"There are more Elites than just the wendigos. There are the Chindis, which you've heard about, and there's another. The raven did this to me. I don't know what kind of creature it was, I never asked before, and when I ask now, I don't get anything. But it was a huge raven or crow, at least four feet long with a wingspan bigger than I am. Its feathers were constantly falling out, and its breath was disgusting. Whenever it cawed, my heart shuddered, and when I saw it the first time, I couldn't move." Nobody interrupted as Jeff continued to tell his story.
"When I first saw it, I had walked into the forest alone. I know, it was stupid, but I was mad at you, TJ, and I wasn't thinking very clearly. I'd seen you get stronger and stronger, and I was just… doing nothing. I was too scared to go on hunts, too prideful to ask for help. I was jealous of how hard you worked and how much people looked up to you. I was just… I just wasn't ready for all this, and I'd thought I was an inspiration before you appeared here. But that doesn't matter. I'd left TJ's house and went out alone, and that was when I didn't realize I'd been taken by the Chindi.
"Its magic just got me to keep walking further and further, until I was all alone in the middle of the forest. I'm not sure why, but I think I started to resist the Chindi then? But before I could react, the raven flew in as if from a shadow, because I didn't see it until it was there. It left a trail of feathers everywhere it went, though more kept on growing. Its eyes were terrible. As soon as I met its eyes, I couldn't remember my name, or why I was there, or anything. The next thing I knew, I was laying down on the ground, the materials TJ gave me in the hands of a wendigo that appeared. With all three Elites there, they cursed me.
"They talked to each other, though I couldn't understand them at first. I screamed, but nobody heard me. The wendigo held that finger–" Jeff pointed at the runically inscribed object on the ground, "while the raven ran its beak all over. Wherever its beak went, its tongue flicked out and left those carvings and they started to glow. Then, when it was done, the raven swallowed the finger before spitting it out. The Chindi did something I couldn't see to the finger, then the wendigo said something else and stabbed it into me.
"While I screamed, I was suddenly able to understand what they were saying, and they commanded me to go back to town. I couldn't say no or do anything, it was like I was watching my body in a movie. Every time I went out on a hunt, I heard the Chindi's voice. Each time I heard it, it made me more sure that everyone here was wrong, that they were in danger, and I forgot why I'd ever thought otherwise. When I heard Zig saying that TJ was dangerous, that was it. My mind broke, and I did what I did.
"After getting kicked out, the Chindi had more time to mess up my mind. Whenever I wasn't with a hunting party, I was sleeping or out in the forest. I can't remember very much after that. My mind was just… broken. I remember bits here and there, but nothing solid. Except for this.
"The woman who died tonight, who was the bait in your ambush, Julie. Her death is my fault. Because of the Chindi, I drew her away from her party. I… there's no reason to give any of my excuses about this. But she left her party because of me, and I was out there with her just before you all showed up. The Chindi hid me while the wendigo tried to kill you. I'm sorry. It's my fault."
Jeff's throat was choked with emotion, but a part of TJ couldn't help but feel like his words rang hollow. It was because he "had no choice"? He couldn't do anything else? TJ couldn't help but feel like it was a crock, but he tried not to say it out loud. Jeff was looking at him, though, and his already bitter expression fell further as TJ heard the last of the story.
"I don't expect to be forgiven or forgivable. I just… thought you should know. They seemed to say something about some sort of plan for the final siege, but there weren't any details I learned. Sorry." Jeff petered off. After saying as much, Jeff shrugged and turned before he started to walk off into the forest, away from everyone else. His bare torso still showed dark lines all over, a remnant of the curse or poison or whatever it was that the raven had done to the wendigo claw. In the darkness, TJ saw Jeff shiver, but he seemed like he didn't think that he deserved even to try to warm himself and didn't react.
Angelo walked forward and caught Jeff by the shoulder and pulled him back before the older man could get too far.
"I… I don't know if I can forgive you. I mean, the reason you got caught up in all this was because you were jealous of TJ getting close to Laura and doing better than you. You know. Like a kid. You're a grown ass man, and you got someone killed because of it. After this Tutorial, I don't think I'll want to see you ever again. During the Tutorial, I don't want to trust my back to you. But you're here and it seems like you want to get better. That'll have to be enough, because we're seeing every day just how much more dangerous all this is than we expected. Someone will stay with you to make sure you're recovering, and tomorrow, you need to get some levels. Then, we'll see if we can get you to prove how you've changed."
"Yes." Laura agreed as she walked forward. "You have made mistakes, and if we could afford it, I believe some punishment would be due. However, just over four days remain until we need to defend the general store, and exiling or imprisoning anybody who could help is just hurting the possibility for our own survival. Jeff, come to the firehouse. We'll have you sleep where several others can ensure you don't get yourself lost.
TJ ground his teeth, keeping himself from speaking about the situation in any way. He recognized the similarities between what had happened to him and Jeff, just that Jeff had been weak and alone when under the influence of the Chindi, but even so, he found it difficult to feel even a little charitably about him. Maybe it was hard feelings from the insults and passive and active aggression Jeff had shown the entire time they'd known each other, but TJ eventually came to the realization that he'd deliberately stepped away from being a leader of the town multiple times. He didn't want to be mayor, he didn't even want to be in charge of a group when they went hunting. If he wouldn't allow anyone to put him in charge, then he couldn't be pissed when the people in charge didn't do what he wanted. Right?
