T.K. and the Kalma

This is joint-written. Niqi learns a bit more about our newest companion during a somewhat-forced hotel room grouping, and he seems to know more about the planet than the others do.

 

“I see ruins,” Niqi announced, about two hours after the sun had fully set. “I think it used to be a city.”

“Yay, ruins.” Glide muttered. “I’d twirl a finger if I could carry this kid with only one arm.”

“Think there’s anywhere to stay that still has four walls and a roof?” Lujuria asked. “I’m about to pass out.”

“Yeah, looks like one of the buildings is mostly standing,” Niqi responded. She squinted. “I think I can see ‘Hotel’ written on it.”

“Let’s go check it out.” Glide said. “Since me and Ricky don’t need to sleep, we’ll only need eleven rooms.”

 

…

 

“You have got to be f*****g kidding me,” Niqi muttered, checking through the rooms a second time to see if another room would magically appear. She sighed heavily, returning to the group. “There are only ten rooms that are habitable. All the others are missing a ceiling, a wall, or a floor.”

“The kid’s bunking with you, then.” Glide stated. “Everybody, pick a room.”

Sandy, Davis, Lujuria and Belleza headed to the second floor, while Maki, Mambo, Shetani and Felix chose rooms on the first.

Ambree walked into Shetani’s room first by accident, mumbled an apology, and then found the empty room on the first floor. She walked in and promptly passed out on the dust-covered bed.

Niqi stared at Glide. “The hell?” she asked. “Why do I have to bunk with him?”

“Because I said so.” Glide responded. “Just be thankful I didn’t say you’d be sleeping on the floor out here while the kid gets the last room.”

“Fine,” Niqi sighed, taking the kid from Glide. “Holy crap,” she muttered in reaction to his weight. She carried him up the stairs with some difficulty and walked into the last remaining room. Luckily, it was a suite-type room. She dumped the kid on the bed and brushed the dust off the couch, opting to sleep there.

Being dropped on the bed seemed to jolt the kid back to reality. He bounced up and landed on his stomach on the floor, scrambling to his feet. “What happened, where am I!?”

Niqi groaned, sitting up from her position on the couch with some effort. “I was so ready to fall asleep…” she mumbled to herself. She turned to the kid after a moment. “As for what happened, you got knocked unconscious by one of those creepy ugly creatures, and then we hauled your a*s over to this here ruined hotel. You’re stuck with me as your roomie, since there aren’t enough rooms, I’m afraid.”

“Oh. Well, I’ll go…y’know, sleep in the lobby, if you want.” The Arcadian smiled, opening the door.

“No, no, it’s fine,” Niqi replied. “I’d rather you not, actually. Glide will probably think I kicked you out, and even if he’s able to be convinced otherwise, he’ll probably still get pissed at me for lettin’ you.”

The Arcadian paused for a moment, then closed the door and moved to sit on the edge of the bed. “Were you the one that carried me here?”

“Nah. Well, I carried you up the stairs, but Glide was the one that carried you across the barren land for two hours before we got here,” Niqi responded. She opened her eyes wide, trying to be more alert.

“Oh, I’m sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. How impolite.” The Arcadian said. “I’m T.K.”

Niqi smiled. “Nice to meet you, T.K. I’m Niqi,” she said, extending a paw.

T.K. avoided shaking Niqi’s paw. “I-I’m too strong for handshakes.” He explained. “I don’t wanna crush your paw or anything.”

Niqi looked at T.K., confused for a moment, before dropping her paw to her side. “Right…” She suddenly recalled the Arcadian breaking one of the creature’s spines with a kick. “Where the hell do you get all that strength, anyway? I mean, Glide is one of the strongest guys I know, and I’ve never seen him do what you did today.”

“Machinery.” T.K. replied. “My right arm and both of my legs were replaced by machinery a few months ago. And that’s not all.”

Niqi’s eyes widened. “Sheesh… Why would… What do you mean, that’s not all?” she spluttered.

“Right lung, right kidney, L2 to L5…” T.K. paused, sighing. “Heart…”

“Oh s**t…” Niqi mumbled. She paused for a moment, and then smiled slightly. “Well, for a guy with a metal heart, you sure seem kinder than most,” she said, attempting to lighten the mood.

“Thanks.” T.K. grinned. “That kindness sorta earned me a nickname back home on High Arcadia.”

“Yeah, what was it?” Niqi asked.

“‘Dumbass’.” T.K. joked, snickering.

Niqi laughed loudly at the unexpected humor, clapping her paws over her mouth a second later. “Aren’t they a nice lot?” she commented when she was able to speak again.

“Oh, yeah,” T.K. laughed, “they’re real nice guys. Except for a few of them, but I’ve forgiven those few.”

“I admire that,” Niqi responded. “I have anger issues. Can’t imagine myself forgiving very easily.”

“Anger issues are nothing to worry about, unless they’re serious enough to cause something bad.” T.K. said.

“Does accidentally getting a kid’s ankle charred by toxic jellyfish count as ‘bad’?” Niqi asked, grinning.

“…Yes.” T.K. responded. “But it’s not as bad as getting friends together and beating someone into a coma.”

“Hmm?” Niqi mumbled, wondering what he meant by that.

