G

In the morning, I led them through some light stretches. Hit the weights with them. Well, I mostly ended up making sure everybody had the perfect starter weights for themselves. Doing correct posture and not skimping on sets. Some people were lifting tens and fifteen and were still trying to skip a set.

I made them work harder on the track until they collapsed and I had to drag them to the turf. Those that didn't collapse right away probably wish they had when I led them through two hundred meter lunges followed by squats.

Their loved ones were looking at them with a deep layer of concern that hid the laughter they wanted to let out.

"Are you finally teaching them discipline?" The old man said as he sat down.

Followed by the other so-called leaders.

I shrugged, "giving the ability to survive past this Grey fog. Plus I want to take over the town. So I have to train them into elites."

"How do you plan on weeding these walkers out? They don't seem stupid enough to do a frontal collision if you start winning as much as we have so far." The old man asked.

"I agree, which is why I was waiting for more to awaken. This way their reaction speed can keep up with the walkers and wildlife. Means less death and injuries." I said as I put salt and pepper into my eggs and rice.

"You didn't even leave your wife. How cruel." Sophia said in a tone that would have left you thinking she was sympathetic instead of holding a grudge.

"You should let it go. You were in the wrong and a light headache ain't all that bad of repercussions. I was planning on cutting off your head after you finished." I chuckled and took a big bite, shooting Viola a thumbs up.

Sophia looked wrong, "it wasn't like I could control it."

I shrugged, "I'm just telling you how lucky you are and how thankful you should be to Riley."

Sophia lowered her head and Layla elbowed me.

"What happened?" Layla said while glancing between us.

"She snuck into my room and gave me a blow job that took away my freedom for a few seconds. If I had been awake, it would have been fine. I could have actively resisted and sought a way to help her control such an interesting gift. Instead, she got laid to rest by Riley, who's apparently is the jealous type."

Layla glanced at Riley then me as if asking if Riley knew about her. I just took bite after bite.

"I settled down the people you brought but some of them are playing the disable card. I don't know how you want to handle that given they have family members contributing." Layla launched into the problems of society.

"If they are old, then it is fine. Old being older than this bastard here." I gestured at the old man. "They are younger and don't want to work. Then we can only let them go. We don't have room for slackers."

"What about those slacking at work?" Viola threw in.

"Same thing. They either get their act straight or leave." I continued eating as they brought up more and more problems. Of course, some of them, they could really solve. So I answered vaguely to let them think about it.

I finished eating quite quickly due to wanting to escape these cats as fast as possible.

"Sophia. Have that intelligent girl keep a lookout for local news. Also pay attention to any other community of people. Someone should be complaining now and I wish to know about them before they know about us." I then turned to Viola. "Let's go look at these dumpsters."

She nodded and led me to the back. The back dock was kind of sheltered by many thick gates and fences. It would be hard to escape from this area.

I pointed my wand at the dumpsters and sent a stream of fire in to melt the shit. Maybe I should have prepared something to cover my mouth as the stench was horrid. I moved on to the next one while glancing away.

"As a cook, shouldn't you awaken some kind of fire ability?" I teased Viola.

Miss Viola didn't speak as she used her shirt to cover her mouth.

"I can still smell your period over this stench. Did it just begin?" I continued joking to pass the time.

Viola glared at me over her hands. Still not saying a word.

Since she wasn't going to work with me, I made a ring with malachite crystal. I dragged a few green lines towards it but only a light green settled in. The green line was very thin to the point of being all but invisible.

"Shield?" I said lightly.

A shield did appear but it felt like it would crumble under the slightest pressure. It did keep out the smell so I kept it for now. It just can be considered as something that doesn't have an affinity with me.

So I can confirm the thickest lines are what I can control with ease. Thinner the line, the worse the effects. So besides my sun line, the break off red line which I think is fire. The orange might be a concept? I haven't tested it but I should.

The black line is basically death. I have a comfortable understanding of the feeling it gives me. The white line has healing properties but it's not the main focus. Which means it might be a support line.

Focusing on the white ring, I thought of a shield. A much bigger barrier surrounded me. It felt strong and emitted a strong desire to protect.

The way Viola's shoulders kind of eased forward and her brow slid back into place. I say it had an obvious effect on her.

"What do you feel?" I asked.

