“Get up, stay quiet.” Stanton’s words woke TJ with a start. He thrashed for a sed, vinced 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 attag. He was safe for the moment. The sun’s light had already broken, and true m had begun. Cheg 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 and. Stanton crouched, vigio 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 miJ 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 t 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, sihe 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 approag in the night.
“Kinda weird they decided to show up now, though.” TJ pined. He stretched as he pulled his feet bato his somewhat stinky mocs. Hopefully, rubbing on the ground aing covered with dirt and so on would help te some of the smell from them.
Stanton grunted. In disagreement, TJ thought. When he looked over to see if he was right, Stanton expined, “If they’re invisible, this is a time people get distracted. Could work.” Then he shrugged, having said everything he seemed to io.
TJ didn’t respond, instead walking into the kit to see what he could throw together for some breakfast. They’d eaten all the ba st 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. Befetting to the fridge, though, TJ looked out the window to see the m. 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 t off the retively mild Arizona winter.
There was only a moment’s warning before the spear exploded through the window. As the shadow darkehe window and the spear seemed to luo the house in slow motion, TJ startled in surprise and tried to dodge. He was too te, and the on lodged in his chest. The wet thud of his own flesh being puhrough echoed through the quiet house, the jingling of shattering gss apanying it. Though he was more ed with the on that had nearly punctured his lung, a fshing System notification pulled TJ from looking at the spear.
Warning: You are suffering from a Moderate Poison affli (Dirt). You will tio lose 10 HP a miil the Poison dition is cured. Current HP: 398/430
The panic at seeing the notification was quickly washed away by the realization that his Diviransformation could purge the affli. 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 cttered uselessly against the ground, missing their target. “Stay under cover!” TJ anded as he shifted into a coatl and purged the poison from his body. With a hissing roar, TJ rushed out of the and towards the assaints. Each spear had e from a different side of the house, and though TJ could taste the hint of vender in the air, a remnant of the ambushing bastards, he couldn’t sehem anywhere. They must have attacked and immediately fled. A good tactic, he supposed. Poison them a do the work. The potency of their camoufge 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, searg for any trace of the pukwudgie assassins. Two or so mier, he retreated to the , somewhat regretting not taking the Skill that would have heightened his Perception. There was no way to ge his decision now, though, and TJ instead returo Stanton’s side. The older man had his pistol in hand and his head low, though he tinued searg the windows for any sign of additional ambushers.
Before TJ could shift back to being human, Stanton asked, “They leave?”
“Yeah.”
“You seem fih being poisoned. You figure it out? Maybe that snake of yours makes it so you ’t be poisoned or something?” TJ nodded in response, and Stanton grunted in affirmation before tinuing, I’m sure they’ll keep doing this. We o 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 heal.” The thought having crossed his mind, TJ asked the System, “What are the basic Css Skills for Disciples as?”
That information ot be shared with you, as it may provide you with an unfair advantage in flict against the other Csses. Any information gained about Csses and Occupations, whether your own or others, must e through your own experience or the words of another.
The remihat this ence 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 o survive right now. Danger didn’t e 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 wued him.
Predictably, Stanton grunted. “Maybe. But we o go there anyways. If we ’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 stantly on the lookout while the other desperately stuffed their food dowhroat 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 backpa each, they stepped out of the .
TJ wasn’t ready, but Stanton was as the ambush began. Suzie barked three coughs out and a pukwudgie screamed its hawk cry of pain.
1 Pukwudgie Assassin, Level 6, Sin. Experience gained.
Stanton held his gun high, seeming to traething TJ couldn’t see as it fled. Then, his defense plete, the fident gunman began to refill his gun. Thirty seds ter, Stanton nodded and the two men tinued on their jourJ 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 decred. “You ’t be poisoned, but I might just die before I do anything about it.” Again, he didn’t say anything additional, but apprised his panion of the choibsp;
They tinued 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 sider whether answering was worth it or not, befrunting. “Marva ied a citrus orchard. I took care of it ‘til she got sick, then sold it off. Beeired for a while now, sometimes I volu the orchard we used to own. S and pig, mostly.”
“Then her family died when she was young? That’s an iing job!”
“Something like that.” Stanton replied, giving no more response. After a couple more attempts to get Stanton to talk, TJ gave up on tinuing the versation 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 uned. 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, sting blood and following its trail. The crimson liquid guided him to the shimmering creature. It seemed to be alohough TJ k wasn’t. Hidden, it threw its spear into his fad TJ merely lowered his head to allow it to skitter off his tough scales. The pukwudgie’s panions didn’t expose themselves, but he didn’t hesitate to lunge forward and begin strig. 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, sted for his other prey, his true target. He dismissed the kill notificatio appeared, iaking the corpse’s head into his mouth as he began to return to Stanton.
The wind whispered about the approag spears, and TJ allowed them to nd. He could feel two assassins. Calling on his Wind Manipution, 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 camoufge was ripped from their bodies. Two shuddering creatures y on the ground, their arms a scrabbling madly for purchase. TJ relented for the barest moment aheir hope. He ripped it away from the further creature with a heightened bst 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 o kill it with a bite, not while its final panion tio 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 oo hunt, another dao his friend. He khat there was more to Wind Manipution than what he had done, and in a fsh of inspiration, TJ “spat” a spear of wind at the fleeing creature. A wind s and de might as well have been a solid cut deeply into the esg pukwudgie’s spi 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 spttered across the stone as the third and final kill notification fshed before TJ’s eyes.
3 Pukwudgie Assassins, Level 5-6, sin. Experience gained.
TJ could feel he still wasn’t close to the level with Savage, much less Neophyte. Regardless, this was three creatures that wouldn’t threaten him, Stanton, or any other people iorial. Before he could feel any sort of relief, though, a series of gunshots followed by wordless bellows sounded out behind him.
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