《Kukulkan's Successor [A LitRPG Apocalypse with ALL the Mythologies]》


 Chapter 1

    TJ greeted the new world with a broken nose and fiercely muttered profanities. He¡¯d been on a run with his son Junior in the jogging stroller, but before he knew it, ran into a wall that simply hadn¡¯t been there just before. As he fell to the unforgiving ground, TJ reached out to the stroller, ready to calm Junior however necessary, but his hands touched nothing. Fiercely wiping at his watering eyes and blinking rapidly, TJ could see clearly once again.


    There was no stroller, no Junior, and no Riverview Park where he¡¯d just been.


    ¡°The hell is happening?¡± He asked himself as he pushed himself to his feet. Trying to clear his vision and headache, he pinched the bridge of his nose for a split second before gasping in pain again and forcing more tears to his eyes. Yeah, the nose was definitely broken, the blood dripping in a constant patter. He wanted to focus on feeling bad for himself for a split second, but instead and more importantly¡­


    ¡°Junior? Junior! Thiago!¡±


    He was in a pure white room, an omnipresent light casting no shadows around him. The panic he¡¯d tried to kill instead rose as he shouted for his son while the walls seemed to close in on him, but before true hysteria could set in, every emotion was suddenly washed from his body, leaving him cold, dispassionate, and docile. Words appeared before him on a screen not unlike a tablet¡¯s while the same words echoed through his head in an androgynous voice.


    Welcome to the integration of the Divine System.


    Twenty millenia have passed since the Ascension. Now abandoned, the divine realm has grown stagnant, and once again, the Throne must be filled. Your planet has been chosen to serve as the proving grounds for the hopeful divines. Embrace your divine heritage and prove yourself capable of succeeding where your ancestors failed.


    Bloodline: Kukulkan selected as Bloodline of Majority.


    Tutorial location determined. Initial Class Quest initiated. Transmission to Tutorial grounds has begun.


    There was a brief time for the words to settle before an additional screen appeared before him, the words just as forceful but somehow benevolent.


    Participant Thiago Jorge Harris IV, do not worry about the wellbeing of Bystander Thiago Jorge Harris V. He is being kept safe until the completion of your Tutorial. Prove yourself capable of withstanding the pressures of the divine and worthy of ascending to the Throne and he will be returned to you.


    For the briefest moment, TJ¡¯s emotions were returned to him in an overwhelming wave, ¡°What the fu¨C¡±


    Before he could curse, TJ¡¯s bodily autonomy was once again taken from him and his mind faded to blackness. An interminable time passed, and consciousness returned.


    TJ sat bolt upright, looking back and forth, hoping to see that, contrary to the statement made by the stupid screen, Junior was nearby. A bunch of something pokey stabbed into his upper thighs and butt, and he pushed himself to his feet as he looked around. Not only was Junior nowhere to be seen, neither was his stroller, nor the familiar paths of Riverview Park. He wasn¡¯t in Tempe anymore, but the mountains. Fighting hyperventilation, TJ tried to see what he could. The trees all around were pines, and, in an additional attempt to ground himself, TJ leaned in towards the nearest one and sniffed deeply. Same sweet smell as the ponderosa pines that made up the Tonto Rim forests. Plenty of pine needles on the ground, with scrub brush all around. Near as he could figure, he was still in Arizona, just up in the mountains somewhere. Maybe near Flagstaff or Payson? At least 100 miles from home. Whatever had happened was feeling more and more real, since the pounding headache wasn¡¯t one of a hangover, and he¡¯d laid off all alcohol since Junior¡¯s birth. He pulled his phone out of his pocket to check the GPS, but the thing was dead and totally unresponsive.


    As TJ gathered himself, he felt just how cold it was here. A warm afternoon in January in Tempe could reach as high as the mid 60¡¯s and he¡¯d been running in gym shorts and a tank top. The sweat still hadn¡¯t dried, and the cold breeze through the trees set him to shivering. ¡°Please tell me it¡¯s a dream.¡± He muttered to himself, as he pulled his backpack off, the wet straps chilling in the air that he figured was just a bit above freezing. He had a light sweatshirt in the backpack and pulled it on, keeping the hood up. Even so, the chill had already set into his bones and TJ rubbed his hands together as, despite his best efforts, the wave of rage, confusion, pain, and everything else washed over him and stole away his rationality.


    The bleary pain of his broken nose and the taste of blood in his mouth didn¡¯t matter, because something, some worthless sack of sick had taken his son. He didn¡¯t know where Junior was, but TJ was going to find him, and make sure that the toddler was safe.The only thing that could at least partially calm him was the nebulous, maybe believable reassurances from the random words. Yeah, no, he wasn¡¯t about to calm down, but for now, he needed to make sure he didn¡¯t die of exposure or something before he found his son, since he could feel the cold wind whipping through the loose shorts he wore.


    He stuck both hands deep into the pockets of his jacket and shrugged up his shoulders against the biting winds while looking for the nearest peak. From there, maybe he could orient himself. Before he could, though, another one of the windows appeared before TJ and a diluted form of the artificial calm washed over him once again.


    Beginning Tutorial. Class Quest initiated.Stolen novel; please report.


    All descendants of the divine will embrace the Path of the Zealot, the Acolyte, the Disciple, or the Neophyte. Before you can qualify to be blessed with your first sliver of the divine, you must prove your mettle, your determination, and your ability. For each of the paths, there is a different Quest to complete. Complete the requirements for one of the four Classes, and you will begin your path towards the Divine Throne.


    Acolyte Class acquisition requirements: Slay five creatures within the bounds of the Tutorial Area with traps, a ranged weapon, or from a distance by any other way that you devise. Progress: 0/5


    Disciple Class acquisition requirements: Heal, help, or support five creatures within the bounds of the Tutorial Area. Progress: 0/5


    Neophyte Class acquisition requirements: Display the beginnings of the ability to harness your Divine Bloodline in a concrete manner. Progress: 0/1


    Zealot Class acquisition requirements: Slay five creatures within the bounds of the Tutorial Area with your bare hands or melee weapons. Progress: 0/5


    Again, his heightened emotions returned, and TJ pulled his hand out of his pocket and gently wiped the blood from the stubble above his lips, careful not to touch his nose. The ache of his nose drew his mind from his boy, wherever he was. For now, he needed to focus on this Tutorial. That was the only clue he had about how to find his son.


    ¡°I¡¯ve played enough video games to kinda get this.¡± TJ muttered. ¡°Four classes, each one different. Zealots are melee fighters, Acolytes ranged, Disciples supporters. But what¡¯s a Neophyte? How¡¯re they different from the others? What¡¯s that requirement mean?¡±


    Neophyte Classers focus on allowing the divine to change them, instead of them changing themselves into an approximation of the divine. The Neophyte Class acquisition requirement is deliberately nebulous, as embracing the Divine Bloodline is something that differs from one Participant to the next, as well as from one Bloodline to the next.


    He was almost surprised, but a little glad to have the windows talking back to him. ¡°And how do I know which of the Classes I¡¯m best suited for?¡±


    The primary attributes for the Acolyte Class are, in descending order Agility, Wisdom, Perception, and Intelligence. The primary attributes for the Disciple Class are Wisdom, Intelligence, Willpower, and Perception. The primary attributes for the Neophyte Class are, in descending order, Vitality, Endurance, Willpower, and Toughness. The primary attributes for the Zealot Class are, in descending order, Strength, Endurance, Vitality, and Toughness.


    That¡­ was actually a little surprising. TJ had assumed that, given the Class Quests, the Acolyte Class was a ranger of sorts, but they didn¡¯t need Strength or endurance as much as Wisdom and Intelligence? There had to be something he was missing¡­ but more importantly, before he made any choices, there was another question to ask.


    ¡°Ok, and which Class does the ¡®Throne¡¯ or whatever prefer? I need to impress it to get my son back, right?¡±


    The Divine Throne is wholly unfeeling. The Divine System has no preference for what Class the next Ascendent follows, only that they prove themselves worthy of their Ascension. Previous Ascendents have come from every Class without notably statistical skew in any direction.


    ¡°Then what does it mean that he¡¯s a ¡®Bystander¡¯?¡±


    The Divine System searches for those who are most suited for Ascension to the Divine Throne. Those younger than the age of 15 are considered unsuitable. Those unsuitable are kept apart from the conflict inherent in the Ascension, though there are opportunities for them to join in the contest at a later date.


    ¡°And is someone taking care of him? Is he safe? He¡¯s all alone!¡±


    Bystander Thiago Jorge Harris V is not alone. He is currently being cared for by the Divine System.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have anything else to tell me? What the everloving FUCK do you mean?¡± The System¡¯s stupid words, forceful but still somehow kind, echoed in his head, but he didn¡¯t care. He needed answers. Frustratingly, the Divine System didn¡¯t give him any more information on his boy, and TJ, after waiting for another minute, held back another string of swears that would have set his mom¡¯s slipper flying at him.


    ¡°Ok. Fine. I have to trust your word for now. How can I see which of the Classes is best suited to me?¡± There were no words that filled his consciousness, and instead, a page appeared before TJ¡¯s eyes.


    Status Sheet


    Name: TJ (Thiago Jorge) Harris IV


    Race: Human ¨C lvl 0]


    Class: N/A


    Occupation: N/A


    Level of Divinity: Dirt


    Divine Bloodline: Kukulkan


    Health Points (HP): 100/100


    Mana Points (MP): 70/70


    Stamina: 80/80


    Attributes


    Strength: 7


    Agility: 6


    Endurance: 8


    Vitality: 10


    Toughness: 8


    Wisdom: 8


    Intelligence: 7


    Perception: 6


    Willpower: 9


    Fixation: 1


    Free Points: 0


    Titles: N/A


    Glancing through the status sheet of information, Zealot and Acolyte were looking the least attractive to TJ, since the ¡°most important¡± attributes for both of those were the lowest he had. A part of him was slightly offended at how low his Strength and Agility were, but he supposed he was now 31, and nowhere near as fit as he once was. The stupid indignation that swelled in his chest was viciously beaten down. Why would he care at all about a stupid arbitrary number on a screen? Instead, he looked at the two remaining options: Disciple and Neophyte.


    Disciple sounded ok, TJ liked helping people¡­ but given that children were kept away from all this had him wondering if he wanted to be a supporter in the days that came. It¡¯d been years since he¡¯d been to church, but he could remember a couple of things from those Sundays spent in a chapel. God had his angels that healed people and whatever else the Bible said, but He also threw fire and brimstone down on the wicked. Or whoever it was that Nana and the preacher decided deserved celestial punishment that week. To get to his son, TJ would need to start throwing fire and brimstone.


    And Neophyte was¡­ different from the rest. And his attributes suited the Class perfectly. Assuming bigger numbers meant better. Right?


    The larger the number next to an attribute in a Participant¡¯s Status Sheet, the stronger or more powerful that Participant¡¯s attribute.


    Ok. As ass-backwards as all this was, at least that much made sense. It¡¯d been years since TJ could spend any real time with a video game, but he could remember from the few MMOs he¡¯d played before how important the first days were. The more people knew earlier, the better it would be for them. And for Junior, TJ would focus and learn whatever he could as fast as he could. So, with a decision made, he¡¯d find the divine and force it to change him.


    ¡°Wait, what¡¯s this ¡®Kukulkan¡¯ Bloodline thing mean?¡±

 Chapter 2

    Every Participant in the selection of the next Divine is a descendant of one or more divine aspirant who reached at least the Ruthenium level of Divinity.


    ¡°And what does that mean?¡±


    There are ten levels of Divinity: Dirt, Copper, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Palladium, Rhodium, Ruthenium, Iridium, Osmium, and Orichalcum.


    ¡°Not gonna remember that.¡± He muttered. ¡°And what level of Divinity did Kukulkan reach?¡±


    Osmium.


    That seemed¡­ impressive, TJ supposed. Nearly the top? ¡°And does this Kukulkan bloodline come from the Feathered Serpent Kukulkan? Like¡­ Quetzalcoatl?¡±


    The Feathered Serpent, the god of the skies and winds, the long path between the spirit and the body, worshipped as Kukulkan, Quetzalcoatl, and Q?uq?umatz, the father of the Mayan, Aztec, and K¡¯iche.


    So yeah. That Kukulkan. TJ¡¯d heard some stories about the Mayans and Aztec from his Nana, but she¡¯d mostly talked about the big G God. He wasn¡¯t even really Mexican, this many generations down mixed with so many other races. He was just¡­ TJ. But, if he needed to be like something, a flying feathered snake god wasn¡¯t too bad a model to take into this apocalypse or whatever it was.


    ¡°And how do I harness Kukulkan¡¯s Bloodline?¡±


    If one desires to seek the Path of the Neophyte, then the Participant must divine and seek that path without initial assistance. If one qualifies, takes the first step without Divine or Systemic guidance, they will receive further instruction. The Divine will only accept some, while others still must seize that Divinity of themselves. Participant Thiago Jorge Harris IV¡¯s only guidance will come from within.


    ¡°Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuun times.¡± TJ habitually censored himself. Then, for the first time since he¡¯d regained consciousness, he fully took in the area around him.


    Pine trees, scrub brush, mountain, clouds overhead. The sun was still rising, it was maybe 10 am? Didn¡¯t smell like rain, no creek nearby, unsurprising since he was still in Arizona, and he just had a half liter water bottle, some goldfish, and a granola bar in his backpack. His grandpa¡¯s trusty can of chew he kept with him habitually was the closest thing to medicine he had, and tobacco had always been disgusting so he wasn¡¯t going to touch that. No animals or people nearby¡­ right?


    ¡°HELLO!¡± TJ shouted. ¡°ANYONE THERE? I might need help. Might be crazy too.¡± He muttered at the end. Only silence answered his call, and TJ tightened his backpack across his shoulders and looked again for the nearest mountain peak. As near as he could figure, he was halfway up one of the rolling mountains of the Tonto Rim, and it would be a hike of 30 minutes or more to reach the top. With his sweat drying and the brisk wind picking up, TJ didn¡¯t want to hold still, and seeing what was around him would be his best bet to survive. His arms and chest uncontrollable quivering in the cold, TJ began his ascent.


    The mountain had no path as far as TJ could tell,  and the hike sucked. He was grateful that he¡¯d taken special care to get back into some semblance of good shape in the past year, since he¡¯d really let himself go after Mari¡¯s death. If he were still that 250 pound five foot seven guy, he¡¯d never make it up there. Left alone in his thoughts without a curious toddler¡¯s questions, TJ couldn¡¯t help but wonder if maybe he¡¯d fully gone off the deep end.


    ¡°Never been crazy before,¡± He muttered, looking around for a path that didn¡¯t take him through the scratchy bushes. ¡°Maybe today¡¯s the day. Hope not¡­¡± Somehow, the emotions he¡¯d had artificially squashed and the Status Sheet he could still pull up kept TJ reasonably sure that he hadn¡¯t completely lost the plot. ¡°Just not Shutter Island. No need for any of that.¡± Too preoccupied with talking to himself, TJ was entirely unprepared for the sudden attack.


    With a yip and snarl, a coyote lunged out of the nearby bushes, and TJ was so surprised by its attack that he basically fell to his ass without resistance as it bit deep into his calf.


    ¡°Son of a¨C!¡± He screamed, the instant pain shooting adrenaline through his system. With a clenched fist, TJ smashed the nose of the coyote, and it yelped in pain as it released him. The coyote, so unnaturally aggressive, stepped back and began circling TJ as it growled low in its throat. TJ scrambled to his feet, his shredded calf crying in agony as he tried to protect himself.


