Status: Redo of my old story
Silence Falls
Chapter 80: Karate Fighting Wizard!
“Wait, d-did I just say that out loud, or...” Otep began as she precariously got herself back up on her feet instead of accepting his offered hand. She made sure to keep a safe distance from Hermanni who just got finished exterminating a team of four military soldiers like he was some kind of karate fighting wizard! She was terrified of the once honest chummy boy she knew and didn’t wish for him to take her life next. “Or d-did you just read my fucking mind!?”
“Oh yes, I did. I can do that as well. I will admit it is a formidable habit to break.” Hermanni atoned truthfully. He wanted to calm her down the best way he knew how, but knew he shouldn’t do such a thing now that she knew he had unique abilities. And yet he caught his mind forsaking him by honing in on her distress and pacifying it without his control. “Forgive me, your thoughts should be private, I am aware of this.”
“Hermanni...d-did you really just wipe out those men single handedly on your own?” Otep whispered, bringing them back to the integral subject of him somehow magically decimating a specialized team of qualified soldiers like they were nothing more than a group of imbalanced toddlers. She was still puzzled on what she had witnessed with her own eyes, and whether it really happened or if the insanity of living underground was finally catching up to her. Yes, it had to be insanity, without a doubt!
“Yes, I did. I did not believe they would have just settled with extracting me and leaving you all behind so I decided not to take that risk and dispose of them. I apologize for you having to witness it, but I could not let them live. They were a threat to us all.” Hermanni justified himself, biting his lower lip with reproach due to the thoughts of him whizzing through her frantic mind. Not all of them were kind.
“S-So you killed them? You took them every single one of them down even...that first guy who was bayoneted by his own walkie-talkie?” Otep’s mind was addled as she lapsed to absorb his answering nod in. She was undergoing so many emotions she couldn’t keep up with them. She was floored and baffled by how this was all possible, but also fascinated that it was possible. Was it that fascination that kept her there chatting to him so gallantly, or was it the soft affable tone of Hermanni’s voice that was making her less daunted of him? He did have an expertise for softening highly strung individuals. Locking her eyes on his face, she demanded with valor. “How? How did you do all of that just now? How was that even possible?”
“Well, moving through solid objects is one of the many gifts that I have always possessed. The others are from watching the Televisions and poring over all the assorted combat proficiency these fighters have mastered in your world. You should watch them, they are remarkably skilled beings. They impress me.” Hermanni said with a smile, appeased with himself that he also had the chance to utilize their tactics for himself and distinguish the results during and after his encounter with his enemies.
“Gifts? You mean your powers?” Otep questioned further, the dread for him she felt only a moment ago thawing like a block of ice in the Sahara desert. What he was capable of and that he could do the very same to her wasn’t even on her mind as if she suffered from amnesia. A person acquiring otherworldly powers such as Hermanni would interest pretty much anyone, unless that power was being used to tame them. “What other kind of abnormal abilities do you have?”
“Too many to count, to be honest with you.” Hermanni shrugged, glancing up in thought. “I am not sure if you humans even have names for all of them...”
“Why are you always doing that? You keep calling US humans. Are you trying to tell me that you’re not human at all? Oh my god!” Otep urgently began to circle Hermanni to examine his form for something that was completely out of the anatomy of a human being. Maybe they somehow missed a dinosaur tail or something smaller like a third eye somewhere on him. “Are you a fucking alien? Like from X-Files?!”
“No, I do not believe I am...though extraterrestrial does not seem impossible to me either. I will admit it is definitely a refreshing approach I never considered before.” Hermanni mulled over it, tapping a finger on his chin. He guessed if Otep decided to classify him as an ‘Alien’ from time to time that he wouldn’t stop her.
“I can’t fucking believe this shit…” Otep murmured to herself in disbelief. Otep ran her fingers through her hair, gripped tight onto the silky strands and slowly shook her head. In the background the bodies of the soldiers were around them, completely forgotten.
“What I am?” Hermanni inquired innocently. “Or what I am not?”