"C'mere kid." Stanton grumbled as he pulled TJ back to the house he'd only recently been pulled out of. They walked up to their room, where TJ slumped into the bedding he'd claimed for his own. Stanton, being an old man, had taken the bed without complaint when TJ offered it.
"You don't want Jeff to stick around." Stanton said as they settled into bed.
"No. He's an unstable element, and, frankly, I just don't like him."
Stanton nodded and grunted without asking anything else. After working the thought over in his head for a while, TJ spoke again.
"It might be a little hypocritical of me, but I don't trust him. He's gotten someone killed, and while I was very dangerous to Zig when I was under the Chindi's influence, I didn't do anything more than scare anyone. I didn't hurt anyone, much less kill them! He's dangerous, and I don't want him around me. Maybe it's just because we've never liked each other, but no matter what happens, he's been an asshole at best! It's just… like–!"
"I get it, and I don't disagree with you." Stanton said, surprising TJ.
"You… agree with me?"
"Don't trust 'im half as far as I could throw 'im. Never have. But here's the thing: in this situation, there's only really two things you can do about it. The first is you can leave him alone and just never be around him. Only see him in the final battle, if you're lucky, and then, the Tutorial's over and maybe we get taken home so he's out of your life.
"The other option is to kill him."
TJ blinked at the stone faced man three times before he spoke. "Holy shit, Stanton! What the hell are you talking about? There are, like, a thousand other things we can do instead of murder!"
"In this situation? With all that's happening around us? Really?" Stanton met TJ's eyes. "What other things would you do, and how would they not harm everyone else's chances for survival? You put him in jail, and people need to watch him instead of getting levels. You exile him, and the Elite monsters out there will do the same thing to him. He doesn't have anything to pay a fine with because there's no money, and who'd waste time in a made up court to decide what punishment to levy on him? So, what other things do you want to do?"
"I… I don't know, but I don't want to kill him!"
"So you leave him alone, stop worrying about it, and move on with your life. TJ, there's a lot of good you can do, and maybe Jeff can do some good too. Maybe he'll be a hindrance, but I doubt it. He's too low-leveled to pose much of a threat to anyone, and if he starts killing monsters, then that's fewer monsters that'll be attacking us. In times like this, we've gotta make choices, and if you don't want to make a choice, that's a choice all on its own."
TJ ground his teeth, and felt like there was something that Stanton was missing, but instead of thinking further about Jeff, he decided that the last thing Stanton said was true: doing nothing was a choice in and of itself, and instead of thinking about someone he didn't like and couldn't trust, TJ would just get some rest, like he'd been trying to before. Though exhausted, it took a while for TJ's mind to clear enough to fall asleep, and when that dark oblivion found him, dreams plagued his rest
While he dreamed, when he looked down, he saw a temple below him. Bountiful lands spread in every direction, thick fields of every kind of produce to the south, and thick jungles to the north and east. The west's lands were dedicated to herds, and all the products of every direction were for his benefit. Every mortal that walked was his worshipper, one who had fallen in line at the sight of his divinity. Kukulkan ruled this land, and his influence spread far beyond where the eye could reach. His presence blessed the lands with rain, clear skies, and temperate weather. His grace allowed the mortals to live outside of the strife of the gods above them, to resume the lives of those from before this turbid time. Though he watched his lands, he remained hidden to the eyes of mortals. If they were always to look on his majesty, there would be precious little they could do beyond continue to appreciate his splendour.
As he watched, some of the members of his priesthood ascended the steps to his temple, escorting another. The escorted struggled, but was carried forward by the priest's blessed strength. When the peak of his ziggurat was visible, the unwilling attendant's struggles surged in frenzy, but the priests were prepared for it and one dealt a heavy blow to the struggling man's chest. The man gasped as his ribs cracked from the strike but tried to pull free. When he was thrown atop the altar, Kukulkan's presence froze him in place, his face in a rictus of a scream.
"Our Lord Kukulkan!" A priest called to the heavens. "This sinner has denied your faith and your sovereignty, he has claimed that you are but a weak approximation of a god, and your presence is naught but a lie we tell our children. His people demand that we submit to his god's rule!"
Kukulkan's pride was pricked, and though the mortal had been egged on by a jealous competitor's deceit, the might of a god was not to be questioned. The Feathered Serpent's head pressed down from his divine domain, and as the head the size of the temple made itself known, every mortal within 100 miles felt his descent and lay prostrate. The foreign worshipper couldn't move, and Kukulkan took the briefest moment to evaluate the man.
His skin was much paler than Kukulkan's worshippers, evidence of his origin.
"You come from across the sea, do you not? One of the silly northern 'gods' who find themselves devoid of space and devout and seek to steal that which belongs to others? Name your god and I shall bestow upon you a quick death."
Try as he might, the man couldn't muster more than a shallow breath in response. Kukulkan reduced his divine aura enough to allow the wretch to speak.
"Vi… han… sa… bless… me." He uttered in a strange language, though as a god, Kukulkan understood.
"Very well. Vihansa shall pay for her arrogance. Perhaps you can find rest in her afterlife before I find her." Then, Kukulkan flicked his tongue and decapitated the man without any effort. While the corpse cooled and was emptied of all blood, TJ felt his consciousness pull back from Kukulkan's. There was no other sensation before he awoke in bed, sweating profusely and mouth tasting of blood.