TJ continued looking at the minotaurs as they collected the three bodies. He wanted to test himself, and he still had a connection with the Ahuizotl to draw more resources from, but if he wanted to consider it to be a battery for him, he'd need to ask for that permission. As such, TJ snuck back to the water's front and held onto the end of the leash. As soon as he did, Acalan's voice filled his body once again.
find young killer? kill young killer?
"I found them." TJ confirmed. "And I can kill them, if I have your permission to use your MP and Stamina to do so."
why not take?
It seemed genuinely confused as it asked. "Because that's what's friends do. They work together, they talk to each other, and they make sure that what they're doing isn't hurting their friends."
other big ahuizotl not ask. just take. just do what want. i… like friend.
TJ nodded. "So do I have your permission to take enough to make sure that I can kill the young killers?"
yes. kill all bad young killers.
"Great, thank you, Lannie." TJ nodded as he rolled his shoulders, reactivated Stealth, and walked back towards the camp. Officially known as Tempe Minotaurus Encampment. Not a whole lot of creativity to it. Made them less like people in TJ's mind. Maybe that made it better, maybe it made it worse. He couldn't say for sure, because he already knew that pukwudgies had enough intelligence to speak with people, even if they also seemed to worship the wendigos. There was no hesitation in slaughtering pukwudiges.
And, frankly, even if these monsters were more intelligent and more deeply sentimental than humans, TJ had decided that the minotaurs would die. To hunt humanity to the last, to slaughter children was inexcusable. The only question that, again, crossed his mind, was if he should gather some of his people to come help in the hunt. Probably every one of the Copper tiers could benefit from it, but TJ was too angry, to ready to visit violence on them… and, honestly, he wanted the experience. He could see people catching up to him, and that wasn't alright. Though he hadn't selected the Class, he'd qualified for Overwhelming Origin, and he refused to be surpassed now.
Decision made, TJ resumed sneaking through rubble, scrub brush that was almost visibly growing, and the occasional home towards the encampment. His steps were basically soundless and each one took him closer to the minotaurs. The plan for now would be to get close enough to follow where the Chieftain went. The rest were rabble, easy to kill. The leader, though… He would provide that 30th level, and TJ would use those heightened Attributes to more easily shred through the remnants.
With Stealth, TJ was more confident in sneaking into the monsters' surroundings, but he was also well aware that there was absolutely no guarantee that he wouldn't be noticed. Thus, his plan, mediocre though it was, was to go deeper into the settlement until he found the Chieftain, then use the same Skills he had to so quickly destroy the Raider. Could it be an Elite or Boss? That didn't matter. TJ would have Monster Slayer helping him if it was, and it would be too weak to resist him if it wasn't.
As he slunk through the disheveled neighborhood and poorly cleared streets, TJ couldn't feel the presence of a single minotaur. With a hint of fear, he listened to the wind as it whirled around the space. Instead of directing it as he usually did, he just allowed the wind to report to him whatever it wanted. Something wet over here. Of course, it was raining. Something dry over here. Inside a house with no windows, he realized. Something grassy. No. Something furry. Yes. Several somethings that were furry. At least five. No, ten. Maybe twenty? TJ refused to direct it to give him more specific information, instead following the instinct of where the creatures would be. The winds whispered about a billar in the street. Maybe something they were using for the funeral rites? There, he would be able to see them—
The pillar moved. The wind screamed. The coatl took TJ's place. The lightning smashed into his head. TJ screeched his challenge as a thunderous moo screamed back. It was time. Divine Transformation and Wind Manipulation were both empowered by his Divine Authority and Divine Manifestation. TJ's body seemed to swell as the storm lent its power to him as he charged at the Chieftain.
Now that he was close, he could see that the monster had simply stood in the stoop of one of their buildings, holding a telephone pole that'd been somewhat reformed into a massive staff. It crackled with unbound electricity, lightning somehow stored in the metal as it swung it forward. TJ pushed himself to higher speeds with Wind Manipulation to dodge. Errant crackles of lightning lanced out to slow him, but with the understanding he had come to with lighting today, it wasn't overwhelming just yet. Instead, it was merely uncomfortable as he avoided the brunt of the damage, which would have been getting clobbered by a massive metal staff.
TJ forced the wind under his command to compress, to become more deadly, more powerful, and more difficult to deal with. It complained, but he pushed its unhappiness down as he focused entirely on the monster in front of him. And its tribe that was surrounding him.
A hail of stones, or boulders, more correctly, fell all around him and on top of him as at least 20 minotaurs continued the ambush. TJ roared his challenge back, having lost the ambush bonus from Prehistoric Huntsman. Then, as the Chieftain attempted to wrest TJ's control over the storm from him, that was when he lost all his sanity.
