For the first time in several days, possibly for the entire apocalypse that was the Integration, TJ went to bed without practicing any Skills or crafting anything. He did carve the hides free from the javelina corpses and applied the brain mixture to them, but that was hardly work. Once the relatively quick treatment and preparation was complete, he retired to the space that he and Stanton now stayed in. The safe zone had pulled past the hunting lodge and "their" home a couple days ago, and now, the bulk of people slept on whatever bedding they could scrape together. TJ and Stanton, as two of the strongest members of the survivors, got their own space in a house just across the street from the general store.
There were a dozen more people living in the small home as well, but TJ and Stanton had their own room. Thus, they were, compared to the cowardly few who refused to go on hunts now, living in luxury. The thought of what the world would be like after Tutorials ended was somewhat interesting, but TJ couldn't say that he could believe it would be even remotely peaceful.
Just as soon as TJ collapsed into his heap of quilts and pillows in the corner of their room, raised voices made themselves known outside. Then, while he tried to ignore those, angry voices were raised, and then there were screams. He began to pull a pillow over his head to ignore it all, but after nearly a minute of screaming continued, there was a knock on his door. TJ stifled a shout of his own and instead stood up and answered the door. Molly stood there, her eyes darting all over and her shoulders tense.
"Hey Moll. What can I do for you?"
"Um… outside needs some help. He, well, they kinda, well, they're fighting, and I just… I think you might be needed there."
TJ sighed but nodded. "On my way."
"Great! Thanks." Molly turned on her heel, her spear decorated with wendigo bits tearing through the wall when she wasn't careful. "Oh, sorry!"
"Don't worry about it." TJ responded as he pulled his moccasins on and followed her tracks. She jogged out of the house, and TJ idly Appraised her as they went.
Neophyte, 11
"You've been getting some levels!" TJ congratulated her as they hurried down the stairs. "You probably got your Class past 10, huh?"
"Yeah." Molly answered, though her attention remained outside. "We can talk about it later?"
"Sure."
TJ rolled his shoulders, ready to confront whatever it was that was waiting for him. What he wasn't expecting, though he probably should have, was Jeff. The bastard had been pushed aside and nearly forgotten since his last outburst, and TJ simply hadn't thought about him at all, unless he saw the moron. Right now, though, he had his face pressed to the ground and his arms behind his back. Most surprising of all, though, was that it was Farid holding Jeff down. Regardless of the foot between his shoulder blades or the torsion of his shoulder, Jeff kept running his mouth.
"They almost died today! Again! And it's because TJ was being the usual monster he is! You're all blind! That fucker is trying to kill everyone, and I'm the only one who sees it! You have to believe me, you're all in danger! Please!"
While he tried to continue ranting, Farid pulled off his shoe and then a sock and stuffed it in Jeff's mouth. The grappled man gagged and his face went green once the filthy garment was held there as a gag. The combative prisoner silenced, Farid spoke, his tone obviously trying to carry further to be heard by the curious, cautious, and furious people that surrounded the action.
"Jeff. We haven't seen TJ purposefully harm any members of the town, or any people nearby. He's been one of our most active hunters, and he's saved most everyone's life either directly or indirectly at this point. The danger that the hunters encountered today is just a testament to his foresight in making everyone start hunting a week ago. The monsters are getting stronger, and we need to too. If you have any real evidence, different from what you're said is evidence before, of TJ's wrongdoing, then please, let us know. If you still only have a hunch or a suspicion, then you'll need to spend the night somewhere that won't disturb everyone else."
Farid pulled Jeff up before yanking his sock free. It was dripping with spit, and Farid's lip curled in distaste as he looked at it. Jeff didn't hesitate to gesticulate at TJ as he and Molly approached.
"There! There's your evidence! He's coming to silence me! He's going to kill me! Please, protect me!"
As he spoke, Jeff's eyes rolled in genuine terror and he fought to get away from TJ as he approached. The previously put together man in TJ's mind was long gone. The unkempt, filthy, terribly stinky, manic wretch who trembled and fought for escape now wasn't the combative Jeff TJ had known before.
"I'll stay back here." TJ said, his hands held high. "You can take him away if you'd like, but I'd like to ask some questions if I can. Jeff, can I ask you just one or two questions?"
"I don't taste good. Please don't eat me." Jeff trembled as he rocked back and forth in Farid's arms. The steep decline in his sanity was both off-putting and frightening at the same time. TJ looked at Farid, hoping to get some sort of an answer, but Farid shrugged helplessly.
"I've never eaten a person." TJ said, still not approaching. "I won't either. But Jeff, have I ever attacked you or tried to kill you?"
"Yes!" Jeff screamed. "You did, in the firehouse! You didn't want me to reveal your evil deeds there, and so you tried to kill me! Everyone else protected me, but you used your magic to change everyone's minds!"
