Ava

"I know you are tired Yolanda but you know better than to collapse on your bones, you will rest in an hour I assure you but for now keep taunt.

"Just keep it together a bit longer and we will move to the next pose.

"Yes that's beautiful Achmed, keep it up you've improved greatly. Hold that stomach in tight Alicia, keep every muscle you can tight.

"Yes that's it everyone, now exhale slowly through your nose. Slowly slowly, until you empty your lungs.

"Some have more breath than others but I want you all empty of air. Push yourselves and hold it there, lock your air passages so no air comes back in.

"I know it's painful but you can all hold it.

"Focus on your body, your focus is always on your body in yoga. Feel everything that's struggling, feel, be in your body.

"Feel the muscles struggling to hold you up, the ligaments straining from the tension. Know every part of your body that's working right now.

"No, don't lock your joints Anderson. Everyone even if you feel you are about to collapse I want you to maintain the stance.

"Yes shaking is good Ezra it means your muscles are giving up before your mind does.

"Now inhale through your nose slowly, fill up those lungs. I know the impulse is to take a deep quick breath but train yourself to maintain steady discipline.

"I promise you won't pass out from being out of breath here.

"In slowly, all the way in. To the deep parts of your lungs, start actively pulling the breath in and hold it there a moment.

"Let the nutrients of the air get a chance to fully dissolve into your blood through the lungs.

"Hold it for as long as you can, again some can hold for longer than others. But as you exhale through both your mouth and nose I want you to slowly move out of tattibhasana, slowly.

"Breathing out air empty of nutrients, maintain your balance all the way through until you are all downward facing hound. Lift your bums and wiggle, sliding pushup. Head going down then swinging up and out as you exhale. No locking your elbows, your muscles must work Alison.

"Reverse pushup as we inhale deeply. Going all the way down as our bums lift again and we push up into a downward facing hound. Push into your calves, feel your body throughout the process.

"Listen to which parts of your body get strained as you do what. Which muscles are tight today, meditate on your body.

"Push back down, head going down as the elbows bend then scoop your head up slowly into an arc as you exhale. Your bum following your body all the way down until you are stretching that lower back area.

"Feel your body as you hold the breath there a moment. And back down again, doing reverse pushups and pulling all the way, bum going up as you inhale. Shoulders going up, arms extending until they are straight.

"Very good everyone, we do those twenty times and we move into a headstand with leg and hip stretches. From there we go to handstands working on our center of gravity."

We go through the torture of advanced yoga one. A compulsory yoga training session for the Chosen conducted by trainer Adriana. Those that were trusted enough to advance past the recruitment phase.

Which was also a type of torture, I used to think I had stamina but the sadists of the Community Training Conclave proved me wrong.

‎ It took us over a year to get here from the Tundra. Over two hundred mostly young tribesmen and women that have never left their ancestral lands following a hand-drawn map through two continents. Three if you include our own to reach the super landmass known as Pangaea.

A long interesting journey.

Our expedition travelled through forests and jungles, across cliffs and rivers reaching the edge of our continent at our intended passage point. Going through the southern forests was perilous from numerous beast attacks but thankfully only one person died before we got to the coast two months after leaving home.

On the edge of land we met the eery Undine humoid creatures. Part land-men part water-men; comfortable and capable of survive on either land or water with gills on their necks and scales shimmering about their skin. Choosing to live on a series of island continents that apparently separate our continent from the rest of the violent world.

We travelled hard and lost a few more people through bad luck, ignorance or arrogance. A few killed by beasts along the way. An oldish lady, Elgar, just never woke up one morning. We didn't even find a spider bite on her.

The Undine led us from Sandaria, our continent apparently, to their islands through underwater passageways. Long tunnels with walls made of flowing water but breathable air and dry ground to walk on.

It was all very beautiful and many appreciated it but that freaked me to no end, someone able to control all that water. You could even snatch a fish from the water wall like fruit from a tree but after the first ten-day I was utterly sick of it. The light was too bright but never warm enough. The tunnel too straight and boring, there was hardly anywhere to get a good fight or a fuck without resorting to being an exhibition to help ease the passage.

By our second ten-day I considered drowning myself in the water wall and I thoroughly missed Teà and Sachihiro, a scandalous admission but I missed them all the same. Teà is my little cousin and I love her, Sachi a friend that sooths my adventurous untameable spirit, the friend I was meant to have.

I shake my head just thinking of that boy, where would he be without my guidance? Any woman could take complete advantage of the impressionable fool. At least when I approached Freydìs to finish his education on women I knew she cared about him somewhat but who will look out for the strangely soft hearted Barbarian that refused to kill till he was so old?

I regret not letting him know I would be leaving for the strange bald warriors mapped location, Brother Asriel. I regret not getting a chance to say goodbye for I have no one else besides ny aunt, my cousin and my friends. But to be honest I expected him to follow as soon as he was recovered. I even made sure we left a trail the blind hermit could follow through the wilderness for an entire day before I was scolded. I wonder how everyone is doing.

"There is no perfect resting state for most humanoids on Gaia. This world is perfect for growth and advancement because it gives us no rest. The world is designed to challenge us constantly to improve ourselves, to test ourselves against it's chosen weapons beasts, nature, and forces.

"As you all stand there wide eyed, panting and gapping at me you are all working all the time. Your skin is uncomfortably tight you don't realise this because you have gotten used to it.

"Your bones are straining to hold up all that weight. Your muscles and counter muscles are always pulling and releasing just to keep you upright.

