Year: 2012

"HOW DARE YOU TALK BACK TO ME YOU LITTLE SHIT!"

"DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MUCH WE SUFFER FOR YOU!? HOW MUCH WE BLEED!?"

Blow after blow after blow rained down and once again and all the boy could do was curl up and endure it. He had already said every insult he could think of before the kick to his jaw, scratched and bit until his fingers bled and thrown everything that wasn't nailed down.

But inevitably they had caught him just like they always did when they were feeling angry.

At this point the nine year old boy simply tuned out the excruciating pain a useful trick he had learned how to do a long time ago.

"ARE YOU INGORING ME!? LOOK AT ME WHEN IM TALKING TO YOU DAMMIT!"

A hand fat, rough, and dirty lifted his limp body up from the floor like It weighed nothing at all. Which wouldn't surprise him, they barely ever fed him anything.

He was lifted until he came face to face with the trash that had sired him. A balding head on top of an ugly face with too much facial hair on his neck and enough acne scars to play tic tac toe with. He would know, that's why they were beating him this time.

He was still smiling even through the likely concussion he was sure he had. In hindsight that wasn't the smartest thing to do in his situation.

The pig mans beady eyes practically glowed with rage and this time he raised his fist but the flesh had a greenish tinge to it and instead of flabby fat there was bulging muscle.

Fear filled the boy for the first time, breaking through his concussed thoughts and snapping awake the little animal in the back of his brain, whispering a chilling promise of death.

the rough, hairy, green fist grew closer and closer as time seemed to halt.

He knew it now. He knew it in a way no nine year old should ever have to comprehend. He was going to die. The fear threatened to overwhelm him to take his mind like a vice and squeeze every coherent though out of him and drag him screaming into the depths of hell. Along with the fear came a creeping chill colder than any winter night. Then it all just suddenly stopped the fear dissipated but the chill remained.

An icy coolness spreading from his brain down his spine into his heart and through the rest of his body.

He knew he was about to die but he wouldn't let his terror take him in his last moments.

You have resisted the Terror of Death

+50xp

bonus for being under normal mature age

+80xp

Congratulations you have reached level two!

And suddenly he didn't have to ignore the pain so much as it simply washed away like water in a ducks back. What replaced it was a feeling of power he'd never felt before suddenly he knew what to do. As if on reflex the boys left arm raised to meet the giant fist rocketing towards his head.

A dark purplish mist sprang into life like a ghost shrouding his arm. From the mist appeared several interlocking, thick bones surrounding the boys arm and hand.

This happened in an instant and just as quickly the giant green fist met his raised arm a loud teeth rattling bang echoed in the small dingy home.

The man and woman both froze staring at the unexpected sight. Finally the man tore his eyes from the arm and stared at the boy he held aloft.

Then he sneered. With a crash the boy landed on the dining room table groaning the boy stared at the mist dissipating from his arm joy filling his eyes. For the first time gen looked like an ordinary nine year old kid. That was stamped out in an instant when gen felt the ground shake.

Slowly the boy raised his head. What stared back at him was a seven foot tall mountain of green muscle the now very pig like face he stared at had the ugliest sneer he had ever seen.

"So you hit level two did ya? Well then maybe you're good for something after all now do you see? How hard we worked!? We only hurt you so that you could Ben special. Don't you see? AREN'T YOU GRATEFUL?!"

The orc mans roar shook the house like a hurricane the woman who had been forgotten since long ago suddenly stepped forward and pinned the boys arms to the table. The boy kicked and bucked but no mister how hard he fought he know gen could never stand up to the strength of his mother who was a level six with his puny level two.

"Now if the first beating could help you hit level two before you are twelve imagine how long it will take to hit level three can you see it? Imagine it a nine year old level three! We will be famous! NOW AREN'T YOU GRATEFUL TO US!"

The giant green mans fist rose again and this time the boy knew even with his newfound power he couldn't block it.

Suddenly a foreign sound entered into the room. Unconsciously three heads turned to the source of the noise. There stood a trembling old lady leaning on her cane a gentle smile on her wrinkled face.

The orcs pig face turned a sickly pale green.

"Mom w-what are you doing here?"

The old woman's smile seemed to grow a bit wider.

"why I just came to visit my dear sweet grandson"

her eyes which until now had been closed in a gentle smile opened a bit. Those cold blue eyes lacked any of the warmth or frailty the rest of her suggested.

"And I arrived at the perfect time too, so Ryley you're level two now oh I'm so proud of you my boy"

the old woman stepped into the room her movements fluid and graceful like a tigress one hand fell to the middle of her cane while one stayed grasping the top.

With a gentle pull the cane separated and cold steel gleamed in the dim lighting.

"I also came by to tell my sweet little grandson that it's time to WAKE UP YOU LAZY BUM!"

The nightmare faded away as I realized what all this was. Simply an old memory.