Chapter 21

"Get up, stay quiet." Stanton's words woke TJ with a start. He thrashed for a second, convinced he was being held down by something, assaulted by pukwudgies or eaten by coyotes. Stanton crisply smacked him upside the head, and TJ calmed. Nothing was in here. Nothing was attacking. He was safe for the moment. The sun's light had already broken, and true morning had begun. Checking with the System, it was just before 9 AM. He'd slept long and hard, and he couldn't hear or see anything.

"What's up?" TJ asked, blearily blinking sleep from his eyes. 

Stanton merely tapped his ear while looking around, and TJ attempted to follow the oblique command. Stanton crouched, vigilant next to the mattress, his eyes steadily roving through each of the windows around the room. The younger man forced himself out of the warm covers and mimicked the stance as he strained his ears to hear something, anything. The trees creaked in the light breeze outside. Some birds were singing. The house shifted slightly. Nothing else. TJ shrugged, looking at the older man who shook his head. Still TJ listened, and still he couldn't figure out what Stanton was trying to call his attention to. Before he could ask again, though, Stanton sighed and stood up. 

"They left. A couple pukwudgies, one on the roof, the others nearby. Somewhere from three to six, I'd guess."

"How high is your Perception? I couldn't hear anything."

Stanton obviously pulled up his Status Sheet before answering, "27."

"But that's the same as mine!" TJ threw his hands up. "Is there something I'm missing here?"

"I know what I'm listening for." The old man answered, shrugging. "Practice has gotta count for something. I don't think I'd be able to type any faster now than I could before. Still limited by the mind."

It made sense, since the pukwudgies obviously were built for stealthy operations. Of course they knew how to hide, and of course Stanton, the veteran from the jungles of Vietnam, knew how to listen for people approaching in the night.

"Kinda weird they decided to show up now, though." TJ complained. He stretched as he pulled his feet back into his somewhat stinky moccasins. Hopefully, rubbing on the ground and getting covered with dirt and so on would help to purge some of the smell from them.

Stanton grunted. In disagreement, TJ thought. When he looked over to see if he was right, Stanton explained, "If they're invisible, this is a time people get distracted. Could work." Then he shrugged, having said everything he seemed to intend to. 

TJ didn't respond, instead walking into the kitchen to see what he could throw together for some breakfast. They'd eaten all the bacon last night, but there was still pancake mix and hash browns. Maybe something else was in the fridge and could add some spice to their meal. Before getting to the fridge, though, TJ looked out the window to see the morning. The sun was almost peeking up over the mountains, though the skies were blue and clear. The air was brisk, and TJ was again grateful that his high Vitality allowed him to shrug off the relatively mild Arizona winter. 

There was only a moment's warning before the spear exploded through the window. As the shadow darkened the window and the spear seemed to lunge into the house in slow motion, TJ startled in surprise and tried to dodge. He was too late, and the weapon lodged in his chest. The wet thud of his own flesh being punched through echoed through the quiet house, the jingling of shattering glass accompanying it. Though he was more concerned with the weapon that had nearly punctured his lung, a flashing System notification pulled TJ from looking at the spear.

Warning: You are suffering from a Moderate Poison affliction (Dirt). You will continue to lose 10 HP a minute until the Poison condition is cured. Current HP: 398/430

The panic at seeing the notification was quickly washed away by the realization that his Divine Transformation could purge the affliction. But Stanton…

"Make sure they don't get you!" TJ shouted as he rushed back to Stanton. "The spears are poisoned!"

Stanton dove behind a couch as cover as two more spears flew into the room. They clattered uselessly against the ground, missing their target. "Stay under cover!" TJ commanded as he shifted into a coatl and purged the poison from his body. With a hissing roar, TJ rushed out of the cabin and towards the assailants. Each spear had come from a different side of the house, and though TJ could taste the hint of lavender in the air, a remnant of the ambushing bastards, he couldn't sense them anywhere. They must have attacked and immediately fled. A good tactic, he supposed. Poison them and let it do the work. The potency of their camouflage seemed to indicate they were at least level 5 and had some Skill that allowed them to hide better.

Even so, TJ rushed out and around the perimeter of the house, searching for any trace of the pukwudgie assassins. Two or so minutes later, he retreated to the cabin, somewhat regretting not taking the Skill that would have heightened his Perception. There was no way to change his decision now, though, and TJ instead returned to Stanton's side. The older man had his pistol in hand and his head low, though he continued searching the windows for any sign of additional ambushers. 

Before TJ could shift back to being human, Stanton asked, "They leave?"

"Yeah."

"You seem fine with being poisoned. You figure it out? Maybe that snake of yours makes it so you can't be poisoned or something?" TJ nodded in response, and Stanton grunted in affirmation before continuing, I'm sure they'll keep doing this. We need to get to Pine as soon as possible. More people around will keep us safer."

"Hopefully they'll have a Disciple or three too. I bet they can heal." The thought having crossed his mind, TJ asked the System, "What are the basic Class Skills for Disciples and Zealots?"

