Reality Quest: Lookism

I coughed lightly, wiping my mouth as Goo, surprisingly quick for someone who'd just been thrown around, bolted while clutching his pants. He didn't seem concerned, though; in fact, he was laughing.

"Catch me if you can, suckers!" he called out, already a good distance away.

Johan wasted no time. He stepped in front of me and rushed in front of him, with a sharp pivot, executed an Aikido maneuver that sent Goo flying through the air. Goo's body twisted unnaturally before slamming into the floor, his laughter momentarily replaced with a grunt.

I took the chance to activate Booster. My vision sharpened, the world around me slowing to a crawl as my body surged with agility. The speed at which I moved was beyond anything Johan, or even I, had seen before.

In an instant, I disappeared from sight, closing the gap between me and Goo in less than a blink. My hand reached for his glasses, confident that I'd finally snatch them away.

But then something happened. Something I'd expected to see, but still..

I'm surprised.

Goo calmly followed my every move with his eyes.

His gaze locked onto mine, calm yet mocking. His smirk widened, playful yet menacing.

'Hahh... I'm cooked.' I thought, just as his voice rang out.

"Too slow, blind man!"

BAM!

Before I could process what had happened, a force like a wrecking ball smashed into me. My body hurtled backward, crashing through a wall. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Johan suffer the same fate, his body slamming through another section of the building.

Pain radiated through my torso as I coughed up blood, blinking to clear my spinning vision. A stinging sensation along my arms and chest told me I wasn't just bruised, I was cut.

Goo stood amidst the rubble, holding what looked like the sharp edge of a broken talon, its surface glinting with fresh blood. "What's the matter, boys? Can't keep up?" he teased, twirling the weapon in his hand.

Johan was the first to rise, wiping blood from his lips. His eyes burned with fury, but he said nothing, rushing forward with a fist aimed at Goo's face.

Goo sidestepped with ease, kicking a nearby steel chair into Johan's path. The chair struck Johan's legs mid-motion, tripping him slightly. Goo followed up by slamming the talon's blunt end into Johan's side, sending him sliding across the floor.

I took advantage of the distraction, grabbing a loose piece of rebar and charging at Goo. With Booster still active paired with weapon mastery, my speed was blistering, my strikes unpredictable. I swung the rebar in a wide arc, aiming for his glasses.

"Not bad." Goo muttered, ducking under the swing. He retaliated by grabbing a nearby wooden plank and swinging it toward my side.

I blocked with the rebar, the impact vibrating through my arms, but Goo's strength sent me staggering backward. "This is fun!" he laughed, spinning the plank like a stick. "Let's see how long you two last."

Johan re-entered the fray, attacking Goo from behind with a series of rapid Jabs and crosses, each one calculated and precise. Goo matched him blow for blow, his movements fluid despite the absurdity of the objects he used. He grabbed a trash can lid, deflecting Johan's punches with ease before using it as a shield to block my incoming kick.

The fight moved through the building, each clash leaving destruction in its wake. Goo used anything and everything as a weapon, a computer monitor, a broomstick, even a heavy office desk, which he threw with enough force to crack the floor where it landed.

But no matter how much he hit us, neither Johan nor I stayed down.

I gritted my teeth, lunging for his glasses again. My fingers grazed the frames before Goo grabbed me by the wrist and flung me into Johan, who was just recovering from a kick.

"Are you two seriously still trying?" Goo asked, adjusting his glasses with a smirk. "Give it up. These glasses stay on!"

My breathing was heavy, my body aching, but I refused to give up. "Man.." I muttered, pulling myself to my feet. "You good?"

He nodded, his eyes never leaving Goo. "Let's finish this." he growled.

We charged together, refusing to let up, but Goo adjusted his glasses with his free hand, the playful grin vanishing from his face. His entire demeanor shifted, his aura oppressive and cold. He gripped the broken chair leg firmly, wielding it like a finely crafted sword.

"Alright, boys." he said, his voice no longer joking. "I had my fun. Time to wrap this up."

Before Johan or I could process his words, Goo vanished from his spot, appearing in a blur behind Johan.