“How do you think I ended up like this?” T.K. asked. “A few guys jumped me and beat me into a coma. I don’t know the exact details, but it must’ve been pretty bad, because I woke up half-machine.”

Niqi’s eyes widened. “Holy s**t… Sorry that happened to ya, buddy, even though that hardly makes any difference.”

“It’s okay.” T.K. smiled. “Like I said, I’ve forgiven them. They were just…misguided, I guess.”

Niqi shook her head, smiling. “You really are kind, kid. If that was me, I’d probably hunt them down and see to it that they’d never wake up without having machine parts attached to them.” She paused for a moment, thinking. “I’m curious – what the hell brings you to Yochinai?”

T.K. shrugged. “I’m looking for someone – a friend of mine. I met him on Little Eden. I got word that he ended up here around the same time I was discharged.”

“Ah, Little Eden. I know a bit about that place, Glide’s told me some. Who’s your friend?” Niqi asked.

“A really big panda named Beimuni.” T.K. said. “It’s impossible to miss him. He’s almost seven feet tall.”

Niqi nodded. “We could probably help you search for him. Wouldn’t be too hard to put finding out what happened here on the back burner, as it seems we only find answers by random occurrence.”

“You’re trying to find out what happened here?” T.K. asked. “I know a little bit about this place, maybe there’s something I know that can help you guys.”

“Oh! I never thought of asking you,” Niqi responded, rubbing her temples. “It’s probably the lack of sleep… What do you know, T.K.?”

“Well, there was something about this place in the history books on High Arcadia.” T.K. replied, trying to remember as clearly as he could. “Gods, what I wouldn’t give for a metal brain right now… Something about ‘invisible creatures that ate the planet’s greatest warriors to become stronger’…”

Niqi’s eyes widened. “Uh, yeah, I think we’ve met those. Twice.” She paused. “…Ate the greatest warriors?”

“Ate their souls and turned them into other…” T.K. grinned suddenly. “Kalma! That was their name! They eat the souls of great warriors to become stronger, and turn the bodies into other Kalma.”

“Heh. The thirteen of us are the greatest warriors on the planet, now. I’d be scared by the fact that that puts us next in line to be eaten, except I don’t think they’re going to get the chance with us,” Niqi mused. “You remember anything else about the Kalma? Perhaps where they came from?”

“According to the history books, the first Kalma, the original, was a warrior here.” T.K. said. “He became the greatest warrior on the planet, and before long, he started demanding sacrifices, or he’d stop protecting the people. They couldn’t get another warrior, because Kalma would just come and kill him.”

“What was the first Kalma protecting the people from, anyway?” Niqi wondered.

“The Leviathan.” T.K. responded. “The Lurking Death. Nobody could kill it, not even Kalma, but he was the only one that could keep it away. Eventually, Therali, the god of death – the god that the people originally sacrificed to – got fed up with Kalma stealing his sacrifices.”

“And what happened then?” Niqi asked, getting caught up in the tale.

“Therali punished Kalma.” T.K. said, holding out a closed fist. “Kalma, the attention-addict that he was, loved being treated as a god by the people. And when he was turned invisible–” T.K. opened his fist. “–poof. Nobody worships him anymore. Out of sight, out of mind. He goes nuts.”

Niqi’s expression became confused. “But why is it the children can see him?”

“Because the children were the ones that grew up with the tales of the ‘Great Kalma’.” T.K. replied. “They were never told about the sacrifices. They saw him as a perfect hero. Here comes the twisted part.”

Niqi nodded. “Go on.”

“Now, our pal Kalma has freakin’ flipped.” T.K. continued. “He figures ‘Hey, if you guys aren’t gonna sacrifice yourselves to me, I’ll just sacrifice you to myself’. The kids have to watch as the entire town is slaughtered by their beloved hero. And then he comes to kill them.”

Niqi inhaled sharply, as if seeing it. “Is anyone able to escape?”

“One.” T.K. replied. “A wolf pup, who hid under his bed.”

Niqi pouted in sympathy for the young of her own kind. “How was he able to survive after that?”

“He went feral.” T.K. said. “And as for Kalma, well, Therali decided if he wanted to act like a dick, he could act like a dick for all eternity. Kalma died, but he kept on slaying. He decayed, but he kept on wandering. And now, he’s stuck that way, until somebody finally kills him.”

With that, the story seemed to end, and the mood the tale had created began to dissipate. It was silent for a few moments. “Y’know who wrote that book?” Niqi asked casually.

“Of course I know. The wolf’s descendant.” T.K. grinned.

Niqi grinned back. “Guess he fared pretty well after all.” She glanced at the sky through a cracked window in the room. “This is all very interesting, and I’d love to stay up and keep talking, but I’m tired from all the adventuring today. I think I’m gonna go to sleep, if you don’t mind.”

“Go ahead.” T.K. said, standing up. “You can take the bed. I don’t think I’ll be getting any sleep tonight, anyway. Maintenance and repairs, y’know.”

Niqi nodded. “Thanks, T.K.,” she said, getting up and laying down on the bed. “See you in the morning.”

Reviews

[KEi]

Oh, crikey.

Kalma's a loon.
D:>