Two more days passed .
Jay was partially recovered and they were ready to leave .
" Let's just say hello " Jay said his elegant demeanor was back . A man walking the apocalypse in white and silk .
Jay was referring to their temporary neighbors, they had stayed 5 days not far from a shelter hosting hundreds .
But Daniel had never made the effort to say 'hi'.
" Id like to be back to my life as soon as possible" Daniel responded.
" What life ? Let me remind you that we no longer have one. I also remember someone saying they joined the military?. Plus we are only saying hi, it won't take too long " Jay teased.
" It's never just hi " Daniel sighed
Daniel kept growing the more biomass he consumed. With all the roaming creatures he really never run out of unique beasts to swallow whole .
He needed two portions , one for research, and the other for consumption. It's just that animal mutation/ manifestations were just as random as humans . So he ate the relatively normal looking ones and stored the unique .
He was possibly commiting a mistake in his selection, as there might be animals that looked normal but had powers. But he didn't have time to observe them all .his mind was on his lab and those he'd left behind.
So this growth had caused him , still within the limitations of ' non supernatural' to look like a giant .
There were real baseline humans that looked like he did , but they were exceptionally rare . Or those with giant like genetics on steroids. It didn't help that he was stereotypically black to boot, and his current fashion sense was a ' loincloth '( shorts ;ie short shorts) with bare chest and feet .
He probably would be considered stupid by most that had no brains. To those that did ,he'd appear to be an eccentric insane person .
Daniel sometimes thought about wearing his usual fits, but he wanted others to be so mesmerized by his clothing they automatically discounted him being a 'genius'.
Plus the world still thought geniuses wore eye lenses and were scrawny. He looked the exact opposite. Jay literally 'appeared' smarter than him just because he was leaner and well groomed( clothing). Daniel was also a bit of a show off , he wanted others to get a good look at the work he put in . Though now his new body ruined most of his plans by making muscle and growth attainment Soo easy.
But Daniel rationalized that there were probably entities that could destroy whole states / countries , so him having a body that made strengthening himself easier by 10 times was a gift he should be appreciative of .
–––
People in military uniforms holding guns stood at the shelters entrance, and with them was a girl no more than 12 years old playing up front with a cat, a normal looking one with white and brown fur.
Guns and children wasn't something Jay hoped to ever witness in his life within close proximity.
A child wasn't something Daniel thought was possible to survive in the current world climate. But he'd had longer to get used to it since his spacial perseption spanned an entire mile .
Probably saying a mile didn't let readers understand Daniels reach as it sounded small , they probably imagined something like a cluster of houses in length. But a mile was way bigger. A mile could fit approximately 2,000,000 humans evenly spaced. The group Daniel faught before were rightfully validated to call him a deity
for having total dominion over a space 2 million humans could occupy .
Eric the traitor was too broken for a superhuman, and shouldn't be thought about. Omnipresence in 5 times the diameter, honestly it was ludicrous, but that's why he could defeat the blue bug and the red bugs.
Daniel inferred though that should he have a rematch with his first life or death opponent, he'd win . There were a couple of reasons why .
First he wasn't an impossiblity back then . Even though his impossiblity did have direct combat power , it's defensive and evasive power was top notch . He did try making more offensive itenerations , and it did work , but he'd rather go with the fist punches . Not only was that his first ability, but it felt more like himself.
Second was his new body. Just having this body and nothing else , Daniel would have won that fight . It wasn't that he was currently stronger , it was that he was close enough to the creatures toughness to win. Maybe if more time elapsed and he continued to grow he'd surpass the blue bug (in body ).
Thirdly , with each second that passed by Daniel was better than before . His genius powers could not be under estimated . It really shamed him that he was wounded by weaklings . That arrogance power must be eradicated from the world.
The kid was rolling around in the dust when she saw two shadowy figures in the distance.
She immediately fetched her pet and hid behind the guards drawing attention to the visitors .
