When they finally emerged on the other side of the gate, Kai found himself back in the cursed warehouse where everything began. The dim, dank place still held an eerie familiarity.
"Kai, what is this place?" Yaria asked, her voice echoing slightly in the empty space.
"Welcome to Earth, Yaria," Kai said, spreading his arms wide as if to encompass the entire world.
He began to explain that this was a different world entirely, his home. Yaria's eyes widened in shock, a rare sight that made Kai feel a small sense of triumph.
"A different world? Is that even possible?" Yaria's voice trembled slightly, betraying her awe. It was the first time Kai had seen her truly surprised, and it felt great.
Taking her hand, he led her toward the door. "Come on, I'll show you," he said, eager to see her reaction to the modern world outside.
But as soon as he opened the door, his excitement turned to alarm. In front of him, a dozen soldiers pointed their guns directly at him and Yaria. The sudden confrontation made him instinctively raise his hands in the air.
Kai moved slowly to place himself between Yaria and the soldiers, his heart pounding. Yaria's questioning gaze bore into his back, clearly not understanding the danger they were in.
"Get down, now!" one of the soldiers barked harshly.
Kai started to bend his knees, intending to comply to avoid escalating the situation. But to his surprise, Yaria gripped his shoulder, stopping him from kneeling.
"As the chief of barbarians, you can't bow to anyone, Kai, even in the face of death. I don't know why you follow his order, but I will be extremely disappointed in you if you continue to get on your knees," Yaria said coldly.
Kai felt a rush of conflicting emotions. He knew she was right; now he is the leader, and he need to have dignity.
Taking a deep breath, Kai straightened up. "I won't kneel," he declared, his voice steady. He looked directly at the lead soldier. "My name is Kai, and this is my wife Yaria. We mean no harm. We just returned from the other side of the gate, take me to your commander."
"This is your last warning, get down!" the soldier barked again, his voice edged with panic. Kai realized they must have been informed about the dangers on the other side of the gate, making them wary of anything or anyone emerging from it.
Seeing that Kai didn't comply, one of the soldiers became impatient and aggressive. He moved to strike Kai's head with the butt of his gun.
Yaria, who had been holding back her anger for Kai's sake, snapped. As a barbarian, it was a miracle she had restrained herself this long while her husband was being threatened. She dashed forward with a speed that was nearly impossible to follow with the naked eye.
Kai saw Yaria move and shouted, "Don't kill anyone!"
Bam! Yaria's hand connected with the soldier's stomach, sending him sprawling. From the impact and the soldier's vest absorbing some of the blow, Kai knew she had heeded his words.
Seeing one of their comrades knocked out, the other soldiers immediately shifted their aim toward Yaria.
This time, Kai made a move. Though he had never been in a real fight before, he knew how to throw a punch. He didn't want the wife he had just been lucky enough to gain to die on the same day he married her. He held back his power, not wanting to accidentally kill anyone.
Seeing her husband step into the fray, Yaria didn't want to be left behind. In an instant, ten soldiers were grunting on the ground, incapacitated but alive.
The commotion drew the attention of more soldiers. Within moments, Kai and Yaria found themselves surrounded by over a hundred armed men.
"Kai, why are the people from your homeland not so welcoming?" Yaria asked, half-jokingly. As a barbarian, she didn't know the meaning of fear. Even surrounded by a hundred men, she was ready to fight.
"I don't know, the last time they weren't like this," Kai replied, frustration tinged with confusion in his voice.
"My name is Kai. I was sent to the other side by a guy named Xenophon. Ask your commander; I think he knows who I am," Kai called out, hoping someone would recognize his name. From what Xenophon had said, Kai knew the government was involved in this situation. He hoped the army commander here would be informed.
"As for these soldiers," Kai continued, pointing to the ones on the ground, "they attacked me first. I was just defending myself."
The surrounding soldiers hesitated, murmuring among themselves. Kai could see the conflict in their eyes. They were trying to assess the situation, weighing the strange and sudden violence against the possibility that Kai might be telling the truth.
Yaria's eyes scanned the soldiers with a fierce protectiveness. She stood close to Kai, ready to spring into action at any moment.
Finally, one of the higher-ranking officers stepped forward, his hand up to signal his men to hold fire. "Hold your fire! Lower your weapons," he commanded.
The tension in the air eased slightly as the soldiers reluctantly obeyed. The officer approached Kai cautiously. "I'm Captain Reynolds. We were briefed about a man named Kai who might come through the gate. But we weren't told you'd bring... guests," he said, eyeing Yaria warily.
"Captain Reynolds, this is Yaria. She's with me. We're here peacefully," Kai explained, keeping his tone calm and steady.
Captain Reynolds nodded slowly, assessing the situation. "Alright, let's get you out of here and sort this out. But no more violence, understood?" he said, looking between Kai and Yaria.