    ¡°I¡¯m way too big for you to kill.¡± TJ tried to reason. ¡°Get the hell outta here and I won¡¯t hurt you.¡±


    Somehow, he¡¯d almost expected the coyote to pipe up and say sorry or something. Instead, it snarled and lunged back in for another bite. This time, TJ was ready and kicked hard up into its chin. Its teeth clacked together, and he swore he saw some chips of white fly away. The canine stumbled, surprised, and TJ thought about giving it the chance to flee, but no. This was real, and even if the Tutorial or whatever wasn¡¯t, this coyote probably had a pack. He couldn¡¯t let it draw more here if only one of them could hurt him this much.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry bud.¡± He muttered before stepping forward and delivering an even stronger kick into the coyote¡¯s ribs. He felt bones crack as it flew back a couple feet. Then, with a heavy heart, TJ stomped once, twice, then three times on the coyote¡¯s neck. After the third stomp, a little window appeared in front of TJ.


    Coyote, Level 0, Slain. Experience gained. Experience stored until acquisition of Class or Occupation. Zealot Class acquisition requirements progress: 1/5


    If he could trust the notification, then the coyote was dead. Well, it definitely was, even before he got the System¡¯s little notification. The scavenger dead, TJ squatted down and looked at it. Coyotes weren¡¯t really dangerous to adults, especially not alone. They never attacked, so why this one, why now? The Tutorial being the cause wasn¡¯t a bad possibility, but TJ needed to instead focus on progress. They never used to attack like this, and TJ hoped it wasn¡¯t rabid. That new fear instilled, TJ checked. Its mouth wasn¡¯t frothing, there wasn¡¯t any sign of disease, though it was a little skinny and maybe mangy. The ¡°wilderness survival¡± merit badge he¡¯d gotten as a teenager in Boy Scouts didn¡¯t tell him how to identify diseases on a smushed coyote skull.The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    That thought while observing the creature that he¡¯d killed sent TJ¡¯s stomach to tumbling. He swallowed hard, trying not to lose any moisture or nourishment, and after a couple of deep breaths through his nose, the nausea faded to a more manageable discomfort. On the bright side, if he couldn¡¯t figure out how to become a Neophyte, he was progressing towards becoming a Zealot.


    TJ fought to keep his feet, his bleeding calf aching and screaming in protest, but he couldn¡¯t sit down now. If he did, it¡¯d be harder to get up the mountain and see what he could find. But before he went¡­ did he want to bring the coyote¡¯s body? He didn¡¯t have any firemaking equipment, so he probably wouldn¡¯t be able to cook it without a ton of effort put into making a fire by hand. And was it even safe to eat coyote?


    ¡°Hey, can I do anything with this body?¡± TJ idly asked the System, thinking about days playing RuneScape and making leather armor from cows.


    Most materials can be processed into equipment, artifacts, accessories, or other items, though all have varying levels of utility and value. To learn the value of the pelt, meat, and other parts of the coyote corpse you have, gain a related Skill or be taught by an experienced Tutor.


    So it might be worth something. Might not. As he looked down at the corpse, the blood trailing from its nose and mouth almost made him leave it, but TJ steeled himself and picked it up. He¡¯d be pissed if he somehow lost an opportunity to keep himself safe and get back to Junior, just because he felt a little squeamish. Not wanting to keep it in his hands, TJ peeked into his mostly empty backpack, pulled out the pack of goldfish and granola bar while leaving the can of chew in the zipping side pocket, put the food in his jacket¡¯s big pocket on the belly, and finally dumped the corpse in the backpack.


    It wasn¡¯t too large, as coyotes go, but it didn¡¯t fit neatly in the pocket, and TJ eventually had to resign himself to stuffing it in and forcing the zipper closed. Then, with a grunt, he put the now much heavier backpack back on. The blood running down his leg began to slow and clot, and TJ took a quick look at it. Though painful, the coyote¡¯s bite hadn¡¯t gone too deep, and with the cold air combined with whatever the body usually does to mask pain, he could continue his hike.


    The next twenty or so minutes it took for TJ to reach the peak were much more cautious and attentive than before. After all, if a single coyote had been willing to attack him like that, what would happen if he ran into a herd of javelinas, or a mountain lion? Both were uncommon here in the central mountains of Arizona, but they¡¯d been seen before. Thus, TJ¡¯s eyes were constantly peeled for anything that approached while his ears strained to pick up any unnatural sound.


    Nothing appeared to assault him by the time TJ reached the peak of the mountain, where he took shelter sitting behind a pine tree that had fallen some years before, looking at the rot. It was enough to keep the wind off of him, though, and TJ took the opportunity to take a couple mouthfuls of water. There wasn¡¯t any water or snow in sight, so he couldn¡¯t say when he¡¯d be able to refill his water bottle. Actually¡­


    Three peaks over, the crest of a higher mountain had a smattering of snow across it, though TJ suspected that it might melt in the rising sun, so if he wanted to use that to refill his water bottle, he would need to hurry over there. As for other things down the mountain, he couldn¡¯t see any cabins or homes, no lights or fires, just pretty featureless forest. From where he came, TJ couldn¡¯t see anything,


    ¡°Shit.¡± He cursed to himself. He¡¯d hoped to see some relic of humanity, because even if there wasn¡¯t anyone there, there could be food, a change of clothes, or something. Instead, his next best course of action seemed to be to go to the snow, and at least get some more water there. With a groan, TJ rose back to his feet and resumed walking towards the next peak, trying his best to keep from descending more than absolutely necessary.


    Keeping his wits about him, TJ continued to question and wonder. This Divine System, what is the Throne, what did 20,000 years have to do with God or gods or whatever? When he got no answers, instead he asked a question that maybe he should have a while ago.


    ¡°What exactly do all these attributes mean? Strength and Agility are pretty straightforward but what exactly is the difference between Vitality, Endurance, and Toughness?¡±


    In addition to the mechanics listed, all attributes additionally influence different Skills. Vitality is directly tied to HP and its regeneration, and the greater the quantity of Vitality, the more difficult the Participant is to kill. Endurance is directly tied to Stamina and its regeneration, and the greater the quantity of Endurance, the more difficult the Participant is to be exhausted. Toughness is directly related to the hardiness of the Participant, and the greater the quantity of Toughness, the more difficult the Participant is to wound.


    That made sense, he supposed, but still he wasn¡¯t sure. But since he knew now, he quickly pulled up the top of his Status Sheet.


    Health Points (HP): 87/100


    Mana Points (MP): 70/70


    Stamina: 69/80


    So the bite that coyote had given him¡­ if he was bitten just seven more times, he would have died? And after all this hiking, TJ would have said that he was more tired than just 15% or something. Regardless, though, he continued looking down the attribute list. According to video game logic, Wisdom and Intelligence were like, magic power and mana points?


    Wisdom is directly related to the proficiency of the manipulation of the divine, and the greater the quantity of Wisdom, the more powerful the divine workings of the Participant. Intelligence is directly tied to MP and its regeneration, and the greater the quantity of Intelligence, the faster the Participant will regain MP.


    Perception seemed pretty straightforward. Need to see and hear what¡¯s going on around you. TJ neglected to get a breakdown on Perception from the System. Willpower and Fixation, though¡­


    Willpower is directly related to the mental hardiness of the Participant, and the greater the quantity of Willpower, the greater the Participant¡¯s ability to resist adverse mental and divine effects. Fixation is directly related to the Participant¡¯s ability to embody and focus on the effects of the divine, and the greater the quantity of Fixation, the more easily and enduringly will the Participant be able to channel certain divine abilities.


    Ok, Willpower generally made sense. But Fixation¡­ it seemed like it was a bad thing that TJ only had one, and, stranger still, looking at the Class descriptions again, none of them mentioned Fixation as a necessary attribute at all.


    By default, all Participants¡¯ Fixation starts at 1. Some, due to their Bloodlines, are granted an additional boon to their starting Fixation attribute.


    ¡°Wait, so some Bloodlines give attribute bonuses? That¡¯s crap!¡± TJ grumbled as he slipped over a dirt-covered stone.


    The Kukulkan Bloodline grants a +1 to Strength, Vitality, Endurance, Toughness, and Willpower upon Systemic Integration.


    ¡°Totally cool and normal that some Bloodlines give attribute bonuses.¡± TJ immediately replied. ¡°Wait, so does my Bloodline better lend itself to Neophytes? And what are the usual numbers in any given attribute for a person?¡±


    Those of the Bloodline of Kukulkan gain bonuses that are well suited for Neophytes and Zealots. Barring outliers, the greatest quantity of an attribute at the time of Systemic Integration is 10.


    ¡°But¡­ I¡¯m not the healthiest guy who¡¯s ever lived. I get sick and whatever. I don¡¯t¨C¡±


    TJ cut himself off. Something was rustling behind him, scrabbling up the same dusty path that he¡¯d just slipped and nearly fell climbing. His heart leapt to his throat, and he turned around.


    ¡°Oh. Shit.¡±

 Chapter 3

    Two coyotes rushed forward, jaws wide open and saliva dripping underfoot. TJ, mind rushing, looked for anything he could do or grab to help protect himself.


    ¡°Why the hell didn¡¯t you grab anything before when you KNEW something would attack you?¡± He snarled at himself as, with no rock or hefty stick in sight, TJ slung his backpack over his left arm in an improvised shield just in time. The first, faster coyote lunged with its mouth wide open to bite TJ¡¯s knee. He fended it off with an awkward swing of his backpack, the fabric audibly tearing under its jaws. It continued to snarl and thrash, the nylon quickly being rendered useless, but TJ couldn¡¯t care about that right now. Instead, he kept his eyes on the second coyote that lunged in on his right side, jaws flashing as it went for his right hand¡¯s fingers.


    Reacting as quickly as he could, TJ clenched his fist as tightly as he could as the canines canines dug deep into his balled fist. He grunted in pain as he unintentionally dropped his backpack and focused on the coyote that was trying to rip his hand off. It thrashed and struggled, but with his clenched fingers, it couldn¡¯t spit out his hand. Somewhere in the back of his mind, TJ remembered dog attack instructions. No time like the present to apply it!


    Bracing himself, TJ shoved his fist deeper into the coyote¡¯s mouth, his knuckles scraping along its teeth, tongue, and roof of the mouth. It tried to get away, but TJ swept his leg under it and knocked it prone. He pushed deeper. It gagged. He pushed deeper. It vomited. He pushed deeper. It struggled to breathe. He pushed deeper. Bones in his hand and the coyote¡¯s skull cracked. It struggled to whimper. He. Pushed. Deeper.


    The coyote under him¡¯s struggles died down, twitching in pain and fear as TJ¡¯s eyes watered from the pain of his hand and his own distress watching the poor thing die. The second coyote attacked, and TJ wasn¡¯t ready. Its jaws snapped tight on his left trapezius muscle, and TJ screamed in pain, and again when he bashed his broken nose into his flailing arm. He couldn¡¯t care about the first coyote any longer, the second one a much more pressing threat. His screams continued as he scrabbled uselessly at its face, trying to get it to let go and ignoring the flares of agony as its teeth dug deep and he hit his nose two more times. It refused to let go, instead wresting its whole body to rip his flesh free.


    TJ cried out as he desperately jumped up and fell onto his back, on top of the coyote. He felt its ribs crack under his weight, and it wheezed wetly as it finally released his shoulder. TJ struggled to his feet, the crippled coyote before him. With a final sickening squish of his foot, it was gone. He wanted to collapse to the ground, but the other one¡­


    Laid on the ground, gasping for breath. Its jaw was obviously broken, and he¡¯d done something to its throat as the wheezing, desperate gasps of the dying echoed over the mountaintop. TJ stumbled over to the dying creature and with an unsteady jump and a stomp, put it out of its misery before finally laying down on the dusty, unforgiving ground.


    ¡°Status.¡± He gasped out loud.


    2 Coyotes, Level 0, Slain. Experience gained. Experience stored until acquisition of Class or Occupation. Zealot Class acquisition requirements progress: 3/5


    Health Points (HP): 28/100


    Mana Points (MP): 70/70


    Stamina: 12/80


    TJ smiled just a touch, happy to see his survival was currently guaranteed. Then, before he closed the Status Sheet, his HP ticked down to 27/100.¡±What?¡± He blearily asked.


    Warning: Participant Thiago Jorge Harris IV is suffering from a minor Bleed affliction. Participant will continue to lose 2 HP a minute until the Bleed condition is cured.


    ¡°Oh.¡± TJ¡¯s mind wandered. Why didn¡¯t it just call him ¡°you?¡± Why was it¡­ No! Couldn¡¯t let himself lose focus. He couldn¡¯t muster the energy to curse, but something needed to change, and soon, or he¡¯d bleed out. The chill crept into his bones, and TJ couldn¡¯t get himself to move, to do anything but lay here. With a scream of pain, TJ flicked himself in the nose, and with the burst of light in his vision accompanying the tears and agony, he forced himself to his feet.


    First aid. Compress the wound. Stop the bleeding. TJ unzipped the jacket, the deep tears in the flesh of his shoulder screaming in protest as he moved his left arm. The wind whipped around him, gooseflesh rising all across his exposed torso. He couldn¡¯t care about that right now. The left strap of his tank top was ripped apart, the right whole. He pulled his shirt overhead, whimpering as the torn fabric pulled out of his mutilated neck. He wasn¡¯t careful enough pulling the shirt over his head, and the front caught on his nose and sent another explosion of additional agony coursing through TJ¡¯s body, and he began to sob.


    Even so, he wadded the shirt into as good of a compress as he could manage and held it on his left shoulder as best as he could while he pulled the jacket back on and zipped it up. With the shredded cotton of his shirt now placed on his wound, TJ looked for his backpack.


    Just as he¡¯d already known, the back of it was torn open, half of the pockets now entirely useless, though he hadn¡¯t lost the side pocket or its nearly forgotten cargo. Fortunately, the main pocket, the one that still had a coyote corpse in it, was mostly intact, and TJ shrugged it onto only his left shoulder before tightening the strap as much as he could and pressing the weight of the coyote painfully into his steadily bleeding wound. Then, too exhausted to continue trying to staunch his own bleeding, TJ walked to the nearest tree and slumped against it.


    ¡°Please be enough.¡± He muttered, tears of pain and fear streaking his dusty, blood-splattered face. ¡°Please, God, let that be enough. System, please. Kukulkan, whatever¡­¡± He pulled up his Status again, nearly too afraid to see what it said.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    Health Points (HP): 24/100


    Mana Points (MP): 70/70


    Stamina: 10/80


    At least two minutes had passed, going off how much his HP had ticked down. TJ began counting down from 30, praying he wouldn¡¯t see that number decrease. 30. 25. 20. 15. 10. 5. 4. 3. 2. 1. And nothing. He took a deep breath, feeling the renewed lease on life. ¡°How fast will my HP refill?¡±


    The rate of HP recovery is directly proportional to the Vitality attribute of the Participant. Over the course of one hour of rest, a Participant will regain their Vitality worth of HP. Light activity, such as walking, will not impact the rate of HP recovery. Moderate activity, such as hiking, jogging, or flying, will halve the rate of HP recovery. Strenuous activity, such as combat, running, or exercising, will negate the rate of HP recovery.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t used my MP. How can I use it? And does it come back like my HP?¡±


    Many manifestations of the divine require the expenditure of the resource MP. Over the course of one hour, a Participant will regain their Intelligence worth of MP. Actively expending MP will not impact the rate of MP recovery. Only certain afflictions can impact the rate of MP recovery.


    ¡°Can I use my MP to heal myself?¡±


    In order to use MP to recover HP, a Participant must use a requisite Skill. Participant Thiago Jorge Harris IV does not currently have nor qualify to gain any Skills that would allow him to expend MP and recover HP.


