6: Sunny
Dismissing the Starlit Circlet, I finally arrived at the cafeteria, greeted by the sight of a beauty munching on an apple.
Master Jet was still dressed in her dark blue work uniform, even though the sun was starting to set. Wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, she turned her head and looked me up and down.
"We might need a size larger for you; this is the first time I have seen someone go through such a drastic change on their first trial. You are just full of surprises. And a suggestion: Don't reveal your flaw to someone unless you know and trust them to keep your secrets."
Nodding my head, I noticed the kitchen behind her and seemingly floated in; surviving off IV drips is fine and all, but real food can't be replaced. Grabbing a mountain of food ranging from faux meat, rice, beans, and vegetables, I made my way back out to Master Jet.
"My flaw is too glaring and obvious to be kept hidden for long; I might as well let someone know who has a chance of helping me directly or indirectly. And, when I become a master, we will be dating anyway, so you will come to know it regardless."
I added that last remark with a teasing smile before digging into my food.
Smiling back, Master Jet leaned against her armchair, about to retort, when she received a message on her communicator. With a charming smile dropping from her face, she stood and made her way to exit the cafeteria.
"Another outskirt rat just came into the station; I have to watch over him in case he fails his trial and turns into a nightmare creature. When you are done, feel free to find me if you have any more questions... or just want to talk."
Resuming her steps, she paused just before the door frame.
"There is also a training field built to withstand Awakened; it generally isn't open to the public, but since your trip to the academy is going to be delayed because of this, I will let them know to open it for you."
With that, she was off to meet the man himself, Sunless. After all of this time, I was unsure if I wanted to meet him this early. There was no guarantee I would arrive at the Forgotten Shore with Sunny, Cassie, and Nephis either.
Finishing off my food, I made my way to the training field. Not only would I be able to see the extent of my powers, but I wouldn't have to think about something I had no control over.
-------
The training field was tucked away at the back of the building, and even though it was called a field, it was nothing but hard gray walls and a rubbery green floor meant to increase traction. In the far corner of the room were a plethora of free weights to use, as well as a number of sturdy metal contraptions to test one's prowess.
My first stop was the dumbbells, a classic among all gym enthusiasts. Settling on a pair of fifty pound dumbbells, I was easily able to lift them above my head in one fell swoop. It felt amazing to use my newly gained muscles, like a full-body stretch when you first wake up in the morning.
Escalating to the one hundred pound dumbbells, I was finally feeling some discomfort, but not nearly enough to dissuade me from curling them a dozen times in each arm. With a slight sheen building up on my skin, I walked over to the punching machine.
With the emphasis placed on combat applications of the body to fight the Nightmare spell, these gym machines were highly advanced and extremely precise. Every last ounce of strength mattered when it came to fighting for your life. This device used slow-motion cameras to capture your form and correct you into perfecting your punch.
Of course, by being in combat, you have more factors to take into account than just perfect posture. There was terrain, reach, weapons, combat arts, strength, speed, stamina, focus, explosiveness—the list is never ending and ever-changing to accompany the enormous quantity of different aspects that are awakened.
Lining up with the machine, I prepared to throw out a punch, focusing more on slowing down my movements to feel the minute changes as I do the motion. Closing my eyes, I tried to picture the Soul Eater from my first trial running at me, its maw dripping with blood. A cold sensation spread across my body as my eyes snapped open. Turning my hips and rotating my shoulders, I launched a monstrous punch at the machine.
The machine groaned as my fist tried to tunnel its way through; the metal warped like plastic left in the sun for years. Backing away a few steps, I was surprised and a little worried: 'Would I have to pay for this?'
With a ding, a final rating appeared on the screen.
{30,000 PSI}
'What does that even mean? I guess it's strong enough to punch a metal machine into scrap metal.'
Looking down, my fist had light bruising that was slowly disappearing. Thank you, Pinnacle.
'Wait, that wasn't even with [Surge] activated. What would that be like? I definitely can't use it here; the damage would be insane just going on how much Effie's aspect enhanced her. Not to mention that mine is of Divine rank compared to her Transcendant rank.'
Realizing that I was still standing next to the busted-up machine, I made my way towards Sunny's room, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible. Even if our paths diverged, I had to see him in the flesh at least once in my lifetime. As Divine rank aspect holders, I entirely believe our paths to be tangled by fate, if I were even connected.
My presence has already changed the timeline; Master Jet was already at the station when Sunny turned himself in this time. What that means for the story, I don't know, but what I do know is that fate will either give me a nasty surprise or have found a way to bind me to its insidious will.
Sticking my head through numerous doorways, I finally was able to locate Master Jet and Aspirant Sunless. Pushing the squeaky door open, I braced for the consequences my continuous presence would have throughout the story. But it was already too late; I was going to become Jet's husband in a few years anyway.
Entering the room, my pupils violently contracted...
'What the f*ck?! HE REALLY IS SHORT! Or am I just really tall now? Two things can be true at once, I guess.'
This ghastly pale kid was fast asleep in a chair, strapped down with a struggling expression on his face. He wore tattered gray clothes that barely fit his already small and skeletal frame.
Turning her head at the sound of the squeaky door, Jet lifted an eyebrow at his reaction.
"Do you know him by chance?"
"No, I was just surprised at how short he is. How long do you think before he wakes up?"
Chuckling a little, she thought for a moment before replying, a teasing smile spreading across her pale lips.
"Before knowing you, I would say a few days at most; most people either die or pass the trial within a week. But with your sleeping beauty stunt, it seems we might need to expand our consensus."
"Did a princess happen to stop by to wake me up?"
Still wearing a carefree and teasing smile, Jet seemed to have given up on trying to one-up me. I could swear I even saw her ears turn red for a fraction of a second.
"In all seriousness, it should be over pretty fast unless he is like you. Why? Did you have somewhere to be?"
"Not really; I just broke one of the training machines... on accident. And I really need to get a head start on my academy enrollment. I know next to nothing about the creatures inhabiting the various regions of the Dream realm, besides some niche information. I also need to learn hand-to-hand combat, I suppose that is just as important as wilderness survival in my case."
Contemplating my plight, Jet suddenly stood up and started clearing up as much space as she could in this cramped room.
"While I could teach you all about Nightmare creatures, I don't have any of the reference materials prepared to make it easier for you to learn. Your second problem is much easier to solve."
Dropping into the classic kung-fu pose, she beckoned for me to come at her with a sly look in her eyes.
"Hurry up; it's not nice to keep a beautiful lady waiting."
I am fucked.
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SadPepe
SadPepe Please leave any constructive comments. I need all the help I can get on my first story/fanfic. This writing thing is really hard. Anyways, I will try to do one chapter a day but I got work and school so GL I guess.
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