Chapter II
"Training"
I'm sure it's no secret Edenians age very differently from people from other realms. We're not immortal, we just age so slowly it seems that way. We age slower as we get older, but beyond that it's very difficult to describe how we age. We share pretty much the same calendar as Earthrealm, give or take a month or two so I find it's best to use their aging as a scale.
Edenian childhood is very short when compared to later years. It only takes a few decades to look like an Earthrealm ten year old. Our "teenage" years last a few centuries. Young adulthood lasts the longest. I am about 10,000 years old which on Earthrealm would be the equivalent of 24 years old. Middle age for an Edenian would be 25,000 years old. Old age is 40,000 years to death. It's pretty confusing I know.
I started training for battle when I was about six years old. My primary teacher was my father's sorcerer Shang Tsung. I never liked him. He always struck me as a very slimy person. I often got the impression through our training sessions that he didn't like me that much either.
I never really understood why my father wanted me to be trained so much. He would say it was because he wanted me to be strong. He would always say no daughter of his would be weak. He never really said anything beyond that. Looking back I realize he would always avoid saying he was training me to be a killer.
I started with basic combat training. Basic techniques like throwing a good punch or kick. Because I was so young it was important that I get the fundamentals down perfectly. When I first started, I thought it was some sort of game. Something to do for a while that would eventually stopped. But it never did. My training exercises were almost every day, all day. Basic combat training was always terribly repetitive. After a while I stopped taking it seriously and every session I just went through the motions like a routine.
Basic combat training lasted two years, then they decided I was ready for the harder training. I remember my first session most vividly. It was my first real lesson about life as a warrior.
I entered the sparring chamber where Shang Tsung was waiting. Tsung approached me and said "Coddling time is over Kitana. Now we start to learn real combat."
I bowed and said "Yes, master."
"I'm going to attack you Kitana. I expect you to defend yourself."
Like I said, at this point I had stopped taking these sessions seriously. We began sparring and I treated it like all the other training sessions. Going through the same motions, not really trying.
I threw a punch that Shang Tsung caught and he then introduced me to real pain. He twisted my arm around and violently wrenched it. I remember hearing a loud pop and then all I can remember after that was unbearable pain. I didn't know, but he had pulled my arm out of the socket. My arm went limp at my side and I collapsed onto the floor, howling and screaming in pain.
"You made that embarrassingly easy Kitana. I taught you better than that." he said, indifferent to my agony. I couldn't really hear what he was saying, all I could think of was this horrible searing pain. I was too young to understand what he had done to me and I tried to move my arm which only hurt even more.
The pain was indescribable. At that age, the worst pain I ever felt was accidentally banging my arm into a wall or something. But this was too much. I was crying and screaming and writhing on the floor desperately trying to think of some way to make the pain go away.
"What's the matter with you?" Tsung asked, nonchalantly. "I taught you how to put a dislocated arm into place." I tried to answer him, but I couldn't form any words. I couldn't stop screaming. "Come now Kitana! I taught what to do if this happens!" he yelled, getting annoyed. "If you want the pain to go away, do what I taught you. Remember?"
"I......I....can't..!! M-master....Tsung...I...can't...please...." I managed to yell out.
"Yes you can. I showed you what to do, now do it!"
I tried to remember what he told me. The right way to put a dislocated arm back into place but I couldn't concentrate. I couldn't remember. I probably wasn't even paying attention when he taught it to me. I started to move my arm, trying to make it look like I was trying to fix it, although truth was I had no idea what I was doing. Every time I so much as touched my arm it felt like someone was grinding a searing knife into my shoulder.
I remember hoping he'd simply do it himself. But he didn't He just stared at me and he seemed to only be getting angrier.
"You have to be kidding me!" he yelled. "This is pathetic! Look at you! I taught you better than this!"
I got really frustrated over what was happening and yelled back at him "I....I'm just...a KID!!"
He sneered and smacked me in the face saying "Don't you talk back to me you little bitch! That doesn't matter! I taught you how to fight and defend yourself! Age makes NO difference! NO difference!"
I continued to try to fix my arm but I think I was only making it worse. I finally gave up and screamed "I can't do it! I can't!! Please Master Tsung.....help me...!"