Their guns straight up pointed to the two causing Daniel to frown . What did they think that was going to do?
" Don't take offense to it , with groups like Janice's, Sam's and individuals like Eric running around, I'd be weary too." Jay made sense. But it wasn't like Daniel wasn't aware
" Tch" Daniel humored them . The fact that he understood why things happened, didn't stop him from reacting to them from his perspective.
While Jay was fresh , iron pressed and all that , the guards looked rough and dirty . Even the child looked like she hadn't had a bath in forever.
Electricity was out , soon after the apocalypse hit , it was gone. Later water while still running, came out too slowly , the pressure was gone meaning it took longer to gather enough to use to bath oneself .
So when they got a clearer view of the handsome youngman in white and silk they were compelled by human nature to view him as a good person.
So rather their guns shifted to the monstrously bigger human by his side. Probably equally as handsome, but the threat coming off of him was palpable.
He was tall , standing at about 6'11 , but that was acceptable. What wasn't acceptable was the muscle on that frame ! Every god damned area on his body had developed muscle! And it looked like he had a perpetual pump from workout.
Because of this it made him look way bigger than his actual height .
" Stop flashing a child!" It was the leader of the guards yelled at him .
Daniel looked at her , then at the little girl behind her , then at himself .
He wasn't really flashing, in the first place why was a child alive ? No how was she alive . The first answer he came to was that she manifested a power.
" Wow this isn't even enough for you to realize your dressing is inappropriate?" Jay asked form his side.
" Well she should deal with it, a mans privates are down there, and my contents are appropriately hidden."
" ..... You are hopeless , hell is waiting for your soul "
" If you are still unaware of how diverged our current world is from your holy book , I feel sorry for you"
" The fact that you can't understand cues still bothers me "
They'd come close enough for the guards to hear them before stopping .
" I'm Jay , and this is my friend Daniel. We were passing through and noticed there was a shelter with survivors, so we were coming by to give our greetings." Jay said.
" Hunters or normies" but the guards didn't seem too friendly, they asked a question directly and with a hint of animosity.
" What ?" Jay asked frankly confused.
" Are you hunters or normal people " the leader of the guard unit protecting the little girl and the cat asked again . The entire time never once making eye contact with Jay , but never letting Daniel out of her sight .
" I've never gotten a hunting license, so I guess I'm a normal person? " Jay wasn't stupid, he knew exactly what they were asking, but if they weren't going to be friendly with him , he wasn't going to translate their words for them .
" You've said hi let's leave then ." Daniel who had been silent for a while now looked at Jay .
" Is that what you call a greeting?" Jay however spoke to the head guard .
" Let's start again I'm Jay , please what is the lady's name ? "
" Call me guard captain " clearly she didn't want to get to know them .
Daniel looked at the trembling child and the adorable little cat in her embrace , and studied them .
His stare was so offensive a guard tried shooting him in the leg , only for a 'dang' with the bullet connecting to compressed space and falling over .
But to others the bullet seemed to have connected and squished !
Instantly all their expressions turned grave.
Daniel looked at the guard who shot him scowled and said . "You must be her aunt ? "
His question startled them all . The guard and the girl looked nothing alike , how did he know ?!
The guard was about to speak , but it was as if he'd read her mind of its contents before she spoke them .
" Don't attempt to lie to me , it will never succeed "
Just these small interactions created a powerful mental image of Daniel in all their minds !
Impervious to bullets from AKM's , noticing relationships at a glance , and mind reading?
There was a subtle shift in the atmosphere, it went from a aggressiveness to a defensiveness.
But Daniel didn't stop there ,
" I want her " immediately the guards heard that they opened fire on him without restraint. Even the guard captain.
POW POW POW POW POW POW POW POW
Jay's mouth was agape and his barrier up .
" Are you a PEDOPHILE?! " Jay yelled .
