Though he didn't need to, TJ Appraised the monster that'd somehow ripped him out of the fort and into a space almost 100 yards away.
Tezcatlipoca-blessed Mountain Lion, 14 (Copper (I))
His initial thought was a second of excitement. After all, the monster was less than level 20 and it was only a mountain lion! But if every level it had gained was a Copper quality level… even if it was the same race as an inferior version, then every single level it gained was worth at least 4 of his before he evolved. Then, his coatl form reacted to the creature in front of him. All the Tezcatlipoca-blessed mountain lions before were mere shadows blessed by the shadow of the Aztec god. Now, one of his aspects' rivals was before him. Quetzalcoatl and Tezcatlipoca's longstanding rivalry and hatred swelled inside him. There was no reason to retreat. Only to strike down this pretender.
Since its initial attack was unable to kill him outright, the Copper tiered beast seemed willing to take its time. TJ evaluated his circumstances while it did, planning on how to slay the cougar. As he did so, he wrapped the end of his tail around Tessie three times.
"Land as gently as you can." TJ whispered. She started to respond, but he couldn't take the time necessary to listen. With a twisting of his body, TJ hurled the girl away. Tessie's screams were unintelligible as she flew towards the fort and fell, rolling on the ground. Fortunately, she was high enough of a level to roll to her feet and run and jump over the walls. That was all the attention TJ could spare for the teen, turning to the mountain lion that'd dragged him there.
The monster was at least six feet tall at the shoulder and twice as long, without counting its tail. Its entire body was pitch black, as dark as the shadows that filled the area. He couldn't figure out how the creature had managed to teleport him out of the safety within the fort, but that was unimportant. Instead, he focused on what else threatened him.
Four more of the Tezcatlipoca-blessed beasts were nearby. They didn't pose nearly as much of a threat that the big one did, but they weren't nothing. Three Gila Monstrosities as well drooled as they looked at him like a giant feast just for them. A Raven Mocker too fluttered overhead, trying to get its feathers to fall on him. TJ knew how important it was to protect himself from the litany of afflictions that damned creature would put on him. They'd been lucky enough to keep the poisonous Elites from sabotaging the defenders, but there was no way TJ would be able to protect himself entirely from its attacks.
At least, not without risking a little. And a little damage to himself to ensure the death of one of Tezcatlipoca's? Worth it.
Knowing that he might be dooming himself for the fight against the Boss if he miscalculated, TJ strengthened Wind Manipulation with Divine Manifestation. His MP nearly emptied out completely, but the corkscrewing zephyrs he called down from the heavens to spread out around him were more than enough. The Raven Mocker flashed away from the attack, left mostly without feathers. The descending wrath sought out everything it could touch and ripped the limbs from the GIla Monstrosities, leaving them grounded and roaring in frustration and anger. Two of the mountain lions managed to escape as they dove into the shadows, but the other two were reduced to so many ribbons of flesh. Most importantly, though, the Copper tiered one was surprised enough that its front paws were heavily damaged by the shredding aggressive winds. It yipped in pain and disappeared into a shadow, only to reappear right beside TJ.
"You are prey!" the almost childlike voice repeated. "You are not an enemy! You are food!"
"Not today, you fuzzy bastard." TJ panted as he stopped using every active Skill except Divine Transformation. The mountain lion stopped looking at him, curious. Instead, it now attacked, its paws flashing through the air as it struck. TJ tried to dodge, but the creature was too fast. Each hand's attacks caught him in at least a glancing blow, and the feline form was just too well-suited to hunting a snake. Again and again the mountain lion battered his head back and forth, and try as he might, TJ couldn't do anything about it.
He considered using Wind Manipulation in a wide area again, but his MP was painfully low. Maybe he'd do some damage to the creature that way, but he needed to be more strategic with the Skill than he'd been ever since he evolved. No longer was he some bully on the playground, but an equally-matched opponent. A tried and true tactic, TJ condensed an attack on his tongue and continued to fight the beast.
