'The Martian body truly is an engine'

Thin wisps of steam escaped my body as my inferior arms braced gently under my weight, my superior arms folded over my chest as I performed my morning ritual.

Roughly two years had passed since I first awakened in this world and a dramatic amount of changes had happened. The first being that physically, my stature had exploded, my form reaching five feet in height and my muscles developing to scary level, given that I was only two years old.

Many scholars in the far future had already concluded that the Martian biology was probably the most advanced among all species in the universe, their bodies able to speedily adapt to any kind of climate and condition, reaching the stage where a group of Martians could evolve to thrive within a terrain within two generations.

Their strong biological capabilities seemed to be unconsciously exploited by the residents of the village I was in.

As far as positioning went for the village, it was quite strange as it was placed between a dense forest and a set of shallow mountain edges, the rationale behind the settlement being that towards the end of every month or so, due to the frequent atmospheric changes in the forest ecosystem, hoards of huge wild beasts that looked like mixes between Rams and Boars rushed down the mountain edge and past another shallow forest below, searching for the grassy plain that was in the far North from here.

I doubted that the village leaders possessed the intelligence to purposely orchestrate such a circumstance so I could only assume the sweeping hoard of wild animals where part of a larger population that roamed around relatively unhindered given how much of them we slaughtered.

The point being, however, at the end of every month there would be a dramatic explosion in the stock and supply of fresh meat available to eat, a result of the members of each household arresting and slaughtering all of the beasts who rushed through the village.

In the forest itself, there was also a surprising abundance of edible plants, not necessarily the fruits I was accustomed with but more so herbs which had powerful medicinal properties when properly harnessed.

Through the circumstances regarding the supply of food, every meal was a very nutritious one, meat selling very cheaply among the few villagers who camped here and the herbs were even cheaper, free if an individual was so inclined to search.

'This body is insane'

As I mentally recapped my inferior arms, the lower set on my body, continued to plow through another 50 push-ups with the greatest of ease, my muscles still loose and relaxed as I continued to move.

'I guess I have to make it a bit harder'

I pushed off the ground using some strength, forcing myself back to my feet before I raised my arms and leaned forward, performing a smooth handstand.

'Now my muscles are burning'

It made sense that since I had four arms, which were all growing in size every day, my legs had to be consequently heavier to compensate, my quads and calves massive even without any kind of targeted training, developing to cope with my larger mass.

My superior arms tingled, the sensation of having my arms crossed while upside down still trippy to this day as my inferior arms buckled, gently lowering my form up and down with much more difficulty than before.

'Developing my strength and speed from an early age is vital'

Although my body had significantly regressed, my mind had still been able to grasp and think beyond my current physical body.

I hadn't left my house in the village too frequently as I had discerned it was genuinely unsafe to do so, wild beasts grazing the forest region ahead but I had accompanied my mother on enough medicinal herb trips and overhead various village commotion to put together what was going on.

As you would anticipate in ancient society, it was a "strong rule over the weak" type of situation.

Due to the village being able to export fresh high quality meat around the beginning of every month, we were discernably wealthy, every household well-decorated with furs, rugs and skins relating to every kind of beast in the forest. This was also exasperated by the fact that the village population was also very low, not even up to 150 people, including children, in the area.

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This mainly seemed to be due to the high danger level of the settlement, although the beast rush was common at the end of the month, it was also not uncommon for small groups and large animals to spontaneously attack, several adult members needing to keep guard every night to make sure the village wasn't damaged.

'But to be fair, only one of them would suffice'

The Kal-Rak tribe, due to their diet, were among the biggest and largest Black Martians on the planet, the average height among them being about 8 foot tall, their strength and speed likable to the wild beasts they frequently wrestled with.

The Elders in the tribe had experienced this kind of abundance for several decades, the oldest among them being about 30 or 40 years old, meaning their bodies had a long time to customize itself in accordance with the conditions.

'That being said, our culture is quite awful'

According to my father, all Black Martians used to belong to one big tribe called the Kal-Zed, Kal meaning people and Zed being the patron deity of Black Martians, translating to "The People of Zed".

