"So, what's next?"
"Next," Aster begins. "I just want to see how fast you can run." He shrugs. I nod a little, looking ahead.
We were at the beginning of the track that went around the building now. I had left my boots off, because they were just too clunky. I think I might need to get something else. Aster had given me basketball shorts and a t-shirt to wear while we did this, but I had been stuck with the boots. I really appreciated them, and I like them, but I can't move in them.
So, for now, I would just run in socks.
"Easy enough." I nod, and crouch down a little so I can push off.
"Ready… go!" As soon as the word "go" leaves Aster's lips, I fly through the air like a bullet. I feel a grin spreading across my face as my legs pump under me, more fluidly and faster than I've ever been able to move before.
Holy shit.
I fly by Aster and York in no more than ten seconds. It was only three hundred meters or so I'd say, but this definitely would've taken me at least twice as long when I was human.
I fly by them again, surprised at how I don't feel out of breath. Was this my new lungs coming into play? No, this was something more.
I finally slow down when I approach them again, and grin at Aster.
"Well, I can tell you trust your new body enough to at least run with it." I shrug, a little embarrassed at having shown off. "I'm just teasing you, you did very well. I think you're top five fastest as you are now, and I bet you'll get even faster the more used to your parts you get."
"I wanted to ask." Aster nods. "Why do I feel so light?" I shrug my shoulders a little. "I mean, you put metal in me, right? Theoretically I feel like if anything, I should be heavier."
"Dummy." I growl when York is suddenly on my shoulder and flicking me in the head.
"Why am I a dummy?" I sneer, moving my head away from his attacks.
"You're not, you would have no way of knowing." Aster points towards York with a glare. He turns his attention back to me then. "It's your blood. Reaper blood is very different from humans. It requires almost no oxygen, which is why you probably noticed you weren't out of breath while running." That makes sense, and answers one of my questions. "It's black in color because of this. It's also full of magic, so it helps with several other things. It soaks into your nerve endings and covers them in a protective barrier, so you won't feel pain as badly. Be wary, getting an arm cut off will still hurt like nothing you've ever felt, but things like getting punched won't affect you."
"So, this shouldn't be a problem then." York teases as he continues to flick my face.
"Are you trying to piss me off?" I growl, giving him a good shake so he finally falls off.
"Maybe." He teases. Aster shakes his head a little, rubbing at his temple with a boney finger.
"Let's move on, to my least favorite part." I raise a brow at Aster, ignoring York who is jumping from foot to foot beside me. "We need to see how you behave when engaged in combat."
"Who am I fighting?" My eyes drift down to York, who grins from ear to ear.
"You guessed it, buddy!" Is that why he's been getting more and more worked up the farther we've gotten into this? He knew I was going to have to fight him.
What a little shit.
"Let's move to the mats." Aster grumbles, moving around us and walking towards the other side of the obstacle course. There are four giant black matts that way.
"Are you scared?" I roll my eyes when I feel York jump on my back and whisper in my ear.
"Of you?" I challenge. York cackles and jumps off me to walk by my side instead.
"You are funny. I'm glad you agreed to be a Reaper." I tilt my head to the side a little at York's words. He really was irritating, but also really hard for me to hate. He was kind of like an annoying little brother, I guess. Weird that he was supposed to be my mentor in all this.
We come to the matts, and we both position ourselves in the middle across from each other.
"Alright. No serious injuries please, we're not out to actually kill each other here." Aster warns both of us from seven or so feet away from us, but I notice his gaze is mostly fixated on York. I honestly felt a little underestimated.
"This will be easy." York taunts. I think he really was trying to piss me off, to rile me up and get me to lose control. "Pretty boy over here said he has taken boxing his whole life. That's not good for much else than hitting and rolling around on the ground." He grins like a shitty little villain. I smile to myself. He thinks he knows every little thing about me, doesn't he?
You know, one of the main reasons I chose to become a Reaper, was because I wasn't ready to let go of my memories from my human life. I wasn't interested in relearning everything I'd already figured out through trial and awful error.
And this was one of those times I was glad I'd clung to that knowledge from those life lessons. It was time to finally use it to my advantage.
I learned pretty early on, keep your cards close to your chest.
Never tell anyone everything about you. It's okay to share a few things, they can even be deep and personal. But always keep one or two things to yourself. I keep far more than that, but you know. In this case, I had withheld complete information about my fight training. I'd been an angry kid and teen, and needed a way to let it out if I didn't want to take it out on my classmates. It started with Krav Maga, then switched to boxing, then I did both for a while. As an adult I'd been training in Jiu-Jitsu, just to try and learn something new.
I was by no means just a tank, and it was time to show that off.