    A little less panicked, TJ actually asked this time, ¡°Why don¡¯t you just call me ¡®you¡¯.¡±


    Would Participant Thiago Jorge Harris IV like to change the Divine System¡¯s form of address?


    ¡°Yeeeees?¡±


    You have changed the Divine System¡¯s form of address. Congratulations! There are no attribute or experience related, nor any other mechanical advantages gained from so doing.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect it to.¡± TJ grumbled. His life no longer, apparently, in immediate danger, TJ pulled the granola bar out. Never before had unwrapping a stupid wrapper been so difficult, much less painful, as every movement of his left arm sent shocks of pain up his shoulder. Even so, eventually, he was able to unveil the chocolate chip dusted snack, and he ate it much more quickly than he¡¯d planned. Then, his mouth parched from hiking, screaming, and crying, TJ took three long pulls from his water bottle. Putting the lid back on was a serious effort of will, but TJ was able to keep himself from polishing off the water.


    Now that the fear of immediate death faded, TJ began shivering. He cursed himself for not pulling his sweats on this morning. Sure, they¡¯d been nearly so stinky as to offend a passerby, but if he¡¯d known, then TJ would have worn them even so. They¡¯d keep him warm, and could have at least reduced the damage to his leg from the first coyote¡¯s attack. That didn¡¯t matter though. Not anymore. For now, the best course of action he could take would probably be to see if he couldn¡¯t create a fire.


    No knife to cut tinder or kindling. No good firepit or anything. No flint, steel, or lighter. Just¡­ the good old friction method, he supposed. Once, nearly 20 years ago, he¡¯d needed to create a fire from scratch. It had given him blisters through the leather gloves. Was there enough stuff to even make a fire?


    ¡°Hey, System. There something you can give me that would let me make fire easier?¡±


    In order to gain something that would benefit you in the creation of fire, you would need a Class or Occupation. You have neither, and thus cannot currently gain Skills or other benefits.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m in no state to go kill anything else, so how can I get an Occupation?¡±


    In order to acquire an Occupation, a Participant must complete certain requirements, usually tasks, and then be offered the Occupation.


    There was no additional information. After waiting a full minute, TJ asked again, ¡°So what do I need to do to get an Occupation that will help me build a fire?¡±


    If you desire an Occupation that will better enable you to create fire, then you should create fires, or other things that you would like your Occupation to assist with. An Occupation is earned by completing requirements, so you should do whatever you would like your Occupation to be focused on.


    ¡°So to get an Occupation that¡¯ll help me, I need to help myself.¡± It wasn¡¯t a question, nor posed at the System. ¡°To get a job, I need experience and I need a job to get experience¡­ Bullshit. All over again. Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuu¨C¡± TJ breathed out the word, not bothering to complete his complaining. Instead, he glanced around, looking for any stick or branch or wood or whatever could help him. Fortunately, Ponderosa pines naturally grow straight branches and trunks, and an old deadfall wasn¡¯t far away.


    TJ struggled over to the collapsed tree, where a bounty of sticks lay scattered around. It didn¡¯t take long to find several that could work, but after peeling the flimsy bark from each, every one sported at least a dozen of the usual pokey nubs that all sticks around here did. After the fourth such stick, TJ bit the bullet and selected the one with the fewest of the sharp spots decorating it before rubbing one of the nubs on a nearby rock in an attempt to sand it down to a more comfortable grip. Then, after a minute or so, he moved on to the next. Then the next. And the next. Finally, TJ had a serviceable stick to be his firestarter. Then, he needed another for the thing he¡¯d rub it on. The larger trunk with a groove in it wasn¡¯t difficult to find, and so, with a prepared nest of dead pine needles and little twigs, TJ had everything prepared.


    He braced himself for the pain before setting the smaller, long straight stick against the thick one, the tip of his handheld stick nestled in the groove of the larger. Then, ignoring the aches, pains, and agony that flared when he did so, TJ pressed the smaller stick down about as hard as he could between his two palms and, while rubbing his hands back and forth as fast as he could, continued pressing. His neck screamed in protest, and TJ nearly stopped trying to make the fire.


    TJ¡¯s hands sported only weak calluses from his last couple of months of weightlifting, and they quickly rubbed raw under his focused effort. He immediately found which of the nubs he hadn¡¯t sanded down enough, but he¡¯d already begun, and refused to lose the progress he¡¯d already made and the energy he¡¯d already spent.


    Before long, he was bored and uncomfortable and sore, but TJ refused to give up. Slowly, he was blessed with the beginning of smoke from between the two sticks appearing, but he didn¡¯t slow down. Instead, he watched his Status, watching his stagnant Stamina and HP, excited when the HP ticked up one. His Stamina remained the same, but after more than a couple of minutes and less than twelve since he supposedly recovered 1 HP every six minutes, the smoke grew thick enough that TJ pulled away his long thin stick and pulled out the little ember that he¡¯d nurtured. Blowing gently on it, he deposited it in the center of the nest of pine needles while continuing to blow.


    Smoke puffed and filled his face. Still TJ blew, and he was rewarded with a flare of heat. The pine needles exploded into flames, burning hot, bright, and for just a moment. TJ fed more and more into the growing blaze, and finally, one, then two, then five small sticks.


    ¡°FIRE!¡± He cheered, finally sure it would last. ¡°I have fire!¡± Then, TJ looked at the three coyote corpses. Now, what to do with these?

 Chapter 4

    The small cut of meat TJ had been able to salvage from the coyote body sizzled over coals, and the scent of cooking meat set his mouth to watering. To get to this point had been more of an exercise in preparedness than he¡¯d been previously ready for, and he thought about how he¡¯d disassembled the bodies.


    Once he had built the fire up from a steady flicker to a true blaze, TJ sat with his hands extended towards the dancing flames, the heat making his mostly numbed fingers tingle. As the cold leached from his hands, TJ¡¯s right hand complained and ached with the return of sensation while his left whined about the blisters he¡¯d given himself creating the fire in the first place.. The fire roared and crackled, the pine-rich wood frequently popping and sending flurries of sparks into the air. Pine burns fast and hot, and TJ forced himself up to his feet before long, gathering the thickest branches he could manage without exhausting himself or tearing his wounded shoulder back open.


    With enough of a supply of firewood to ensure that he wouldn¡¯t be left with nothing before long, TJ could actually focus on the corpses. They represented thousands and thousands of calories, energy he couldn¡¯t leave behind. He¡¯d never butchered an animal before, and now he had to learn quickly. When would the meat go bad? It was around freezing, so could it be counted as refrigerated?


    Regardless, he couldn¡¯t cook the meat while the fur was still on it. And how to cut it off? TJ searched around, hoping to find a magically sharpened rock that would function perfectly as a knife. No luck. In fact, much of the stone around here was crumbly and weak, wholly unable to keep any sort of an edge. Instead, he¡¯d need to get BACK UP and find a rock that could actually help him. He couldn¡¯t help but curse himself at how he¡¯d laughed at his old man back in the day when TJ had asked him why he always had a pocket knife. The old man¡¯s response was simply, ¡°A man needs a knife. Whenever you don¡¯t have it is when you need it.¡± He missed his dad. He¡¯d know what to do now, but he¡¯d been gone half a decade now, his mom too. Probably better they weren¡¯t around for this. Mari¡­ well, TJ was lying if he said he didn¡¯t wish she was with him right now. Having learned his lesson, TJ very carefully wiped at his eyes without brushing his nose and set to finding a good rock.


    TJ whistled the Indiana Jones theme song to himself as he wandered around, feeling slightly more like an adventurer as he did so. Who knew, maybe he¡¯d find a whip and a Nazi to punch while he was at it. Eventually, he was blessed to find a little deposit of a harder, darker stone than much of the sandstone that surrounded him, and TJ grabbed a couple and happily trotted back to his fire to see if he couldn¡¯t create a blade of some sort from it.


    Once, with a master¡¯s guidance, he¡¯d made an obsidian blade, but this, unfortunately, was nothing like that. The stones were nearly spherical, and as TJ smacked them together again and again, he wasn¡¯t able to make anything that even remotely resembled a cutting edge.


    ¡°Come. On. You. Little. Bastard. And. Become. A. Knife.¡± He repeated, smashing the stones together again and again with each word. Fortunately, on the fourth repetition of the same line, one of the rocks he was holding split almost cleanly through the center, leaving two half-spheres with a mostly flat face from between them. ¡°Halfway there.¡± TJ grumbled before setting one of the stones with the new flat face perpendicular to the ground on a large nearby rock. There, he grabbed one of the remaining whole stones and, with growing force, smashed it again and again into the rock he wanted to have become his knife.


    With a resounding crack, the stone split, and TJ cheered when he picked up several of the shards that had broken into flat disks with a serviceably sharp edge. Finally armed with a prehistoric utensil, he turned to the corpses. He was sickened and again nearly vomited as he was again forced to confront the reality of how he¡¯d been forced to kill every one¨Ccrushing their skulls. Their heads hung awkwardly to the side, and the bone was obviously shattered while blood and mashed flesh dripped from their mouths.


    ¡°Well. Sorry. I¡¯ll eat you, at least, so you¡¯re not dead for nothing.¡± TJ grabbed the first coyote he¡¯d killed and laid it out flat on the ground. It laid there, and he thought of the dogs he¡¯d grown up loving. Then, he pulled up his sleeves and began attempting butchery. It was hard, bloody, disgusting work, and TJ did end up retching as he accidentally cut open its intestines and coyote shit spilled over his hands. Worse, he didn¡¯t have water to spare to wash his hands or anything else, and he was slowed even more by having to return to the fire to stoke it and warm his chilled fingers pretty frequently. Eventually, he did have a roughly skinned and unappetizing looking coyote thigh, which he speared with a stick and held over the fire.


    Of course, he accidentally burned the meat. After he dropped it in the fire. Because the stick broke. His poor Nana¡¯s ears would curl hearing the string of profanities he¡¯d shouted after that, but TJ didn¡¯t care. He didn¡¯t even care enough to scrape the burnt flesh off the bone before tearing into it. It was rangy, tough, and dry, while what little of the juice remaining in the ¡°drumstick¡¯s¡± skin dribbled down his chin. It wasn¡¯t good. But it was food, and that was enough of a spice that TJ tore through the leg in record time.


    Annoyed by the blood, viscera, excrement, and whatever else that coated his hands, TJ attempted to wipe himself clean on one of the coyote¡¯s fur to limited success. He needed water, and the nearest water he knew of was the snow and ice that coated the next peak. He estimated it¡¯d be another 20 minutes of hiking to get there, so maybe an hour to get there, fill up his water, drink his fill, fill up more, see where he needed to go, and then return to his fire. And now that he¡¯d experienced how much better it was to not be freezing his balls off, walking over there in his shredded jacket and stupid mesh shorts sounded like hell.


    It was disgusting, but the coyotes could maybe help with that too¡­


    ¡ª-


    Another two cooked thighs and an hour¡¯s worth of skinning the three coyotes, going off his HP recovery of 10, assuming this was light activity, resulted with the most disgusting leg warmers that TJ had ever imagined. He wrapped two of the coyote pelts that he¡¯d crappily pulled from the bodies around his thighs while the third was currently being scraped of all fat, blood, and whatever else was attached to the skin under the pelt. Once TJ was somewhat satisfied with the results, he held the most intact fur skin side down over the fire in an attempt to make what he was about to do less horrendously disgusting. Then, when it was warm and the skin under the fur was beginning to crisp and pop, TJ pulled his waistband out and wrapped the pelt around his waist between his shorts and his underwear. It was so pleasantly warm that he almost forgot how disgusting this was.


    TJ didn¡¯t give himself any additional time to think about it, to be grossed out, or anything. Instead, he grabbed his backpack, now empty of everything except his makeshift knives, water bottle, and goldfish, and, after piling several more thick branches onto the fire, prepared for his hike towards the next summit. Just earlier this morning, he¡¯d been sleeping in his comfortable bed and drinking coffee, and now, he was shivering here. He couldn¡¯t help but think of his morning.


    Woke up to his alarm, which was an excited toddler jumping on him. How Junior consistently woke up at 6:30am every day, summer through winter, was one of the universe¡¯s greatest mysteries. Regardless of how the three year-old woke himself up, he always made his way out of his room and into TJ¡¯s, where, uncaring of how much or little sleep his dad had gotten, he happily patted TJ¡¯s face until he woke. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    ¡°Park? Go park? Big one? Please?¡±


    TJ grumbled as good-naturedly as he could manage. A Saturday morning in early January was as good as any to go to the park, he supposed.


    ¡°It¡¯s still early, bud. Let¡¯s do breakfast first, then we¡¯ll figure out going to the park, K?¡±


    Though Junior whined and moped about not being taken to the park the same instant he woke, a bowl full of ¡°foot woop¡± took the edge of his rage off. Then, given the sun still hadn¡¯t risen, TJ cajoled and guided the distractible kid from room to room as he vacuumed, swept, and tidied. Still, it was only 9 by the time all the chores were done, and Junior was back to begging to go to the park. Southern Arizona wasn¡¯t so cold as most of the world in the middle of the winter, but TJ did force Junior into a jacket and long pants before they left. All the child¡¯s protests about how ¡°Daddy not wearing pants!¡± were summarily dismissed with ¡°Well, dads make the rules¡± and Junior quickly forgot the despotic unfairness of dads. Instead, he complained at the walk through Walmart. Then, he was heartbroken by only going through the McDonalds drive through, because how dare they visit merely for coffee? Only the promise of immediately proceeding towards the park kept the hysterics in check.


    At the park, Junior happily clambered up and down and around whatever he could reach. Though it would be a beautiful day later on, in Tempe, it was only 45 or so degrees out, so no other kids had managed to convince their parents to get out of their warm houses just yet. Thus, TJ happily played alone with his son, making sure he didn¡¯t fall from the jungle gym or eat too much sand. Then, once the caffeine had fully hit his system (and worked its way through in the freezing public restroom), TJ asked the fateful question.


    ¡°Wanna run?¡±


    With squeals of excitement, Junior dragged TJ back to the car, where he pulled the jogging stroller out and, as soon as it was set up, Junior threw himself in while clapping for TJ to ¡°Go fast! Super fast!¡± TJ only had enough time to get up to speed before he¡¯d smashed his face on a suddenly appearing wall and found himself on his ass with his vision swimming and his ears ringing. Then, he¡¯d hiked, and fought, and suffered. And here he was.


    Shaking his lonely thinking from his head, TJ stood and began walking uphill. Water awaited him, and to take his mind from the past, he asked a question that had been burning for a while, but only now he felt he could actually ask it.


    ¡°Why are these animals attacking? A single coyote, or even a smaller pack would never attack a person around here. What happened?¡±


    The native fauna has been adjusted by the Divine System so that they may better participate in the selection process for hopeful divines.


    ¡°So now they¡¯re all bloodthirsty or something?¡±


    To put it in so few words, correct.


    ¡°Then what can I¨CShit. Are reptiles still hibernating? Or are they more active now?¡±


    The physiology of much of the native fauna has been biologically adjusted by the Divine System to be more active.


    ¡°So are there any rattlesnakes nearby?¡± TJ looked around warily, not trusting to hear a rattle before receiving a deadly bite.


    The Divine System does not give additional information to Participants that can be considered hints or especially helpful.


    ¡°Probably, then.¡± TJ forced himself to be quiet instead as he continued his tracks towards the snow-covered summit. Every step burned his injured calf, and though he¡¯d patched it as well as he could, his shoulder¡¯s wound cried out with every step. The only upside he could think of other than impending water was that the new mountain he began to scale was mostly bare compared to the one he had left behind, and if any coyotes decided to come attack, he¡¯d have enough time to pick up a rock or something to smash his assailant with. Plus, a part of him realized that there was no guarantee that he¡¯d be able to complete the requirements for the Neophyte Class anytime soon, and it might be better to just kill two more animals and become a Zealot. Even so, the Neophyte Class just called to him, and TJ didn¡¯t want to throw in the towel just yet.


