sent the scythe forward into the densest group of pukwudgies to reap lives.
8 Pukwudgies, level 4-6, slain. Experience gained.
Class: Neophyte has advanced to level 7.
Attribute points allocated: Endurance +3, Vitality +3, Toughness +2, Wisdom +1, Intelligence +1, Perception +1, Willpower +2, Fixation +2, Free Points +1. Additional Free Points currently available.
The metaphorical glow suffused TJ’s body, and he prepared himself to leap back into battle as the coyotes’ teeth were forced out of his healing body. He slithered forward, jaws agape and threatening while the coyotes began to question their next move. That was when Stanton called out, “Help!”