Francisco Rico woke up with water splashing across his face. “Don’t touch my special place!”

  His head jerked from left to right as he wiped his face clean, but more water invaded his sinuses, causing him to cough and sputter. He held up his hand to defend himself against the blurry figure that held a bucket in his hand.

  “What the fuck? I’m awake. I’m awake!”

  “I didn’t splash you again boy to wake you. I splashed you because I’ve never heard such filth come out of one’s mouth such as yours.”

  Francisco wiped his face clean again and checked his surroundings. He was in a penthouse apartment with overhead wooden beams and skylights dotted throughout the ceiling. A kitchen with a rustic wooden counter occupied one side of the apartment, and the living space occupied the other. Closed doors led off into rooms that were no doubt bedrooms.

  Francisco turned back to two steely blue eyes staring his way.

  “Nice place you got here,” he said. “When I first saw you, I thought you were nothing more than a homeless bum.”

  The man with the shoulder-length, smoky-gray hair that he had met earlier gave him a look.

  “What?” said Francisco, shrugging. “You can hardly blame me, can you? You don’t look…” Francisco gestured to him up and down.

  “What’s your name, boy?”

  “Francisco. Francisco Rico.”

  The stranger’s eyes widened, and his nostrils flared as he took a step forward. But he caught himself and ran his hands through his hair.

  “I should have guessed by the name. You’ve got your old man’s Latino temper. Let’s just hope you’ve not inherited his deceitful nature.”

  Francisco shot to his feet and buried his index finger in the stranger’s chest. “I’m nothing like that, coward! And I’ll fight any person who says I am.”

  “Whoa, whoa, whoa, hotshot. Easy. It’s not like I called your mother a whore. Tone the temper down. Otherwise, you’ll end up dead faster than you can blink on The Other Side. There are no laws protecting someone against murder. Only the strongest survive on this planet.”

  Francisco stared at him for a second or two longer, then exhaled as he stepped back.

  “Good. My name is Svarog. Some people used to call me The Blacksmith, but those glory days have long since passed.”

  Francisco gave him a nod. “Thanks…for saving me, I guess, although I didn’t ask for it.”

  “Like hell you didn’t. A rat was about to fuck you in the ear if I left you where you were. Stupid of you to have picked a fight with Pisspot Bill. I know he comes across as a drunk—”

  “Comes across?”

  “All right, is. But he’s still a Baron, and if he was sober, that fight could have ended differently.”

  Francisco gave him a confused look. “Baron?”

  Svarog sighed. “Fuck me, didn’t you learn anything about The Other Side before you came here?”

  “Nah, not really. Plus, the information about The Other Side is heavily restricted.”

  “It’s always been that way, but the basic knowledge of this place is there if you want to find out about it.”

  “Nobody’s got time for that shit. I’m a doer, not a thinker.”

  “You’re an idiot if you came here without even researching the basics.”

  “I’ve seen the clashes against The Ascendant, King of Kings, or whatever shit he wants to be called.”

  Svarog nodded. “Yes, the clashes between The Ascendant and anyone who wishes to challenge him for the throne get broadcasted over countless planets. It is the one and only time anyone not from The Other Side gets to see this place.”

  “I never understood that.”

  “The Ascendant is a ruler. Make no bones about it, boy. He is the one God above all others. We are in a game, a game to see who becomes the strongest being in the universe, and at the moment, The Ascendant is winning that game.”

  “A game for what?”

  “For the very fabric of reality. Once a being defeats the current holder of the title of Ascendant, then that victor gets three wishes. Three wishes that will grant him anything he wants.”

  “Anything.”

  “If he wishes to destroy the very fabric of reality, then he can do so. That is why so many countries and planets banded together when the portals first opened to make sure their existence continued. Some had worthy goals of ending all war, famine, and suffering. Others did it to conquer the universe. But in the end, all failed. And now, we are left with beings who have settled for being rulers on a new world. In charge of their domain, where they were once nothing at all back on their home planet. Much akin to the gold rush back on Earth, ordinary people are coming through the portal and finding their fortune. But the number who get what they want can be counted on one hand. Most end up like you: face first in rat shit in some back alleyway, crying to return to paradise.”

  Francisco yawned. “That’s all well and good, but how does that help me?”

  Svarog gave him a narrow-eyed glare before walking to the kitchen and pulling out two tankards. Beer taps connected to the counter filled them up.

  He handed one to Francisco, who sipped his slowly. It wasn’t beer at all but some kind of cider that tasted sweet.

  “What’s your goal, boy?”