    The twenty minute hike passed without any additional incident, and TJ stepped to this higher peak and looked across the valley between mountains. There, maybe six or seven miles farther down, was a cabin, tucked in a small clearing with an ATV trail leading up to it. Getting up to this mountain had taken him about 20 minutes, and TJ estimated it was only half a mile to get here. Looking up, it was just about midday, so there were only about five hours of sunlight left. Worse, the brush was thick and unmanageable down there, so TJ would have to slow himself even more to be especially careful to make sure he wasn¡¯t ambushed or even just broke an ankle with an unlucky misstep.


    ¡°How would my Vitality¡¯s HP regeneration help me with a broken bone?¡± He suddenly asked.


    Returning to full HP does not mean that lasting injuries have been completely healed. Instead, it signifies the peak of health available to the Participant excluding major injuries. At your level of Vitality, it will take two weeks for a minor fracture to be healed, and up to six for a major break of the bone to return to its previously whole state.


    Yeah, that¡¯d be a death sentence. Grumbling to himself about how he¡¯d need to come back tomorrow to make sure he could make it to the cabin before the sun set behind the mountains, TJ grabbed a couple handfuls of water to place into his water bottle to melt. Grandpa had said something about how eating plain snow was worse for you in a survival situation than finding a creek nearby, something about how snow made you colder than the water would. Given that Grandpa was right about the stupid knife, he¡¯d listen about the snow.


    TJ shook the metal bottle, the crunchy, more ice than snow breaking apart and melting under his ministrations. A minute later, he opened it and took a long drink. Beautiful. His parched throat gloried in the taste, a couple pebbles and pine needles included. He drank so deeply that TJ could feel the cold water settling and sloshing in his stomach, and though it was uncomfortable, he was happy for it. Then, preparing himself to go back to his impromptu camp, TJ filled the water bottle up once again with the ice, smashing the pointy bits that refused to let the cap screw on. Again whistling to himself, this time Star Wars, more John Williams, TJ made his way back to the camp.


    Once he left the barren mountaintop, TJ picked up a rock and hefted it in his right hand. Wasn¡¯t much of a weapon, but it was leaps better than nothing, and if a coyote tried to take a bite out of him again, he could kill it without having to feel its bones crack under his feet. He was lucky, however, that he didn¡¯t have to kill anything before getting back to his hot coals.


    The fire had mostly died down, but TJ had been confident that there would still be coals upon his return. He was correct, and a couple handfuls of pine needles and kindling let his fire return to its previous glory.


    Now, if he was going to stay the night here before setting off towards the cabin tomorrow, he might as well make sure his night wasn¡¯t entirely miserable. Remembering that a heat reflector of some sort would help the fire¡¯s heat be better directed towards him, TJ let himself rest for just long enough to cook a coyote shoulder and eat about half of it. His belly was still full of the water he¡¯d stuffed himself with, and he wouldn¡¯t have any more water than what was in his bottle until he made the trek back to the other mountain. TJ wasn¡¯t about to force more food down his gullet and make himself sick.


    With a grumble, he walked off to gather the longest, thickest branches he could muster. There wasn¡¯t much nearby, and TJ was loathe to get himself distracted looking for fallen branches and trees just so a coyote, mountain lion, or rattlesnake could kill him. After five trips back and forth dragging another couple of long branches, TJ was lucky enough to stumble across a fallen tree with most of its branches intact. Taking a big rock in hand, he smashed a dozen of the branches off before lugging them back to camp. Then he made another trip. And another. And another.


    And finally, he had enough branches to make the most rudimentary of heat reflectors for his fire. Then, TJ needed to gather enough wood to keep his fire going through the night. That took him another two hours, at least. He wasn¡¯t sure how long, since this level of hiking and carrying and transporting negated his HP recovery. TJ did take the time every two loads to sit next to the fire and watch his HP tick up two more points until it had recovered to 50/100. Then, with enough fire to keep him going through the night and enough of a shelter to keep him from dying from exposure, TJ sat and watched the fire.


    Occupation unlocked.


    Wait, what?

 Chapter 5

    Occupation: Savage unlocked. You have already discarded the trappings of civilization. You disregard tools, shelter, and even clothing from the old world. You embrace the work of your hands, sleeping in shelter you¡¯ve built with your hands, under pelts you cured, next to fire you painstakingly created. You are a Savage, a primitive who eschews the easy for the trustworthy. Occupation Skill Primitive Craftsmanship offered. Occupation Skill grants a static 30% bonus to all crafting abilities and Skills when crafting without pre-Integration technology. Per level attributes gained: Strength +1, Agility +1, Endurance +2, Vitality +1, Toughness +2, Wisdom +1, Intelligence +1, Perception +2, Willpower +2, Fixation +1, Free Points +1. Would you like to accept the Savage Occupation?


    ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m getting this Occupation because I¡¯m doing my best to live?¡±


    You qualified for the Savage Occupation because you completed the necessary requirements to acquire the Occupation. The requirements completed were:


    1. Create fire without using any pre-Integration tools.


    2. Create any equipment without any pre-Integration tools.


    3. Create a shelter without any pre-Integration tools.


    4. Defeat a creature without any pre-Integration tools.


    5. Prepare food without any pre-Integration tools or ingredients from the pre-Integration world.


    6. Make a deliberate choice to step away from a significant comfort of that from the pre-Integration to return to a more ¡°savage¡± environment.


    Note: If any Participant wishes to acquire the Savage Occupation, they cannot have completed any of the requisite steps with pre-Integration tools at any time.


    ¡°But I ate the food I had with me, that didn¡¯t keep me from qualifying for this Occupation.¡±


    The mere consumption of pre-Integration food does not disqualify any hopefuls from completing requirement 5.


    ¡°Wait, so if I¡¯d like¡­ sprinkled the salt from my goldfish onto the coyote meat, then would I have lost this?¡±


    If you had seasoned your food with pre-Integration ingredients, then you would have disqualified yourself from the acquisition of this Occupation.


    TJ thanked Kukulkan that he hadn¡¯t thought to do that. If he¡¯d screwed himself over like that¡­


    Would you like to accept the Savage Occupation? Please say ¡°Decline¡± if you would like to not be offered the Savage Occupation again.


    The System, with its basso, comforting yet commanding voice, asked again. The blinking notification flashed in TJ¡¯s eyes, and he stuttered, ¡°No, I, yes, accept Savage as my Occupation!¡±


    Occupation: Savage acquired. Occupation Skill: Primitive Craftsmanship acquired.


    Occupation: Savage has advanced to level 1.


    Attribute points allocated: Strength +1, Agility +1, Endurance +2, Vitality +1, Toughness +2, Wisdom +1, Intelligence +1, Perception +2, Willpower +2, Fixation +1, Free Points +1. Additional Free Point available.


    Occupation: Savage has advanced to level 2.


    Attribute points allocated: Strength +1, Agility +1, Endurance +2, Vitality +1, Toughness +2, Wisdom +1, Intelligence +1, Perception +2, Willpower +2, Fixation +1, Free Points +1. Additional Free Point available.


    Race: Human has advanced to level 1.


    Attribute points allocated: Strength +1, Agility +1, Endurance +1, Vitality +2, Toughness +1, Wisdom +1, Intelligence +1, Perception +1, Willpower +1, Fixation +2.


    With the wave of notifications washing over him, TJ¡¯s body began to shiver uncontrollably. His bones cracked, his shoulder and calf tingled, and his aching muscles faded until they were weightless. After a minute or so, TJ felt like himself again, and the changes in his body faded away. Again, the System wanted to tell him something, but he didn¡¯t pay the notifications any mind, instead investigating how different his body felt now.


    All the pains from before, from the small blisters that had begun to form on his heels to the deep wounds in his shoulder, had faded, and looking down at his calf, the pattern of teeth marks faded to a curve of fine pink marks in his flesh. Curious and cautious, he poked at his shoulder. No pain. He pulled his bloodied rag of a tank top away from the wound, the blood having crusted to his skin. As it peeled away and the cold fresh air set his skin to gooseflesh again, TJ poked the thick muscle of his trapezius. No wounds, just some slight scarring.


    ¡°Haha! Does leveling up always heal you? Is that why I¡¯m all better now?¡±


    The act of leveling elevates the body to the greater heights now available. All resources are restored to full, and most minor to severe injuries are fully healed. In the case of amputations or maiming, the scars remain without regeneration.


    TJ happily tossed the shirt to the side, where the congealed blood and shredded cotton would bother him no longer. Then, before he resumed his questioning of the System, he checked the additional notification he¡¯d received.


    Title gained: Irregular.


    Description of Title: The vast majority of Participants who begin their journey towards the Throne in earnest acquire their Class before their Occupation. You are one of 0.5% of Participants who not only sought out but also acquired an Occupation before their Class.


    Effects of Title: 5% increase in experience gain for all Occupation related Skills, levels, and more.


    ¡°Sweet.¡± TJ muttered to himself, and a small part of him raged against his happiness at this small gain. His son was somewhere he couldn¡¯t see, find, or reach, and here he was, glad that this stupid System gave him a new little Title for his idiotic Occupation. He¡¯d kept himself from thinking about Junior for a while, but now that he was truly resting without having to think about anything else, TJ worried for his son. He was only three, and Junior had been real quiet ever since Mari¡¯s passing. Could they even take care of him?


    You should not worry. Observer Thiago Jorge Harris V is being kept in a type of stasis that will ensure that his emotional, physical, and social needs are met without causing undue stress.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    With a fiercely muttered string of swears, TJ thrust his son¡¯s current well-being from his mind as best as he could. If he let himself worry too much, he¡¯d end up as a mess curled up on the ground while coyotes ate him. ¡°So. Race. Is it that I leveled up from my two Occupation levels? The average between my Occupation and Class levels?¡±


    Correct.


    ¡°And how are the attributes I get from leveling up as a Human decided?¡±


    As a baseline human, you gain +1 to all attributes, and as a holder of the Divine Bloodline of Kukulkan, you gain an additional +1 to Vitality and Fixation for each level gained in Human.


    ¡°Huh. Status.¡± TJ commanded to see his updated attributes.


    Status Sheet


    Name: TJ (Thiago Jorge) Harris IV


    Race: Human ¨C lvl 1


    Class: N/A


    Occupation: Savage lvl 2


    Level of Divinity: Dirt


    Divine Bloodline: Kukulkan


    Health Points (HP): 140/140


    Mana Points (MP): 100/100


    Stamina: 130/130


    Attributes


    Strength: 10


    Agility: 9


    Endurance: 13


    Vitality: 14


    Toughness: 13


    Wisdom: 11


    Intelligence: 10


    Perception: 11


    Willpower: 14


    Fixation: 5


    Free Points: 2


    Titles: Irregular


    ¡°So, Savage must be a pretty good Occupation, right? I mean, I get so many attributes compared to what Human gives me, so it must be a rare or great Occupation.¡±


    The Occupation Savage is somewhat unique in that it is an unfocused Occupation. Most Occupations, such as Blacksmith, Huntsman, Quartermaster, and Shipwright, have a specific course of action they are meant to take. Savage, however, is a generalist that can gain experience through crafting, hunting, or leading. The only requirement for the Savage is that, whatever they do to gain experience for their Occupation, they must do so with tools and implements that they created for themselves. As a result of the unfocused nature of the Savage Occupation, those Participants who select this Occupation require all the attributes. Therefore, Savages receive a low amount of each attribute to ensure they can follow whatever path they so desire. Other Occupations give attributes focused on assisting the Participant to act in accordance with the Occupation¡¯s intended function.


    TJ settled onto his back, looking around while thinking about what this meant for him. After all, if he could still progress a little, maybe it would be good for him to wait to get a Class until he qualified for the Neophyte one he was still inexplicably drawn to.


    ¡°Wait, can I use things from before the Integration now that I¡¯ve become a ¡®Savage¡¯?¡±


    Savages can use pre-Integration tools, ingredients, and other materials, but they receive a reduction in experience gain when they complete any Occupational tasks using or benefitting from that which is pre-Integration.


    ¡°Better than nothing, I guess.¡± TJ watched the fire dancing, its allure hypnotizing while his mind wandered. With a conscious effort, TJ thought of something, anything to ask. ¡°Is Kukulkan still¡­ alive? Did he become a god?¡±


    No. All Participants that begin on their Path towards the Divine Throne either succeed the previous God, or reach the end of their mortal lives.


    ¡°But I still have a Bloodline that¡¯s supposedly divine from him. So was he a god or not?¡±


    Upon reaching the upper tiers of Divinity, which are Ruthenium, Iridium, Osmium, and Orichalcum, a Participant¡¯s body is molded by and becomes Divine instead of merely housing a certain level of Divinity. Kukulkan became a Divine, but did not reach the Divine Throne and thus never became God.


    TJ let himself bask in the warmth of the fire as he listened for anything to approach in the dying light of sunset. Only the popping of the branches in the fire and the whistling of wind through the shoddy lean-to he¡¯d constructed greeted him, though. The exhaustion of the day washed over him, and just before TJ gave in to the allure of sleep, one more question occurred to him.


    ¡°What Class was Kukulkan?¡±


    Whether the question was actually asked out loud or not TJ couldn¡¯t tell, but he received an answer nonetheless. He dreamed, and all he could see were swiftly passing clouds. The smell of rain was thick in the air, and the crackling of electricity danced over his long body. With a sinuous movement, he rose his head before diving down, down through the clouds. Once his eyes cleared the cover, a beautiful land lay spread before him. Long fields of corn undulated in the wind, the rustling of leaves accompanying his movement. Untamed jungle was held back by the strong arms of his sons and daughters, fighting the servants of the other aspiring Participants back and away from his temple.


    His home awaited his arrival, and the peak of his newly constructed temple had long been prepared for his landing. With a tamed wind ensuring his landing was light and easy, Kukulkan¡¯s coils spread across most of his temple, his Castillo. He breathed deep and then blew a warm, wet wind over his lands, bringing gentle rains and pest-free agriculture. With another breath, the feathered serpent was no more, and a tall, handsome man stood atop the temple. Statuesque with his war kilt adorned with leopard furs and thunderbird feathers, Kukulkan raised his hands high above his head and welcomed the cheers and worship of his people. Their adoration washed over him, and he could feel his Divinity soar.


    As Kukulkan changed from his mile-long serpent form to that of a man, TJ was taken from inside of Kukulkan¡¯s perspective to that of a third party observer. The ¡°human¡± form of Kukulkan wasn¡¯t truly human. Nubs of feathers interspersed with iridescent green scales patterned the backs of his arms, and what TJ had thought were feathers placed in Kukulkan¡¯s hair were instead growing from his scalp. Though Kukulkan¡¯s torso was bare and muscular nearly to the level of a body builder¡¯s, his skin bore countless scars, the evidence of hard-fought battles.


    ¡°My child.¡± The Divine¡¯s voice was honed obsidian and honeyed tea at the same time. ¡°I see I have failed. I always feared I would. Let me look on you.¡±


    Before TJ could look for whoever Kukulkan was addressing, his ethereal body was wrenched through space to stand before Kukulkan, whose eyes pierced TJ¡¯s soul. The eyes yawned a deep black, even the sclera the same, serpentine void. Even so, there was a turquoise center instead of a pupil, and the bright blue burned TJ inexplicably.


    ¡°You have lost, and you are willing to do what is necessary to protect that which is precious to you. You will jump into the cenotes and sail over the trees. You have done well to choose the Neophyte. I will guide you in this first, great jump into the abyss. I will be the water you land in and the soft shore you can rest on. Now sleep, and when you wake, listen for my command. After all, I do not believe we will ever have the opportunity to speak through the ages like this again.¡±


    Then, oblivion.


