TJ could vaguely remember what the land across from Tempe Town Lake had looked like before the Integration. He hadn't ever really thought about it, since it was just the ground underneath the freeway that he drove over and never gave another thought to, but he could remember that it was a slightly overgrown desert terrain. Sand and rocks, maybe a palo verde or two? More than that, he wasn't sure, but he was positive that what was there now couldn't be even remotely compared to what it was at present. Instead of a desert landscape with sparse growth, this was now a marshland with frogs, bugs, and a humid smell that was distinctly nothing like what happened naturally in the valley.
"How much you wanna bet there's gonna be some massive fucking frog monster around here?"
"Sarah, I get that you're more comfortable around us, but I'd rather you not teach Luz to swear every other word. She doesn't need to grow up quite so potty mouthed, at least not until she's a little older and can make her own decisions."
"Whatever you say, TJ. Even so, the question stands. How much you wanna bet there's some massive frog that's gonna try to eat us the same second we get near its lair?"
"That is not a bet that any of us will want to take." Farid's voice was even, though his eyes were narrowed and looking across the marshy expanse without any hesitation. "Everything is changing faster than we can react to. I mean, the people who have looked at the freeway above us can see that the asphalt is disappearing. Will it become a grassy plain? Or will a forest appear? Who's to say."
"The person who decides that is going to be the person with the strongest Divine Authority around." Seth looked pointedly at TJ. The Avenger shrugged as he continued, "It'll be our job to make sure that you get strong enough to establish this as your domain, isn't it? That'll let your followers get our boosts while we're at home."
"That's the hope at least." TJ nodded. "If we can make it so it's constantly stormy around here, even without me using my Skill, that would be pretty nice. Though, I would lament having used the Skill selection to get Stormcaller… That's beside the point, though. Long term, that's what we want, but for now, our main focus is going to be just establishing a place where we can live long-term. Where we'll be safe from the New Republic, if they decide to pursue vengeance against us, and more importantly, where we can protect ourselves from the thousands of monsters wanting to get a piece of us every day."
"I'm more than happy to start leading out scouting expeditions. See what we can find, what enemies around here are common, and if there are any humans that happen to be nearby that all want to join the new community, at least for a time. What should I call our community when I talk to them? The Kingdom of the Storm Serpent?" As always, Molly was bubbly and excited with each word, and she was looking around, obviously already choosing who would go exploring with her.
"I'm happy to let you and Tessie do some brief scouting, just of the immediate surroundings. No more than a mile in either direction. That'll at least let us know what we're working with, because if we're happening to set up right next to an entire population of high copper tears, then we'll have to get the hell out of dodge. If not, we can start setting down roots and putting down walls. You know, stuff like that. And no, just call us a community, there's no need to put a formal title on it right now."
"OK, but we should probably take a couple other people with us just in case. Maybe Mimi and Sam? Mimi can heal us, and Sam's pretty good defensively, even if the Lightning Dog can hold out better than he can." Though it was strange that Molly called her own Divine Transformation as something different from herself, TJ didn't call attention to it.
"No more than five, total. Decide who's gonna come, then let me know before you go. Are we clear?"
"Yeeeeeeees."
Though Molly drew out the word as only teenagers could, TJ had no doubt that, despite her annoyance with his overbearing approach, she would also do as she said. As she darted off to set up a party of teenagers to go exploring through the deadly marshes, TJ reconsidered his choices for a moment. Was he really about to allow this child to rush headlong into danger and bring her friends along for the ride? It took less than five seconds for him to scoff at his foolishness. Of the people present, teenagers made up the largest percentage of people who had thrown themselves into gaining levels and getting to the Copper tier. Sure, part of that was because he had been fighting alongside late teenagers in his own Tutorial, but the reality was that, despite the danger and death that surrounded them, teenagers were acclimating well to this new world, and, in many cases, better than the adults.
"Michelle, how close do you think you are to being able to provide some armor for more of the people around here?" TJ turned his attention to the Blacksmith.
"Just like we saw in the Tutorial, the main limitation is materials. If we've got tons of materials that I can work with, I can start providing more and more to the people around us. So, get to hunting, and I'll get to smithing." She smiled as she joked.
TJ nodded once, his face quirking with a smile."Let's get moving. I don't wanna be too close to the water's edge, since the lake's shores seem to be climbing higher every day. Even so, this is marshy, and I wonder if maybe we want to go to the asphalt above."
For a brief moment, he looked around himself to see if there was anyone who would voice their opinion, but then, without anyone saying it, he was reminded that he was, in fact, the be all and do all of every decision made here in his group of followers.
