Chapter 11: Display of silent power

Jerry's POV: 

'Squad of ten men after that person was slain, their leader has roughly four men with him, and the contact squad has six. I utilized my black mist's nature perception on that individual, as humans have willpower, whilst animals are more easily manipulated. I was able to determine which people possessed guns and melee weapons. Okay, it's time to plan.'

I swerved as I utilized the mist as a decoy to slide to the left down the woodland. I could hear bullets hitting trees behind me, and the scent of penetrated bark gave me a general idea of what was going on. Their bullets must be Armor-piercing, 'They prepared for an Infected such as myself'

I reasoned as I rose from my feet and sprinted, my nose telling me where the new and ancient trees were, as well as the dull green that may trip me. My skin provided an overview of the surroundings, which contained mild humidity and a cool breeze.

My ears gave me a different story. For example, there are no signs of huge game creatures like deer, which were extinct during the Dark Ages but were reborn, and everything has returned to normal. So, this area would be teeming with fauna, including herbivores, omnivores, and carnivores. My ears and nose couldn't identify them, but my nose took up a fragrance of fresh raven feathers, and my ears picked up their delicate, young-sounding noise... Hatchlings.

"But why," I asked myself, 'Why aren't there any animals in this place? The place is lush and vast enough for fauna to flourish like the other side where I found Donwood, yet animals were present and now they're all gone?

 I'll worry about that later; for now, I have to deal with these men and that Infected mongrel of a leader.

I paused and listened for footsteps before running a little further away. They were cautiously approaching my spot, knowing I was infected and what I had done to their fellow brother whoever that guy's name was. Oh, and the guy that was after Donwood, I slit his throat and severed his head; that was bloody.

I smile as my nose and ears pick up water ahead; before I traveled this way, it sounded like a creek, but as I drew closer, I realized it was a river, a tributary of sorts connecting to another stream, although that stream was far out in the distance.

I got to the bank and knelt, taking a mouthful of water and drinking it six times. rushing is taxing and tiresome; I wanted to rest and fall asleep to the sound of rushing water, but it was not the time or place.

 The men arrived at the river, this time led by Grizzly, who appeared concentrated and smiling. A gruesome joy of murder math engulfed him as his nose scented the air. He approached the riverbank and squatted near the moist sand.

Visible footsteps were there, and the stream was little but had a gap where someone could easily fall. His attention followed the footprints, and on the other side, he gestured for the soldiers to follow, but to take care with their steps. They made it to the other side, where they were met by a grove of suffocating trees of all sizes, which were blocked off by vines, leaves, and fallen bark.

A cluster of aberrant growth.

 It was difficult to tell where the youngster went. Grizzly's hand abruptly altered, and black bullet-like claws grew slowly. He hacked down the vines with them while instructing his soldiers to follow him, one by one as the last one entered.

A piece of the uncut vines felt menacing as the man peered at it with curiosity, but his world and vision were cut short when a slender blade sliced through his neck horizontally, severing the tenders and veins cleanly as blood was splashed on a small section of the vines.

One soldier looked behind to see his brother following when he was immediately confronted by a sword going through his neck toward his brain. Jerry removed the gun and dagger from the body while his [Nature perception] kept him informed of the men's movements up ahead.

He polished the blade with the leaves, causing a noise that drew the men's attention to a blind young guy pointing a revolver and shooting before vanishing into the vines and heavy trees.

It was useless because he was blind; he only hit trees and shoulders, causing some injuries. The gunmen responded in the same way, shooting where he had vanished, piercing the air with a dagger that struck the meat region, drawing blood.

With one of the men's shoulders injured and the other holding a knife to the stomach, Jerry ran out of his hiding place and fired two rounds into the heart of the man with the dagger to the stomach. The location was there, but he needed to alter his kill shot to the heart and the shoulder wound soldier was shot to the neck. The head was tough to target with his [Nature perception] that registered the world and life as everchanging waves.

As the blood spurted, the soldier grabbed his neck and fired at Jerry with his gun, almost striking his chest but nicking his elbow.

