Side Chapter: Do you even lift bro?

Inside the idyllic conditions of the spatial world a large ogre was awoken by the screams of a sizable baby. Rubbing his eyes, which contained dark circles underneath, he took a very deep sigh. Over the last few weeks he'd become accustomed to the constant feeling of fatigue. Gingerly lifting the quilt covering him, he eased out of bed while trying not to rouse his wife. Not that it mattered, for her rhythmic snoring belied that she was just as exhausted as he was, perhaps even more so.

After placing the covers over his beloved and giving her a gentle peck on the cheek, he approached the crib where his daughter was crying. Newborns were notoriously fussy and he was still scared as hell that he would drop or crush her. Luckily, ogres had a strong constitution and physique, so the baby would be fine. His unnamed daughter stopped crying the moment their eye's met. According to the ancient racial traditions, she would be named after her first victory in combat.

Reaching down with tenderness that was unbecoming on an ogre, a large meaty hand was extended to the baby. Still half-asleep, he was brought out of his daze by the sensation of pain shooting through his finger. The hungry baby had actually bitten his finger! Thankfully, it wasn't enough to draw blood, though it still shocked him wide awake. Unlike humans, ogres were actually born with a few baby teeth, in order to support their massive appetites.

"Heh! What a strong bite. You're going to be a powerful warrior someday, aren't you?"

Pulling his daughter up onto his shoulders, they made their way into the massive kitchen. The baby squealed with delight, clearly enjoying the piggyback ride. Setting his daughter down in a high chair, a large breakfast was prepared for the happy family. Countless portions of egg, screamer chicken, beef, vegetable, and grain dishes were served up. The hungry baby started babbling nonsense, excited by the smell of food.

Both of them ate together, enjoying the food and covering the area in a mess. Their clothes, the dining table, and even the surrounding area had been splattered. The joyous sound of laughter was heard from the hallway and he looked up to see his wife entering the kitchen.

"Like father, like daughter they say."

Embarrassed by his appearance, he tried to wipe away some of the food on his face. Then he moved quickly to change the topic.

"Good morning Tina. Did you get any sleep last night?"

Grabbing a large tray containing several plates and bowls, his wife joined them for breakfast.

"Yes dear, I finally got some rest but I'm still tired."

The unnamed baby ogre smiled at her mother, babbling excitedly for attention. Having finished nearly all her food, she soon fell into a comfortable state. Her previous excitement seemed to melt away, as her eyelids started to droop, and she fought to keep them open. Eventually, she fell asleep, giving off the rhythmic sound of breathing.

Pushing the leftover food to his wife, he encouraged her to finish up the rest. For ogres this was considered an endearing gestures, as food was highly coveted. Together, they finished up their breakfast quietly, so that they wouldn't wake up the baby. He grabbed his daughter from the high chair as his wife hosed down the dining area. Gently, his sleeping daughter was placed into the crib.

After changing into some new clothes, he went back to the kitchen. His wife had just finished washing everything into the floor drains, so he kissed her before preparing to leave their house.

"She's going to be sleeping for a bit now, so try to get some more rest honey. I'm going to the gym and I'll bring back some lunch after. Is there anything you want from the market?"

His wife grabbed a note off the table, placing it into his large hand.

"Get three honey baked hams and a few loaves of bread for dinner tonight. It will go with the rest of the food we're having."

Stuffing the note into his pocket, he gave his wife another short kiss before heading out the door. The various citizens greeted him, as he strode down the path towards the gym. The recently constructed building had been added to help everyone work off the rich and plentiful food available. It was quite large and featured a variety of free weights and exercise machines.

People were lifting and hoisting the various dumbbells and barbells, while others used machines which had cables attached for resistance. Some of them were doing aerobics classes or running around the track. Everyone stopped momentarily when they noticed the large ogre's frame entering the gym. Several large men approached him, while others called out.

Reaching out a hand, the large ogre gave a high five to his gym buddies.

'Hey Bruce, how's it going?'

'How's the misses and the kid?'

'Hey everyone, Bruce is here!'

While he answered their questions, they made their way over to the corner, where an oversized bench had been constructed. Naturally, an ogre wouldn't be able to fit on a human-sized weight bench. As they chatted together about recent gains, several heavy plates were slotted onto a massive barbell.

Leaning back onto the weight bench, everyone watched in awe, as the barbell was raised and lowered repeatedly. Thought he made it look effortless, they could head the clanking of the plates, which confirmed the absurd amount of weight being lifted. After a few sets, the ogre got up and did some stretches. Some people almost dropped their weights. You mean that was just a warmup?

Not even out of breath, Bruce hunkered down into proper form and started doing some pushups. While he did them, he called over a few of the strong men from earlier. People looked over in shock and disbelief, as the ogre now had three fully grown men laying on his broad back. He was still doing pushups at the same pace, however, he was finally starting to perspire. Perhaps, it was due to the fact that he was still chatting while working out.

An ogre was already an extremely strong monster when encountered in the wild. How strong would an ogre become if they ate and drank well and worked out? People shuddered when thinking about such things. According to the strongest men in the gym, he had yet to reach his peak potential and still had plenty of room for growth. It's a good thing that he's on our side!