Untamed Strength: Startup - Prologue - Alpha (Patreon)

The roar of the crowd sent goosebumps across Tommy’s skin. Twenty thousand men, women, and children cheered as his competitor cleaned and jerked two hundred and thirty kilograms. It was no easy feat. He’d just set a new world record in the ninety-six kilogram, non-supernatural, weight class.

With a thumb up from the official, the pointed-eared athlete dropped the weighted bar to the ground. He raised his arms and screamed before beating his fist to his chest. The crowd’s excitement drowned out the announcers' shouts.

Tommy hung his head. He’d hoped his rival was going to fail the lift. If he had failed, then Tommy could have taken it easy. He’d already pulled two hundred and seventeen kilograms earlier that day. It would have been enough for him to claim the gold medal for his team, and allow his team to win the Battle of the Nations tournament. But now, it was all up to him.

As the blonde-haired blue-eyed lifter walked down the stage, he shouted a chide at Tommy with his thick northern accent. “Hey Russel, let’s see you beat that.”

Tommy straightened up and smirked. “Now you fucked up, Mialoneth. I was going to let you have your moment. But now… now I feel like kicking your ass.” Tommy turned around and cupped his hands over his mouth. “Hey coach! Tell them I want two fifty.”

The grizzled minotaur with the gray and black beard crossed his arms and cocked his brow. “You sure you want two fifty?”

“I can do it.”

A small smile formed on his coach’s lips before he nodded. The twin-horned man turned around and approached the officials. A crew of mousekin in yellow jumpers rushed to the stage with a weight dolly and worked to swap out the weight.

Tommy turned around and raised two thumbs to his foe, whose smile immediately faded. He took a mental image of his rival’s scorn, and used that to focus himself on his upcoming challenge. This was his moment, one he knew only he was capable of.

After unzipping his Team Democratic States of Kalia jacket, Tommy threw it on the nearby bench and rested his leg upon its edge. He pulled up his knee sleeves that hung around his ankles to provide him necessary support for his lift. When they were secured, he tightened his belt across his stomach before performing a few warm up squats.

A large green shadow pulled his attention to his side just before he was knocked over. The giant orc wrapped his arms around him, pulling him back up to his feet. Before Tommy looked up, he knew who it was just from his friend’s familiar smell.

“Cut it out, Devon,” Tommy said, pushing his friend away, smiling.

The black mohawk wearing orc dwarfed Tommy in size. His three hundred and fifty pound, six foot ten inches frame of pure muscle intimidated most people, but Tommy was one of the few people who knew his roommate was a big softy on the inside.

“Coach Demos said you were going for two fifty,” Devon said.

“Yeah, I’ve got to. I can’t let the Northern Islands beat us, can I?”

The orc shook his head and smiled. “No, you most certainly cannot. Too many people would give us shit back home.”

“Yeah, we’re going back home with gold.”

The two shared a fist bump before Devon pointed his thumb over his shoulder. “Oh, did you see your dad was here?”

“Yeah, he got in last night.”

“Did you see who was with him?”

Devon turned and pointed up at the stands. Smack dab in the center of the mob Tommy saw his father. He stood out in his typical flannel shirt and jeans. His thick head of black hair and thick beard gave him more of a lumberjack look that he’d had since Tommy was a young boy.

However, sitting next to him was Jessica Summers. The woman that every man on campus wanted. Heir to the Summers family who owned most of the malls in Kalia.

Her blonde hair was tied into a top ponytail that draped just behind along her pointed cat ears. She wore large pink hoop earrings that matched her eye shadow over her vibrant blue eyes. Her glittery lip balm sparkled on her thick lips. The white shirt that pulled tight across her chest accentuated her surgically enhanced breasts.

When he locked eyes with her, she jumped from her seat and waved her hand, jingling multiple gold bracelets on her arm. “Fuck…” Tommy muttered before waving back.

Devon turned around with crunched brows. “What’s the problem? I thought you two were already a thing. You’re hitting that, right?”

“It’s… complicated.”

“What’s complicated about it? Either you’re smashing it or you aren’t. Because shit, if you aren’t hitting that, there will be a line of guys wrapping around the block waiting for that pussy’s pussy when we get back home.”