The more he fought it, the more obvious it was that while they might be matched in Strength, its Agility was so high above his that they couldn't begin to be compared. Each attack it made was blisteringly quick, and try as he might, TJ couldn't ever make meaningful contact with it, except for when it smashed his head into the ground again and again. To keep himself from being pinned down and devoured, he needed to keep his head up and moving, outside of the easy range for it to kill him.
"See! You're prey!" The voice cried at him once again, the hissing voice proud. "I will hunt you!"
As it declared that, the two surviving Dirt tiered mountain lions appeared and leapt onto TJ's head. They drove him down to where their larger counterpart tried to bite his head off. Just as soon as the Copper tiered monster drew close enough for TJ to smell its breath, its jaws open and revealing its dagger-like fangs, TJ released his attack. The blade of wind shot out from his tongue and cut into the monster. It tried to retreat, but TJ's timing was precise enough that he cut the bottom jaw from the beast.
It screamed and recoiled in agony as its blood poured out of its face. The monster's words were no longer intelligible, but its weeping was obvious. TJ didn't hesitate to kill the other monsters that had worked to hold him down. With two quick bites, the last two of the predators were dead, leaving just the Copper and the Mocker. The Copper was still pouting and screaming like a child, but the raven seized the opportunity to apply some afflictions.
Warning: you are suffering from a Minor Poisoned affliction (Dirt). You will continue to lose 5 HP a minute until the Poison condition is cured. Current HP: 4826/6440
Warning: you are suffering from a Minor Exhaustion affliction. You will regain HP, MP, and Stamina at 50% of your usual rate until your Stamina rises above 75%.
Warning: you are suffering from a Minor Blighted affliction. Your wounds will require twice the time and twice the resources to recover until this affliction is purged.
Remembering the Septic affliction that made everything else worse, TJ was glad the creature hadn't managed to get that on him. Even so, this was already bad, and the enraged Copper tier creature had recovered from its shocked confusion. Now, it wanted him dead. It burst at him with a flurry of attacks, its claws flashing in the darkness. TJ dodged back again and again, but it was too fast. Whenever he turned to try to escape for now, to let it weaken from blood loss, it would savage his tail, making his HP dive downward. The human part of his mind screamed in pain, in fear, in panic, and watched as his life was in danger.
The coatl, however, saw this as a chance to prove itself. Though he hesitated to do anything else, since the damned mountain lion wasn't the most threatening thing he would have to deal with soon. It didn't deserve his whole attention. This was just a primer for the Boss fight soon to come. He refused to count on if the Tutorial would show him any clemency, so instead, he tried to keep himself as fighting fit as he could.
As a last-ditch effort, TJ turned to try to escape again. As the monster ripped into him, TJ blew himself backwards with his Wind Manipulation. The cougar wasn't prepared, and TJ's coils found their way around its neck. He clenched every one of his muscles as it tried to escape. Three full times did he wrap around its throat, and it wheezed out a panicked breath. To escape, it dove through a shadow, but with TJ on it, it brought him along. They flashed through the shadows three times, disorienting him, but TJ refused to let go. The mountain lion spasmed as it fought to breathe, but TJ only squoze himself tighter. After a full minute, it fell limp, but without a death notification, TJ didn't stop. In fact, as the creature stopped its resistance, he started ripping into its face with his jaws. After another minute, the death notification came with another level in his Class and Race as well as a Title upgrade.
At first, he questioned it, but when he saw the death notification, TJ stopped to wonder why his Occupation hadn't gained that final level either.
Tezcatlipoca-blessed Mountain Lion Elite (Copper (I)) Level 14, Slain. Experience gained.
Class: Storm-Calling Neophyte (Copper (I)) has advanced to level 24.
Attribute points allocated: Strength +7, Agility +6, Endurance +13, Vitality +13, Toughness +11, Wisdom +7, Intelligence +11, Perception +7, Willpower +11, Fixation +13, Free Points +10. Additional Free Points currently available.
