That Adler got me good. Daniel’s throat involuntarily spitted blue blood through his mouth. He took the grip of the polearm, finding it to be as tough as one of those large oak trees. With the remaining strength from the earlier attack, he thrust it out, pouring a pint amount of blood. The splurt painted over the roof, making it blue. He went partially into dyspnea possibly due to the injury to his bottom ribs. Maybe it could be broken, but nothing has collapsed yet.

Tap!

“Daniel!” Zhengyu called from behind.

He heard the taps of what would be from his hands, and the movement of him climbing up the roof. Eyes up at Zhengyu staring around the roof in absolute shock. He flicked the puddle off of the roof with his shoe and kneeled in front of him.

“Oh my god…” Zhengyu muttered, thrusting his arm out as Alyssa’s mother hovered her hand up. Daniel’s peripherals saw her grunt through the lift and also gestured to her daughter out of the truck. He turned to face back at Zhengyu who summoned a clear gas bottle filled half with blue liquid. “Hold still for a moment.”

He felt Alyssa’s hands touch his shoulders and glared at her briefly. Her disheartened face mentally afflicted him as he never took that as a good sign. Until she held his lower face. “What the hell were you thinking?”

“My mind was clustered…almost killed me,” Daniel stuttered through the lines while holding off the stung pain from the substance Zhengyu was pouring attentively at the wide opening in his abdomen. “This…saved my life.”

He turned to his right hand, gripping the hilt like a lock. Underneath the thin spaces of the palm and between the fingers, he knew he busted a vein while performing the attack earlier. Blue blood gushed out, flowing down to the leather hilt.

“It can't be…” Alyssa's mother muttered with a slight astonishment. She went over to Daniel’s right side, viewing the katana. “Where did you get this?”

“What? Oh…on Earth.”

“Earth?”

“It's the other world, Mom,” Alyssa added.

Alyssa’s mother realized the picture, quickly figuring out why Alyssa was gone.

“Hey?! Don't want to interrupt but we're less than a minute away,” Xavier said. He went on top of the roof being confronted by Daniel and others. “Holy shit. You took a heavy beating.”

Daniel nodded slowly, feeling more improvement. The open wound began to seal up, and Alyssa peeked at his back where the leaks of his blood were vacuumed back into his body. Blood around his mouth began to dry, staining both sides of his face. Alyssa observed his ongoing facial changes, indicating to Daniel as it occurred. It overlapped partially on the edges of his beard, stopping directly parallel to the center of his cheek, giving it a tint right at the surface of his skin, presumingly all the way down to his hair follicles. And it subsequently painted over the beginning of the hair shaft, composing each strand of hair by one-third.

Above the beard line, the stain directed upwards, stopping at the uppermost edge of his cheekbone right below the orbital cavity. That was the only feature applied to the right side of his face. Alyssa nudged his face to her right, finding the lack of altercations compared to the latter. The same altercation at the beard but that was all.

“Let me move, please,” Daniel muttered, prompting Alyssa to nudge briefly away. He hovered his face over the remaining blood puddle on the truck. He gave a feel of his face, and the blood stain painted over parts of his face according to what Alyssa stated was really rough. Roughly similar to an unsanded wood where it would come off a scratching sound on a normal touch. At the same time, there was no sensation of the skin willing to peel off.

Next to the blood puddle was the humongous spear. The spearhead was still sharp and soaked with his blue blood. Daniel swiftly wiped it off with his palm, returning to its prior state, and the reflection of the steel-like material rendered it in excellent condition. Using the bottom of the shaft, he carefully lifted himself up from the roof. Zhengyu and Alyssa supported him.

“I’m okay, but thanks,” Daniel said, only to find the white trail of smoke was visually only a mile away.

“You can’t get yourself hurt again! Dad go open his door,” Alyssa ordered with urgency.

Zhengyu slid down right to the driver's side, hanging his right on the roof. He commanded the force from his qi, opening the door fully. Turning right at Daniel, he redirected his left hand in front of him, levitating him.

Daniel flew right into his seat and the door quickly closed. Gosh. He lifted up the scabbard right when the speedometer was at over two hundred. Next, he sheathed the katana back in, causing the scabbard to brighten for a moment and illuminate the insides of the car.

“Ah,” he muttered. The soreness from the wound startled him.

“You’re alright?” Rebecca came up towards his side, discovering the soaked bandage wrapped around his abdomen. “What the hell happened out there?!”

Daniel scooted up a little upwards to have his back fully a hundred-eighty degrees straight. “I’ll explain later. Right now we are about to land, so buckle up for now.”

Turning on the windshield wipers, the truck quickly dispersed his blood out of the way and squirted water, cleaning the remaining residue. The long white smoke trail was directly in front center of the windshield, big enough to cover almost the entire thing. Daniel gave a knock on the partially dented roof.

“Great! Can you hear me?” Zhengyu’s voice replied.

Daniel tapped again twice.

“Once we three began jumping, you thrust hard on the brakes! And no worries, Xavier should balance the gravity out to not wreck your precious vehicle! You got that in mind?!”