'How did he?' he pondered, his consciousness slipping away. Grizzly yells:

"Men switch to melee; this environment isn't suited for guns" His guys holstered their firearms, particularly those with heavy machines. Jerry ran over to the men from the side, stabbing them in the leg with his rapier, letting it go, and finished with two kicks to the rapier to force it deep and a push kick to knock him down. He delivered another kick to the other man's stomach, pushing him closer to his other men, and causing a pause in their onslaught. Jerry took the life of the downed man with a quick axe kick to the chest.

Two men carrying melee rushed Jerry as he noticed one of the last men next to Grizzly pointing his pistol at Jerry. Jerry sidestepped before the finger could pull the trigger, firing the bullet. Jerry was met by a kick to the face and a bat to the stomach, causing a recoil of pain as Jerry gritted his teeth and unleashed a fierce attack of punches to the two men's bodies while dodging the bullets using trees and the men as shields.

Grizzly was amazed at what this boy was achieving despite his handicap; the show prompted his body to grow as blonde hair began to grow on his body, his features changed as fangs and claws formed, and his eyes blazed with an ignited fury red like a rose.

Grizzly yelled as he swung his claws down and killed his sibling, but he didn't care because his change was complete. There stood a humanoid creature with intense red eyes, blonde fur, and a huge bulk like a bear.

His soldiers and Jerry came to a halt as the roar slowed them down; mercifully, Jerry was as stunned as the men, who stood there in dread and confusion. This was the first time they had witnessed Grizzly's entire power, and it was horrifying. Jerry's [Nature perception] registered a gigantic wave with uncoordinated flow, he couldn't keep track of the shape created by the force.

His skin felt a severe chill, prompting Jerry to conjure the dark mist, which was thicker and more potent than the one he employed as a distraction. Grizzly's body moved as his claws slashed at his troops with brutal speed.

Jerry tanked the impending blow as Grizzly used his body as a shoulder block, pushing Jerry further into the forest where he banged his head on a tree, causing it to rattle on impact. Leaves dropped as Jerry's head slumped low, and he slowly straightened it. His mist remained about him, and his breathing was shallow and difficult.

That impact made him contemplate a frontal attack on the blessed; it felt like a curse to Jerry. The soldier was the transformative type, endowed with the ability to show his emotions as power, which explained the murder math, forcing him to shift plans quickly.

Although he was aware of his men's ability to identify him, he maintained a restrained demeanor while leading them to slaughter. He was attempting to assess Jerry's abilities as a blessed, but Jerry dismissed the idea as an explanation for why this country was given the name Obstacle. Jerry heard the thunderous footsteps of the charging bear, and the ground trembled with each stride.

Jerry instantly took off his blindfold, and with clenched teeth, a sudden power began to develop as black thin marks with bizarre writing began to appear on his skin, the source of which came from Jerry's back, where the supposed tattoo was located.

The marks flashed dimly as Jerry's vacant eye sockets began to drip thick viscous greasy dark liquid, which turned to mist as it touched the ground. The seeping mist blended with Jerry's protective outer mist.

That mist engulfed Jerry's damaged body, replacing the ripped and unclean garments with black stealth armor with smooth shoulder blades, black slacks with short boots, and a slew of throwing gadgets on the suit.

As Grizzly charged to harm anything between him and Jerry, he was met with heavy mist that obscured his vision. He couldn't see or smell where it originated from, but he felt a chill emanating from the mist. He attempted to locate the source but was struck by a lightning-fast onslaught on his hands and stomach, rattling his body as he was driven back from the mist.

His senses returned as he gazed into the mist with his red burning eyes, fierce and enraged. He saw a young man with hollow eye sockets wearing black ornate light armor with throwing stars and knives on the chest. What struck him was not what the young man wore, but how the mist slowly absorbed into small traces on the young man's face.

The mark grew sharper and fiercer, and they went to the empty sockets as they altered, forming round marbles with no shine or glow.

 Grizzly's stunned mind was filled with only one thought:

 'The Monster That Killed Samuel'

He stated the following line aloud for Jerry to hear:

 "You are the___"

 Before he could continue his developing words, he was interrupted by a piercing shiver as Jerry's voice declared in the same tone he used to kill Elliot:

 "I hate that name, don't call me that"

The mist surged with piercing intensity, and Jerry followed.