    TJ awoke, freezing cold, the skies still dark. The only light he could see were the barest hints of buried coals under several inches of ash. He trembled, his fingers stiff and aching as his stick poked through the ashes and attempted to find a smoldering coal that could still serve to begin a real fire. Desperate, TJ dropped a couple handfuls of pine needles in, and one luckily found the necessary spark to flare to life. As patiently as he could, TJ fed more and more of the dry brown tinder into the growing flame before again building up his fire.


    With both hands held over the growing, crackling flames, TJ finally realized he had another flashing System notification. When he opened it, he needed to reread it several times to fully understand what he was being told.


    The Participant has received Divine guidance. This is a rare occurrence, and the Divine System suggests you follow it. After all, all the Divines are dead.

 Chapter 6

    TJ regretted a lot of things. The time he¡¯d pissed all over the high school locker room floor as a dare. Or the time that he¡¯d jumped onto a motorcycle he didn¡¯t know how to ride and crashed it into a wall. The time he¡¯d purposely twisted Mari¡¯s words against her in an argument and made her cry. Somewhere between the second and the third was how he felt now, deliberately searching for a rattlesnake to fight mano a mano. Doubting himself and everything he¡¯d done to get to this point, TJ glanced once again at his ¡°Divine guidance¡±.


    Requirements to manifest the ability to harness your bloodline:


    <ol>


    <li> Locate a rattlesnake.


    2. Defeat the rattlesnake with your bare hands.


    3. Consume the rattlesnake whole.</li>


    </ol>


    The Feathered Serpent assures you that, if you complete these tasks, even if you are bitten, you will not need to worry about the rattlesnake¡¯s venom.


    The hours until sunrise had passed fitfully, TJ unable to sleep once he¡¯d seen this latest assignment from the System. Or, from Kukulkan himself, if his dream was to be believed. The guttering flames and incessant questioning of the System were all that could occupy his mind. Could he actually do it?


    No matter how many times the System assured him that, This is a rare occurrence, and the Divine System suggests you follow it, TJ had been taught from when he was a little kid that you didn¡¯t mess with rattlesnakes. His tough as old boots grandpa had killed one once with a bowie knife from about 10 feet away. The damn geezer had then chased the 11 year old TJ around with the corpse, promising that it ¡°probably¡± wouldn¡¯t bite TJ if it touched him. He¡¯d cried for almost an hour afterwards, and TJ¡¯s mom had chewed her father out for it.


    ¡°I really shouldn¡¯t do this.¡± TJ muttered to himself as his stiff fingers lifted a bough of prickly branches. The System had warned him that even using the pelts of the coyotes as improvised armor could keep him from qualifying. There wouldn¡¯t be second chances if he was being deceived about the venom of the rattlesnake. People could survive a bite, but only with the proper antivenin. There wouldn¡¯t be any chance for TJ to reach a hospital with the proper equipment. Even so, that deep feeling in his core that he needed to follow this avenue offered to him kept TJ hiking forward, checking under large rocks and under thick scrub brush whenever he thought a snake could live there.


    The hike continued, and TJ grew more and more antsy as he went. He¡¯d taken the time delaying leaving to go to his possible death by cooking up some more of the coyote meat. It hadn¡¯t gone bad yet, he supposed, but TJ didn¡¯t think he could eat any more of it without risking food poisoning or worse. Maybe it was his imagination, but he swore that his sour stomach wasn¡¯t anxiety or nerves but the beginnings of his ignominious death by diarrhea induced dehydration.


    And, of course, when he was whining about his upset tummy was when the rattlesnake struck from under a rock TJ poked his head under. The fangs flashed, and pain erupted in TJ¡¯s nose. The snake held on for an extra moment to deliver its venomous payload. He reached up and wrenched it free. Unprompted, a System notification appeared in his vision, distracting him.


    Warning: you are suffering from a Severe Poisoned affliction (Dirt). You will continue to lose 20 HP a minute until the Poison condition is cured. Current HP: 107/140


    ¡°Fuck!¡± he screamed as his nose and eyes burned. With a quick thought, TJ dismissed the notification as he looked at the ambushing asshole. The snake was huge, bigger than any rattlesnake TJ had ever heard of. When he held it out in his outstretched hand, there was still half the snake dragging on the ground, so like 12 feet long. Though TJ held its head, and thus the only dangerous part out from his body, he got the distinct sense the snake was still threatening. He hadn¡¯t thought to look at its tail, still under the rock it had struck from. That same tail shot out of the shadows, tipped not with a rattle but a scorpion¡¯s stinger.


    Only barely did TJ react in time, jerking his right hand out of the path of the needle-sharp appendage. Unfortunately, in his panic, he dropped the snake.


    ¡°Oh no you don¡¯t!¡± He screamed as the stupid thing slithered as fast as it could away from him. He lunged, knees scraping painfully against the rocky dirt. His left hand caught the tail of the devil-snake just above where the stinger still threatened him, a gob of venom dripping from the tip. Held back from its escape, the rattlesnake whirled back at TJ, and though he had the presence of mind to keep hold of its tail, it used his anchoring hand as a reference point to strike. Its fangs struck true once again and sent another lethal dose of venom into his left hand.


    Through the agony, confusion, and frustration, TJ kept hold of the snake with his left and grabbed its skull with his right. Its stinger in one hand and face in the other, TJ had the snake like a jump rope. Without another thought but pure fear-driven rage, he whipped it into the ground again and again, the body thumping heavily with every strike. After the fourth devastating smash, TJ somehow tweaked his back and he roared in anger as the snake¡¯s broken body slumped from his fingers. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    It still hissed a threat as TJ went to end it. Its tail twitched threateningly, and TJ stomped down on the tail, the six inches of chitin cracking audibly as he did so. Then, as the rattlesnake attempted to flee again, he grasped it behind the head. The little bastard had bitten him, twice! An unnatural anger surged in TJ¡¯s chest, and he screamed into its face, ¡°You pathetic reptile! You think you can compare to the Feathered Serpent? A god!¡± Then, without thinking about it, he opened his mouth unnaturally wide and, with a single chomp, bit the rattlesnake¡¯s head off.


    Serket-blessed Rattlesnake, Level 3, Slain. Experience gained. Majority of experience stored until acquisition of Class. Small portion of experience allocated to Savage Occupation. Zealot Class acquisition requirements progress: 4/5


    Warning: you are suffering from a severe Poisoned affliction (Dirt). You will continue to lose 20 HP a minute until the Poison condition is cured. Current HP: 86/140


    Ignoring the appearance of the System notification, the iron taste of blood exploded in his mouth, and TJ gagged and spit the head out. Why did he just do that? The blood was horrendous, and he¨C


    ¡°Oh, shit. Shit shit shitshitshit.¡± He needed to eat the thing whole. TJ was going to die in just a couple minutes unless he somehow completed the instructions that Kukulkan/the System had given him. Gagging on blood and his own human instincts, TJ picked the head back up and shoved it into his mouth. The severed head was at least the size of an adult man¡¯s hand, and a part of TJ wondered how he was getting the whole thing into his mouth, but he didn¡¯t allow himself to think about it any longer. Instead, with the head slowly choking him, TJ raised the rest of the rattlesnake like a giant spaghetti noodle to his mouth. He swallowed.


    And again. And again. And then, his hands no longer held the rattlesnake¡¯s corpse. As a matter of fact, his hands no longer existed. Neither did his legs. He laid on the ground, his throat muscles contracting almost reflexively as the rattlesnake was forced deeper and deeper. It took nearly a minute for the huge serpent to disappear fully down TJ¡¯s throat, and as it did, another System notification appeared.


    Congratulations! You have qualified to acquire the Neophyte Class! Would you like to acquire the Class?


    ¡°Thissssss issss different than before. What issss happening?¡± TJ spoke, the ¡°s¡¯s¡± unnaturally and unwillfully long and sibilant.


    WARNING: The System can give you additional information about the class before acquisition. However, you are suffering from a severe Poisoned affliction (Dirt). You will continue to lose 20 HP a minute until the Poison condition is cured, and the acquisition of the Neophyte Class will cure your severe Poisoned affliction. Current HP: 39/140


    ¡°Yessss! Acccccept!¡±


    Class: Neophyte unlocked. You have seen the Zealot¡¯s simplicity, the Acolyte¡¯s frailty, and the Disciple¡¯s weakness and you deny them all. You are ready to embrace the Divinity within and allow that Divinity itself to fuel you in body and soul. The Neophyte can display the Zealot¡¯s brute force, the Acolyte¡¯s cunning, and the Disciple¡¯s guidance. You are a Neophyte, the apex of your Divine Bloodline. Per level attributes gained at the Dirt level of Divinity: Endurance +3, Vitality +3, Toughness +2, Wisdom +1, Intelligence +1, Perception +1, Willpower +2, Fixation +2, Free Points +1.


    Class: Neophyte acquired


    Class: Neophyte has advanced to level 1.


    Attribute points allocated: Endurance +3, Vitality +3, Toughness +2, Wisdom +1, Intelligence +1, Perception +1, Willpower +2, Fixation +2, Free Points +1. Additional Free Points currently available.


    Class Skill: Divine Transformation acquired.


    As a result of your Divine Transformation into a lesser coatl, you have been cleansed of all poisons from below the Copper tier.


    TJ allowed himself to breathe easy, seeing that this snake-like form he¡¯d somehow gained kept him from dying. Then, he finally allowed himself to take in the information about this new Class he¡¯d managed to gain. ¡°That¡¯sss way better than the Ssssssavage¡¯ssss attributessss!¡± He immediately complained once he say the bonuses from his new Class.


    The total number of attributes granted per level of Occupation: Savage is 15. The total number of attributes gained per level of Class: Neophyte at the Dirt Level of Divinity is 16. A deviation of 6.25% is unremarkable at this level.


    After a moment¡¯s thought, TJ realized that, of course, the System was correct. Instead of thinking about any perceived injustices he was currently suffering, TJ took the moment to look at himself as best as he could.


    His shorts and jacket were still wrapped around him, though they no longer fit. The ¡°torso¡± of this snake body was just a little bit smaller than as thick as his neck was, going off of how he fit through his jacket¡¯s neckline. If he was to guess, this snake, or coatl body was about 20 feet long, and he experimentally slithered out of his clothes. His new body, as he feared to think of it as, was patterned with stripes and scales of varying shades of green and red. As his body undulated, he realized that the serpentine movement came surprisingly easily to him, and TJ curiously stuck his nose into the rattlesnake¡¯s den. It was a sorry affair, filled with its feces, sour air, and nothing else.


    TJ turned his snout up at the hovel the pathetic reptile had occupied and couldn¡¯t help but notice out of the corner of his eye a couple of feathers attached to his head. Wondering if he looked like the Kukulkan in his dreams, TJ instead looked at his discarded clothing. What was he going to do about this? ¡°Am I sssstuck assss a ssssnake?¡± TJ dreaded to ask.


    Your current form as a coatl is due to the activation of your Class Skill: Divine Transformation. Most Neophytes fight through the transformation of their bodies, and the duration of the transformation is dependent upon an aggregate sum of the Participant¡¯s Endurance, Vitality, Willpower, and Fixation and divided by 4. With your current attributes, you can spend up to 14 minutes in a row while under the influence of your Divine Transformation before needing to take twice as long as a recovery period. The duration and limitations of this Skill will change as the Skill progresses.


    Damn. And¡­ what exactly does this Skill do for me?

 Chapter 7

    Skill: Divine Transformation (Copper); The default Skill of the Neophyte Class. This active Skill allows Neophytes to transform part or all of their bodies to better reflect the divine form of their Bloodline Origin. As a Participant with the Bloodline of Kukulkan, the Copper level of the Divine Transformation Skill transforms you into a coatl, a feathered serpent. As you progress in potency of your level of Divinity, your Divine Transformation Skill will improve. If you progress to the higher tiers of Divinity, beginning at Ruthenium, you will be able to adjust your Divine Transformation in accordance with your will.


    Remaining time for Divine Transformation before forced reversion to Human: 12:07


    Though there was so much to unpack from what the Skill and System were telling him, TJ couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Can I change the labels for Divinity? They make no sense to me, and I¡¯m never going to remember all that.¡±


    As you continue to progress towards the Divine Throne, you mind will advance and allow you to better retain all information. Nonetheless, you can add a numeric to the rankings of the Divinity.


    ¡°Do that then.¡±


    The different levels of Divinity have been assigned as follows: Dirt (0), Copper (I), Silver (II), Gold (III), Platinum (IV), Palladium (V), Rhodium (VI), Ruthenium (VII), Iridium (VIII), Osmium (IX), Orichalcum (X).


    ¡°And why is my Divine Transformation Skill of a higher level of Divinity than I am?¡±


    As a Neophyte, your Divine Transformation Skill will always remain at a higher tier of Divinity than your own. The other Classes eventually gain this Skill, but cannot progress beyond their current tier of Divinity until they reach the higher tiers.


    Interested, TJ looked at his Status to see how everything had changed


    Status Sheet


    Name: TJ (Thiago Jorge) Harris IV


    Race: Coatl ¨C lvl 1


    Class: Neophyte lvl 1


    Occupation: Savage lvl 2


    Level of Divinity: Dirt (0)


    Divine Bloodline: Kukulkan


    Health Points (HP): 280/280


    Mana Points (MP): 110/110


    Stamina: 260/260


    Attributes


    Strength x2: 20


    Agility x1.5: 14


    Endurance x2: 32


    Vitality x2: 34


    Toughness x2: 30


    Wisdom: 12


    Intelligence: 11


    Perception x1.5: 18


    Willpower: 16


    Fixation: 7


    Free Points: 3


    Titles: Irregular


    ¡°My transformation doubles my attributes? Damn. I made the right decision.¡±


    Every Class has its strengths. By dint of their Class Skill: Divine Transformation, Neophytes often enjoy an immediate advantage over the other Classes in their physical attributes. However, since the Class does not, at the Dirt tier, provide any bonuses to Strength or Agility, Zealot and Acolyte Classed Participants quickly outpace them in both. The Disciple Classed Participants gain access to their Divine Workings earlier than the other Classed Participants.


    Even so, TJ was happy to continue thinking of himself as the superior Class. After all, he wasn¡¯t cold any more. In fact, he was toasty, and actually comfortable for the first time since he¡¯d been teleported or phased or whatever out here. For a moment, he wanted to just relax in this form, but that timer he¡¯d seen before reappeared in his mind¡¯s eye.


    Remaining time for Divine Transformation before forced reversion to Human: 10:38


    The timer continued ticking down, and TJ refused to lose this life-saving Skill¡¯s availability because he was cold. Before he could even think to ask the System how to disable the Skill, he felt something almost like an internal switch and flipped it. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    TJ¡¯s whole body seized up as the cold struck him like a hammer. He was naked, the front of his body coated with drying rattlesnake blood as well as his own, and he felt his extremity attempt to turtle into his torso.


    ¡°F-f-f-f-f-f-f-fuuuuuuuuuu¨C¡± he shivered as he struggled to get back into his clothes. The coyote hides were too much of a hindrance to easily shrug into, and instead, TJ pulled his boxers and shorts up before shrugging on his jacket as quickly as he could. The clothing had already chilled on the stone, and TJ fought to pull his shoes and socks back on with wildly trembling fingers. After too long, the sneakers were back on, and TJ began his journey back up to his camp from the night before.


    ¡°Why did I lose my clothes when I used my Skill? Kukulkan didn¡¯t in my dream.¡± TJ asked at the System as he hiked. ¡°I mean, it should be the same Skill, right?¡±


    Kukulkan had already reached the Osmium (IX) tier of Divinity. He was able to do many things beyond your comprehension.


