Though he wanted to just strike out alone and kill all the pukwudgies and other enemies that existed in the area surrounding their town, TJ was well aware that was far from his best idea. Leaving aside the general foolishness of just running into danger willy nilly, he wasn't the only person who needed to gain experience. TJ escorted the two girls towards the firehouse, and now that they weren't actively working on something together, Molly went quiet and looked down.
Since he wasn't teaching them any more, TJ didn't concern himself too much with the teens. Before long, they had arrived back at the firehouse, and the two girls dispersed to do… something. TJ walked inside, looking for Stanton. The Acolyte sat at a table, listening to a conversation between a couple other people. As TJ approached, they went silent, looking up at him in obvious hero worship that made him deeply uncomfortable. Even so, he merely nodded and asked, "Is it alright with you if I steal this codger for a minute?"
A chorus of "Oh, of course!"s and "Please!"s answered him as Stanton grumbled and stood up. As they walked out to the door, Stanton said, "I'm feeling younger by the day, and if you keep runnin' your mouth, you'll find my fist in it."
"You're right. The grumpy old coot needs his respect." TJ grinned, noting that Stanton too, though only begrudgingly, smiled as well.
"Those kids do alright?" Stanton asked before TJ could speak.
"Yeah. They both got Occupations, and I said I'd help them with some of the wendigo materials later tonight. Not why I'm here though." Stanton nodded and continued walking slowly with TJ, leading them both until he got to a nice patch of sunlight that fell between the pines' branches. The sunlight was pleasant, and TJ enjoyed nearly basking in it as he continued, "I'm planning on going further out today. Leaving soon, killing some of the stronger ones out there and seeing if I can hit level 10 today. I'm worried about the ones farther out there, and wonder if getting that new Skill will be enough to help with that."
"Because the further out we go, the stronger the monsters are." Stanton answered. "Can't say what we'll find though."
"Yeah." TJ agreed. "If I run into another Elite, I might just be killed outright. So, I figure having you and one or two other people along will let us move quickly and safely, while you can also heal and take care of people. Who do you think should come with?"
"Not me."
"What?" TJ felt his jaw hand open. "Why not?"
"I've been out already today. Figure it out yourself." Without saying anything else, Stanton smiled, clapped TJ on the shoulder, and walked away. The confusion of being abandoned by his friend was painful, but TJ felt he could trust Stanton enough to not lose his mind over something that the older man obviously meant no ill-will by. Even so, he couldn't help but call out and ask before Stanton got back into the firehouse.
"You sure?"
Not even a grunt answered him, and TJ scoffed to himself. This was, he supposed, what Stanton wanted. As he moved to figure out what he should do next, he'd need to figure out who else he would trust to work together.
"You didn't even look for me?"
"Sonuva–!" TJ shouted. Not for the first time, Zig had taken special care to scare the absolute bejeezus out of TJ. As he whirled and looked for her, he found her hunched in the shadow of a large thick bush. Somehow, her bright red hair didn't stick out until he actually figured out where she was. Until the very moment he recognized her silhouette, Zig faded into the background, but as soon as his eyes discovered her position, the red of her hair stood out as a stark contrast to their surroundings.
"I'm a little offended you went for the old man before the young, cute Huntmaster." Zig grinned widely, her teeth flashing in the shadow as she walked out. "You didn't even consider me?"
"Zig. Thank you for volunteering, I suppose. And should I guess that Stanton knew you were here, so he purposefully had–"
"Me overhear you, yeah."
"He was inside talking, how the hell did he know you were out here, as well as where you were specifically?"
"A maiden deserves to keep some secrets, does she not?" Zig fluttered her eyes exaggeratedly. TJ sighed.
"I guess. You willing to go out on a hunt with me? I'm thinking we go farther than any of us have been since Stanton and I came here."
Zig's joviality drained from her face as she responded. "Yeah. It's necessary. If there's some of those Elites that keep growing, or any wholly new monsters or anything out there, then we need to be ready. Need to see them, to cull the bastards."
"Great. You have two more people in mind to bring with us? I'm not too familiar with who's our highest leveled fighters."
"I bet that's part of why Stanton told you no. You always fall back to him, don't really get to know anyone else. And yeah. Charlie's a good option, so's Seth, Farid, and Angelo. Rebekkah's a pretty strong healer, if Angelo's busy. She's not quite as high level as the rest, but Sarah's got an Occupation that helps her protect the people she's with, so she's not a bad option either. So, I'd probably recommend one of them. There's a couple others that you don't know who might need to fill in if they're all unavailable, but I figure it'll be better for you to work with people you already know."
TJ cocked his head. "Rebekkah's at the level of being included in this?"
