a/n I can't find any description for Sarah, nor do I have her Bloodline listed on any of my things. I looked for a while, no dice. I'm putting them here. If you have something that contradicts this… then fine, I'll accept it and edit accordingly. If you can find a place where I described her differently from here, then I'll update here. But this is what my mental picture has been of her for months now haha.
With TJ's ideas, the group was now gathered and went east towards Mesa.
"We could have just had you pick us up at home." William joked as they walked. He seemed to have loosened up considerably after he evolved. TJ hadn't asked the details of the man's evolution, but as far as he could tell, William was a rather unremarkable upgrade to Zealot. Something deep in his soul could tell which people had evolved into the Copper tier and reached a measure of great potential. Despite himself, TJ didn't see the need to interact as closely with these people now that he'd reunited with so many of the people from his Tutorial. Maybe if he'd been through rougher situations with William, Brad, Lucy, and Stella, he'd have more of an inclination to interact with them. For some reason, he couldn't bring himself to care.
TJ nodded and smiled at William's words as he thought about those from the Tutorial, those who still survived, that he hadn't been able to find. Stanton, Laura, Zig, Rebekkah, Angelo, Lailani, and Connor were those that he was closest to that'd still been unseen. Well, TJ used to be close to Zig. He wondered if she still held Charlie's death against him, and he couldn't blame her if she did. Even so, he didn't keep that in his mind. Instead, TJ just thought of the many ways that he could potentially find these old allies.
While he thought, TJ led his followers through the city, Farid, Tessie, and Seth pointing out places where monsters lurked. TJ pointed out which were Copper tier, though he didn't concern himself with any of them that he saw, given that none were even as impressive as a Vargr, much less an Elite or Boss. The numbers of Copper tiered monsters continued to swell, and the few Dirt tiered Participants with the group got more and more nervous as they walked further and further. Miles passed, dozens and hundreds of monsters left in their wake.
"There's more and more of these things around here, huh?" Sarah said as she stepped forward to be beside TJ. "Crazy how many there are."
"I think that 'monsters' are just going to become the new wildlife. Everything's getting changed. Have you seen the mountains? As stronger and stronger monsters and people appear, the world is going to change around them. We need to keep up."
"Then let's keep running." Sarah grinned. Her olive skin and dark hair seemed… prettier, perhaps. TJ couldn't say just what it was that'd changed since she evolved.
"Let's keep running." TJ agreed. "So what'd you evolve into? We haven't had much time to talk since we met back up."
"Apprentice Valkyrie and Shieldbearer." She grinned. TJ'd seen a vague patina of light as she'd fought, hadn't put the angel wings iconography together with the Class.
"You still Appraise as a Zealot, though, so is Valkyrie just a Zealot-type Class?"
"I think the Apprentice version does? I don't care much about how I Appraise to others, to be honest. It's information that people can get from looking at me for a couple minutes." She shrugged. "So I guess so since Shieldbearer is still an Occupation. Gives good Attributes for fighting, though, so I don't mind. Better for being a protector than a straight up fighter, though. I think the two work together well."
"Huh." TJ nodded. "And what Race did you get?"
"Semi-Divine Human. I think being as close as I was to you and Stanton and Lailani as you all evolved and had your Trials and so on, it helped me when I evolved. Plus fighting the Boss and so on was good."
"Same as me. First one that I know of."
"Well, aint that an interesting tidbit. I'm just chuffed." She chuckled as she bounced her hip into him. "We can be little gods among these peons."
The maniacal laughter had a couple people looking at her in genuine fear, but TJ just sighed. "It's not a totally wrong idea. I've gotten a bit more information about it all… and I'm just not sure what to think about it all. Then, on a totally unrelated note, I've got a new Skill to select and no idea which to take."
"Well." Sarah sighed as she slung her axe over her shoulders and rested both her hands on it. She swaggered forward, her eyes on the horizon, on what came next. "I can listen to you. Give you a couple opinions about it all. Can't say that little old 'descended from a forgotten European goddess' me will have any good advice for you, but I've got two ears, at least. A mouth that won't stop running. A bluster that gets worse and worse every day. So… well, it could be worse, but not a whole lot."
TJ chuckled. "I guess I'll start with the newest thing. The System told me something in exchange for helping Gertrude get that locket back."
Sarah grunted noncommittally.
"I'll read out its exact words:
The Path of Worship is one that most gods walk down in some capacity. As a Participant, monster, or other individual gathers followers, notoriety, and influence, other individuals may begin to devote themselves as followers to the other individual. As the worshipped individual garners more and more respect and worship, they can call on the strength of their followers and use that as a way to further their own strength. The more fervently a greater body of higher tiered individuals devote themselves to the object of their worship, the greater the impact on the worshipped individual."
Sarah whistled. "So even now, people can start to be like, idols or something?"
"Or something." TJ agreed. "I can't help but notice how well my Savage Shaman Occupation will work with this, even though a part of me laughs at the idea of being worshipped. After all, I'm just a short widower from the Valley of the Sun who has no idea what he's doing."