The bovine face twisted in some way that TJ didn't recognize, but he didn't care. It was so arrogant as to think that as a beast given human intelligence it could compare to the majesty of a beast that'd always been superior to a mere human? A coatl's pride had been pricked, and it would return that challenge with requisite consequences. With the storm seeming to think about considering following the minotaur's commands, TJ threw another 5,000 MP into the tornado of blades that he'd prepared for the creature. Despite his desires, the uncontrolled and uncontrollable attack flew from his mouth in a compressed, whirling blender towards the cow.
It called lightning to its staff, as if its paltry abilities could save its life. There was no prayer, no divine it fell at the feet of that could save it. With a horrific shriek of tearing metal and flesh, the Chieftan's torso was largely hollowed out, TJ's first real attack against it felling the beast. He wasn't done commanding the monstrosity comprised of the entirety of his MP pool, and he wrested another 5,000 from the Ahuizotl to transform it into a screaming approximation of himself, its appearance as if it were made of deadly television static.
The malevolent storm rushed through two Raiders, and they fell, dead. TJ gloried in their death notifications, but only then realized the problem. He turned his attention back to the felled Chieftain as it stood up, body restored to nearly perfect condition. That wasn't a problem, though. TJ lunged forward with his own body as well as the resource-consuming snake. He wrapped around its legs and hobbled it as it swung down at him. The metal staff cracked scale, bone, and flesh, TJ's blood spilling freely onto the ground as he grunted in pain.
Unfortunately for it, the minotaur Chieftain had forgotten that he was only controlling the most dangerous attack, not that he was it. As TJ watched, he sent the snakelike wind blender into the minotaur's face, and let it coil around its neck a handful of times while its jaws savaged the creature's face. Again, it fell, but this time, with his emotions high and his resources nearly boundless, TJ didn't move his attack. Instead, he watched as the minotaur's face fought to reconstruct itself and its neck fought to resist the constricting, slicing body of his wind.
After ten seconds, the death notification came with other welcome notifications.
Class: Storm-Calling Neophyte (Copper (I)) has advanced to level 30.
Attribute points allocated: Strength +7, Agility +6, Endurance +13, Vitality +13, Toughness +11, Wisdom +7, Intelligence +11, Perception +7, Willpower +11, Fixation +13, Free Points +10. Additional Free Points currently available.
Race: Semi-Divine Human (Copper (I)) has advanced to level 29.
Attribute points allocated: Strength +8, Agility +8, Endurance +8, Vitality +13, Toughness +8, Wisdom +8, Intelligence +13, Perception +8, Willpower +8, Fixation +13. Additional Free Points currently available.
Occupation: Savage Shaman (Copper (I)) has advanced to level 28.
Attribute points allocated: Strength +5, Agility +5, Endurance +5, Vitality +5, Toughness +5, Wisdom +12, Intelligence +12, Perception +12, Willpower +12, Fixation +12, Free Points +15. Additional Free Points currently available.
Your Divine Authority, Storm, Copper (I), has progressed towards Storm, Silver (II). Current progress: 33%
Warning: as you are currently in the deciding battle in a war for survival, there will be no recovery granted until after the war is concluded.
"Of course." TJ grunted, only then taking note that Acalan had stopped providing any resources to him. At first, TJ considered it to be just reluctance on the Elite monster's part, but now that he looked at it, TJ had spent almost 30,000 MP between himself and Acalan in delivering this blow.
"No problem, Lannie." He said, disbelieving the monster could hear him. Instead, he sent a fragment of his attention skyward as he pulled the storm into himself to recover back to full. As he did so, the storm died down to something that would only last for a couple more minutes, but he was more than happy to set that test up for himself. After all, wouldn't it be fun if he could kill every one of the monsters before he ran out of the Storm's help? TJ threw himself forward, his attention on how best to cut through the beasts.
***
In the end, at least three minotaurs escaped, and he was unable to complete his task before the storm disappeared. As soon as it did, he'd felt his strength drain away, and the constant bonus to his recovery died as well, so he just shouted out to Acalan, "Everyone's gone or dead! You can come in, if you'd like!"
The Ahuizotl did so, massive eyes roaming in every direction while it looked at everything that caught its interest, which seemed to be everything. Eventually, though, it settled next to the bloody, mangled corpse of the Chieftain. Before too long passed, it just shivered and looked at TJ. When he came close enough for it to touch, it reached a hand out and placed it on his shoulder. As it did, it, instead of any words, communicated satisfaction and then the word friend before turning and returning to the lake.
Dismissing the encounter as just a random, strange encounter, TJ settled onto a rock nearby. Then, instead, he walked into one of the still-standing houses and found a chair to sit in. Because, it was, after all, finally time to get a Skill. Then, he might see what he could do about getting some more levels, because now that he'd really indulged in it… he found that he remembered how much he'd loved the feeling.
And that could be better discussed when he didn't have a brand new Skill selection staring him in the face. He opened his Status.