Diego let his body fall down, looking at the ground dead in the eye. Only when he was a few centimetres away, he moved his hands to the side and stopped. Drops of sweat rolled down his face while his arms shook, as he tried to find the strength to jump back up. Just as he was about to push back, his muscles gave up and sent him face first against the floor.
"Come on, I know you can still go!", his coach shouted to encourage him, "Ten more, just an extra push!"
"I could if it wasn't for these noodle arms!", the revenant screamed at his new arms with the burning frustration reserved for inanimate objects, "Before I could do twenty of these without any problem!"
Diego slammed one of his arms against the ring's mat to punish it. He was struggling to get used to his new body. He'd shaped the old one to be strong and flexible after years of exercise, he was proud of it, and now it was all gone. He felt in worse shape than ever, and his mind was still working with the old settings, only to find time and time again that his reach was different, that he had less stamina, was stiffer, and overall, much weaker. One of his legs still felt on fire from trying to do the same high kick he'd done hundreds of times before.
"Calm down, it's a big adjustment, and you need to give yourself some time". The coach patted him in the shoulder and gave him a wide smile. Patches of skin had been sown together by the sides of his mouth, and the stitches had given him the only Glasgow smile that made you want to invite him to a beer, "Your problem isn't your muscles, we'll get them in shape soon enough. Your problem's your mind, you need to forget about the pain and focus".
"I think my problem's the burpees", the younger revenant returned, back leaning on the ring and stalling for time to avoid doing more, "I really don't like them, at all".
"They don't like you either", the coach said with a wink, "But you're going to have to put aside your differences if you want to be ready for your debut tournament".
Diego groaned. Dirtha was already looking to get back her investment, and had signed him for a beginner's tournament where companies like hers would showcase their new talents, and let them fight each other for entertainment. The next months of his new life had been planned for him, and he could look forward to hundreds of hours of exercise, acting lessons, and an absurd number of flips to become the heel the woman had paid for. Still on the ground, he tilted his head back towards the window of Dirtha's office, overlooking them. She could even be watching them right now.
"Think of it this way", the coach kept going, ignoring that the kravist attention as elsewhere. Mainly because it was something he needed to hear, "Today it's hard, but tomorrow it will be easier, and the day after that even more. You just got to keep at it".
Diego looked back, and found a hand extended towards him. He took it and his help to get back on his feet, "Yeah, that's true. Still a pain, though".
"Enough with that mouth of yours".
"Hey, look who finally got out of his cave", the young revenant turned back to see a woman hanging outside the ring, looking at him with the excitement of a kid watching the hands of a clock on the last day of school. He squinted his eyes, there was something very familiar about her, about her wide smile and that wild curly hair, but he couldn't place it. Her smile flew away, and a look of incredulity took its place, "Come on dude, you saw me yesterday".
"Wait, Emma?", Diego could barely place her. Unlike the last time, her face was now the usual collage of scars and skin tones that the revenants shared. Outside of her costume, she almost looked like another person, "Didn't you…?"
He stumbled over his words, trying to manage the impossible task of politely asking someone why the hell their face was now a map of scars. Understandably, he failed miserably and gave up. Instead, he chose to awkwardly wave a hand around his face.
Naturally, Emma was confused at first, as no one expected to play a game of charades in the middle of a conversation. Then, the message finally came across, "Oh, right, no one has told you yet. Dirtha makes us use a pomade to hide everything when we're working, so we look normal", she then drew a mischievous smile, "But I still think I'm pretty handsome without it".
"And you're absolutely right", Diego tried to answer with the same kindness he had been shown, but his eyes quickly fell to the ground as the thoughts charged at him without mercy. He was still shocked by the recent events, and on top of that, his skin disgusted him, still struggling to accept it as real. Now it turned out there was a way to fix it, and no one had told him. It took him several seconds to notice he had spaced out, "Sorry, I'm still getting used to all of this".
