"John"
As if just noticing the existence of someone else on hearing his name, he turned his head towards Lucifer. Trying his best to wear the most surprised expression.
"huh, Ah! Sub-"
Pauses for a second, as if trying to remember this body's name which was what he once treated as a waste.
"Lucifer"
Lucifer finished his sentence for him.
"Yeah, Lucifer right. You see, my memory is quite bad."
Bastard Indeed thought Lucifer.
As if Lucifer would believe him. He tried to continue conversion.
"So, Lucifer, my old pal how did you survive? I mean, how are you? I seriously didn't least bit expected to meet you here."
He asked in an open manner as if trying to catch up with his middle school classmate's life. Lucifer frowned at his attempt. He didn't want to waste time with him. So, He voiced out his question.
"You seem to be forgetting something?"
"Forgetting? …. No, I don't think so"
*sigh! *
Lucifer sighed loudly after hearing that, turned and left looking for another place to spend the night. It seems he still had some sense left and didn't bother him anymore.
Next morning when Lucifer woke up, he found John sitting near him, gazing such seriousness like he was deciding someone's fate. Noticing a woken Lucifer, he greeted with a warm smile.
"Woken up? Good Morning my friend"
Lucifer ignored his greetings and sized him up. He was wearing a blue jean and a white t-shirt with some scratches here and there. He was about fifty with some white hairs starting to show on his head. He had some muscles and looked surprisingly healthy for someone of his age.
"Why are you here?"
Asked Lucifer.
"Well I was taking a stroll when I saw you. So, I thought I would wait for you to wake up, so I can have company. You know, it becomes a torture to live alone on this hell."
After getting freshened he headed back into the forest to find his breakfast. As for John, after confirming that he is following him, he decided to let him to what he wants for now to get more info about the current world.
"So, what do you know about this hell?"
Lucifer continued conversion from where it ended. It seems like John was really feeling lonely so kept spouting whatever he knows along with his meaningless remarks. As it turned out, the Nature, when it tried to cleanse the world from the pollution, the high radiations spread around the world, infecting every living and some non-living things, these effects mostly caused deaths but some were able to endure it, and with the body system trying to suppress these intruders to survive, it instead strengthened them and gave them powers.
On asking about other survivors, John told him that to the west of here, beyond some kilometers there is one island, where the survivors are gathering, as for numbers he said that there are about three hundred survivors.
One more thing that caught his interest was, from John's useless remarks, he got to know that according to most of the survivors, it's about three months that the world descended into chaos, which surprised Lucifer because he been awake for at most one and a half months.
It's been one week since he met John, and just like most days there were strolling in the forest or to be more accurate, Lucifer looking for something hunt with John following him. According to his estimation his power should be around Low because he can't find extraordinary about him since waking from the lab except some increase in muscles. As for John, as far his observation goes, he should be in the Middle category. He was trying to hide it, but with amount of ease he gets things done Lucifer knew that he is hiding something.
Looking around him, he realized that he was quite near that cave where he found that Mr. Bull. Just as decides to take a detour he, from the corner of his eyes, finds John throwing rock in a seemingly random direction.
The rock flies and unexpectedly hits that same Mr. Bull. Mr. Bull who was busy slamming into that cave, as if trying to increase size of the entrance, notices that he just got hit by something, looks in the direction of where it came from and find two humans standing there looking at him. The bull gets mad seeing who just came to trouble him.
Rushing with such speed which is clearly not proportional to its size, it charges towards John. Clearly not expecting such speed, John got hit, flies and smashes into a tree. Facing towards Lucifer it charges again. Lucifer not being able to react, follows the example of John and smashes into the ground with a clear bone breaking sound.
Mr. Bull not finding Lucifer a threat, changes its target and charges towards John again, who had by now started to escape. John feeling the ground shaking, abruptly jumps sideways with all his might and managed to make a narrow escape.
After some time of fainting, Lucifer had his only arm and rib cage broken and some damage to spine. Used to this pain by now, he stands up and started heading towards the cave where he saw green light coming from with his unsteady steps, blood leaving marks on the ground.
He would be a fool if he still didn't get suspicious knowing that John always comes in this direction when ever they part. The green light being something for which John could get patient and wait for a week to just use him, and the bull for which it could even grind into the rock just to get it, Lucifer was really interested in what it could be.
On the other side, John still not find Lucifer coming to his help frowns. Eyeing the bull that had its legs dug into the ground, John decides to take the risk of leaving the bull alone and check up on Lucifer. On returning to the cave he found Lucifer stretching his hand towards the green ball light.