    Though the tone was the same as always, TJ could feel the mockery. He sighed and continued putting one foot in front of the other, but was blessed with additional information from the System.


    As you grow to greater heights, you will learn many applications for your Skills. In addition, as you practice with individual Skills, you will gain greater flexibility in your usage of each Skill.


    ¡°How will I get new Skills? How can I progress my Divinity? Hell, I feel like I just get more and more questions and fewer answers.¡±


    To know all is the realm of the One who sits on the Divine Throne. However, you will gain a new Skill every five levels in your Occupation and Class. All Classes and Occupations gain the same Skill at level one, ie, Divine Transformation and Primitive Craftsmanship respectively in your case. From there, each individual will be offered a different Skill that reflects the Path that they are taking towards the Divine Throne. The next tier of Divinity is typically achieved at the Race level 25. However, there is no guarantee, as it is dependent upon the individual¡¯s growth and acquisition of the divine.


    Without saying it aloud, worried what might happen if he did, TJ wondered if he could just¡­ not go to the Throne. He just wanted his son back, and becoming God didn¡¯t much matter to him. Let someone else do it, just let him get back to his boy, safe and sound.


    TJ¡¯s search to find the rattlesnake had taken over an hour, but in reality, he hadn¡¯t ranged more than half a mile from his camp. He pushed through the pokey bushes, the peak nearly in sight. Something, maybe the slight upgrades to his Perception from the levels he¡¯d gained, or just a primeval instinct, warned him that something was approaching. Having been bitten more than enough by supposedly not dangerous wildlife enough already, TJ didn¡¯t hesitate to channel his Divine Transformation.


    As his body seamlessly shifted to have scales and feathers, TJ slithered out of his clothes as he left them behind. His tongue flickered, tasting the air. Mammal. Warm. Nearby. His head whipped to the side, the heat of the sneakily approaching coyote drawing him closer. With a hiss of warning, TJ lunged forward. His scales scraped along the ground with a pleasant sound as the coyote yipped in surprise and fear. His mouth opened wide, TJ struck. His fangs sunk deep into the coyote¡¯s front leg, and bones snapped in response. He worked his jaw, pulling the unwilling creature deeper into his maw.


    At his tail, a second, and then a third coyote struck. Their fangs scraped and fought to find purchase in TJ¡¯s flesh, but his scales turned the sharp teeth from tearing into his body. The coatl raised the coyote it was biting into the air before smashing it down into the ground and stunning it. Though it was loathe to, it left its prey there as its tail whipped wildly behind it. One of the assailants pulled back, afraid. The other was foolish. The serpent¡¯s tail wrapped around its neck.


    With a burst of movement, the coatl constricted the coyote¡¯s windpipe and wrapped it in folds of its coils. It crushed its prey, ignoring its cries for help and mercy. The coyote whimpered and wheezed, and went silent as the coatl broke its neck. Even with the flashing of a System notification, it wasn¡¯t finished. The third prey had long since fled, but the first was only now stumbling to its feet. The coatl rushed the struggling coyote, its jaws finding the canine¡¯s throat. It crunched down as, again, it wrapped its prey in its coils. Crunching of bone was music to its ears, and as the coyote succumbed to its fate, the coatl disjointed its jaws and began the process of swallowing its prey whole.


    Though it had already eaten its fill today, in times of plenty, one needed to fill its belly. With a pleasant flexion of its muscles in its throat, the coatl swallowed its prey inch by inch. The hair tickled its nose, and the coatl forced itself to swallow more quickly than it wanted. Three minutes later, the coyote¡¯s corpse was fully hidden in the serpent¡¯s gullet, and TJ returned to himself.


    Remaining time for Divine Transformation before forced reversion to Human: 2:52


    Disgusted, TJ flicked the switch to return to his human form. He was on his hands and knees, buck-ass naked, again. The cold settled into his bones as TJ gathered his clothes in one arm and the remaining coyote body in his other. Without bothering with socks, he thrust his feet into his untied shoes and tromped up to his camp. Unsurprisingly, there were still plenty of banked coals in his firepit, and with a minute¡¯s ministrations, the fire was back and roaring.


    TJ rubbed his hands fiercely over the fire and tried to warm himself as he pulled his shorts back on. For now, he didn¡¯t bother with his jacket, instead rubbing his torso with his arms vigorously as he stomped in place to keep his blood pumping as his mind raced.


    While he had transformed into a snake, or coatl, or whatever, he had truly become that animal. He¡¯d acted like one. Hunted like one. Fed like one. Though he wanted to ask what had happened, since he absolutely couldn¡¯t digest an entire coyote and rattlesnake like the ones he¡¯d just eaten in quick succession, that wasn¡¯t important.


    Swallowing a rattlesnake and coyote whole was, admittedly, disgusting. He could still taste the fur and blood and dirt. It turned his stomach to remember his teeth breaking bone. TJ loved animals, and this had been the final straw. He never wanted to do that again. Even so¡­ he forced himself to look at his System notifications.


    2 Coyotes, Level 1-2, Slain. Experience gained.


    Class: Neophyte has advanced to level 2.


    Attribute points allocated: Endurance +3, Vitality +3, Toughness +2, Wisdom +1, Intelligence +1, Perception +1, Willpower +2, Fixation +2, Free Points +1. Additional Free Points currently available.


    Race: Human has advanced to level 2.


    Attribute points allocated: Strength +1, Agility +1, Endurance +1, Vitality +2, Toughness +1, Wisdom +1, Intelligence +1, Perception +1, Willpower +1, Fixation +2. Additional Free Points currently available.


    This world wanted to kill him. And, it was getting stronger. If he didn¡¯t he would die, and Junior might too. He couldn¡¯t allow that. So, he would kill. And he would devour. And he would grow. Until TJ could save his son.

 Chapter 8

    TJ didn¡¯t feel hungry at all as he spent half an hour waiting for his Divine Transformation timer to reset. Now that his Endurance, Vitality, Willpower, and Fixation had grown, his current transformation limit was 18 minutes, and his recovery time twice that. Somehow, he felt full but not bloated from all that he¡¯d eaten as a coatl, so TJ set to skinning the coyote body he hadn¡¯t swallowed whole with the time he had before he returned to the snowy peak.


    Though his previous experience definitely helped, TJ could feel the difference that Primitive Craftsmanship offered with every movement. The sharpened stone cut cleanly through flesh and skin, and with long, smooth pulls of his blade, fat and meat scraped clean from the skin. Additionally, as he clumsily cured the pelt, TJ understood where to hold it over the smoke to best clean the raw skin. Even more so, he knew that he¡¯d failed to create pelts that would last more than a couple of days. He didn¡¯t use the right materials or time, but that couldn¡¯t matter right now. His next goals were clear, and he knew what to do.


    Thirty minutes after his Divine Transformation timer was refilled, TJ set out towards the nearby peak with one more coyote pelt. When he looked closely at it, he got the sense that he could almost see something more, something to do with the System about it, but no matter how long he looked, nothing else appeared and so he wrapped it around his torso under his jacket to keep his core as warm as possible. His mouth was dry, though not painfully so. Evidently, swallowing two creatures, blood and all, was helping to hydrate TJ at least a little, and there was a quarter of his water bottle still remaining.


    His journey to the snowy peak was uneventful, but TJ felt the difference in his body¡¯s capabilities with each step. Since the last hike there, he¡¯d gained 6 levels, two of each his Class, Occupation, and Race, and though his Strength and Agility attributes hadn¡¯t changed as much as the others, the hike that he¡¯d needed to stop to take a breather on just the day before now wasn¡¯t more difficult than a light jog on flat ground. The blisters and soreness that had inevitably appeared before had healed overnight, and TJ could tell that he wouldn¡¯t be nearly so tired after his hiking today. Beyond that, the hike had taken him nearly half an hour yesterday, but today, it was well under twenty minutes.


    At the peak, TJ watched the slowly rising sun for a couple minutes. He¡¯d been up when the first light tinged the horizon, and though it¡¯d been almost three hours from then until now, the mountains surrounding him kept the warm light from washing over him until he stood on that lone peak. Though surrounded by snow and still shivering, TJ relished the sun and stretched wide. Finally, TJ stooped to gather handfuls of the icy snow into his water bottle. Without hours of sunlight and the warmth of midday to thaw it, the snow was now sheets of ice, and his fingers immediately stiffened with the chill.


    After five minutes of painful effort, TJ¡¯s water bottle was pressed full of ice with a little water, and he again shook it vigorously to try to melt some of the ice, to limited success. It wasn¡¯t long before he gave up on the endeavor, instead breaking up a handful of ice and shoving it in his mouth. The chill slowly spread through his mouth, down his throat, and into his core, but TJ shrugged it off and made sure he¡¯d sighted his goal¨Cthe log cabin. It would be over five miles, as far as he could tell. He¡¯d never been the best at estimating distances, and he¡¯d guessed at six to seven miles yesterday. Maybe it was Neophyte or Savage or just the insanity of his situation, but TJ today thought he¡¯d overestimated that by a mile or two.


    Now, with a goal, a Class, and an Occupation, TJ set off towards the homestead.


    With each thudding step down the mountain, TJ¡¯s mind cleared. The panic from Junior¡¯s disappearance still weighed on TJ¡¯s soul, the fear about if he was losing his mind, the rage at whatever it was that was doing this, each negative emotion had hung like a cloud over his head over the past day. And they still did, and, barring the revelation that TJ was, in fact, totally losing his mind, they would continue to bother him. If some machine or System or whatever decided that it was going to upend everything and throw his life into the blender of insanity and violence, TJ was going to have to drink the madness smoothie.


    For himself, for his son.


    And so, he needed to train and familiarize himself with his new reality. TJ only had the one active Skill at the moment, Divine Transformation, and he could confidently say that it would be what kept him alive from now on. He also had his Primitive Craftsmanship, but that wouldn¡¯t be what helped him right now. There were also the 4 Free Points he needed to allocate at some point, but TJ couldn¡¯t be sure what would be most helpful to him right now and in the future. He had no other Skills, or any idea what the next ones would be, even though he¡¯d asked the System, he¡¯d gotten no response. Strength and Agility were immediately appealing, since they¡¯d assist his Divine Transformation, but would he later get a Skill that changed how his attributes shifted from his coatl body? Fixation was low, but it was one of his most quickly growing attributes. Wisdom, Intelligence, and Perception didn¡¯t seem to do much for him right now, but would leaving them behind screw him over in the long run?Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    With a sigh, TJ left the Free Points alone, for now. If there was anything even remotely dangerous that appeared, like the unlikely mountain lion or black bear, he¡¯d dump all of them into his Strength, but until then, he could only practice his new Skill. He knew that he could keep his clothes, at least, when he transformed, and keeping his backpack would be ideal. Maybe, that was something that would just come with time. But if he ended up buck naked every time he had to fight, then that¡¯d suck in a big way.


    That was how TJ ended up, every minute or so, stopping in his tracks, channeling Divine Transformation, and trying to keep his clothes with him, somehow.


    Initially, he held completely still, eyes closed and concentrating when he shifted. Only once his body was fully serpentine would TJ open his eyes. And, for the first five attempts, he opened them to see his clothing, backpack, and shoes still on him. Then, he took a moment to look around, still without moving, with his enhanced senses before shifting back to a human. The first time he shifted back, his jacket had somehow gotten fully turned around backwards with neither of his arms in the sleeves. Both of his legs were painfully crammed into one leg of gym shorts, while both feet were bare and his backpack laid upside down on the ground.


    The second time, his clothes were still strewn about him. When he shifted back, both his legs were in the correct leg holes, but somehow his boxers had been left behind. His jacket was twisted 90 degrees, and the backpack was, again, left behind. Socks were on, though twisted around.


    The third time, he was convinced that he could feel the jacket merging with him as he channeled the Skill. Sure enough, his jacket was nowhere to be seen after shifting, and on his return, his clothing was mostly in order on his body. His backpack was nowhere near being on his shoulders, though.


    Keeping that in mind, on and on he practiced. After an hour, TJ could shift and bring his clothes with him, so long as he stayed in place before, during, and after the transformation. Even so, there was no progress on his backpack coming along. He focused instead on his ability to move as he shifted. While slowly walking and shifting, TJ left behind just both socks, bizarrely enough. Then, confusing him again, when he shifted, everything but his backpack disappeared as usual, but when he returned to his human body, his stupid jacket was backwards.


    ¡°This¡¯ll take more practice.¡± TJ muttered to himself, two hours into his hike at this point. He¡¯d made good time, he thought. Maybe halfway to where he thought the cabin was? Then, when he was about to begin one of his regularly scheduled transformations, TJ heard a rustle in the bushes. Without a thought, he channeled his Divine Transformation. Faster than ever before, TJ became a coatl, his scales scraping on the earth underfoot. Or, underbelly.


    Three heat signatures. He could taste them. Coyotes. His belly was still full from this morning, and TJ resolved not to overfill his coatl stomach. The comedy of a very fat snake fighting for Divinity wasn¡¯t lost on him, but TJ pursued the nearest canine. Significantly larger than the rest of the other five or so of the scavengers he¡¯d seen thus far, the coyote snarled its challenge.


    A mere dog dared to challenge a divine serpent? One of the feathered ones! An unplaced pride swelled in TJ, and he somehow roared a hiss at the coyote. More air than should have been possible rushed from TJ¡¯s maw, and a gust of wind blew his enemy¡¯s ears back. Even so, there was no need to delay, as TJ could feel the other two approaching. He struck with his jaws, but the dog danced back out of reach. Again he lunged forward, to no avail. A third time, and he bit only air.


    Reacting on instinct, TJ struck a fourth time, but with a deep inhale as he did so. Again, an unnaturally powerful gust of wind accompanied his attack, but this time, the coyote, airborne and unprepared, was hit. The winds whipped around the canine and pulled it ever so slightly closer to TJ¡¯s attack, and he caught its paw. It whimpered, pained and terrified. TJ didn¡¯t hesitate, his coils speedily enveloping it in scaly death. Cracking of bone followed the forced whoosh of air from its lungs, and TJ released its foot from his bite. It struggled, fighting to escape and survive, but TJ knew and showed no mercy. His jaws flashed, and though his fangs were obviously not made for ripping and tearing, with one, two, three quick bites, TJ broke the coyote¡¯s spine at the base of its skull.


    The iron taste of blood filled his mouth, but before TJ could finish it off or glory in his success, a sharp tear of pain interrupted him. Another coyote, just as large as this one, had torn into the thick center of his body, and different from the ones this morning, its fangs didn¡¯t struggle to pierce his flesh. The coatl, instincts now taking control over TJ¡¯s mind, immediately released the crippled coyote and whirled to face the other two that had finally arrived.


    One, that which was gnawing on his spine, was a little larger than the crippled coyote on the ground. It snarled as it continued to chew, but TJ didn¡¯t care about that one. No, the other, different, black one instilled TJ and the coatl alike an instinctive, deep fear.

 Chapter 9

    There wasn¡¯t time for TJ to evaluate the black coyote. The labrador-sized one continued to chew, and the agony alone was distracting enough. The serpent struck, and with a target so consistently near him, his jaws found purchase. One or more of his many fangs pierced an eye, and the coyote screamed in agony as it was partially blinded. Wetness exploded in the coatl¡¯s mouth, blood and other gore painting his maw. The coyote yipped and released TJ¡¯s body. He, however, did not. For a moment, he tried to constrict this second canine, but the movement sent shocks of cold agony down his spine. Instead, he was forced to clamp his jaws down harder on his prey¡¯s head.