“To both and also that I’m not sprinting from you screaming like those idiots in the horror movies that never seem to be appropriately dressed for their chase scene through the woods. Why the FUCK am I not freaking the fuck out right now!?” Otep uttered in frustration, dragging out shedded strands of her hair. Deep inside she knew that it had something to do with Hermanni who merely looked down with shame etched on his face again because her conjecture was correct.
“I must confess to you that I have this one ability that is honestly very troublesome for me to refrain from using on other people.” Hermanni slowly began, wringing his fingers anxiously as he kept his eyes averted. “When I talk to people in a soothing voice it relieves their nerves and erase all the negativity they endure, resulting in them feeling more at peace within themselves. I have always been able to do this. I mention it because I am presently finding myself fighting a failing battle here with you. I have learned to accept that it is a battle I may never win. Mind reading is easier to resist than this.”
“What!? You’re doin what to me right now?!” Otep gaped at him in resentment that the reason she wasn’t freaking out right now like a normal person was because he was using one of his powers on her right now! She felt her body up with hurried hands, trying to find...she didn’t really know what exactly. “You can’t control it, like at all?!”
“No, I cannot.” Hermanni winced, watching her fight to collect herself with him. “I am sorry, Otep.”
“Can you use any of your powers by choice then?” Otep asked him as calmly as she could, her eyes revealing her inner battle with irritation that she was practically an open book to this guy. “Jesus fucking Christ or should I be asking be if you used any powers on us as of late!?”
“Mind reading mostly.” Hermanni granted before hastening to defend himself. “But my powers have only ever been used to protect all of you from the beginning, not to control you to my advantage whenever I wished. I swear on your God it was all for the best in those precarious times.”
“I don’t have a stupid god!” Otep snapped at him, huffing the last of her frustrations away.
“Good, neither do I for that matter.” Hermanni smiled, glad they found something in common.
Otep ignored his smile and crossed her arms over her chest. “So...you’ve been reading our minds then?”
“Yes, but not all of them. I learned a few things about you when I dive into your minds, but I do not open painful memories, or secrets.” Hermanni divulged. “I feel like those are better left alone.”
Well thank god for small miracles, Otep wanted to say. She sighed wearily. “Hermanni, don’t you think entering our minds in general should be earned too?”
Hermani frowned to himself. “Not really.”
“Why the fuck not?” Otep demanded, getting outraged all over again.
“Oh yes, I did. I can do that as well. I will admit it is a formidable habit to break.” Hermanni atoned truthfully. He wanted to calm her down the best way he knew how, but knew he shouldn’t do such a thing now that she knew he had unique abilities. And yet he caught his mind forsaking him by honing in on her distress and pacifying it without his control. “Forgive me, your thoughts should be private, I am aware of this.”
“Hermanni...d-did you really just wipe out those men single handedly on your own?” Otep whispered, bringing them back to the integral subject of him somehow magically decimating a specialized team of qualified soldiers like they were nothing more than a group of imbalanced toddlers. She was still puzzled on what she had witnessed with her own eyes, and whether it really happened or if the insanity of living underground was finally catching up to her. Yes, it had to be insanity, without a doubt!
“Yes, I did. I did not believe they would have just settled with extracting me and leaving you all behind so I decided not to take that risk and dispose of them. I apologize for you having to witness it, but I could not let them live. They were a threat to us all.” Hermanni justified himself, biting his lower lip with reproach due to the thoughts of him whizzing through her frantic mind. Not all of them were kind.
“S-So you killed them? You took them every single one of them down even...that first guy who was bayoneted by his own walkie-talkie?” Otep’s mind was addled as she lapsed to absorb his answering nod in. She was undergoing so many emotions she couldn’t keep up with them. She was floored and baffled by how this was all possible, but also fascinated that it was possible. Was it that fascination that kept her there chatting to him so gallantly, or was it the soft affable tone of Hermanni’s voice that was making her less daunted of him? He did have an expertise for softening highly strung individuals. Locking her eyes on his face, she demanded with valor. “How? How did you do all of that just now? How was that even possible?”