  Francisco gave him a blank stare.

  “I mean, what’s your reason for coming here? What’s your why?”

  “To wipe my name clean. To show my mother that marrying a Rico wasn’t the worst decision of her life.”

  “Then you shall need power.”

  Francisco nodded.

  “And the easiest way to get power is by knowledge. Something you are solely lacking in when it comes to The Other Side.”

  “They tried to hand me a manual when I first arrived, but I didn’t take it. Should I start there? Although I’m more of a visual learner.”

  Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

  Svarog nodded. “In that case, follow me.”

  He downed his drink, and Francisco followed suit. They walked out the front door of the apartment and took a couple of flights of stairs down until they came to another door, cast in iron with a wheel in the middle. Svarog set his shoulders to it and twisted it slowly. The veins in his neck popped and his back muscles bulged as a heavy presence descended in the space.

  It felt like the gravity had tripled.

  Sweat broke out on Francisco’s forehead, and he found it hard to breathe as his legs shook and the edges of his vision darkened. He tried to hold on to the tiny pinprick of light he could see, but it was disappearing faster than he could move toward it. If he could only just—

  “Hey! Hey!”

  Someone slapped him on the face, and he opened his eyes to see Svarog standing above him.

  “Whaaat?” He looked around sluggishly. He was sitting on the floor. “What—”

  “To open the door, I had to use the Aura of an Archduke. I forgot to warn you beforehand. You passed out. But look on the bright side: at least you didn’t piss your pants.”

  Svarog helped him to get to his feet. “Aura of an Archduke?”

  “I’ll explain everything once we’re inside.”

  Svarog led them through the round door that looked like the opening to the vault, and Francisco stared at it.

  The thing wasn’t on hydraulic hinges.

  As thick as the width of his arm, it had to weigh at least five tons, yet this gray-haired man shifted it like it was nothing. Francisco placed his shoulder against it and tried to shift it, but the door didn’t budge.

  “I designed it. There are only a handful of people in this city who can move that door and even less than that who can destroy it once it’s closed to get inside.”

  “Why?”

  “You’ll soon see.”

  Francisco walked through to see that nothing but weapons covered a training hall, as far as the eye could see. Axes, warhammers, swords, maces, and things he didn’t even know the name of reflected the light of glowing orbs that floated high in the air.

  The training hall was broken into sections.

  One part was nothing but weights, kettlebells, gymnastic rings, and a calisthenics course. Then there were MMA cages, boxing rings, boxing bags, and equipment for hand-eye coordination.

  Further along, he saw sand hills with footprints in them and what looked like a lake in the distance.

  Svarog picked up two short swords and stopped in the middle of a red circle drawn into the sand.

  “We aren’t in the building anymore, are we?”

  “What gave that away?”

  “The big-ass lake in the distance, that’s what.”

  Svarog smiled. “The building the penthouse is in, I own. But this…no, this isn’t in the building. This is hidden in a pocket dimension.”

  Francisco gave him a blank look.

  “As the name suggests, pocket dimensions are spaces in time and space created to hold things you don’t want others to find. They are used in rare bags, rings, and amulets to store away valuables.”

  “Are they normally all this size?”

  “No. They are normally only large enough to be linked with jewelry and bags. Something this size…” He surveyed the land. “Kings would give me kingdoms for something this size.”

  “How—how, how rich are you?”

  “Never mind that. Now, before we start, how serious are you?”

  “What do you mean?”

  Svarog’s face darkened. “How serious are you in accomplishing your goal? Is it just talk or—”

  “I left the only person I love to be here.”

  Svarog nodded. “I can give you what you want, but in return, I shall need you to do something for me.”

  Francisco smiled. “Sacrifices have to be made to accomplish any dream or goal.”

  “As long as we understand each other. At times, it will feel like I am killing you, but I am only trying to make you stronger.”

  “Why me?”

  “Because I knew your father, and putting you through the pain and trauma of growing stronger shall do something to dampen the rage I feel toward him.”

  “Ain’t you worried I’ll end up like him? Ain’t you worried I’ll kill you when I get the power I need?”

  Svarog threw his head back and laughed. “If you grow strong enough to do that, then I shall die a happy man.” He threw a short sword toward Francisco, who caught it out of the air. “Now. Attack me!”

  #

  Blood dried along one side of his face, lip cut and oozing, body screaming in pain, Francisco swayed on his feet while Svarog smiled sweetly at him.

  The blue-eyed demon didn’t have one scratch on him.