Viola lowered her hand, "it's like a feeling of warmth. Reminds me of that time, it was storming out. Thunder was rattling the window panes but my grandmother distracted me by showing me how to make her favorite dessert. We sat by the fireplace and watched some black and white comedies."

Okay, that was confirmed. White was some guardian concept. That means these lines aren't elementals but concepts with wider applications. This is a much easier form to search for.

I fanned the last dumpster and looked over Viola once again. That short stylish blonde hair was really amazing on her.

"Stop staring at me before I tell Riley." Viola snapped.

Smiling, I turned away. Its best not to upset the cool who carried grudges for the tiniest thing.

My eyes caught birds circling high in the air. I cut the flames and pointed my wand at them. I track their path for a bit.

"Sun spear." I said.

There was a flash of light then an angry cry. I noticed one of the birds flapping its wings with a little awkwardness. I fire another. This time I blink in time to avoid the blurriness. The bird looked as if it was punched. Its body raised up and its wings were stuck in a downward flap. It looked as if it hovered in the air for several seconds.

The other birds swam around it, making those annoying squeaks for their helpless friend. A smile caresses my face as the bird tumble down.

"What are you laughing for? If it hits the ground from that height, you won't be able to cook it." Viola ripped my dream away.

Using the guardian ring, I thought about wings on my back. But what really appeared was a white winged angel. It wrapped its arms around me and I felt this sense of peace. Right as a hammer slammed into my head. It almost dropped me on my ass.

Thankfully the weird aura about it soothes the pain seconds later. But a new worry appeared in my heart as we shot into the air. What if I run out of mana or those birds swing to my blind spot?

We arrived beside the fallen bird and I was no longer allowed to think. I grabbed the talon as the guardian worked to slow us down.

I kept my head on a swivel as I watched the living birds fly above us. They looked like they were willing to attack but also too cautious to as well.

Like a man that I was, thinking of fried chicken. I aimed my wand and fired off another sun spear. Sadly, they were more alert and dodge the spear easily. I was never one to let go of meat when I saw it. Thus I fired spear after spear, aiming to trap them into one direction.

You would think light is faster than a fat ass bird but they were like the wind. They swooped out and fled with no regret. Didn't even look back to see if I was chasing. Just here once a second and gone the next.

I put my wand away and grabbed the bird with two hands. We landed gently before rising up and flying kind of low back to the dock area.

Viola was waiting along with a group of people plus Riley who her arms crossed and eyes flaring.

I dropped down and walked to the front of the bird. I punched its head twice and ended its life instead of allowing it to continue playing dead. Then I went to check its wound. After climbing on top, I found a scorch mark near the upper chest area. No sign of the spear but the smell was encouraging.

I hopped down after checking the wings and made my way to Viola.

"I heard you were flirting with another woman after I told you not to." Riley's voice was like a knife that cut right through my happiness.

I blinked and shot a glare at Viola. "Who would I flirt with that had half your charm?"

"He kept making references to my time of the month and seeing it personally." Viola added in with a smug smile.

"Oh, did he?" Riley asked while not taking her eyes off me.

"I was just teasing her to pass the time. Burning trash is boring, love." I defended myself.

"Woah, boss is whipped." Tyler said without remorse.

"Sounds like you aren't." His wife's sarcastic voice came right after.

"I'm proud to be a whip man. Nothing is better than loving my wife!" Tyler said with a straight face.

I coughed, "baby, let's talk later. Right now, does anybody know how to skin and cook a bird? Also, I don't think none awakeners should eat meat. I can feel a strong mana from it. Small portions and save the rest."

Viola pointed at three people as she stepped down. Apparently, we did have bird eaters here.

"Can you keep those feathers? It would be bad ass if they are turned into some kind of cloak." I added extra work to the crew.

Viola shot me a smile, "of course. Anything else?"

"Maybe keep the bones? They might be able to make some kind of bow. Those birds were faster than I expected." I said after a thought.

"She wasn't being serious. Bring your lecherous ass on." Riley snapped as she stormed away.

I rushed to catch up and heard Tyler's wife saying the same thing with an added slap to the back of his head.

"Baby, you know I was joking right? Just trying to pass the time with some humor?" I attempted to coax her.

Riley didn't bother to give me any attention as we made our way back.

I took the manly route and collapsed on the couch, kicking my shoes off midway. Riley went and fetched book three of the werewolf series. She dropped down on my lap and made herself comfortable.

