As he lay eyes on the creatures assembled in front of his home, TJ Appraised them.

    Sobek’s Devotee, Zealot, 15

    Sobek’s Devotee, Zealot, 17

    Sobek’s Devotee, Disciple, 14

    Sobek’s Devotee, Neophyte, 18

    Sobek’s Devotee, Acolyte, 20

    Seeing that none were Copper tier, the slight concern that’d filled TJ washed away with the steady rain from above. These creatures… TJ couldn’t tell what they had initially been. All of them except for the Neophyte were vaguely humanoid. Only in the broadest sense, in that they had two arms and two legs, a head and a torso. Their bodies were fully covered with thick scales, and heavy tails sprouted from their backs. They only had four fingers on each hand, and the fingers were thick and stumpy. Their heads were crocodilian, and the Zealots carried rough-hewn metal in the vague shape of a curved sword.

    The other two “Classes” of humanlike Sobek’s Devotees didn’t carry weapons. The Disciple’s hands were empty, its short, thick fingers curled in what had to be a painful contortion of their natural state. In its curled fingers glimmered a sickly green light, not far off of what the Raven Mocker’s magic had appeared like. TJ instinctively prickled at that, unwilling to let it cast whatever magic it had planned. Then, the Acolyte carried a wand, or something like it. With the wand, it was summoning crocodiles labelled Sobek’s Servant, 15 to stride alongside the Neophyte.

    Unlike its fellows, the Neophyte did not resemble a human. It was closer to a crocodile morphed with a hippo, as it strode along with heavy steps. Its legs were much longer than a crocodile’s, and it walked much quicker than any crocodilian TJ had ever seen. Its neck rippled with thick muscle, and TJ’s planned command went partially out the window as he watched the group of five Devotees approach. Once four more crocodiles walked alongside the Zealots and Neophyte on the front line, the Acolyte stopped creating more of the creatures. In the end, a squad of nine monsters devoted to what the System told TJ was an Egyptian god continued walking up the driveway towards his house.

    “Either of you got anything to do with Sobek?” TJ asked as the two teenagers ran out the front door to stand beside him. As he watched, Sam’s sword and shield appeared in his hands. Mimi was grabbing nervously at the Remnant on her wrist.

    “No.” Sam shook his head. “Well, maybe? I’m Bloodline of Set, who’s also Egyptian. I guess that’s a connection?”

    “You’re not both the same Bloodline?” TJ asked, mostly unconcerned with the monsters that stopped about 30 feet away from the house. He was particularly grateful for his Perception warning him they were here preemptively, since he’d hate if the first monsters he saw after the Tutorial tore his house apart.

    “No.” Mimi answered. “We’re still siblings though!”

    “I wasn’t doubting it.” TJ shrugged. “Just curious how all this works. Anyways, go ahead Sam. I’ll make sure they don’t kill you.”

    “Wait, what?” He answered.

    “I won’t get anything out of slaughtering these things. I’m surprised they’re here so quickly, but I wonder if it’s something to do with the rain. Like, crocs need water? Anyways. Go ahead.” TJ gestured at the assembled monsters.

    “Do we want to have… some sort of dialogue with them?” Mimi asked. TJ sighed, supposed immediate bloodshed wasn’t the best option available to them, but he had a sneaking suspicion he knew what was going to happen.

    “Fine.” TJ said. “Now, you five, something we can help you with? Or are you just going to keep on your way?”

    “We have no quarrel with thee, descendant of the Great Feathered Serpent.” The Acolyte replied with a hoarse, breathy voice. He? seemed focused on the person TJ thought would be their focus. “But the spawn of chaos and disorder must die. Set’s influence cannot be allowed to grow so powerful as it once came to be.”

    “I’m not going to turn over a child in my care to you.” TJ shook his head. As the Devotees gathered themselves to fight, though, TJ interrupted them. “However, I’ll let you fight him. I won’t stop you from doing what you feel like you need to.”

    “What?” The two kids spoke in unison, but couldn’t ask any further questions as the Devotees threw themselves forward. TJ didn’t explain anything else as he watched what Sam would do when overwhelmed by monsters higher level than him, and all alone, except for his sister’s support. Sam’s sword and shield sparked with a red energy, and he bashed his shield into the Neophyte’s snout. It roared in anger as he pressed the attack, his blade flashing as he struck down with it one, two, three times. The Neophyte’s thick scales turned the blows from being deadly, even though it was apparent that Sam was attacking with Skills guiding his blows.

    The boy wasn’t able to dispatch anything as the other two Zealots and the crocodiles approached, though. His initial attack complete, he instead had to put his entire effort into avoiding deadly blows from the seven monsters that surrounded him. Fortunately, only the Neophyte was taller and faster than the usual crocodile, and Sam ran along one of the summoned beast’s back to escape the encirclement.

    “Please, TJ! Save him!” Begged Mimi as the Acolyte’s green spell seemed about to be cast.

    “Don’t worry.” TJ assured her as he flicked his wrist and sent a blade of wind at the Disciple’s hands. All eight of its fingers flew free from the attack, and its spell or Skill was interrupted by the casual attack. Mimi looked at him, confused, and when the Disciple and Acolyte looked at him accusingly, he shrugged and pointed at Mimi while he asked the System what “Devotee” meant.

    A Devotee is a monster, animal, Participant, or other entity that has presented the whole of their self and ego to be swallowed up in the intent and desire of their chosen deity.