"No." he answered bluntly, walking to the corner. "You got yourself into this. Get yourself out." He stood in the corner of the sparring chamber and continued staring at me as I writhed on the floor. This went on for almost a half hour when he said "You realize if this was an actual battle, you'd be dead right now Kitana. I could've crushed you throat the moment you sank to the floor at my feet." In my whole life, I never felt so helpless. Bad enough my arm was throbbing in pain, but Shang Tsung was now degrading me.
He continued to mock me for another hour or so until I guess he got tired of watching me scream. He walked to the door of the chamber and said "I'm leaving Kitana. I'll be in my chamber so when you feel like taking this seriously...you know where to find me."
He turned and left the chamber, leaving me alone on the floor. I remained there for several more hours, which felt like an eternity because of the pain. After a while, though, it stopped hurting as much. I guess because I was going numb. As the pain in my arm dulled down, Shang Tsung's words started to hurt even more.
My father wanted me to be strong. To make him proud. But instead, I only humiliated myself. Here I was, groveling on the floor. At the time, it never occurred to me that to expect so much from a child was barbaric. At the time, I was just ashamed to have failed my father.
I was on the floor of the sparring chamber for the rest of the day. At some time that night, my father entered the chamber. Saying no words he grabbed my broken arm and lifted me up. I started to scream as he wrenched my arm back into the socket. Suddenly the pain went away and I could move my arm again. When my arm was fixed, he threw me to the floor and looked down on me.
"Go to your chamber and rest for tomorrow's session." he said coldly. He turned to walked away, but stopped and said "And try not to disappoint me again."
What he said hurt me more than anything else. It hurt more than my arm and more than anything Shang Tsung said to me. I returned to my chamber but I didn't sleep.
That day I got my first lesson about real combat. What it took to be a true warrior. I learned that day that there was no such thing as mercy. Man or woman, child or adult....none of it mattered. Never expect mercy. Fight to win.
The next day was my next training session. I walked into the sparring chamber where Tsung was waiting for me.
"Are you ready to take this seriously?" he asked me.
"Yes." I quickly answered, with no uncertainty in me.
"Will we be treated to the same pathetic display you showed yesterday?"
"Never."
"Then let us begin."
We began sparring and this time I defended myself as best I could. Tsung never pulled a punch or slowed himself down. He treated me as though I was any other warrior. In time I learned to ignore the pain of his blows. I was soon able to push myself harder and fight longer. Under Tsung's teaching, I learned to make up for any short comings I had. Even though I was a child, I could fight grown men. Even though I wasn't physically strong yet, I knew how and where to strike to even any odds. Even though my arm was healed, it still ached a little. In time, I learned to ignore it and make up for any slow-down it gave me.
My training with Shang Tsung lasted for five years. When he was finished teaching me, I was proficient in six different fighting styles. It was soon decided I was ready for more advanced training. In this, I would need a new master.
My father wanted me to be the best. He wanted me to be his best and most trusted warrior. So I would need the best teacher. My father took me to the Dragon Mountain, a large mountain hidden away deep in Outworld. Atop the mountain a large temple was constructed to worship "the dragon," whatever that means.
This was also the home of my next teacher: Master Zangyaku. Zangyaku was a man who did not care about Shao Kahn's rule or the people who fought against it. He taught anyone he considered worthy. My preliminary training with Shang Tsung was essential because Zangyaku was said to be a strict teacher and he would not teach students from scratch. Also, it was essential to my survival because it was said Zangyaku's training sessions were extremely harsh and brutal. Needless to say, going to meet him for the first time was very intimidating.
My father left me at the Dragon Temple for my first meeting with Zangyaku. I entered the Temple dojo where I found Zangyaku meditating. He wore long, flowing black and dark gray robes and he appeared to be impossibly old, but he strangley still had black hair. To look at him, he seemed like a feeble old man, but as I learned from Shang Tsung, appearances are often deceiving, especially in Outworld.
I slowly approached the old man, uncertain of what to do or say. Or if I should even say anything. I decided the best thing to do was wait for him to acknowledge me. However, he didn't. I sat in front of him, waiting for almost an hour and he never opened his eyes, much less say anything.
I finally lost my patience and said "Master Zangyaku....I am here for training..."
