"Let's end here," Jude breathed heavily as he jogged, trying to keep up with Rune's pace, who seemed more than ready to run.
They were jogging on a clear road lined with neatly arranged trees on each side. It was a path for bicycle riding, and the sun was beginning to rise, though it was still early in the morning.
Jude's sweat dripped into his cuts, making them burn, and the wind wasn't doing him any favors—in fact, it made things worse. Mentally, he made a note that on the way back, he would simply ask the lady living nearby for help. How awkward would it be to knock on her door, though?
'Hello… please, I need first aid. I would return when I am done…' he groaned at the cringeness of it as he jogged. His legs were already hurting badly. What kind of training had he gotten himself into? Oh goodness.
"Bro, please, that's enough. My legs are killing me," he pleaded, but Rune seemed to ignore him, still jogging steadily. Finally, Rune stopped, and Jude sighed in relief as he stopped as well he rested his hand on his knees as he exhaled and inhaled loudly.
"Take a twenty-second break," Rune said calmly. Raven couldn't believe this robot.
"Bro, who in their right mind gives a break like that?"
"Fifteen seconds," Rune replied, as if he hadn't even heard Jude.
"Bro, how many minutes did we jog?" Jude asked as he straightener his posture.
"We jogged thirty-two minutes and four seconds," Rune replied. Jude knew he wasn't imagining it—this was the longest he had ever jogged.
"How much longer?" Jude asked quickly.
"Two hours, forty-five minutes, three seconds, one millisecond," Rune saidas Jude eyes widened in annoyance.
Now it was clear—this robot really wanted to annoy him, and he wasn't about to let that shit happen.
"I give up. You run on your own. You have to be kidding me. It seems you forgot I am not a robot like you," Jude snapped, while Rune just stared at him casually like he was spouting rubbish.
Always that look..the particular look that made Jude look like a fool.
"You want the results but cannot work hard for them. I am telling you, one day all this I teach you will come in handy, I promise," Rune said. Jude scoffed.
"Bro, you also have to understand this is 2080. This stuff is useless now—people don't do it anymore."
"Exactly. And when it is useful, it'll already be too late," Rune replied calmly.
"That's why it would never be useful. They are high-tech now. Sometimes I wonder if you reincarnated from the past because of your archaic mindset."
"High tech that has no solution," the robot muttered.
"Okay, bro, chill. Are you trying to ragebait me?" Jude asked, but Rune stayed silent. This boy was just so stubborn.
"You did what you did today. Tomorrow, we'll make it an hour," Rune said. Jude's face twisted in regret at his words last night—he had been so happy about the meal that he just said he wanted training.
"Bro, are we really doing this torture tomorrow morning?" Jude asked, raising an eyebrow. Rune nodded.
"Yes. And you know nothing about torture. Now let's stop talking and focus on what's on the table," Rune said. Jude waited for his next word.
"Press-ups," Rune said. Jude felt like slapping his head on the floor.
"What is this? This useless, fucking nonsense! I thought we were done!" he snapped, knowing full well he was making no sense—but the annoyance had taken over completely
"If you complained less, your IQ would be ten times higher. Find a solution to every hard task, and that's the beginning of change," Rune replied calmly.
"We would have done the press-ups before the jog," he added. Rune raised an eyebrow.
"Is that what you do?" Rune asked as Jude shrugged.
"I see why you are this dumb," Rune muttered. Jude's eyebrows drew together in shock. He wasn't supposed to complain as a man it the insult this robot kept throwing at him was getting concerning.
He bent down to the ground, it wasn't too rough, but still uneven and started.
"We are doing fifty press-ups today. I had originally planned a hundred. Any complaint, and ten more will be added for you," Rune said. Jude was about to protest, but Rune's face lit up, and he continued.
"Do you have something to say?" he asked deliberately.
Jude shook his head his jaw clenching in barely contained anger.
"No, I have nothing to say. Now count the fucking numbers," Rune fired, trying to sound calm.
The first ten press-ups were manageable, but as Jude reached eighteen and twenty, his hands began to shake. He gritted his teeth, knowing that complaining would only make Rune increase the count. Sweat poured down his face and his muscles twitched.
"25…26…27," Rune counted.
"Bro, do the exercise too," Jude managed to mutter, his body trembling with pain why was he the only one suffering.
"Then who would count? Don't even try saying we'll count in our heads. I know you…" Rune trailed off as he interrupted. Jude's hands were still shaky.
"Bro stop talking! Count the damn numbers now!" Jude almost shouted.
"No complaint remember …30…31," Rune continued. Jude's body was giving out. His hands shook and vibrated like a chicken freshly poured with hot water. He had a thin frame due to lack of proper eating and looked younger than his actual age.
"33…34," Rune kept counting. Jude's movement began to slow and before he knew it his hands gave out. His body fell to the ground, hands trembling. He had gone past his limit, and Rune had seen enough.
"That's all for today. Let's go. I'll order a salad and an energy drink to help. This is just the first day, and I pitied you as we didn't even bring water I would let this slide just for today," Rune said.
Jude really needed water. His cuts stung, but he refused to touch his face, knowing it would worsen the pain.
"Fuck"
He managed to stand and tried jumping to ease the pain, but as his legs hit the ground, his knees shook, and he gritted his teeth together.
They began walking, and Rune slowed his pace so that Jude could keep up. He knew one thing—this boy had potential, exceeding his expectations.
"The house we're robbing tonight… why do you want the USB anyway?" Jude asked suddenly. There was a brief silence before Rune replied.
"I want to make my supplies."