Travis was in the middle of a different line of thought, so it took him a bit to process what Omar said. His instinct was to just laugh out of respect and keep moving. Until it sunk in and he really considered the words, “What do you mean, lil, I'm sorry, Omar?” Clyde had told Travis a day before that his habit of calling Omar “little guy” bugged him. Though Omar made Clyde promise he wouldn't say anything.
“Well, human memory has so many inherent flaws. Things like sensory input limitation and selective attention, not to mention a person's innate biases.” He stopped as he saw the way Travis was looking at him, mistaking it for anger or annoyance.
“I'm sorry sir, I was just talking.” People from the small Iraqi town where Omar grew up, not to mention an unfortunate number of the Americans he had met so far, did not react kindly to a kid that showed them up. In his hometown, it was cruder then in the states where it was more subtle, but either way he had learned to keep his mouth shut. Now he was nervous that he'd crossed that line with his powerful new guardians.
Travis didn't really know what to say. Luckily, Clyde had picked up on Omar's personality; he also had more experience with young people.
“He thinks you are mad at him for knowing more than you about a subject.”
“Really?” He looked at Omar, “Is that true, buddy?” Travis asked him in real sincerity.
“I don't want to make you mad, Major sir. I have been told that I should not join in on adult conversations.” The poor kid looked like genuinely nervous and apologetic. That was before Travis read his aura which wasn't easy actually, but here it was clear that he felt apprehension at being discarded for insolence.
“Hey buddy, I am not mad. Anyone that has expertise in any subject has a right to express that, no matter how old they are. In the army there were kids your age that made life and death decisions every day. Some of the bravest and wisest people I met were closer in age to you then you are to me. I don't know what kind of people you dealt with in the past buddy, but anyone with something important to say is free to talk. So please continue.”
Hesitant at first, but picking up steam as he got going, Omar explained all the ways he had read that human memories were not to be relied on. He then talked about how, with Travis' perception power, he could miss certain signals if the person talking believed what he knew to be the truth, but it was not.
This was all pretty interesting, but it had very little practical relevance. What stood out to Travis was how intelligent the young Iraqi transplant was. He knew Clyde had told him, but it was hard for someone with no real experience around young people to put it into context. Actually, when he made the comparison of Omar's age to the young men he served with, that was the first time he had thought about it like that.
In civilian life teenagers were teenagers, but in the army they were his brothers and sisters. He needed to start taking young people more seriously.
They walked on for a bit until Omar, obviously more comfortable, asked if he could show them something.
“Of course, what's up?” Travis seemed a bit more comfortable as well. Clyde had told him that he should try to get to know the newer members of the faction, and especially this one.
“Please do not get mad; I do not think I am special like you guys.” Before they could respond, he put his arms out in front of his chest with his fingers an inch or so apart. Then, without seeming to make any type of effort, electrical charges started bouncing back and forth between his fingers.
He spread his fingers slowly apart, and still, the lines of what looked like blue grayish electricity continued to spark between his fingers. He then pulled them apart quickly, and it stopped. Looking up at them sheepishly, Omar waited for the jealous adults to react as they always had in his life.
Clyde walked over to him; if anyone was going to be understanding, he thought it would be him. But he didn't look like the kind teacher right now, “How long have you been able to do that, Omar?”
He thought about lying, as he would have done in the past. The problem was he didn't know what answer would make him less mad, so he just told him the truth.
“When I was at Gloria’s house eating, she left me alone for a bit, and I felt a weird feeling. Like licking batteries but in my hands. So I messed around, and it just happened. I didn't mean it sir.”
What Omar was mistaking for anger was just Clyde's analytical mind trying to figure out a timeline. If his power had come on the same time that Clyde felt something similar, then his hypothesis regarding the magic in the air was more likely correct.
Luckily for everyone's sake, Clyde recognized the young man's apprehension. “Omar, this is great, and we aren't mad at you. Remember how I explained that when I'm deep in thought, it might look like I am angry, but I'm just thinking?”
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
Omar nodded his head.
“Good because this is very exciting, right, Major?” Clyde made sure Travis knew to prop the kid up as well.
Travis trusted the magical advice of Clyde, and if he was excited, then so was Travis. “Absolutely. Another magic user in our faction can only be a good thing. But how can he use magic without a spell or something?”
“Did you ever check his character sheet like I asked?” Clyde asked absently as a million thoughts went through his head; he did not mean to call Travis out. Even though he did.
Travis was about to answer when he felt a spike in his perception. There was danger nearby. They had taken the turn to walk along the outskirts of the housing developments. He knew each route held dangers, but this one offered the chance to run into some friendly humans, while the highway only offered monster hordes. So said the scouts at least.
