TJ slithered further away, trying to escape, and the forest seemed to stretch out further than it should have before him. He maintained enough of his mind to realize what that may mean. He asked the System as he looked at his Status, his fears unfortunately being confirmed. After trailing down the other litany of afflictions, there were two more.
You are suffering from a Moderate Fear and a Severe Charmed affliction.
He didn't need an explanation of what the two afflictions did, because he knew what they were coming from.
"There's a Chindi here, somewhere!" TJ shouted while attempting to continue his escape. As soon as the words left his mouth, Sarah exploded in a series of curses.
"One of all the fuckin' Elites are here, then?" Charlie asked while his axe's strikes continued to slow.
"Unless there's something new to surprise us with." Sarah replied, her hands shaking as she parried another of the wendigo's blows.
Come back. You need to protect your friends. They're in danger.
The Chindi's voice made no pretense this time. If it was the same one, TJ couldn't say, but the sickening hold the words had over him sent a shudder down his spine. He didn't think before turning away from escaping to help the two struggling fighters. The pukwudgies were overwhelming them, even with Stanton's suppressing fire. TJ couldn't leave them to die, and he ripped into the pukwudgies with reckless abandon. Their bodies were shredded to pieces under his thrashing jaws and massive body, and TJ tried to lessen the pressure on the two other fighters.
You can still win! Stay strong. You're strong. Keep fighting.
TJ knew that the voice was the Chindi's but he didn't see any other option. He couldn't leave these two brave fighters to die alone. They couldn't be sacrificed for him! He conjured up blades of wind, cutting through the pukwudgies without consideration for preserving his MP. For a brief moment he considered strengthening himself with Divine Manifestation, but that couldn't help him, right? Or was that just the Charm from the Chindi saying it? TJ couldn't trust his own mind, and instead of thinking any further, he let himself get swept up in the pace of battle.
"Get levels! They'll keep us going!" Charlie shouted, giving TJ some more hope before the melee devolved even further.
His length as a coatl was used against him as more spears struck home. Again and again he was stabbed through, and he felt his HP dropping. With Stanton's assistance, all the pukwudgies were dead, but the wendigo was largely unharmed and the three fighters engaging it were slowing more and more. The Frostbite afflictions were growing, and though Stanton's shots were able to keep the raven from swooping in directly and touching anyone, its feathers continued to inflict worse and worse afflictions on the three fighters on the front line.
You're almost there. You'll make your family proud if you can just keep pushing. You'll save everyone if you do!
The Chindi's words, though TJ could recognize them as such, struck true. TJ couldn't bring himself to disagree, pushing in against the wendigo, convinced he would be able to win. It struck twice in quick succession, destroying Sarah's shield. She collapsed, evidently out of Stamina as her chest heaved in exertion and exhaustion. The Zealot couldn't manage to raise her weapon any longer, and couldn't react as the wendigo's claws destroyed Charlie's axe. Then, it laughed in terrifying glee as its claws punched straight through Charlie's chest. The Neophyte gasped and collapsed to the ground, his blood freezing all around the wound.
"Finally. You pay, kin-killer." The wendigo rasped as it turned to TJ. Three shots from Stanton smashed into its chest and knocked it back a step, but it only roared in response as its walk took it to TJ. His MP was completely spent, and he wanted to escape, but the Chindi wouldn't allow him to. The raven dove towards him, but the wendigo shooed it away.
"The snake is mine." It declared as it struck down. TJ dodged, watching the smoky form of the Chindi approaching Sarah while the raven glided towards Charlie. A warcry sounded behind him, and TJ felt a rising hope. Maybe they could all survive–
Sarah began seizing on the ground as the smoky form of the Chindi melded with her. She jolted and thrashed while trying to drive off the Elite's possession. Charlie's body began swimming with black veins as soon as the raven's talons made contact with his body. A wordless cry of agony filled the air as Charlie's body was filled with the rot from the Raven Mocker. A putrescent green glow filled the blackened veins, but Charlie didn't move except to hoarsely cry out in suffering. TJ's blood froze in his body as the wendigo's claws slipped deep into him and pinned him to the ground below. The wendigo's jaws opened wide as it went to deliver the killing blow with a bite on his head.