“Can we not do this now? I need to get in the right headspace.”

“You’re right, my bad,” Devon said before unzipping his jacket and pulling out a bottle. “Do you want a waft of this?”

Tommy looked down at the bottle with a shouting gorilla on the front with an explosion behind him. He’d seen other lifters use the smelling salts before a big lift, but he’d never tried them. The last thing he wanted to do was experiment right before the biggest lift of his life.

“Nah, I’m good. Just when I tell you, smack my back hard.”

Devon zipped up his jacket and stuck out his fist. “I’ve got you bro.”

Tommy smiled and hit Devon's knuckles before walking to the edge of the stage. He took a moment to rotate his shoulders and shake his arms before taking a step on stage.  The crowd hollered with cheers as a spotlight cast over him. After jumping on the stage, he walked toward the chalking bowl, picked up a block, and rubbed it across his calloused palms.

“And our final performance for the evening in the ninety-six kilogram division, four time gold medal recipient, Thomas Russel!” the announcer’s voice shouted. “A quick change after Team N.I. 's performance, will see Thomas Russel attempt to break the world record that Egin Mialoneth just set. The goal—two hundred and fifty kilos.”

When he was finished he closed his eyes and allowed all the distractions to fade away from him. He took long deep breaths trying to calm his nerves. He pushed all of his cares, worries, and concerns out of his mind. It was just him and the weight.

In his mind, he visualized his form. He watched himself lift the weight and push it over his head. It was effortless. All he had to do was try, and he was confident he would succeed. I’m not about to let this guy rob me of my glory, he told himself. That gold is mine!

His eyes shot open and he shouted. “Devon, now!”

The smack came and lit his back on fire. The pain fueled his anger. He let out a single shout before marching to the bar.

Tommy squatted in front of the weight and braced his arms on the outside of his knees. He ground his hands around the bar before lightly tugging on it, ensuring it had a good grip. After three quick breaths, he jerked upward.

He ignored the pop he heard in his back, initiating the second pull and turned the bar over. After catching the bar across his shoulders, he drove his legs into the ground. The bar bounced slightly until it rested on his chest and shoulders. He took a few more breaths as he readied himself for the difficult part.

With a slight dip, he drove the bar over his head, and dropped into a half squat as the bar ascended. He gritted his teeth as he felt the weight slip. But he recovered quickly, locking his arms out. Once the weight stabilized, he stood up. His whole body shook as he waited for the referee's approval.

When the light lit up, the announcer's voice boomed over the loudspeakers. “He’s done it! Thomas Russel set a new world record! He takes gold and Team DSK wins the Battle of the Nations tournament!”

Tommy dropped the weight, shaking the stage around him. After unbuckling his weight belt, he slipped off the straps of his singlet and let out a bestial shout until all the air left his lungs. He walked around the stage slamming his fists into his chest, filling the air with chalk dust.

His teammates ran onto the stage and dogpiled him. Once his team did, so did the fans. The bleachers emptied in seconds, creating a sea of celebration.

Coach Demos picked Tommy up on his shoulders, jumping with him as party music rang throughout the arena. The team popped large champagne bottles spraying everyone in foamy bubbly. Shouts of DSK rolled through the mob until everyone’s throats became hoarse.

When Tommy saw his dad and Jessica, he tapped his coach’s shoulders to put him down. He pushed his way through the crowd of fist bumps and back pats. Once he crawled his way through, Jessica sprinted and jumped into his arms.

She wrapped her legs around him, squeezing his cheeks and plunging her tongue in his mouth. The unexpected advance from her caught him off guard. They’d flirted several times back home, but this was their first kiss.

He did his best to ignore her sloppiness and aggression. Instead, just trying to live in the moment. However, as the crowd cheered at their public display of affection, Jessica turned it into more of a show, going so far as to shove his face into her breasts when their lips departed.

When he set her on the ground, a sheepkin reporter with a black pompadour and checkered suit rushed up to him, shoving a microphone and camera in his face. The playful cat girl slid to his side, snuggling into his arm while his father wrapped an arm around his shoulder.

