Sometimes I think about my life. Those times are usually times that I was very close to death but I refuse to accept that. Anyways. Where it started and how it went. This usually made me think about my ancestors and I am not talking about several hundreds of years back.

The earliest person I knew from my Father’s side was my Grand Grand Grandfather. He lived in Bulgaria- or perhaps where Bulgaria used to exist because you know, everything was destroyed in my world- when it was still part of the Ottoman Empire. After Ottoman Empire lost those lands he escaped to Sakarya, where we would reside until I. With those new lands and the loss of their homes, they returned to the only thing they had: Those said lands and their own body.

Glancing at the sword in my hand bounce of the beast’s claws, I couldn’t help but to think that I didn’t go far away from their way of life.

Anyways, again. He, his son, and grandson-my grandfather- were all farmers. My Father thought trucks were cool so he became a truck driver. I guess it was that simple, huh? I on another hand, joined the army, became a super soldier with a bunch of enhancements, rose through the ranks, and died. Now I am back for some fucking reason and was fighting to free beastkin. Even more, interestingly, I was fighting alongside one of the slavers I was trying to free the beastkin from.

I blocked one strike that aimed to sever my throat and with a solid single movement and I stabbed the beast in the leg. Its hide and muscles were tough, even tougher than what I expected.

(Tyranny of King is activated. Your agility increases by 5 for 1 minute.)

Sometimes I would like to think I am the coolest guy in my bloodline. I mean, I was a super soldier that fought against the Horde for over 40 years. And I was pretty good at it and I am not saying that because I am talking about myself. How cool is that? However, that thought fades as soon as it comes up. The reason is simple: I am a disgrace. My Grandfathers may been farmers but they never failed to raise enough food to feed their families. My Father never failed to transport whatever he was carrying. Me? My job as a soldier was to defend humanity. A task I failed to complete.

“What are you doing?”

I threw the pouch to Blanche.

“Trying to survive!”

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

I was between the monster and her.

“I can’t hold it for long! Figure out something!”

She looked even more worn down in close. And the monster looked scarier.

(Effect of Resist Cold worn off. You will be afflicted with Frostbite if you are exposed to this cold for prolonged amounts of time.)

(Duration ended. Your strength will be decreased by 10 percent for the next 5 minutes.)

My blade and its claws clashed. A heavy sound of metals hitting each other rang in my head.

“Motherfucker! What are your claws made of?”

“Growl!”

We both bounced from each other. But that didn’t mean that we were in the same situation. I lost my balance and stumbled back while it gained its balance in no time. Of course, seeing me off balance, it swung its claws toward me. I raised my shield to where the attack was headed. At the same time, I relaxed all the muscles in my body. When its attack hit me, it caused me to spin. I took advantage of it, transferring its power to my sword. I spun around and opened a nasty gash on its chest.

(Tyranny of King is activated. Your strength increases by 5 for 1 minute.)

Of course, not all was well. I was still off balance so it took several steps to regain my balance. Beast didn’t attack me at that duration. When I looked at it, it was holding the wound I just opened with its claws.

“Come on. It isn’t that deep.”

It was the truth. While my strike was powered with its own strike that didn’t mean that it carried all of its power. If that were the case, my shield arm wouldn’t be hurting as hell right now. It wasn’t broken, I knew that because I have broken many bones in my life before, both myself and others. But not broken didn’t mean didn't hurt.

“What happened? Getting cold feet?”

To answer my taunting, the beast roared and countless sharp ice shards just manifested and flew toward me. I covered my head and neck with my sword and shield and hoped that my armor was strong enough to protect my other parts. Spoiler: It wasn’t. Some actually pierced my body while others left nasty bruises.

“A distraction.”

My eyes were covered with my sword and shield. To make sure my eyes weren’t pierced by those shards, I had to cover them fully. That meant that I couldn’t see if the beast were to approach me. With just my gut feeling, I threw myself to the side. A huge slab of ice hit where I stood.

“Oldest trick in the book!”

I said to myself to hide my pain. My body hurt and I could feel blood dripping down.

“That’s what she said!”

Beast threw its entire body towards me. Its shoulder slamming into my stomach. Air escaped from my lungs. I felt the strength leave my extremities. My sword nearly left my hand as I saw the beast’s jaws closing on my head. So let my sword go. I couldn’t swing it fast enough, also I didn’t have enough space to use it effectively. It fell to the ground and my knees were bent. It wasn’t intentional, it was just my body's reaction to pain but it allowed me to dodge its bite. That didn’t mean I was safe, however. I was on the ground, nearly touching the

beast and my head was on its groin level. That made me feel uncomfortable rather than feel like I was in danger. So I made the most logical thing: I punched its groin.