Roselyne looked about ready to faint in Jerome’s arms and sure enough, two seconds later, she had done just that.

“Eckhard, what did you do?” he hissed holding the blonde.

<<I simply redirected the current she discharged into your body>>

“She hit me with electricity?” he asked his eyes narrowing. “She was carrying a taser or something wasn’t she?”

<<No Mr. Hall, what she did could be termed as electromancy as I view through my records>>

“Electromancy,” Jerome said faintly. “Manipulation of electricity, how…why?”

<<You have crossed over into their world Mr. Hall, it would be foolish to presume that they do not know of you now>>

“Eckhard you gave me no prior indications of this, none whatsoever,” said Jerome gritting his teeth.

<<You never deemed to ask me the information Mr. Hall, I am only a tool, you are the wielder>>

“How, Eckhard, how would I ask you information pertaining to matters I have no knowledge of?” asked Jerome gritting his teeth.

He got no responses in return and he felt his annoyance rising at the machinery inside his body. This thing was supposed to give him an advantage, not surprise him at every turn.

<<I myself was not aware of those files existing inside the databanks, Dr. Eckhard Ingrid Naumann had kept it locked away until you had experienced something like this>>

Jerome frowned, “You mean to say if nothing out of the ordinary ever happened to me, I would go on living believing in a false world despite the fact that I am beyond the humanity I see.”

<<That is not a possibility, should you do the impossible, then the impossible will notice you>>

“A quote…from the good doctor I suppose,” said Jerome sarcastically, he waited for no response as he looked at the woman in his hand, she looked very good especially up close, she smelled very good as well, even as he felt the heat rising he felt a cooling sensation in his body calming him down, it seemed Eckhard was acting again, thank god for that.

He no wondered what he should do with this woman, just leave her here…he would absolutely if she didn’t look like this but the answer was already answered for him as the front door down the stairs was pushed open with great might and a man came charging in. The man looked like a heavyweight bodybuilder on steroids, he presence and body filling the entire foot of the stairs. Jerome’s eyes widened as he immediately sensed a great threat from this man.

“What have you done to Lady Magnier?” he asked as he stood imposing at the foot of the stairs.

He looked down at the woman, Lady Magnier, that was her, then who was this.

“Eckhard,” he whispered.

<<Scanning human>>

<<Name, Gustave Dremont, chief guard of Duchess Roselyne Agnes Magnier’s private force, he is also a carnomancer>>

“What’s a carno-.” he stopped suddenly as his question was answered.

The man flashed up the stairs beyond the speed with which Jerome moved yesterday and before he knew it was thumped in the chest so hard he dropped what he was holding and was sent flying back.

<<Damage to ribcage, punctured lungs, arteries cut>>

Jerome’s eyes widened as he coughed up blood, he felt like he had been hit by a truck cased in diamond. He tried to stand but dropped to his knees as he coughed up more blood.

“You must be Jerome Elliot Hall, milady was looking for you,” said Gustave calmly as he held Roselyne in his arms, gently contrary to his appearance.

‘By all means she’s found me so please feel free to leave,’ was Jerome’s thought, just when he thought he’d gained an advantage in the form of these nubots, out comes a spoilsport, ruining his good fun, this world was messed up in more ways than one. The nubots actively worked to heal his body and he could feel the change happening. He heaved in a great big sigh, stood up and spat out a globule of blood.

“You’re Gustave Dremont, that lady’s chief guard,” said Jerome hoping to surprise the man and sure enough it seemed it worked as the man’s eyes widened for a period.

It was enough time, Jerome’s enhanced body leaped through and punched out, he expected the man to go flying back but the fist was caught, something he half expected to happen.

“You’re also a-,” Gustave started shocked but Jerome flipped using his caught arm as leverage and drove his feet up into the man’s jaw surprising him and sending him flying up to the roof where he crashed through.

He hung from the ceiling by his neck as the force had created a hole. He caught Roselyne and gently placed her down again. The ceiling suddenly crumbled and he jumped back, Gustave landed down on the floor with his two feet and spat out what appeared to be a piece of concrete.

“You’re a carnomancer,” said Gustave as he stood up, Jerome’s eyes narrowed, the man had misunderstood him, his body was enhanced with technology not magic. “We suspected you were a necromancer not a carnomancer, that must how you surprised Lady Magnier.”

A necromancer again, why was he being misunderstood as necromancer, did he do something to make other people mistakenly think that. He watched as Gustave dusted himself up and cracked his neck.

“You certainly have the strength,” said Gustave grinning. “But being a carnomancer’s much more than that.”

Gustave suddenly shot forward with a punch and Jerome quickly raised his guard, however as the punch neared, Gustave’s arm changed into a narrow flesh spear which pierced through his guard and into his chest, he was held up, speared by the man’s flesh spear and coughed out more blood as his eyes widened a fraction.

<<Self repair procedures activating, devour procedures activating>>

Gustave suddenly felt something go wrong as he felt the heart he pierced beating again, his surprise was only exceeded by his horror as he felt his magic being siphoned off strangely as Jerome opened his eyes and grinned manically.