He knocked in response, and the foot movement initiated, thumping along the steel frame. Here we go. Time to arrive. A high-frequency pitching sound reminiscent of the radio waves shoots up his ears. He, Rebecca, and Liam shunned down hard to their seats, clashing with the gravity forced by the vibrations generated from their jumps.

It rendered the three immobile, causing more pain to where he could feel it might tear open like an unzip. Moving his eyes toward his scabbard laid on the passenger seat and getting the reflection of the backseat when he touched it, show the troubling Rebecca being absolutely vulnerable to the pressure, about to paralyze her. Liam’s eyes went through a seizure, blinking roughly. His fingers gripped tightly on the scabbard, enlightening green around his seat.

I'm not losing again. After that shit!! Angry, Daniel clenched his jaw, dispersing his multitude of qi to counteract the force that flattened the dent upward, fixing the roof of the truck. He quickly lifted his back up with one hand holding the steering wheel, thrusting his leg hard on the brake.

Reopening the window, Daniel thrust the sheathed katana out of the opening, directing to the sky with fury through his veins. The veins ignited the blast through the scabbard firing a refined beam at a much more powerful pressure, prompting the truck to drop at a faster rate.

“Kid?! What are you doing?!” Zhengyu blurted in surprise. Afterward, Daniel could hear a loud thump, indicating the three tripped on themselves to the roof. He saw Xavier react through the side mirror’s reflection.

“Daniel, are you out of your mind?!” Xavier added after hearing the commotion.

“Just focus on getting this shit down safely. Rebecca was about to cease from that plan!!” Daniel angrily said, pressuring more power through the scabbard.

He heard the back window open, witnessing Liam’s hand poking out. He too gripped his leafy-green katana and directed away from the truck. Before Daniel could show his verbal concern, Liam would remove the scabbard which his katana reacted upon removal, revealing a dirty and earthy appearance that tainted the entire blade.

The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

The dirt is sprouting! Daniel’s intuition took a new approach. With less than approximately half a minute to spare, he rotated his katana clockwise and unintentionally blasted the beam into the front unknown horizon. He rotated until the tip was faced down, now exerting downwards. The truck began to decelerate, buying a few more seconds.

He looked back at Liam and the dirt already turned to lengthy branches and pushed itself out, flowing downwards. It was a remarkable feat. “Is this new?!”

“Yes, the katana couldn't help itself when we were getting trampled. I guess yours did too.”

“No doubt, this pain of mine will not end until we are back on the floor!” He exerted.

Qi from his katana was getting hotter and steamier. The whiteness grew warmer, spitting traces of a mix of red and orange, generating more steam pretty quickly. Glass on the side mirror condensed at sauna similarities. As well as the bits of the windshield.

Daniel and Liam glanced down, gaining high visibility of the ground floor and the remaining erect buildings. The truck went off the route of the white smoke. “We are taking a detour!”

“Way ahead of you,” Liam replied while eyeing Rebecca. “I’m going here. It’s next to the original drop point, so we’ll be ok.”

Not that much of a distance to walk. Taking the risks, Daniel stepped on the gas pedal. Ahead of him was a stable brick-structured building as tall as a four-story apartment. The roof was flat and plain, appearing even, so hence the landing should be less of a hindrance. However, a miscalculation caused the truck to miss the entire building. The front grille and hood are about to take a hard hit.

A whipping sound followed by a flexible wide branch playfully slapped the brick wall. Again another but once the ends touched the surface, the wood expanded, forming irregular shapes that appeared to be a spiderweb from afar.

Tap! Bang bang!

“Maybe a little help here!” Liam asked, fuming at the three above who were startled by Daniel’s adjustments. “We’re not even until you assist in getting this up to the roof!”

A loud grumbled sigh from Zhengyu as he leaped onto the hardened tree branch.

The branch had already grown under the truck chassis, stabilizing it up mid-air. Normally, it would split and tear apart at the moment the entire chassis landed on the surface. Daniel's pickup is at least two tons, including the occupants and luggage.

Peeking below the window. “Can you control its growth?”

Liam denied. “I just discovered this ability. Why? You want to leave?”

“Wanted to help, that's all.”

“No! You stay there.” Alyssa responded.

Daniel lifted both of his arms in revolt, slamming the door shut. He banged on the rim of the steering wheel, ringing the entire seat. Nah, I ain’t being a hassle. Not this time. Refusing her insistence, he opened the door now with the wood fully spread into a platform, granting him the walkability away from his pickup. Alyssa and her mother came up behind him, urging him to return to his truck. As much as they are concerned with his state of health, he stubbornly refuses. Hence, he purposely ignored them. “I appreciate it but you are making it worse with all that scolding.”

He heard a duo gasp with a slight offense. The next second, they ranted while his back turned towards them. The front of the hood was pointed at the building with a few feet in between to spare. A sudden critique peeked through his eyes which made things more interesting about how to proceed with the subsequent step. Xavier, who was still on the truck bed, caught Daniel’s eye. He gestured to the truck bed.

Daniel ambled through the less creaky wood platform. Each footstep the noise progressively canceled per lift. Passing Liam, Xavier leaned down to his ear.

“They are definitely mad at you right now.”

