EDIT

It's kind of scary how enthused I get about playing God of War II. It's so much more brutal than the first one. I was laughing when Kratos started smashing Thesius' (I think I spelled that right) head in the door and there was blood gushing everywhere! XD


The Files of Kazdan Kalinkas

Book One: Not By Choice

Chapter Four: Schooling


UnderWorld Rule #4: Learn to fight, or learn to die.


By the time noon rolled around, I was dying.

Figuratively speaking.

The UnderWorld was known for its heat but I'd never stayed in it long enough to see just how hot it could get. UnderWorlders were born and raised in these scalding temperatures. I wasn't. The heat sapped my energy and left me sleepy, exhausted, and sick.

We spent most of the morning standing. That's right. Just freaking standing there. It was a test of endurance and loyalty, Soulna said, though I didn't see how standing in the exact same spot for hours on end proved your loyalty to anything but a patch of dirt. Oddly enough, I wasn't the first one to drop. A couple of "Storm Trooper" trainees collapsed, their legs shaking, and were immediately reprimanded and forced to stand again. As the day wore on and the heat grew more intense, my legs were aching, my head was thudding, and I felt suffocated with weariness.

This wasn't training. This was torture. I closed my eyes and felt my chin drop to my chest, my red hair curtaining my face as it no longer stood in its traditional spikes. But I didn't care. I was daydreaming about swimming in a pool with an ice cold lemonade and not a care in the world. I hadn't even realized I'd collapsed until Varris pushed me off of him with a snarl of discontent and I'd hit the dirt. My head spun. It was so hot…

"Get up!" Soulna barked, shoving her way past some of the staring trainees to where I lay on my stomach, unwilling to move, "Get up, maggot! You're not finished here!"

I tried, I really did, but all I got for my effort was the slight twitching of my fingers. I was completely burned out.

Soulna didn't care. She coiled her fingers around the back of my neck and hauled me into the air. I kept forgetting how strong Creatures could be. I stared at her with half-closed eyes, barely able to focus on the fact that my feet were dangling a good six of seven inches above the ground.

"You're weak. A weak pathetic human. You're going to die in here before Chaor gets any use out of you!" She shook her head, still holding me in the air.

And then I said something really stupid.

I shouldn't have said anything, I should have just kept my mouth shut and let her bad talk me but no, stupid, thoughtless Kazdan Kalinkas had to turn around and spit out a witty retort. I could always say I was exhausted and that much was true but I was also sick and tired of being stepped on. Hey, I've got my limits too. But so do Creatures.

"So I'm weak," I croaked, throat dry from the heat and lack of water, "But at least…I'm good enough…to hang around with Chaor…"

It was a really lame thing to say.

And a really dumb thing too.

Soulna's face contorted with rage and tightened her grip on my neck. I yelped and struggled weakly as she put pressure on the spot where Brakin had injected the vaccinations. By this time, all the other trainees had abandoned their stationary posts and were all turning around to watch the situation. I wasn't happy for the audience.

"Do not act superior to me, human scum!" Soulna hissed through her teeth, "Because you are not! You are lower than these trainees! You are lower that idiot slacker H'earring!"

I got pissed at that, "H'earring's a better Creature than you, you stuck-up goat!"

Why couldn't I keep my mouth shut?

Soulna snarled in anger and unleashed her powers on me. All I saw was wave after wave of blinding blue-white voltage that sent me into a spasm each time. I don't know if I screamed or not but by the time she let me go, there were nasty burns across my face and fingers, scorch marks on my armor, my throat was ripped raw, and there was a tangy taste of blood in my mouth.

I tried to breath and ended up coughing up blood, kneeling down on all fours in the dirt. I was shaking all over and there was a heavy and terrified silence from the other recruits. Soulna stood over me, breathing heavily. I hacked up more blood and she lifted the corner of her mouth up in a sneer.

I was in agony. My face hurt because of the burns, the bruise on my chest wasn't helping anything, and now I could hardly get in a decent breath because she'd practically torn up my vocal cords.

I'd had better days.

"Have anything to say now, human!?" She kicked me, right in my injured chest, and I doubled over, wheezing and trying not to cry from the pain, "This is what happens to those who disobey the orders of the UnderWorld Officers!" She kicked me once more and I fell onto my side, arms wrapped around my stomach, tears leaking out of my eyes and mingling with the blood trickling past my lips. I was too tired to do much else than make strangled, whimpering noises.