Race: Semi-Divine Human (Copper (I)) has advanced to level 24.
Attribute points allocated: Strength +8, Agility +8, Endurance +8, Vitality +13, Toughness +8, Wisdom +8, Intelligence +13, Perception +8, Willpower +8, Fixation +13. Additional Free Points currently available.
Title Upgraded: Elite Hunter to Elite Hunter Copper (I)
Description of Title: Elite monsters are the Tutorial's introduction to Boss-tiered monsters and every Participant must face one at some point. Those Elites are Dirt tier. You are the first Participant in your Tutorial to slay an Elite-tiered monster, and now you have slain a Copper Elite-tiered monster. In addition, you have, once again, slain the Elite-tiered monster as well as its cadre without support.
Effects of Title: Your Appraisal Skill can now detect the tier of existence as well as its tier of Divinity of those you Appraise. You are granted an additional 20% resistance to Elite-tiered enemies' innate expressions of Divinity. This Title is a record of a Minor Divine Trial and can be upgraded.
It was true that TJ hadn't struggled with any of the Elites since evolution, but he also hadn't engaged with any of them fairly. He'd thrown amounts of MP at the problem that he hadn't been able to dream of as a Dirt tier, and now that he was Copper tier, when they'd gotten close to him, they'd still posed a threat. Wendigo claws could pierce his scales, Chindis were able to influence him, and Raven Mockers could give him afflictions. He was higher level than them, and still vulnerable. This Copper tier Elite had nearly killed him, and if it hadn't been raised as an apparent petulant king in its corner, it would have killed him.
TJ dragged the corpse along with him as he followed the sounds of battle. The mountain lion's last-ditch efforts to escape had taken them into the forest, and TJ could smell the results of thousands of monstrous creatures living in close proximity, even if only for a couple hours. TJ suspected that he wouldn't have enough time to process the corpse he had, given the whole "Tutorial's about to end" thing, but in the off chance he did get to make something with its hide, it'd be worth a lot.
The damned Raven Mocker overhead tried to sprinkle feathers on TJ every so often, but TJ was exhausted enough that he was willing to extend some trust to Stanton to kill it before this all ended. Before he could do so, though, the raven flew off, directly towards the fort. Battle sounds were dying down, and TJ dropped the corpse as he shouted out, "Raven Mocker coming in!"
Stanton fired off three shots at the seemingly mindlessly attacking Elite. It dodged, but not to get away. Even though the defenders seemed to have been successful to some level, they were obviously harmed and exhausted. That being the case, it still didn't make sense for the monster to attack. The reason clicked in TJ's mind the same second Stanton's gun fired one last time and the raven fell to the ground, dead.
"Shit!" He shouted. "Are there any more living monsters? Don't kill them!"
It was too late, and less than a second later, the System gave a welcome, if disheartening notification. The end of it, though, made TJ's heart sink.
In this Tutorial, Tutorial 107.48.891, the Quest Goals are as follows:
Within two weeks (336 hours) of Integration, enter the city limits of the city Pine, Arizona. Time remaining: NA–you have entered the designated area. COMPLETE!
Within 18 hours of the end of the second week of Integration, defend the Pine, Arizona general store from assault.
Defeat the assigned Tutorial Boss.
Congratulations, you have completed the second of the three Quest Goals! Please complete the third and final of the three Quest Goals. Calculating bonuses to provide to all Participants due to the success of the Participants in Tutorial 107.48.891.
Victory by total extermination of monsters. COMPLETE. One hour rest period granted.
25% of all Participants survival. Progress: 18%.
50% of all Participants survival. Progress: 18%.
75% of all Participants survival. Progress: 18%.
100% of all Participants survival. Progress: 18%.
Disbelieving the announcements from the System, TJ trudged back into the fort, leaving the Copper tiered corpse on the ground outside the fort as he deactivated Divine Transformation. As he stepped over, he left the bloodsoaked vestiges of snow behind him, the ruined landscape a testament to the difficulty of this battle for survival.