Daniel frowned while smearing the blade off of the heat. “What on Earth do they expect me to do? One was suffocating to death,” He exclaimed, pointing at Rebecca. “We have to keep them hidden.”

“Mother Elaine and Helda are alright. They are still napping under the luggage.”

“Unfair, they had it easy. They napped the whole way here. Even so, their first experience will come eventually. This world has already proven to me of disorder all around. I will point something out though. The inconsistencies and our natural reactions are entirely contradictory between all of us.”

He transitioned the focus to everyone. “Can any of y’all walk on air or hold yourselves for a longer period because I sure did, when I was dealing against the Adler. Other than aura and qi control, everyone has diverse skills, right? How about this…raise your hands if you can walk on air?”

No one raised their hands except Zhengyu who partially raised his left up to his ear. “That proved my point,” Daniel muttered.

“What are you trying to prove?”

“I just want to make sure,” Daniel replied, placing his hand under the truck bed. The cranking of the steel as he lifted up to his waist. “Because I realized I could’ve saved time after remembering tearing the entire garage door to get inside, so maybe I can lift my vehicle. From the look of it, it is possible to perform the feat.”

He lowered the back lightly before letting his hand off the grip. The new rear suspension bounced flawlessly on the wooden platform, giving off a clunking sound. Daniel exerted his aura, strolling to the driver side. Thrusting both hands under the footboard until it reached under the undercarriage, he grabbed the metal bar with his hands. Both biceps were tensed up from earlier. It strangled his upper arms until he exerted more of his aura where he felt his ligaments and tendons rubbing around his joints, similar to a cramp. His forearm reacted to the weight, initiating the sting effect around the edges of his elbow. Shocks uplifted his weight, creating a phantom feeling of an exoskeleton as the truck quickly went mid-air.

Covering his face, Daniel slowly articulated his feet as he turned around until could see the brick wall of the building. He nudged forward at an angle, and Xavier stood on the frame until the truck was pointed in an incline. After that, he leaped at his grace with a tapping gesture from his foot, boosting up like a breeze, and safely landed on the roof. While Daniel felt the change of weight and quickly bent his back upward, regaining posture.

He lowered his entire body, bending his knees near the position of a deadlift. Eyes up high, gauging for a space up on the roof. Naturally, his aura encircled his entire body, aiding against the truck and supporting his entire body from getting crushed.

Zhengyu reached behind Alyssa and his wife, pulling them away. Not for long, Daniel’s face grew calm and his neck temperature dropped to ice cold. In the blink of an eye, he was up in the air viewing the roof of the building below his feet. He saw Xavier focused on his position which he leaped up too, right up to the truck bed and gripped at the frame.

“I’m coming up top!” Daniel said, waiting for Xavier to give a signal.

“Ok, we’re good!” He responded.

Daniel swiftly eased off his head while retaining his grip on the surface of the truck, moving up like a swim and positioned in an armstand with his right palm flat on the roof. The aura burst like a rocket, blasting at full speed down.

Xavier groaned as they dived. “Dude, your qi has evolved too quickly!”

“I can’t hear you! Too loud!” Daniel responded. He watched Xavier’s qi reach the roof of the truck before applying more pressure, exerting a shower all across the vehicle. The entirety was covered in haze and eventually, Daniel had to leap back down to his prior position as both were barely meters above the roof. He rotated as he descended to the undercarriage and brought back his arms underneath.

One two three! Qi summoned around his two feet, providing more of a landing gear for the truck and Daniel sensed the solid rock edges around his feet within the boots.

Thump!

Shatter!

Daniel’s legs felt as if he had a high jump and landed back down roughly on the folding mat. Hazes around the truck sizzled as it dissipated once he and Xavier moved away a few steps.

“Nice work.” Xavier complimented, visually showing he was surprised that such a heavy object was not damaged or disfigured from the constant variants of pressure for the entire trip. “You’re definitely the first of the kind to do such a feat.”

“Take it slow with the praises. Being the first of the kind, no way!” Daniel disproved the statement. I don’t think that’s true at all. There has to be more of them before I am. “However, I appreciate it.”

Walking to the edge of the building, Daniel with one knee on the edge of the roof, peered over and saw Zhengyu with the other two still on the wooden platform. Liam exited the truck and stretched his back far upwards, giving out a couple cracks. He eased his shoulders as he wandered around.

“Come on up. I hope you know how to jump.” Daniel said, nudging away and walking to the truck bed. He opened the tailgate and lifted a few pieces of luggage away, revealing Mother Elaine and Helda still fast asleep.

Knock! Knock!

The two moved quickly and opened their eyes in a flash. Helda accidentally bumped her head onto the shield.

“Slow down. Let me turn this off real quick,” Xavier muttered in a rush. He snapped his fingers high in the air, deactivating it.

Upon deactivating, Helda erected from the truck bed with her hands on her forehead followed by a groaned hum.

Is she okay? Anyway, now is this the town Alyssa was talking about. The whole scenery and much of the destruction it has dealt with was horrific. The constant fire and scorched rubble around in the distance marked by the black plumes, terrorizing the skyline.