Small tears managed to drip from Rum’s cheeks as he stumbled forward in the mud-filled alleys of Ermos City. It was the early evening of a Monday, and he had heard rumors of where his brother would be at this hour: The Minotaur’s Feast. It was the fine establishment where pocketful young men and -women converged at night: a place with the coolest of bards, the most luscious waitresses, and the most tolerant bartenders. Where showing how wild, funny and brave you were was the norm first and foremost.

As Rum rounded a corner he could start hearing the chattering of this bar a whole two streets away. Not many voices to be sure, the evening was still young, and as he passed the 2 streets and could see the door he already saw a handful of new people descend upon the place. 2 of them were a wizard and a witch from Flip University, so much was clear from the standard issue robes they wore, and the many trinkets covering their fingers, wrists, necks and ears.

A bouncer too sat beside the doorway on a way too small stool, his muscles huge. A wooden club leaned conveniently on the wall behind him, and a short sword was fastened to his belt. Apparently he was either too cheap or too poor for a scabbard. However, this was a man ready for both fist fights and armed assaults. Rum dried the remaining tears of defeat from his eyes and walked up to the bar’s doors, his naked feet sloshing sadly with the muddy ground.

“Hey you” the bouncer noticed him and looked down, a mild frown of intimidation on his lips. “This is not a place for beggars. If you want to beg, you’ll do it away from this bar. We only take people with coin and descent clothes.”

Rum partially ignored the man as he continued walking, though slower, towards the door. The bouncer rose up and positioned himself in front of him. “Did you not hear what I said? Begone!” he said while waving his hands away.

Rum looked up at him, a tear on his right cheek barely visible with the warm light cast from the windows. As he spoke up, there was a slight heaviness to his voice: “I have a brother inside there, and I’d like to see him, please.”

The bouncer took a step down to Rum, put a hand on each of his shoulders, forcibly turned him around and pushing him into the street, retorting: “Then you can wait for him over there. I said we only allow people with descent clothing. We can’t allow your filth inside here.”

Rum turned back again and looked over at the heap of muscle, a mood of sadness mixed with disappointment on his face. I’m not in the mood. Not today. With some resolve, Rum walked back up to the mighty man, and speaking right into his face: “Then ask for his name at least. His name is Amez, I want to speak to Amez! Please ask him to come out.”

The bouncer put his arms together and looked Rum up and down. “I’m not quite sure I believe you. You look nothing like Amez. And I’m not sure I want to disturb one of our customers because of you.” The 2 men stared at each other, Rum’s mood slowly turning from sadness to anger, the bouncer’s lips growing ever firmer.

“Fine then! Try stopping me!” The poor reject defiantly put his hands out into a T-pose. With practised ease he yelled: “Body Thicken! Skin Toughen! Muscles Grow!” And something started happening to his body. It wasn’t entirely clear what, but somehow Rum’s arms grew bigger, his skin looking somewhat smoother but also denser, and his entire body grew slightly, in every direction. What now stood before the bouncer was a man that looked tougher than grindstone, and with muscles clearly superior even to this mighty bouncer.

Rum stepped forward, gently brushing aside the bouncer who gripped him back with both his hands, trying to stop the new massive Rum. But the bouncer was helpless. Rum’s body weight and strength had increased massively, making him almost impossible to push or pull in any way. Even if the former student had never been a warrior, and normally wouldn’t have stood much of a chance in a fight, nor ever initiated one, still: magically enhancing his body; that he could do. As Rum pushed off the bouncer while heading for the door; the bouncer stepped back and grabbed his wooden club, trying hit Rum’s back with it. The club easily landed, but Rum only ignored it, opening the bar’s doors and walking in like nothing was happening.

“Hey, NO! You CAN’T be inside HERE!” the bouncer leapt onto Rum’s back and tried to squeeze Rum’s arms together to tackle him to the ground. Rum, feeling his arms starting to be constrained just grabbed the bouncers own arm and heaved him forward, causing the man to roll on the planks and straight into a nearby table of seated young fighters.

“Sorry everyone” Rum started, trying to calm his own anger and frustration “this bouncer just wouldn’t let me through. I’m looking for Amez. AMEZ!? Have anyone seen my little brother AMEZ!?” At the far back of the bar, a man with short hair, a clean shave and a fit figure crawled out frantically from under a blushingly embarrassed young woman’s skirt. “Rum… is that you?”