Dominic dragged his fatigued body into the vast open space of the city compound, attracting gawking crowds as they gathered to see the arrival of new visitors, not to mention, a spectacular sight of so many armored personnel guarding them. Faint whispers about them swept through the crowd like a frozen wind. Their eyes seemed to pierce through Dominic, he couldn't help but shiver under their scrutiny and judgmental gaze. He never liked attention, he thought. Without a second to spare, he tapped Vanessa's shoulder and beckoned for her to lean in. "Do you know who any of them are?"
She shook her head and looked forward, saying nothing. There was a pang of guilt and anger on Dominic's behalf. He felt helpless in his transformation, only inches away from taking someone's life. He clenched his trembling fist to imitate the familiar powerful sensation of the sharp claw he once possessed. The once mighty weapon he had over them. Now, it was gone. But he didn't like how he had little say in it. The fact that Vanessa followed his cue to fight alongside him and follow his decision was comforting nonetheless. An ally who would definitely benefit him in the long run. Would he be able to provide the same? He continued to look forward, away from the gazes of curious onlookers.
The road here seemed well maintained, natural for an area where rich people lived of course. Where Dominic stayed, gun violence was commonplace and often times, the government turned a blind eye to the crimes. Sometimes, he had to comfort his younger brother when he was small that everything was okay. Recalling the painfully wonderful memories of days past, Dominic felt a little sad, but he steeled his nerves for what was to come.
Previously, the secretary general of this particular "fortress" named Fort Holland had greeted him with a built-in hand cannon, seemingly organic. It appeared as though it had been integrated into his flesh. The barrel was built of veins and crimson tissue, and the inner workings were inlaid with an equally terrifying scarlet pattern. The general carried himself with confidence and manner of arrogance, but was well-liked among his troops, it seemed. They had great confidence in his power.
What did that arm-cannon fire… Dominic couldn't help but evaluate the combat ability of everyone around him, especially after what he had done. He looked back at the troops for a momentary glance, but saw nothing except for wary eyes and expressions of animosity. He turned back to the front, until he saw a large mansion, supposedly belonging to the supposed "king" of Fort Holland. Nervousness trickled into his mind like a leaky faucet and poisoned his thoughts.
Soon, they arrived at the doorstep of the mansion. The troops were left behind to guard the door, with only the general entering with both of them. An imposing figure stood in front of them, iridescent green eyes seemingly glaring at Dominic. "So, worm. Tell me why I shouldn't just kill you right now." A stern and intimidating voice boomed.
Dominic stepped one foot forward, without the support of Vanessa and blue sparks began arise from his hand as anger boiled up inside of him. Fury melted into his voice. "And, who are you, to threaten me?" The general changed in composure and equipped his arm cannon. Yet, the figure did nothing. In fact, they closed their eyes.
Then the voice came from behind. A tickling whisper entered his ears. "Gotcha." A hand rested on his shoulder and it seemed to latch onto it like a vice grip. "Think more carefully before you make threats." The figure now switched back in front of him and walked out of the shadows. "Because the person making those threats must be capable of honoring their word."
She was dressed in all white, in long pants, a button-up shirt and a jacket. Her eyes hued an eerie green in the still dark room, like eyes of a predator stalking its prey. She cackled as Dominic stood rooted to the ground with his eyebrows knitted in anger. "Get too mad, and you might merit yourself an unworthy death, o' immature one. After all, you make a very valuable asset to my city. Do you understand me?"
Dominic still felt molten hot rage pass through his body, but looked back to glance at the worried expression on Vanessa's face and the agitated look on the general's face, before forcibly shoving his emotions into a bottle and heaving a sigh. "Fine. I'll comply." Blue sparks stopped emanating from his palm and he glared hard at her.
"Feisty visitors we have, I see. Self-introductions first, I suppose. I am Urelica, the ruler of this city. A mayor, if you will. This means I am responsible for anything that goes on in this city-" A finger rested on Dominic's chin as she appeared suddenly from of him. "-and that includes you, starting today." She backed away again, with her back turned to him. Urelica beckoned for the general to escort them away from the mansion. She clapped shortly after, as though forgetting to say something.
"Before you go, I'd like to say something. Young lady, I suppose you are the cool headed one between the both of you. I suggest you pull in the reins of this young man here. He's... uncontrollable. Well, be on your way. You have much to do, if you want to reclaim this world."
Vanessa silently nodded and shuffled along with Dominic to the door. The general looked to Urelica, who gestured for him to come closer. "Brent, keep an eye on the boy."
Brent nodded, before sprinting to catch up with the pair in front of him. "Truly intriguing," She twirled a ballpoint pen in between her fingers. "How unpredictable life can be."
Brent broke into a light jog as he showed Dominic and Vanessa around the city, showing them the district they would be staying in. "Well... here it is. Um, I hope you don't mind the uh, conditions. Hehehe." The building was worn and rundown for sure, but Dominic was used to it. In fact, if he got a high quality room, he'd be uncomfortable.
Vanessa looked more relieved than ever. He couldn't help but think that after a few weeks without a hot shower, anything with modern amenities would be excellent for their mental fatigue.
The interior was old, but clean. Minimalist, but filled with the necessary things. "Oh my god, it's actually heaven." Vanessa set down his and her bags down near the entrance of the unit and lay down on the bed. "Mmmmm... long have I missed the feathery soft sensation of a bed. Not exactly that soft, but better than the cold hard floor." Then, she sat upright. "Wait, we only have one bed..." Her face turned bright red. Dominic remained silent as he sat on the floor.
"I mean, we COULD share the bed... you've probably been sleeping on the floor this whole time as well." He stood up and went to the bathroom. "We'll settle this later." She pouted as he entered the bathroom and mumbled under her breath about him being so mean. All he could think about was what ability Urelica possessed. Could he win? His power definitely had potential, but he needed to find stronger beasts. More powerful parasites that he could transform into. Water poured over his head as he spiraled into an abyss of thoughts. Tomorrow, he would find a way to explore and venture the wilderness. He had to be stronger. To ensure victory in every battle. Not like when he was helpless against the parasites with his family. He couldn't let him and Vanessa be pushed around like that again.
After having their showers and canned food for dinner, fatigue washed over them and they decided to share the same bed. Dominic was the first to doze off. Vanessa couldn't help but feel a sensation of heat growing inside of her chest when she saw his sleeping face. Damn, he was really cool today. Though, worry crawled into her thoughts as she thought about today's turn of events. He had the right intents, but... he wasn't fully coherent in his changed state.
She frowned at this conundrum, then shrugged her shoulders and crawled into bed next to Dominic. Surprisingly, she fell asleep quickly with the sound of owls hooting in the background. As lights died down in the city by midnight, it marked the start of the reclamation of the world.