Charlie’s good humor quickly drained from his face. TJ raised his hands and apologized, “No, that’s ly what I wao say.”

  “Then fug say what you meant.” Charlie’s tone cked all the pyful happiness from before.

  “Did you know that we o protect the general store from an assault for 18 hours, right?”

  “Yeah.”

  “And did you know that there’s going to be a limited number of enemies appearing iorial, right?”

  “Something like that.”

  “Final question: have you noticed that they’re getting stronger?”

  “I… not really?”

  “Ok, so your ck ency makes some sehough I don’t know how you’ve missed it. The first pukwudgies I saeared on day two, immediately after that System warning about iion. When did you see the first ones?”

  “I dunno, ter that day?” Charlie’s face stopped gl quite so mubsp;

  “The first ones I saw and killed were all level 3. Later, I saw only a couple that were over level five. Yesterday, on day three of this Tutorial bullshit, I fought a group with at least a dozen at level 5 her. Each multiple of five seems to be a watershed right now, and I’m afraid of running into anything at level 10. The idea that the boss is ing ihan two weeks, and it could be level 25, or Broier, or anything like that, has me petrified. I saw what a level 4 mountain lion could do to someone levels above it. If it’d been level five, Stanton would absolutely be dead. If you all take your sweet time getting levels right now because you’re scared, we’re gonna end up having to fight even more e a higher level in a couple weeks. That’s uable. I uand this all has been the scariest, most nerve-wrag experien my life, and I know I’ve danced on the edge of death every day. I realize you all are the brave few willing te out to help the old, weak, and fearful. I don’t want to discredit that.

  “But dammit Charlie! Let’s put just a mihought into this! We o kill as many as we , to make sure that we make it through this hell!”

  TJ’s mouth was dry with ay and from talking as long as he had. He looked up at the taller man’s face, worried he’d see a disbelieving, unwilling look. Instead, he saw fear and acceptance.

  “Oh. Shit. Zig!”

  He hadn’t o call. The fiery-headed hunter had obviously been listening, and her face mirrored Charlie’s. When TJ turo look around, he saw that every one of the hunters had been listening oo subtly, and every single young face was screwed up in some approximation of fear, terror, horror, or defeat. TJ’s stomach dropped, seeing the hope drain from so maed faces, but he didn’t regret it.

  “You heard him.” Zig said. “I don’t like to hear it, but I think it’s the truth. Sed priority today is to hunt. If you’re too scared to focus on killing as many of these creatures as possible, I uand. Make your way back to town and stay with the people in the firehouse. Thank you for helping out until now. If you stay, yoing into the fire with us right now.”

  The assembled hunters looked at each other, worried. One began to turn away, a young girl about 17 or so, and TJ Appraised her as she walked away.

  Acolyte, 1

  Anywhere up to a level 3, without an Occupation. Several others looked at each other and the retreating girl, but theh walked forward. His ae-scarred face was screwed up in a horrible dispy of hatred and rage, and he spat the words with a vitriol that almost scared TJ.

  “They killed Hannah yesterday. I’m not letting another one of the fuckers live another day, not if I help it. I’m with you.” Then, he walked forward and summoned his Sacred on, a medieval-looking crossbow. TJ realized that he didn’t uand the variatioween the Skills offered by each Css, just like how his Diviransformation differed from Charlie’s.

  “Well said, Seth. TJ, if you want, you lead us on the hunt.” Zig answered, and many of the less sure hunters seemed mollified by his potential presenbsp;

  “I’ll be here,” TJ answered, his hands held up in a wardiure, “but I’m not much of a leader. I’m happy to be a part of all this and help out however I , but I won’t lead. I’ll proted fight alongside you, but it’s better to follow Zig, since she knows all you and everything.”

  “Sounds good. OK everybody, keep your eyes peeled while we go. If you notiething, pass it on and prepare to engage.”

  Murmurs of agreement traveled up and down the group, and the dozen people standing together all prepared themselves. Of the five Zealots, three had suits of armor appear over them while the other two carried massive iridest shields over three feet tall and stood on each side of Ahe Disciple. Charlie stood beside TJ, his jacket put ba his backpad his eyes peeled for anything approag. The remaining hunters were all Acolytes, and TJ was again surprised at how the ons varied. Zig and another carried bows, while Seth hefted his huge crossbow and Farid had a pair of javelins appear in his hands. The st Acolyte, a shirl, carried a two and a half foot-long b that looked almost ical in her hands. That she was beled an Acolyte, 2 meant that she’d been at least partially successful in hunting with it, though, and TJ refused to uimate her.

  “Ok, we’re moving. We’re about to get to where we’ve seen the closest enemies, so be ready for anything!”

  With that, the group of hunters set out. The initial nervousness quickly segued to a more high-strung caution, to a rexed awareness. With each step that they took without anyone seeing or notig anything out of the ordinary, the less experienced hunters slipped more and more out of readiness. So it was that wheh shouted, half were entirely caught off guard.