I was going to say more, but I was suddenly struck by a stiff slap to my face. Zangyaku had hit me, but I never saw his hand move.
"You will speak only when spoken to." he said harshly. He was silent for a few more moments then he looked at me with his burning blood red eyes and said "So, you are Shao Kahn's daughter."
"Yes, sir." I answered humbly.
"And he intends me to train you."
"Yes, sir."
He chuckled and said "He sends a child to be trained by ME! Shao Kahn certainly deserves his reputation." He stared at me for a moment and asked "Who was your previous teacher?"
"Lord Shang Tsung."
"Hmph. Shang Tsung. Demon sorcerer trash. What did he teach you? The ancient art of attacking from behind?" he said with a laugh. "Tell me, do you believe you are worthy of being trained by me?"
"Yes, sir."
He answered me with another stiff slap, which I'll admit made me very angry. Apparently, my anger was noticeable because Zangyaku laughed and said "What's the matter foolish one? You do not like my method of correcting you? Would you rather I be gentle? Tell me child, do you know of Bo'Rai Cho?"
"....I have heard of him."
"Do you know where his students end up?"
"No..."
"They end up dead! Because he is a weak teacher! Do you know why this is so?"
"N-no..."
"Because he teaches through encouragement. He indulges his warriors and makes them think they are special in some way and because of this, he makes inferior fighters. Is this what you want? Would you like me to be nice to you and make you a weak fighter? Do you want to die?"
"No, sir."
"Bo'Rai Cho.....he is a fat, soft hearted, drunken fool! I teach through example. I teach through cruelty. And because of this, my warriors are strong. They are made of stone. You will not like me, but I will make you a true warrior! Do you believe you can handle this little girl?"
"Yes, sir."
"That so?" Suddenly Zangyaku grabbed my shoulder that was once broken by Shang Tsung. As I said, it still ached although I had grown to ignore it. But Zangyaku was holding it in such a way that it felt like my arm had been torn from the socket again.
"I noticed this should hung lower than your other. Tell me child, was this arm broken once?"
"Y-YES..!!"
"It hurts doesn't it? Almost unbearable?"
"YES!!"
"You realize you are at my mercy now? I could tear you arm clean off if I so desired!"
"NO! NO! I'LL KILL YOU!!" I screamed out in a mixture of anger and desperation.
"Interesting..." he said, sounding intrigued and amused by my response. "Do you still want to be my student little girl? Do you still think you can handle being my student?"
"YES!!"
Zangyaku looked at me and then let go of my shoulder and I sank to the floor. He said "I will teach you the Art of Combat. Your first lesson will be tomorrow."
And from there, I was Master Zangyaku's student. We started with basic martial arts. Toning and improving what I already knew. When we were finished with that, I graduated into sparring with Zangyaku. Every time I missed a punch, a block, or any time I hesitated he would hit me harder and harder, stopping short of breaking my bones and crippling me. In a very short while, I learned not to miss a punch or a block. And I learned to never hesitate. In time, the ache in my shoulder may as well not been there. Any shortcoming it gave me was gone.
In between my training with Zangyaku, I trained at father's fortress. First with his other generals. They taught me weapons. After the generals, I trained with my father's assassins. They taught me stealth and pressure points. The best and most painful ways to kill your opponents. When that was over, I trained with the Shokan for a few years. They taught me power moves. Moves that broke bones...crippling and killing blows. I even had a few training sessions with my father. Anything I learned was improved and perfected by Master Zangyaku's training.
My training was every day, almost all day. Strangely though, the stress of my rigorous training never got to me. Actually, I welcomed it. I was always eager to learn more. Some of my father's generals said I took to fighting so naturally and were amazed at how fast I could learn. In such a short time, I had learned what some spend their entire lives training to master.
At only seventeen years old, I was an expert in three different fighting styles, proficient in seven more and still learning. By the time I was twenty, I could hold my own against a Shokan by myself. By twenty-four, I could defeat twelve Outworld Elite Guards unarmed. By thirty, I knew 267 different ways to kill someone with my bare hands. To an Earthrealmer, I only looked about thirteen or fourteen years old....but I was a lethal instrument who could kill a human being six times before they hit the ground.
After over forty years of training, it was decided I was ready for my first mission and my final test: my first kill.
