"What's our destination?" Thee asked.
"Centauri City, just on the other side of the lake," William replied.
Harry lived in the suburban part of the city, which meant they had a long walk ahead of them before reaching the lake that lay between the urban section of Sol and the heart of Centauri City.
Jovian had never taken this route before, so he focused on his surroundings, taking in every detail. The deluge of information frustrated Terry, who was forced to read his mind. As they traveled deeper, Jovian noticed that the structural damage to the skyscrapers and other large buildings was more severe than to the smaller buildings.
Reis quietly warned, "Don't react, but we have our first group of would-be thieves."
Terry subconsciously turned his head slightly, trying to find the source of the new voices he heard in his head.
"Whoa, I'm starting to understand the direction of the voices," Terry whispered.
"Where are they? I want to test out this Waker ability. Let's hope they aren't too tough," Jovian said with half confidence.
"...I think…they are four to six floors up and in the corner of the blueish building to our right. From what I hear, they are thinking about 'how good it's going to be with all that meat'. Are these guys cannibals?" Terry replied, slightly spooked.
William responded, "It's not that unusual."
"Be right back, guys, gonna piss on some rats," Jovian said loudly, hoping the thieves heard him.
As he walked between two buildings, he raised his hand and, as if he knew what he was doing, moved it slightly over his body from head to toe. He then vanished into thin air, leaving nothing behind.
Jovian's perspective of the Shy Artist's world was different, as if the contrast had been turned up to the max. He quickly refocused and looked up the wall of the building, taking note of every crack and protrusion. He scaled the building rapidly, almost effortlessly. His fingers and toes found purchase on even the smallest of imperfections, and he moved with the grace and agility of a cat. As he climbed, he felt a sense of exhilaration and fear that he had never experienced before.
Jovian reached the fifth floor and peeked in the broken window. The room was dark, but he could make out two figures standing in the center of the room. One of the figures was tall and broad-shouldered, while the other was shorter and thinner. The tall figure turned to face Jovian, and he saw that it was a man with a shaved head and a goatee. The man stared at Jovian for a moment, and then he raised his hand and pointed at him. Jovian instinctively ducked behind the window frame, his heart pounding in his chest. After a moment of hesitation, he looked back through the window and saw that the tall man was standing directly in front of the window, looking right at him.
"Fuck!" Jovian yelled.
The man didn't react at all. Jovian waved his hand in front of his face and still no reaction.
"Sweeeeet!" Jovian said.
Upon the man's departure from the window, Jovian leaped in. As he landed, he noted that the sounds he made did not alert the men either. He rapidly advanced towards both of them and delivered a kick to the first man's head. It ricocheted off of him harmlessly. Jovian tumbled to the ground, which dislodged several objects into the air. The men did not react to that either.
"Guess I can't hurt them while in this…mode," Jovian wondered aloud.
Jovian grabbed a large sheet of the wall nearby and set it against the wall. He stepped behind it and undid Shy Artist with a wave.
"These boys gon' be good eats, eh, Jimmy?" the tall man said.
Jovian suddenly emerged from behind the wall and seized the back of his head as he concluded his sentence. Jovian punched him three times in the side of his head before slamming him face-first into the ground. Despite being fairly lanky, cowardly, and lazy, Jovian close-quarters combat abilities were extraordinary.
"Who the fuck are you!?" the man yelled, his voice was muffled by the debris around his face.
Jovian retorted, "I could ask you the same thing! You want to eat my friends, huh!?"
The shorter man who was in a hoodie bolted for Jovian's waist. Jovian effortlessly shoved him to the ground and kicked him aside. Something felt wrong, this was too easy. Jovian released the tall man and walked over to the man in the hoodie, ripping it off with one tug. He was no more than ten years old.
"Get away from my dad!" the boy yelled as he clutched his stomach in pain.
"This…may have been a mistake," Jovian said nervously.