"NOO!"
As Lucifer extends his hand towards the green ball of light, after examining it for some time, to his surprise he finds that light crawling on his arm and then being absorbed into his body. A warm feeling spreads in his body and some information makes it appearance in his head only to get disturbed by a loud noise.
Annoyed he looks towards the source only to see his 'old pal' running towards him with any ugly expression.
"Yo! Old p-"
Lucifer didn't get to finish his greetings, interrupted by a punch towards his face. Due to his adventures with his life he at least knows when to back off and when to advance. As the warm feeling fades and electric current spread in his body, freezing it momentarily.
Being punched in the stomach and face, Lucifer once again is harshly realized that he cannot beat John in pure strength. As someone who was able to survive in the wild alone, he was quite prideful of his strength. Now being beaten, it was a harsh blow.
Feeling the increasing intensity of electric currents, he realizes that this could not go on for long, so he dodges the next kick. Taking stance as if putting all his power in his next punch aiming for John's face. John seeing this tries to dodge but fell because of Lucifer's low kick at his knee.
As John is falling, Lucifer moves forward aiming his elbow towards John's neck while also using his knee trying to crush John's spine. Any normal human wouldn't be able to even follow this but John using his right hand to block the elbow and enduring the pain in spine aims his punch towards Lucifer's face.
Being punched in the face again, Lucifer's nose began to bleed, Lucifer, taking steps back to create distance between him and John, eyes John, who is once again standing straight. John fearing the bull decides to continue by throwing another punch towards Lucifer.
Just as Lucifer starts dodging, they both hear a tearing sound coming from the space between them, surprising both. They both once again distance themselves. Noticing surprising in each other's eyes, they decide to change their battlefield.
Lucifer getting impatient from their eyeing game make his move by tackling John. To Lucifer's action, John reacts by positioning his let leg backwards while aiming for his Lucifer's neck. Lucifer put a stop to his tackle just before John's leg is about to connect to his face. Without waiting for John to stabilize himself, Lucifer kicks the area between John's legs. Pretending like not noticing the breaking sound, Lucifer follows up with a roundhouse kick right towards the face of the kneeling John.
When Lucifer was imprisoned as AI, one day, a possibility suddenly struck him. If they can change his memories to digital signals then what if he stores something made of digital signal not belonging to his memory into his memory (which was, of course, with the best efforts from Lucifer, was not found by the researchers), will it remain with him even when he is back in his human body.
At the end, his theory was correct considering his fighting and swimming skills. But it's not like he just mastered it without effort. More like someone guiding him in his mind where to move his body and how. But still it was for him to master how much force needed to be applied etc.
Picking a sharp stone laying nearby, Lucifer makes his way towards the fainted John whose face is wearing the expression of 'That's cheating!' and using the pointed side of the rock as a knife, slit John's neck, of course with much effort.
After killing someone he felt…... nothing. So, he sat down to take a rest. About half hour later, Lucifer is forced to stand up hearing the earth shaking. By this time, the electric current in his body has faded a little with the new information in his head he has an idea of what that was.
'Body Modifier'. Long story short, It's a skill.
Mr. Bull not finding the green ball of light, stares at Lucifer with madness in them. With his already injured body he will surely die from one tackle of the bull. Having no choice, Lucifer take his stance. Lucifer have some understanding of his new skill and having some power to control also decides to test it.
Seeing it starts ito charge towards him, Lucifer focuses till his limit to be able to react to before his impending doom. Something clicked in his heart which he is familiar with. Next second, everything slows down. Lucifer finds the bull within just some meters ahead of him. Lucifer jumps and using the wall of the rock as a foothold he jumps again towards the neck of the bull.
His elbow connects with the bull's neck. Everything returns to its normal speed. Due to momentum the bull keeps moving forward and after some time falls with its lifeless eyes. Lucifer then tries to take out his elbow from the flesh of the bull. After Lucifer's elbow comes out there is surprisingly a small white knife-like thing attached to his elbow.
Lucifer then cleans the white knife on the skin of the bull. For to kill this bull, Lucifer had modified his bone into a knife shape and used a little of acid present in his stomach to coat his knife-bone. The acid part was difficult because he had to alter the whole path, from where the acid would pass to the elbow, into a structure like the inside of his stomach so the acid doesn't harm his insides.
After this tough battle and Lucifer too was exhausted. He also had to get familiar with his new skill. Thinking about all the troublesome he still had to do, his head started spinning and he fainted.