Kai nodded. "Understood. Let's talk." Then Captain Reynold escorted them toward a building.
The soldier who appeared to be in command recognized Kai and immediately ordered the injured soldiers to be taken to the field hospital.
As they moved through the base, Yaria was visibly shocked by everything she saw: tanks, helicopters, and cars. She bombarded Kai with questions, her curiosity unbounded. Kai did his best to explain, though he doubted she fully grasped the concepts.
Upon arriving at an office building, they were led inside. The office was decorated with numerous photos, trophies, and charters. An older man who resembled Nick Fury sat behind a desk.
"Please, have a seat, Mr. Kai and Miss," he said, gesturing toward the chairs in front of him. Captain Reynolds stood behind the man.
"Let me introduce myself. My name is Lieutenant Colonel Josh McGregor. May I ask what you need from us, and who this lady is?" asked Josh.
"This is Yaria, my wife," Kai replied. The two older men exchanged puzzled looks. Kai had only been on the other side for a short time and had returned with a wife whose size dwarfed his own.
"What the fuck are you two staring at?" Yaria demanded, noticing their scrutiny.
The room grew awkwardly silent.
"Sorry, she's not human but a barbarian. Her race is larger than ours, and their customs are different, so please forgive her behavior," Kai explained hastily.
"Oh, you don't like my big body?" Yaria challenged, placing a hand on Kai's neck. Kai felt a wave of tension, knowing his response was critical.
"I love it," Kai said sincerely.
Hearing that, Yaria hugged Kai and began showering his cheeks with kisses.
Chough Lieutenant Colonel McGregor cleared his throat to regain Kai's attention.
"As for why I came here, I need a lot of things. Xenophon bestowed upon me the power to summon mercenaries, and Yaria is one of them. But I have no resources or equipment to support all my mercenaries," Kai explained.
"I understand. We can provide you with food immediately, but for equipment, I'll need to talk to my superior first," Josh replied. He picked up the phone and made a call, which Kai assumed was to his superior.
After a few minutes of silence, Josh finally ended the call. "Kai, my superior wants to know if the mercenaries are loyal to you."
Before Kai could respond, Yaria's face turned red with anger. "What do you mean by that? Do you think we are like you humans, who always stab each other in the back?"
Kai quickly tried to calm her down. "Yaria, they don't know your people. Please forgive them."
"Lieutenant Colonel McGregor, please refrain from saying such things about my people," Kai said, his tone cold. He, too, felt offended by the question.
"The Barbarians although they are kind of brutes they loyal to their people" Said Kai.
Josh nodded, realizing the delicate nature of the situation. "I apologize. It wasn't my intention to offend. We just need to ensure there won't be any issues."
Yaria glared at him but said nothing, her anger still simmering.
"We can supply weapons to you, but you need to know this: guns are not effective against the monsters on the other side, so we won't be providing firearms," Josh said.
"Instead, we'll craft weapons using the best materials we can find. As for armor, we can't make it due to the varying sizes of individuals and the significant resources it would require. I hope you can understand."
Yaria crossed her arms and nodded. "We barbarians never use armor in the first place."
Kai smiled at her fierce pride. "Thank you, Lieutenant Colonel McGregor. That's all I need for now."
Kai paused, thinking about his family. "Oh, one more thing. I believe I receive a salary, correct? Can you guys buy me a house and deduct it from my salary? I want to move my family to live nearby."
Josh raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "From what I understand from Xenophon, there are many other gates scattered around the world. I would feel much better knowing my family is safe," Kai continued.
"We can do that," Josh confirmed.
Kai felt a wave of relief. Ensuring his family's safety was a priority, and having them close would give him peace of mind. He had only recently begun to understand the dangers of this new world, and the thought of leaving his family unprotected weighed heavily on him.
"Mr. Kai, we also have a request for you," Josh said, breaking Kai's thoughts.
Kai leaned forward, curious. "Let me hear it first."
"We hope you can sell us some valuable materials from the other side of the gate. If you don't want to exchange them for money, we can barter for something you want," Josh explained.
Before Kai could respond, Yaria jumped in. "Can Kai exchange it for something that flies with a lot of noise?"
Josh looked puzzled for a moment before realizing what she meant. "Do you mean a helicopter?"
"Yes, that one," Yaria confirmed, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
Kai chuckled, imagining the look on the barbarians' faces when they saw a helicopter. "That's an interesting idea. What do you think, Lieutenant Colonel?"
Josh considered it. "We might be able to arrange that. Helicopters are valuable, but if the materials you provide are equally valuable, it could be a fair trade."
Kai nodded. "I'll see what we can find. I'm sure there's plenty of rare materials on the other side."
"Good let's talk about the weapon that you guys want," Said Josh to Kai and Yaria