Something crackled above me and I forced my weary gaze upwards. A sparking ball of electricity had formed in Soulna's hand and she was holding it over me threateningly.

"Now get up and stand with the rest of these maggots." She ordered but I couldn't move. I was drained, dead. The iron tang of my blood was swimming around in my mouth and my head was pounding so much that I was ready to drop into sleep right then and there, "On. Your. Feet." I still didn't move, "NOW!"

She launched the attack at me and I writhed on the ground, kicking up dirt. For good measure, she blasted another trainee and he collapsed, screaming, beside me. But then he screamed for another reason, scampering backwards on his arms and legs with a horrified expression.

And that was the last thing I saw before I collapsed into darkness.

It would have been nice to stay in that darkness except the stupid ripple decided to interfere.

I thrashed left and right as I hauled myself up from the water that was slowly turning back into my body. I gasped, drawing stinging hot air into my lungs, and shook my head. I came back to myself faster. The world settled around me with a jolt. I was on my knees, completely healed as through nothing had happened, staring up at the shocked and horrified expressions of the Creatures around me. If Ulmar and Chaor had intended the IRA to be a secret then that plan was shot out of the water.

"You're no human…" Whispered one of the trainees, another one joining the ranks of the common soldiers, "You're a…a demon! A spirit! Masquerading as a human! Demon!"

I had to give the guy points for that one. I didn't even know that UnderWorlders believed in demons and spirits. I didn't even know if Creatures had religions.

"Demon!" Shouted another recruit, pointing at me, "Demon! He's come to destroy the UnderWorld!"

I seriously didn't know how to react to that. Without saying a word, I pushed myself to my feet and looked around at them. They all drew back with hushed whispers. These guys were either stupid or had a terrible case of ADD. One minute they were chasing me down to tear me to pieces, then they were giving me silent respect, and now they were terrified of me.

Well, all of them except the ever vigilant Soulna.

Oh, she was staring at me all right but it was more shock and anger than fear. I kind of figured that was because she'd just blasted me to pieces and then seen me pop back again as though she hadn't touched me.

"What," She whispered coldly, "Is the meaning of this?" Everyone fell silent.

Feeling rebellious and reckless, I said in what I hoped was a tone as cold as hers, "Why don't you ask Chaor?"

She glowered at me, "I want an explanation from you. Now. How is it that you fell and then rose again? Tell me!"

I shook my head at her, "No way. No freaking way! I'm getting out of here!" I turned and ran, bursting through the ranks of the trainees with a frenzy that was almost insane. I ran until I hit the wall and then followed it all the way around to the heavy metal gate. I kicked it, hit it, screaming and shouting for it to open. I leaned my weight against it but it would not budge.

I heard footsteps behind me and whirled around just in time to see Soulna leaping at me with anger on her face. She slashed the air where my head had been moments before and dropped to the ground with a growl. I had ducked and rolled aside, landing easily on my feet again. I wasn't exactly athletic but I could move if I had to.

Soulna's horns crackled with electricity and she charge at me, fists clenched and wreathed in blue-white. I dropped down and kicked out, catching her feet and tangling them so she tripped and kissed dirt. I got up to run but she grabbed my ankle and hefted me up, throwing me against the wall. I cried out as I slammed against the stone and slid down to land dazedly on the ground.

The UnderWorlder Officer knelt down and grabbed me around the throat. I struggled but she only tightened her grip. What was it with UnderWorlders and grabbing people by the neck? "No one undermines my authority." She snapped.

"Undermine this!" I shouted and kicked her in her exposed stomach. She dropped me in surprise and I took the opportunity to grab one of the spikes on her back and pull. I was mad. I was so angry and scared that I couldn't think straight and was acting on savage instinct alone. In that respect, humans and Creatures aren't that different.

Soulna howled in pain as I yanked on her spike. She reached around behind her, managed to find purchase on the point rising from my shoulder guard and tugged at it. Hard. I screamed as she dragged me around in front of her and tossed me to the dirt. I glared up at her, scrambled upright, and tackled her.

It wasn't the brightest thing to do but then, the day had been full of not bright things.

At least she wasn't expecting the move. Her back hit the ground with a heavy thud and we started scuffling like a couple of high schoolers. Only she was way stronger than me. She pinned me down and held up a hand to blast me with another sphere of electricity. I glared at her, struggling. Just because I could regenerate didn't mean I liked getting hit. It still hurt.