Zig shrugged. "She's more driven than a lot of the people here. A lot like you, and now that she's seen what she'll need to do to survive, she's putting in more work than anyone."
"Huh. If that's the case, then I'm fine with whoever you think makes the best team with us."
"Leaving it to the Huntmaster, then?"
"Yeah. I don't know them, and, frankly, I'm not going to make decisions as quickly or as well as you."
"Glad you know it then. Rebekkah, Sarah, and Farid, then. You need anything before we get going?"
"Nope."
"Great. Stay here." Zig, now in her "directing a hunt" mode, moved efficiently and hustled off to collect the others who would go out to kill as many monsters as they could manage. Before she stepped out of view, TJ Appraised her.
Acolyte, 7
That meant that the stealth or camouflage Skill she had that had kept him from seeing her clearly almost certainly came from her Occupation. Of course, if it had been anything else, TJ wouldn't have had the faintest idea what it was. He almost went to lean against a nearby tree, but instead decided to sit in the middle of one of the puddles of sunlight that had filled the area. The warmth was amazing, and he allowed himself to relax for as long as he had. Birds sang and the wind whispered to him as he closed his eyes.
Though he'd nearly tried not to listen, the wind's attempts at communication, now that he had this time alone without anything to do, was persistent. Before too long, the sighs of the air pulled him from his solitude. The wind traveled through the mountains, tasting the vapor from the occasional stream and lifting leaves to fly. Birds used it to soar, and everything breathed it to live. Air filled a human's lungs, enjoying the warmth and moisture inside the body before flying away as she spoke. The air pushed a bough gently, then decided to flare in anger and snap it violently. As the branch fell, it disturbed the air and the wind laughed at the casual destruction and change of form.
The winds whipped up the mountain, finding a thick wall of stone in their way. How dare they? The wind was constant, unphased by the stone's stubborn will. Just like so many stones before, the winds would whip and tear at it until, years and decades and centuries from now, the stone gave way. Then, decades and centuries and millennia more would pass until the stone was no more. There would always be more to find, friends who would give way and foes who stood strong. The winds would enjoy each path they flew, and each relationship they made, but they would remain eternal, and everything else… changed.
There had to be more nearby to investigate, though. What it could be, who knew, but there–
TJ was yanked back into perceiving his own body with a crack of pain. As his vision swam, he only saw the world spinning around him. No, not the world. Leaves and dirt fell to the ground all around him, the trees overhead creaking in the passage of a fierce wind that had sought its destruction. With a deep breath, TJ centered himself, rubbing at his chest that ached continuously. In his lap sat a stone nearly the size of his fist, and as TJ stood, the rock fell to the ground.
"What in the hell was that?" Zig demanded, Rebekkah, Farid, and Sarah standing beside her. "You just wasting MP or something?"
TJ shook his head, trying to figure out what had happened. Was there a cyclone or something here? While his mind denied what he suspected to be the truth, Rebekkah spoke in a frightened yet respectful tone.
"I was the first one to come. When I tried to talk to you, you didn't answer so I left you alone. Then, the wind started. It was just a little breezy, but it kept getting stronger and stronger. Before long, it was like a hurricane or something, and you didn't respond to anything. I tried to touch you, but the air cut me." Rebekkah raised a hand where there was no wound, but blood remained. "Zig just got here and she threw that rock at you and that got you to stop."
"Shit. I'm sorry. That wasn't what I was trying to do. It's just… this Skill, sometimes it makes it so I can't really… I don't know. It just is weird. I'm sorry for cutting you. I never would have meant to."
Rebekkah nodded, though she didn't look particularly at ease to work with him again given his apparent lack of control over his own Skill. Curious, though, TJ checked his MP to see how much he'd spent in the somewhat meditative state he'd been in.
400/400
"Actually, Zig, my MP's at full." TJ answered, somewhat confused. "You sure it was me doing all that?"
"I don't know, and frankly, I don't care. Are we ready to get moving? The earlier we go, the more likely we can make sure we get back home safe and before dark."
"Yeah, I'm ready." TJ answered, and looking at the rest, their party of five was ready to go.
"Great. Now, lead us to where you were ambushed on your way in. Let's see if we can't find the bastards that tried to kill Stanton."
At the mention of the grouchy old man, all four of TJ's companions bristled, willing to go to battle in defence of Stanton's honor. Or something. TJ couldn't help but smile at the realization that his friend was so well-beloved by the rest of the people in town. That he wasn't nearly so individually treasured was a reality he didn't hesitate to face. And besides, there were monsters to kill and levels to gain.
They set off, and TJ felt the spring in his step carry him forward to the inevitable battle.