    The torment of his torn body woke TJ a bit from the battle-rage, and he pulled up his HP: 209/440. Additionally, the System gave additional warnings:


    Warning: You are suffering from a major Bleed affliction. You will continue to lose 10 HP a minute until the Bleed condition is cured.


    Warning: You are suffering from a minor Crippling affliction. You will suffer a 20% reduction in Agility until the Crippling condition is cured.


    Shit. His plan had been to put all his Free Points in Strength if he was in danger. Though doubts and agony plagued him, TJ dumped all four into Strength, giving him effectively 30 Strength as a coatl. The even larger black coyote refused to give him any more time to gather himself or kill the normal coyote. Instead, it stepped forward and seized his tail in its jaws before wrenching him backwards. TJ didn¡¯t release the brown coyote¡¯s head, instead sinking his fangs ever deeper into its skull.


    Its jaws clamped closed, it would only whimper and lash out at his face with its paws. TJ held tight, biting down with even more force as his body began to cool. He was dying, and was sure to, unless he could kill this coyote, and it gave him a level up. As the black coyote pulled and bit down more and more, TJ began to lose hope. He couldn¡¯t kill this coyote quickly enough. His HP ticked down as his ribs and massive wound smashed again and again against the ground.


    170/440.


    136/440.


    93/440.


    59/440.


    500/500.


    A rush of strength and excitement surged through TJ. The limp body of the coyote in his jaws stopped pulling against him, and TJ released it.


    Coyote, Level 5, Slain. Experience gained.


    Class: Neophyte has advanced to level 3.


    Attribute points allocated: Endurance +3, Vitality +3, Toughness +2, Wisdom +1, Intelligence +1, Perception +1, Willpower +2, Fixation +2, Free Points +1. Additional Free Points currently available.


    He looked down his long body and watched the bloody, maimed section of his torso close over. The major Bleeding and minor Crippling afflictions disappeared, and TJ hissed an additional challenge at the huge black coyote. As he struck at its face, it, unfortunately, let go quick enough to escape.


    With a moment to evaluate it, TJ could truly see the beast for what it was. Its ears extended higher and more narrowly than the other coyotes¡¯, and its fur was pure, pitch black. Worryingly, it stood nearly four feet tall at the shoulder, and those same shoulders rippled with uncharacteristic muscle. The forelegs were tipped by feet, but a thumb extended from the inside of its legs, too short to grab anything yet. TJ¡¯s hiss went without response, and the black coyote circled him silently.


    When compared to all the other coyote¡¯s he¡¯d seen and fought, the silence was off-putting, but the murderous beast continued to circle without a sound beyond the shuffling of its feet and quiet breathing. TJ fought to calm himself, ready his attack, anything. This thing was different from all the others, and TJ knew he was in danger, so he fought to ensure he survived. Even so, it continued to circle, and TJ knew he couldn¡¯t recklessly lunge forward to strike. If it caught the base of his skull, he would be dead.


    A tense minute passed, and TJ couldn¡¯t help but look down at his Divine Transformation timer: 15:42. Plenty of time, but if this thing was patient enough to wear him down, TJ would be left without any weapon or recourse. The thought sent a shiver down his spine, but accompanying it was another, perhaps wiser thought. Another 30 seconds passed while he tried to work up the courage to enact the plan, then, with a deep breath, TJ shifted back.


    Immediately, the wind on his naked body leached every bit of warmth from him. Shivering, unarmed, and more scared than he¡¯d ever been before, TJ gasped, looked the coyote straight in its face, and turned to escape.


    Its predatory nature stoked, the monster, still eerily silent, began the chase. TJ¡¯s feet complained at the rough treatment, but he couldn¡¯t care about that. Instead, he ran, panicked breaths coming quickly. He looked over his shoulder, and the canine was gaining on him. He glanced forward, a thick bush cutting off his path, and when his eyes found the coyote¡¯s once again, he swore it was enjoying his fear. It leapt, fangs flashing and seeking his throat. TJ seamlessly fell to the ground in his coatl form before striking up with his jaws opened wide.


    The coyote, though surprised, reacted quickly, and leapt into another jump as soon as it landed. It was too late, and TJ¡¯s fangs found purchase in the flesh of the coyote¡¯s thigh. Once the creature couldn¡¯t keep any more distance from him, TJ relaxed, since his victory was assured. He wrapped his coils around the blackened beast, and the constriction set bones to cracking immediately. TJ released his bite, adjusting to snap his jaws into his prey¡¯s neck¨CThe author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    It leapt forward, and much of TJ¡¯s body slipped right off the silky fur of the coyote. One coil remained wrapped around its lower torso, but the coyote didn¡¯t hesitate. It turned and its fangs bit deep into the center of TJ¡¯s mass. He hissed in agony as it attempted to rip his body from around its own, but TJ didn¡¯t allow it. Pushing through the pain of the coyote¡¯s retribution, TJ struck out, his fangs not finding purchase on the coyote¡¯s head. Only on the thick muscle of the coyote¡¯s shoulder did his fangs finally sink deep enough to keep the beast from escaping.


    Even while he bit and fought to envelop the coyote in his attack, it refused to give up. Its canines dug ever deeper into TJ¡¯s belly while it whipped its head wildly back and forth, trying to dislodge him. TJ didn¡¯t release the coyote¡¯s shoulder, though, and instead he wrapped his tail around its neck.


    Though it hadn¡¯t yipped or howled since it had begun stalking him, the coyote¡¯s breath hitched as TJ¡¯s tail began to crush its windpipe. TJ, with the strength of three men, twisted and wrenched and pulverized bone in the coyote¡¯s neck until, with its lungs fighting for breath, it collapsed to breathe no more. A notification appeared, but TJ paid it no mind for now. Instead, he slithered towards the first, still living but immobile coyote. Its eyes flew wildly all over, but he couldn¡¯t show any mercy at this time. With a constriction of his aching body, TJ snapped the neck of the last coyote. He was amazed to feel the rejuvenation of a level up when he slew the third, but as he checked his notifications, that amazement gave way to confusion.


    Anubis-blessed Coyote, level 6, Slain. Experience gained.


    Coyote, Level 5, Slain. Experience gained.


    Class: Neophyte has advanced to level 4.


    Attribute points allocated: Endurance +3, Vitality +3, Toughness +2, Wisdom +1, Intelligence +1, Perception +1, Willpower +2, Fixation +2, Free Points +1. Additional Free Points currently available.


    Occupation: Savage has advanced to level 3.


    Attribute points allocated: Strength +1, Agility +1, Endurance +2, Vitality +1, Toughness +2, Wisdom +1, Intelligence +1, Perception +2, Willpower +2, Fixation +1, Free Points +1. Additional Free Point available.


    Race: Human has advanced to level 3.


    Attribute points allocated: Strength +1, Agility +1, Endurance +1, Vitality +2, Toughness +1, Wisdom +1, Intelligence +1, Perception +1, Willpower +1, Fixation +2. Additional Free Points currently available.


    Even with so much new information, TJ, still a coatl, collapsed to the ground, shuddering. With the rattlesnake, he¡¯d been near death and afraid, but everything had moved so quickly that the wonder of gaining his new Class and surviving had washed that terror away. Now¡­ he¡¯d nearly died. The coyotes were getting stronger, and faster than he was. Their levels grew so much in one day, so could he still keep up with them in another day? Would they slow down? When he asked, the System gave him nothing, so instead, TJ laid on the ground, his scales trembling with adrenaline and coming down from the panic of his past two days. Finally, taking a short time to compose himself, TJ could think coherently once again.


    ¡°Wh¨C¡± The series of questions burning in TJ¡¯s mind clamored for his attention, until finally he settled on the first, ¡°Why was that black one special? What¡¯s Anubis? That rattlesnake I killed before said something about that, but I forgot to ask about it.¡± Somehow, with a greater familiarity with his serpent body, TJ no longer struggled with the ¡°s¡±s.


    All sapient life that lives is a holder of one of the Divine Bloodlines. Sentient life can qualify for a blessing of one of the holders of Divinity. Anubis, the Egyptian god of Jackals, embalming, and judgment, blessed the black coyote with alacrity and intelligence. Serket, the lesser Egyptian goddess of healing from venom and infections, blessed the rattlesnake with a more potent venom.


    ¡°But the venom was only a minor affliction, right?¡±


    Serket¡¯s blessing bestowed the scorpion¡¯s tail to the rattlesnake. You were never struck by its stinger, which could have overwhelmed your current coatl¡¯s body¡¯s resistances.


    A shiver ran down TJ¡¯s back. Rattlesnakes, still very dangerous. ¡°But how are creatures being blessed by the Divines who came before? You said that all the Divines are dead.¡±


    All the Divines are dead. Their remnants, though mostly unable to interact with the world during the Integration, can give occasional guidance. There are additional pieces of information to which you have no clearance to learn at your current level of Divinity.


    ¡°Ok,¡± TJ sighed, ¡°so how did Savage level up? I thought that killing things only gave my Class experience?¡±


    The System has already addressed this. Savage, as an Occupation, is a generalist that can gain experience through crafting, hunting, or leading. The only requirement for the Savage is that, whatever they do to gain experience for their Occupation, they must do so with tools and implements that they created for themselves. The coatl body created through Divine Transformation qualifies as an implement that you have created for yourself, and so, you gain a reduced quantity of experience from hunting as a coatl.


    ¡°Why is it reduced, if it qualifies?¡±


    Savage is not one of the very few ¡°combat-oriented¡± Occupations. Instead, as a generalist, it gains a reduced quantity of experience from many activities. Later, the Occupation can evolve to a more production, administrative, or combative focused subclass of the basic Savage Occupation.


    Though not exactly what he wanted, that was enough, and TJ nodded. ¡°Then, how can I know how close I am to the next level? I just get told I get experience, now how much or how much I need to the next level.¡±


    That information is not shared. Do know that the more difficult a task, the more experience gained. The relative proximity to the next level is something that can be sensed, though. With a greater level of familiarity with your own state and self, you will be better able to understand the relative closeness of your next level.


    TJ thought for a moment and fought to feel that familiarity, but was left at a loss. Again, just like when looking at the coyote pelts he¡¯d created, there was a vague sense that he could potentially figure something out, but it continued to elude him. The near understanding tickled at the back of his mind, and it was nearly painful. Then, without warning, TJ was shunted out of his coatl form and left naked and shivering in the stupid chilling winds. With his arms crossed in front of himself to fight to keep warm, TJ trekked over to where he¡¯d involuntarily left his clothing behind. Worse still, the clothes would be freezing by now, and he couldn¡¯t even use Divine Transformation to warm up for a while.


    He cursed to himself as his feet caught on the tough stones underfoot, hoping he could quickly get dressed, while wondering if he still remembered where that cabin was.

 Chapter 10

    Once clothed, TJ took special care to stay unnoticed for several minutes as his Divine Transformation timer ticked up to 2:00. In total, with his new attributes, he could remain transformed for 26 minutes. Though he strained his ears to listen to anything that approached, the whistling wind, groaning trees, and rustling brush didn¡¯t tip him off to anything. With a sigh, TJ, instead of worrying needlessly, pulled up his status sheet.


    Status Sheet


    Name: TJ (Thiago Jorge) Harris IV


    Race: Human ¨C lvl 3


    Class: Neophyte lvl 4


    Occupation: Savage lvl 3


    Level of Divinity: Dirt (0)


    Divine Bloodline: Kukulkan


    Health Points (HP): 310/310


    Mana Points (MP): 170/170


    Stamina: 290/290


    Attributes


    Strength: 17


    Agility: 12


    Endurance: 29


    Vitality: 31


    Toughness: 25


    Wisdom: 18


    Intelligence: 17


    Perception: 19


    Willpower: 26


    Fixation: 18


    Free Points: 3


    Skill List:


    Class: Divine Transformation


    Occupation: Primitive Craftsmanship


    Titles: Irregular


    Current total Divine Transformation time: 3:17 / 26:00


    (End+Vit+Will+Fix)/4


    He¡¯d at least doubled every one of his attributes since getting an Occupation only yesterday, and his Class today. He could feel that levelling up would take more and more time, since the slight understanding he¡¯d gained of both Savage and Neophyte warned him that he wasn¡¯t even close on either. Curious to compare, TJ carefully focused to ensure his clothing came with him as he transformed back into a coatl. When he opened his eyes, every article of clothing had disappeared, and he looked once again at the changes.


    Status Sheet


    Name: TJ (Thiago Jorge) Harris IV


    Race: Coatl ¨C lvl 3


    Class: Neophyte lvl 4


    Occupation: Savage lvl 3


    Level of Divinity: Dirt (0)


    Divine Bloodline: Kukulkan


    Health Points (HP): 620/620


    Mana Points (MP): 170/170


    Stamina: 580/580


    Attributes


    Strength x2: 34


    Agility x1.5: 18


    Endurance x2: 58


    Vitality x2: 62


    Toughness x2: 50


    Wisdom: 18


    Intelligence: 17


    Perception x1.5: 28


    Willpower: 26


    Fixation: 18


    Free Points: 3


    Skill List:


    Class: Divine Transformation


    Occupation: Primitive Craftsmanship


    Titles: Irregular


    This snake became so much tougher and stronger than him that it was difficult to understand. With a thought, TJ shifted back to his original form and stretched. ¡°Do I need to always display the whole status?¡±


    Just as when you changed the System¡¯s form of address to you to ¡°you¡± from ¡°Participant Thiago Jorge Harris IV¡±, you can adjust nearly every notification and display that the Divine System gives you. The purpose of the System is to assist all Participants in advancing towards the Divine Throne, thus the System can be adjusted to each Participant¡¯s desires and comfort.


    ¡°Then hide the Skill List. That¡¯ll just get long.¡±


    Skill List hidden.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    He verified with a glance then released the Divine Transformation. TJ stood tall and stretched, the bones in his sternum and shoulders popping pleasantly. To his delight, and a little fear, staying mostly still while only garbed in his pretty shoddy clothes wasn¡¯t as miserable as the day before. Before he began to worry, though, TJ had an epiphany. ¡°Do I not get as cold now that my Vitality is higher?¡±


    Vitality and Endurance allow the Participant to better survive in extreme climates and conditions.


    TJ grinned widely, happy to get some real good news for the first time. He would be demonstrably better suited to life like this. Even so, his smile quickly faded. His son wouldn¡¯t be there, and TJ couldn¡¯t say when he would be able to see him again. Worse, his Strength and Agility were both going to be quickly outclassed. He would swiftly become nearly impossible to kill as his Endurance, Vitality, and Toughness continued to spike, but if he couldn¡¯t do anything to return a hit except for bite and constrict, anything larger than him or even a bit tougher than these coyotes would kill him.


    Even so, TJ couldn¡¯t simply decide to dump every Free Point into Strength. That just was foolish, as far as he was concerned. There had to be a way for each of the Classes to be individually viable, right? If the System could be trusted, which TJ didn¡¯t but had to anyway, then each Class had to have the possibility to become the God that sat on the Throne. A Disciple couldn¡¯t be confined to only heal everyone else, or else they would be mere servants to the Zealots and Acolytes, and the Neophyte couldn¡¯t be limited to taking hits like a video game tank. There had to be something missing.


    As if it had listened to his worries, the System chimed in.


    At each multiple of five, a Participant will experience a marked increase in their capabilities to protect themselves and continue their progress towards the Throne. With each Skill¡¯s acquisition, a Participant can hone their vision for their Path towards true Divinity. If you decide that you would like your Class to provide Skills that assist in your ability to cause harm, then act in such a way that exemplifies your desire to become a God of destruction. If you desire for your Occupation to provide Skills that facilitate your ability to slaughter, then you must engage in slaughter.