  “Three blurs!” Without another word, Seth raised his crossbow, sighted down it, ahe bolt fly. TJ only saw the blur at that moment, and saw it attempt to dodge. The pukwudgie was too te, the bolt catg it squarely on the shoulder. It spun out of its camoufge, blood and screams flying freely. Zig was the sed to shoot, an arrow flying with a slight whistle through the air towards the gathered monsters and into one’s surprised throat. Farid’s javelin was just behind, though it fell slightly short of the group. The third attempted to flee, and none of the hunters were ready to keep it from esg.

  TJ, seeing the iable problems that would arise from a warning being given to dozens, and maybe hundreds more pukwudgies, activated Diviransformation and rushed forward. His scales made a pleasant sound on the ground as his tongue flicked out of his mouth and tasted the fleeing pukwudgie’s st. He could see it, though not with his eyes. He trusted his senses, and with a brief moment’s tration, he sent a spear of wind ng around a tree and into the goblin-like creature’s spi fell with a weak cry, and TJ grabbed it in his jaws before carrying it and the other still living pukwudgie towards the group of hunters.

  He dropped both in front of the dozen, all but four of them (Zig, Farid, Charlie, ah) looking sick as he transformed bato his human body.

  “You need experience. If the most powerful keep killing everything, the weakest will get left farther and farther behind. Zealots, you especially will o find out how you get more experience.”

  “Who’s the lowest–”

  Seth cut Zig’s question off, pulling a dagger from his belt and stabbing it deep into the pukwudgie he’d shot’s eye. It screamed for only a sed before its body went limp and its cries died.

  “My prey.” He grunted. “I share ter. But this one… was for Hannah–” His words cut off suddenly.

  TJ looked around, slightly off-put by the rage still so promi oh’s face. Before he could ask any questions or respond to that though, Seth spoke up, his tone surprised and a little happy.

  “I just got an Occupation.”

  “Sweet!”

  “Nice!”

  “grats!”

  “What is it?”

  A chorus of excited voices cut through the sudden tension, ah looked up, a painful rictus of a grin beginning to cross his face. “Avenger.”

  Zig hesitated to ask, but eventually she pushed through her obvious disfort. “And the requirements?”

  “To have lost a friend and sworn vengeance for their death. Then, you o kill the object of your hatred, alone.”

  TJ saw several jaws response, his own one of them. He stepped forward and pced a hand oh’s shoulder.

  “I’m gd you were able to avenge her. The System seems to guide us to do things that’ll let us progress that way. Let’s see if we ’t keep you as a preemptive avenger from now on.”

  Seth merely nodded and swiped at a tear from the er of his eye. Charlie ed the skinny man in a rough hug, whispering something TJ couldn’t quite pick out in his ear. Charlie patted Seth’s back a couple times as he pulled away, and Zig grabbed Seth’s hand for a moment. Many of the rest of the hunters offered words of fort, but Seth shrugged them off and pulled the string of his crossbow back while a bolt appeared in its slot.

  All the while, TJ kept his eyes out, watg for anything that approached. No more pukwudgies made themselves known, but TJ swore he could hear something in the bushes.

  “Keep a! I hear something!” He called, and the positive huddle of hunters dispersed, each clumsily pulling away from the rest and going to their assigned spot. As they fought to get into position, a pack of a half dozen coyotes burst from the brush and jumped, jaws svering, towards the three Zealots in the front. Two were ready enough not to be pulled off their feet, but the third was dragged to the ground and she screamed, fighting to escape their deadly attack as three seemingly insane creatures ripped and tore at her.

  Charlie burst into his Diviransformation form and threw a massive haymaker into the crowd of three furry bodies. Two were sent flying, and Charlie grabbed the third by the scruff. It snarled and s his face, spittle flying everywhere. The Neophyte held it by its back legs and swung the e like a club at the others that lunged ba. Charlie let it fly out of his hands after it smashed once against the ground with a sii ch, and it tumbled away with weak whimpers as the briefly toppled Zealot fought back to her feet with panicked breaths and strangled cries.

  The two Zealots that had remained on their feet shed out with makeshift clubs, their strikes occasionally finding purchase in the flesh of their attackers. Then, the Acolytes joined in, and with ons flying every dire, it wasn’t long before most of the coyotes y dead at their feet. The st two tried to escape, but were too wouo flee quickly enough to escape the final blows ing from the enraged hunters.

  With no more immediate threat, Angelo walked forward and id a hand on the girl who’d bee by coyotes. A faint glow apahe use of his Skill, and the several deep cuts on the girl’s face faded to new, healthy pink tissue.

  “This was just barely outside of the ‘safe’ area.” TJ said, still looking at their surroundings. “Imagine if they’d gotten into town, what they’d do to all the people inside. What could Granny Penny do about that? Or anyone else you care about? That’s why we’re here.”

  As he spoke, TJ supposed he believed it, though he wondered if the real reason he was here was just self-preservation. Did it matter if it was? He shook his head.

  “Don’t let yuards down. There’s certain to be more nearby.”

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