"Hey, it's ok, we've all been there. When I was in your place, I couldn't stand my reflection and even broke a mirror. I still have the scars", the woman leaned on the ropes, trying to get closer to her latest coworker and comfort him. Suddenly, an idea came to her mind, "Hey, how about some sparring to take your mind off all that nasty stuff for a while?", she then turned to the coach, who gave Diego a bottle full of water, "That's ok with you, Emmanuel?".
"If you've got time for yapping, you've got time for training, so go ahead", the man said before leaving the ring to the couple, "Just don't force yourselves, I don't want you to get an injury".
As soon as she heard it, Emma didn't waste a second and jumped in, bursting with energy, "Come on newbie, I'll be gentle. I'll even tuck you in with a little kiss after I beat you to the ground".
She brought a smile out of Diego. It was the same kind of dumb bravado from back at the gym, just saying dumb things to each other for the fun of it. She was even making a tough looking face with an exaggerated frown. He'd grown fond of it, and now, it gave him a warm sense of familiarity. For a moment, he forgot about his problems, and then raised his guard "You know, I feel sorry for you. You're going to be so embarrassed when I'm done with you".
"Hah!", she laughed, "Big talk!". Emma put her fists up. They bumped them with each other as salute, and began circling around, measuring their rival.
The woman took the initiative, ducking and feinting to surprise the kravist and get him to drop his guard. Diego's hand kept shaking in reflex, but he forced them to stay in place and didn't give her the opening she was trying to peel out. The younger revenant waited for his chance, and as another fist came, he stepped to the side, pushed the hand away, and threw a punch as fast as a bullet in the path he had opened. Diego's fist raced against Emma's forehead, only to stop and flick her finger at it.
"Hey!", the boxer shouted, more annoyed than anything.
"What, too fast for you?"
"Yeah, you're pretty fast, I'll give you that. I thought you'd still be slow for some time".
"Yeah, me too. Turns out it's all about technique, and I've got plenty".
"I guess I can put some effort then":
Emma launched a new assault with renewed energy, throwing jab after jab to overwhelm Diego. He moved around, trying to escape the barrage and get some space between them. A fist slipped by his guard and chased after him. In a quick motion, he leaned back and pushed the boxer away with a kick to the stomach, barely dodging the attack. Now, he had the chance to turn it around.
The woman remained cautious. She waited to see what Diego would do, and slowly closed the distance while looking out for the attack that was coming. He, on the other hand, started to throw out kicks at every height to block her. Whenever she moved forward, he stopped her with a front kick. If she tired a faint, he answered with a low or middle kick to the sides. Then, in the moment she distracted, he delivered a kick at the height of her head, just because he could.
"Don't you know anything else!?"
"What, can't get close?", the kravist retorted with a cocky smile, "Can't the little boxer throw out some kicks of her own?"
"Oh, it's on", Emma said before charging. The leg came back for her, but this time, she had a strategy in mind. She grabbed it with both hands as soon as it hit her stomach, and pulled it to her, bringing Diego back into her reach.
Before he could cover, she started wail on Diego, mixing uppercuts, hooks and jabs to hit him from every side his guard wasn't covering. The strategy left a wide gap around the kravist stomach. Emma noticed, and without stopping her attack, she then ducked, and slapped him there as payback.
"Gotcha!"
"Did you just slap me in the stomach?"
"Yeah. What are you going to do about it?"
"Round three, now".
They saluted again and began a new exchange. Every time Diego attacked her, she either blocked or dodged, and whenever it was Emma on the offensive, she crashed against his guard or was deflected. Both were completely focused, making and testing strategies on the fly to beat the other.
Then, the boxer took the advantage.
She stepped on Diego's feet and trapped him in place. Without any other choice, he covered against the shower of blows and thought of ways to get out. If he tried to hit her, he would only open himself to other strikes, and he couldn't use his legs in that short distance.
He then had an idea.
