With the two "evolutionary" Skills off the table, TJ needed to make his decision. Equipment Manufacturing was the first of the three remaining to be disqualified, as TJ had already thought. Between the Primal Savagery upgrade and Simple Weapons Proficiency, TJ pretty quickly realized which of the two he preferred. It might have been that the upgrade to Primal Savagery already had it at Copper tier, but though Simple Weapons Proficiency would give an additional stack of 20% bonus to all his Attributes, that would make it so there was no bonus to his resources.
On the other hand, TJ suspected that he'd be doing quite a lot of fighting in the next couple of days with simple weapons, maybe even to the level of gaining that proficiency organically. Primal Savagery, as far as he knew, couldn't be upgraded organically. As soon as he selected the Skill, strength flooded TJ's body. He checked his Status page, just to see the benefits he was granted, as well as the growth from those three levels.
Status Sheet
Name: TJ (Thiago Jorge) Harris IV
Race: Human – lvl 18
Class: Neophyte lvl 17
Occupation: Savage lvl 20
Level of Divinity: Dirt (0)
Divine Bloodline: Kukulkan
Health Points (HP): 1390/1390
Mana Points (MP): 1080/1080
Stamina: 1390/1390
Attributes
Strength: 65(+13)
Agility: 47(+9)
Endurance: 116(+23)
Vitality: 116(+23)
Toughness: 91(+18)
Wisdom: 62(+12)
Intelligence: 84+7(+17)
Perception: 80(+16)
Willpower: 100(+20)
Fixation: 97+3(+19)
Free Points: 2
Skill List: Hidden
Titles: Irregular
Elite Hunter
Current total maximum Divine Transformation time: 2:04:30
(End+Vit+Will+Fix)/4 Current cooldown: 0:00
Status Sheet
Name: TJ (Thiago Jorge) Harris IV
Race: Coatl – lvl 18
Class: Neophyte lvl 17
Occupation: Savage lvl 20
Level of Divinity: Dirt (0)
Divine Bloodline: Kukulkan
Health Points (HP): 2780/2780
Mana Points (MP): 1080/1080
Stamina: 2780/2780
Attributes
Strength x2: 130(+26)
Agility x1.5: 71(+14)
Endurance x2: 232(+46)
Vitality x2: 232(+46)
Toughness x2: 182(+36)
Wisdom: 62(+12)
Intelligence: 84+7(+17)
Perception x1.5: 120(+24)
Willpower: 100(+20)
Fixation: 97+3(+19)
Free Points: 2
Skill List: Hidden
Titles: Irregular
Elite Hunter
Divine Trial Records:
2 Minor, 1 Moderate, 0 Bitter, 0 Celestial
Now, with all these benefits, TJ could barely compare to Sarah's Attributes in Strength. When he was transformed. Assuming she hadn't done anything that would boost her Strength beyond the Attributes she gained every level from both her Class and Occupation. TJ shook the feeling from himself, knowing that it was foolish to continue down that line of thought. Looking at the Attributes specifically, he saw that the bonus from Primal Savagery didn't count his bonuses from equipment, though that didn't surprise him.
Now that he'd made that decision, he needed to decide if he was going to actively pursue the next level, or if he'd allow it to come when it came. With each new level, Savage was struggling to gain another, and TJ suspected that, barring using another Elite's materials, it would take at least a full fifteen hours of working on production to gain the necessary level there. On the other hand, more and more monsters were appearing that had crossed the level 15 watershed, so they provided more experience when slain. That thought made TJ want to rush out alone again, to struggle to gain that last experience, to grow more, to be a stronger coatl, to see what lay beyond the horizon—
The foolish thoughts swept through TJ, and he tamped them down. Already, he'd learned that that wouldn't work. He couldn't rush headlong out there and expect to survive, because the monsters were getting more and more intelligent by the day, and even when he'd taken special care to go out with a full team with greater Skills than his Prehistoric Huntsman, they'd encountered the Gila Monstrosities while trying to avoid set traps. This foolhardy need to rush forward was something different from everything TJ had always been before, and finally, a question occurred to him.
"Is my Bloodline pushing me to be more reckless than I was before?"
Yes.
The simple answer was more chilling than a complicated one would have been. It was stark, absolute. TJ's mind was changing because of the blood of Kukulkan in his veins.
"If I've always had it, then why am I only feeling its influence now?"
As a Participant grows in power, so too does their Bloodline. If one wishes to entirely escape the influence of their Bloodline, they must eschew it and cast it off entirely.
For a moment, TJ considered it. Becoming entirely his old self. He was kinder then, softer. Slow to anger and quick to forgive, a steadfast friend who'd easily overcome most insults. That TJ would fit in much easier to the little microcosm of society that existed in Pine. He wouldn't have been the target of Jeff's anger, or the cause for Charlie's death. Indulging himself, TJ thought about how he could have been instead of how he was now, how he would have been happier in the safety of the town, making friends and working together.