End of Chapter II
"Training"
I'm sure it's no secret Edenians age very differently from people from other realms. We're not immortal, we just age so slowly it seems that way. We age slower as we get older, but beyond that it's very difficult to describe how we age. We share pretty much the same calendar as Earthrealm, give or take a month or two so I find it's best to use their aging as a scale.
Edenian childhood is very short when compared to later years. It only takes a few decades to look like an Earthrealm ten year old. Our "teenage" years last a few centuries. Young adulthood lasts the longest. I am about 10,000 years old which on Earthrealm would be the equivalent of 24 years old. Middle age for an Edenian would be 25,000 years old. Old age is 40,000 years to death. It's pretty confusing I know.
I started training for battle when I was about six years old. My primary teacher was my father's sorcerer Shang Tsung. I never liked him. He always struck me as a very slimy person. I often got the impression through our training sessions that he didn't like me that much either.
I never really understood why my father wanted me to be trained so much. He would say it was because he wanted me to be strong. He would always say no daughter of his would be weak. He never really said anything beyond that. Looking back I realize he would always avoid saying he was training me to be a killer.
I started with basic combat training. Basic techniques like throwing a good punch or kick. Because I was so young it was important that I get the fundamentals down perfectly. When I first started, I thought it was some sort of game. Something to do for a while that would eventually stopped. But it never did. My training exercises were almost every day, all day. Basic combat training was always terribly repetitive. After a while I stopped taking it seriously and every session I just went through the motions like a routine.
Basic combat training lasted two years, then they decided I was ready for the harder training. I remember my first session most vividly. It was my first real lesson about life as a warrior.
I entered the sparring chamber where Shang Tsung was waiting. Tsung approached me and said "Coddling time is over Kitana. Now we start to learn real combat."
I bowed and said "Yes, master."
"I'm going to attack you Kitana. I expect you to defend yourself."
Like I said, at this point I had stopped taking these sessions seriously. We began sparring and I treated it like all the other training sessions. Going through the same motions, not really trying.
I threw a punch that Shang Tsung caught and he then introduced me to real pain. He twisted my arm around and violently wrenched it. I remember hearing a loud pop and then all I can remember after that was unbearable pain. I didn't know, but he had pulled my arm out of the socket. My arm went limp at my side and I collapsed onto the floor, howling and screaming in pain.
"You made that embarrassingly easy Kitana. I taught you better than that." he said, indifferent to my agony. I couldn't really hear what he was saying, all I could think of was this horrible searing pain. I was too young to understand what he had done to me and I tried to move my arm which only hurt even more.
The pain was indescribable. At that age, the worst pain I ever felt was accidentally banging my arm into a wall or something. But this was too much. I was crying and screaming and writhing on the floor desperately trying to think of some way to make the pain go away.
"What's the matter with you?" Tsung asked, nonchalantly. "I taught you how to put a dislocated arm into place." I tried to answer him, but I couldn't form any words. I couldn't stop screaming. "Come now Kitana! I taught what to do if this happens!" he yelled, getting annoyed. "If you want the pain to go away, do what I taught you. Remember?"
"I......I....can't..!! M-master....Tsung...I...can't...please...." I managed to yell out.
"Yes you can. I showed you what to do, now do it!"
I tried to remember what he told me. The right way to put a dislocated arm back into place but I couldn't concentrate. I couldn't remember. I probably wasn't even paying attention when he taught it to me. I started to move my arm, trying to make it look like I was trying to fix it, although truth was I had no idea what I was doing. Every time I so much as touched my arm it felt like someone was grinding a searing knife into my shoulder.
I remember hoping he'd simply do it himself. But he didn't He just stared at me and he seemed to only be getting angrier.
"You have to be kidding me!" he yelled. "This is pathetic! Look at you! I taught you better than this!"
I got really frustrated over what was happening and yelled back at him "I....I'm just...a KID!!"
He sneered and smacked me in the face saying "Don't you talk back to me you little bitch! That doesn't matter! I taught you how to fight and defend yourself! Age makes NO difference! NO difference!"
I continued to try to fix my arm but I think I was only making it worse. I finally gave up and screamed "I can't do it! I can't!! Please Master Tsung.....help me...!"
