Collection of Oddities

A Little Death Scare (1)

Reaper quickened his pace despite his body's strong protests. Dampness made its way onto his aching bones, partially due to sweat and somewhat due to marrow leaking from his foot wounds. The small, inverted heart-shaped organ pounding in the morbid god's ribcage worked overtime to regulate his magick flow. His nonexistent lungs heaved for air, leaving him nigh breathless as he zipped down the road. Luckily, the biology of magic skeletons allowed them to survive extended periods without oxygen, so Reaper saved his worry for other matters. Like potentially getting trapped in a heavy downpour with pursuers right on his trail. An activity he had no plans on adding to his itinerary. Ever. 

Once approaching the rear bumper of the vehicle, he internally cheered and began a mad dash toward the shadows. The dreaded sensation crawling along his back disappeared as he vanished into the lovely shelter darkness provided. Vulgar curses sounded behind. Reaper, however, concentrated so intensely on relief that his brain did not register the words. His feet swiftly carried him to the opposite end of the car, where they then stuttered to a halt. The harrowing divide between comfortable darkness and unescapable exposure laid before him. Insufficient daylight lightened the asphalt extent beyond and brightened the sparse few structures useable for cover. The God of Death stood at the edge, panting. Aching, bony legs trembled under his weight, daring him to sit down and never walk again. Dark eye sockets gazed behind, and invisible ears listened for footfall dampened by the shrill sky. Focusing, he training his hearing on the distinct noise. A set of clopping hooves along with several pairs of softer treads sounded beneath the winds. Lightning crackled, illuminating the world long enough from him to see a blob of shadows approaching from the distance. His pursuers were not an immediate problem, then. He had a minute or two at most to rest- ample time to lean against the front tire for support and catch his breath, which took little convincing to accomplish.

Reaper shuffled over to the rubbery wheel and slowly allowed his back to ease against it, taking away a bit of the burden his legs carried. A soft sigh brushed passed his jaws as the weight shifted off the damaged bones. The agony coursing through them only lessened a minuscule amount, but the effect still proved to be satisfying. Though, the longer he remained unmoving, the less and less he wanted to continue forward and place more pressure on his legs again. Why would he? He was a god. Building up that type of endurance never crossed his mind after spending eons floating/flying around and teleporting to where he needed to go. His brother and many other gods, on the other hand, could walk for days. Hell, even Geno could walk faster and farther than him on a good day. Levitation was Reaper's best (and favorite) form of transportation. 

Worth a shot, he thought. Summoning what little magick was available in his reserves, the tired skeleton willed it to flow through every bone in his body, coating them in a near-invisible light blue glow, and attempted to lift them (and by extension, himself) off the ground. Inch by inch, he climbed into the air. A weary grin stretched across his skull as he gained enough height to wiggle his toes freely, without meeting any earthward resistance. The happy expression wavered when the delicate glow encompassing his bones sputtered and vanished. Soon the god found himself falling feet-first to earth. He floundered in the air, flailing his arms like a helpless hatchling and struggling to reignite the levitation magick. It did little to ease the impact. Upon meeting asphalt, a sharp sting shot up the already throbbing bones, causing a pained grunt to escape Reaper's throat. He glared down at them with narrowed eye sockets, feeling betrayed.

Damn! 

That transformation left me weak- weaker than I have ever been. How long will I be able to hold out? I know I can't run forever.

A hand came up to clutch the left side of his chest. Higher up and to the right laid the skeleton's second most prized possession (the first being the wedding ring Geno gave him), something worn on the dark cloak every day without fail. To most, it appeared to be a mere trinket- a draconic skull pendant that rested on the front of the article, attached where a metal clasp fastened the two sides of the hood. But it was so much more than that. His father or creator, Gaster, gifted the pendant to him shortly after his 'birth.' It held an unimaginable amount of power. That of the likes humans had warred over in past eons.