“Richard Handler, WFLC news,” the reporter said. “Thomas Russel, you’re the man of the hour. You just set a world weightlifting record and your victory put DSK on top to win the Battle of the Nations, here in Wicatoa. How are you feeling?”

“This has to be the best day of my life,” Tommy said grinning ear to ear. “Nothing is better than hitting a personal record and bringing gold back home.”

“For a moment there, it looked like you struggled to keep the weight straight. Were you at all worried before or during the lift?”

“I mean two hundred and fifty kilograms is no joke. There’s a reason why it’s the world record. But I wasn’t worried. It’s one of those things where if you think about it, you’ll fail. I knew that it was down to me. If I failed then the team failed.”

“And it seems like you’re not bothered by the pressure at all, are you?”

Tommy shook his head before glancing at his dad. “Not at all. But you can’t think about it. You just have to get out there and do it. That’s something my father taught me.”

“And is this your father here?”

“Yes this is my father, Frank Russel, he’s the man that fueled my love for lifting.”

The reporter turned the mic to Frank. “You must be super proud of your son tonight.”

“More proud than I have ever been. He’s a great kid. I always knew he was destined to do great things.”

Before the reporter could respond for more questions, Jessica leaned across Tommy and spoke into the microphone. “And I’m Jessica Summers. That’s s-u-m-m-e-r-s, Tommy’s love of his life.”

The reporter smiled and nodded, directing the mic back to the athlete. “It seems like you’ve got everything Tommy, a world record, another gold medal, and a loving family. What’s next for you?”

Tommy brought his thumb to his chin and took a moment to think. “Finishing school is probably number one priority, and as long as my body is willing, setting some more records.”

“You heard it here folks, more to come from the world champion. This is Richard Handler with WFLC news.” When the camera light turned off, the reporter turned and shook everyone’s hand. “Tommy, Frank, Jessica, thank you for your time.”

“Thank you!” Jessica said. “Will this be on T.V. later?”

“It’s live but they might be using snippets in the evening broadcast.”

She turned to Tommy, wiping strands of her golden hair out of her face. “Does my makeup look okay? What about my hair?”

“It looks great,” Tommy said, chuckling. “But your lip balm is a bit smeared.”

Jessica reached into her small sparkling pink purse and pulled out a small mirror. “Oh my gods. I’m a wreck. I can’t believe I just went on T.V. like that.”

“It’s fine. You look beautiful.”

Jessica scrunched her face and gave him a fake smile. “Aw, you’re sweet but I know you’re lying.”

“I’m really not.”

“Okay… now you’re just being mean.”

Tommy’s eyes went wide and he slowly turned to his dad. Frank clenched his teeth and held up his hands. He cleared his throat and reached a hand out to Tommy’s new girlfriend. “Jessica, why don’t we get out of here and go get some food. My treat.”

“Ooo, maybe we can try Chef Montingue’s steakhouse we saw along the way. I’ve heard it’s really good.”

“We can check on the way, but that might be a little out of my budget,” Frank said with a slight chuckle, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Is Tommy coming?”

“I need to finish up the awards ceremony here, and then I’ll call and meet up with you.”

Jessica leaned forward and grabbed the back of his neck, pulling him into another forceful embrace. When she let go she leaned up into his ear. “There’s more where that came from when we get back to the hotel. Don’t keep me waiting too long.”

Tommy leaned back and clenched his teeth so as not to laugh given her makeup was ruined again. He glanced at his dad, hoping he would take the signal to get her out of there.

His dad reached out and lightly grabbed her arm pulling him toward her. “Come on Jessica, sooner we leave him alone the sooner he can meet up with us.”

The blond haired girl blew him a kiss before the two headed for the nearby exit. Tommy turned and shook his head. She knew she was going to be a handful, but was still excited to see where their journey together would lead him.

But his smile faded when he turned toward the stage. Pain radiated through the middle of his back and his skin felt sensitive. He pulled down on his shoulder and he could see a dark bruise already formed along his back. But as his teammates waved him over, he slipped his singlet’s straps over his shoulder and ignored it.

A problem for another day, he thought.