"Again! Again! Okay, Emrys, stop."
Emrys. That's the name the black-haired monster, Donovan, gave me.
My days are spent training with the members of his army, at least 5 of them at a time against me.
Even though they are almost triple my size, I've never lost.
"Emrys, you need to hold back. We need these men for the rebellion. Please, try to go easier next time."
He tells me this every day, but I can't hold back. The only reason his men don't try to kill me is because Donovan calls me his son. They hate anyone except for other Beastmen.
Before starting training, I was allowed to choose a weapon and I picked a stone staff. For some reason, it felt natural to me and I was easily able to defeat anyone.
The only person I can't beat is Donovan despite him not even using his claws.
After training, we go to Donovan's home, if you can even call it that. It was a massive tent made of furs and skins of all different colors and sizes, some with dried blood still on them.
"These are the skins of those that refused to follow the rules. At the beginning, there was no sense of community, just every man and woman for themselves, so I stepped up and created order. This was made as a reminder of what happens if the rules are disregarded."
The inside of the tent is quite practical, with a kitchen, bedding area, and even a waste disposal system.
In the back of the tent is where Donovan and I sleep on extra furs and honestly, it's pretty comfortable.
The kitchen is more or less useless, seeing as we only eat mushrooms.
This is my life–just training all day with people I don't care about for a rebellion against people I don't know.
**
The first memory I have is Donovan giving me my name. I don't know who I was before that moment.
I always thought I was a Beastman, just like everyone else, but the others in the army made it a point to call me sapien–seemingly a slur for people like me.
I don't know why they hate me. I haven't done anything wrong.
**
Training makes the days go by in a blur; the only thing reminding me of who I am is the comfortable feeling of the staff in my hand.
Today, I woke up feeling the same as usual, but what was different was Donovan not being there waking up with me. Instead, there was a mushroom in the kitchen for me to eat.
I went outside and soon found out why today was different. Donovan was standing on some sort of elevated surface, waiting for all of his men to gather around.
Everybody was wearing metal armor of various sizes and levels of wear - most falling apart or haphazardly repaired.
The armor was apparently procured from previous battles against "Demons". I don't know what Demons are, but I'm supposed to hate them.
"Beastmen and Beastwomen! Stand tall, for today, we fight! And we are not alone! We have a strong fighter in our midst! My son Emrys!"
I walked through the crowd and before getting on the elevated platform, a green Beastman gave me some tight-fitting black armor that covered my chest, back, legs, and part of my shoulders, along with a new staff that was made of some sort of translucent yet sturdy material.
Standing next to Donovan, I looked like a pebble, but everyone there knew I was the best fighter among them, aside from Donovan himself.
"Tonight, we shall gain freedom! Tonight, we shall take Cocytus!"
With the raise of his fist, the crowd exploded in a roar.