"Even when you lie down you use different muscles as one part of you rests, others work. Breathing, your heart beating using up energy that will eventually force you to move to replenish that energy. This is life on Gaia, our world constantly keeping you challenged, working, struggling to stay alive. We are designed this way. Especially us humans, the short lived humanoid race. Too much peace and contentment in our environment and we stagnate, at least that's what happens with most of us.

"Take Romanæ for instance. A empire that conquered most of the kingdoms on its continent and several others on other continents through they're legendary mobility and seige spells. The Romanæ empire spanned across half of all of Pangaea and many of the subcontinents across the Panthalassa. A territory so large that took several years to travel from one side of it to the other by track.

"Then because it was so large and they conldn't agree on a leader they instituted an experimental form of governance known as democracy. A beautiful and admirable concept for a people who saw no one men above them. A voice for every man woman and child in the direction of an empire. Yet now the ancient Romanæn Empire is a single kingdom smaller than the Barbarian Tundra,'' the trainer says pointing at the numurous Barbarians listening to her lecture.

''Why?'' She asks rhethorically before answering her own posed question.

"Because democracy eventually led to stagnation. As Romanæ sat on its high ground judging the rest of the world for its archaic and barbaric forms of governance it enjoyed a long peace and great financial growth becoming the great merchant empire of its age.

But giving too many dissenting voices equal weight led to less and less being done as they all disagreed with each other. Even the little that was done was undermined from within the empire by a different faction with its own agenda. Within 200 years Romanæ couldn't sustain itself and looked to start conquering again.

"But all its neighbours had long since fortified and prepared for the eventuality, led by Kings and Queens that were unquestioned by their people they fought back. Enjoy the empire started breaking up into the smaller kingdoms we now mostly know as the Badlands today. They became stagnant, something Gaia doesn't naturally allow to happened.

"But not all races are constantly challenged like the humans. The long lived races especially find rest within Gaia.

"Boromor get comfortable." The trainer says loudly and Boromor immediately slumps into a squat a sigh.

"In his current position this young man is comfortable, putting the least amount of strain and pressure on any of his muscles and joints. An elf can maintain a comfortable position for days without discomfort, a demi-human even longer and don't even get me started on a beast. Some can hold a form without moving or eating for months or years before rousing.

"But humans have to keep moving, have to keep repositioning. We are designed this way for a reason. Alright you have the rest of the day off but all the Tundral Tribesman are to go see Massimo, dismissed."

We all sigh with relief and slump down. "How was your session today Ava?" Astrid asks bringing me a jug of water.

"The same," I say chunking it down and pouring the rest over me head.

"Do you know what the big man wants with us?" I ask standing as she gives me a towel to wipe water and sweat.

"Rumours are they will be sending us home," she sighs. "I don't think I want to go home Ava," she whispers.

I nod.

There are 247 of us in this training group. A diverse training group that includes humans, elves, a few dwarves, demi-human beastmen, two undines, a naga, a drow elf, a bear, and not a bear of a man but an actual bear, a halfling, a few fae and what I'm told is a ghoul. Though Adam looks pretty human to me.

Ever since we got here we became the most numerous group which made us stand out. Most of our expedition was made up of those rare Barbarians born without the berserker rage. Or born unable to unlock the rage, resulting in their prospects as warriors being limited within the tribes.

Many expected to be taught a secret way to unlock the rage. But all we got was training, training and more training. We trained so much that someone actually did discover their berserker was just lying dormant, Belarus. A quiet young man from the Savage Tribe that had been shunned all his life for his disability.

To be a Savage without the Rage is to be deserving of pity. His newly discovered berserker didn't help him get out of training though as he was quickly subdued by the trainer, who did some mental voodoo and got Belarus back to normal and back to training in no time.

We didn't even touch a weapon the first three months of our arrival. Nothing but running, stretching, guided meditation, philosophy, writing, reading, swimming, yoga, meditation, hand to hand fighting, meditation, painting, meditation, music, hand to hand, history, geography.

It was the longest 90 days of my life, they didn't even allow us to bed each other. By the end of the three months we were separated into two groups. Those that wanted to continue training or those that wanted to pursue other pursuits.

Astrid chose to be a sort of servant. I still don't understand it, but the soft spoken young woman likes serving people.

"Alright, let's meet up with everyone and head to Master Massimo the Stoic."

It doesn't take long to collect everyone. This current training camp only consisting of 24 tribesmen. The few that were approached about joining the Conclave and accepted. The rest still at the entrance camp training there without access to the secrets of the Conclave. Not even knowing where this camp is.

"I'm glad all of you came so quickly," Massimo says adjusting his robes.

"I will get to the point then. All of you that are ready to go home may do so, you have reached a minimum level of understanding and skill we can tolerate being associated with our name. We know your people are at war but we encourage you to return to complete your training as soon as you can. Some of you will be ready to Awaken in only a few years. Especially those that have taken well to meditation..."

We groan at his words. Meditation has been the most difficult thing for us to learn. But those first three months ground it into our heads over and over. I mainly persisted because I had seen Sachi doing it and told him how stupid he looked. I grin at the though. Meditation is as easy as breathing now.

"The others at camp Genesis are already packed and ready to disembark. Try not to divulge our secrets out there, and may the Trinity be with you."

With those words we scatter to our dorms to collect our accumulated possessions. We all grin at each other as we pack, the excitement palpable.

The few years we've spent with the Conclave have made a huge impact on us. The training guided and meticulous, the advice sound and practical. Never has the been a more elite type of training than what we've gone through in the past two years.

And its all very exciting because we get to go home and show off our new skills. There has never been a group of Barbarians more capable than we are. We will rock the foundation of the Tundra and change how our people define strength.