Michael

I sit panting slightly after my workout with Ian one of my flow hand-to-hand sparing partners. He has an already disappearing bruise on his cheek that I'm very proud to have given him during our last spar together.

"I'll probably miss sparing with you guys most after I leave here tomorrow."

Ian snorts at that while Kile raises an eyebrow at me. "You're leaving with Saya del'Mira aren't you?" Mile asks folding his arms across his chest.

"Yea... Why do you ask?" The tone of voice he used to ask that question has a lot of implications in it, and how does everyone know Saya to begin with

Ian snorts again shaking his head at me in what I translate to be a mix of pity and amusement. "You know she is a Barbarian Tribeswoman right?" Ian asks with a crooked smile.

"I've heard she is a tribeswoman yes but I'm not exactly sure what that means, is she not fully human or something?"

It's Sarayah that snorts now as she stands from her mat where she's been feigning meditation. "She is as human as can be expected and being a Barbarian just means she's a battle maniac so you may think you're gonna miss sparing with us but I promise you she will keep your edge honed."

I grin at that, I used to enjoy fighting on earth but here its become a bit more than a hobby in the time I've spent here. Everyday for the past 6 months I've been spending a minimum of 10 hours at the dojo with these guys and it shows in my development and proficiency. Sure I do other things that are in my schedule like spear mastery classes, meditation sessions and obstacle courses daily.

Other things I do every other day or once a weak like sword mastery, bush survival, beastilogy studies, geography, humanoid biology, playing soccer to my utter joy and surprise amongst other things I've tried whilst here. The place is like a huge communal university where you can attend any lecture from any topic you feel like it. Ninjutsu flow is by far my favourite activity though, and I'm getting good at it, really good.

I don't know how they gauge proficiency really but Master ..... says I'm a justus leveled ninjutsu flow disciple now, and I damn well better be. I've spent upwards of 600 hours of my life learning and practicing this fighting style, and that's Gaia hours not earth hours.

Learning the flow was the slowest part of the process, I hadn't even realised fighting could have a flow in real life before these people got their hands on me. Now I can hardly remember how I fought before I learnt this style, it's even had an influence on my spear style and sword style.

"So you're saying she will put me through the ringer, how good is she?" I say with a grin at them while Ian just shakes his head at me.

"All Barbarians are born warriors Michael, by the time they can hold a weapon they do, by the time they can fight they do, by the time they reach 14 or 15 years of age they can be comparable to man or woman in their 30's without any formal training. The way they are raised is brutal, they aren't allowed to leave the Tundra, their ancestral lands before they blood their weapon either on an opponent in the arena, in a battle, or on an Awakened or magical beast.

"Then some of them go to the Academy or just travel before settling down again back at the Tundra, thats where they all build their main homes. A claimed land that is the territory of the entire tribal people, there are still studies on how to communally claim a territory based on their methods.

"The really hardcore diehard Tribesman go to Culla though, their ancestral lands, and there they live with the Mare Barbarian tribes toiling against the land and the beasts. A very difficult place to live by all accounts, and they don't return until they've earned the Mare tribal markings.

"Runes curved or burnt into their skin that are a form of body enchanting that gain their power from the spirit realm. I haven't even spoken about their berserker rage, an inheritance of power that makes them beasts in human skin when they unleash it. Multiplying their strength, speed, stamina, and endurance.

"A sort of limit break ability that allows them to transcend everything they are able to do while normal. So you can just imagine, the stronger and more skilled they are when normal the stronger and more skilled they are when in the rage. And of course you can never be sure whether they will recognise you as an ally or not when in the be berserker rage. "

"You seem to know a lot about them." I say taking in what Ian is saying, really riveting stuff this.

"I've been to the Tundra, beautiful place, has one of the most beautiful city I have ever had the pleasure of seeing, nearly died there though." He says with a frown, Sarayah chuckles at that.

"Okey besides the fact that you nearly died do you know Saga's parents, what can you tell me about them?"

"I've met Sachihiro and heard a few things about him over the years, average built for a Barbarian since they usually come out large and muscular. Handsome, loves the ladies or the ladies love him. He has like 8 wives last I heard and something like 16 children, all but 2 of whom are girls."

"She never mentioned she had so many siblings." I say to myself with a frown of my own, why haven't I been researching her before this?

"Well she does, and she's the oldest and one the deadliest human beings I have ever come across. Did you know she spent a year in the the Underworld with a vampire clan?" Ian asks giving me a look that says, 'you have no idea what you've gotten yourself into'.