"Rargh!" Connor's scream filled the air as he smashed his shield into the wendigo and pushed it away from TJ. He smashed the massive hunk of metal again and again into the wendigo's head, the sound of cracking bone accompanying the ringing of metal. Farid's javelin pounded into the raven's chest and knocked it off Charlie, the slicing crescent moon digging deep into the bird before it disappeared again in a puff of rotting feathers. Zig's arrows pounded into the two corporeal monsters with reckless abandon as she loosed shot after shot. Molly's form crackled with electricity as she rushed to attack the wendigo.
The Chindi withdrew from Sarah as soon as the reinforcements arrived, and though the wendigo shrugged off a couple blows from Connor, it was out of MP and unable to continue the fight. It looked down at the prostrate form of TJ and screamed in frustration, that it'd been unable to dispatch him again. Then, it began its retreat, sprinting into the forest without looking back again. The Chindi disappeared into mist that flowed back into the forest, its influence subtly pulling away from TJ's mind.
Of the three Elites, only one didn't escape as arrow after arrow smashed into the raven, and every time it reappeared, it was more and more haggard. Finally, Zig's arrow struck true again, and it didn't disappear. When the form of the bird fell to the ground, Connor rushed forward and dismantled the body with a series of smashing blows from his war pick. It croaked its last, and TJ felt the swell of experience unable to bring him to the next level. While he laid there and the enemies continued their retreat, a group of half a dozen Disciples rushed forward and laid their hands on him, Sarah, and Charlie.
With a groan, TJ disabled Divine Transformation and allowed the healing to more fully settle into his body. He didn't open his eyes and so couldn't see who it was that was healing him, but they both gasped in horror as they witnessed what exactly was wrong with him. Maybe it was how low his HP was, or something else. TJ couldn't bring himself to look at his Status. Instead, he laid down for a second, and as soon as he had even a modicum of energy, he groaned and spoke.
"Sorry Charlie and Sarah. I fucked up."
Sarah didn't do anything but whimper in fear, pain, and maybe something else while she was at it. Charlie whispered something TJ couldn't hear. He cracked a smile and forced himself to sit up. He glanced at his HP, which was steadily climbing up, though not as quickly as it should have, given the ministrations of two Disciples. Looking around, Sarah was huddling into a ball, shivering with terror. TJ cringed looking at her, hoping she would be able to recover mentally from this. He couldn't say for sure, but it'd be a difficult path, and he was mostly responsible for it. He turned and looked at Charlie.
The man was an absolute sight, his veins crawling with green corruption, and his eyes glazed over in suffering. TJ wanted to make a joke or thank him for going through this for him, since without both Charlie and Sarah, TJ definitely would have died. Then, when TJ saw the two Disciples look at each other in panic, he realized that this wasn't something they could treat. His stomach, already twisting from seeing Sarah's state, dropped entirely. Charlie was dying.
"Fuck." Charlie said as TJ stumbled closer. Zig was already holding Charlie's hand. "That wasn't the heroic save I thought it'd be."
TJ wanted to say something, anything, but couldn't. What words were there to say? Zig said something, but her voice caught in her throat and she sobbed instead.
"That bird's an ugly fucker." Charlie continued. Farid and Connor walked closer at that point. Connor spoke.
"Zig and Farid got it. I'm sure. You get the notification?"
"I.. yeah. Got a level and everything." Charlie coughed again, the movement weak and his breath caught in his throat. He tried to say something, but instead, he died.
The hand Zig held went limp, and she tried to force herself to speak. She couldn't manage it. A choked cry was all she could muster, and TJ saw himself holding Mari's body there. A pained yet peaceful face on the corpse of the person they loved, and the living left devastated. The Disciples continued healing him and Sarah, and TJ stood there, shell-shocked and guilty. He couldn't muster a single word, a single thought, and a minute later, Zig stood up and punched him in the chest, hard enough to send him sprawling. TJ looked up.
"Fuck you." Zig whispered, her face streaked with tears and her eyes clouded with true hatred. "Fuck you, you self-centered, arrogant bastard."
TJ couldn't bring himself to say anything in response, his own guilt making the words strike true as the Huntmaster carried her lover's corpse into town.
A/N: This was not my plan, but as the situation got worse and worse, it was inevitable. Had a lot planned for you, buddy. Sorry. o7