Shhkkk!

Goo flicked the chair leg like a blade, and with that motion, blood sprayed from Johan's body. Multiple deep cuts framed his torso and arms, his once-focused eyes now blank. His body crumpled to the ground with a sickening thud.

"Johan!" I shouted, but he didn't respond. His unconscious form lay motionless in the pool of his own blood.

Goo slowly turned his head toward me, his back still facing me, and I felt it, the sheer, crushing weight of his oppressive aura. It was like staring down a predator that had set its sights firmly on me.

I exhaled heavily as the familiar sensation of Booster faded. The skill deactivated, leaving me feeling sluggish, vulnerable. To make things worse, I knew it was entering its cooldown period. No more bursts of speed for the next three minutes.

"Tch.." I muttered under my breath, grabbing the first thing I could find, a long steel pipe from the rubble. I tightened my grip around the cold metal, with my mind clearing.

I pushed my mana to it's limits, bumping it in every vein of my body, just like the trials.

I was now boosted without the skill.

But..

"Chough!"

My muscles trembled from my low health and injuries, fuck, the deep cut of before still hasn't stopped bleeding.

But I didn't let this stop me, i need to get stronger, for my family and...

I.. don't know...

The world around me seemed sharper, more focused. I felt my grip steady, the weapon an extension of myself.

'Let's see who's better.' I thought, forcing my breathing to slow as I assumed a combat stance. My calm returned, a quiet storm ready to erupt. I wasn't fighting to play around, I was fighting to the death.

Goo turned fully toward me now, his indifferent gaze locking onto mine. He adjusted his stance, the chair leg still held like a deadly blade. This time, there was no smirk, no lighthearted banter.

"Who are you?" he asked, his voice carried an air of curiosity mixed with deadly intent.

I stayed silent, letting the cold steel in my hand speak for me.

Goo closed his eyes, exhaling deeply. When they reopened, they were sharp, filled with murderous resolve. "Fine..." he said quietly, his tone colder than ever.

"I'll kill you and find out myself."

With that, he lunged.

The first clash was deafening. His broken chair leg struck my steel pipe, the impact reverberating through the air. I countered immediately, swinging at his ribs, but he deflected it effortlessly, redirecting my momentum with a flick of his improvised weapon.

Goo's movements were impossibly fluid. He swung the chair leg in tight, calculated arcs, each motion precise and devastating. I could barely keep up, my pipe blocking strikes that could've cut through flesh like butter.

"Head." Goo spoke as he aimed a strike at my head. I ducked, sweeping my pipe low toward his legs. He jumped effortlessly, his broken chair leg slashing down mid-air.

I sidestepped, narrowly avoiding the sharp edge.

"Torso."

He landed and twisted into a spinning strike aimed at my torso. I braced my weapon, the pipe vibrating violently as it met his attack.

But Goo wasn't done. He pressed forward relentlessly, each strike faster and more ferocious than the last, and as if mocking me he revealed where he would hit next.

Sparks flew as our weapons clashed, the sound of metal and wood echoing through the ruined space.

I tried to destroy his chair leg but he always managed to tilt it in the precise moment to transfer all the kinetic energy elsewhere.

I felt my muscles strain under the onslaught, but I refused to back down. My weapon mastery guided my movements, each strike and block becoming more refined as the fight dragged on.

I am improving.

Still, Goo's skill was overwhelming. Every move he made seemed effortless, his weapon an extension of his will.

"You're not half bad." he admitted, while distancing himself and taking another stance. "But let's see how long you last."

I didn't respond. My focus was steel like, my grip tightening on the pipe. I wasn't going to let him win, not without a fight.

Goo lunged again, his chair leg swinging toward my neck with terrifying speed. This time, I parried and retaliated with a powerful slash aimed at his stomach.

He deflected it, but the motion forced him to step back slightly.

I took the opportunity, surging forward with a flurry of strikes, each one faster and more precise than the last. Goo blocked them all, his expression changing in mild surprise.

The air between us grew heavier as the fight reached its peak, each strike carrying the weight of life or death.

----

I cooked here.

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