The trouble was though, Zed actually wasn't a very nice God to serve.

According to his priests and anyone who was filled with his spirit, blood sacrifices and mutilation needed to be carried out frequently and abundantly, reaching the stage where some peasant people sentenced to die as sacrifices rebelled and escaped, a handful of them starting different tribes elsewhere.

The founders of the Kal-Zar tribe, meaning "People of Ability" actually stumbled across this location by accident and due to their desperation to eat, they initiated what would be come to be known as "The First Great Slaughter", similar events occurring frequently throughout the lifespan of the village.

This lead to an environment where each individual's worth was either calculated by the number of wild animals they could kill or their connection to people who had killed the most animals.

Moreover, t was hard not to notice the abundance of slavery going on.

Although there was money and resources available in the region, the harsh and unstable conditions created an environment where the natural female population was quite low, so several years before my birth, the village elders had assembled some men to go and kidnap young women in other tribes, the situation getting so bad that other tribes would rather just sell them off as opposed to lose them for free.

As a result of this situation, most men in the village had roughly 3 women, each fattened quite considerably as a result of the abundance of food and the restrictions imposed upon them. Another development was that it became a competition among men to see whose wife was the largest, a sort of indicator of wealth.

'My parents seem to be an anomaly though'

My father was a very peculiar man, especially in the context of his counterparts. He would frequently leave my older brother and myself at home, relying on our mental link to deduce our safety and would take my mother deep into the heart of the forest where they would collect herbs, hunt beasts and climb trees among other things.

It seemed that although he possessed some physical capabilities, he was more of a medic and a chemist than a warrior, something which put him in a necessary but ostracized position in the small culture in the village.

As a result of all the activity though, the both of them where in excellent shape but he was subject to open mockery among his fellow men as a result of his wife's slim size.

'But slavery still hasn't solved the problem'

By some manner of Cosmic Justice, the increase of women in the population only brought forth more men, creating an environment that was very competitive. According to my father, there was a cultural shift in the years running up to my birth.

While the older generation derided my father, he was held in higher regard in secret by young people as he had a wife who wasn't sold to him as a slave, a native tribal wife being more preferable than a slave wife from another tribe. Moreover, overweight women reminded most of the youths of their mothers which couldn't be described as attractive in their eyes.

The social situation honestly fascinated me, in my past life I grew up in a time where social awareness was commonplace and very much a centerpiece of societal thought. Even I as a commonly educated nobody on a backwater planet still had a decent understanding of this concepts yet such knowledge was painfully uncommon in this kind of atmosphere.

My mind continued to spin as I continued my exercise, my frame visibly thinning as my arms became blockier, more defined as my mass increased.

"Abel, what are you doing!?"

My older brother, Jago, came out of his room upstairs, finding me upside down in the middle of the living room. He, like myself, was also the spitting image of our father, except his frame was a little thinner and his height a little taller, his features immature, being born a single year ahead of me.

I quickly found my feet, stretching my superior arms which had been static for a long while now.

I already explained to him the concept of exercise but he treated me as though I was stupid, believing that strength could only be attained from eating and fighting, not doing handstands and squats.

"I already explained to you, I'm exercising," I insisted.

"Exercising?"

It was also worth pointing out that in the Martian language, "Exercising" translated directly to "Getting Stronger", no other word really encapsulating what exercise meant.

"By standing with your arms instead of your legs? Are you right in the head?" he mused.

I could tell by his expression that he was half-joking, half-serious, his lips quivering as he tried not to smile at me.

"You mock me but look at my body compared to yours, my arms are bigger"

He snickered, walking past me and towards the door of the house.

"You're eyes aren't working properly," he said, opening it.

My eyes narrowed.

"Where are you going?"

"To go and pick some herbs, I'm hungry"

"But Dad said we're not aloud to leave the house without him"

"Well Dad doesn't get back until Sunset, it's still midday, you can stay here if you want," he said stepping out the door.

I exhaled softly, a small smile finding my face as I followed him, closing the door gently behind me.