"So.." I started.

"Are we not enough?" Riley asked after she found her page.

"Of course you are enough." I responded quickly.

"Then why are you flirting with other women?"

"I'm a guy. Flirting is harmless to me. Plus what else am I supposed to talk about with someone I have nothing in common with? It's a safe investment that doesn't necessarily mean anything." I made up some shit on the spot.

Riley turned and stared into my eyes and I shivered a little.

"Nice bullshit." She said way too calmly.

I decided to shut up and just hold her. I wanted to nap anyway, my head had a bass drum in the background. Plus a leaky faucet with creaky floorboards.

****

My eyes snapped open when I felt my pocket vibrating. I shook my numb arm and wiggled it out of my pocket. I was a bit surprised to find my dad's face on my screen. We weren't exactly close but not estranged either. Men didn't need to constantly chat and bullshit.

I hit the accept call button and stretched, adjusting Riley in the process.

"Yeah?" I said into the phone only after getting more comfortable.

"We have stabilized the situation at all forts. If you can't handle hiding out and avoiding these mutated humans, then proceed to your nearest fort. If you need anything, just send me a message. Do you understand, son?" My dad skipped the pleasantries and hopped right into the meat.

"I don't need to go. The walkers pose no threat to me. I'm even playing to clear out Hackney County and take over as the local boss." I bragged.

"Do you have the men to handle such an operation? If not, I can send the local national guard unit to take over the situation." His concern was evident and annoying at the same time.

"No need. I, alone, am capable enough to clear the scene. My men are also fully awakened and are being trained according to standard. But if you need a place to retreat and regroup. I took over the county jail." I responded with equal sass.

"I might have to take you up on that. We are currently losing the war against these 'walkers' as you call them." My father said then hung up.

I giggled as I tried to tickle Riley but she just stared at me.

"I'm not ticklish." She said coldly.

I pouted and then forced her to sit up. So I could sit properly on the couch. Well, I sat on the edge of the couch and pulled the table close. My notebook was there, so I opened and got ready to begin my new round of investigation.

Things confirmed, white line is a concept for guardianship. The gems can be used to create items but not to directly attack or else I will suffer for the misstep. The Golden line which is the thickest has the ability to shoot fire based attacks. The lines are not directly elemental specialized.

"What are things related to the sun that can also produce fire?" I spoke out loud with the hopes to include Riley.

"Solar energy? Droughts? Flash flares?" Riley said after a moment of silence.

"It has to be related to a concept for example. Guardianship is the idea to protect something or someone. So what kind of concept would include the sun and fire?" I turned to her now that I attracted her in.

She sat the book on her chest and her eyebrows furrowed inward. "The seasons include the sun but I think summer qualifies the most. In the summer, there are droughts which can cause wildfires. Also, the sun nourishes plants and summer is the biggest plant production season."

S-she.. she made sense. Most of my work before had to deal with solar energy and treatment plants for water sanitation systems that farmers often utilize. If we were to think about it in this way, summer was my most active period and thus I could be said to have a high affinity with it.

I snatched up my phone and googled the concept of summer as a magical entity. First half was a bunch of bullsnit and I had to narrow my search to a popular superpower site called Fandom.

Riley sat up and leaned in as we read the introduction and then the possible related abilities that could be manifested from this concept.

"Even if you know this, how are you going to make this work like you want? So far, I have only seen you use the baseline of summer concept." Riley's words made me puzzled.

Maybe the gems were like a puzzle piece that I would have to piece together to get the right combination? But experimenting was very dangerous. The gems weren't necessarily expensive to use or make. The concepts themselves range from easy to use to nose bleeds and worse.

I took out my wand and thought about how to utilize just one aspect of this summer concept.

Hot air would just be a combination of fire and wind. I had lines that might relate to them or maybe what if it was just the gems that were in fact elemental incline.

First, I dissolve the wand and rings. Giving me more energy from the orb to utilize. Next I created a longer rod about the size of a five feet rod. Under the pressure of my vision, it slimmed down into a thin cane. Like before I hollowed the inside. This time, I placed a small diamond near the bottom, the point facing downward. I followed this up with jade and malachite gems. Followed by turquoise and lapis lazuli gem. Then finally ruby, citrine and Sunstone. I closed it off with a creation of a Lion roaring made from Smokey quartz and tiger's eye gem.