The kravist dropped down and locked hands behind her leg, pulling and throwing her to the ground. Emma reacted as fast as he could to deny him any space, pushing him away with her leg. Without any choice, both of them got back up, exhausted.
"Look who ended up in the floor first", Diego said while panting. His guard was slipping on one side, catching the attention of her opponent.
"I wouldn't worry about that", Emma locked eyes on the open space, planning her next move. In a sudden movement, she threw out a hook aimed at Diego's face.
But, in a flash, he blocked it with is forearm, grabbed her arms, and spun her into a new position. When Emma regained her senses, she noticed that he was grabbing her index finger. His was held high.
"You fell for it".
"That can't be what I think it is", Emma said with a mix of amusement and disbelief, "You wouldn't dare".
"Oh, but I would", the kravist dropped the pinky, and his partner began to shake. She then fell to the ground with Shakespearean grace, dramatically covering her frown with an arm.
"I'm dead", she was trying to hold her laughter, poorly.
"I've never seen a corpse laughing so much".
"You hang out with corpses?", she asked mischievously as she took Diego's hand to get up, "You're a weirdo, dude".
"Shut up".
The gears inside Diego'smind were working at full speed to come up with an answer to keep their banter going. However, a barely coherent of screams forced them to stop. It was the kind of half-drunken, maddened shouting from someone looking for violence, looking for blood.
"Where is that curly-haired patchie?!"
A man stormed inside of the courtyard, looking around like a wild dog. Behind him, three others awkwardly came in, throwing disgusted looks at the patched skins of the revenants inside. A crowd was already forming outside to see what was going to happen out of morbid curiosity.
The madman searched around with bloodshot eyes, for someone to put to blame for the consequences of his own actions.
"Just let it go already", one of the men complained, with a deep blue skin, "I don't want to stay here more than I need, these… things creep me out".
"Yeah, I've heard they've got worms and stuff", another interjected, clutching the strange wooden paddle in his hands.
"I'll let it go when I get my money back!", the madman shouted, bringing an even bigger crowd around the door to the building, "Have you seen how huge Umalda is? She was supposed to lose!"
"Outstanding math, genius", the first man muttered, "You need to stop gambling".
"And you need to shut up about things no one asked you about!"
While they were arguing, everyone inside began to tense in anticipation, Emma most of all. Her back was as stiff as a plank, and her skin was starting to drench in sweat. She looked at Diego with worried eyes and moved to the ropes as discreetly as she could, "Let's leave, these guys are trouble".
And just as she spoke those words, the madman laid eyes on the couple and raced towards them, before anyone could stop him. He raised the same paddle as the others as if it was a sword. It looked like a two-pronged cricket bat, with a carefully carved gap separating them. However, anyone familiar with wooden utensils would conclude that it hurt the same as a cricket bat.
"You!", he grabbed the ropes and tried to climb inside, "You've ruined me, patchface!"
Emma momentarily froze, unsure how to react, but her body automatically entered a stance to protect her. On Diego's part, something was starting to get over him, something dark, stirring with the growing violence in the air. As if possessed, he rushed against the man and kicked him square in the face before he could jump in, and sent him flying to the ground. Somehow, it felt great.
Everything got deadly quiet. The crowd was waiting to see what happened next, and the rest of revenants were so surprised they were still watching the man on the ground. The madman's posse exchanged glances, asking each other what they should do, until the one with the blue skin stepped up.
"You shouldn't have done that, patchface", he raised his bat, "That was my friend you just kicked".
Emmanuel grabbed Emma and quickly took her away from the ring before signalling the others with a move of his head to help Diego. This order was quickly shut down when Dirtha stepped in.
"Stop, I want to see how this goes", she said, eyes fixated on Diego as he jumped outside the ring.
"Are you out of your mind?!", Emma screamed at her from Emmanuel's arms.
"Mind your tone", Dirtha gave her a look that could freeze hell itself, "Remember what name shows in your contract".
Emma grumbled and clenched her fists in the only act of rebellion she could take. She resigned to stay back and watch alongside the rest, sharing the same feeling of unease amongst her coworkers.