" I'm not , how can I be , not only am I a minor , but do not mistaken my interest in her " listening to this casual exchange happen between the two even as they were being shot at scared the lights out of them .
And one guard infact pissed himself.
" I want her and the cat " at this point not only had they given up on shooting him down , but were curious as to what he wanted .
" It doesn't matter who you are , my niece is not property, you can't have her just because you asked ."
" Even if it would be in her best interest"
" Yes including that !"
" Sandra wait " the guard captain said . Then looked at Daniel.
" Explain"
" .... If I'm not mistaken , she has a power related to physical combat does she not ?"
The guards back tracked even more .
'HOW THE FUCK DID HE KNOW !'
" possibily , " the guard captain acted unfazed outwardly, but Daniel could hear her heart beat quicken and drum loudly. His observations were astute , he wasn't carelessly throwing words around.
" As you can see I am also physical combat oriented . Not only that but I have access to one of the safest places in all of Kansas . I'd like to train her into her power. "
" Why are we having such a serious conversation outside, invite us in " Jay tried chipping in . But the guard captain didnt seem to register him .
" Why would you want to do that? What motive do you have ? "
" An opponent, I'm looking for an opponent " this was true . Daniel had seen power . Eric had power, Jay had power Kayden , Audrey , and a host of others , but the funny thing was that what made them threatening wasn't their martial arts , in that aspect he'd now surpassed them all . Including Kayden a professional boxer.
He hadn't caught Audrey, but from what Jay said she was more of a weapon user than a no weapon artist . He hoped to run into her soon thou .
He could get himself a discple that could keep up with or surpass his inhuman progress . The fact that in this place she could die at an early age was unacceptable. The building was safest in all of Kansas .
Even now he could remember the hundreds of thousands of high dimensional energies incorporated into its fortifications by the gaze.
Just look what it's done with the exact same mass his old body was made of with no additions whatsoever to make his new body.
" I'm sorry , not possible. " The Guard captain said only to realize Daniel wasn't infront of her. And later all the guards realized the child was no longer behind the guard captain.
Daniel really did not take no as an acceptable answer , the selfishness of these people could slow down progress . His utilitarian mindset was in progress.
" WHERE ?! ––"
-----
Less than a mile away , Daniel and the child stood face to face . She looked confused , then scared . No one was around! But the giant man ! She was 12 she had seen things she never would have in the 2 weeks she'd lived in the apocalypse. Cannibalism, torture , kidnapping, and even the r worded one . Life really was different for those outside the building. It skewed her world view a bit .
" Speak your name " Daniels authoritative demand forced the information out of her. He was very aware that children liked to exploit soft spoken people , he was a child once afterall, no he was still one .
" P-patricia"
" Wow your parents were really old fashioned " Daniel said aloud .
But it seemed hearing her' parents ' was too much for her because she begun bawling. Daniel himself felt a pang .
" Shhh shhh , don't cry, I didn't mean to be insensitive" he crossed the distance and patted her back .
The cat hissed at him , but he didn't mind
" I – I also lost my parents, very recently, " he gave more consoling words until Patricia was okay .
" Patricia, do you want revenge on your parents enemies?" Daniel asked
" But miss witch already killed them? "
" No I mean all of them, every single melovus that walks this planet , don't you want to let them feel your pain ?"
" But the guard captain said I shouldn't hold hatred–"
" But I'm not talking about hatred, I'm talking about revenge . Don't you want the ones who sent the melovus to this side of the rift to pay for what they have done to your family other families?, my family ? "
"I ––I –– yes , yes I want r-r-revenge."
Hisss the cat hissed at Daniel again.
" Then join me , be my companion, let us destroy those who destroyed us " Daniels big hands stretch forth to her .
His words might send of the wrong signals , but Daniel really had no interest in children. His type was milfs the exact opposite of what Patricia was .
But this companionship was unexpected when he decided to tag along with Jay to say 'hi '