“Well, moving through solid objects is one of the many gifts that I have always possessed. The others are from watching the Televisions and poring over all the assorted combat proficiency these fighters have mastered in your world. You should watch them, they are remarkably skilled beings. They impress me.” Hermanni said with a smile, appeased with himself that he also had the chance to utilize their tactics for himself and distinguish the results during and after his encounter with his enemies.
“Gifts? You mean your powers?” Otep questioned further, the dread for him she felt only a moment ago thawing like a block of ice in the Sahara desert. What he was capable of and that he could do the very same to her wasn’t even on her mind as if she suffered from amnesia. A person acquiring otherworldly powers such as Hermanni would interest pretty much anyone, unless that power was being used to tame them. “What other kind of abnormal abilities do you have?”
“Too many to count, to be honest with you.” Hermanni shrugged, glancing up in thought. “I am not sure if you humans even have names for all of them...”
“Why are you always doing that? You keep calling US humans. Are you trying to tell me that you’re not human at all? Oh my god!” Otep urgently began to circle Hermanni to examine his form for something that was completely out of the anatomy of a human being. Maybe they somehow missed a dinosaur tail or something smaller like a third eye somewhere on him. “Are you a fucking alien? Like from X-Files?!”
“No, I do not believe I am...though extraterrestrial does not seem impossible to me either. I will admit it is definitely a refreshing approach I never considered before.” Hermanni mulled over it, tapping a finger on his chin. He guessed if Otep decided to classify him as an ‘Alien’ from time to time that he wouldn’t stop her.
“I can’t fucking believe this shit…” Otep murmured to herself in disbelief. Otep ran her fingers through her hair, gripped tight onto the silky strands and slowly shook her head. In the background the bodies of the soldiers were around them, completely forgotten.
“What I am?” Hermanni inquired innocently. “Or what I am not?”
“To both and also that I’m not sprinting from you screaming like those idiots in the horror movies that never seem to be appropriately dressed for their chase scene through the woods. Why the FUCK am I not freaking the fuck out right now!?” Otep uttered in frustration, dragging out shedded strands of her hair. Deep inside she knew that it had something to do with Hermanni who merely looked down with shame etched on his face again because her conjecture was correct.
“I must confess to you that I have this one ability that is honestly very troublesome for me to refrain from using on other people.” Hermanni slowly began, wringing his fingers anxiously as he kept his eyes averted. “When I talk to people in a soothing voice it relieves their nerves and erase all the negativity they endure, resulting in them feeling more at peace within themselves. I have always been able to do this. I mention it because I am presently finding myself fighting a failing battle here with you. I have learned to accept that it is a battle I may never win. Mind reading is easier to resist than this.”
“What!? You’re doin what to me right now?!” Otep gaped at him in resentment that the reason she wasn’t freaking out right now like a normal person was because he was using one of his powers on her right now! She felt her body up with hurried hands, trying to find...she didn’t really know what exactly. “You can’t control it, like at all?!”
“No, I cannot.” Hermanni winced, watching her fight to collect herself with him. “I am sorry, Otep.”
“Can you use any of your powers by choice then?” Otep asked him as calmly as she could, her eyes revealing her inner battle with irritation that she was practically an open book to this guy. “Jesus fucking Christ or should I be asking be if you used any powers on us as of late!?”
“Mind reading mostly.” Hermanni granted before hastening to defend himself. “But my powers have only ever been used to protect all of you from the beginning, not to control you to my advantage whenever I wished. I swear on your God it was all for the best in those precarious times.”
“I don’t have a stupid god!” Otep snapped at him, huffing the last of her frustrations away.
“Good, neither do I for that matter.” Hermanni smiled, glad they found something in common.
Otep ignored his smile and crossed her arms over her chest. “So...you’ve been reading our minds then?”
“Yes, but not all of them. I learned a few things about you when I dive into your minds, but I do not open painful memories, or secrets.” Hermanni divulged. “I feel like those are better left alone.”
Well thank god for small miracles, Otep wanted to say. She sighed wearily. “Hermanni, don’t you think entering our minds in general should be earned too?”
Hermani frowned to himself. “Not really.”
“Why the fuck not?” Otep demanded, getting outraged all over again.