“Surprise…motherf*cker,” he said as his blood spread out like it was alive on Gustave’s hand before slowly receding back into Jerome as he pushed himself off the flesh spear.

“That’s not possible,” Gustave whispered in disbelief.

“Oh…believe me, my view on what’s possible and what isn’t has changed a lot in these last few days,” said Jerome as he shot forward with reckless abandon splintering the concrete around his feet this time and he unloaded onto Gustave with his fists, each moving as it popped the air, the speed was such that Gustave only had time raise his defenses and hold the fort.

Jerome slowly pushed Gustave back with a relentless barrage of punches all the way towards the top of the stairs. Jerome landed back a fair few feet away and looked at Gustave, who had his suit completely ripped and there were Jerome’s fist marks all over his body. Jerome on the other hand had never more alive. Gustave stood their panting looking at Jerome with slightly horrified eyes, if he hadn’t bolstered his defenses up to such a large scale he would surely be dead, this man was a carnomancer and highly experienced, powerful carnomancer it was no wonder his lady lost to this man. To top it off he had even healed from a mortal wound, something that should be impossible despite being a carnomancer. Gustave himself could feel the fractures in his hands and rips he took in a deep breath, could he escape here alive? He looked at the mad glint in Jerome’s eyes, perhaps, if he played his cards right, the man here had an air of arrogance about him. He couldn’t kill the man but he could surely escape with Lady Magnier, regroup and plan for the next move. Jerome’s eyes twitched as looked at Gustave, sure enough the man had to be on steroids, he looked so structured that he would not be out of place as a sculpture. He saw Gustave’s legs tense and he immediately knew what was going to happen. He tensed as well and shot forward the same moment Gustave did and they clashed with a dull thud above Roselyne who suddenly groaned, Gustave had been going for the lady, he was planning to escape after nearly killing him twice. No way he was going to let that happen. Jerome pulled in a deep breath and pushed the larger man back with ferocious aggression, suddenly Gustave’s muscles shrunk down and his speed increased. Jerome eyes narrowed as he teetered over the edge of the stairs nearly falling down as he lost the resistance. He saw a skinnier Gustave charging for Roselyne. He twisted himself around and appeared behind Gustave swatting him aside. Gustave landed at the same place he had landed when he was first pushed back. He looked at Roselyne again, the woman still seemed unconscious and Eckhard confirmed. Good, he now didn’t need to fear an attack from her. He looked at Gustave kneeling on the ground as he looked at Jerome warily. Suddenly his body tensed up as Gustave’s speed shot up another notch, this time beyond him. Gustave decided to change tact, now landing pepper like blows all across him, it didn’t hurt as it should but it was a source of annoyance as he felt little firecrackers exploding across his body. Jerome shivered as one landed on top of his spine. Normal, muscular Gustave and he would have been momentarily crippled allowing Gustave to escape with Roselyne but little Gustave could do no such damage but still it was a stalemate. The man couldn’t mortally wound him and he could physically catch him. He grit his teeth as he suddenly thought of a plan on the spot. He pulled out his pistol and pointed it immediately at the woman and Gustave’s eyes widened as a scream of ‘no’ escaped him and Jerome cried ‘yeah’ in his heart. He waited a moment as Gustave appeared in front of the woman going back to his previous size and taking a defensive stance. Jerome grinned as he stepped forward swiftly and yanked the top arm of the cross guard Gustave held and pushed his pistol into the surprised man’s mouth with ferocious strength possibly taking out a few of his teeth.

“Dinner, now dessert,” he said viciously as he pulled the trigger with his heightened reflexes emptying fifteen bullets right into the man’s gullet, his eyes rolled back as he fainted right on top of the woman.

He looked at the magazine, there were two bullets left over, should he have emptied that as well, he wondered but then thought better of it. Keeping some shots seemed a better idea, it might be useful in the future and he would have a write up a report on why he wasted fifteen bullets, always better to keep it a secret by using two bullets as a cover. He looked down at the shirtless man and the woman he lay on top of and he twitched in annoyance. This as*h*le was a real challenge, he died two times just in this fight. He kicked the man of the woman and then dragged them both into his apartment. The woman he laid on his bed, the man, he just left on the floor. He then went out and picked up the bullet casings leaving behind no evidence of him firing his gun and then rushed back inside. The man despite him firing sixteen bullets down his throat did not seem dead, understandable, the man was a living superman.

“I learned something from this guy right Eckhard,” he asked grinning at the unconscious man as he sat on a chair.

<<Indeed you have grown stronger and faster physically, you have also gained better control over your body, carnomancy discipline has been registered in you body’s nubots>>

“You mean I can now use carnomancy?” he asked. “What’s the point, aren’t I already ridiculously strong.”

<<Carnomancy is a discipline that contains many fields, it is not simply strengthening your body, if you had attained Gustave’s memories or his experience you would understand but you have only attained a portion of his power>>

“Why don’t I just devour him then,” he said thinking to himself but he quickly shook his head.