"So her dad is a warrior?" I say to get him back on topic and not making me worry about the girl I'm crushing on, is it even crushing or full blown dating now?

"He used to be a warrior, now he's a librarian and a translator." Sarayah says still pretending not to be paying attention with her body language.

"How old are you anyways?" I find myself asking her to the amusement of everyone around us.

"Sorry, personal question." I quickly back up as she bristles giving me a scathing look. "So he retired from the warrior life and became a librarian, interesting career choice." I say to Ian doing my best to ignore the eyes I can still feel at the back of my neck.

*

"Are you packed and ready to go?" I ask Max as he leaves his dojo sweating and bruised but with a grin on his face.

"Not much to pack, I was practically naked when I got to this world remember?"

"And I see you have little sentimentality for the few possession you've accumulated since you've been here."

"Yes well being a prisoner taught me a lot about not forming attachment to material things." He says wiping his face as we walk to the baths.

"And yet you haven't been able to let go of that book on the theory of words."

"Its really fascinating stuff Mike, you should really try it. Just a pity I have to return it to the library today."

"I have it on good authority that we are going to be the guests of a librarian when we reach our destination some 60 000km away."

"Yea I actually heard that your girls father was a librarian, sounds like a smart man to me."

I give him a look at that, "you've been asking around about Saya?"

"Hey, you didn't seem to be doing it and I was curious so I asked around. Have you noticed how nice everyone around here is to us, even the grumpy old men are only marginally offensive most of the time. Its weirs isn't it?"

"Okey firstly that's a really shitty attempt at changing the topic but I will let it slide, secondly yes I have noticed how nice everyone is and no I don't think its weird. You forget how old everyone actually is because of all the youthful faces, you should be a grumpy old man youraelf." I say as we turn past the giant fountain and down towards the baths.

‎ *

After a good soak its off to the archery rang to test out my glock, it should be working by now and now that I have in in my hands I realise I've actually missed shooting. Archery doesn't do it for me though I've taken the time to learn the basics, its an interesting sport but that's all it is to me, a sport.

Shooting a gun though is a deadly practice of .... something. Its like an extension of the lethality of a person somehow, a real shooter has an alert look that no one but a warrior eventually gets. At least amongst my friends on earth shooters where lethal, precise, accomplished, dangerous men or women.

I chamber my round and take aim at the target 50m away, looking at the target knowing its 50m away just highlights for me how much my eye sight has improved since I've been here. A 50m target used to look a lot further away than it actually does to me now and I hadn't even realised till now how much further and clearer I can see.

What else has been improved that I haven't noticed without normal earthly humans to compare myself to I wonder. I shrug that thought off and take my stance even though the target looks to close, Jessica has an arrow notched a meter away from me aiming at her own target.

"Ready?" Max calls out and I take aim.

We have a slight audience watching our experiment, though I'm not the only one that has ascended with a firearm mine is the most modern and I know exactly what its supposed to be capable of. A wooden target usually used for archery shouldn't be a problem but everyone who has bothered to research the difference in earth and Gaia technology is adamant that somehow earth weapons are inferior.

"Fire!"

I shoot and I know I've hit the bulls-eyes, at this range with my increased perception its just too easy a shot to make. Jess' arrow is also lodge firmly in the middle of the target and she grins at me proudly. I smile back, archery isn't her main vocation but she enjoys it a lot.

Master Samara grabs both targets and brings them forward for our inspection, she is in charge of the archery training and the range is her domain. I frown as she flips the targets to show the behinds, Jess' arrow went clean through while the bullet is lodged onto the wood of the target. She taps the back and the bullet falls of, the hole isn't even halfway into the wood.

"That doesn't make any sense to me." I say still not believing what I'm seeing. "Maybe the composition of the powder isn't right, it could have lost a lot of power."

But even as I speak Master Samara is shaking her head, "I could have caught that pellet in my hand if I was enhanced as you shot. And your firearm as is would actually harm any unawakened who didn't have aura enhancing abilities, but it still would kill anyone unless you aim for the eye or the inside of the mouth maybe." She says, showing everyone else the results.

I really don't know what to say to this, have we all become superhuman being here? Is this really the new normal now, were we so fragile on earth? A lot of questions currently have no answers to me right now, how I wish there was a way to travel between Gaia and Earth. Maybe then the world would make more sense.

"Ready for the living target test?" Master Samara says as one of her students goes to the 50m mark and fortifies himself using aura. I've seen the healers do amazing things so I only hesitate for a moment before aiming and shooting him on the forehead.