Fortunately (or unfortunately) for me, the front gate chose that moment to burst open and in walked Chaor with Ulmar scurrying behind him like an obedient dog. I was thinking Chihuahua. An ugly, hairless Chihuahua with its brains sticking out of the top of its head.

Yeah, okay, enough of that. We'll save more Ulmar bashing for later.

Soulna gaped at Chaor and then shot off me so fast it took me a couple seconds to comprehend the fact that she was now standing at attention instead of getting ready to blast me. I slowly stood up. The other trainees were all peering around the edges of the nearby buildings, curious but cautious.

"Soulna," Chaor's voice rumbled and even though he wasn't shouting, I could tell he was angry. It's just one of those things you learn to sense around people, "What were you doing?"

"Teaching the human to obey orders, sir." Geez, at least my excuse that I wanted to scan something was the truth. Soulna just hated me for some unconceivable reason. But then, a lot of Creatures in Perim felt the same way about humans in general.

Chaor's eyes narrowed, "It looked like you were trying to kill him."

"N-no," Soulna was panicking, "No, Lord Chaor, I swear, I wasn't! It just—he was—I—!"

"Seize her." The UnderWorld lord commanded and a couple of soldiers who'd been lingering just outside the gate grabbed Soulna, "Throw her in the dungeons. I'll deal with her later." The soldiers dragged her away, screaming in fear and anger as she was.

We never saw her again.

Chaor looked at me. I glared at him and then looked away, preferring to stare at the dirt under my boots.

"Faltin!" The bird-like UnderWorlder appeared at Chaor's side in a flash, "Get us a private place to talk. And bring plenty of food."

"Yessir!" Faltin saluted clumsily, no doubt afraid he'd be hauled off next, "Follow me, sir."

"Come, Kaz." I flinched at the tone in Chaor's voice and felt embarrassed to be treated like a dog but followed him all the same. Faltin led us to a small hut and opened the door to let us in.

"This was Soulna's living quarters. I'll send for food, my lord." And he scurried off. Ulmar made to follow us in but Chaor shut the door in his face. I hid my smirk by rubbing my hands across my eyes; served the little creeper right.

"Sit." Chaor ordered and I fell into a chair across the small table from him. He proceeded to stare at me until the food arrived. I was hesitant to eat anything but my stomach got the better of me and I picked away at whatever was in my reach. I didn't want to get any closer to Chaor than I had to.

My thoughts churned in my head during the silence. My friends, I had to find a way to get to them. My life, constantly in danger even with the IRA. My home…

I stopped eating and pushed the food away. It tasted like dirt.

"What's your problem?" Chaor asked, not out of pity or compassion. He just wanted me to be in the best condition I could be in.

"I…I wanna go home…" My voice was broken and soft.

"What?"

"I said I want to go home!" I glared at him angrily, "You can't keep me here! I'm not yours! I'm a human! I don't belong here!"

"You're not going anywhere!" Chaor snarled at me, "The UnderWorld is your home! You'll stay here for as long as I need you! You're not leaving!"

I stared at him.

When had I ever looked up to this guy?

"Let me go home." I pleaded, choking on the words as they tried to get past the lump in my throat, "Please...let me go..."

"No." Chaor growled.

I snapped.

"I HATE YOU!" I screamed, pounding my fists on the table, "I HATE YOU, I HATE YOU, I HATE YOU!" Tears blurred my vision and I rocketed to my feet, sending my chair flying, "I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU!" It was the only thing I could say. Chaor watched me impassively and I dropped to my knees, "I hate you...I h-hate you..." I buried my face in my hands, shaking with sobs.

I heard Chaor's heavy footfalls and the door opening, "Ulmar, get in here."

I looked up, wiping tears from my eyes, and saw, not only Ulmar, but a handful of soldiers enter the little hut as well. My gaze fell upon the large metal box one of the soldiers was carrying.

I knew it was for me.

Ulmar hadn't tagged along to check on me and make sure his armor was functioning properly, he was here to make "improvements."

"No..." I scrambled backwards as the door was shut and bolted, "No! Stay away from me!" I dove out of the reach of some soldiers, crawled on all fours across the floor, and backed against the wall.

Only it wasn't the wall.

It was Chaor.

Before I could move, he grabbed me under my arms, lifted me up, and slammed me back down on the table top. Food and dishes went everywhere. I struggled, all flailing limbs and hoarse shouting, but the soldiers soon had my arms and legs pinned down. Ulmar hopped up beside me and I turned my head to stare at him with wide, terrified eyes.

