Chapter 9: Tom

I hoisted myself up the huge steps of Najarin castle and looked up at the huge structure overlooking Lake Ken-I-Po, it was a really nice view. My scanner started belting out Anita Frost 'Underworld souls,' started playing and I knew that Kaz was trying to get a hold of me again, I ignored and waited until the song stopped before making my way to the front door of the castle. I currently wasn't talking to my cousin, the two of us had ended up having one of the biggest arguments we had ever had and the worst part was Kaz could be right.

-Flash back-

I lay back on the soft leather sofa and watched as Kaz flicked on the T.V on his way to the kitchen, the local new station was currently going on and on about kids getting really sick, or of kids ending up missing.

I looked away as an image of a girl I knew from Chaotic popped up claiming she had gone missing after leaving her home to go to school, and then turning up three days later in a road side ditch naked and had apparently been ganged raped.

"The codemasters have to know what's going on." Kaz said and blicking I saw that he had moved to stand behind the sofa and was staring at the T.V as another story similar to the first one came on.

"What the Hell Kaz?" I demanded as Kaz turned the T.V off.

"Don't be stupid Tom! The codemasters have to know whats causing all of this!" He said angerly and marched back into the kitchen, I got up and followed him.

"I don't believe that." I snapped as I rushed to catch up with him. "The code masters wouldn't have withheld information this important from everyone Kaz, people are dying! For fucks sakes, why could they do something like that?" I demanded as Kaz stopped to stare out at a window that over looked the side of the house.

"I hate to break it to you Tom but not everyone has your moral code of honor or is a good leader like Maxxor, if the code masters told everyone about the real level of danger that is going on right now then people couldn't come to Perim, they would stop playing chaotic, which would mean they would lose a lot of money if that happened." He said and I wanted to argue, I wanted to defend the people who found away into such an amazing place like Perim…but couldn't.

I didn't know any of the code masters, even Codemaster Crellan who had taught me to be a better strategist, I didn't know anything about excepted that he was maybe a few years older than me and from somewhere in the south. I wanted to believe he wouldn't withhold information that could have possible saved the lives of god only knows how many chaotic players and for what? Money?

I shook my head in denial.

"No." I said and turning left without another word.

-End of flash back-

And that was hoe I ended up here, I figured if anyone could help explain things to me it would be Najarin.

My scanner went off again and I let out a long sigh of frustrations, I knew that I was taking out my frustration out on Kaz but things had only seemed to have gotten worse after our fight, Sarah had (surprisingly) gone quiet and hadn't answered her scanner and the only time she had since then she had simply said that she wasn't feeling good and didn't want to talk to anyone. The deaths and disappearances had gone up and had so bad that the F.P.I had gotten involved, so far their investigations had yielded no results but pretty soon they would figure out the connection between those kids and chaotic, so I need to figure out what was going on and now!

I banged my fist hard against the door then when nothing happened, I tilted my head back and started yelling.

"Najarin! HEY NAJARIN IT'S TOM! I NEED TO TALK TO YOU!"

Nothing happened for a long minute then the doors opened wide all by themselves and I carefully entered the castle causally, I had been inside Najarin's home enough times in the past to know better than to walk in without the elder creature with me, because Najarin's home seemed to have a mind of its own and when it wasn't shifting staircases or making new never ending hallways, it was trying to kill you with all kinds of nasty magical traps, so I had learned not to wander around with the owners okay. The front entry way was a huge dome room made of some kind of white stone, not marble but something else…something other, in front of use was a huge staircase leading up to the second level of the castle and for some reason I just knew where I needed to go.

Making my way up the stairs I traveled down a long corridor then made a left and saw one of the many entrances to one of Najarin's gardens was open, Najarin stood with his back to me as he carefully watered a pink and jade colored flower that looked a lot like a rose but was really called a Primrose flowers that was commonly used for healing.

Walking up besides the mage I waited until he glanced up at me.

"We have a problem." I said and told him everything. From players coming up missing, from some ending up dead, to the fight with Kaz and finally my fears of what really went on in Chaotic being revealed by the F.P.I.

Najarin waited patiently for me to finish before speaking, his powerful voice filling the air with light magic as he spoke.

"This is very troubling Tom, but Kaz may indeed be correct. Your codemaster risk losing a great deal if what is currently going on is discovered." He said and I felt my gut tighten with the mages words.

"As to the ladder I will need to think on it." He said and turned to water a red and black flower.

"Maxxor has been asking after you." Najarin said and I blinked in surprise.

I hadn't seen the leader of the Overworld for almost a year…mainly because I had been trying to avoid him ever since the odd attraction to him had started. The odd part was that when the attraction had begun it had seemed to be mainly focus on Maxxor and not anyone else, I had never been into men before but whenever he had looked at the creature he had felt a rush of desire and lust like no other, which was why he was avoiding Maxxor as best he could.

"Thanks for telling me Najarin…I'll go see him when I can." I said halfheartedly.

"There's no need." Said an all too familiar voice.

I turned to see Maxxor leaning against the doorframe and felt my heart speed up.

'Oh Fuck.' I thought to myself.

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ANITA P.O.V

"You call me a bitch like it's a bad thing

You call me a freak like that means something

Can't get your way so you're sulking

I think we know the rest

Get it off your chest!"

I sang as I strummed my guitar wishing it was hooked up to an amp, maybe then I could play over all of the depressing thoughts screaming in my head.

"You gotta learn to leave when the party ends

I don't really care what you tell your friends

Tell me again!"

'Nope can still hear my own thoughts.'

I snarled and stopped playing as the music echoed off the cave walls, anger pulsed threw me and without thinking I picked the guitar up and swung it at the wall again and again until it was nothing but chunks of broken string and wood. I threw the remains way from me and glared at it angrily then throwing my head back I opened my mouth wide and screamed, I screamed and screamed until I had no breath left and all I could do was cry as I fell to my knees.

"I don't know how to do this! How to stop it!" I choked out and sobs ripped out of me.

I was happy for Magic but damn it we were in the middle of a god damn war! We couldn't deal with a fucking baby for god's sakes and we didn't have the first clue as to how to take care of a human/creature hybrid or how to handle the pregnancy, not to mention the fact that time was running out faster than we could deal with on our own, to many people were dying or getting stuck here.

'This is too much….this is too big!' I thought to myself. 'But if we don't do something then who will?'