    So, as far as he was concerned, these weren’t humans any more, if they ever were. Fair game. Three of the crocodiles came towards Mimi as their Acolyte summoner commanded them in a hissing roar.

    “Help me, TJ!” Mimi begged again. “Sam’s getting hurt!”

    “Here you go.” TJ said as he handed over the Bloodied Spear. “Good luck!”

    The tears already welled up in her eyes spilled as her shoulders shook and she held the spear trembled in her hands. Even so, she pointed it at the crocodiles.

    “Look at Sam.” TJ encouraged her. “He’s learned that you need to stab them. You’ve got a perfect weapon for that.” sea??h thё n?vel_Fire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    True to his word, Sam had realized that slashing at the crocodile-skinned monsters wasn’t doing anything. He’d cut a couple wounds into each of his attackers, now that he was only outnumbered 4 to 1. The inexperienced boy was still overwhelmed, and hadn’t done anything particularly outstanding to TJ’s vision. Even so, the heavy clanging of metal on his shield showed that he’d prioritized survival over everything else. TJ could respect that. His shield was close to giving out, though, and he’d be out of luck at that point.

    Mimi screamed more in terror than in challenge as she stabbed the spear towards the nearest crocodile’s face. In what was either luck or latent talent, she plunged the spear deep into the monster’s eye. It wailed in pain and Mimi shook with her eyes closed tight.

    “Open your eyes!” TJ commanded. “Just cause you hurt it doesn’t mean that it’s not dangerous! There’s three more trying to kill you too! You’re higher level than them and your brother needs help. Forget about your fear!”

    Mimi opened her eyes, tears streaming down her face and mixing with the rain that coated everything. TJ realized that she and Sam were both just about out of luck and energy, and he didn’t want Sam to face permanent injury in this teaching session. As such, he drew some strength from the Storm overhead and called lighting down.  After all, that Acolyte there had his hands up in the air, and was pretty tall. Wasn’t that a challenge to lightning?

    The lightning was almost convinced, then decided it didn’t want to.

    “Well, if you won’t listen, I know who will.” TJ grumbled to himself. Then, with three sharp movements, he sent pillars of wind to smash the Disciple, Neophyte, and Acolyte to the ground, prostrate. The crocodiles and Zealots continued attacking, but TJ convinced the wind to assist Sam in his fight. As his movements grew faster and more sure and the greatest threat was no longer actively threatening him, Sam roared his anger as his sword flashed red again. Then, after batting the Zealots back, he leapt up and fell, sword first, onto the Neophyte’s back. With the wind and his Skills guiding him, the blade slipped between scales and vertebrae. It went limp and Sam’s wounds visibly healed. Just in time for one of the Zealot’s blades to cut deep into his back and send him flying.

    “Sam!” screamed Mimi as she picked the spear back up and stabbed it into one of the crocodile’s mouths. It dropped dead as the spear greedily drank its blood. Mimi didn’t care to retain hold on the weapon, jumping over the thrashing body of the dying crocodile. Then, she threw herself over her brother’s body and began healing him. With the bonuses from the Remnant, Sam was wholly healed after just a couple of seconds. Of course, that was more than long enough for the still-standing Zealots and crocodile summons to surround them and kill the two kids.

    TJ didn’t allow it, extending the influence of his Wind Manipulation to lay every one of the still-surviving monsters flat on the ground. His MP was still dropping pretty quickly, so he tossed his Spear over to Mimi and demanded of the two, “Dispatch them quickly! I can’t do this all day!”

    He could see the questions on both of their faces, but they did as he said. The Acolyte Devotee, however, was clearly livid about the duplicitous treatment TJ was giving it.

    “Thou saidst thou wouldst not stop us!” It roared. “Thou liest! Thou deceivest!”

    “Yeah? So?” TJ asked as the teens killed the Zealots and the crocodiles before moving to the Acolyte and Disciple. “Why would I keep my word to monsters? I’d kill hundreds of you before I gave over two children to be slaughtered by creatures who lost themselves to the worship of a dead god.”

    “Thou shalt pay!” The Acolyte swore.

    “Sure.” TJ waved it off as Sam lifted his sword and stabbed it into the Acolyte’s head. It died with a snarl on its face. Two bloodied teens stood in his front yard as he rolled his shoulders and looked at the blood running down his driveway and into the gutter.

    “I’m sure you two want an explanation for that.” TJ started.

    “No, I think I get it.” Sam answered, though he definitely looked a little sour. “You want us to learn our own lessons about what’s dangerous or something like that.”

    “Something like that.” TJ agreed. “I wanted to test you, and I knew I could keep you safe. If there was something more dangerous, I would have just started killing the enemies, but I want you to do hard things. That’ll help you be a lot stronger once you hit Copper tier.”

    “Why didn’t you explain that before?” Mimi demanded, tears still in her eyes. “I thought we were going to die!”

    “I wanted to see how you’d react is one thing.” TJ said. “I also didn’t want to tip the monsters off and let them try to sneak in a killing blow. And I’m not always going to be with you, I’m sure. I want to help you, to keep you safe, but I won’t always be able to. Any more questions?”

    Mimi just shook her head as she wrapped her arms around her brother. She was shivering, possibly from the cold, but more likely, from the adrenaline that’d slowly drain from her system.

    “On the other hand I have some more materials for you two to work with!”

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