TJ was so baffled that he couldn't answer at all. Something had changed in Jeff, something that didn't make sense. He'd been so reasonable at first, nervous around immensely powerful strangers, and then he'd been, while not friendly, not hostile either. More than that, he'd been open and up front about his feelings and reasons. TJ hadn't imagined friendship was possible, but he hadn't expected Jeff to be an enemy either. The drastic turnaround was just too much. Then, a thought occurred.
"Has Laura been around?" He asked.
"She's been too busy to deal with something like this." Farid answered.
"Could someone bring her here? As well as any other high-leveled Disciples?"
"Yes, let me convince them of his villainy! Go quickly, before he can change his mind and silence me!" Jeff answered, and Molly activated Divine Transformation and then as a lightning dog ran towards the general store. After she left, Jeff resumed his ravings, but after Farid threatened him with the sock again, Jeff fell mostly silent. Less than two minutes later, Laura jogged in, Rebekkah, Angelo, and Granny Penny following behind. TJ smiled seeing Granny Penny so mobile, and then, Appraisal letting him know that she'd passed level 10 was enough to see how she'd recovered so well.
"What is it TJ? Do you need help with a civil disturbance? A dozen people have gone missing today, and I don't know where they are." Laura asked as she walked forward, her steps hurried and her face unhappy. Over the past ten days of the Integration, she'd stopped wearing her pantsuit all the time. Instead, she wore rugged jeans and a jacket over a shirt, just like most of the people who'd survived thus far.
"Laura, help me! He wants to kill me! Kick him out, he doesn't belong! Please!" Jeff screamed, and Farid, unwilling to deal with the madman's desperation, stuffed his sock back in Jeff's mouth. TJ gestured to Jeff, still secured in Farid's arms, as he spoke.
"When was the last time you or anyone healed him?"
"At least a week for me." Laura answered, looking at the other Disciples nearby. A chorus of people replied as well, saying that they'd not tended to him in quite a while either. More interesting was that nobody who had been on a hunt with Jeff in the past days had seen him be injured beyond surface level, unimportant strikes. He hadn't needed to be healed in days. TJ continued to speak.
"And does anyone here have the ability to see if someone's suffering from an Affliction?"
Laura shook her head, but Angelo walked forward. "I do. From Medic, I can access that part of someone's Status."
TJ was going to ask, but Angelo put the pieces together before he needed to. "I'll diagnose him, see if there's anything driving this."
Angelo laid both his hands on Jeff's face, looking into his eyes. Jeff writhed, avoiding eye contact and generally making a nuisance of himself, but he hadn't gained more than a handful of levels in the past days and had long since been left behind by the rest of the active combatants in town. Between Farid and Angelo, Jeff couldn't move, and before long, Angelo hissed a breath between his teeth. TJ felt a sinking in his stomach as his guess was confirmed.
"There's a nasty cocktail of afflictions he's got, but the big ones are severe Enthralled, Charmed, and Terrified. You've probably seen or heard of Charmed, and you can ask what the other two do, but it's bad. I have no idea how these afflictions are continuously renewed, because their cooldown is currently at the max."
TJ didn't need to ask the System audibly for descriptions before they were supplied to him.
Severe Enthralled affliction: This affliction is the superlative version of Charmed. While still in the presence of the source of your Enthrallment, you will be 2000% more likely to agree with whatever the source of the affliction suggests. You will be 1500% more likely to feel positively about the source of the affliction, and you will be 1600% more likely to do whatever it is that the source of the affliction requests.
Severe Terrified affliction. This affliction is the superlative version of Terrified. While still in the presence of the source of your Fear, you will suffer from an 85% reduction in your Intelligence, Wisdom, and Willpower. Your ability to perceive reality from your fears will be nonexistent.
The rest of the crowd surrounding them obviously got the same information at that time, as angry, annoyed, or hateful looks became pitying and charitable. Laura stepped forward, glowing with her healing light, and laid a hand on Jeff's shoulder. He quivered in… fear? As her light flowed into the bound and gagged man, it visibly flowed to a spot just under his armpit. As the light touched it, Jeff screamed, the sound blasting through the gag, and as Farid reeled from the shock, Jeff struggled free. His fist sailed towards Laura's face, but before it could land, a half dozen others interposed themselves.
"It's.. bad." Laura gasped. "That took most of my MP, and I don't know how close we are."
"Get his shirt off." TJ commanded, stepping forward to do so himself. Farid, Molly, and a dozen other pairs of hands held Jeff down while a knife cut through his shirt and exposed his armpit. As Jeff's torso was revealed, the first thing that became apparent was the stench of rot, somehow held back and made to smell only of body odor under the shirt. Worse, though, was what they saw under the cover of the cloth. Several of the people holding him down audibly retched at the smell and sight, and Laura vomited as she turned away.
"Sweet heaven above." TJ whispered. "What happened to you, Jeff?"