"Scratch that, we are moving up to the freeway overhead. It'll be better for my affinity to be closer to the sky without anything between us, and I'd rather be able to see what's coming for us. Whatever is down here is already well settled in, but on the ground overhead, that is slowly being claimed by nature, I'd rather be the leader of that spreading influence. Any complaints?"
He looked at each person who followed him, and though Molly, Tessie, Mimi, and Sam all were preparing to go out, there wasn't even an uncomfortable look. TJ nodded as he said, "Makes sense. All of us have at least some desert rat in us, and we'd rather be where it's dry."
A couple chuckles answered him, and Farid added, "Yeah, we all have that thin blood. Being down in the wet all day? That's bad for the body."
Without further conversation, the group turned to the sides, looking for the easiest access point to the overpass above them. It stretched out maybe 100 feet above them, much higher than it had been before the Integration. Strange how much had changed, the natural and manmade environments alike. Looking around, though, TJ could see that the concrete overhead was still stable, with no cracking above or shards broken free below. Then, when he paid special attention to the floor of the overpass where they were planning to settle, he saw that more than just concrete, this had to become more like true stone. Appraising it returned back the annoying though correct information:
Unknown stone.
"Over there is probably our best bet." Lucy, the Acolyte, pointed out and pulled his attention from the gray stone overhead. Where she pointed, TJ could see that there was a ladder built into the side of the pillar that she was focused on.
"Good catch. Let us know if you can see anything to let us get onto the top more easily."
As they made their way to the stairway, Sarah was, of course, the first to leap onto the gray rungs. It was strange, because TJ was positive that the overpass had been almost entirely, if not in totality, left alone for the entire time since the Integration. Even so, the street had gotten more than three times higher from the ground, and the view that he had gotten from overhead showed that there was some grass sprouting where there used to be asphalt. The rungs set into the side of the concrete were something that he couldn't imagine had ever existed there before, given that there was no reason for there to be personal access on the side of a concrete pillar that led to nowhere other than the bottom of the overpass, but he supposed they were plenty of things that he didn't know. Regardless, there were firm hand and foot holds that lead all the way up to the top of the pillar, and in about 30 seconds, Sarah had scaled the entire 100 feet without blinking. Once she reached the top, there was still over 30 feet of sheer stone wall above her before she could get to the edge of the street that was their destination.
TJ was about to call out to see what she planned on doing when, without a word, she held out a hand, made her axe appear, and then leapt towards the edge of the overpass. A set of ethereal wings flashed into being and allowed her to hook her axe into the edge of the overpass, and she dangled there, laughing giddily.
"I don't think this will work for anyone else! Even so, it seems like I can get myself up here at least."
The other people around him, especially the Untiered participants who hadn't reached Copper yet, blanched at the thought of attempting to leap from a height that could quite easily harm or even kill them. TJ couldn't help but remind himself of how much lower his Attributes were back then, even when he was at the peak of being Untiered.
"You have a rope or anything?" TJ asked as the Zealot pulled herself over the edge.
"I don't think we need one. We've got something even better, don't we?"
TJ, immediately understanding what she was saying, sighed. Then, he nodded. "Yes, I can help people get up. We do need to figure out something in the long term that doesn't require me to just be sitting around up there, though."
"Yes! Thanks a bunch, Storm Serpent."
TJ transformed and threw himself up at the edge of the overhang. Funnily enough, his Skill choice of Shredding Bite (a choice he frequently regretted in hindsight) allowed him to dig his fangs easily into the unknown stone that made the barrier wall of the freeway. Something inside of him understood that with his unmutated fangs, he wouldn't have been able to get nearly so secure of a grip. He quickly dismissed the idle thoughts, given that they didn't do anything for him, and instead glanced at Sarah with a meaningful look.
"Our wish has granted us, especially the weak, an easy way to ascend! When you reach the top of the stairs, touch his tail, and he'll wrap it around you to bring you onto the top. Farid, guide people up here. Seth, you're on watch to make sure that nothing comes along to ruin our plan."
TJ, grateful that she'd understood his glance and he was saved from having to readjust himself completely, extended his tail and body down under the overpass to be at the top of the ladder. As soon as the first hesitant touch came, TJ immediately wrapped his tail around the person. As William, Molly's dad, grunted in fear, TJ brought him around quickly and placed him down on top of the overpass.
The coatl disregarded the muttered curses of terror as he raced his tail back down and grabbed the next person, who turned out to be William's wife. As Lucy also trembled in fear, TJ continued to do the same thing, bringing the over 2 dozen people over the edge without any difficulty. Molly, Tessie, Mimi, and Sam were still below, but they would be able to get themselves up without any of his help, he was sure. Then, with that surety, he looked at the land spreading before them, ready to see what this location would offer to him and his people.