The weight was a little odd but the black obsidian looked plain. I had enough orb left to add some touches, so I carved a bloodstone gem into it to give it a kind of creepy black and red look.

"If you want to be creepy, you have succeeded. Now let's go out and test it." Riley said as she put on her shoes.

"Don't rush me, woman!" I muttered.

I slipped into my own and rushed out, equally excited.

On the way, I found the old man with a toolbelt looking as if he was off to work.

"Hey, when you guys go out next time. Empty out a hardware store." The old man said as he went down a different hall.

I put it on the list of things we needed and headed straight to the courtyard. Riley stood in the safety of the doorway as I walked to the middle of the track field.

Instead of dragging lines over to the gems, I tried to utilize them from the point of origin. Taking a deep breath, I let my body feel the warm sun on my face. The breeze that caresses my stubble and the irritating smell of fresh cut grass.

Like always when I stand out in the sun, I felt immensely comfortable. Like an after massage and the woman says she finished but you aren't.

"You are glowing." Her voice almost dragged me out of my meditation.

Swallowing the curse words that almost came up, I envision a flaming lion standing before me. It's mighty mane, a perfect golden-red hue of wild tufts. It's fur..

"Are you really making a lion? Why don't you do something more complicated like making it rain or growing those plants?" Riley's mocking voice made me grate my teeth.

I opened my eyes and turned to her. With a nice swing of my cane, wind came blowing down and slammed the door in her face.

Turning around, I pictured wind consolidating around my feet, raising me into the air. The pressure was non-existent as of the moment. When I made the platform move forward, then the pressure made itself known at the back of my mind.

Moving around was a bit simple but it had nothing on the angel carrying me around. Speaking of which, I summon a barrier which places a slightly bigger pressure but it is still equivalent to having background noise.

Smiling, I was going to fly around a bit then call it quits. After all, who didn't want to be superman. But those birds were back and that meant more meat for me.

They went from a dot in the distance to a dark cloud. I dropped onto the roof of a tower and ready myself to take down some food.

The birds change directions upon spotting me, squawking like the annoying prey they were. Behind me appeared ten small spears. Like a boss, I pointed my cane forward.

"Go." I said calmly as if I was watching a movie instead of about to be overrun.

The cloud was thick enough that four out of ten spears made contact with the enemy. Followed by ten more. I managed out three waves before the birds slammed into my barrier talons first. The force made me take several steps back, almost stepping off the roof.

With a smirk, I made fire rise up around me like a spinning inferno dome. The angry squawks were like music to my ears as I moved from the edge.

I dropped the dome and launched more than twenty fireballs at one instant. The birds that survived my onslaught, flew up and stared down at me. They were really putting in effort to dodge my wave after wave of fireballs. They eventually wised up and tried to force me off the roof of the tower.

Sadly, I could float!

I covered myself with a dome of fire and waited until my feet touched the ground to remove it.

The birds just squawked like mad sailors and fled like usual. With a wave of my cane, the bodies floated up and landed near the door.

Not wanting to look like my head was close to being popped open. I swagged over to Riley and a crew of guys who were staring at me as if I was God.

Maybe, I could become one? Even if I couldn't, who said I can't become a King?

"You really want meat, huh? Hate to see you months after this." Riley teased.

I wrapped my arm around her shoulder. "What do you mean? I'll just expand my hunting range. You man is a wizard, dear. Harry Potter has nothing on me." I laughed and she shoved me aside.

"You guys know what to do." Riley turned to the familiar cooks.

I watched them work for a bit before turning to Riley. "Once you guys have a little more training, we can take over this city."

Riley gave me a look that I had no idea what it meant. "My man is already plotting world domination. I better hurry up and find this man a gaming computer."

I patted my chest, "the world is my game and I'm the big boss moving around the chess pieces."

Riley smacked my chest with a backhand. "Stop joking and let's go eat. I got hungry listening to your bullshit lately."

I ran up and pulled her into my chest. "What bullshit? Did you not see how I dominated those birds? They could only flee!"

"Okay, but what if they come back later with a bigger bird that your fire can't fuck with?"

"I'll just switch to my next strongest ability and they will be our supper!" I bragged relentlessly.

Riley scoffed but didn't continue that topic and switched to talking about the art of boxing.