What else could he do to me?

What else could he possibly do to me!?

Ulmar read the look of terror and confusion on my face perfectly because he grinned that wicked grin of his and held up something that looked vaguely like a drill.

I said a couple of words that would have gotten me grounded at home and started screaming my bloody lungs out. Ulmar jumped at the noise and fell backwards off the table. I kept screaming and twisting in the grips of the soldiers and soon there were two of them each holding onto my limbs.

Chaor pressed his hand over my mouth, effectively silencing me and holding my head still. Tears bubbled out of my eyes and ran down his fingers. He paid me no heed. Ulmar had managed to get back up on the table, Perim's version of a power tool whirring to life in his hands.

I managed a muffled noise past Chaor's hand that was supposed to be a scream. Hands tightened on my arms and legs as I attempted to pry myself away.

No…no! Why me!? Why me!? Tom! Sarah! Peyton! Anybody! I squeezed my eyes shut, wishing with all my heart that I could be anywhere but here, Somebody help me!

Intense, white-hot pain flared…

The world spun in a dizzying flash of agony…

I fainted…


I woke up in a sad excuse for a bed; nothing more than a military style cot with a thin sheet and a flat pillow. I didn't dare open my eyes, scared to death of what Ulmar might have done. My head was pounding, my ears ringing with each thud of my beating heart.

Curiosity overcame me.

I flicked my eyes open and stared up at the low wooden ceiling. I took a few deep breaths to try and prepare myself (yeah right) and sat up. I was in a long wooden building where the walls were lined with more of the same cots I was currently resting on; the trainee living quarters, I guessed.

Then I looked down at myself, patting my hands over every inch of the armor that covered me. Nothing seemed different. Until my fingertips found the metal band running across my forehead and around to the front of my ears.

What new, hellish device was this?

I ran my hands over it until I hit a knob. It went in under pressure and I jumped in alarm and surprise. Black liquid swirled out of the crevices in the metal bands, acting as though there was no gravity, and joined together to form a visor in front of my eyes. I poked it. It was as solid as glass and I could see through it perfectly normal. I found the knob again and pushed it. The glass/liquid withdrew.

I shuddered and sank back down onto the cot. This kept getting worse and worse. I pulled the sheet over my head and curled into the smallest possible ball I could manage. I felt so helpless. So powerless! In Perim, I was nothing without my Code Scanner and that was long gone. Not that it mattered; I was flesh and blood here, not Code.

"And if you had never been sneaking around in the UnderWorld City, maybe this never would have happened." Said a voice in my head; cold and logical and reprimanding and snide, "You're stupid, Kaz. You've got no choice but to do as you're told. And that means you have to learn to kill."

The word burned neon fire in my brain and I closed my eyes with a whimper. Everything was falling apart. No, it wasn't falling apart. It had already fallen apart and I was stumbling through the wreckage.

A door slammed open somewhere and there was a cacophony of thudding footsteps and voices. I didn't move but the trainees saw the out of place lump in sheet and probably guessed who it was.

"Way to stand up to Soulna!" Said a voice and there were several cries of agreement, "You're not bad for a demon!"

"Idiot!" Snapped Varris' voice, "He ain't a demon! He's human!"

"But Varris!" Came another voice, "We all saw him come back from the dead! And that's just impossible!"

"He's human, moron, I can smell it!"

"Then how can you explain him coming back from the dead!"

"I didn't die." I grumbled. I just loved how they were talking about me like I wasn't there. And that was a bit of sarcasm for you, "I just got blasted apart and reformed again. You've got Ulmar to thank for that."

"Hey, Kaz." Varris said my name awkwardly though I guess I could let pass. It was a human name, after all, "Come on out from under there."

My answer was to pull the sheet tighter over my head. I wasn't coming out. I wanted to wallow in my self pity and hatred. Alone. Undisturbed. Miserable me.

"Dastard." Said the voice again and I covered my ears. Like that would help. The voice was in my own head. I was going crazy. I had to get out of here.

"Ooooohhhh, Kaaaazzzzz." Varris' powerful fingers ripped the sheets off me and I curled over, stuffing my face into my pillow. He tapped the armor on my back and it tinged rather loudly in the silence. I felt it vibrate down my spin and shivered despite the heat in the building, "Come on out. You're a man, aren't you? Then stand up and act like it! You're acting like a coward!"

"Dastard, dastard, dastard!"

"Where'd you come from?" Curious trainee asked and then grunted as one of his fellows elbowed him in the side.