Diego analysed the situation he'd barged in. He was glad to see that the three men looked human, despite the colourful skin of the one running at him. They had no claws, no fur, no otherworldly things to worry about. What they did have, were the same skin, bones, and extremities he had been trained to deal with, the same ones he knew how to break. He could work with that.
He let all his air out, turning as light as a feather. For the first time since the start of his second life, this was something he understood and could control.
The man swung his arms against him. Diego's body felt slow and alien, but it still reacted like a well-oiled machine. He moved his arms to the shape of a par of scissors and intercepted his aggressor mid swing, and quickly countered with a mix of knee strikes and punches, before stealing his weapon. He then threw him back against his friends.
The bat felt comfortable in his hand. It was heavy, hard, and above all else, it made him feel powerful. The two remaining men began to lose their confidence, and now looked at him worried, moving more cautiously, Diego couldn't understand why, but it made him feel alive.
"What, you scared of a patchie?", one of the men said, the one that had made the comment about the worms, "The guys at the pub ain't gonna believe it".
The other man, who had kept quiet so far, gave him a critical gaze to chastise his cowardice, and then stepped against Diego. Before he could get close, the kravist used the bat as a spear to stop him. In quick succession, he then kicked him in the unmentionables, and as his attacker fell forward, he kneed him in the face. Diego could feel time slow down when the knee crashed against his mouth, making his teeth fly around like, and how that dark feeling was growing in droves. Suddenly, he was scared, because he couldn't help but smile. He didn't enjoy hurting others, but right now, he was smiling, he felt he was winning.
It feels great, doesn't it?
A voice spoke behind him, pushing him to spin around and look out for it. But there was no one, just a wall and a bunch of cleaning tools laying against it. His neck then snapped to the side as the last man hit him with his bat. Diego fell to the ground, and grabbed his neck where the blow had landed, burning like it was on fire.
"Yeah, that's what you get, patchie!", the man said with a grin that make him look like a weasel, "Who's the last one standing? Me! No more Scaredy Malik for this guy, they'll have to call me something like… Strong Malik! Yeah, that one sounds good!"
"Dirtha, for the love of God!", Emma pleaded at her boss. Dirtha observed silently.
Malik raised the bat to hit Diego again, but he powered through the pain and kicked him back like a donkey, and straight to a kravist's favourite target, the family jewels. Malik feel to his knees as Diego got up. It was the perfect height for the kick he threw at his head.
"You're dead, corpse", the madman said as he got up, mind filled with murder. Blood was running from his bent nose and mouth, and he had a knife. Light reflected on the metal towards Diego's face, blinding him as if he was looking straight at the sun. He froze in place, shaking like a leaf.
"Dirtha!", Emma pleaded once more, ready to get on her knees.
The madman stepped forward, and the revenant tried to run away, only to clumsily trip with his own legs and fall to the ground. His eyes locked on the blade, and all he could see was that night on the street playing back before his own his, ending with his blood spilling on the pavement. He crawled back, manically trying to find something, anything to defend himself with. His fingers touched something, and without a second thought, he threw it away at his attacker. A bucket full of dirty water flew against him, hitting him straight in the forehead.
"I've seen enough", Dirtha announced, relieving a massive weight from Emma's soul, "Go"
Without wasting a second, she ran forward and put all the weight in her body into a single punch aimed at the madman's jaw, popping it out of place with a loud crack. He fell to the ground like a log.
"Are you ok?", Emma asked as soon as she got next to Diego, who was shaking violently. He was looking at the knife with dread, fearing for his life just by looking at it.
Dirtha stepped on the blade and leaned forward, interested in the kravist's look of terror, "So this is krav maga. I can make use of it".
Diego looked in silence at the knife lyin at the groun in front of him, and tried to crawl away from . Dirtha then stepped on it, took it, and looked interested in Diego's face.
"So this is krav maga. I can make use of it".