Forged Destiny [Book 7: Ch. 12]

Crashing into the Barbarian, I grappled with his arms and shoulders, making it so he couldn't use the two-handed monstrosity properly.

The man laughed as he fought back. "Fool! You'd challenge a Barbarian to a test of Strength? I'll crush you like a grape." The man squared his feet and used his impressive height to bear down on me with both hands.

My feet didn't move.

Sweat beaded on the Barbarian's brow as he pushed harder, muscles bulging as he dug his feet into the sand and let out a mighty roar. Hands that had no doubt crushed people's heads clamped down with the Strength of a Hero.

The sand shifted as I took a step forward.

"What?" the Barbarian hissed. "But I'm a Barbarian. My Strength is A-Ranked. You're a measly NPC!"

"Funny thing about being a measly NPC. It's that no one cares to figure out your parameters." I took another step forward, twisting my hands. The much larger, much bigger, man fell to one knee. "Everyone knows what a Barbarian does. It makes you predictable."

My eyes flashed, and heat surged through my hands.

The Barbarian's eyes widened.

"And no one bothers to learn what I can do."

The man screamed.

I could have pushed on but doubted I could keep hold of him if he tried to pull away. Instead, I surged up and kneed him in the face, toppling the brute. He fell with a mighty crash and I leapt over his body, rushing for the ruined cage I'd been dropped into the pit with.

—Forged Destiny [Book 7: Ch. 12]