Then he was realistic. There was no way he could have survived this far without this additional ruthlessness. If he hadn't learned to leave the tides of society behind, they wouldn't be preparing for an actual siege, instead waiting foolishly to be overrun by hundreds of raging monsters. TJ's body would be among the rest of the people's in his vision of loss if that was the case. If TJ shrugged off Kukulkan's presence and influence, then could he even use Divine Transformation?
So much of what had allowed him to survive came from his Bloodline, and TJ wasn't going to cast it aside. Sure, he'd be more comfortable in town when he died if he wasn't changed, but that wouldn't bring him to Junior.
Resolved, TJ rolled his shoulders and called out to Stanton, who remained nearby.
"How long will you need to go back out again?"
—-
Less than an hour later, TJ walked out of the safe zone with Stanton, Seth, Sarah, Molly, Michelle, and Peter. Michelle, the Blacksmith, was kitted out in what could pass for a reasonable replica of medieval armor, though she insisted it wasn't nearly "articulated enough". TJ thought she was moving pretty well, but even if she was less flexible, having a heavily armored Disciple in the party, with her Occupation and Class both at level 15, was a godsend. Instead of needing someone to stay beside her at all times, she carried a mace and shield, ready to protect herself. As she clanked along, her every step loud, there was no chance for an attempt at stealth.
Michelle swiped at her face, but couldn't reach whatever it was that was bothering her, her heavy leather gloves hitting the repurposed metal mesh that made the front of her helmet. Molly, already transformed as a Lightning Dog beside the Blacksmith, looked up with a doggy grin.
"Sweaty under there?"
"You already know I am." Michelle grumbled back. "I have a Skill that makes this less miserable, but the sun's baking me and the weather turned unseasonably warm all of a sudden."
"Wearing that coat under it all isn't helping either." Molly grinned and danced back when it seemed like Michelle might kick at the hyperactive teenager.
"Have to have it on so I don't get pinched to pieces by the metal." Michelle sighed. "I wish I had a gambeson or some quilted clothes made for this. Have to do with what I have."
"Shut up." Seth commanded as they walked into the forest, his massive crossbow at the ready. "It's going to be dangerous, and we need everyone as ready as can be."
"Yes sir." Peter said, keeping his shield high and at the ready. TJ heard he'd been out at least once a day since he'd lost his eye, but he remained quite nervous and twitchy as they left the safety of the cleared fortress. Even so, Peter's Builder Occupation had soared in levels as he directed the construction of the walls, being the only person in town that TJ knew of that surpassed his Occupation's level.
TJ slithered along outside of the assembled body of hunters, a primal part of his brain twitching whenever he saw Molly's form out of the corner of his eye. He distinctly remembered being torn apart by creatures that looked just like her, even though he knew it wasn't her. With that, TJ instead focused on talking with the wind, to learn about if there was anything invisible nearby. Given that he dealt additional damage if he was able to surprise attack something, TJ wanted to have a piece of that action this time around.
"There." Seth whispered, pointing off to the east. "It's a dozen or so pukwudgies. There's something else there, I can't quite tell."
TJ nodded and whispered, "I'll take care of initial contact. You all follow that." He didn't wait for a response before, as silently as he could manage, he snuck into a thick creosote bush near to where Seth had pointed out. In a small clearing, the pukwudgies were circled around a large boulder, about the size of a small sedan. TJ didn't care, instead, listening to the wind tell him that nothing else was nearby and the boulder was really cold and the pukwudgies were talking and a dozen other things he blocked out.
Since he had a moment and the little goblinoids didn't seem to have found him out, TJ prepared a large scythe of wind, though he didn't compress it enough to immediately kill them all. That much compressed, dangerous wind made more noise than a silent sneak attack should, so once this initial attack was prepared, TJ let it loose. As soon as the whipping winds manifested themselves, TJ launched himself forward.
The pukwudgies weren't close to being prepared for his attack. His fangs found one's throat and ripped it out. Blood splattered against his back as he rushed to the next. Again, his jaw opened and again, a pukwudgie was torn apart. The rest of those around turned and tried to react, but they were sluggish, unfocused. While their black beady eyes fought to understand what was happening around them, Stanton and Seth began their attack. Bolts and bullets flew from the surrounding forest, and as soon as Peter and Sarah rushed out, the fight was basically over.
TJ looked around, searching for any additional enemies, but all that remained were twelve corpses. The ambush had gone perfectly, with the creatures unable to put up any real resistance. Looking around, TJ considered eating one of the corpses, but decided against it. There wasn't any real point, and he wasn't hungry. Instead, he looked at Seth to give any indication of what they should do to find more monsters to kill.
"Over there." Seth responded, and TJ went to follow.
"Wait a minute." Stanton said, looking at the boulder that the pukwudgies had been surrounding. "There's something here we need to take a look at, and maybe deal with.
The hotheaded, reptile part of TJ's brain revolted at the idea of stepping away from a hunt, but he listened. Then, when he saw what was inside of the boulder, TJ no longer doubted that they needed to check it out first.