  Hell, Francisco would have taken a bead of sweat, but after hours of back-and-forth sparring, he looked like he had just gone for an afternoon stroll on the beach.

  Francisco gritted his teeth and attacked.

  He swung low then came up high, but the attack was blocked by a flick of the wrist. Francisco used the momentum to spin and attack again, but he didn’t even get the bastard’s feet to move.

  He attacked again, this time chopping left and right and swinging for everything he had, but no matter how much power he put into his blows, Svarog was never in danger.

  Svarog allowed his sword to fall to the floor and moved his body from side to side.

  Francisco’s blade passed millimeters from him, but still, he only smiled as he bent backward and flickered the tip of Francisco’s sword, causing it to ring.

  Fuck this.

  He’d had enough.

  Throwing the sword Svarog’s way, he faked a jab and drove an uppercut into his gut.

  Air rushed out of Svarog’s mouth, causing him to double over, as Francisco grabbed him in a bear hug and suplexed him into the sand.

  Silence descended as thoughts of panic swept through Francisco’s mind. I didn’t kill him, did I?

  “Good. I was wondering when you would try something else. But I wouldn’t celebrate too early. You’re not even dressed for the climb up the mountain yet.”

  With Francisco still holding onto his waist, Svarog pushed off his feet and balanced on his head as he did a backward flip with Francisco attached to him. They both landed on their feet, but Svarog’s knee met Francisco’s stomach as soon as they landed.

  Francisco tried to shake off the blow, but a clubbing he felt all the way to his toes shook him.

  He tried to disengage, but this time Svarog took him for a ride and suplexed him into the sand.

  The move rattled his brain, and before he knew what was happening, a sword point was at his throat.

  “Good, the first lesson in ascending the mountain is knowing your strengths and weaknesses. We are built like bears. So these little swords that are like toothpicks in our hands will not do. All those fancy flips and shit you see in the movies are not for us.”

  Svarog walked toward two double-headed axes and unhooked them from the wall. He tested the weight of each in his hand before he threw one to Francisco, who snatched it out of the air.

  Francisco spun the axe in his hand. It felt heavy. It felt mean. It felt good!

  “Our fighting style isn’t one of finesse or fancy. We attack and destroy. With one blow if we can. We wrestle, throw, bite, and punch. We fight dirty.”

  “Now you’re fucking talking, big man. Two things I like dirty: my women and my fighting. But do you mind if we have a rest?”

  Svarog threw him a round tennis ball–sized bottle filled with smoky blue liquid. Francisco eyed it suspiciously.

  “Drink it.”

  “It doesn’t have Rohypnol in it, does it? Because if you wanted to get my boxers off, you just had to ask.”

  “Drink it.”

  Francisco sighed and popped the cork and held the bottle at arm’s length as blue fumes curled up out of the bottle. Giving it another suspicious stare, he shrugged his shoulders and knocked it back in one.

  Blueberry.

  The flavor coated his tongue and caused it to tingle. He didn’t get a second to enjoy the sensations as the tingle spread throughout his limbs. Each joint and muscle felt like a wave was passing through them, stretching them out and smoothing them down like a gentle massage. His back popped and his shoulders relaxed, and then he felt whole again.

  “I feel good.” He rolled his shoulders and spun the axe around him. “I feel damn good!”

  “It’s an elixir that combats both mental fatigue and heals wounds. You can only use elixirs like that once in a handful of hours. Otherwise you’ll poison yourself. Expensive shit, so appreciate it. Now, what do you say we go another round?”

  “I thought you would never ask.”

  ******************

  If you like what you have read so far, book one is out now:

  This will be the last chapter I will put up of book one, but have no fear I shall be putting up chapters of book 2 in the next few days. If you do not want to read any spoilers, I suggest listening to book one on audio or reading it on Amazon KU. You can also buy it in paperback and ebook form.

  This is my first step into the genre after reading it for years. My first book that got me hooked was Opening Moves by Cosimo Yap. Love that book. Wish the author continued to write it but alas all great things have to end.

  Anyway, I want to throw my hat in the ring so to speak, after having this idea that would not let me sleep.

  How would you kill a God?

  Not any old God, the God above all other Gods. The big boss man himself and that's where this story came from. I believe wholeheartedly that this is the best thing I have ever written, and early reviews do look good, but between you and me...I'm nervous as all hell.

  I just want the book to do well and give it the audience and life it deserves.

  Soooo yeah. That's book one, like I said, the chapters for book two shall be out shortly and then book two shall be released in Feb 2026. Link for the preorder here:

  If you like what you have read please leave a review and thank you for your time.