    The way the System bluntly presented what TJ feared he would have to become turned his stomach. Even as a spike of anxiety made him lose what little appetite he¡¯d built up, TJ examined himself. For Junior, what would he do? Would he kill coyotes, rattlesnakes, bears, and mountain lions? Absolutely, and without hesitation. Would he take things from others, things that would help another person?


    Throughout his life, TJ had considered himself a generally kind person, willing to share and go out of his way to help people. That wasn¡¯t what this was about. If he had to take food that could go to someone else, would he do it? Would he fight for it? Would he kill for it?


    The emotions warred within him, TJ desperate to protect his son, to make sure he could go back to him. But he¡¯d never killed someone. The only fights he¡¯d gotten into as a kid were schoolyard things, never anything worse than a bloody nose and a split lip. But to ascend to the Divine¡­ would he step on people to get there? Would he become a god of slaughter and destruction, leaving a ruined world in his wake just for the slight leg up it might give him?


    For his son, yes. TJ would weep bitter tears and destroy his soul for his son. If TJ must hurt others to protect his child, his sole remaining link to his beloved Mari, his little guy, then he would regret it, but he would do so.


    ¡°Have mercy on my soul.¡± TJ quietly prayed as a single tear dropped from the corner of his eye. He¡¯d never dreamed of being in a situation like this, but he was here. And he would succeed.


    With a brusque brush of his dirty and rough hands, TJ cleaned his face. He was sure that there was a streak in the dirt now from his brief stint with emotions, but he couldn¡¯t care. No. He had a goal now, and though his current objective was still the cabin, TJ would ensure that he killed and harvested every creature he found on his Path. And, first things first, he needed to process these corpses.


    Unsure of his own abilities, TJ decided to practice skinning the first two coyotes before tackling the Anubis-blessed one. He drew one of his ¡°knives¡± from his backpack before beginning the messy, painful process of butchery. He¡¯d done this a little before, and now, with his Occupation and Primitive Craftsmanship, the going was faster. In fact, he learned that, with certain cuts made, he could pull the pelt from the meat in one mostly neat piece. With that revelation, the first coyote was quickly reduced to a furred torso with four stripped legs. Then, working quickly, TJ disemboweled the corpse and tried to carve the much larger and more intricate torso free from its skin and fur. Though more successful than every attempt before, the end result still sported various holes and awkward cuts.


    Savage Occupation-related task completed. Experience gained.


    Somewhere in the back of his mind, TJ realized he could feel how much he¡¯d progressed with his Occupation, drawing somewhat near to level 4. Though a part of him wanted to carve a Path entirely focused on slaughter, as the System had somewhat suggested, TJ realized that he would want to be able to take care of himself as much as possible. The Savage, though a less specialized Occupation than so many others, would afford him the ability to provide for himself when others couldn¡¯t or wouldn¡¯t. Beyond that, he couldn¡¯t be sure that there wouldn¡¯t be times where he was forced to fight as a human. In those cases, his Occupation would continue to serve him greatly.


    He refocused his mind, and already flowing from one task to the next, TJ didn¡¯t hesitate to jump into stripping the hide of the second coyote. Again, with more experience and the bonus from his Skill, TJ¡¯s hands moved ever more smoothly and dexterously. On a whim, he didn¡¯t cut the skins of the legs free once the pelt had been carved from the meat, instead preparing to take the whole of the pelt, legs and all. TJ¡¯s fingers, wet with blood and stiff from cold, ached terribly, but he forced himself to continue. Each leg¡¯s fur was pulled up to the shoulder or hip, and he began to process the whole body. TJ fought to keep his hands steady, cutting smoothly and cleanly through the connecting fat and tissue, but when he unwillingly shivered, he accidentally sent the blade of his stone through the pelt.


    ¡°Shit!¡± He cursed to himself, but after pulling his hands back and out of the corpse for a moment, he returned to cutting the pelt free. Another couple of minutes passed, and the mostly whole pelt was off the corpse. Again, the System sent him a notification, but he didn¡¯t pay it any mind. He couldn¡¯t forgive himself for his stupid mistake, because an obvious solution was right there. With a quick thought, TJ activated Divine Transformation and the chill that had slowly settled into his bones was gradually banished. He watched the counter that had completely replenished itself tick down, continuing to curse his overeagerness.


    Four minutes ticked down, and TJ felt he¡¯d warmed up enough to deactivate the Skill. As his human body returned to him, TJ flexed his fingers and found them agile once more, caked blood and viscera notwithstanding. He then turned to the final corpse, its black fur somehow refusing to show the brown dust that should have covered it. TJ began to methodically process the body, cutting around each paw, and then up each leg. With sharp tugs, he pulled the pelt inch by inch up the extremities, the movement making a sickening wet tearing noise. With each leg pulled up to the torso, TJ carefully carved where his Skill guided him to, disemboweling it of its viscera and carving up its neck.


    With a series of sharp slices, TJ cut the pelt from going higher than the base of the coyote¡¯s skull, knowing that he couldn¡¯t really skin it there with his current tools and abilities. Then, more carefully and deliberately than before, TJ carved the pelt from the ribs, the shoulders, hips, spine, and belly. Once, as he felt his fingers begin to complain, he immediately pulled back, let himself rest, and then, as the chill set in, he briefly transformed to a coatl. Without waiting too long, he returned, and though his fingers ached from the effort and strain, TJ completed removing the pelt.


    It felt special, the moment it was removed, and TJ¡¯s body stiffened with the now familiar sensation of levelling up.


    Savage Occupation-related task completed. Experience gained.


    Occupation: Savage has advanced to level 4.


    Attribute points allocated: Strength +1, Agility +1, Endurance +2, Vitality +1, Toughness +2, Wisdom +1, Intelligence +1, Perception +2, Willpower +2, Fixation +1, Free Points +1. Additional Free Point available.


    Race: Human has advanced to level 4.


    Attribute points allocated: Strength +1, Agility +1, Endurance +1, Vitality +2, Toughness +1, Wisdom +1, Intelligence +1, Perception +1, Willpower +1, Fixation +2. Additional Free Points currently available.


    He grinned fiercely before bundling up the pelts, placing them in his backpack, and setting off once more towards the cabin. And if he found something else to kill on his way? Then the hunt would begin.

 Chapter 11

    With a firm snap of his jaws, TJ dispatched the third coyote. The single remaining member of the pack fled into the bushes and left the cooling corpses behind as TJ dismissed the System¡¯s notification that he¡¯d killed three level 2 coyotes. These were what was left of the fourth pack that TJ had found since his encounter with the Anubis-blessed coyote, and he still hadn¡¯t hit level 5 in either his Occupation or Class. That Savage hadn¡¯t gone up wasn¡¯t as surprising, as after the second pack had been slain, TJ couldn¡¯t bring himself to try to skin the corpse. Making it to his goal was more pressing and important than squeezing every last bit of experience out of these mangy creatures. Even so, that Neophyte had yet to reach the juncture of TJ choosing his first Skill probably was more to do with the relative level of his foes than anything else.


    He hadn¡¯t encountered anything beyond a level 4 coyote, and with the additional levels he¡¯d gained in Savage and Human, his Coatl form could dispatch these weaker creatures with impunity. The packs he¡¯d encountered all tried their level best to swarm and overwhelm him, but none were able to breach his scales¡¯ defense. When he¡¯d finally asked the System, the answer shouldn¡¯t have come as a surprise.


    Just as all Participants will experience a notable surge in power every five levels, due to the acquisition of a new Skill, other creatures under the influence of the Divine System gain boons every fifth level. Other than the additional alacrity and intelligence bestowed upon the Anubis-blessed coyote, coyotes in your Tutorial grounds will nearly universally be bestowed with a marked increase to their Strength attribute as well as an enhancement to their bite. They are granted a Bite skill which heightens the power of their attacks.


    ¡°Guess I should have realized that.¡± TJ sighed to himself as he picked over the corpses, seeing if there was one that was whole enough to merit his lugging further towards the cabin. The only one he decided to continue with was the second he¡¯d slain, since the only blood spilled here came from its mouth and nose. He¡¯d crushed its spine with a swipe of his tail, so it wouldn¡¯t soak his jacket with blood as he carried it, since his backpack was full. In fact, with the specially prepared pelts and meat filling it, the ripped pack was splitting where it¡¯d been attacked the day before. The black fur spilled out of the pack, and TJ wondered if the pack would make it to his destination.


    TJ continued his path onwards, pleasantly surprised by the relative ease with which he could hike. He¡¯d spent months trying to get back into shape, but TJ knew he still was far from the fittest he¡¯d ever been. At least, before the System¡¯s Integration. Now, he could guarantee that he¡¯d never been stronger. Three complete bodies worth of meat and pelt as well as four additional coyotes¡¯ worth of pelts weighed the backpack down. Then, he¡¯d placed the latest one across his shoulders, so TJ would be amazed if it was less than 100 unbalanced pounds he was actively hiking with right now. And he was doing that without breathing hard or stumbling or getting tired.


    His steps thudded rhythmically as TJ trotted down a steeper slope and hopped across one of the dozens of two foot wide washes that covered every mountain around here. He didn¡¯t struggle to stick the landing and continue on his path further down the mountain. The old brandless tennis shoes he¡¯d worn for years were close to giving up the ghost, and TJ prayed they too could make it all the way to the cabin. Maybe, once he was there, he could find a new pack and clothes.


    There were no more interruptions on his path to the clearing, and as TJ bulled through the brush between the trees, he stepped into the lightly tended yard of the cabin. It was a pretty standard cabin for the area, as far as he expected it was, at least, wooden paneling and windows, a wraparound porch and a little shed for firewood and maybe a snowblower. Two stories, but pretty small, maybe 2000 square feet total. TJ, for the first time, realized how grateful he was that there hadn¡¯t been any more rain this winter. He¡¯d struggled for water, but if he¡¯d had to walk through the foot of snow that sometimes dropped here, he¡¯d have died of exposure long before he could get an Occupation or Class.


    The cabin seemed abandoned, no car or lights on, no movement inside. When TJ drew near and peeked through a window, he saw no fire either. He knocked once, twice, three times. No answer. He banged the door hard. No answer. He tested the knob, and it was unlocked.


    ¡°Hello? Checking in on you. Things are¡­ kinda going crazy out here!¡± TJ shouted, but got no response. The cabin was a little warmer than outside, but not by much. He stepped in, ¡°I¡¯m coming in, if you don¡¯t want me to or anything, just say so!¡± Still nothing, so he walked in and shrugged off his backpack and the coyote corpse to the floor. They thumped heavily, and TJ rolled a bit of the stiffness out of his shoulders as he looked for the fireplace. It didn¡¯t take long, since he only needed to take a couple steps forward and look. There it was, with a bucket full of firewood beside it, a month''s worth of newspapers stacked up under the bucket. No lighter though.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    The fireplace was devoid of any ashes, more evidence nobody had been here in a while, so TJ began searching for a lighter to start the fire more easily than by pure effort. Nothing by the fireplace, that was well cleaned. Back near the door he¡¯d come in from was the kitchen, and TJ went through the drawers in the hopes of finding something. Silverware jangled and glass tinkled as he searched. Of course, it was the last drawer that had the lighter, and TJ pulled it out and checked to see if it had any fuel. With a single flick of his thumb, a steady flame began burning, and TJ¡¯s eyes suddenly watered with unexpected and unwelcome emotion. Tearing up over a lighter? Stupid.


    Even so, TJ returned to the fireplace, and with just a minute or two¡¯s effort, TJ had built up a happily crackling fire. He held his fingers over it, and it wasn¡¯t long before the stiffness was slowly banished. TJ fed the fire a couple logs before, with just a hint of embarrassment, he began to search through the rooms. The main floor had two, one without a closet or anything of note, while the second had a fully stocked closet. A couple owned the place, with a dozen outfits each for a man much bigger than TJ and a woman much smaller. Even though they didn¡¯t fit, TJ happily pulled a fleece-lined denim jacket, a long-sleeved waffle-print shirt, and a pair of worker¡¯s jeans from the closet.


    Though TJ hesitated to search for it, he did find a couple clean pairs of boxers that he immediately pilfered. He was afraid of smelling the ones he¡¯d been through all this in. TJ carried the clothing out to the living room and laid them in front of the fire to warm up. No reason to put on freezing clothing, was there? Then, TJ pulled a pot out of one of the drawers he¡¯d checked and, hoping beyond hope, twisted the tap to on. There was a faint gurgling, then water began flowing freely from the spigot and TJ cheered. The well or water tank that this drew from still had something in it, and TJ let the pot sit for a minute until it was half full. Then, he carried the pot over to the fire, where he poked and prodded until he had something like a bed of coals to lay the pot on.


    After making sure the pot wouldn¡¯t tip and lose the water, TJ returned to the kitchen to go through the rest of the cupboards. In the first one he checked, he found what he was looking for: a tin of hot chocolate. Humming tunelessly to himself, TJ grabbed a cup and a rag and carried all three to in front of the fire. He put a finger in the water, and it was still cool, but TJ didn¡¯t want to wait. He stripped all his clothes and began to give himself a sponge bath. The rag came away filthy after his face, and TJ nearly dipped it back in the water he wanted to drink before he thought about it.


    He poured enough into the cup to fill it entirely, and then TJ resumed cleaning the rest of his body. As the water evaporated from all over his body, the chill fought to resettle into his bones, but the fire kept him from shivering too badly. The water he was rinsing off with was nearly as brown as the cocoa he would drink when he was done with it, but TJ was happy to strip off his clothing and redress in the clean outfit he¡¯d pilfered.


    Finally, for the first time, TJ was dressed in weather appropriate clothes, and he could refocus on the hell that was figuring out his new life as he dumped the filthy water outside.


    ¡°Just to be sure, I can see my son at the end of this, right?¡±


    You will have an opportunity to meet with your son at the end of the Tutorial.


    TJ gritted his teeth. ¡°And, just to make sure, if I make a tool, I¡¯ll receive more experience using it than using one of the tools here from before the Integration?¡±


    That is correct.


    He looked back at the heap of coyote corpses to cut. TJ sighed. Without much hope, he asked, ¡°Is there anything nearby that would be a better knife than the ones I¡¯ve already made?¡±


    If you wish to gain the ability to intrinsically know which places nearby offer a greater natural bounty, you can select a Skill upon reaching level 5 to assist you to do so.


    ¡°Of course.¡± He grumbled. TJ thought about going to search out something to be a better blade, but searching it out seemed like it¡¯d help less than just doing the dirty work. He placed the cup full of water near the fire to warm in preparation of the cocoa that he¡¯d indulge in later. Preparations complete, TJ grabbed his backpack in one hand and the loose body in the second, and with a wistful look at the warm fire, he walked out to the shed. It was no surprise that the shed had a massive wooden table for meat processing, the rusty stain of blood having long seeped into the work surface. A handful of well-kept tools hung on a pegboard, each tool outlined in its assigned place. Again, TJ turned away from the convenience of the tools and instead pulled the stones out of his backpack. Then, his stomach not nearly so conflicted as before, TJ began the bloody work of skinning the bodies.


    One, then two corpses were skinned and hanging before long, and TJ was nearly complete with the third. Then, just as he pulled the last of the pelt free from the body, the blessed notification appeared:


    Savage Occupation-related task completed. Experience gained.


    Occupation: Savage has advanced to level 5.


    Attribute points allocated: Strength +1, Agility +1, Endurance +2, Vitality +1, Toughness +2, Wisdom +1, Intelligence +1, Perception +2, Willpower +2, Fixation +1, Free Points +1. Additional Free Point available.


    Level 5 Universal Occupation Skill: Appraisal granted. Level 5 Skill Selection available.


    Not only had he gained the new skill and a level, he got this universal one! TJ wiped his hands on a nearby rag before happily jogging back to the cabin to check out the benefits from this level up.