He had a mission of revenge, no need to make unnecessary enemies if he could avoid it, he would kill but only those that deserved it and whilst this man did attack him and kill him twice, he did not feel disgusted as he normally would around the worst of people.

***

Suddenly he heard a knock on the door and frowning he moved over to the door opening it but then he thought about the people in the room. He quickly closed it after exiting and stood in front of the man small frail man with large glasses and a hunched posture. The man looked at him and gulped, Jerome took a glance at himself, sure enough he was dishevelled and what more he had a hole in his shirt around his chest area and he was dressed as a cop

“Yes…?” Jerome asked smiling amicably, something, it seemed, that only distressed the man further.

“Uh…I’m sorry,” the man said weakly. “I live above and I heard a loud ruckus happening.”

“Right,” said Jerome with a fast beating heart. “It was the man next door to me, the man was abusing his wife.”

The hunched man frowned as he nodded, “Oh…that’s the case, what happened to ceiling and floor though?”

Jerome looked at the floor where cracks were all over, surrounding like spider webs, he smiled wryly, he had really let himself loose. He then looked at the ceiling where there was a hole, that would be a lot harder to explain than the cracks on the floor.

“It’s an old building I suppose,” said Jerome frowning. “Maybe it just started crumbling.”

The hunched man however grew pale at the thought of what Jerome just said and he quickly nodded.

“We need to quickly call the building owner,” he said quietly. “This entire place could come down.”

“Right,” said Jerome nodding, happy that he had diverted the facts, who on earth would believe that two superhumans were having a hand to hand fight down here which ended with one of them unloading an entire pistol into the man’s mouth.

“So…sorry,” said the man bowing lightly. “Just wanted to ask, what was going on?”
Jerome blinked in surprise, the man seemed a total pushover.

“It’s no problem, what’s your name?” Jerome asked. “I’m constable Jerome Hall.”

“I…I’m Erik,” he said and he bowed again before quickly rushing off.

“What about you last name?” Jerome trailed off but he got no reply.

“Eckhard, was there something wrong with the man?” asked Jerome.
<<Apart from a degenerative bone disease, I sensed nothing out of the ordinary in that man, his name is Erik Thornton however and this man is the son of the current CEO of Thornton Electricals which coincidentally also supplies electricity to this building>>

“I’m living under a second gen rich kid?” Jerome asked blinking.

<<Indeed>>

“Why’s he living here?” asked Jerome.

<<Reasons I do not know of>>

Jerome thought as much, how could Eckhard know someone’s mind, still thought he would ask anyway. It was however good to know this information and degenerative bone disease, the man had it tough, a lot of money and no good way to enjoy it. He looked at the hole in ceiling, that would have to be fixed, so would the cracks on the ground but he needed to do something about the people inside and he also needed to visit Bishop’s Bar, he had put it off long enough. He walked back inside and quickly got changed into another set of clothes, casual this time and as he looked for shoes he realized the man only had slippers and army boots, nothing in between, no middle ground. Sighing he put on one of the boots with greyish chino pants he was wearing. Not particularly fashionable but then again he hadn’t been much about fashion in his previous life either way. Before he left the apartment he left a note for the two of them. He didn’t want to kill them, no point in keeping them around either, better to let them go back to wherever they needed to go to and it was also better that he wasn’t here when they awoke. He still packed his gun and then walked down stairs then frowned. He would have to run to Bishop’s Bar, which was further than East City Hospital, it was still quite easy for him but it was also boring. As he looked around he spotted a luxury car, Rolls Royce, he couldn’t tell the specific model. Maybe, just maybe, he rushed back up the stairs and entered the room then searched the man and sure enough he found the keys to the car which he held with both hands in reverence. This would be his first time ever driving a car of such stature, especially one that is owned by nobility. He would cherish this moment. He quickly scribbled another note on a post it note under the one he’d already left, he then proceeded to pick up the hunting knifes the men yesterday had dropped, packing it all up quickly. He was partial to one of the knives, the one he’d used to slaughter the five men so he would only return four of them. He wanted to keep the other one with him, it represented good memories for him. He quickly went down to the car and pressed the unlock button and it opened as Jerome stood next to it suspense-fully with a wide grin layering his face. Climbing into the driver’s seat the grin almost became permanent on his face. Oh…this was much better, much better indeed. Cops never got to drive cars like these did they. He quickly got out of the car and standing next to it, he took a selfie…for memories then climbed back inside, spending the next minute figuring out how it worked. It was a manual configuration, which was fine for him, he knew how to drive automatic or manual. He started the car and then nearly stalled it before he got used to power. It was concealing a hell of a lot of horsepower under its hood. He grinned widely, this was a man’s dream, surely the duchess would forgive him, she had plenty of cars he supposed, she might not even notice this missing, even the smell of this car was heavenly. He drove off carefully leaving the building in his rear-view mirror along with the bodyguard and the duchess.