1 An Iron Spirit Living a Life of Misery

"Watcha gonna do punk?" Barrow Smith a large fifteen-year-old bursting with muscles said as he gazed down at a bleeding boy. The boy, Kyler, was only hit once by Barrow but the power was so strong he felt like he was hit by a hammer. His mouth was bleeding and he was barely conscious. The only thing keeping him from passing out was the pain. Kyler was a small fifteen-year-old boy with black hair and piercing blue eyes.

His eyes were mesmerizing, some even felt they were unnatural. No one else in the Smith family had eyes like his. Many girls would feel their hearts jump and their pulses quicken when they saw his eyes. However, when they saw how weak he was; the breath they held when first looking into his eyes was replaced with derisive laughter.

Kyler's vision finally focused and he looked up at his cousin Barrow. "What do you want from me? You already know I can't beat you. Go fight an adult if you're so powerful. I bet old man Kavage wouldn't mind giving you a beating," Kyler said. He may have a weak body but he had a strong spirit. Even if he couldn't hurt someone with his fists his words never failed to leave damage.

"What are you talking about, why would I fight old man Kavage, he's a monster," Barrow said. "Oh, so because I'm weaker than you I have to fight you even though you're clearly much stronger than me. But, when it comes to you fighting someone stronger than you, your balls shrink up, and suddenly you're a poor defenseless little girl," Kyler said.

Barrow's anger shot up and went to hit Kyler again. "He's not wrong, Barrow," a laughing voice said behind him. Barrow stopped short of hitting Kyler and turned to look at the interloper. It was their older cousin Anvo. Anvo was the strongest in the young generation and the only person who ever stopped people from bullying Kyler.

He didn't stop Barrow out of pity for Kyler, he just felt the people who picked on Kyler, who was much weaker than them, were worthless cowards. Strong bodies, strong minds, and strong wills were what made up true experts of the family. All of these little bullies wouldn't amount to much if they continued down this path. Anvo was determined to fix their rotten characters.

Anvo appreciated Kyler's fearless disposition. It was a shame the boy's body was so weak. His parents were killed by a Raider party outside of the family territory when he was still in his mother's womb.

His mother made it close enough to the family lands even with her terrible injuries. She was already dead when Kavage discovered her. He slit open her belly and saved Kyler from death. He had a soft spot for the boy, but like everyone else, he was disappointed Kyler was so weak.

"C..Cousin," Barrow began. "Save it, I can tell you all have lots of free time. You have nothing to do but mess with our weak cousin who can barely lift a hammer. All of you go run a training marathon and then purify some copper ore into ingots. I want each of you to produce 100 5lb copper ingots, remember to hand carve the weight, material type, and date the ingots were created onto the ingot. After that, your daily work quotas will not be diminished. Anyone who fails to do as I command or doesn't meet their daily quota will get a beating from me. Now, get out of here!"

After everyone left, Kyler slowly got up. "Thanks, cousin Anvo," Kyler said. Anvo looked at his weak cousin for a few moments. He sighed in exasperation. "Kyler, I don't know what to tell you. Your mother was my favorite aunt. She took care of me when I was little and I still remember her. I'm already 19 but I still remember her. I know you can't help being weak, but if you can't find a way to overcome your current state you should probably consider leaving and finding a different occupation. Maybe we could use you as a merchant," Anvo said.

"Cousin, I appreciate the care you've given me all these years. Both you and uncle Kavage are the closest family to me. I know if I persevere I'll be able to overcome this weak body of mine and do you both proud. Even if it kills me, I refuse to give up on being a real Smith," Kyler said passionately.

"I only wish the other kids in the family had half your determination and grit. I don't respect your strength, but I respect your resolve. Get going," Anvo said. He turned around and headed to the forge to work on an order. Kyler stood in place for a few minutes. He certainly had the resolve, but he didn't know how he was going to accomplish his impossible goals. He knew better than anyone how weak his body was.

"Hey, kid, you causin' trouble again," a cruel voice said from behind Kyler. He turned around and saw the person he feared the most in the family, Uncle Clyde. He was the most erratic, mean, scheming, and sinister person in the family. For some reason, he hated Kyler. He never missed a chance to make life hell for Kyler. Kyler knew if Uncle Clyde ever caught him away from prying eyes, he would kill him. This caused Kyler to live in terror every day. The bullying of the other kids was nothing compared to his daily dealings with Uncle Clyde.

"Don't look at me in that tone of voice, you brat!" Clyde said. "Pardon me, Uncle Clyde, is there something you need?" Kyler said as respectfully as possible. "Is there something I need? Boy, why would I need anything from you? You little mongrel. You give me any more reason and I'll beat you right here and no one will care," he said. Kyler didn't say anything. Any time he spoke to his Uncle Clyde, Clyde would find a way to make his words an excuse to bring harm to him.

"I need some materials, go mine some copper and iron ore for me and bring it back. You obviously have nothing to do," Clyde said. Kyler knew Clyde wasn't making a suggestion. He had given him an order. "Yes, Uncle Clyde," Kyler said as he sped off. "Hey, go to mine #81!" Clyde said.

Clyde watched as Kyler sped away with a sinister look on his face. "See how well you can survive my little surprise. I doubt you'll do any better than your momma and daddy," he said under his breath.