That information cannot be shared with you, as it may provide you with an unfair advantage in conflict against the other Classes. Any information gained about Classes and Occupations, whether your own or others, must come through your own experience or the words of another.

The reminder that this new existence was, effectively, a fight against every other person in the world sent a chill down TJ's spine. With a shake of his head, he attempted to shake the thought from his mind. Regardless of everything else, TJ needed to survive right now. Danger didn't come from people, but the pukwudgies and any other creature the Tutorial or System decided to throw their way. 

"We might not be able to trust the other people…" TJ couldn't help himself. That possibility had wormed its way into his mind, and the worry plagued him.

Predictably, Stanton grunted. "Maybe. But we need to go there anyways. If we can't, we'll figure it out."

The decision seemingly made, TJ set to quickly preparing the breakfast of pancakes and hash browns. It was a somber affair, one constantly on the lookout while the other desperately stuffed their food down their throat almost without tasting it. Their bellies filled, TJ and Stanton both drank as much as they could, the water's flow dying down to a weak trickle by the end. Then, with a backpack on each, they stepped out of the cabin.

TJ wasn't ready, but Stanton was as the next ambush began. Suzie barked three coughs out and a pukwudgie screamed its hawk cry of pain. 

1 Pukwudgie Assassin, Level 6, Slain. Experience gained.

Stanton held his gun high, seeming to track something TJ couldn't see as it fled. Then, his defense complete, the confident gunman began to refill his gun. Thirty seconds later, Stanton nodded and the two men continued on their journey. TJ strained his ears to let him know if any pukwudgies were near, but he still couldn't hear anything. 

"I'm going to put my Free Points into Perception." Stanton declared. "You can't be poisoned, but I might just die before I can do anything about it." Again, he didn't say anything additional, but apprised his companion of the choice. 

They continued hiking for a time, before TJ couldn't help but ask, "So, what did you do after you got out of the army?"

Stanton seemed to consider whether answering was worth it or not, before grunting. "Marva inherited a citrus orchard. I took care of it 'til she got sick, then sold it off. Been retired for a while now, sometimes I volunteer at the orchard we used to own. Sorting and picking, mostly."

"Then her family died when she was young? That's an interesting job!"

"Something like that." Stanton replied, giving no more response. After a couple more attempts to get Stanton to talk, TJ gave up on continuing the conversation as they followed the path. It seemed ideal for a quad or maybe a Razor, too small for a truck or car. The brush was close to the path, and TJ worried at every sound he heard, though Stanton seemed unconcerned. Just when TJ had begun to calm himself, though, Stanton turned and fired two shots. As the pops' echoes died, the quiet whimpers of a pukwudgie appeared, though it rustled off into the bushes. TJ shifted into a coatl, deliberately leaving his backpack behind. 

He slithered through the brush, scenting blood and following its trail. The crimson liquid guided him to the shimmering creature. It seemed to be alone, though TJ knew it wasn't. Hidden, it threw its spear into his face and TJ merely lowered his head to allow it to skitter off his tough scales. The pukwudgie's companions didn't expose themselves, but he didn't hesitate to lunge forward and begin constricting. Bones cracked and it wheezed as he struck, his coils surrounding his prey. The movement was natural now, though TJ acted more taken in the hunt than he was. He listened, scented for his other prey, his true target. He dismissed the kill notification when it appeared, instead taking the corpse's head into his mouth as he began to return to Stanton.

The wind whispered about the approaching spears, and TJ allowed them to land. He could feel two assassins. Calling on his Wind Manipulation, a forked tongue of wind rushed into his mouth. The whistling air screamed through the trees, and both fleeing goblins were yanked off their feet and towards him. As they were dragged through the pine needles, their camouflage was ripped from their bodies. Two shuddering creatures lay on the ground, their arms and feet scrabbling madly for purchase. TJ relented for the barest moment and felt their hope. He ripped it away from the further creature with a heightened blast of wind that caved in its chest and hurled it towards him. It tumbled through bush and over rock, skidding to a stop in front of the coatl.

There was no need to kill it with a bite, not while its final companion continued to flee. TJ merely crushed the felled creature under his heavy body as he bolted forward with a slithering sprint. Again, he disregarded the kill notification. There was one left to hunt, another danger to his friend. He knew that there was more to Wind Manipulation than what he had done, and in a flash of inspiration, TJ "spat" a spear of wind at the fleeing creature. A wind so strong and condensed it might as well have been a solid cut deeply into the escaping pukwudgie's spine. It screamed in surprised agony as it was sent sprawling. In a moment of additional bad luck for the pukwudgie, its skull cracked with finality against a jutting rock. Blood splattered across the stone as the third and final kill notification flashed before TJ's eyes.

3 Pukwudgie Assassins, Level 5-6, slain. Experience gained.

TJ could feel he still wasn't close to the next level with Savage, much less Neophyte. Regardless, this was three creatures that wouldn't threaten him, Stanton, or any other people in the Tutorial. Before he could feel any sort of relief, though, a series of gunshots followed by wordless bellows sounded out behind him.