The mule and the poisoned carrot

"Do you dare?"

The crowd looked as he made his heroic speech of passing one's body limit and fitness.

As the man spoke, he saw Taf looking with a curious gaze. Noticing the bruises on his face with a questioning tone, he stated.

" Child, are you tired of being bullied because of your size and age?"

"We have just the thing for you. Building on your body mass in a matter of weeks with minimal work or effort."

He tried enticingly to pique the interest of the seemingly vulnerable youth. Taf was caught off guard by the question and thought about it in his mind.

'I am indeed in need of strength now, but is bulking up the right way to go?'

He rejected the thought the instance it came across his mind.

'What have I learned while being on the streets all those years? It is that nothing worth having is achieved too easily.'

The muscular man looked on with a frown at the none response of the youth. Seeing that he was losing his audience went for his ace in the hole. This man was Salvar.

Salvar had to complete the task given to him by that senior as promised. Truthfully he doesn't know what would happen if he was found out to be incompetent in his action.

Salvar had met that senior one evening when he suddenly appeared in the gym. Initially, he attempted to throw him out due to it being after hours. However, who would have known that his strength was beyond what the muscular man could imagine.

The senior went on to defeat everyone in the gym in seconds. All were fearful for their lives as the stranger was brutal with his attacks as blood filled the gym. Thinking they were going to die an unjust death, everyone had pleaded for their lives.

This seemed to have pleased him. After which, the stranger had given up on his attacks. Evidently, he was from outside the city.

  He wanted the gym and many others in the city to test a concoction of his. It was said to bring immense strength.

The strange elder wanted them as test subjects. That being the case, they were initially some of the first set that bowed their heads and took the concoction.

The man left after stating he needed broader sample size, and he expected to see countless more subjects on his return.

Not knowing when the man would possibly return, Salvar felt reluctant, but dread took over him.

So he has been trying his hardest to fill the elder's request. The elder also warned him and the members of disclosing anything about his visit.

"Behold!" Salvar took a vial from a table close by and showcased it to the crowd.

It was a blood-red liquid that seemingly was very thick. Salvar smiled as he saw the curious look of the crowd, especially the males.

"This contains a special formula with ingredients of the most exotic of herbs and rare beast blood. It was said to have been concocted by a wandering cultivator."

Salvar held onto the vial while displaying a look of awe and reverence.

The ears perked up when the chance of a cultivator being involved in the process was brought up by a muscular man. Seeing the desired interest he sought by the audience, he started to bellow on.

"With this, it is no mere dream to have the strength, and beyond to lift weights you never thought possible in your lifetime.

There is no doubt about the results. It is said to have been concocted by one which defies all logic." Seeing he had garner their attention once more, Salvar continued,

"Now I ask again do you dare take the step that takes you from a mere man to the peak of your mortal body?

"I do! I..., want to take that step."

A zealous young youth shouted out as he ran anxiously in front of the crowd. He looked around seventeen with a familiar face and a frail-looking body.

Seeing this, other persons shouted out and stated their willingness to join the gym and train. The Salvar smiled on the outside but inside sighed when he saw the enthusiastic crowd wanting to join.

'Don't blame me?' Salvar thought. I just dangled the carrot, and you were the ones that ate it.

Unedited Version

To be continued.