“Someone is coming; I think they are running away from something, but I can't be sure.” He looked around and saw an abandoned pickup truck about a block away. Travis pointed and told Clyde and Omar to go hide in the bed. Anthony and Felix had become afterthoughts as they walked a good deal behind the rest of them. Travis knew that they were not trying to escape, just laying back so as to not offend the man that had appeared almost monstrous with his powers.
He beckoned them to hide behind the truck with him. The truck was on the opposite side of the street from where the people were coming, at least he thought they were people. Travis hid behind it and ducked down waiting to see who showed themselves.
Two humans came bursting through the yard of a ransacked house. Even without perception senses, you could tell that these two people were running from something.
There was a woman and a man. The woman was pretty tall and also thin. She had blonde hair in a ponytail and wore what looked like a bathrobe, but not really. It was hard to explain.
The guy was heavyset but in the way your construction worker uncle is. He may eat and drink too much, but he can also do anything a healthier person could and many things much better than them.
The female looked to be in her 20s while her male counterpart had to be pushing 50; he was balding with grey in his short-trimmed beard. As they ran out, the women called over, “Damn it, I told you not to build a fire in that yard.”
They slowed down about 10 feet from the truck and looked behind them. “How was I supposed to know there were damn undead inside the house? Besides, I needed the fire to start the ritual.” She looked at him with a face that said she had argued with him about his carelessness before and knew she was wasting her breath.
The women walked over to the fence they just ran through and muttered some words Travis didn't know; then she stared forward for a solid 30 seconds before stopping.
“I think we lost them.”
Travis knew she was wrong, or at least wrong about not being hunted at all. He could sense something down the street in the direction they had been walking. Apparently, whatever was chasing them made a detour.
He couldn't get a good read off of whatever it was. If they were undead like the man said, then maybe that had something to do with it. As Travis pushed his senses out more, he realized that the two humans picked up on it. Oh shit, he thought.
The two humans looked at each other and then pulled what looked like wands from their waists. Travis decided to head off a potential confrontation; he could tell that these were not bloodthirsty people. Whether they would react with violence to a perceived threat he could not say.
He stood up, holding his hands out, “Hey there. I could tell someone was running in our direction, so I hid, as did my companions. Sit up slowly, guys.” Clyde and Omar did just that. The other two weren't sure what they should do but Travis gave them the universal 'get up' hand gesture and they did.
The two mages, Travis guessed that they were, looked at each other and began whispering. Only Travis could hear them, but he wasn't sure how much of that was from improved senses and how much was the perception skill.
They were pretty much blaming each other for not noticing people hiding so close; he almost laughed when he got another strong ping.
“Sorry to interrupt, but something is coming. I can't tell exactly what but it's not a friendly. I imagine it's what was chasing you two.”
Now they looked at him, “you have magic sense as a spell?” The male asked.
“Something like that, come here, hurry up, hide, it's coming from that way.” He pointed in the direction they had come.
They ran over and ducked down; about 20 seconds later, a huge demonic being came walking out of the yard. It stood by the sidewalk and looked up and down the street. This thing was around 8 feet tall if you counted its horns and was nothing but muscle mass.
With crimson-tinged skin and wearing only a pair of short slacks, it looked like if an AI had created its version of a demon spawn, which probably was a real possibility. One built like Arnold Schwarzenegger to boot.
Travis peeked out from behind the truck and saw its height, now nervous it would see his two teammates hiding in the truck cab.
There were also the zombies now in view coming up the street. He looked at the two people next to him. They didn't look scared, but he could feel that they were, but not incapacitated from fear, which was good. They would fight and fight they would have to do. At least a fighting retreat.
The two tagalongs had been through similar situations, and they were always on the front line as no one cared if they lived or died or their past group. Travis was reading a sort of wide-eyed bravery from Anthony, the older one. His partner was hard to read.
Before gaining his perception skill, he was ‘Cool Under Fire’ with an ‘Analytical Mind’. Using those abilities now, Travis came up with a plan, which he quickly whispered to the two newbies. He took a risk to very softly send a signal to Clyde and the other two; he tried desperately not to send it out too strong.
After a short time, there was a magical vibration, giving him the sense that the plan was received. There were no details or complex instructions relayed as their part was very simple to start the plan. Good thing too because Travis could not yet relay complex instructions though his spirit magic.
When he pulled out his gun, the two newbs looked at him like he was crazy, but he sent a burst of “trust me” at them. They looked at each other again and nodded, then Travis put his plan into action.