"A short widower who was one of the first few people in the world to grow to Copper tier." Sarah scoffed. "A short widower who saved my life, as well as three dozen others. Who inspired some 30 people who barely know you to follow you out of the only safe sanctuary they've seen so far towards a place that they don't know if it exists. There's a whole lot more to you than how tall you are or who you've seen die. It's who's lived because of you, who continues to live."
TJ sighed, shaking his head back and forth. "I guess. But I'm getting less and less resistant to the idea of being the object of someone's worship. It's… kinda weird, if nothing else."
"Yeah, it's weird, but life already was pretty weird before all this shit started happening. You know? Why complain because now the, let me check really quick, 'omnipotent possibly malevolent System is saying that, news flash, as it's been saying since the same moment that all this began, people can become gods and everything that entails'. A part of you doesn't want to do that, and if you don't wanna, then don't. But don't sit over here moaning about how you shouldn't when you want to and, as far as we know, it'd benefit everyone around us while you were at it."
TJ chuckled a little as Sarah continued, "I came here looking for you. It isn't just my Skills and Occupation or whatever. It's because I think you're trying your best, and your best is pretty damn good. Better than I can manage. Maybe better than anyone can manage. And by following you, I'll be helped along to make sure I don't die a gruesome death like so many other people we've seen."
Granny Penny's decapitation rose unbidden to his mind.
"Fair enough." TJ said. "I was already leaning towards it, but I guess I'll stop resisting. Join my Pantheon."
"Good. Because I'll be your first follower and staunchest supporter." Sarah, in a moment of surprising sincerity and severity, fell to both knees before TJ. He stopped, surprised, and the rest of the people nearby stopped as they looked at the woman, who some of whom saw as their savior, genuflecting. Sarah kept her eyes down as she spoke with a certain timbre that shook the surroundings.
"This is the location in which the first true steps to Divinity are taken. Here, I, Sarah Fischer, devote myself to the support, care, protection, and worship of you. I will be the axe which cuts down your foes and the shield which protects your flanks. Let history remember me as the first worshipper of Thiago Jorge Harris IV, the Successor and Surpasser of Kukulkan, the Nascent Storm Serpent."
A part of TJ expected his Bloodline to revolt at that, at directly stating that he'd overcome his predecessor. To the contrary, it gloried in the possibility. It yearned to reach further than a god whose name persisted for so long before fading away. TJ rolled his shoulders back and, as when he'd sworn by his Bloodline, an apparition of Kukulkan appeared behind him. No, he innately understood that this wasn't a representation of his Bloodline. This was him. A mere Storm Coatl for now, but something whose future was limitless, whose potential to step into Divinity ws greater than all of those who came before and failed.
"Rise, Sarah Fischer, first worshipper and Valkyrie of the Nascent Storm Serpent. Support me in my path forward, stride at my side and glory in the benefits of being the first to fall into my pantheon. Rise as a messenger, protector, and guide of lost souls."
TJ didn't know where the words came from, but he suspected that the same force that pushed him to say and do the things that he had had influenced Sarah. She stood and the image of the serpent behind TJ spat a lightning bolt towards her, which forced the appearance of her shield. As the lightning coursed over Sarah's shield, her Holy Vestments, the lightning flashed once, twice, then a third, final time and faded, leaving the shield emblazoned with the form of his serpent.
"Hail, the Nascent Storm Serpent."
Sarah turned back, looking at the people that followed them. TJ couldn't say he had any idea of what to say, but his first disciple, or Zealot, more correctly he supposed, had words to speak on his behalf.
"I came here in the hopes of finding TJ. I believe he has the potential to rise to sit on the Divine Throne. As such, I've devoted myself to him. You all don't have to do that. I'd never force you to do anything. He didn't force me to do this either. Frankly, I feel like I might have taken advantage of him, hitching myself to his wagon so early in his path to Divinity. But I'm going to fully be his follower from here on out. No exceptions. If you think about it, I think you all will want to do the same thing too. Up to you though, and no pressure."
"I'll follow." Seth stepped forward, only slightly faster than Sam. The younger boy ceded to the Avenger who strode forward.
"This is the location in which the first true steps to Divinity are taken. Here, I, Seth Miller, devote myself to the support, care, protection, and worship of you. I will be the bolt which blinds your foes and the threat which breaks their spirits. Let history remember me as the second worshipper of Thiago Jorge Harris IV, the Successor and Surpasser of Kukulkan, the Nascent Storm Serpent."
"Rise, Seth Miller, second worshipper and Avenger of a Nascent Storm Serpent. Support me in my path forward, stride in my shadow and glory in the benefits of being the first to fell those who stand in the path of my pantheon. Rise as a messenger, agent, and curator of my supplicants."
Sam, Mimi, and Molly swore themselves thereafter, followed by most of the other Copper tiers. With each word spoken, TJ felt his presence grow stronger until the last of the people willing to swear to follow him finished. Seven were left unsworn, but TJ didn't mind. As the impromptu ceremony ended, the System spoke to him once more.