There wasn’t time for TJ to evaluate the bck coyote. The brador-sized one tio chew, and the agony alone was distrag enough. The serpent struck, and with a target so sistently near him, his jaws found purchase. One or more of his many fangs pierced an eye, and the coyote screamed in agony as it artially blinded. Wetness exploded in the coatl’s mouth, blood and ore painting his maw. The coyote yipped and released TJ’s body. He, however, did not. For a moment, he tried to strict this sed e, but the moveme shocks of cold agony down his spine. Instead, he was forced to cmp 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 affli. You will tio lose 10 HP a miil the Bleed dition is cured.
Warning: You are suffering from a minor Crippling affli. You will suffer a 20% redu in Agility until the Crippling dition is cured.
Shit. His pn had been to put all his Free Points in Strength if he was in dahough doubts and agony pgued him, TJ dumped all four intth, giving him effectively 3th as a coatl. The even rger bck 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 wreng him backwards. TJ didn’t release the brown coyote’s head, instead sinking his fangs ever deeper into its skull.
Its jaws cmped closed, it would only whimper and sh 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 bck 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 aement surged through TJ. The limp body of the coyote in his jaws stopped pulling against him, and TJ released it.
Coyote, Level 5, Sin. Experience gained.
Css: Neophyte has advao 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 avaible.
He looked down his long body and watched the bloody, maimed se of his torso close over. The major Bleeding and minor Crippling afflis disappeared, and TJ hissed an additional challe the huge bck coyote. As he struck at its face, it, unfortunately, let go quiough 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 thaher coyotes’, and its fur ure, pitch bck. Wly, it stood nearly four feet tall at the shoulder, and those same shoulders rippled with uncharacteristic muscle. The fs were tipped by feet, but a thumb extended from the inside of its legs, too short to grab anythiJ’s hiss went without response, and the bck coyote circled him silently.
When pared to all the other coyote’s he’d seen and fought, the silence was off-putting, but the murderous beast tio 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 tio 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 Diviransformation timer: 15:42. Plenty of time, but if this thing atient enough to wear him down, TJ would be left without any on or recourse. The thought sent a shiver down his spine, but apanying it was another, perhaps wiser thought. Another 30 seds passed while he tried to work up the ce to enact the pn, then, with a deep breath, TJ shifted babsp;
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 turo escape.
Its predatory nature stoked, the monster, still eerily silent, began the chase. TJ’s feet pi the rough treatment, but he couldn’t care about that. Instead, he ran, panicked breaths ing quickly. He looked over his shoulder, and the e was gaining on him. He gnced 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 fshing 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, a into another jump as soon as it nded. It was too te, and TJ’s fangs found purchase in the flesh of the coyote’s thigh. Ohe creature couldn’t keep any more distance from him, TJ rexed, since his victory was assured. He ed his coils around the bed beast, and the stri set boo crag immediately. TJ released his bite, adjusting to snap his jaws into his prey’s neck–
It leapt forward, and much of TJ’s body slipped right off the silky fur of the coyote. One coil remained ed around its lower torso, but the coyote didn’t hesitate. It turned and its fangs bit deep into the ter 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 ohick muscle of the coyote’s shoulder did his fangs finally sink deep enough to keep the beast from esg.
Even while he bit and fought to envelop the coyote in his attack, it refused to give up. Its es dug ever deeper into TJ’s belly while it whipped its head wildly bad forth, trying to dislodge him. TJ didn’t release the coyote’s shoulder, though, and instead he ed his tail around its nebsp;
Though it hadn’t yipped or howled si 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 netil, with its lungs fighting for breath, it colpsed 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 stri of his ag body, TJ she neck of the st 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 fusion.
Anubis-blessed Coyote, level 6, Sin. Experience gained.
Coyote, Level 5, Sin. Experience gained.
Css: Neophyte has advao 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 avaible.
Occupation: Savage has advao 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 avaible.
Race: Human has advao 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 avaible.
Even with so muew information, TJ, still a coatl, colpsed 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 Css 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 mu one day, so could he still keep up with them in another day? Would they slohen he asked, the System gave him nothing, so instead, TJ id on the ground, his scales trembling with adrenaline and ing down from the panic of his past two days. Finally, taking a short time to pose himself, TJ could think coherently once again.
“Wh–” The series of questions burning in TJ’s mind cmored for his attention, until finally he settled on the first, “Why was that be special? What’s Anubis? That rattlesnake I killed before said something about that, but I fot to ask about it.” Somehow, with a greater familiarity with his serpent body, TJ no loruggled with the “s”s.
All sapient life that lives is a holder of one of the Divine Bloodlines. Se life qualify for a blessing of one of the holders of Divinity. Anubis, the Egyptian god of Jackals, embalming, and judgment, blessed the bck coyote with acrity and intelligence. Serket, the lesser Egyptian goddess of healing from venom and iions, blessed the rattlesh a more potent venom.
“But the venom was only a minor affli, right?”
Serket’s blessiowed the scorpion’s tail to the rattlesnake. You were ruck 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 uo i with the world during the Iion, give occasional guidahere are additional pieces of information to which you have no clearao learn at your current level of Divinity.
“Ok,” TJ sighed, “so how did Savage level up? I thought that killing things only gave my Css experience?”
The System has already addressed this. Savage, as an Occupation, is a generalist that gain experiehrough 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 Diviransformation 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 “bat-oriented” Occupations. Instead, as a generalist, it gains a reduced quantity of experience from many activities. Later, the Occupation evolve to a more produ, administrative, or bative focused subcss of the basic Savage Occupation.
Though ly what he wahat was enough, and TJ nodded. “Then, how I know how close I am to the level? I just get told I get experienow how much or how much I o the level.”
That information is not shared. Do know that the more difficult a task, the more experience gaihe retive proximity to the level is something that be sehough. With a greater level of familiarity with your own state and self, you will be better able to uand the retive closeness of your 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 sehat he could potentially figure something out, but it tio elude him. The near uanding tickled at the back of his mind, and it was nearly painful. Then, without warning, TJ was shunted out of his coatl form a naked and shivering iupid 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 Diviransformation to warm up for a while.
He cursed to himself as his feet caught oough stones underfoot, hoping he could quickly get dressed, while w if he still remembered where that was.
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