"No." he answered bluntly, walking to the corner. "You got yourself into this. Get yourself out." He stood in the corner of the sparring chamber and continued staring at me as I writhed on the floor. This went on for almost a half hour when he said "You realize if this was an actual battle, you'd be dead right now Kitana. I could've crushed you throat the moment you sank to the floor at my feet." In my whole life, I never felt so helpless. Bad enough my arm was throbbing in pain, but Shang Tsung was now degrading me.
He continued to mock me for another hour or so until I guess he got tired of watching me scream. He walked to the door of the chamber and said "I'm leaving Kitana. I'll be in my chamber so when you feel like taking this seriously...you know where to find me."
He turned and left the chamber, leaving me alone on the floor. I remained there for several more hours, which felt like an eternity because of the pain. After a while, though, it stopped hurting as much. I guess because I was going numb. As the pain in my arm dulled down, Shang Tsung's words started to hurt even more.
My father wanted me to be strong. To make him proud. But instead, I only humiliated myself. Here I was, groveling on the floor. At the time, it never occurred to me that to expect so much from a child was barbaric. At the time, I was just ashamed to have failed my father.
I was on the floor of the sparring chamber for the rest of the day. At some time that night, my father entered the chamber. Saying no words he grabbed my broken arm and lifted me up. I started to scream as he wrenched my arm back into the socket. Suddenly the pain went away and I could move my arm again. When my arm was fixed, he threw me to the floor and looked down on me.
"Go to your chamber and rest for tomorrow's session." he said coldly. He turned to walked away, but stopped and said "And try not to disappoint me again."
What he said hurt me more than anything else. It hurt more than my arm and more than anything Shang Tsung said to me. I returned to my chamber but I didn't sleep.
That day I got my first lesson about real combat. What it took to be a true warrior. I learned that day that there was no such thing as mercy. Man or woman, child or adult....none of it mattered. Never expect mercy. Fight to win.
The next day was my next training session. I walked into the sparring chamber where Tsung was waiting for me.
"Are you ready to take this seriously?" he asked me.
"Yes." I quickly answered, with no uncertainty in me.
"Will we be treated to the same pathetic display you showed yesterday?"
"Never."
"Then let us begin."
We began sparring and this time I defended myself as best I could. Tsung never pulled a punch or slowed himself down. He treated me as though I was any other warrior. In time I learned to ignore the pain of his blows. I was soon able to push myself harder and fight longer. Under Tsung's teaching, I learned to make up for any short comings I had. Even though I was a child, I could fight grown men. Even though I wasn't physically strong yet, I knew how and where to strike to even any odds. Even though my arm was healed, it still ached a little. In time, I learned to ignore it and make up for any slow-down it gave me.
My training with Shang Tsung lasted for five years. When he was finished teaching me, I was proficient in six different fighting styles. It was soon decided I was ready for more advanced training. In this, I would need a new master.
My father wanted me to be the best. He wanted me to be his best and most trusted warrior. So I would need the best teacher. My father took me to the Dragon Mountain, a large mountain hidden away deep in Outworld. Atop the mountain a large temple was constructed to worship "the dragon," whatever that means.
This was also the home of my next teacher: Master Zangyaku. Zangyaku was a man who did not care about Shao Kahn's rule or the people who fought against it. He taught anyone he considered worthy. My preliminary training with Shang Tsung was essential because Zangyaku was said to be a strict teacher and he would not teach students from scratch. Also, it was essential to my survival because it was said Zangyaku's training sessions were extremely harsh and brutal. Needless to say, going to meet him for the first time was very intimidating.
My father left me at the Dragon Temple for my first meeting with Zangyaku. I entered the Temple dojo where I found Zangyaku meditating. He wore long, flowing black and dark gray robes and he appeared to be impossibly old, but he strangley still had black hair. To look at him, he seemed like a feeble old man, but as I learned from Shang Tsung, appearances are often deceiving, especially in Outworld.
I slowly approached the old man, uncertain of what to do or say. Or if I should even say anything. I decided the best thing to do was wait for him to acknowledge me. However, he didn't. I sat in front of him, waiting for almost an hour and he never opened his eyes, much less say anything.
I finally lost my patience and said "Master Zangyaku....I am here for training..."