I uncurled myself slowly, peering at them warily, but there was an honesty about them that none of the UnderWorlders outside the training barracks possessed. At some point in their training, something would happen that would make them the bloodthirsty and angry warriors that the rest of the world knew.

The thought flashed briefly through my mind, when would that happen to me?

"Earth." I said in response to the question, "I'm human. I was a Chaotic player, one of the best UnderWorld players ever." I started when I realized I was speaking in past tense. I had already mentally come to the conclusion that I was never going home. I nearly collapsed into tears again.

"What're you doing here?" It was an older trainee, I could tell by the gruffness of his manner and the solid glare he attempted to keep.

"Chaor caught me sneaking around in his palace." Why was I telling them this? Why did they care? It didn't seem to matter, I just wanted to spill my guts, "He was already in a bad mood," There were several murmurs of understanding at this, "And he let Ulmar use me for his experiment with this Instant Regeneration Armor." They all stared at me with wide and slightly jealous eyes, "It's not as cool as it sounds." I huffed, blowing some of my bangs from my face, "All it's gotten me into a ton of trouble and I'd rather be...home..."

"You're so selfish. All you think about is yourself." If that was my conscious talking then I wanted to file a complaint to who'd ever handed them out and demand a new one, "What will your friends think when they find out you're working for the UnderWorld? What will Tom think? He's an OverWorlder, after all..."

Tom.

My friends.

"V-Varris, can we send messages outside the training barracks?"

"Uhhhh..."Varris sat down on the cot across from mine, raised a leg, and used to it scratch behind one of his floppy, dog-ish ears, "I dunno. But visitors can come in if they want. 'Cept family." He shrugged.

"Family?" I murmured.

"No siblings." Said one of the "Storm Trooper" trainees, "Sometimes they sneak in Battle Gear or food and we're not allowed luxiers in here."

"What about....your parents?"

"Parents?" Several of the UnderWorlders looked around at one another. Varris stared at me with his head cocked to the side.

"We don't know our parents." Varris said coldly and my stomach clenched, "Only nobles like Lord Chaor and Lady Takinom are raised by their parents."

Ah, now some things were making sense. UnderWorlders did not form attachments to one another because they were not born and raised as individuals. That was an advantage I held over them. I acted as my own person, I had a personality, a history, an individual story, I had parents who had taken care of me and nurtured me.

Parents that I would probably never see again.

I closed my eyes, fighting back the tears that threatened me again. I had cried so many times over the past couple of hours that I was surprised I hadn't turned into a raisin. I half laughed, half gave a choking sob. I didn't know how I should feel anymore.

"Oooohhh, scared's a good option. How about terrified? That's even better. And regret. Come on, Kazzy, the truth. It's easier that way." That stupid voice. It was probably just my own mind trying to reason with myself, "You!? Tcha, what do you know?" I decided to ignore it, "Go right ahead, Kaz. Ignore me. But I'm not going anywhere anytime soon. Happy killing."

Silence.

I cracked an eye open and saw that the UnderWorlders had lost interest in me once I'd become quiet. They were all tired from the days training and were now stripping off their training clothes or muttering to one another. Occasionally, one of them would glance at me and, seeing me looking back, quickly turn the other way.

So, I was an object of suspicion and respect. I didn't want to be. I intended to fade into the background and let them forget I was even there. If I could pull that off in Chaotic when everyone knew I was the best UnderWorld player around, then I could pull it off here in Perim, even in this Instant Regeneration Armor.

I slunk back down beneath the sheet, trying to get comfortable. A hard feat when you're wearing metal armor that can't come off. I ended up on my stomach with my arms shoved underneath the pillow and my head turned to the side.

In the months to come, I taught myself that being comfortable when you sleep is not a forte for life in the UnderWorld.


Whoa, nice long chapter and two posts within a day of each other. Now if only I could do that with Nice To Be Loved...

Ah, but, alas I have Writer's Block for that again. (cries because she likes her fiction but it all feels like filler). Still, I think things are movign along. Um, I didn't say think. That was...a typo. Yeah, a typo.

Ahem, yeah, anyway...

Can I traumatize Kaz anymore? Hmmmm... Yeah. Most probably. Still, he's got a little hope, doesn't he. If he can get to H'earring, he can get to his friends, and if he can get to his friends then there's a high probabilty he can get out. The question is, how long will it take? And how can he get home?

Seems impossible, don't it. X3