I was going to say more, but I was suddenly struck by a stiff slap to my face. Zangyaku had hit me, but I never saw his hand move.
"You will speak only when spoken to." he said harshly. He was silent for a few more moments then he looked at me with his burning blood red eyes and said "So, you are Shao Kahn's daughter."
"Yes, sir." I answered humbly.
"And he intends me to train you."
"Yes, sir."
He chuckled and said "He sends a child to be trained by ME! Shao Kahn certainly deserves his reputation." He stared at me for a moment and asked "Who was your previous teacher?"
"Lord Shang Tsung."
"Hmph. Shang Tsung. Demon sorcerer trash. What did he teach you? The ancient art of attacking from behind?" he said with a laugh. "Tell me, do you believe you are worthy of being trained by me?"
"Yes, sir."
He answered me with another stiff slap, which I'll admit made me very angry. Apparently, my anger was noticeable because Zangyaku laughed and said "What's the matter foolish one? You do not like my method of correcting you? Would you rather I be gentle? Tell me child, do you know of Bo'Rai Cho?"
"....I have heard of him."
"Do you know where his students end up?"
"No..."
"They end up dead! Because he is a weak teacher! Do you know why this is so?"
"N-no..."
"Because he teaches through encouragement. He indulges his warriors and makes them think they are special in some way and because of this, he makes inferior fighters. Is this what you want? Would you like me to be nice to you and make you a weak fighter? Do you want to die?"
"No, sir."
"Bo'Rai Cho.....he is a fat, soft hearted, drunken fool! I teach through example. I teach through cruelty. And because of this, my warriors are strong. They are made of stone. You will not like me, but I will make you a true warrior! Do you believe you can handle this little girl?"
"Yes, sir."
"That so?" Suddenly Zangyaku grabbed my shoulder that was once broken by Shang Tsung. As I said, it still ached although I had grown to ignore it. But Zangyaku was holding it in such a way that it felt like my arm had been torn from the socket again.
"I noticed this should hung lower than your other. Tell me child, was this arm broken once?"
"Y-YES..!!"
"It hurts doesn't it? Almost unbearable?"
"YES!!"
"You realize you are at my mercy now? I could tear you arm clean off if I so desired!"
"NO! NO! I'LL KILL YOU!!" I screamed out in a mixture of anger and desperation.
"Interesting..." he said, sounding intrigued and amused by my response. "Do you still want to be my student little girl? Do you still think you can handle being my student?"
"YES!!"
Zangyaku looked at me and then let go of my shoulder and I sank to the floor. He said "I will teach you the Art of Combat. Your first lesson will be tomorrow."
And from there, I was Master Zangyaku's student. We started with basic martial arts. Toning and improving what I already knew. When we were finished with that, I graduated into sparring with Zangyaku. Every time I missed a punch, a block, or any time I hesitated he would hit me harder and harder, stopping short of breaking my bones and crippling me. In a very short while, I learned not to miss a punch or a block. And I learned to never hesitate. In time, the ache in my shoulder may as well not been there. Any shortcoming it gave me was gone.
In between my training with Zangyaku, I trained at father's fortress. First with his other generals. They taught me weapons. After the generals, I trained with my father's assassins. They taught me stealth and pressure points. The best and most painful ways to kill your opponents. When that was over, I trained with the Shokan for a few years. They taught me power moves. Moves that broke bones...crippling and killing blows. I even had a few training sessions with my father. Anything I learned was improved and perfected by Master Zangyaku's training.
My training was every day, almost all day. Strangely though, the stress of my rigorous training never got to me. Actually, I welcomed it. I was always eager to learn more. Some of my father's generals said I took to fighting so naturally and were amazed at how fast I could learn. In such a short time, I had learned what some spend their entire lives training to master.
At only seventeen years old, I was an expert in three different fighting styles, proficient in seven more and still learning. By the time I was twenty, I could hold my own against a Shokan by myself. By twenty-four, I could defeat twelve Outworld Elite Guards unarmed. By thirty, I knew 267 different ways to kill someone with my bare hands. To an Earthrealmer, I only looked about thirteen or fourteen years old....but I was a lethal instrument who could kill a human being six times before they hit the ground.
After over forty years of training, it was decided I was ready for my first mission and my final test: my first kill.
End of Chapter II